A Duke Like No Other by Valerie BowmanMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
I usually do not like books about second-chance romance, so I was skeptical when I started reading. I was surprised, however, to find myself drawn in to the story of Mark and Nicole as they had their reunion in France. I was intrigued by the "mystery" of why they became estranged, as well as how they met, but I enjoyed their scenes as they encountered each other again. But, then the author began to use flash-backs to tell the story of how they met.
The first flash-back was interesting and added to the narrative, and it helped tell the story of Mark and Nicole's relationship. However, subsequent flash-backs seemed to just be stuck in wherever. They did not feel organic at all, and felt either too-little too-late, or superfluous.
Then a murder mystery was thrown in and muddied the water even further. The book did not need the added tension of someone being murdered--the uncertainty of Nicole and Mark's relationship, along with the hoped-for promotion of Mark was more than enough conflict.
This book started off great, but floundered toward the middle. The focus of the story should have been the reconnecting of Mark and Nicole. By the time I reached the second-third of the book I had a hard time feeling invested in whether or not they could find each other again--at least in a way that felt organic and natural. I did not enjoy this book.
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