A Duke’s Promise by Jamie Carie

A Duke’s Promise by Jamie Carie. B&H, 2012. p. (9781433673245) Series: Forgotten Castle, #3

Here’s another book that I should have written the review for last summer but never got around to doing so. One reason for the delay was I wanted to post a review closer to when it was released, the other reason was that I didn’t like this final book in the series as well as the first two – The Guardian Duke and TheForgiven Duke, and was reluctant to write a bad review. But such is life.

Spoiler Alert – If you haven’t read book one and two there will probably be some spoilers, but you might have already guessed what happens between Alexandria Featherstone and Gabriel the Duke of St. Easton.

Goodreads Summary:

From the Land of Fire and Ice back to England’s shores, Alexandria Featherstone finds herself the new Duchess of St. Easton. Her husband has promised a wedding trip to take them to the place where her imperiled parents were last seen -- Italy and the marble caves of Carrara -- but a powerful Italian duke plots against Alex and her treasure-hunting parents.

Hoping to save them, Alex and Gabriel travel to Italy by balloon. Fraught with danger on all sides and pressured by Gabriel’s affliction to the breaking point, they must learn to work and fight together. The mysterious key is within their grasp, but they have yet to recognize it. This journey will require steadfast faith in God and each other -- a risk that will win them everything they want or lose them everything they have.

My Review:

In my review of The Forgiven Duke I mentioned that while book one could be considered YA, book two and also book three had scenes that were not PG. Or even PG-13 for that matter. TFG ends with the wedding of Alexandria and Gabriel. Duke's Promise opens with the wedding night and Alexandria’s worries about what will happen that night and what might have happened that one night she was drugged. There’s plenty of affection.

And as with book two this final book in the series the adventure continues and the danger escalates. It’s not often that characters travel by balloon (only other one I can think of is Wisdom’s Kiss by Catherine Murdock) but Alex and Gabriel set off on quite the journey. I really enjoyed their travels and could imagine myself floating along with them and praying that lightning wouldn’t strike.

The Carrara Marble Caves where part of the story takes place - the author has this picture on her Pinterest page

The ending was rather strange and I wish the solution to the mystery had been a bit more fully explained. Especially since up until the end the story didn’t seem too fantastical.

Overall Jamie Carie did an excellent job writing an action packed series that smoothly blends the characters’ spiritual journeys. Just wish the romance had been toned down a bit in the last two books.

Go read it! Find it at a library near you; Buy it from Amazon; Buy it from Christian Book Distributors  

Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission. 

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