The Duke's Runaway Bride

This book contains:

• family violence in the form of control, both financially and mentally.

Quinton is the Duke of Howden and has been for about a year. Three to four months prior to the when the book starts, he marries Beatrix for her fortune since his family is dead broke thanks to his father wanting to leave them penniless. Not to mention all the other drama and emotional abuse he dolled out to Quinton’s whole family over the years.

Beatrix on the other hand has spent the past 12 years almost entirely confined to her room by her aunt and uncle after her parents pass on. The abuse she felt throughout that time shaped her actions and her view of the world from the moment she married Quinton.

Beatrix ran away on her wedding day (after marrying Quinton) to create a life of freedom. Only, she needs to get rid of her husband so she can truly be free and let him be free to find a new wife. The big hitch in that plan is that Quinton isn’t playing ball and instead convinces her to trial being married to him for 6 weeks.

During that time, they get to know each other, learn why the other behaved the way they did and show the world what a strong marriage looks like. But they still need to figure out how to communicate what they’re feeling at the end of the 6 weeks if they’re going to make the right decisions.

I’m really glad Jenni stayed true to the time period (she always does) and delved into how men treated their families in those times. I think to brush over it as if it never happened paints an inaccurate picture of how family violence has progress over the years and as if it’s a modern problem.

Yes, I wish it wasn’t something anyone had to worry about ever. But the truth is, in some way, shape or form, family violence has been perpetuated throughout history. To pretend like it hasn’t and like society as a whole has always objected to it (like I know some authors have done) doesn’t help anyone. So, thank you Jenni for always staying true to history and what actually happened!

Those kinds of details, even in other less obvious areas are what makes her books amazing to read. You know she’s put in the time and effort to research and be as true to the time as possible while still giving us a great romance and female empowering story.

Author Bio

Jenni Fletcher was born in Scotland and now lives in Yorkshire where she writes historical romance novels ranging from the Roman to late Victorian eras. She studied English at Cambridge and Hull and has been nominated for 4 RoNA awards, winning for Short Romantic Fiction in 2020. She teaches Creative Writing at a university in the north of England and her favourite hobbies are baking and, of course, reading.