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The Duke Hunters Club #2
Mon duc préféré: Le club des chasseuses de duc - Tome 2
Une romance historique.
Aucun criminel n’est aussi insaisissable que la personne répandant de fausses pièces de monnaie dans le Lake District, et Lucas est déterminé à en découvrir la source. Quand il voit quelqu’un se faufiler dans le domaine de cet homme dans le Lake District, il s’attend à découvrir l’un de ses complices. À la place, il est choqué de découvrir Lady Juliette. Lucas fait le vœu de l’aider, peu importe à quel point sa charmante présence est distrayante.
Lady Juliette est heureuse. Très heureuse. Après tout, elle est fiancée, même si elle ne voit que rarement son promis. Alors, quelle importance si son fiancé n’arrête pas de postposer leur mariage ? Ou qu’il y ait des rumeurs vicieuses à son sujet ? Néanmoins, quand le duc de Sherwood ne se présente pas lors d’un bal comme prévu, il n’y a qu’une seule chose qu’elle puisse faire : découvrir la vérité par elle-même.
Lucas, duc d’Ainsworth, est extrêmement ennuyeux.
Du moins, c’est ce qu’il souhaite que tout le monde croie. Il s’assure de participer aux conversations avec la bonne société au sujet de plantes obscures et de citer des livres en latin tout en tripotant ses lunettes. La nuit, Lucas est impliqué dans une tâche toute différente : faire tomber des criminels.
Aucun criminel n’est aussi insaisissable que la personne répandant de fausses pièces de monnaie dans le Lake District, et Lucas est déterminé à en découvrir la source. Quand il voit quelqu’un se faufiler dans le domaine de cet homme dans le Lake District, il s’attend à découvrir l’un de ses complices. À la place, il est choqué de découvrir Lady Juliette. Lucas fait le vœu de l’aider, peu importe à quel point sa charmante présence est distrayante.
Aucun criminel n’est aussi insaisissable que la personne répandant de fausses pièces de monnaie dans le Lake District, et Lucas est déterminé à en découvrir la source. Quand il voit quelqu’un se faufiler dans le domaine de cet homme dans le Lake District, il s’attend à découvrir l’un de ses complices. À la place, il est choqué de découvrir Lady Juliette. Lucas fait le vœu de l’aider, peu importe à quel point sa charmante présence est distrayante.
Lady Juliette est heureuse. Très heureuse. Après tout, elle est fiancée, même si elle ne voit que rarement son promis. Alors, quelle importance si son fiancé n’arrête pas de postposer leur mariage ? Ou qu’il y ait des rumeurs vicieuses à son sujet ? Néanmoins, quand le duc de Sherwood ne se présente pas lors d’un bal comme prévu, il n’y a qu’une seule chose qu’elle puisse faire : découvrir la vérité par elle-même.
Lucas, duc d’Ainsworth, est extrêmement ennuyeux.
Du moins, c’est ce qu’il souhaite que tout le monde croie. Il s’assure de participer aux conversations avec la bonne société au sujet de plantes obscures et de citer des livres en latin tout en tripotant ses lunettes. La nuit, Lucas est impliqué dans une tâche toute différente : faire tomber des criminels.
Aucun criminel n’est aussi insaisissable que la personne répandant de fausses pièces de monnaie dans le Lake District, et Lucas est déterminé à en découvrir la source. Quand il voit quelqu’un se faufiler dans le domaine de cet homme dans le Lake District, il s’attend à découvrir l’un de ses complices. À la place, il est choqué de découvrir Lady Juliette. Lucas fait le vœu de l’aider, peu importe à quel point sa charmante présence est distrayante.
262 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 31, 2020
345 people are currently reading
211 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
May 31, 2020
3.5 stars
I didn’t take to the character of Juliet, at first, I thought she seemed flighty and silly. After all, who would leave a ball to chase after her betrothed because he hadn’t turned up at the ball. Also, wouldn’t alarm bells be ringing if you hadn’t seen your betrothed for a year and he had postponed the wedding? Her character did grow on me as the story continues, especially when I read about her background and how her mother had been treated. Lucas , Duke of Ainsworth, was also in the Lake District but he was on the track of criminals. They meet in exceptional circumstances and feel an attraction and the more they are in each other’s company so the attraction developed into something deeper. There is also the problem that Juliet is engaged to another man and to discover who is behind the criminal activity. This was an entertaining read. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I didn’t take to the character of Juliet, at first, I thought she seemed flighty and silly. After all, who would leave a ball to chase after her betrothed because he hadn’t turned up at the ball. Also, wouldn’t alarm bells be ringing if you hadn’t seen your betrothed for a year and he had postponed the wedding? Her character did grow on me as the story continues, especially when I read about her background and how her mother had been treated. Lucas , Duke of Ainsworth, was also in the Lake District but he was on the track of criminals. They meet in exceptional circumstances and feel an attraction and the more they are in each other’s company so the attraction developed into something deeper. There is also the problem that Juliet is engaged to another man and to discover who is behind the criminal activity. This was an entertaining read. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
December 24, 2020
I received a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I hated this book. It was relatively short and I did have this book from netgalley or else I would not have bother a to finish it. This is the first time that I can remember ever putting down a book an saying this is so stupid.
1) I am tried to of the trope of the hero being a spy, investigating something so that means his fashion has to change in this book that means his clothes are disheveled.
2) he pretends to be a botanist because everyone over looks scientists but doesn't even have a passing knowledge of the subject in order to make the ruse believable.
3) how many times and some use the words fiddle fiddle (juliet) or great Olympus (Lucas)
4) how did she end up engaged to the duke in the first place. They spent no time together, they know nothing about one another, he doesn't leave his estate, so...
5) her father constant insulting her dead mother who he only married for her dowry while carrying on an affair with the housekeeper who he eventually married.
6) random scenes with massive amounts of information missing or have no point to them
Ugh. What a waste of time. No clue why the 2 fell in love other than since they have no idea what they are doing and are so boring.
I hated this book. It was relatively short and I did have this book from netgalley or else I would not have bother a to finish it. This is the first time that I can remember ever putting down a book an saying this is so stupid.
1) I am tried to of the trope of the hero being a spy, investigating something so that means his fashion has to change in this book that means his clothes are disheveled.
2) he pretends to be a botanist because everyone over looks scientists but doesn't even have a passing knowledge of the subject in order to make the ruse believable.
3) how many times and some use the words fiddle fiddle (juliet) or great Olympus (Lucas)
4) how did she end up engaged to the duke in the first place. They spent no time together, they know nothing about one another, he doesn't leave his estate, so...
5) her father constant insulting her dead mother who he only married for her dowry while carrying on an affair with the housekeeper who he eventually married.
6) random scenes with massive amounts of information missing or have no point to them
Ugh. What a waste of time. No clue why the 2 fell in love other than since they have no idea what they are doing and are so boring.
June 5, 2020
My Favorite Duke
The Duke Hunters Club Series #2
Bianca Blythe
https://www.facebook.com/biancablythe...
Release date 05/27/2020
Blurb :
Lady Juliet is happy. Very happy. After all, she's engaged, even if she rarely sees her betrothed. So what if her betrothed keeps postponing their wedding? Or that there are wicked rumors about him? Still, when the Duke of Sherwood doesn't appear at a ball as intended, there's only one thing she can do: discover the truth herself.
Lucas, the Duke of Ainsworth, is exceedingly dull.
At least, that's what he desires everyone to believe. He makes certain to enter into conversations with the ton about obscure plants and to quote Latin tomes while fiddling with his spectacles. By night, Lucas is involved in a different task: bringing down criminals.
No criminal is as elusive as the person spreading counterfeit coin through the Lake District, and Lucas is determined to discover the source. When he sees someone sneak onto the man's estate in the Lake District, he expects to discover one of the man's accomplices. Instead, he is shocked to discover Lady Juliet. Lucas vows to help her, no matter how distracting her alluring presence is.
