The Desires of a Duke

What a delightful collection of historical romances!

THE FORBIDDEN DUKE by Darcy Burke
Titus St. James is an upright man who keeps to himself. Once a year he dances with a woman at his mother’s ball and that woman is soon the toast of the town. When Eleanor finds herself without means or a roof over her head she applies to be a companion and lucks into a job that sees her with a second chance for a season in society and perhaps the opportunity to marry and have a family. Little does she know that the man she will end up with is the stepson of the woman she is working for. I really liked Eleanor and Titus and enjoyed their story immensely!

THE DUKE WHO KNEW TOO MUCH by Grace Callaway
Alaric McLeod leaves home when nine years of age. He acts tough but doesn’t feel he is. The home he ends up in is one no child should end up in and the couple he lives with horrible…in fact…the woman reminds me of newspaper articles dealing with Munchausen by Proxy. He is a widow, hedonist and at one point suspected of murder. Emma sees Alaric in a situation that she misinterprets and then, to make amends, wants to help him clear his name. She has dreams of being an investigator like her brother and Alaric’s stepbrother and gets herself into some rather questionable situations while…investigating. This was a fun if somewhat unbelievable story.

THE DUKE’S MATCH GIRL by Lila DiPasqua
Not really based on the sad story we have all heard as children this book tells of Leo, Duke of Mont-Marly and Suzanne Matchet. Leo was a bit of a cad and a liar when he made sure he had a night with Suzanne before marrying another woman. When he finds himself widowed he heads to the town Suzanne lives in to woo her. This story was so-so in my opinion and a bit silly…definitely not believable.

WAITING FOR A DUKE LIKE YOU by Shana Galen
Princess Vivienne of Glynaven, sole royal survivor of an uprising, manages to escape from assassins and make to England. When the Duke of Wyndover sees her she is filthy, sleeping and he believes she is a vagrant. When he realizes who she is he promises to keep her safe. Why? Because he fell for her long ago when in her country even though she never indicated he existed. Vivienne is a strong character and able to protect herself. Nathan is a delight and great book boyfriend. I liked this book a great deal and would gladly read more books by this author.

WHEN I MET MY DUCHESS by Caroline Linden
What fun this book was! Gareth has chosen the perfect woman to be his duchess EXCEPT when Helen Grey arrives he is drawn to her sister Cleo instead. Over time he realizes that he is making a mistake and hopes to find a solution that will see him with the right sister and Helen happy, too. All works out well in the end but it is an interesting fun story to read and left me happy at the end and wanting to find another book by this author! That said…I detested the parents of Helen and Cleo and wanted to thump them more often than not!

I SPY A DUKE by Erica Monroe
I read this book in the past and loved it rating it five stars at the time. Quoted from my review: What a GREAT introduction to the new “Covert Heiresses” series!... Both Vivian and James have lost siblings and begin to bond after discussing their losses one evening. There is an ease and companionship between them but also chemistry waiting to be explored. Vivian needs protection and James has offered his to her. Little does she know that there is more under his expensive clothes and pleasant demeanor than a the wealthy Duke he appears to be. I loved Vivian’s strength of will, clarity of mind and determination. I loved James for his ability to realize his strengths and weaknesses as well as sensitive and tender side. Both characters were well written and the growth of their relationship was a joy to read about as it unfolded.

THE MISFORTUNE OF LADY LUCIANNA by Christina McKnight
Lady Lucianna and her friends are doing their best to bring the murderer of their friend Tildy to justice. In the meantime Luciana, Ophelia and Edith write a column for the London Gazette that exposes rakes, rogues and roués. The women believe they are in the right and always right but…as we find out in this story…that may not always be true. When The Duke of Montrose finds out who has destroyed his chances to marry a wealthy woman he sets out to get revenge – on Lucianna. This is was a fun book. It was nice to catch up with Edith. I wanted to smack Lucianna’s father a time or two and was thrilled he was thwarted by Lucianna and Roderick. I am curious to find out who Ophelia will end up with, whether or not Roderick will find out who stole the money from his father and whether or not Abercorn will be found guilty and Tildy will eventually get justice.

THE DUKE’S ACCIDENTAL WIFE by Erica Ridley
Preconceptions can be misconceptions – and that is just what Katherine Ross “Kate” and Lawrence Pembroke, the Duke of Ravenwood found to be true before the end of the book.
Kate was footloose and fancy free living with her great Aunt Havens when at one of her social events she and Ravenwood were caught in an apparently compromising situation. They both had ideas of what their future would be and that future did not include what they were suddenly faced with. As the two of them get to know one another better they find that what they believed true of one another is not quite accurate and worth reconsidering.
I loved the way Kate began to see beyond the exterior Ravenwood presented to the world. I enjoyed Ravenwood’s slow opening up and sharing as time went on. This is a story of family, caring, sharing and giving and I thoroughly enjoyed it. ( )