Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean is a historical romance book. It is the third and final installment of Sarah MacLean’s Bareknuckle Bastards Series. I read and reviewed Brazen and the Beast on the blog, which was the second book. Then, I read the second one, and now, finally, the last book. Daring and the Duke follows Grace and Ewan’s story, which has been building up since the first book.
The story begins exactly where the second book left it off. Grace and Ewan are face to face after some twenty-odd years. There is a lot of history between these characters, and their emotions are intense because of it naturally. Grace is hurt by Ewan’s past actions, she has not forgotten his betrayal. Ewan has been searching for Grace desperately, and thinking she is dead pushes him over the edge of all morality. Grace is stronger now, and she won’t let Ewan come back into her or her brothers’ lives, that they have built. After their encounter, Ewan leaves for the countryside and returns a year later, a changed man.
Grace is surprised and intrigued by Ewan’s return. She changes her appearance slightly to go to his masquerade party. They give in to their desires for a few moments, especially Grace believing it will never happen again. Once they are back in each other’s orbit it is very difficult for them to pretend that their feeling in the past for each other have changed. Grace and Ewan’s romance is high on emotions; there is a lot of angst. Grace and Ewan’s characters need to work on themselves before they are finally able to be together. For them, accepting that you love the person in front of you and not just their past selves is an important notion.
Ewan is almost an anti-hero in the previous books. Grace feels he betrayed her and the brothers for the title and the money, but it is not as black and white as they believe it to be. Their father tormented all of them growing up, and that trauma is reflected in these four characters in different ways. Ewan has suffered too and has done it alone. The other three at least had each other. Ewan had to fend for himself and suffer, till his father was alive. Grace slowly starts realizing, that there is more to the story than she knows. Ewan and Grace help heal each other’s old wounds. Their romance is steamy yet intimate. Their emotional connection is just as strong and also a little heartbreaking. Sarah MacLean’s Daring and the Duke is a beautiful historical romance. This last book is a fitting end for the series. Ewan and Grace’s story was worth all the build-up. Their characters, chemistry, angst, and romance combined with the historical setting was a wonderful result. I was hooked from the first page and finished the book within 24 hours. I loved reading it.
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