My review :
Will she open her heart in time and realize she might have decided to fast on the wrong man ...
Now that I am to write my feelings about this read, I do remember that the first time I have read Mrs Bianca Blythe’s work, I thought she had a very specific voice. And the previous book, the first in this series, was everything I loved, witty, funny, romantic. But with this second, I felt a bit lost, it has the funny moments with the internal musing of both main characters and their no-nonsense thoughts, but I did not really connected with them but it is probably me the problem as both are kind characters, they switched their feelings toward one another for fast for me.
For a kind of spy, Lucas is not really the best at his job, he adopts a facade but it is only a facade, one scratch and everything might crumble. Yet he is willing to find the culprit.
Juliet is completely delusional about her betrothed duke, always making excuses for his absence and soooooo innnn looove after only two encounters. Even risking her safety to rescue him from whatever fate might have befallen on him and prevented him to attend once more an event, thus for a full year she has not seen him.
The highwaymen scene was just hilarious, their inner dialogues full of fun and derision.
In all it is a very enjoyable read with two sweet characters who made some mistakes, up to them to correct them the right way.
On a special note, I must disliked the heroine’s father. He was an awful husband to her mother, and disparaging her mother in front of everyone is very ugly.
4 stars, I was granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.
https://www.facebook.com/429830134272...
The Duke Hunters Club Series #2
Bianca Blythe
https://www.facebook.com/biancablythe...
Release date 05/27/2020
Blurb :
Lady Juliet is happy. Very happy. After all, she's engaged, even if she rarely sees her betrothed. So what if her betrothed keeps postponing their wedding? Or that there are wicked rumors about him? Still, when the Duke of Sherwood doesn't appear at a ball as intended, there's only one thing she can do: discover the truth herself.
Lucas, the Duke of Ainsworth, is exceedingly dull.
At least, that's what he desires everyone to believe. He makes certain to enter into conversations with the ton about obscure plants and to quote Latin tomes while fiddling with his spectacles. By night, Lucas is involved in a different task: bringing down criminals.
No criminal is as elusive as the person spreading counterfeit coin through the Lake District, and Lucas is determined to discover the source. When he sees someone sneak onto the man's estate in the Lake District, he expects to discover one of the man's accomplices. Instead, he is shocked to discover Lady Juliet. Lucas vows to help her, no matter how distracting her alluring presence is.
My review :
Will she open her heart in time and realize she might have decided to fast on the wrong man ...
Now that I am to write my feelings about this read, I do remember that the first time I have read Mrs Bianca Blythe’s work, I thought she had a very specific voice. And the previous book, the first in this series, was everything I loved, witty, funny, romantic. But with this second, I felt a bit lost, it has the funny moments with the internal musing of both main characters and their no-nonsense thoughts, but I did not really connected with them but it is probably me the problem as both are kind characters, they switched their feelings toward one another for fast for me.
For a kind of spy, Lucas is not really the best at his job, he adopts a facade but it is only a facade, one scratch and everything might crumble. Yet he is willing to find the culprit.
Juliet is completely delusional about her betrothed duke, always making excuses for his absence and soooooo innnn looove after only two encounters. Even risking her safety to rescue him from whatever fate might have befallen on him and prevented him to attend once more an event, thus for a full year she has not seen him.
The highwaymen scene was just hilarious, their inner dialogues full of fun and derision.
In all it is a very enjoyable read with two sweet characters who made some mistakes, up to them to correct them the right way.
On a special note, I must disliked the heroine’s father. He was an awful husband to her mother, and disparaging her mother in front of everyone is very ugly.
4 stars, I was granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.
https://www.facebook.com/429830134272...
June 2, 2020
Delicious🍰💕!
ADULT Regency Romantic 💕 and Crime Adventure🔪🔫
A Tale of Two Dukes🐺🐺
Two handsome Dukes, one, Duke Sherwood👺, is suspected of being behind a counterfeit money scheme. The other is Lucas🐺🍆⛲💪, Duke of Ainsworth, the reclusive man trying to catch him. Right in the middle of it all is Lady Juliet Shelley💃💋, betrothed to the doubly elusive Sherwood👺. She hasn't seen him for a year!
Lucas🐺🍆⛲💪 hides his detective work for the Crown 👑behind a pair of spectacles, dowdy, unfashionable clothes, and a supposed deep interest in botany🌱. Despite all the books about plants🌱 he keeps about himself, he has never read any of them! It's just a cover for his spying activities.
Juliet💃💋, an impetuous young woman, decides she's had enough of waiting for the missing Sherwood👺, and sets out to find him. The same 🌙night, Lucas🐺🍆⛲💪 has a tip that a large amount of the counterfeit coin will be moving through the countryside. He and his cohort Sebastian dress as highwaymen🔪🔫 and pull over the suspected coach, only to find Lady Juliet💃💋 and her friend, Genevieve!
From then on, it's a delicious romp through the English countryside, as Juliet💃💋 convinces Lucas🐺🍆⛲💪 to let her team up with him to find Sherwood👺. She has no idea why Lucas🐺🍆⛲💪 is looking for him.
The dialogue is witty and funny throughout this well written historical romantic💕 comedy.
ARC Provided by Booksprout 🌱
I also got this ebook with KU.
This is one of the most enjoyable ADULT Recency Romances💕 I have read in a long time. I think you will enjoy it, too!
ADULT Regency Romantic 💕 and Crime Adventure🔪🔫
A Tale of Two Dukes🐺🐺
Two handsome Dukes, one, Duke Sherwood👺, is suspected of being behind a counterfeit money scheme. The other is Lucas🐺🍆⛲💪, Duke of Ainsworth, the reclusive man trying to catch him. Right in the middle of it all is Lady Juliet Shelley💃💋, betrothed to the doubly elusive Sherwood👺. She hasn't seen him for a year!
Lucas🐺🍆⛲💪 hides his detective work for the Crown 👑behind a pair of spectacles, dowdy, unfashionable clothes, and a supposed deep interest in botany🌱. Despite all the books about plants🌱 he keeps about himself, he has never read any of them! It's just a cover for his spying activities.
Juliet💃💋, an impetuous young woman, decides she's had enough of waiting for the missing Sherwood👺, and sets out to find him. The same 🌙night, Lucas🐺🍆⛲💪 has a tip that a large amount of the counterfeit coin will be moving through the countryside. He and his cohort Sebastian dress as highwaymen🔪🔫 and pull over the suspected coach, only to find Lady Juliet💃💋 and her friend, Genevieve!
From then on, it's a delicious romp through the English countryside, as Juliet💃💋 convinces Lucas🐺🍆⛲💪 to let her team up with him to find Sherwood👺. She has no idea why Lucas🐺🍆⛲💪 is looking for him.
The dialogue is witty and funny throughout this well written historical romantic💕 comedy.
ARC Provided by Booksprout 🌱
I also got this ebook with KU.
This is one of the most enjoyable ADULT Recency Romances💕 I have read in a long time. I think you will enjoy it, too!
May 30, 2020
Lady Juliet is happy. After all, she's engaged to a duke, even if she rarely sees her betrothed. So what if her betrothed keeps postponing their wedding Still, when the Duke of Sherwood doesn't appear at a ball as intended, there's only one thing she can do: discover the truth herself.
