The Duke's Sharpshooter - C.H. Admirand (Dragonblade - Sept 2025)

Series: Duke's Guard (Book 14)
 
Marriage is the farthest thing from Flaherty's mind…
On a rain-soaked morning, patrolling from Wyndmere Hall to the Village, a shadow shifts at the base of an oak by the graveyard. Ready to defend, or chase down a vagrant, Flaherty is shocked to discover an exhausted widow shielding her four-year-old daughter from the rain. In that moment his life irrevocably changes.
 
Exhaustion has Temperance pausing to rest near the church…
The deep rumble and harsh tone of the huge man garbed in black has her springing to her feet, poised to run. His order to stop in the name of the duke, has her glancing over her shoulder into eyes the color of a springtime sky. The irresistible promise of tea and cake for her daughter tempts her to tentatively trust him.
 
Danger stalks in the night, but it will have to get past The Duke's Sharpshooter before he will let harm come to those he has sworn to protect with his strength, his honor, and his heart.
 
The men of the Duke's Guard continue to fall fast and hard and Rory Flaherty is no exception. On a rainy day during his regular patrol, he discovered a young woman and her daughter shivering near the graveyard. The pair immediately rouse his protective instincts.
 
Temperance is on her own after her husband died in a mining accident. However, finding work when you have a child to care for can be difficult at best. By the time she reaches the Wyndmere area, she is near the end of her rope.
 
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Temperance and Flaherty develop. Flaherty is immediately smitten with Maddy and Temperance. Sweet little Maddy enchants him with her directness and her attachment to "Just Flaherty." Temperance touches him on a much deeper level. He admires her strength and resilience and her determination to provide for Maddy. His frustration was evident when he couldn't immediately fix whatever bothered her, and when he would run up against her independence. It doesn't take him long to realize the depth of his feelings for her, but convincing her won't be easy.
 
Temperance falls just as hard for Flaherty, his kindness to Maddy causing the first crack in the wall around her heart. However, the difficulties of the last few years had left her doubting herself and her worthiness of an honorable man like him. I ached for her as she remembered her past. Her surprise at being well-treated by the Duke and Duchess and their staff was heartbreaking. I loved the interactions between Flaherty and Temperance. The sparks are obvious, though Temperance's self-doubts hold her back. A little well-meaning advice helps her get past those fears. The intensely emotional proposal scene gave me goosebumps.
 
Matters become complicated when nasty rumors about Temperance surface. I loved Flaherty's refusal to give up on her and how everyone rallied around her. An unpleasant twist put Flaherty in danger, and it didn't take long to figure out who was behind the trouble. While the resolution was satisfying, I feel like the culprit got off easier than they deserved.
 
The ending was great, followed by a terrific epilogue. I love catching up with characters a few years down the road. I can't wait for the next book, even though it brings me closer to the end of the series.

The Duke's Champion - C.H. Admirand (Dragonblade - June 2025)

Series: Duke's Guard (Book 13)
 
Flaherty asks permission to court Mary Kate, but his jealous reaction to her gregarious nature stalls their courtship.
 
Mary Kate Donovan has had Flaherty tied up in knots from the moment he pulled her free from the duke's overturned carriage. But the lass hasn't been saving her smiles only for Flaherty—and worse, she seems to have forgotten his rescuing her, telling everyone of Garahan's earlier rescue when she was kicked to the curb by Lady Kittrick's cook.
 
Mary Kate is abducted—twice—and a misunderstanding has Flaherty leaving his position and resigning from the duke's guard!
 
A suitor who cannot take no for an answer, despite Mary Kate's insistence that she and Flaherty are courting, causes a rift between the two, leaving Flaherty to doubt Mary Kate's feelings, until he regains consciousness bound hand and foot next to her…in a burning barn!
 
It will take the patience of a saint—which Flaherty isn't—and the understanding of the woman he loves to straighten out the situation that threatens the very fiber that holds the men in the duke's guard together.
 
Danger stalks in the night, but it will have to get past the Duke's Champion before he will let harm come to those he has sworn to protect with his strength, his honor, and his heart.
 
Another outstanding story about members of the Duke's Guard. Seamus and Mary Kate have been secondary characters in several earlier stories, with their on-again-off-again relationship simmering in the background. I've looked forward to seeing them get their act together.
 
