Libby's London Merchant

Throughout this book, I was really irritated by the duke (whom I mistakenly assumed was the hero). I found he was often condescending towards the heroine and the other members of her village (as a man of his station would likely be). The book was written in both his POV and Libby's as such it was easy to assume that he and Libby were going to end up together. However, I couldn't help thinking about how much I loved the doctor and how I wished that he, instead of the duke, would end up being Libby's husband. Imagine my surprise when that was how the book ended!

This book subverted so many of the established romance conventions (and it was published two decades ago!). There was a wealthy, reformed duke who wasn't the hero, an overweight, clumsy doctor who was the hero and a spurned suitor who didn't leave with bitterness/animosity. There's so much of this book to love and I can see myself rereading it in the future.