Lucas, the Duke of Ainsworth, is exceedingly dull, at least, that's what he desires everyone to believe. He makes certain to enter into conversations with the ton about obscure plants and to quote Latin tomes while fiddling with his spectacles. By night, Lucas is involved in a different task: bringing down criminals. No criminal is as elusive as the person spreading counterfeit coin through the Lake District, and Lucas is determined to discover the source. When he & his friend Sebastian pretend to be highwaymen neither expected to find two young ladies & then the fun begins
This is the second in the series & is easily read on its own. A fun entertaining read that also had some sadder elements. I really liked both Lucas & Juliet, the chemistry between the pair was there from the start & only grew. I also loved Sebastian and Genevieve & look forward to their story. I disliked Sherwood & also Juliet's parents especially her stepmother. The pace was good & I read it in two sittings
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
Lucas, the Duke of Ainsworth, is exceedingly dull, at least, that's what he desires everyone to believe. He makes certain to enter into conversations with the ton about obscure plants and to quote Latin tomes while fiddling with his spectacles. By night, Lucas is involved in a different task: bringing down criminals. No criminal is as elusive as the person spreading counterfeit coin through the Lake District, and Lucas is determined to discover the source. When he & his friend Sebastian pretend to be highwaymen neither expected to find two young ladies & then the fun begins
This is the second in the series & is easily read on its own. A fun entertaining read that also had some sadder elements. I really liked both Lucas & Juliet, the chemistry between the pair was there from the start & only grew. I also loved Sebastian and Genevieve & look forward to their story. I disliked Sherwood & also Juliet's parents especially her stepmother. The pace was good & I read it in two sittings
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
May 29, 2020
2.5 stars, i was intrigued by lady juliet's character in the first book of this series because she was already engaged yet her fiancee was constantly absent. meeting lucas in this book was a great surprise and his character is very sweet and likeable, a refreshing change from the typical alpha-males in this genre. instead, he's a bit of a recluse that dresses oddly and prefers botany to balls. juliet and lucas clearly establish a good bond over the course of the book and have some nice moments but i was missing the spark in their relationship. overall, it was a fun, light, and quick read!
𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.
𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.
June 9, 2020
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
My Favorite Duke follows Lady Juliet who should be one of the happiest women in England, but she's not. She's been engaged to the sought after Duke of Sherwood for over a year, and he keeps postponing their wedding. Once others start giving her pitying looks, and some even let slip that Sherwood may be spending time with other women, enough is enough. She needs to find out once and for all what is up, and plans to sneak off this his nearby estate, and have it out. While travelling to the estate, the carriage her and her cousin, Genevieve, are travelling in is beset by highwaymen, who try to take them hostage but fail. Lucas, the Duke of Ainsworth, appears to the outside world to be bookish and interested wholly in science. However, this is a ruse, as he's really helping the government to discover a counterfeiting ring in Cumbria, and he thinks the carriage travelling the roads at night may be linked. When it's revealed that Lady Juliet is inside, he's still suspicious, and organises a trip to her home to see if she's involved, and when she steals his clothing and disguises herself as a man to travel to Sherwood's estate again, he can't help but follow. Stuck together overnight, they overcome their initial differences, and band together to work out who is behind the crimes, and soon fall in love. Will Juliet be able to back out of her engagement, or is Sherwood more dangerous that they thought?
We met both main characters in book 1, All You Need Is A Duke, and I was intrigued by them, especially Juliet who wasn't that big a character last time. She's slightly annoying at first, being completely self involved, but as we learn more about her childhood - with a father who hated her mother, and was cheating on her - and why she wanted to marry so much, she grew on me. I really enjoyed seeing her growth too, and how she wasn't going to accept how her dad and stepmother treated her any longer. Lucas, with his spying background, and painful first love, just pulled at my heartstrings, and I found his chapters the best. When they were both together, their mutual growth was amazing to see, and though their romance seemed quick at times, I loved how it came to a conclusion.
My Favorite Duke follows Lady Juliet who should be one of the happiest women in England, but she's not. She's been engaged to the sought after Duke of Sherwood for over a year, and he keeps postponing their wedding. Once others start giving her pitying looks, and some even let slip that Sherwood may be spending time with other women, enough is enough. She needs to find out once and for all what is up, and plans to sneak off this his nearby estate, and have it out. While travelling to the estate, the carriage her and her cousin, Genevieve, are travelling in is beset by highwaymen, who try to take them hostage but fail. Lucas, the Duke of Ainsworth, appears to the outside world to be bookish and interested wholly in science. However, this is a ruse, as he's really helping the government to discover a counterfeiting ring in Cumbria, and he thinks the carriage travelling the roads at night may be linked. When it's revealed that Lady Juliet is inside, he's still suspicious, and organises a trip to her home to see if she's involved, and when she steals his clothing and disguises herself as a man to travel to Sherwood's estate again, he can't help but follow. Stuck together overnight, they overcome their initial differences, and band together to work out who is behind the crimes, and soon fall in love. Will Juliet be able to back out of her engagement, or is Sherwood more dangerous that they thought?
We met both main characters in book 1, All You Need Is A Duke, and I was intrigued by them, especially Juliet who wasn't that big a character last time. She's slightly annoying at first, being completely self involved, but as we learn more about her childhood - with a father who hated her mother, and was cheating on her - and why she wanted to marry so much, she grew on me. I really enjoyed seeing her growth too, and how she wasn't going to accept how her dad and stepmother treated her any longer. Lucas, with his spying background, and painful first love, just pulled at my heartstrings, and I found his chapters the best. When they were both together, their mutual growth was amazing to see, and though their romance seemed quick at times, I loved how it came to a conclusion.
December 28, 2020
Honestly I’ve been moved to writing this review after reading the worst regency romance I’ve ever read!! It was so badly written I can’t find the right words. The characters are juvenile and stupid and the plot is utterly ridiculous. How did the heroine get Sherwood to propose.. we don’t know. Hero has an affair with sherwoods sister and she dies because of that.. and he gets to know that in the end so he leaves Juliet to marry Sherwood.. makes no sense. The author keeps using these swear words fiddle gadfly and great something every time and it’s the same ones used by the previous heroine too. Th plot really unravels at the end. Absolute garbage
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2021
DNF at 37%
The heroine of this silly story is an idiot. Her best friend is an imbecile. The hero is only somewhat less irritating. Punctuation errors sprinkle the prose. My patience ran out about 1/3 the way in.
The heroine of this silly story is an idiot. Her best friend is an imbecile. The hero is only somewhat less irritating. Punctuation errors sprinkle the prose. My patience ran out about 1/3 the way in.
June 6, 2020
I wanted to like it
I wanted to like it. I tried so hard. I enjoyed the Matchmaking books but the book just seems really dumb. The phrasing is simplistic and childish. Sorry Bianca.
I wanted to like it. I tried so hard. I enjoyed the Matchmaking books but the book just seems really dumb. The phrasing is simplistic and childish. Sorry Bianca.
July 6, 2020
Good story. Good series. Enjoyable reading. 4☆
January 23, 2022
I don't know what happened. This book had so much going for it and then it didn't (mostly because a scene near the end just didn't sound like either of the characters and it ruined it for me). I'm still baffled as I really enjoyed the 4th book in the Series, The Duke Before Christmas, so much that I decided to read the serious from the beginning. But sadly, the first two books did not reach their potential. The first book I just didn't like much of it at all.
This book I liked better than the first book. It had lots of great parts - I liked most of the interactions between Lucas and Juliet. I really liked Lucas' character (who I liked more than the hero when he was introduced in book 1).
But there were just so many issues I have with this book (so much so that I don't think I will continue this series):
-- too much rambling, repetitive inner dialogue of both main characters, particularly Juliet
-- the use of "fiddle faddle" (used by Juliet) and "Great Olympus" (by Lucas) - I find these kinds of phrases annoying, and they were used a lot
-- Juliet's character was just weird - she's confident, but not; she so overly concerned with convention but then is traipsing across the country dressed as a man (among other non-conventional actions) - her contradictions just were too jarring and didn't make sense
-- Sebastian is apparently a Duke but we don't know that, it's never said (I had to look him up in book 1)
-- Two Dukes are basically undercover investigators and they're terrible at it. If you're going to pretend to be a botanist as part of your cover, you have to do more than wear glasses and carry a bunch of books around (he didn't know anything about flowers, nothing. Not a very good cover)
Now all the above, I could have taken in stride and probably still enjoyed the book for the most part. However, the actions of Lucas and Juliet near the end, particularly Lucas' inaction, ruined the book for me. Spoilers ahead so don't read on if you don't want to know.
