When He Was a Duke

She thought he was a servant. He turned out to be her salvation.

Once, Sebastian Ashford was a duke's son-until his father's hanging stripped him of his name, his home, and his future. Branded by scandal and hardened by war, Sebastian returns to England with a single mission: uncover the truth behind his family's ruin. Disguised as a humble gardener, he infiltrates the estate of the very man he suspects of orchestrating it all.

Lady Rose Wentworth knows her place in Society-but that place is a prison. Raised in luxury yet suffocated by duty, she dreams of a life beyond her father's control. Now, she's being forced into marriage with a ruthless baron twenty years her senior-a match designed to secure power, not happiness. When she meets the new gardener, she's drawn to his quiet strength and piercing gaze-unaware that he's the enemy her family helped create.

As their forbidden romance deepens, Sebastian and Rose must choose between loyalty and desire, vengeance and redemption. But in a world where titles define worth and secrets can destroy everything, loving him could cost them their lives.

A Regency romance of slow-burn longing, forbidden attraction, hidden identities, and the intoxicating thrill of enemies becoming lovers.

From USA Today Bestselling Author Tess Thompson comes a sweeping story of passion, peril, and the fierce courage it takes to reclaim a name-and a future.

Tropes you'll love:

• Disguised Identity / Secret Identity
• Class Difference / Forbidden Love
• Slow Burn Romance
• Redemption Arc
• Found Family
• Masquerade Ball
• Revenge Plot
• Beauty and the Beast Vibes

Note: This series is part of Dragonblade's Sweet Dreams line, so this is a sweet, wholesome Historical Romance where passion beyond the bedroom door is left to the reader's imagination.