Series: Bareknuckle Bastards (Book 3)
Grace Condry has spent a lifetime running from her past.
Betrayed as a child by her only love and raised on the streets, she now hides
in plain sight as queen of London's darkest corners. Grace has a sharp mind and
a powerful right hook and has never met an enemy she could not best...until the
man she once loved returns.
Single-minded and ruthless, Ewan, Duke of Marwick, has
spent a decade searching for the woman he never stopped loving. A long-ago
gamble may have lost her forever, but Ewan will go to any lengths to win Grace
back…and make her his duchess.
Reconciliation is the last thing Grace desires. Unable to
forgive the past, she vows to take her revenge. But revenge requires keeping
Ewan close, and soon her enemy seems to be something else altogether --
something she can't resist, even as he threatens the world she's built, the
life she's claimed…and the heart she swore he'd never steal again.
The conclusion of the Bareknuckle Bastards series and
terrific second chance romance. After reading the first two books, I wasn't
sure how Ewan would be redeemed. I suspected that there must be good in him or
Grace would not have loved him the way she did, but he was going to have to
work at it.
Parts of the history of Ewan and the Bastards were
revealed in the previous books, but I always felt that there was more to the
story. Their childhoods were miserable thanks to the cruelty of the old duke.
The things he put them through were beyond cruel, but they had each others'
backs whenever possible. Though Grace was close to Whit and Dev, the connection
between her and Ewan was much different. When the old duke played his final
hand with them, what they saw as Ewan's betrayal cut extra deep. Whit, Dev, and
Grace ran for their lives and made new ones in London. Now they are wealthy,
powerful, and the undisputed rulers of Covent Garden.
When the old duke died, Ewan went looking for Grace and
the others. Still furious at his betrayal, Whit and Dev told Ewan that Grace
was dead. In his grief, Ewan swore vengeance on them for not keeping her safe.
The things he did in the first two books showed that he had learned well from
the old duke. It made it very hard to believe that he was redeemable.
As this story opens, Grace has rescued Ewan from the
explosion he caused. Stunned to realize that she is alive, he quickly discovers
that Grace is not the same girl he loved all those years ago. She is
independent, strong, and the queen of her world. Their confrontation is heartbreaking
as Grace makes sure Ewan knows her feelings about what he has done. I ached for
them both as she drove him away.
A year later, Ewan returns to London, a changed man. He
overcame the cold, calculating, revenge-driven man he had been, determined to
become someone that Grace could love. Grace is determined to protect her heart
from him, knowing she wouldn't survive another betrayal. I loved Ewan's
patience as he worked to regain her trust and love. Some of their talks were
heart-wrenching as they shared what their lives were like in the years they
were apart. In the end, Ewan knew it had to be Grace's choice whether to give
him a chance. I loved the twist to the ending that gave them the future they
both wanted.
One of the things I enjoyed about this book was the world
that Grace created for herself. In a time when men had all of the power, she
carved out a place where women could show their strengths. I loved the club
that she runs and seeing what the women could do when they were out from under
the thumbs of their men. I liked hearing about their intelligence and talents
and how they put them to use to make a difference. It gives new life to the
saying, "Behind every successful man there stands a woman."
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