Book Review: Cherish and the Duke by Meara Platt

Cherish and the Duke
Author: Meara Platt
Series: The Silver Dukes (Book 1)
Publication: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.; 1st edition (October 8, 2024)

Description: Sometimes, the best-laid plans go awry in the best way.

Gawain Burton, the Duke of Bromleigh, is a Silver Duke, and everyone in the ton knows these exceptionally handsome forty-something men with some gray salted in their hair have no intention of ever marrying. However, carrying on the Bromleigh title is important, and Gawain is determined to find a proper wife for his nephew and heir. To that end, he attends a house party at the country estate of his cousin, Lady Shoreham, who claims to have found his nephew the perfect wife. Gawain heartily agrees with her choice, for Lady Cherish Northam is intelligent, soft-spoken, has a lovely sense of humor, and is beautiful. Her hair is the color of molten honey and her eyes are a dark brandy brown. The only problem is that she is shy, and Gawain must help her overcome that shyness and put herself forward so that his nephew notices her. Gawain certainly has noticed her…and, dear heaven, she seems to be noticing him. Will his heart allow him to give up Cherish?

Lady Cherish Northam’s life has taken a turn for the worse after the death of her parents. She finds herself reduced to little more than a servant in what was once her own household. Her uncle, the new Earl of Northam, is a toad who means to keep her on as unpaid help. So when her friend and neighbor, Lady Shoreham, invites her to her house party, Cherish leaps at the chance. She needs to marry to claim the trust fund inheritance her father left in the control of her uncle, but what seems a simple decision becomes quite complicated when she falls in love with Gawain. He is a Silver Duke and everyone knows these gorgeous-as-sin dukes do not marry. Can she harden her heart and marry his nephew? She doesn’t think so. But what choice does she have? Unless… Can she possibly win Gawain’s heart?

Cherish and the Duke is a lighthearted Regency historical romance, the first in the Silver Duke series. Enjoy the read as these heroes who seem to have it all find the one thing that has eluded them throughout their lives…love.

My Thoughts: This was an entertaining historical romance set in the Regency Period in England. Lady Cherish Northam has lost her parents and is under the care of an uncle who seems determined to make Cherish into a servant in his household. 

Cherish is invited by her friend Lady Shoreham to a house party and is able to attend since her uncle and aunt are away from home and didn't take her. Unbeknownst to her, Lady Shoreham has a plan. She has invited one of the silver dukes to attend in the hopes of making a match for Cherish. 

Gawain Burton, the Duke of Bromleigh, has agreed to attend because he is hoping to find a wife for his nephew and heir. He thinks Lady Cherish is just what his nephew needs but is surprised when he finds his own heart longing for her. 

Lady Cherish knows that this is her opportunity to get out from under the rule of her uncle, but she has always had a secret dream of marrying for love as her parents did. Bromleigh's nephew is a nice young man, but it is Bromleigh who has won her heart. 

But a Duke who thinks he's too old for marriage is not going to be an easy man to win. And when an old flame of the duke's comes to the party, things get even more complicated. 

I enjoyed this historical romance and think other fans of the genre will enjoy it too. 

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.