One Night of Surrender

A story of a long ago encounter that never was forgotten by either party. Years ago, Valentine, Duke of Eastleigh had experienced one amazing night with Isabelle Cortland, the daughter of the head of the college. Since then he had been through a terrible marraige and was determined never to get caught in that trap again. But then he literally ran into Isabelle. Isabelle had married after that encounter but was now a widow and left with no money, so she went to work as a governess for the two girls of Lord Barkley. Having renovations done on his townhome, they stayed at Val's house. What are the chances? She intended to stay far away. As fate would have it, almost after her arrival she met him unexpectedly in the corridor. "Isabelle?" She was older of course, and far more beautiful than he remembered. He blinked, closing his eyes for a moment, but when he opened them she was still there." paraphrased but he was astonished and the spark was still there! Could their love rekindle from so long ago? Darcy Burke always writes such wonderful stories that pull me in quickly. Such a heartwarming second chance emotional tale with characters that grab you and have you desperately wanting them to find their happy ending. The secondary characters are full of life and bring a lot to this tale and I cannot wait until the next book in this series! This series is an amazing collaberation between two brilliant authors of historical romance!!

A lot has changed since Cole and Val became friends and earned the name the Wicked Dukes at Oxford. The friends now own Wicked Dukes, the most notorious tavern in London. One Night of Surrender by Darcy Burke is the second book in the Wicked Dukes Club series and focuses on Valentine Fairfax, Duke of Eastleigh. Val agrees to let Lord Barkley and his family while renovations to their townhouse are completed. He gets a quite a surprise when he meets their governess, Mrs. Isabelle Cortland. Val and Isabelle had been in love, but her father had chosen a suitor for her, and they parted. After two not so happy marriages and different lives for both of them, they meet again. They still have feelings for one another, but try to fight their attraction. Will this marriage-skittish Duke and a stubbornly independent governess stay away from each other, or will they rekindled their love and find a way to be together? This is a charming and emotional story with characters who will win your heart. Val is kind, caring and honorable. Isabelle is intelligent, well educated, and independent. They are perfect for each other and fun to watch. Grandmama and Viola are delightful, each in her own way. You do not want to miss Viola and Isabelle on their girls’ night out! I like second chance stories, and this is a good one. I happily recommend One Night of Surrender. I look forward to the story of the next handsome, charming, sigh-worthy patron of London’s most notorious tavern.