SPOILERS BELOW
Sherwood is the mastermind criminal but his security is ridiculous. Lucas and Juliet repeatedly come and go without detection and amazingly without Lucas ever finding any proof of his nefarious activities. Oh and Sherwood does discover Juliet once in his barn and then leaves her there to supposedly wait for her cousin who is traipsing around somewhere - yeah, even if he wasn't a criminal, why would he just leave her there? (oh so Lucas can get away undetected - only reason).
My biggest problem is how Lucas reacts to learning how his first love died. Lucas finds out his 1st love didn't die from pneumonia but because of a botched abortion (he got her pregnant but didn't know it). When he learns this news he's understandably upset and feels guilty. And I guess he somehow now feels unworthy of Juliet? Not really sure. But he leaves Juliet with Sherwood!!!! Lucas knows she doesn't want to marry Sherwood and ok, fine, if he truly believes she doesn't want him either (not true), the least he could do is help her avoid marrying Sherwood - but no. He leaves!!! What???? And I might have been able to forgive that grudgingly because it's still horrible IF he had come to his senses on his own, but no he had to be dragged out of bed and repeatedly encouraged by his butler to go back and get her. And then the last sentence of what I quoted below made me angry with Juliet almost as much as I was at Lucas.
Straight from the book (brackets are mine):
Lucas shot a last horrified look at them. "I-I'm sorry. I'll go."
"I'll come with you," Juliet said.
"No you won't," Sherwood said. "We made an agreement. You promised you would marry me."
"Lucas?" Juliet asked, but her voice was soft....
[Lucas] shook his head. "She died, because of me."....
Sherwood took Juliet's arm. "Let's go. We have much [wedding] planning to do."
Juliet squealed as Sherwood yanked her up, but she glanced in Lucas's direction.
He needed to rescue her. He had to take her from Sherwood. But the man was silent, stricken, and tears flooded her eyes....
Juliet wanted to argue with [Sherwood] more, but it was hopeless. Lucas had seen Sherwood taking her, and he hadn't done anything. He'd let Sherwood take her.
And heavens, Juliet had made a promise.
What??? So what if she'd made a promise? That was before she discovered what an a-hole Sherwood was. She didn't owe him anything. If she had sounded hopeless because she felt abandoned by Lucas, that would make sense, because she was. But this is a girl who when she thought she was in love with Sherwood took a midnight carriage ride, faced down supposed highwaymen, traipsed across the countryside at night multiple times. But now she's just going to give up? She's going to marry this horrible man because he says so? It just didn't work for me.
This book I liked better than the first book. It had lots of great parts - I liked most of the interactions between Lucas and Juliet. I really liked Lucas' character (who I liked more than the hero when he was introduced in book 1).
But there were just so many issues I have with this book (so much so that I don't think I will continue this series):
-- too much rambling, repetitive inner dialogue of both main characters, particularly Juliet
-- the use of "fiddle faddle" (used by Juliet) and "Great Olympus" (by Lucas) - I find these kinds of phrases annoying, and they were used a lot
-- Juliet's character was just weird - she's confident, but not; she so overly concerned with convention but then is traipsing across the country dressed as a man (among other non-conventional actions) - her contradictions just were too jarring and didn't make sense
-- Sebastian is apparently a Duke but we don't know that, it's never said (I had to look him up in book 1)
-- Two Dukes are basically undercover investigators and they're terrible at it. If you're going to pretend to be a botanist as part of your cover, you have to do more than wear glasses and carry a bunch of books around (he didn't know anything about flowers, nothing. Not a very good cover)
Now all the above, I could have taken in stride and probably still enjoyed the book for the most part. However, the actions of Lucas and Juliet near the end, particularly Lucas' inaction, ruined the book for me. Spoilers ahead so don't read on if you don't want to know.
SPOILERS BELOW
Sherwood is the mastermind criminal but his security is ridiculous. Lucas and Juliet repeatedly come and go without detection and amazingly without Lucas ever finding any proof of his nefarious activities. Oh and Sherwood does discover Juliet once in his barn and then leaves her there to supposedly wait for her cousin who is traipsing around somewhere - yeah, even if he wasn't a criminal, why would he just leave her there? (oh so Lucas can get away undetected - only reason).
My biggest problem is how Lucas reacts to learning how his first love died. Lucas finds out his 1st love didn't die from pneumonia but because of a botched abortion (he got her pregnant but didn't know it). When he learns this news he's understandably upset and feels guilty. And I guess he somehow now feels unworthy of Juliet? Not really sure. But he leaves Juliet with Sherwood!!!! Lucas knows she doesn't want to marry Sherwood and ok, fine, if he truly believes she doesn't want him either (not true), the least he could do is help her avoid marrying Sherwood - but no. He leaves!!! What???? And I might have been able to forgive that grudgingly because it's still horrible IF he had come to his senses on his own, but no he had to be dragged out of bed and repeatedly encouraged by his butler to go back and get her. And then the last sentence of what I quoted below made me angry with Juliet almost as much as I was at Lucas.
Straight from the book (brackets are mine):
Lucas shot a last horrified look at them. "I-I'm sorry. I'll go."
"I'll come with you," Juliet said.
"No you won't," Sherwood said. "We made an agreement. You promised you would marry me."
"Lucas?" Juliet asked, but her voice was soft....
[Lucas] shook his head. "She died, because of me."....
Sherwood took Juliet's arm. "Let's go. We have much [wedding] planning to do."
Juliet squealed as Sherwood yanked her up, but she glanced in Lucas's direction.
He needed to rescue her. He had to take her from Sherwood. But the man was silent, stricken, and tears flooded her eyes....
Juliet wanted to argue with [Sherwood] more, but it was hopeless. Lucas had seen Sherwood taking her, and he hadn't done anything. He'd let Sherwood take her.
And heavens, Juliet had made a promise.
What??? So what if she'd made a promise? That was before she discovered what an a-hole Sherwood was. She didn't owe him anything. If she had sounded hopeless because she felt abandoned by Lucas, that would make sense, because she was. But this is a girl who when she thought she was in love with Sherwood took a midnight carriage ride, faced down supposed highwaymen, traipsed across the countryside at night multiple times. But now she's just going to give up? She's going to marry this horrible man because he says so? It just didn't work for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2020
Being a tad fussy about typos and grammatical errors, that kind of bothered me a tad in reading all 3 books in this series. That said, I did enjoy the story. I'm always flabbergasted by the heroines in regency period romances by how easily they believe they're in love. In this case, Lady Juliet had only met her fiance, the Duke of Sherwood, twice before he asked her to become engaged. To me that would have been a huge red flag for someone to want to rush that quickly into a marriage with a virtual stranger. To me, love takes time. In those days men and women who weren't married, couldn't spend time together alone getting to know each other. I'm surprised that any of them had an actual "love match." It was fun learning more about Lucas, the Duke of Ainsworth after meeting his character in the first book, and it's always funny to see two people deny their attraction when it's so blatantly obvious to a reader. I also got kind of a kick out of the fact that Juliet used the expression "fiddle faddle" in place of where I would be using curse words today, and Lucas would use the expression "for the love of Zeus" probably in place of "for the love of God". It was cute, although it did become a bit tedious after a while. But then again, that time period had so many restrictions on propriety. I like that Bianca's books have happy endings, however, this series, unlike her Matchmaking for Wallflowers series, I felt that the endings were a tad too haphazard. I felt like there were some loose ends that I would have like to have seen wrapped up in an epilogue or extended epilogue. In this book, for instance, what happened to the Duke of Sherwood? Also, because Juliet took her cousin, Genevieve along on her misadventures, I was pretty sure that at least in her case, we would see more of what happens with her in a future book. And same with Lucas's best friend, Sebastian, the Duke of Sandridge (which is kind of cute since he loves the beach LOL). All in all, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to lovers of Regency Romances.
