A Duke Won't Do

Dueling for Dukes #1

by Jessie Clever

Lady Gwendolyn Bounds survived smallpox at the age of eight to go on to do…nothing. Outcast by society because of the scars that mark her face, Gwen has convinced herself that a future as a spinster spent aiding her mother in her doddering years will be enough even as her heart knows it is not. Somewhere there is a second chance out there. She just never thought it would be with a sheep farmer from Yorkshire. Logan Bender, the Earl of Gracey, doesn’t want a wife, but when his plans for the generational building of his sheep flock requires an heir, he has no choice but to find one. Haunted by the cruelty of his first wife and desperate to repair the damage she did to the title, Logan is determined to find a plain, biddable second wife who will represent the title with respect and cause him no trouble. So when he finds an earl desperate to marry off his unattractive, spinster daughter, Logan thinks he’s found the answer to all his problems. Except his problems have only just begun when he finds himself falling in love with a wife who is anything but biddable.

A Duke Won’t Do is the first book in the steamy, heart-stopping historical romance series, Dueling for Dukes. If you love sexy, spellbinding romance and heartwarming humor, don’t miss this captivating series from bestselling author Jessie Clever. Discover adventure and romance when you download A Duke Won’t Do today.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Marriage Of Convenience, Audiobook, Regency, Historical Fiction

258 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 8, 2023

About the author

Jessie decided to be a writer because there were too many lives she wanted to live to just pick one.

Taking her history degree dangerously, Jessie tells the stories of courageous heroines, the men who dared to love them, and the world that tried to defeat them.

Jessie lives in New Hampshire where if she’s not at her desk writing, she’s probably letting the dog out. Again.

Join Jessie's Readers Club for sneak peeks and the latest news: https://jessieclever.com/newsletter/

Reviews

[Gloria · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars

***spoilers***

The hero of this book was awful, and the motivation for his awfulness was held back for a big dramatic reveal at the end: his first wife bad-mouthed him and cheated on him, then died in his arms after a horse trampled her. Wow. Shocking. Gasp. It was an arranged marriage that he just went along with, he never loved her, yet he got to act like a 4-year-old having a tantrum in perpetuity because of that? I’m not buying it.

In fact, the biggest problem I had with this book was that every molehill was built into this big, dramatic mountain that still looked like a molehill when all was said and done. Melodrama, anyone?

[BJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the scarred heroine, hidden by her family. When her father arranges her marriage, she's shocked but also intrigued. H is awful to her but she had no expectations. She falls in love with his baby daughter. I really liked how gentle h was with the damaged H - she saw his hidden scars, he was intrigued with hers.

[Lady Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

FMC who just wanted to be loved
A broken hearted MMC just waiting for the right girl
A super cute baby
A hot scene involving a mirror and an H who uses a punching bag!
Cute book, but I thought his outburst at the end was unnecessary, hence the 3 stars. Easy and quick reading.
I recommend it if you want a moment sprinkled with sugar!

[Viv “BookVixen” Gutierrez · Rating 1 out of 5]

the ending…THE WORST!!!!

I dont know how this could ever be considered romantic! Was this author tweaking out on meth when she wrote this?!

It was going sooooo well, too, only to take a nosedive into shit for the last part.

The hero had been married previously, with a wife who betrayed him and he’s now paranoid and seriously suspicious of his new wife. Sure enough, something happens and he snaps, pushes the heroine away, says HORRIBLE vicious things to her and she runs. Later the hero goes after her, asks for forgiveness and tells her HE WILL HURT her in the future, that the specter of his dead wife will never be lifted and the heroine will have to live under the shadow of his suspicion for the rest of their lives!

And the heroine accepts it! Takes the promise of future abuse as if its totally ok! Its just accepted that shes never going to be 100% safe and secure and loved in the marriage, that at any moment he will snap and treat her as if shes his first wife, and that laying these wounds on her heart is somehow romantic!

Truly fucking disgusting. I cant believe I wasted an entire afternoon on this pig shit slop! I hated this so much because the heroine deserved so much more, she’d been mistreated and cast out by others for her scars and to end up with such a weak and emotionally unstable man who could never truly love her was grotesque.

