The Duke’s Sword (The Duke’s Guard Book 1)

Patrick O’Malley is the guard for the Duke of Wyndmere and his family. Patrick is known as The Duke’s Sword. So, Patrick’s sole focus is the duke and his family. When Mrs. Gwendolyn “Gwen” Alexander arrives to take care of the duke’s twin babies, Patrick’s whole world gets thrown off kilter! As Patrick gets to know Gwen, he cannot help his feelings. Gwen also becomes close to Patrick, slowly falling for him. Gwen knows that her affection puts her heart in danger. Patrick cannot afford distractions from any woman because the duke’s family is under threat. Patrick would do anything to protect everyone, including Gwen. Yet all his efforts could be in vain, putting everyone in danger, or could end up killing him instead.

“The Duke’s Sword” is a unique historical romance between servants instead of the titled.  Even though the servants do run the household, they seem to take way too many liberties with the duke and duchess. True historians will balk at all the servants constantly fraternizing with the duke and duchess. Unfortunately, the plot and characters are never fully fleshed out, especially the hero, Patrick. So many questions arise about how he got his illustrious position and his easy friendship with the duke and his family. Gwen, on the other hand, despite her mysteriousness, feels much more complete. As well, the villain’s motivation is not really delved into or fully discussed, so the perilousness never quite rings true. The book, nonetheless, manages to be an intriguing, charming tale that readers will still enjoy!

Roslynn Ernst