Can't Get Enough of the Duke

The Thunderbolt Club #2

by Lenora Bell

USA Today bestseller Lenora Bell continues her sparkling, sensual Thunderbolt Club series with a marriage of convenience between a grumpy, combat-scarred duke and his cheerful and beautiful ward.   

War hero Deckard Payne, Duke of Warburton, made a battlefield promise to become guardian to orphan Analise Crewe. He certainly didn’t agree to marry the girl! But that’s exactly what happens when he’s forced to wed her to save her honor.   

The last thing Analise wants is a loveless marriage to a broodingly handsome duke who lives in a gloomy castle and keeps his doors—and his heart—tightly locked. He’s determined to keep her at arm’s length—but she’s not easily deterred when there’s a tough case to crack. 

Warburton never wanted a wife. Especially an inquisitive and far-too-pretty whirlwind who upends his regimented life. Her sunny, winning ways charm everyone she meets and soon she’s unearthing buried secrets, plotting love matches, and shining light into even the darkest of hearts…his own. 

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Marriage Of Convenience, Audiobook, Forced Proximity, Regency

355 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2026

About the author

Lenora Bell is a USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of historical romances with Avon Books. A teacher with an MFA in Creative Writing, Lenora has lived and worked on five continents. She's currently lives in Namibia with her partner and two tiger-striped rescue kitties. She loves hearing from readers!

Learn more at www.LenoraBell.com

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't Get Enough of the Duke by Lenora Bell

Book Blurb: War hero Deckard Payne, Duke of Warburton, made a battlefield promise to become guardian to orphan Analise Crewe. He certainly didn’t agree to marry the girl! But that’s exactly what happens when he’s forced to wed her to save her honor.
The last thing Analise wants is a loveless marriage to a broodingly handsome duke who lives in a gloomy castle and keeps his doors—and his heart—tightly locked. He’s determined to keep her at arm’s length—but she’s not easily deterred when there’s a tough case to crack.

Rating: ****
Feels: Adventure, Sassy, Fun, Comfort
Style: Historical Romance, Romance, Audiobook, Forced Proximity
First published April 7, 2026 : 368 pages

Spicy, sweet and full of sass !!! Just how I love my regency romances. Ana had such fiery main character energy that I fell in love with her right alongside everyone else in the book. The Duke as the battle hardened dragon was perfect. Loved the dynamic between the two, sunshine and grumpy Duke. The build up between the two was sooo much fun to watch. This story had such great banter that I was kicking my heels in amusinment when the two got into their verbal matches. I loved that Ana wanted to write a book and was an aspiring author in a time that discouarged such things. The Duke was scarred both externally and internally and it was sweet watching the healing take place as he allowed the sunshine that is Ana into his life. Enjoyable read !!!

Favorite Quote: "Dont be so cynical. You have an allure all your own. This dark brooding air about you that makes people, ladies in particular, want to solve your mysteries, unlock the key to your heart."
"Who told you that I have a heart?"

This book has:
Regency Romance
Age Gap (FMC is 18 and MMC is 35)
Guardian X Ward
Grumpy X Sunshine
Scared war hero MMC
Author FMC

[Becky (romantic_pursuing_feels) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: Some of my goodreads shelves can be spoilers

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes
Perspective: third person from both hero and heroine (but mostly heroine)
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: takes just a little bit – at the end of chapter 2 (of 33)
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, one year later
Format: voluntarily read an advanced reader copy through NetGalley in e-book form
Why I chose this book: I love Lenora Bell!
Mains: Deckard (Dex) Payne (Duke of Warburton) and Analise Crewe – This is a M/F relationship between a cishet hero and heroine
(Descriptions found at end of my review)

Should I read in order?
I think this one is fine alone! I did not read book 1 and had zero issues falling into this story.

Basic plot:
After making a promise during the war to a dying man, Dex returns to England to find his new ward.

Give this a try if you want:
- historical romance (Regency-ish?)
- Duke hero
- author heroine
- guardian and ward
- former soldier hero
- he’s huge, she’s tiny – she’s as a tall as his collar
- age gap – and please only dive in if you’re comfortable with this – she’s 18 and he’s 35
- compromised heroine
- scarred hero – he has facial scars from the war
- opposites attract – she’s impulsive, imaginative and talkative while he’s silent and brooding (some sunshine and grump dynamic)
- Annie retelling
- medium steam but slower burn – 3ish full scenes (and a shorter one I didn’t count) along with some elements of bondage, spanking, and praise

Ages:
- heroine is 18, he is 35

First line:
Deckard Payne, Duke of Warburton, knelt on the cold ground beside the fallen cavalryman.

My thoughts:
Oh, how I adored this novel!!! I haven’t read Lenora Bell in quite a while but this was exactly what I was needing!

This book...everything went almost exactly the way I wanted it to go. The beginning just grabbed me so good, and I LOVED their first meet. And then it just kept getting better to me, giving me all the romance things I wanted even things I wasn’t expecting but were so perfect for these two. This book totally wrapped around my heart and tugged at it repeatedly throughout their story.

