Love in the Time of Typhus

The Illegitimate Duke (Diamonds in the Rough #3)
by Sophie Barnes

Juliette Matthews grew up in the slums and has little interest in using her newfound position to marry well - not when she could be putting her wealth to good use in funding a hospital. Florian Lowell is an admired physician and set to become a duke, but the secret of his birth makes him feel unworthy - and could endanger anyone he might love. So he definitely has no plans to give in to temptation...

An excellent return to form after the previous book, notably because the villain had a much more commanding presence in this one instead. I am such a sucker for novels with deadly diseases right now (I think it might be my coping mechanism!), so I enjoyed the typhus epidemic in The Illegitimate Duke and how it affected the romance building between the main characters. Florian was a delightfully tortured character and Juliette was perfect for him. Loved it.

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