I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This novel was a fun read.
I enjoyed watching the characters get acclimated to their new surroundings. They refused to let anyone bring them down. I also felt like there were some things that were left undone in the end. I really enjoyed the first half of the book. then, about halfway through, it just became a bit strange. Almost as if it was written by two people.
I still enjoyed it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I had read Ms. Fyffe's Colorado Hearts series that takes place in Eden, Colorado. When I initially started this book, I didn't realize this story was a continuation of one of the Five Sisters in that series.

This story takes place in England. Beranger Northcutt and Emma Brinkman have married and Beranger has been informed that is not the illegitimate son of his father but the legitimate heir. After the death of both his father and his brother, Gavin, he is made the Duke of Brightshire and he and Emma set off for England.

Emma has been a Colorado rancher and now she is suddenly a duchess in England with a whole new of societal rules she has to follow. In a step away from society's norms, she befriends some of the servants, one in particular is Charlotte, a scullery maid.

There is intrigue, drama, pain and a kidnapping that all take place in this story. There is also a lot of love. It is obvious that the Duke and Duchess are madly in love and are determined to make this arrangement work. While they might not follow all of society's rules, they will take care of those for whom they have charge over and bring the estate back to its former glory. In order to do this, they may have to bend a few of the rules.

I love Emma's strength of character and how she doesn't back down from a challenge, especially from the dowager duchess, Beranger's stepmother. She will be the duchess with her own style.

As with all of Ms. Fyffe's books, I enjoyed the character development and storytelling. The story was a clean story with no sex or foul language and was masterfully told.

I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.

This book had me hooked from page one. Great character development that I “knew” Charlotte almost from the beginning.
I enjoyed the Story development with Charlotte and Emma. Their relationship was pivotal to the likability of both.
Beranger and Tristen were the perfect romantic partners for the ladies. Both handsome and easy to envision.

I usually have a very easy time figuring out the antagonist in a story and while there were the obvious ones like the Dowager and Lady Audrey but the twist came out of nowhere and it was great!

I highly recommend An American Duchess! It’s a easy read but keeps you hooked until the end!!

A master storyteller, Caroline Fyffe takes you into a 1881 England and a newly named Duke and his American Bride! Beranger Northcutt has just inherited the title of the Duke of Brightshire. Having been living in America and just married Emma Brinkman, they set sail to Beranger's homeland. A lot has happened since he had been gone but nothing has changed about his hateful stepmother, except that now she has to rely upon him.
Of course, Emma coming from a small town and becoming a Duchess, wasn't sure what she was to do, but she quickly captured the hearts of many by her delightful spirit and humble demenor. But the love between her and Beranger just won my heart.
There is so much going on with this story that it captured me from the first page as we meet Charlotte, who will also play a role and have a budding romance. Mystery, suspense as Beranger becomes ill and it seems someone wants to do him harm, secrets that will come out and of course romance is in the air.
I truly loved this story and with the wonderful descriptive prose it seemed I was there in England with the characters and watching the story unfold!!

While I've always enjoyed Caroline Fyffe's western romances I was curious to see how her stories would work when she mixed her American West characters with British royalty. Judging by this book, I think it's a success. When Emma suddenly finds herself married to the new Duke, she has a lot of adjustments to make and lots of learning to do. Sadly, Emma finds herself closer with the staff and lower levels of society than her newfound peers which only causes more problems for Emma. Fans of Downtown Abbey are sure to enjoy this spin off of the Colorado Hearts series as Caroline Fyffe introduces a whole new set of characters.

Brideswell Abbey, Hertfordshire - 1922

Zoe Gifford is an American heiress needing to marry an impoverished aristocrat. Once married, she can then access her funds to pay back her mother’s debts. Zoe is to marry Sebastian Hazelton, whose brother is Nigel Hazelton, the seventh Duke of Langford.

Enroute to Sebastian’s home, Zoe’s car gets stuck in the mud and she is rescued by Nigel. It is reported that his face is scarred from the war. Seeing a few scars on the side of his face, Zoe doesn’t find him horrifying. Then, he sends his car for her and her mother.

After marrying Sebastian, Zoe will then divorce him, but the duke is against the idea. This marriage of convenience will give funds to Sebastian and allow Zoe to access her inheritance. Even though the duke is appalled at the idea, Zoe doesn’t care.