NOT SAFE. hero is abusive towards heroine and never shows her ACTUAL love, which is to protect her and cherish her. Instead his relationship with his dead wife will always remain in the marriage and dictate his treatment of the heroine. Hero was celibate. Not a manwhore. Virgin heroine. No om drama, lots of OW thru dead wife. No cheating or sharing. Emotional and mental abuse by hero towards heroine. No HEA, no epilogue, no babies.

[Anne in VA · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gave me emotional whiplash. Logan would go from asshole to sweet out of nowhere. Gwen's family dynamics are super confusing, too. Either she's an outcast or beloved, I couldn't really tell. We're also teased with this mysterious story about Logan's past for the entire book, until the very end, and it's so anticlimactic I was rolling my eyes. And it was frustrating because many of the questions I previously had while reading this were not cleared up after the "big" reveal. It's a shame because it started off strong, but too bad it fizzled out. Suffice it to say, I don't think this author is for me.

[Missy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mediocre.

[Kai (CuriousCompass) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Let me make one thing perfectly clear," he growled right before his mouth came down on hers.

The perfect cozy, wholesome romance read for all the Bridgerton vibes. I was actually charmed by Logan and Gwen. How sensible and not annoying they are, like most romance protagonists. How quickly I became invested in their entire relationship.

"Welcome to Scarcroft Manor."

Gwen and Logan are both damaged goods: she's got smallpox scars and self-esteem issues, he's terrified of letting anybody back in after his first wife was extremely emotionally abusive...

She had spent a lifetime not being touched and now he had touched everything.

But he needs help raising his child and running his household, and Gwen is determined to make the best of the situation, because she's always wanted to be a mother, and can't help falling for his daughter Felicity instantly.

As Gwen takes control of the estate and takes stock of what needs doing, she's forced to push at all of his boundaries. He's a sexy, stern, emotionally withdrawn sheep farmer who just won't let her in no matter how hard he tries. But Gwen certainly gets to him....

Something happened to his heart then, something irreversible. He prided himself on his logic and efficiency, but right then, standing in what used to be the rose garden, he was quite certain his heart had stopped beating.

Honestly this book was short, sweet, and perfect. I loved Gwen and Logan, I loved their romance, their lives, the setting, the writing. It was light, easy, and fun. None of the typical romance novel frustrations, both of them were so believable yet reasonable, damaged yet mature. They weren't using the ways they'd been hurt before as excuses.

It got a few good laughs out of me, too:

"Oh I see what you mean, shortcake," Grandmother Bitsy cooed. "He does look like a man who ikes a good ram."
"Mother," Nancy scolded.
"Oh hush, Nancy," Grandmother Bitsy returned. "You should be proud of your daughter."

Absolutely recommend for anybody who likes historical romance and/or romance in general.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m on the fence about this one. It was very readable, read it in one sitting. There were also wonderful moments within the story. But several things hampered my enjoyment.

Firstly the story ends up feeling longer than it is because of the POV choices. I’m happy to have dual POV but when they constantly overlap so you end up rehashing scenes you’ve already seen it can bog the story down. I get that it is often nice to get the other characters viewpoint on a scene but this just wasn’t it for me.

I had issues with the couple too. The FMC fears rejection and being pushed away (banished). The MMC lashes out often when trigger and doesn’t want to let anyone in so pushes FMC away. This would be a fine conflict to have addressed midway and see them work on within the story but instead they have a heart to heart at the end basically saying this is going to happen again but we will just carry on. That’s not really the healthiest note to leave a relationship on. Doesn’t feel like the happiest of endings, don’t get me wrong I don’t expect everything to be perfect but a bit more of the characters working on these clashing problems that will effect their relationship in the future would have made me support the couple more.

Lastly I’m not a great fan of how the stuff with the dead ex wife is handled at the end. Getting the full story and hearing how distressed she was during and after pregnancy clearly indicated her mental state wasn’t great but there is no sympathy from any of the characters, she is just continued to be villainised. Don’t get me wrong she wasn’t a good person but her situation still warrants sympathy. It’s also never made clear how much of an attachment the MMC ever had to her, did he ever love or like her at the start?


