Love Cares Not by Carolyn Faulkner ★★★☆☆

Cecilia is pushed into a marriage arranged by her mother, to a Duke who was injured while saving his men in battle.
He is so disfigured, he sends a proxy to his wedding, to speak his vows.

When Cecilia travels to his estate, he still won’t show himself to her. Poor Cecilia must acquaint herself with her new role as mistress of his estate, without ever meeting him.

All the while, he has been spying on her with increasing desire.

When she becomes depressed with the isolation, the Duke asks his (male) best friend to visit and cheer Cecilia up.

When Cecilia enjoys his company, the Duke throws a jealous tantrum and finally reveals himself.

This was an interesting premise and I liked Cecilia’s fortitude.
While the Duke has suffered, the man is an ****. His first ever interaction with his wife of several months is to spank her! Really?

I’ve read BDSM slanted, Regency novels which included spanking that managed the segue from chastisement to foreplay in a more convincing and erotic manner.
The spanking in this just seemed odd.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. All views expressed are my own.

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