Julia, sister of Sebastian and Nigel is impressed with Zoe, but Nigel disagrees. He doesn’t consider American women be ladylike, but he can’t help but be attracted to Zoe.

When Zoe learns of a dark secret that Sebastian is hiding, she calls off their engagement and soon becomes engaged to Nigel. Their attraction is strong and Zoe wants to be with him all the time, but he is plagued with nightmares from his time in the war and doesn’t want her to see that. Angry at this, Zoe is determined to do things her own way in life. Can their marriage withstand this?

This is a good story, but I wanted to smack Zoe because she is the epitome of the spoiled American lady of the time period who is determined to do what she wants. This didn’t play well with Nigel as well it shouldn’t. All in all, it is a good story and I think readers will enjoy it.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This story had a number of events happening. The new duke and duchess had arrived and were settling into their new life. This wasn’t easy as they had a spiteful stepmother to contend with. I did like it when the duchess came into her own and put others in their place. There was also a romance with the baker called Charlotte and either the assistant gamekeeper or the duke’s cousin. In addition to this, there was a murder to investigate, the mystery of Charlotte’s parents and visitors from America and someone with a vengeance. Charlotte also has to contend with jealousy from workmates and relations. However this was a good paced, entertaining read. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Title : An American Duchess

Author : Caroline Fyffe

Genre : Romance

Pages : 348

I received this Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review by Netgalley and Montlake romance. Thank you!!!

“Time is your friend,” Emma said “Never say never”

“Beranger, your pain I’ll see, And my revenge will be completely”

Review
An American Duchess is the extension of the “Colorado hearts series” by the author which focuses on the life of the five sisters, whereas “An America Duchess” concentrates on a particular character Emma Brinkman exclusively, one of the sisters from the series. In spite of all the three prequels up in the line it can also be read as a stand-alone novel without feeling confused or bumpy.

This story elaborately talks about the life of royal family, their legacy, tradition and their way of life. It absolutely gives the complete aroma of the vintage royal life, it has been written in such a way that the readers would instantly time travel to that period in a jiffy. The difficulties faced by the protagonist Emma, when suddenly transformed from a common American to the Duchess of Brightshire out of nowhere has been portrayed in greater depth. And the struggles of adjusting to a new life, new place with new set of responsibilities and of course the untiring homesickness she feels, has been written pragmatically nonetheless. The soothing and loving behavior of her brand new husband Duke Beranger was bestowing, the way he made her feel was worth all the difficultly she faces in the new continent.

On the other hand a commoner and scullery maid Charlotte Aldridge who has always been treated third-rated-ly by her aunt Ethel all her life finds happiness and a different way of living from the palace and the friendly new duchess. Her romance sequences with Tristen Llewellyn the game keeper’s nephew was ravishing, this piece of mild romance will kindle and awake the romantic personality in anybody.

The backstories of all these characters has been developed sagaciously. The friendship and trust between all the four characters that is, the duke, duchess, Charlotte and Tristen was beautifully processed and implemented. This foursome in the book was cool and unique, they all really made a good team. Then the ruthless characters like dowager duchess and aunt Ethel helped to understand the characteristic of the protagonists perfectly and more personally. There were lot of enchanting and worthy supporting characters like Mathilda, Verity, Margaret, Lady Audrey, Justin, Trevor, KT etcetra. Everybody was so good and they helped greatly in building up the plot. Without these characters the story wouldn’t have been as good as it is right now.

The confusion, doubts, twist, mystery, threat which all revolves around the palace was developed brick by brick. And at the end when it all unwrapped it was quite unexpected and well nice too. To talk about the writing it was easy and effortless which really helped in reading the book faster. It is feel good book.

My views
I din’t read the previous books in the series but still it was good to read, it’s an absolute stand-alone novel so don’t worry if you haven’t read the previous books. And I liked the book, it was like living a fantasy and it felt good. My favorite part in this book was the ball organised for welcoming Beranger as the Duke of Brightshire and all romance part between Charlotte and Tristen was adorable.

So this book is perfect for this summer, I’m so happy the book is being released at the perfect time. I recommend this book to everybody who believes in fairy-tale, romance and loves feel good book. This book is definitely for you people.
My rating for this book is 3.5/5

Happy Reading Folks!!!