Overall will read more of Authors work but this has definitely left me with mixed feelings.

[April Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gwen is sold off to a sheep farmer Earl by her father not really knowing anything about him. she is surprised at every turn and what she least expected was a Husband who stays away from her completely. a surprise child is thrown in the mix and she really has her work cut out for her.

wow. Gwen's empathetic nature and willingness to try to understand Gracey and why he is the way he is is commendable. he's truly a tortured soul and is absolutely terrible. she doesn't see beyond his facade, he gives him the compassion and space to show it to her. she gives him what he needs. not what he wants. there are some really beautiful moments in here about Scars and love and so many good things. This is a romance. This is a big romance. This is a frustrating romance where the characters are holding on to slivers of hope the entire time. Gwen atands resolute and powers on and i admire her so damn much. Highly enjoyed.

[ToriLovesHea’s · Rating 3 out of 5]

This did some things I really really liked and unfortunately, some things I read, really didn’t. It was a pretty middle of the line read. Didn’t love it and didn’t hate it.

What I did like was the setup and characterization which were really solid. A spinster marked with smallpox scars is given in an arranged marriage to a widowed Earl who’d rather farm sheep than mingle in society. Loved that he was grumpy and she stood up to him. Loved that he was trying to build a sheep empire to maintain prosperity for his future descendants. How unique!

But the MMC’s backstory with his first wife was….kinda of vague and was just ““mean dead wife hated me and made my life miserable until she died tragically” and that’s pretty much it? And it didn’t ever feel like the characters *really* had to struggle because things resolved really easily everytime an issue came up. And! I forgot about the MMC having a whole toddler that couldn’t walk or talk because he didn’t allow the nanny to take her outside??? It was really bizarre. Really, really didn’t love the third act breakup when he screams at her to leave for something for sure out of her control and the grovel was nonexistent. I never want an MMC to be like “i’ll do this exact same thing again and I need you to forgive me each time”. Or for an FMC to be okay with that minimum level of groveling after some REALLY hurtful words.

[Eugenea Pollock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two scarred souls find their HEA in the shelter of each other’s determination to build a future that will wash away pain from the past

[Lady E · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heroine: Gwendolyn Bounds, 26. Nickname: Gwen. Daughter of the Earl Stoke Bruerne. A smallpox survivor

Hero: Logan Bender, age unknown. Earl of Gracey. A widower with a young child.

Date: unknown

How they meet: Gwen’s father arranges a marriage for her with Logan. He needs an heir, but hopes to have a wife that he isn’t attracted to. Gwen’s father sees this as Gwen’s best chance to marry. She is horribly scarred from having smallpox. Gwen and Logan first meet when Gwen arrives at his home to marry him.

What happens: Gwen isn’t happy about the forced marriage. When she arrives at Logan’s, she is immediately whisked off to the vicar for the wedding ceremony. Logan isn’t very considerate of her feelings. When they arrive home after the ceremony, Gwen is surprised to learn he has a two-year-old child that she is expected to raise. She has always wanted to be a mother and quickly figures out the girl is behind on her developmental landmarks such as speaking and walking. Logan makes himself scarce. As a sheep farmer, being present at the barn for lambing is his excuse.

When Logan and Gwen finally talk, they argue. Gwen threatens to leave, but they eventually come to an understanding of how their marriage will go forward. Logan continues to steer clear of Gwen as he is starting to find himself inconveniently attracted to her on some level. Gwen puts her focus on the little girl. She starts to learn tidbits about Logan’s first wife from the servants and townspeople, and it seems that not only was it an unhappy marriage, but Logan is rumored to have played some role in her death.

After a spontaneous moment of closeness, Logan takes off and Gwen decides it is a good time to go to London to obtain some things for the household and let Logan decide what he wants. He seeks her out and they have a deep conversation about the tragedies in their lives and their relationship seems to be on track again. However, when an unexpected issue arises with his little girl, Logan has an irrational reaction and does what could be irreparable damage to his marriage. He is then forced to truly face the trauma of his past.