Mary Kate's sunny personality is a result of feeling safe after her recent trials and tribulations. Her habit of bestowing her smiles on everyone (including other men) stirs up Seamus's jealousy. His quick temper, combined with his jealousy, causes him to doubt Mary Kate's feelings for him. Their relationship, complicated by something he said under the influence of fever-related delirium, drives her away from him.
 
Both Mary Kate and Seamus suffer from their separation, each doubting the other's feelings. I laughed a bit at Seamus's moping and the hard time he gets from his cousins. His shock when they revealed what he had said to her was genuine, and I loved his realization that he needed to make amends. Meanwhile, Mary Kate's self-doubts intensified after the incident. I loved the support she received from her friends and how they helped reunite the couple.
 
However, another man wants Mary Kate for himself and refuses to accept her rejection. His actions put Mary Kate in life-threatening situations that kept me glued to the pages until they were resolved. But the aftermath of this event creates a strain between Seamus and his employer, the viscount, that leads to Seamus making a drastic decision. I loved the support he received from his cousins and brothers. I loved seeing the efforts made to resolve the situation. As usual, it seems that the ladies play a significant role in resolving thorny issues.
 
The epilogue was fantastic. It's always fun to get a peek into the futures of these fantastic characters.

 
 

The Duke's Lance - C.H. Admirand (Dragonblade - Mar 2025)

Series: Duke's Guard (Book 12)
 
"Who in the world would marry me, just to ensure that I stayed at Wyndmere Hall?"
 
"That would be me, lass."
 
The winsome, ebony-haired lass with the violet faery-eyes captures O'Malley's heart when she steps down from the carriage, but it is the ugly dark bruise on her cheek that has his protective instincts offering his strength and the protection of his name.
 
O'Malley's stubborn pride takes a hit when the lass thanks him, but refuses his offer.
 
Helen Langley accompanied her mistress, the Duke's ward Emily, to Wyndmere Hall after a perilous journey from London. The broad-shouldered, green-eyed, handsome giant barely knows her, yet offers her marriage.
 
Helen cannot accept O'Malley's offer, her past could ruin their future!
 
O'Malley is willing to wait when she leaves for the Borderlands intent on securing a position as a companion. But the man who murdered Emily's father has Helen in his sights and follows her. When she is abducted -- twice -- Helen must decide whether to trust O'Malley and accept his offer, or keep her past hidden and live with the pain of her broken heart for the rest of her life.
 
Danger stalks in the night, but it will have to get past The Duke's Lance before he will let harm come to those he has sworn to protect with his strength, his honor, and his heart.
 
This book picks up shortly after The Duke's Defender. In that book, Aiden Garahan escorts the Duke's ward, Emily, and her companion, Helen, to Wyndmere Hall. Aiden fell in love with Emily and married her, and they now live in a cottage at Wyndmere Hall. Helen is no longer needed as Emily's companion and has been helping the staff in order to feel useful. Helen stated her intention to take a companion position to an elderly woman. Her friends attempt to dissuade her, telling her to marry someone there. She's stunned to hear Eamon O'Malley's answer to her question of who on earth would marry her.
 
"That would be me, lass." Eamon, willingly following in his brothers' and cousins' footsteps, fell for Helen the moment he saw her. The sight of her injuries aroused his protective instincts. Unfortunately, convincing the stubborn and independent Helen is a challenge, and Eamon resigns himself to wait for her to fulfill her companion duties. When word reaches Wyndmere Hall of trouble at Helen's destination, Eamon rushes to her rescue. The Duke's reaction when he found out was fantastic - you don't mess with the people the Duke considers his! He also comes through in a big way for Eamon.
 
I ached for Helen and everything she experienced. The elderly employer was a bitter, vicious woman whose actions were inexcusable. Helen's situation worsened after the dowager ejected her from the house, alone and on foot. Helen couldn't catch a break at all. Past trouble catches up with her, threatening her life. The action kept me glued to the pages as I awaited the outcome. It definitely lived up to my expectations.
 
