A Duke but No Gentleman Hawkins, Alexandra

Rowan Mordare, Duke of Frost, earned his title through ice-cold restraint and a ruthless code of honor that keeps polite society at arm's length. When he encounters Lady Kildar—a widow with secrets and a scandalous past—at a country house party, the attraction is immediate and inconvenient. She's exactly the kind of complication he's spent years avoiding. But Alexandra Hawkins knows how to write a slow-burn historical romance with real stakes, and here she pairs two damaged people who need each other more than they're willing to admit. The banter crackles, the tension builds, and the Victorian setting feels lived-in rather than costume-party twee. For fans of Sarah MacLean or anyone who likes their Regency dukes a little rougher around the edges.