July 14, 2020
Lady Juliet Shelley had plans to marry the Duke of Sherwood. Unfortunately, the Duke is absent from the ball and doesn’t look like he is going to show up. Juliet is worried and decides that she must find him. Lucas, the Duke of Ainsworth, and his friend Sebastian hear about someone passing counterfeit coin. Lucas must figure out who is doing this and holds up Juliet’s carriage. Lucas thinks Juliet is up to something and decides to follow her no matter that she is a lady or the fact that she is betrothed. Juliet knows there is something strange about the highwayman that held up her carriage and even likes him despite her reservations not to enjoy his company. As Lucas gets to know Juliet he can’t help but fall for her despite her betrothed to someone else and someone he doesn’t like. Juliet also likes Lucas but when her betrothed comes back will she still feel the same for him as she always did?
What a humorous well told historical regency rand some romance! Some descriptions do seem a little vague that visually it is hard to imagine some of the places and characters. The story seems a bit disjointed in the beginning and seems to go many different directions but eventually evens out. Ms. Blythe does know how to tell a story filled with intriguing plot twists and engaging characters. Juliet seems sure of herself and well put together on the outside; even though her supposed relationship with her betrothed is not really explained or why he wants to marry her in the first place. Juliet did come off as a bit snobby but maybe it’s really her insecurity of being betrothed to someone that she really doesn’t know. Lucas the quiet introspective intelligent hero is truly a great guy even though he has quite a shady history. Juliet and Lucas’s relationship is built on such shaky ground but is much better than Juliet and her previous betrothed. Still the story is a good one very enjoyable and well worth the read!
What a humorous well told historical regency rand some romance! Some descriptions do seem a little vague that visually it is hard to imagine some of the places and characters. The story seems a bit disjointed in the beginning and seems to go many different directions but eventually evens out. Ms. Blythe does know how to tell a story filled with intriguing plot twists and engaging characters. Juliet seems sure of herself and well put together on the outside; even though her supposed relationship with her betrothed is not really explained or why he wants to marry her in the first place. Juliet did come off as a bit snobby but maybe it’s really her insecurity of being betrothed to someone that she really doesn’t know. Lucas the quiet introspective intelligent hero is truly a great guy even though he has quite a shady history. Juliet and Lucas’s relationship is built on such shaky ground but is much better than Juliet and her previous betrothed. Still the story is a good one very enjoyable and well worth the read!
June 20, 2020
My Favorite Duke has the bones of a great road-trip adventure romance novel. The first part was brilliantly funny. The banter during the highwaymen scenes was witty and charming, and I wish this kind of repertoire carried throughout the story. The middle of the book dragged, and the ending wrapped everything up neatly, though a little too quickly for my taste.
Lady Juliet is young and wide-eyed, borderline silly. She hasn't seen her fiancé in over a year and is worried about rumors she's hearing. She sets off with her cousin to go to her fiancé's estate to check in on him.
Lucas is a duke by day and crime fighter by night. Well, more like a spy. He and his friend Sebastian are tasked with finding out who is counterfeiting money. Could it be Lady Juliet, could it be her fiancé (the other duke)? Mayhem ensues, with a little bit of romance along the way. Loved Lucas at the beginning! He was charming and very alpha. Surprisingly, over the course of the novel, his character got weaker (to the point I was worried he wouldn't even end up helping Juliet at the end).
The romance was not swoon worthy, but it was cute. I wish there was more of an inferno between Lucas and Juliet, instead we just get a little spark.
There were a few scenes that seemed to be cut really short and seemed a wasted opportunity (like when Lucas and Juliet have to spend the night outside the coach. I thought for sure there would be a big bonding or sexy scene there, but nothing).
I don't want to give spoilers, but the ending was dramatic, but over a little too quick. A lot of family secrets were revealed.
Trigger warning: abortion.
Thanks NetGalley for a ARC. The thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.
Lady Juliet is young and wide-eyed, borderline silly. She hasn't seen her fiancé in over a year and is worried about rumors she's hearing. She sets off with her cousin to go to her fiancé's estate to check in on him.
Lucas is a duke by day and crime fighter by night. Well, more like a spy. He and his friend Sebastian are tasked with finding out who is counterfeiting money. Could it be Lady Juliet, could it be her fiancé (the other duke)? Mayhem ensues, with a little bit of romance along the way. Loved Lucas at the beginning! He was charming and very alpha. Surprisingly, over the course of the novel, his character got weaker (to the point I was worried he wouldn't even end up helping Juliet at the end).
The romance was not swoon worthy, but it was cute. I wish there was more of an inferno between Lucas and Juliet, instead we just get a little spark.
There were a few scenes that seemed to be cut really short and seemed a wasted opportunity (like when Lucas and Juliet have to spend the night outside the coach. I thought for sure there would be a big bonding or sexy scene there, but nothing).
I don't want to give spoilers, but the ending was dramatic, but over a little too quick. A lot of family secrets were revealed.
Trigger warning: abortion.
Thanks NetGalley for a ARC. The thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.
January 4, 2021
Juliet is engaged to Horatius, Duke of Sherwood, and is counting down to their wedding. He doesn't attend a ball and Mr Bradley attempts to woo her to dance. When that fails he insinuates that Horatius is unfaithful to Juliet. The thought gnaws at her. With her cousin Genevieve, they go in a carriage in search of him. They are soon face to face with a masked man, Juliet holding a pistol to his face. Lucas thought these women didn't look like criminals, they looked barely 20, their clothes looked refined, but the woman holding pistol at him looked familiar. Lucas is investigating counterfeit money in the area, tasked by cabinet. The women didn't resemble vile criminals! Lucas recognises her; and when his fellow mask highwayman, Sebastian, appears they don't rob them - eleven though they should! When a shot rings out Sebastian is shot by Genevieve. Rather than driving off Juliet offers help. The driver of the carriage races off and Juliet and Genevieve are alone with the highwayman. When they try to leave there are no options Juliet grabs a pistol and organises to take a horse. When rescue arrives! Lucas decides to investigate Juliet further convincing her father to let him stay - studying bluebells!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this engaging entertaining and compellingly story. I lived how brave, clever, Juliet is! Lucas is charming, secretive and an investigator. The story is well written, with interesting characters and relationships; story is fast paced; with lots of action, highwaymen, mistaken identity, investigations, trickery and blackmail. Story is told from dual POVs and reveals the thoughts feelings and emotions as they explore their relationship and navigate through the many obstacles that arise! There's an epilogue and a HEA
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this engaging entertaining and compellingly story. I lived how brave, clever, Juliet is! Lucas is charming, secretive and an investigator. The story is well written, with interesting characters and relationships; story is fast paced; with lots of action, highwaymen, mistaken identity, investigations, trickery and blackmail. Story is told from dual POVs and reveals the thoughts feelings and emotions as they explore their relationship and navigate through the many obstacles that arise! There's an epilogue and a HEA
July 26, 2020
This was an interesting read! The storyline for this book took you through a lot of twists and turns. It was pretty refreshing given that a lot of romance books don't have much in the way of actual plot outside of putting the two main characters together. Not that I'm complaining, but this book at a little more to sink your teeth into!
Juliet is engaged to marry an absent duke. He rarely goes to any parties, so much so that our heroine gets the idea in her head to go searching for him! She's a little immature but knows her mind, making her more redeemable in my mind.
In comes Lucas, another duke! Pretending to be a befuddled botanist, he's drawn to Juliet. Partially because he thinks she's part of a sinister plot involving counterfeit coins... Did I mention that Lucas is actually an agent of the crown? Through a lot of calamities and crazy happenstance, these two are drawn to each other, causing Juliet to really think through who her Favorite Duke really is.