I loved seeing Eamon and Helen's relationship develop. His feelings for her run bone deep as he knows she is the one for him. He is loyal and protective and determined to marry her. Helen loves him too but believes he would turn away if he knew her past. I loved Eamon's steadfast determination to win his lady and how his patience pays off. I loved seeing Helen finally accept that her past is just another part of her that makes her who she is and that Eamon loves all of her. The epilogue was fantastic. I loved the peek at their future, and Eamon's conversations with God made me laugh out loud.
 
As always, I loved the interactions among the members of the Duke's Guard. Eamon endures a fair amount of teasing from the others because of his focus on Helen. The morning after the wedding was hilarious. I also love the relationships between the noble ladies and the women who work for them. The warmth and caring erase the class distinctions. I loved the scene where the married ladies gave Helen "the talk," especially when they sent for the brandy and the Irish whiskey. In this book, Eamon and his cousin, Dillon Flaherty, interact a lot. With his vocal insistence that he won't be falling for any woman, I suspect he is the next one to eat his words.

The Duke's Man-at-Arms - C.H. Admirand (Dragonblade - Dec 2024)

Series: Duke's Guard (Book 11)
 
"'Tis time to let someone take care of ye, lass." He stared into her moss-green eyes and rasped, "Let it be me."
 
In this Regency Romance, O'Malley must convince the angel of the streets that the truth he suspects she hides changes nothing. He will stand by his vow to protect her, to defend her, and to love her with every fiber of his being.
 
Emmett O'Malley will move Heaven and Earth to find and punish the man who kidnapped Michaela.
 
O'Malley plans to take justice into his own hands. He suspects there is more than compassion and the need to heal that compels the woman he has come to love to rescue others who have been unwilling victims. He will extract more than a bloody pound of flesh from the lord responsible for taking what Michaela refused to give.
 
Working alongside the angel of the streets has opened O'Malley's eyes and his heart to someone who shares the same need to heal others. They both believe that every life has worth and everyone deserves a second chance…until Michaela is abducted, and he suspects she is hiding something from him.
 
A decade is a long time to keep a secret… Michaela will take hers to the grave!
 
Her life changes forever the night the man her father approved of violates her. To her horror, Michaela glimpses the monster he is a heartbeat before he steals her virtue, destroys her hopes, and crushes her dreams.
 
She vows never to speak his name again, nor tell a soul what he has done. She discovers an inner strength and calling to help heal others the only way she can, by leading a double life. On the surface she is the reserved daughter of a well-known physician. Beneath is a woman who works tirelessly in the stews of London, doing all in her power to heal and help those society shuns—other women who have had their future, good name, and reputation stripped from them without their consent. She will not let them be broken!
 
I have been looking forward to Emmett's story and was not disappointed. I could not put the book down from the moment I picked it up until I turned the last page. Though as tough on the outside as his brothers and cousins,  his caring heart makes him an excellent healer. Several books ago, he met Michaela, called the Angel of the Streets, and has been smitten ever since.
 
Ten years earlier, Michaela's future and dreams collapsed when a suitor violated her and threatened to ruin her and her father's reputations if she said anything. After working at her doctor father's side for years, she began to assist women who had suffered the same fate secretly. It is a dangerous endeavor, and Michaela is frequently one step ahead of those who wish to stop her. One night, her luck runs out, and she is kidnapped.
 
When told of her abduction, Emmett immediately heads out to find her. I enjoyed seeing him call on his sources throughout the city to track her down, determined to find her before it was too late. They've worked together several times, and Emmett realizes how much he loves her.
 
I loved watching Emmett and Michaela's relationship develop. Both are healers, so they have that in common. However, Michaela believes that her reputation keeps her from having the future she craves, even though she tells others everyone deserves a second chance. Emmett has his work cut out to convince her that his love is unconditional. I loved their interactions, as Michaela's stubbornness easily matched Emmett's.
 
Matters are complicated by the danger that lurks for Michaela. The man from her past wants revenge and is determined to make her pay. Michaela's protectiveness toward her father and her understandable trust issues make her reluctant to reveal his identity. The suspense is intense as Emmett and other Guard members close in while Michaela remains in danger. The ending was a nail-biter and had me glued to the pages until it was over. There was an interesting twist involving Emmett at the end of the confrontation, with a hilarious follow-up in the last few pages.