ARC REVIEW: DUKE OF DECEPTION (THE UNTOUCHABLES) BY DARCY BURKE  
 
 
ARC Review: Duke of Deception (The Untouchables) by Darcy BurkeWith a stroke of the pen Darcy Burke sets the stage for an intricate tale of duplicity. Everyone has an agenda, the lure of the story is figuring them out. Aquilla is her own woman, or so she hopes to be. Wanting a chance to be more than someone's wife or mother, she sets in motion plans that will forever ruin her chances at finding a suitable match. Too bad doing so is proving more complicated than she thought. Aquilla has more personality than previous heroines I have come across in historical romances. She tries to hide her true self but has trouble extinguishing the spark. Complex characters are what I live for, so the contradictions that Edward and Aquilla presented made for an intriguing past time. Duke of Deception reads like a puzzle waiting to be solved. The pieces are all there waiting to reveal the big picture. You just have to know how to put them together. ( )

Ned bent down and kissed his brother’s cheek. “Lemon cakes,”he whispered.
George’s eyes remained closed, but his lips curved into a familiar, beloved smile. “Lemon cakes. Yes, Ned. Lemon cakes.”
Those had been their favorite sweet. Cook, who’d passed long ago, had made them twice a week and always ensured Ned and George had the first batch while they were still warm. “Lemon cakes”had been something they’d uttered to each other as a gesture of comfort. A sort of “I love you”for boys who wouldn’t dare say such a thing to each other.



Lemon cakes. This got me.

Anyway, good but not wowing. The sex scenes read a bit contemporary, they do hold off until the latter second half of book. Except for the beautiful lemon cakes scene not really anything new or memorable. Hero's brother George was the most I got emotional about, hero and heroine had more of a sedate romance and chemistry; I personally like a bit more spark. ( )

In this third story of the series I find myself torn by liking some parts of the book, and then disliking other. Don't ask me why! I tried to figure it out and the only thing I came up with is the characterization of the hero. It took me forever to even like him. Which in the end I did.

As for the heroine, she was likable and my heart just went out to her.

The writing was great, the pace lagged a bit but half way through picked up, and it had some great sensual moments.

In the end, I'm a sucker for a heart breaking story, and if you are too, then this is for you as well.

Melanie for b2b

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher
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