Much like other readers of this book, I felt like there was something missing. The author, whom I haven't read before, takes her time describing the physical world around our characters. Which can be fun when you need to fully flesh out the setting. The problem however, is that while focusing on that, she misses a lot of the thought process of the characters. They do certain actions and there's no information as to how that makes either characters feel. That's quite often my favorite part! I'd be willing to read this author again to see if this one was a fluke. Her plot lines are so fun and inventive!
My opinions are my own, and freely given.
Juliet is engaged to marry an absent duke. He rarely goes to any parties, so much so that our heroine gets the idea in her head to go searching for him! She's a little immature but knows her mind, making her more redeemable in my mind.
In comes Lucas, another duke! Pretending to be a befuddled botanist, he's drawn to Juliet. Partially because he thinks she's part of a sinister plot involving counterfeit coins... Did I mention that Lucas is actually an agent of the crown? Through a lot of calamities and crazy happenstance, these two are drawn to each other, causing Juliet to really think through who her Favorite Duke really is.
Much like other readers of this book, I felt like there was something missing. The author, whom I haven't read before, takes her time describing the physical world around our characters. Which can be fun when you need to fully flesh out the setting. The problem however, is that while focusing on that, she misses a lot of the thought process of the characters. They do certain actions and there's no information as to how that makes either characters feel. That's quite often my favorite part! I'd be willing to read this author again to see if this one was a fluke. Her plot lines are so fun and inventive!
My opinions are my own, and freely given.
May 31, 2020
ONE SPECTACULAR JOURNEY!!!
Dashing dandy! Bianca thrills with this skillfully composed treat, ratcheting up the exuberance and intensity, laying out one pulse racing storyline and gripping plot, wrapping this baby up sleek shiny and tight. Spinning this beauty so intricately precise, weaving a cocoon around us, drawing us deeper into her web until everything else ceases to exist. Cognizant of the instant realization and charged atmosphere, along with a bevy of heart pounding twists and wicked turns, revving up the heat and magic, pulling them closer than they could have ever imagined. Pushing boundaries and crossing lines, exposing the strengths and weaknesses being weighed and balanced, booting this gem into the eye of the storm, breaking it down, slamming it into overdrive, catapulting it into a frenzy with an eye-opening culmination. Shenanigans, escapades and mayhem rule the roost displaying the drama, turmoil, intrigue, deception, sizzling suspense and intense situations, along with a double dose of sass, you have one thrilling adventure. The attraction and chemistry builds as each layer is peeled back exposing an undeniable connection, binding them to one another perfectly. The characters are authentic and realistic with depth and qualities that transform into outstanding personalities. The scenes are strikingly sharp with abundant details and descriptions creating a colorful backdrop that makes the storyline pop. Fantastic job Bianca, thanks for sharing this bad boy with us.
Dashing dandy! Bianca thrills with this skillfully composed treat, ratcheting up the exuberance and intensity, laying out one pulse racing storyline and gripping plot, wrapping this baby up sleek shiny and tight. Spinning this beauty so intricately precise, weaving a cocoon around us, drawing us deeper into her web until everything else ceases to exist. Cognizant of the instant realization and charged atmosphere, along with a bevy of heart pounding twists and wicked turns, revving up the heat and magic, pulling them closer than they could have ever imagined. Pushing boundaries and crossing lines, exposing the strengths and weaknesses being weighed and balanced, booting this gem into the eye of the storm, breaking it down, slamming it into overdrive, catapulting it into a frenzy with an eye-opening culmination. Shenanigans, escapades and mayhem rule the roost displaying the drama, turmoil, intrigue, deception, sizzling suspense and intense situations, along with a double dose of sass, you have one thrilling adventure. The attraction and chemistry builds as each layer is peeled back exposing an undeniable connection, binding them to one another perfectly. The characters are authentic and realistic with depth and qualities that transform into outstanding personalities. The scenes are strikingly sharp with abundant details and descriptions creating a colorful backdrop that makes the storyline pop. Fantastic job Bianca, thanks for sharing this bad boy with us.
June 29, 2020
Bianca Blythe's My Favorite Duke is the second book in her Duke Hunter's Club series. The book focuses on Lady Juliet and the Duke of Ainsworth, Lucas. Juliet is betrothed to the Duke of Sherwood and couldn't be happier, except that he never attends events and she hasn't seen him in almost a year. Lucas poses as a bumbling botanist to hide his true vocation as an agent of the crown as well as a duke. When Juliet decides to sneak to the Duke of Sherwood's castle to investigate some untoward rumors she's heard, she is waylaid by Lucas, and she has to rethink who is, in fact, her favorite duke.
I really wanted to like this book, unfortunately it just didn't really work for me. The author had some really good ideas and all the bones of a great story were there, it just seemed like a lot of scenes were rushed, or not enough description was given to really become invested in the action. I couldn't really sympathize with either of the main characters, it seemed like the actions they took weren't considered (or the reader wasn't informed of their considerations). At one point Lucas tells Juliet that he loves her, and she says "we can be friends" brightly. Then he left. What did he feel about that, what did she feel about that? It's never explained, and was honestly a little frustrating. Again, the plot was solid with a lot of twists and turns, I just felt the characters needed to be fleshed out more so that we would be invested in the action.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy of this novel in exchange for my review.
I really wanted to like this book, unfortunately it just didn't really work for me. The author had some really good ideas and all the bones of a great story were there, it just seemed like a lot of scenes were rushed, or not enough description was given to really become invested in the action. I couldn't really sympathize with either of the main characters, it seemed like the actions they took weren't considered (or the reader wasn't informed of their considerations). At one point Lucas tells Juliet that he loves her, and she says "we can be friends" brightly. Then he left. What did he feel about that, what did she feel about that? It's never explained, and was honestly a little frustrating. Again, the plot was solid with a lot of twists and turns, I just felt the characters needed to be fleshed out more so that we would be invested in the action.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy of this novel in exchange for my review.
June 8, 2022
This story is part of a three book box set. The box set is not good reads so I will post my reviews for all three books separately under each title.
This story is about Margret's friend Lady Juliet, who we met in the first story. Juliet is happy are she use to be. She set out to be engaged to a Duke and she is. The Duke of Sherwood. Only problem is she never sees him. The parties and balls he said he will attend; he never shows up. Now rumors have started that he is cheating on her with other women. Juliet decides to go find him taking her cousin, Genevieve along. Nothing goes as planned and they are held up by highway man with Genevieve shooting one of them. Oh, my, Juliet tries again and ends up running into Lucas, the Duke of Ainsworth a friend of her friend, Maraert's husband. Lucas is dull, very handsome and wealthy but boring. He studies flowers. Are does he ?? This is not only a romance but a comedy too. As our pair set off to find her missing Duke, she learns a lot more about her traveling companion. Neither one of our couples is what they seem. This story will have you laughing out loud a lot. There are twist and turns and some surprises too. Others have had some harsh words for this book. If you read it just for the fun, and not expecting everything to be historically correct it's a blast. I loved the interaction and witty romance building between them. The ending is perfect too.
I received and Arc from the author and wish to thank her. This is my honest opinion and am freely giving it.
This story is about Margret's friend Lady Juliet, who we met in the first story. Juliet is happy are she use to be. She set out to be engaged to a Duke and she is. The Duke of Sherwood. Only problem is she never sees him. The parties and balls he said he will attend; he never shows up. Now rumors have started that he is cheating on her with other women. Juliet decides to go find him taking her cousin, Genevieve along. Nothing goes as planned and they are held up by highway man with Genevieve shooting one of them. Oh, my, Juliet tries again and ends up running into Lucas, the Duke of Ainsworth a friend of her friend, Maraert's husband. Lucas is dull, very handsome and wealthy but boring. He studies flowers. Are does he ?? This is not only a romance but a comedy too. As our pair set off to find her missing Duke, she learns a lot more about her traveling companion. Neither one of our couples is what they seem. This story will have you laughing out loud a lot. There are twist and turns and some surprises too. Others have had some harsh words for this book. If you read it just for the fun, and not expecting everything to be historically correct it's a blast. I loved the interaction and witty romance building between them. The ending is perfect too.
