Review: The Duke's Absolutely Wonderful Wedding (The Notorious Briarwoods #13) by Eva Devon

                                                                  

Print Length: 168 pages

Publisher: Eva Devon (June 27, 2025)

From Goodreads.com: The Duke of Baxter loves wielding his power. He loves everything about being a duke, especially making people do as he pleases. He's used to getting his way. Perhaps too used to it. So, when he meets a fiery young woman one night, a woman who refuses to do a damned thing he says, he's certain he's met his match.

Cymbeline Briarwood is about to start her first season and is reveling in it! Being a member of the Briarwood family, she has no intention of giving in to convention. Still, try as she might, she just can't find the man for her, until she meets the Duke of Baxter. She is certain that he might be the only man in London for her. Some passion, however, burns too intensely, leaving everyone scorched in its wake. Will their passion for each other prove a perfect love or a perfect path to destruction?

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My Rating: 2 stars out of 5

One thing I love about this series is that each book works as a standalone. So even though this is the thirteenth installment (and I haven’t read one since book three) I had no trouble following the characters or understanding what was happening. That’s no small feat, and I do give the author credit for that.

My issues with this one, however, mostly came down to the characters themselves… though I did have a few problems with the plot as well.

Let’s start with Cymbeline. She’s introduced as a woman who knows exactly what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. She’s decisive, confident, and determined; except, apparently, when it comes to the Duke of Baxter. From the moment they meet, she’s certain he’s the one for her. And yet she insists he move into her family home first to ensure they’re “a good fit” and that he can “accept” her family. For someone portrayed as so sure of herself, this felt oddly inconsistent. If she truly knew what she wanted, why the hesitation? It didn’t align with the strong-willed woman we were told she was.

The Duke of Baxter, meanwhile, comes with his own set of frustrations. He’s the type my family would describe as someone willing to “cut off his nose to spite his face.” He’s obsessed with upholding what he believes were his father’s ideals, pushing himself far beyond reasonable limits in order to live up to that legacy. There’s admirable dedication, and then there’s sheer stubbornness, and sadly? He lives firmly in the latter category.

Add to that several well-meaning but overly interfering members of the Briarwood family, and you start to see why the plot didn’t quite land for me.

At some point, this stopped feeling like a sweet love story between two people who seemed perfectly matched and began reading more like a prolonged lecture on the importance of rest. I understand the intention, he pushes himself too hard, and there have to be consequences. However, the execution felt exaggerated. He’s written as almost superhuman at times, pacing and memorizing speeches all night, then attending Parliament the next day without a hint of exhaustion. It strained credibility.

I know every romance needs tension, and some obstacle for the couple to overcome, but the way it unfolded here just didn’t work for me. I would have much preferred the conflict come from Cymbeline standing up to him the moment she learned what his physician had warned, especially when he brushed it aside. Alternatively, having his illness surface before the wedding would have created far more emotional weight and genuine stakes.

As it stands, this one had the potential to be a charming, character-driven romance, but it ultimately felt more preachy than poignant.