~Meenu

I was so happy to receive my copy of An American Duchesss! I had a hard time waiting to see how Emma would do in her new role as an English Duchess.
I was pleasantly surprised to find the Colorado shop owner still retained her lively spirit even when intimidated by the English gentry.
Charlotte is also trying to find common ground in the castle. She is the new scullery maid and learning the ropes when the new Duke and Duchess arrive in Brightshire. The two form an immediate friendship and forge ahead.
Emma's new found friend, Charlotte, helps her as she tries to learn the many rules and proper etiquette for a genteel woman in England. They are allies when things go horribly wrong.
This is such a good story! It has romance, intrigue, and history....what more do you need?
It is a page turner. I blew through it in seven hours.
I highly recommend this book. It could be read as a stand alone or even better read after the other three books in the Colorado Hearts Series. Each book spotlights one of the five sisters in the Brinkman family. This is Emma's story.

Moving from the West to become a duchess in England has to be difficult, but Emma is determined to make her husband, the new Duke of Brightshire proud. This is a richly layered story, with both upstairs and downstairs featured — which means twice as much romance. There is an evil dowager duchess, a mystery and plenty of action, including a cowboy performance at grand ball. The villain(ess), when she is discovered, is not who you expect it to be, so that's a surprise and a welcome one The H/h, too, are steadfast in their love, with no silly misunderstandings — despite the dowager duchess' attempts to divide them — ruining the love story. The other romance deals with an aspiring baker who is not who she appears to be and a gameskeeper. Their love story, like the mystery, keeps the reader guessing. I would have given this five stars except the explanation of how the previously illegitimate son became legitimate was difficult to follow; the dead Duke was older, but he was illegitimate, and Bright was younger, but the duke had married his commoner mother. That led me to wonder how the younger sister was legitimate if her mother was not married to the duke; did they marry in secret later? All in all, I found it hard to follow. There also wasn't any follow up on the duke's vertigo, or if so, I missed it. So, a few too many loose ends in an otherwise great story. I'm going back to read about the sisters back in Eden, too. This is one book where you want to know the backstory. (I received an ARC on NetGalley. Opinions mine.)

The rules of Victorian society are defied in bestselling author Caroline Fyffe's novel of romance, royalty, and a little revenge.

In Kent, England, the arrival of Beranger Northcott, Duke of Brightshire, causes quite a stir. Berenger left home more than 15 years ago, never expecting to return. Never expecting that he was th legitimate heir to a dukedom he brings with him his new American bride, who isn't quite what anyone expects! By accepting the hand of her beloved, Emma Brinkman went from hardworking Colorado rancher to duchess. Now she's expected to comport herself as nobility. Overnight. For Emma—stifled, homesick, and unable to shake the feeling she's being watched—the metamorphosis is a challenge. And if Emma's suspicions are correct, perhaps even a dangerous one.

Not one to deal in formality, Emma makes friends with the help and fortunately, for Emma she has found a trusted friend in the orphaned Charlotte, Brightshire's scullery maid. Charlotte has dreamt if only for a moment what it would be like to live a privileged life with out the daily back breaking life she’s lived—if only for a moment. When one of the duke's handsome cousins takes notice of Charlotte, the castle kitchen is set abuzz with speculation that she just might be swayed into being ruined.

In navigating their two different stations, both Charlotte and Emma alike will discover all they have in common—from secret fantasies to daring hearts to upending the rules of society. And that finding their places in the world—and love—is a dream that can come true.

Very charming story which I could have fallen in love with. Just a bit of nitpicking here though that I thought a bit more editing of starting and stopping their stories would have made for a smoother read. Otherwise, I truly liked this story.

Marilyn Rondeau

Enjoyable look at Victorian England and it's rules regarding love and class. The new Duke of Brightshire,..Beranger Northcott...returns to England to claim his title after being missing in America for 16 years. He brings a beautiful new American wife with him. Emma Brinkman used to be a cattle rancher in Colorado but now she is struggling to learn her place in Victorian England. She faces Beranger's disapproving mother but has found a friend and ally in Charlotte, a young servant girl . Both young women strive to find love and their place in this world. But there is also danger and a mystery to be solved. When I received this book I didn't realize that it is part of a series but it reads well as a standalone.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book to review.

