Overall: 3.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥 (details below but may feel hotter to others)
Humor: A bit
Perspective: Third person perspective from both hero and heroine

Should I read in order?
It’s not totally necessary but the first book sets up the heroine’s circle of friends. There’s some minor page time with the characters from book 1.

Basic plot:
Cornelia and Rafe are brought together after 20 years when she finds out her inheritance will be given upon her marriage.

Give this a try if you want:
- Georgian time period (1797)
- second chance with flashbacks spread throughout the story (chapters labeled as ‘before’)
- medium steam – 2 full scenes including MMF (details below – there are 2 full scenes I combined together for a flame because they follow each other directly and there’s also some shorter scenes so this one may feel hotter to you)
- older mains – the heroine is near 40 and the hero is in his 50s
- age gap (older hero) – there is 16 years between them
- huge hero/tiny heroine – hero is described as ‘twice her size’ and it’s mentioned he’s 6’5”
- LGBT positive – Rafe has had various lovers though I’m not sure how he identifies (pansexual?) and the first bedroom scene is polyamorous
- mixed race Duchess – her mother is Bajan
- commoner turned Duke hero

Ages:
- Heroine is approaching 40 (38 or 39?) and hero is 16 years her elder so I’d guess around 54/55

My thoughts:
I struggled with this one a bit. I did read the first book in the series and honestly I thought that one was a lot stronger in character development and the plot. But I did like the relationship was a main focus in this one. I think part of my struggles could be second chance is one of my least favorite tropes, especially when the story is given in flashbacks throughout the book. So that’s just personal preference for me.

Cornelia and Rafe are both wonderful characters. I did like both of them. But I didn’t love either of them. As I learned their back story and history, I felt like I was reading the same story present day. It seemed like twenty years later, they still struggled with the same things. Cornelia struggled with being vulnerable and open. She seemed to judge Rafe harshly for his flaws. Rafe seemed to still be oblivious to what Cornelia needed even after he lost her the first time. Ultimately I was a touch disappointed in both mains and I wanted more from both of them.

That said though, something Peckham does so well to me is making the characters real. I struggled a bit with enjoying the characters in book 1 too and I think part of it was just the rawness of them – and I found that here too. And that is not a bad thing. Rafe is lovable and wears his heart on sleeve. He’s so caring. He jumps into love with both feet and feels strong feelings. I think he has a good heart. Cornelia is so strong and independent and I love how she thumbs her nose at society and expectations. I love how fierce she is in regards to fighting for what she wants and believes in. But I think Cornelia held on a bit too long to her frustration with Rafe and when she wanted to be with him, it felt like a 180 turn. And honestly I wasn’t convinced 100% they were going to stay together at the end. I felt like down the road they would still have similar problems and she would get frustrated and leave him again. I wasn’t feeling solid in their HEA. I think I could have used some more development on their work with society reform too. It felt like such a central part of book 1, but I didn’t feel like that here in this one. But at the same time I did love that their relationship was central focus here. They had a lot of sweet scenes and it pulled on my heart a bit.

Content warnings:

Heroine was orphaned as an infant
Heroine experienced a bit of a manipulative lover when she was 18 (art tutor taking advantage of her)

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

Pg 90 – kisses in an abandoned summer cottage
Pg 123 – kiss (this is in the past – their first kiss)
Pg 145 – 🔥 the beginning of oral for her when they’re interrupted by Rafe’s lover Rory, who is invited in. Cornelia gives hand jobs to both men while Rafe fingers Rory’s rear entry and Rory comes. Rory holds Cornelia and plays with her clit while Rafe fucks her. Rafe comes on Cornelia’s breasts and Rory goes down on her. (in the art studio)
Pg 194 – kiss
Pg 214 – her on top (quite short, and a memory from their wedding night)
Pg 216 – 🔥 kisses, oral for her, missionary (his bedroom)
Pg 222 – fingering for her, her on top ( this follows directly after the prior scene so I combined the flames)
Pg 284 – kiss
Pg 291 – short, implied sex
Total pages: 300