The Forgotten Duke
Release Date: October 28, 2024
About the Author: Sofi writes sweet, mischievous Regency romances with witty banter and heart-tugging happily-ever-afters. Born in Vienna, Sofi grew up in Seoul, studied Comparative Literature in Maryland, and lived in Quito for a while.
When not writing – she is always reading – she likes to travel and scramble about the countryside exploring medieval castle ruins. She currently lives in Austria with her husband, 3 trilingual children, a sassy cat and a cheeky dog.
MY REVIEW
Lena Arenheim is trying to secure musical performances for her penurious family when a strange woman calls out to her on the street–“Catherine?” Perplexed, Lena brushes off the encounter, but it is not long before the woman’s brother, Julius, Duke of Aldingbourne, declares that Lena is none other than his duchess Catherine who had been presumed dead. The trouble is, Lena can’t remember anything that happened before she hit her head after a carriage accident in Scotland. Is this her husband? If so, what will happen to the family she’s forged for herself in Vienna, including her own young son and three adopted children?
Julius, the Duke of Aldingbourne, never knew he was in love with his wife until she was gone. When visiting Austria for the Congress of Vienna after the Napoleonic Wars, he learns that the woman he buried in Scotland might not have been his wife after all. But this new Catherine, Lena Arenheim, is not the shy flower he married–rather, she is the living heartbeat of a household of rambunctious children. Can he extricate her from the new life she has created without being as much of brute as he was in the past? And if Lena recovers her memory, will she like the husband that she remembers?
Usually Sofi Laporte novels (at least, the ones I’ve read) or more lighthearted, but this book had depth to it that set it apart. The historical backdrop of the Congress of Vienna is unusual for a Regency romance and utterly fascinating. Prince Metternich’s network of spies form an important piece of the plot as well as the infighting between the Austrians, Russians, and English. Lena’s effervescent children add humour to the story, and Julius’ noble efforts to atone for his past make him a hero to be admired.
I had a three hour car ride to family’s for the holidays and finished this book in one sitting on the way there. Recommended.
“Theo, Love is never stupid,” she’d insisted. “Especially when it is unrequited. Because then the heart has to gather all its strength to love even more so it can let go. Even if is feels like your heart is breaking, you’ll have loved the noblest love of all.”
-The Forgotten Duke by Sofi Laporte
Romance with Humor and Heart 
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