The Duke’s Sister And I by Emma-Claire Sunday

TL;DR: A slow but beautiful little love story, well worth the read & pickup.
Source: Thank you to the publisher for an ARC via Netgalley! I also pre-ordered a physical edition I enjoyed this so much.

Plot: Loretta is being courted by Charlotte’s brother and she discovers more about herself than she anticipated.
Characters: Loretta seems to be the weaker of our two heroines but I did enjoy both of them! Charlotte was very fun to read about.
Setting: Your classic regency setting. We stayed mostly in the homes of our heroines, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.
Romance: Super slow and sweet. It’s not overly spicy at all if you’re here for that, but if you’re here for the romance itself it’s a good one.

Thoughts:

What a lovely little romance this was. Loretta is a bit lost, simply trying to be perfect and marry correctly. Meanwhile Charlotte is living her life, painting and grieving and wooing all the ladies of the ton. Charlotte’s brother begins to court Loretta and the two meet, and you can guess the rest.

This one falls into that trap a lot of queer regency romances have to fight with in that it wrestles with believability. Emma-Claire Sunday does a great job with setting these characters up with just the right amount of acceptance that can lead to an HEA. I really enjoyed how the story progressed, as slow a burn as it felt in 270 pages. I also really liked how the third act ‘conflict’ was handled. It was mostly an external one and our ladies were able to trust and love no matter the odds.

I really liked this, I truly did. So much so I pre-ordered a copy. If it sounds like something you’ll be into I really recommend it. It’s short, beautifully written, and I’d even say a bit cozy!

4 out of 5 True to Life Paintings