Another delightful Brinkman sister finds her true love. Newly married, life is an uphill battle from the start. Challenges abound as well as mystery and danger. Is emma up for the task, only time will tell! Great story line, unique characters, fantastic read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book; all opinions expressed are my own.

If you liked Downton Abbey, you'll love An American Duchess. A great read! Really enjoyed it!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

4.5/5.0
What a sweet and enjoyable turn on the old "Victorian romance" trope! Take the much written about English aristocrat, then throw in a totally American western heroine. But, wait! Let's make the aristocrat a man who ran away and made his life in the American west, falls in love and marries said heroine - THEN, discovers his father, and older brother are dead leaving him the Dukedom with responsibilities over a very large estate back in England.

What ensues is a wild, combustible story where both hero and heroine try to navigate upper class English society without losing their down-home American kindness. Then, throw in a bit of intrigue and you have a totally delightful afternoon of reading!

Okay, so the climatic ending to the intrigue is a bit of a stretch... still, bet'cha didn't guess the villain!

Emma and Beranger are married now, he's inherited the title, and they've moved to Kent. If you didn't read the first book, don't worry because Fyffe will catch you up on the travails these two have already faced. Emma is no shrinking violet- she ran a big ranch - but she is occasionally flummoxed by Victorian UK attitudes and activities. Luckily, she's got Beranger AND she's made a friend in Charlotte. Charlotte might be a servant but she's a smart, sincere woman in a world that isn't kind to newbies. You'll read this story in their voices, as well as in the voice of Tristan, who finds Charlotte, well.....There's perhaps more here than there needs to be (including the mystery) but it's a good read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Emma, an Colorado farm worker marries Duke Beranger and promptly moves to England and his ancestral home. Emma tries very hard to learn the manners and customs of the English but in turn misses her home and family in America. Emma befriends a young maid at the manor, Charlotte. Charlotte has met the Dukes cousin and is totally infatuated with him. This is a sweet story that has two women who have similar dreams about their lives. Well-written and engaging story make this a four star book!

I'll start off by saying that the main reason that I gave this book 3 stars is likely related to the fact that I have not read previous books by this author. I'm not sure this book was intended to be a stand-alone book, but read in a certain order. As such, I struggled for more than half of the book just to get to a point where I could follow or understand much of anything that was going on.

One of the first things I look for in a book is the ability to get drawn in quickly (like within the first chapter, but preferably on the very first page). Unfortunately, It took me several chapters to even find a fair level of interest. As a result, I was not in a hurry to read this book as I normally am with most books I read. I didn't look forward to my next opportunity to read, and took much longer reading it than I normally would a book this size. I'm not sure if I would have gotten into any of the previous books more quickly or not had I started at the beginning of the series. I found that the book jumped around a great deal between characters that seemingly had nothing in common. Many of them did not even meet one another until the second half of the book. Many times, I would find myself confused as to which characters I was currently reading about.

There were a fair number of grammatical errors throughout this book. There was depth in some of the characters, such as the dowager and Emma. However, I believe their personalities could have been explored even deeper. Events were too easily swayed, and emotions altered too quickly.

Although I did notice that this book rated much higher by most reviewers, I'm fairly convinced the other reviewers were likely familiar with this author and had opportunity to read other books prior. I believe this book should be advertised to ensure the reader knows to read these books in succession. This would likely make a world of difference.

I thoroughly enjoyed this mix up between Victorian England and the American West. I was already in love with Emma and Beranger from a different series. Seeing them in England starting their new life together was so much fun!!!! I am looking forward to more stories set in Brightshire with all of these new characters I am growing to love as well. Charlotte and the men vying for her attention gave a great contrast to Emma and Beranger. Watching the two worlds collide was suspenseful and intriguing. I often found myself laughing and enjoying all the mix-ups going on at the castle. I can't wait for more!

I have never Read anything by the Author Caroline Fyffe before , but I must now say I shall be looking for some of her other Novels to read & hopefully recommend as I will this one among friends & family whom I know will enjoy every page of this delightful story which is full of strong determined characters from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and those who would also see the equality of people no mater their background too.