Wedded to the Forbidden Duke by Ava MacAdams is your usual steamy romance novel. And that's not a bad thing. Like most novels in the genre, this story revolved around the characters and their relationship and how it develops and affects them and the people around them. As with most historical romances, particularly those in the regency era like this one, the drama is over the top, even melodramatic, if you will, but that's part of what makes this book genre so much fun: the emotional hits, the highs, and lows. Ava MacAdams does a fine job of making the reader feel for the characters. But let's get into the nitty-gritty.
The story follows Cacilia, a young woman making her debut in regency era London society, a challenging aspect for every woman in a time where one's first appearance will likely stay with them for many years to come. We also follow the titular Duke, Ian, who has a history of womanizing and general rakishness. As expected by the title of the story, these two main characters end up tied together, though how that happens is less romantic than the genre of the book might lead you to believe. However, the two end up married and have to work through the complications that any newly wedded couple has to work through, including the societal challenges that clearly reflect the time period.
Beyond the main characters and story, we are also shown some side characters, but not too many, and how they are dealing with their own lives, as well as a bit of the social no-nos of society of the time. The small cast of characters allows the story to revolve around the main cast without being watered down by side stories. Using side characters also allows us to see aspects of society and Macadam's research into the era that we would only see a little of if everything was focused on the two main characters. It also hints at more stories, which is great to see.
All in all, Wedded to the Forbidden Duke is once again a particularly entertaining regency-era romance by Ava MacAdams and a definite must-read if you are looking for something steamy for a summer read
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