Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Review: Loretta Chase's My Inconvenient Duke

 

MY INCONVENIENT DUKE
Historical Romance

 

 

AUTHOR:
Loretta Chase

RELEASE DATE:
January 21, 2025

PUBLISHER:
Avon and Harper Voyager

ISBN/ ASIN NUMBER :
9780063111387

RATING:
4.5

AUTHOR LINK:
https://lorettachase.com/

 

 

Lady Alice Ancaster is the sister of one of the three Dis-Graces. She wants to safeguard her future by finding a respectable husband. Alice has a perfect candidate in mind. When trouble arises, the wrong one keeps appearing when she needs him most. Giles is all wrong for Alice, but she cannot ignore how scintillating he is to be with. Which duke will Alice choose? The upstanding one? Or the scandalous one? Will she regret her choice?

Giles Lyon, the eighth Duke of Blackwood, is known as one of the three Dis-Graces. He dislikes the many rules and regulations his social class must abide by. Blackwood offers to discreetly look after Alice during the Marriage Mart. Giles knows he is the wrong sort for her, but he cannot resist playing the hero for Alice. Can Blackwood give up his wild and reckless ways for Alice? Or will he give her up a second time?

The main reason I picked up this book is because of the heroine’s name. Alice was my late grandmother’s name. She has always been my hero and staunch supporter. It is why I like reading stories with heroines that share her namesake. This Alice did not disappoint. She annoyed me near the end by choosing her causes over Giles. It is good to have something you are passionate about, but I feel she could have devised a better balance.

Giles made the story entertaining. I understand his reasons for shucking Polite Society’s strict rules and regulations. However, Giles never really forgot them. He knew the right time and place to employ them. I only have one nitpick about Giles.  I disliked how he felt that he needed to be his friend’s caretaker in the end. It is good to worry about your friends but not at the expense of your marriage.

MY INCONVENIENT DUKE is the third and final book in Loretta Chase’s historical romance series, DIFFICULT DUKES. This is my first foray into this author’s works, so I have not had the pleasure of reading the previous two. Something I plan to remedy. Even though I started late, it did not hinder my ability to follow the characters and storyline.

Honestly, I believe this series could be read out-of-order. The first half of the book takes place way before Ripley and Ashmont encounter and fall for their partners. It is not until close to the end that the three books mesh in the same timeline.

The story’s momentum fell off during the second half of the book. Most of it was told through letter-writing between Blackwood and Alice. It got boring quick, not enough for me to quit reading.


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