Trigger Warnings: neglect of a child and emotional abuse of a spouse

Verdict: The hero of this story was deeply hurt by the behavior of his first wife. This is a story of “hurt people hurt people,” but I feel like his treatment of the heroine was unnecessarily cruel. Further he was so detached from his family life, he didn’t even realize that his daughter wasn’t reaching appropriate developmental milestones. I just couldn’t find anything to like about him. The heroine was more of a sympathetic character who tried to make the best of things, but also wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself. The hero didn’t appreciate or deserve her. There is quite a bit of page time devoted to the child. The one bright spot of this story was the moments of humor. Aside from that, there really isn’t much to recommend it. This author has certainly written much better!

Steam level: steamy and explicit

Rating: 2 stars

[Marti · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a heart-tugging story…

Wow! This particular story is full of a roller coaster of emotions and well told by a masterful storyteller. I have always enjoyed reading Jessie Clever’s books, knowing after the first 2 or 3 books that I had found an author who obviously loves writing and uses her love of history to enhance her stories. In this book we have two leading characters who are absolutely made for each other in ways they cannot see or understand. Yet Lady Gwendolyn and Logan, the Earl of Gracey, find themselves married for the barest of reasons and the struggles begin before they even get home from the parsonage where they married. The supporting cast, though not extensive, is solid and used to move the story forward, adding insights and needed info. Baby Felicity is a darling so in need of a mother (and a father) and adds bits of humorous actions as the story unfolds, drawing both Logan and Gwendolyn slowly towards one another. Interestingly enough, the antagonist or ‘the villain’ is not present in person, rather it is the Earl’s deceased wife who cast a rather heavy shadow over the Earl, his reputation and the possibility of a future with Gwendolyn. Gwendolyn comes with her own baggage due to having survived smallpox as a child. Yet she has a determination and belief in the possible that keeps her struggling to persevere and build a new life with Logan and Felicity. This is a new series and I look forward to reading the next one, as I doubt it will disappoint.

[Bridget Love to read Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.4
Whew a lot to unpack here! Gwen was a victim of smallpox that left external and internal scars! She believed she would be a spinster and companion to her mother!
Her father announced she was marrying an Earl Aka sheep farmer on the wilds of Yorkshire. She was shipped off like an unwanted parcel to wed Logan Bender the Earl of Gracey.
I am still not sure what advice Gwen’s grandmother gave her but it must have been don’t back down!
Having almost no human touch due to her scars she was wed and not bedded but given a baby to take care of that no one informed her of!
There’s chemistry and secrets between these two! Logan has a lot to learn and his staff tries to instill wisdom in him on an almost daily basis!
He is a slow learner! Bravo for Gwen not letting him walk all over her!
Logan I wanted to slap several times! Throttle him even more! Do you grow to at least like him as he voiced his fears and failures? Hmm a little! Bravo for an engaging story and here’s hoping that Gwen’s sisters will get their own HEA!

[Rod · Rating 4 out of 5]

A steamy story. This tells the feelings and interactions between a smallpox scarred lady entering an arranged marriage as the second wife of a sheep farming earl. I liked it as the story goes through the various issues and feelings of both parties. At one point I thought it seemed to get a bit stuck and we were not progressing for that to disappear as Gwen leaves for London. There were a few Americanisms that grated, and why oh why do characters have to have such non Regency names? A lot of characters in this story have sensible names, so why is the Earl called Logan? Yes O know it is of Scottish origins but I don’t believe it was being used much as a given name in the early 1800’s, and typically the heir to Earldoms would often use family names. Then we have the dowager called Bitsy? I mean……! It could be a loving nickname, but I do not think English Regency aristocracy would be using it. However despite this I did like the story. Roll on September and book two.

[cyndi l. reaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating !

This book seemed to reflect everyday life more so than some books I have read. Life isn't perfect. I believe that is most of the time. This book reflected that, also I feel this has to be one of the most honest books that has hit upon how people react to things that happen in life whether bad or good. This author is one of favorite and understands feelings. To me that is important, whether they are good or bad I think people have the right to their feelings and no-one has the to tell someone they are wrong. That's what I got from this book, and that's how I believe. Great book!!

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start to a new series!