I received and Arc from the author and wish to thank her. This is my honest opinion and am freely giving it.
June 29, 2020
This book had a lot of potential, but it fell flat in the details.
The book opens up with Lady Juliet at a ball worried since her fiancé hasn’t put in an appearance. She decides to go to his home and check on him, worried that something ill has befallen him. On the way, she meets Lucas who’s pretending to be a highway robber in order to snuff out an illegal counterfeiting scheme. And thus our stage is set…
I like a lot of the ideas that the author had – I just wish that she’d chosen to follow through with them more. Instead, we got a very cursory touch on some of the deeper issues. For example, Lady Juliet’s relationship with her stepmother and father. Things are mentioned briefly about their tenuous relationship…I would have preferred to have some scenes so I could feel the tension in order to better understand their feelings. It also would have made the ending all the more satisfying. This accurately portrays my feelings throughout most of the book. The author has this brilliant idea to create interesting characters but doesn’t give us more. That leaves us sometimes confused, sometimes bored. If the story had been filled out more, this book could have been a four- or five-star book.
The author makes use of the unreliable narrator as she switches perspectives. (Ex. Juliet’s family calls her hair red while Lucas says it’s auburn.) This is fine and can create interest; however, since there are continuity problems within one narrator, this only adds confusion. There are multiple times throughout the book where things changed within one narrator’s perspective. When you mix this with the unreliable narrator, things got a bit confusing.
Overall, this book had a lot of potential. There were characters with interesting pasts…and that were connected in surprising ways. However, a lack of delving into these somewhat mentioned qualities, left the story somewhat flat and the resolution not as fulfilling.
I received a copy of this book through NetGallery in exchange for my honest review.
The book opens up with Lady Juliet at a ball worried since her fiancé hasn’t put in an appearance. She decides to go to his home and check on him, worried that something ill has befallen him. On the way, she meets Lucas who’s pretending to be a highway robber in order to snuff out an illegal counterfeiting scheme. And thus our stage is set…
I like a lot of the ideas that the author had – I just wish that she’d chosen to follow through with them more. Instead, we got a very cursory touch on some of the deeper issues. For example, Lady Juliet’s relationship with her stepmother and father. Things are mentioned briefly about their tenuous relationship…I would have preferred to have some scenes so I could feel the tension in order to better understand their feelings. It also would have made the ending all the more satisfying. This accurately portrays my feelings throughout most of the book. The author has this brilliant idea to create interesting characters but doesn’t give us more. That leaves us sometimes confused, sometimes bored. If the story had been filled out more, this book could have been a four- or five-star book.
The author makes use of the unreliable narrator as she switches perspectives. (Ex. Juliet’s family calls her hair red while Lucas says it’s auburn.) This is fine and can create interest; however, since there are continuity problems within one narrator, this only adds confusion. There are multiple times throughout the book where things changed within one narrator’s perspective. When you mix this with the unreliable narrator, things got a bit confusing.
Overall, this book had a lot of potential. There were characters with interesting pasts…and that were connected in surprising ways. However, a lack of delving into these somewhat mentioned qualities, left the story somewhat flat and the resolution not as fulfilling.
I received a copy of this book through NetGallery in exchange for my honest review.
May 17, 2023
Oof, I'm sorry, but this isn't very good. The hero and heroine's love story makes very little sense, and every character seems flatter than the last. And there's a lot that feels very amateurish about the story, like the female protagonist's father making awful comments about her deceased mother in front of her, even when there's no contextual reason for him to do so. Bizarre!
But more than anything, this book does not seem to have been very well edited. I'm not talking about typos (although there were a few), but things like paragraph breaks when the same person is still speaking, or one character's response to another having nothing to do with what they were talking about. Some of the action is very rushed, while other scenes are drawn out with no plot progression or character development.
When it comes down to it, I read to enjoy myself, and I don't need (or want) everything to be the pinnacle of literature. I'm more than happy to read trope-heavy stuff, or silly stuff, or even stuff that seems overly contrived. But in this case, because the book was so poorly edited, I just ... could hardly get through it. I think this is a case of an author just not being for me (which is fine), regardless of the editing, but the editing took it from what would have maybe been a 2.5/3 star down to a 1.
But more than anything, this book does not seem to have been very well edited. I'm not talking about typos (although there were a few), but things like paragraph breaks when the same person is still speaking, or one character's response to another having nothing to do with what they were talking about. Some of the action is very rushed, while other scenes are drawn out with no plot progression or character development.
When it comes down to it, I read to enjoy myself, and I don't need (or want) everything to be the pinnacle of literature. I'm more than happy to read trope-heavy stuff, or silly stuff, or even stuff that seems overly contrived. But in this case, because the book was so poorly edited, I just ... could hardly get through it. I think this is a case of an author just not being for me (which is fine), regardless of the editing, but the editing took it from what would have maybe been a 2.5/3 star down to a 1.
June 3, 2020
Lady Juliet Shelley is happy to be engaged to an attractive man, the Duke of Sherwood. The only problem is that he postpones their wedding constantly and she hardly ever sees him. So when he doesn’t show up as expected yet again, she decides to track him down and find out what is going on with him.
Lucas, the Duke of Ainsworth, is also a handsome man who presents himself as a very dull character while, in reality, he tracks down dangerous criminals for the Crown. So when his target, the Duke of Sherwood, suspected of being behind a counterfeit money scheme, seems to be making his move, Lucas and his partner, Sebastian, clothe themselves as highwaymen and pull over the suspected coach. But to their surprise, they find Lady Juliet and her cousin, Genevieve, who are trying to find their target as well! Despite himself, he is attracted to the lady. Will there be a future somewhere along the way for the two of them as they keep running into each other? Will Juliet realize that what she wants now is real and not the lie she had wasted her time on?
This was a very good story and I chuckled through and thoroughly enjoyed. Grab your copy and see how everything comes together in the end.
Lucas, the Duke of Ainsworth, is also a handsome man who presents himself as a very dull character while, in reality, he tracks down dangerous criminals for the Crown. So when his target, the Duke of Sherwood, suspected of being behind a counterfeit money scheme, seems to be making his move, Lucas and his partner, Sebastian, clothe themselves as highwaymen and pull over the suspected coach. But to their surprise, they find Lady Juliet and her cousin, Genevieve, who are trying to find their target as well! Despite himself, he is attracted to the lady. Will there be a future somewhere along the way for the two of them as they keep running into each other? Will Juliet realize that what she wants now is real and not the lie she had wasted her time on?
This was a very good story and I chuckled through and thoroughly enjoyed. Grab your copy and see how everything comes together in the end.
