This book is part spin-off of the 1797 Club series as well as the start of a new series. Morgan Banfield is the bastard half-brother to one of the aforementioned Dukes in the 1797 Club series. His brother gets him out of gaol and into a new job as man-of-affairs to a fellow Duke. However, Morgan is attracted to his new employer's sister, Lizzie, or Elizabeth as he calls her. Lizzie was ruined in a failed elopement years before but Morgan might be the man to bring her out of her shell.
This was a slow story. The characters are all pleasing enough but there's so little interaction shown between Lizzie and Morgan. We see more conversations between them and their siblings so their attraction seems very rushed, especially since neither is particularly eager for a relationship. It's an okay story but I'm hoping for better in the rest of the series. ( )

The Love of a Libertine by Jess Michaels
The Duke’s Bastards #1

What if your father was a selfish lord that took what he wanted when he wanted to and ended up with children that are half siblings but don’t know one another all that well? And, what if the lord’s son, now a duke, has decided to become friends with his half siblings and those half siblings are less than impressed with the idea? Well, if that were to happen then you might have the makings of an interesting series and that is just what I believe this series will be.

Robert has bailed Morgan out again and this time suggests he work as a man of affairs for a friend of his. So, Morgan agrees and heads off to start his job. The first person he notices…REALLY notices…is Elizabeth, his employer’s sister. Morgan is taken with Lizzie but is there any way the two can or should be together with the gap in social status and the back stories they carry…that is the question.

What I liked:
*Elizabeth: a good woman that made a mistake and has lived with it for four years. She fears gossip, is shy and sometimes referred to as a mouse but if that is so then she is one of the mice that roared.
* Morgan: a man who has a checkered past. He is intelligent, musical, artistic, and perfect for Lizzie.
* Hugh: Elizabeth’s brother who is there for her no matter what. He seems to have forgotten she is an adult and tries to wrap her in cotton
* Robert: Morgan’s brother is a rake that settled down with the right woman. He cares about his half siblings and wants the best life for them.
* Ewan: Loved seeing him again along with the three wives of the dukes in this story
* The idea of how one’s past can have such a huge impact on people
* The way Morgan and Lizzie were there for one another. REALLY liked their story!

What I did not like:
* Aaron…the man in Lizzie’s past. It was so easy to dislike him!
* Having to say goodbye to the characters in the book and having to wait to find out who will star in book two of the series.

Did I enjoy this book? Definitely
Would I read more in this series? Without a doubt

Thank you to NetGalley and The Passionate Pen, LLC for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars ( )

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. The Love of a Libertine by Jess Michaels is the first book in her new series The Duke’s Bastards. It has ties to her 1797 Club series, specifically book eight, which is about the heroine’s brother and book nine, which is about the hero’s brother. When Morgan Banfield wakes up bruised and hungover in Newgate, he’s not sure that he wants help from his estranged half brother, the Duke of Roseford. Still, he does know that he needs a change, and maybe taking the opportunity offered by his brother to become the man of affairs for the Duke of Brighthollow is what he needs. Lady Elizabeth Margolis eloped to Scotland with a man who turned out to be a total bounder, rescued by her brother before they could wed, she has retreated from society and finds it difficult to trust that a man could want her and not her dowry. When Morgan takes on the task of helping her with plans for a garden at her brother’s estate, their attraction to each other grows, but her fears and Morgan's past mean that the path to HEA is a rocky one. As always, Jess Michaels writes an engrossing story with characters that you can’t help but cheer for. Medium Steam. Publishing Date May 19, 2020. #bookstagram #TheLoveOfALibertine #NetGalley #JessMichaels #HistoricalRomance #ThePassionatePen ( )

Series: The Duke’s Bastards #1
Publication Date: 5/19/20
Number of Pages: 240

This is a wonderful start to a new series. The main characters are both so very likable and so perfect for each other. I also love that the bastards are the illegitimate offspring of the former Duke of Roseford who was a cruel and profligate man who left children everywhere. Robert Smithson, the new Duke of Roseford, featured in The Duke of Desire, has continued to support those half-brothers and sisters and wants to form a closer bond with them. This is the story of Morgan Banfield who seems to have inherited all of the wildness and penchant for trouble his father had. We also meet Selina Oliver a half-sister and there is mention of half-brother Nicholas Gillingham, so I assume we’ll get their stories in later books. So, all-in-all it is a great start to the series.

Morgan was out for a night of drinking, gambling, and wenching when he came across a man who had once been a close friend – but Morgan had wronged him. Morgan didn’t deal well with that encounter and drank and gambled more and more and more – until he awoke in Newgate gaol. As he is awakening in the filth and smell of the prison, he hears the voice of his half-brother, Robert, and groans. Robert gets him out of jail and then coerces him into working for Hugh Margolis, the Duke of Brighthollow, as his Man of Affairs. Morgan doesn’t know if he is up to the job or not but thinks he might be ready for some changes in his life.

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Margolis is shy, but she’s also filled with self-doubt. She doesn’t trust her judgment – her decisions – and she certainly doesn’t trust most males, especially those who are rakes and libertines. When she learns that one is coming to work for her brother, she is beside herself. How could Hugh do that? Then, when the rogue arrives, he is her worst nightmare – he’s handsome as sin and charming as the devil. She’s drawn to him despite her best efforts. Did she not already learn that lesson? Evidently not, because the attraction only grows.

When Morgan is tasked with helping Lizzie execute her mother’s plans for the garden, they get to know each other better. As they grow together, they share the secrets of their pasts – and then Morgan’s shows up to haunt them. Will that make them realize how much they love each other – or will their future be lost before it even begins?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and loved getting to catch up with some of the Dukes from the 1797 Club series. As mentioned above, there is Robert and Katherine (Duke of Desire), Hugh and Amelia (The Duke Who Lied), and my very favorite, Ewan and Charlotte (The Silent Duke). However, what I really loved was the romance between Morgan and Lizzie because they complemented each other so well. Each brought their own kind of strength to the relationship and they each made the other stronger.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ( )