Jessie Clever has an uncanny knack of grabbing my attention and engaging my emotions within the first few pages of a book; A Duke Won’t Do is no exception. The book is a craftily written story with strong characters and I became thoroughly engrossed in the back stories for both Gwen and Logan. I loved the dialogue between the couple and appreciated that the author has not made either the hero or the heroine perfect, but a realistic mix of many characteristics. I am eagerly awaiting the second book in the series - it can’t come soon enough.

[Lydia Timpson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forgiveness

Two very broken people and only one of them really willing to put in the effort to change. As much as I admired Gwen for her steadiness and willingness to adapt, I really didn't think that Logan did his share at all.
His actions may have been precipitated by his previous trauma but he allowed it to take hold and dictate his actions.
There was chemistry between them but there wasn't really enough positive interactions before they became physical.
Extra points only for Miss Haversham, Hatrick and Felicity.

[Lisa Rector · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a lot of virtues, but it wasn’t perfect. The first half did not have a whole lot of interaction between the heroine and the hero. I would’ve rather seen more on page time between them, and more chemistry between them than the reasons to keep them apart. But the story picked up in the last half. Especially once the couple was together more. Still a cute read. Only two open door scenes. But the rest of the novel was really tame surprisingly.

[Mrs Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weak

I got through this book but I didn’t love it. The hero had issues which the heroine uncovered. Then at the first sign of adversity he treats her like nothing. It was ridiculous and of course the lovely wife said thanks for explaining that. Now I understand and will be much more supportive when you treat me like dirt again. The book was ok but honestly if I’d never read it I wouldn’t have missed it. Very average.

[R S · Rating 1 out of 5]

Anachronistic language/behavior that yanks you out of the story and back into the 21st century is one of my pet peeves and this one was chock full of it.

Also I was hoping for some more pushback from the fmc, maby making the mmc beg a little bit but no, she literally left him twice only to ask “how high” as soon as he said jump.

And like we get it trauma, abusive spouse, etc etc but like he just came across as like a troubled teenager toying with her and blaming it on his past.

[May · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. It has The Duke and The Wallflower vibes but it's unique and different and amazing.

I adore Gwen who is an incredibly strong woman. And I fell for Logan and all his imperfections.

The ending could have used a grovel but who cares because THAT MIRROR SCENE 🔥

Read this book. You won't be disappointed.

[Diane Horne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Duke Won't Do (Book 1) By Jessie Clever

Five stars, Gwen was damaged from small pox and so she carried a lot of inner demons.. Then her father arranged a marriage to an Earl. Logan was severely damaged from what his 1st wife done to him and he took a lot of it out on Gwen. But she had the patience and understanding to fight to keep her man. Good ending.

[Aj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable romance, great attraction and chemistry between Gwen and Logan. A marriage of inconvenience turns into a love to last a lifetime. Deep scars for both our hero and heroine, Gwen stands up to Logan and he's quickly smitten but not an easy journey, lots of emotions. A page turning steamy romance.

[Andrea H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Clever winner

Humour, passion, and a unique storyline. I enjoyed this book thoroughly. My only wish would be for better, more entertaining or well developed supporting characters. Most of the supporting characters were flat and had no back story.

[Cressida · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

The ending really brought this down for me. It was a case of MMC being an asshole because *TRAUMA*, MFC gets fed up with him, he says sorry and then the hea happens, no groveling involved. No. Just no.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read; I enjoyed the storyline although I think the development of the main characters' romance felt pretty rushed, and this story could really have benefitted from a novel-length treatment.

[Brenda Haase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lilykitty

I thoroughly enjoyed Gwen and Logan"s story. Both main characters are flawed and thru sacrifice and empathy, they make it thru. The first sexual encounter is sensual and hot. The second encounter is even hotter. The humor is wonderful and quick.

[CYNTHIA CHARLES · Rating 5 out of 5]

To think after surviving a horrific disease, scared, and a psychological fight, a woman is considered flawed. Bah, Humbug! Love this story of a couple overcoming problems and realizing that it will take understanding and years to achieve their balance. On to Anna’s story.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

I really got wrapped up in the tale. The characters are relatable and the plot believable I look forward to reading the next book in the series.