June 3, 2020
Unique Style Becomes Wearing
At first, I was utterly delighted at the way that the author wrote this story. It almost seems as if it is written to be a spoof of Regency or historical romance, though I know it isn’t. It feels very tongue-in-cheek. The heroine is very naïve and an unreliable narrator (though charmingly so), which becomes clear very soon. I like stories with an unreliable narrator if it's well done, as it is here. The sections told from the hero's point of view are not as naïve, but they are a bit blithe. Funny incidents happen and are described in a similar tongue-in-cheek blithe or naïve fashion depending on who the narrator is at the time. A little while into the hero’s section, though, I found the style a bit wearing, almost like I had to read very closely to catch all the in-jokes. So while I found this book to be enjoyable, it was best in small doses. I am a person who prefers to just sit and binge-read a book or two when I have the time, so I found that mildly annoying. Still, though, this unique style was an interesting one to read.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
At first, I was utterly delighted at the way that the author wrote this story. It almost seems as if it is written to be a spoof of Regency or historical romance, though I know it isn’t. It feels very tongue-in-cheek. The heroine is very naïve and an unreliable narrator (though charmingly so), which becomes clear very soon. I like stories with an unreliable narrator if it's well done, as it is here. The sections told from the hero's point of view are not as naïve, but they are a bit blithe. Funny incidents happen and are described in a similar tongue-in-cheek blithe or naïve fashion depending on who the narrator is at the time. A little while into the hero’s section, though, I found the style a bit wearing, almost like I had to read very closely to catch all the in-jokes. So while I found this book to be enjoyable, it was best in small doses. I am a person who prefers to just sit and binge-read a book or two when I have the time, so I found that mildly annoying. Still, though, this unique style was an interesting one to read.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
October 19, 2020
I look forward to reading a Bianca Blythe book because I know she will make me smile or even make me laugh out loud. Her sense of humor is evident in each of her books. My Favorite Duke has its share of amusing dialog and circumstances, but it also has crimal activity, potential scandal, and romance. Lady Juliet is head over heels excited and happy to be marrying the man of her dreams, the Duke of Sherwood. After all doesn't every young lady wish to marry a handsome duke. Enter the not so perfectly put together, Lucas, the Duke of Ainsworth. Back from fighting in France, he has been enlisted by the government to find who is running a counterfeit ring in the Lake district. Aided by his friend, Sebastian, the Duke of Sandridge, they are hot on the trail of a lead that could result in finding the perpetrator. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately they find Juliet and her friend, Genevieve. Things take off from there. I don't dare say more since I do not want to give away the story.. Take my word, this tale is good reading. My only disappointment was not finding out what happened to the counterfeiters. Maybe, in the next book featuring Sebastian and Genevieve. That should be a hoot! I received this eBook from NetGalley for an honest review.
June 2, 2020
Another light-hearted and amusing Regency romance by Ms. Blythe. This is the second book in the Duke Hunters Club series and I enjoyed it as much as the first book. Juliet is engaged to the Duke of Sherwood but rarely gets a chance to see him. When he doesn't show up at a ball that he is intended, she goes out in search of the truth. Lucas, Duke of Ainsworth, appears to everyone as a dull, boring person and gives the impression of being only interested in plants and science. But in truth, his nights are filled with finding and bringing down criminals. When he & his friend Sebastian go undercover as highwaymen, they meet Juliet and her cousin and the fun begins! Although there were a few sad elements, this was overall a fun and entertaining read. I enjoyed the interactions between Juliet and Lucas, they were such a wonderful couple and had great chemistry. I am really enjoying this series and I can't wait to read the next book. I also loved Sebastian and Genevieve & look forward to reading their story soon!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 24, 2020
This was a charming and entertaining book, and I really loved both Juliet and Lucas. The highwayman scene was simply hilarious as were most of the situations that brought them together early on. However, it felt like the book jumped around a bit too much without resolutions, especially towards the end. For instance, when they rushed down to the lake to find Sebastian, they ended up stealing Sherwood's boat and immediately proceeded to forget about Sebastian altogether. And why did Sherwood want to marry her so desperately if he didn't need any money nor seem to like her? Also it was a little confusing if the cottage was only just rented by the government for Lucas, then how had he met Sherwood's sister before the war? He had already said the cottage was his home, so it felt a little conflicting.There were a lot of other unanswered questions too, but despite this (and a fair number of typos) I really enjoyed this story and look forward to reading about Sebastian's turn next.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
June 8, 2020
Lucas, the Duke of Ainsworth, wants everyone to believe he's a bumbling botanist when in fact he's actually do work for the Home Office. While on a mission that goes wrong he meets Lady Juliet and is intrigued by her, but she's engaged to the Duke of Sherwood. Lucas continues to investigate a counterfeiting ring and he doesn't like where it leads. Can Lucas convince Juliet that he is the better man?
Ms. Blythe introduced Juliet in the first book with a few small scenes and I was wondering why to include a non-essential character. Now we have Juliet's story. I didn't like this book as much as the first one especially with some of Juliet's antics of going off on wild goose chases regarding her absentee duke. It was out of character for a regency young lady. I liked Lucas much more and especially his back story and connection to Sherwood. I'm looking forward to reading the next story in the series.
I've voluntarily read the advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.
Ms. Blythe introduced Juliet in the first book with a few small scenes and I was wondering why to include a non-essential character. Now we have Juliet's story. I didn't like this book as much as the first one especially with some of Juliet's antics of going off on wild goose chases regarding her absentee duke. It was out of character for a regency young lady. I liked Lucas much more and especially his back story and connection to Sherwood. I'm looking forward to reading the next story in the series.
I've voluntarily read the advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.
September 1, 2020
At the start of this book we meet our heroine Juliet. She is reflecting on her disappointment that her fiance the Duke of Sherwood is not at a ball. We get a little back story on them... They don't know each other well, but are engaged. She is pretty, rich, very silly and immature.
Lucas, Duke of Ainsworth, is an ex-soldier currently investigating some counterfeit money in the area. He and Lady Juliet are thrown together under absurd circumstances and fall for each other. I don't really know why or how this happens. They seem to run into a bunch of calamities, where she is is being utterly stupid and he goes along with it.
The storyline had a verrrrry slow start and quick resolution. I feel like a good editor could have improved this book greatly. It didn't really work for me, but there was nothing about this book which was concerning... She has some tiny growth in standing up for herself, he moves on from his grief. HEA. Woo!
#NetGalley
#MyFavoriteDuke
Lucas, Duke of Ainsworth, is an ex-soldier currently investigating some counterfeit money in the area. He and Lady Juliet are thrown together under absurd circumstances and fall for each other. I don't really know why or how this happens. They seem to run into a bunch of calamities, where she is is being utterly stupid and he goes along with it.
The storyline had a verrrrry slow start and quick resolution. I feel like a good editor could have improved this book greatly. It didn't really work for me, but there was nothing about this book which was concerning... She has some tiny growth in standing up for herself, he moves on from his grief. HEA. Woo!
#NetGalley
#MyFavoriteDuke
May 31, 2020
I received a copy from the author; this is my honest review.
-Funny with many LOL moments. Sad at times too. Predictable to a certain degree, sprinkled with cheesy scenes or thinking "Their love was so evident, so apparent, so true." - they hadn't seen each other in over a year... All in all it was a good read.
-I couldn't stand the stepmother, like she was better than anyone, belittling cruelly Juliet's mother on any occasion. Juliet's father wasn't much better. I was a bit shocked by their attitude.
-I thought Lucas was a bit too fast on the small boat event. But I cannot deny the chemistry between him and Juliet. Even if she gave permission, she still didn't know what she was asking for. Lucas knew.
-I thought Sebastian and Genevieve were hilarious together, especially with Sebastian being prone to exaggerate.
-I will repeat here what I said for the previous book: I received an ARC and I'm hoping the editors will see that "squeak" in all forms is present in almost every pages and it needs to be toned down (a lot). The word "laud" had the same problem in another series.
-Funny with many LOL moments. Sad at times too. Predictable to a certain degree, sprinkled with cheesy scenes or thinking "Their love was so evident, so apparent, so true." - they hadn't seen each other in over a year... All in all it was a good read.
-I couldn't stand the stepmother, like she was better than anyone, belittling cruelly Juliet's mother on any occasion. Juliet's father wasn't much better. I was a bit shocked by their attitude.
-I thought Lucas was a bit too fast on the small boat event. But I cannot deny the chemistry between him and Juliet. Even if she gave permission, she still didn't know what she was asking for. Lucas knew.
-I thought Sebastian and Genevieve were hilarious together, especially with Sebastian being prone to exaggerate.
-I will repeat here what I said for the previous book: I received an ARC and I'm hoping the editors will see that "squeak" in all forms is present in almost every pages and it needs to be toned down (a lot). The word "laud" had the same problem in another series.
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