Review: Grace Burrowes's THE TRUTH ABOUT DUKES.

 Q: who’s an underrated historical romance author you rec?

I’m a big fan of Grace Burrowes:

​
Unconventional, sex-positive characters.
An understated Downtown Abbey-esque style—gentle tones used to convey some tough love, insults, & drama!
Secrets! & some familial discord but the characters also possess an unbending sense of integrity & loyalty.


The Truth about Dukes focuses on Robert, a duke living with epilepsy who has decided to return to his rightful societal place.

As a child, after experiencing epileptic episodes, Robert was sent to live in a mental asylum by his father & the assumption was that he was dead. After his brother rescued him Robert spent years in his home, anxious of many things related to his terrible asylum experience.

Now, forced to act like a Duke, Robert finds an old ally, Lady Constance Wentworth, who once left her family for reasons unknown so she could be a maid at the aforementioned asylum. They had a friendship, an allyship, then but haven’t spoken since.

Like with her other books I’ve read, the love story here is touching & tender & gives me those awww feelings. Because Burrowes writes imperfect characters, her romances often feel real & approachable.

Robert & Constance are two ships on storm-wrecked seas & I love how they latch onto each other. They’re able to reveal their vulnerabilities with one another & it’s truly beautiful to me.

I did feel like there are some execution issues with this romance though, particularly some aspects of the plot & characterization that feel rushed.

Be aware too that this book is tackling the subject of how people in the 19th century might have viewed someone with epilepsy, & the reactions to Robert & his episodes are often callous, insensitive, &/or cruel, both outside of the leads’ families & within.

With TTaD Burrowes offers another beautiful tale of two characters falling in love—it’s just that some aspects of how the tale unfold don’t quite  hold up for me.




[Additional CWs:


​the heroine felt like she had to give up her illegitimate daughter for adoption years earlier. Veiled references to the heroine’s background, including things her violent father did & forced his children to do.]

3.5 ⭐️. The Truth about Dukes releases on 11/10. Thanks to Netgalley, Forever Pub, & Grand Central Pub for the complimentary ARC (and the latter two for the finished copy, too.) All opinions provided are my own.