Bell writes absolutely delightful heroines. I always fall in love with them. Analise is just such a lovely, chaotic whirlwind that I adored. I love her imagination, her optimism. I loved her writers’ spirit and her pairing with this large, overbearing grumpy duke I was eating up.

Other reviewers pointed out this is an Annie inspired novel – I am actually not familiar with the musical which I think I only saw once in like 5th grade and that was it 😂 . So that might up the either love or dislike factor for you.

I do want to point out the age gap – the heroine is 18, the hero in his 30s, so if that makes you uncomfortable I would forego this novel. I’m fine with it in fiction (I mean, 20 would be like...more palatable for me, but it’s not a make or break for me. Probably because I cut my teeth on those 80s novels of 16 year olds paired with 40 year olds 😬 )

There were so many lines I was swooning over. I missed the first novel in this series but it makes me want to go back and try it.

Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: 9
Average rating from me: 4.11 stars
Favorite book: I’ll have to reread some of her earlier ones but either this one of One Fine Duke I think

Quotes any typos are my own! I am bad with typos, I apologize


“I’m making a list.”
“All of the ways I’m no longer an innocent young lady, fit for polite society?”
“ A list of everyone who has wronged you.” He slammed his fist against the padded carriage wall. “You shall be avenged.”
His voice, his air of total authority. The way his dark brows knit together over cold silver eyes. He was the Dragon from her book a creature of great power and purpose. The lines etched into his cheek, like claw marks.
---
“You’re free with your words.”
“And you keep yours locked so tightly it’s a wonder your lips know how to part. You are all the g-r words. Grumpy, gruff, grim, grave, grunting, growling…” She counted them off her fingers.
---
She could imply certain things, though, and the reader would fill in the rest. She dipped her quill in ink. Warburton kissed the way he hunted – with precise aim and single-minded focus. Adora was his prey. Her lips his prize.
No, that was too dramatic. And...goodness! She’d written Warburton.
She was becoming confused. Both her hero, and her villain, kept transforming into an ill-tempered, forbidding man who lived his life as if constantly negotiation for territory on a battlefield.
---
He dreamed he was unfurling a great roll of cloth, and when he’d reached the end of it she tumbled out. Perfectly naked. Looking up at him with lambent green eyes, her arms outstretched, murmuring, “How does kissing work?” and other inane but wildly pleasant questions that woke him right up, boiling hot and aching to go back to sleep so that he could show her.
---
“Ana.” Thea took her arm. “Is there, perchance, a brooding duke in your novel who gives stern commands?”
Miss Crewe’s cheeks flushed a fetching shade of pink. “The villain is rather ill-tempered and given to expressing himself with grunts and growls.”
Thea giggled. “And the hero?”
“He converses most eloquently with ease on topics ranging from his childhood to his taste in poetry. He’s always complimenting the heroine and acquiescing to her every whim.”
Dex snorted. “Sounds like a right ninny.”
---
“You’re a pretty girl, and you know it.”
She didn’t know it. She knew that men had wanted her. Had wanted to own her. She hadn’t seen this in their eyes. This tortured reverence. This longing. And she wondered if he could read the same thing in her eyes.
---
“Your Grace,” she curtsied prettily, her face flushed from dancing, curls escaping the confines of her hair ribbons.
“You’re not to dance with Lord Somersby again. Didn’t I warn you about him?”
Her fingers curled over his bicep. He flexed instinctively, wanting her to feel the steel of his muscles. Her toes tapped in time to the music. “I was warned. I simply chose not to heed the warning.”
Her fingers innocently stroked his arm.
---
“Do you know where I always express myself eloquently?”
She shook her head, her breathing ragged.
“In the bedchamber. I’ll give you instructions, encouragement. I’ll tell you how beautiful you are, how much you please me.” He closed the slight distance between them, leaning down to whisper in her ear. “And if you’re naughty, I’ll take you over my knee and spank you. And you’ll like it. You’ll beg me for more.”
---
“Don’t say that,” she said in an anguished tone that sliced through the fog that had descended in his mind.
“I apologize. I shouldn’t speak of such dark things. It’s your wedding night. There should be…” Tenderness. Love. Laughter. He had none of those things to give her. “Wine.”



Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- parental death, death from childbirth
- scenes and remembrances of war and injuries
- human sex trafficking elements – vulnerable women are preyed upon by a brothel owner
- kidnapping of heroine
- there is a guardian / ward relationship between the hero and heroine and also an age gap
Author content warnings? Didn’t catch any (I always encourage you to check author’s websites, since Amazon penalizes authors for certain content warning words in their novels)


Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:

Safe sex: No
How’s the consent? It’s good but I do want to note the guardian / ward aspect and the age gap (she’s 18, he’s in his 30s) – she tends to pursue and pressure him, he doesn’t chase her
Pregnancy/children in story? No
Chapter 16 – kiss
Chapter 19 – kiss
Chapter 22 – 🔥 oral for her
”Good. Now wider.” She heard his breathing grow heavier, sensuality lowering his voice to a husky growl. “Wider.”
“Fuck. Ana.”
Chapter 24 – 🔥 handy for him
He couldn’t refuse. He was too far gone now. He wanted her too much. In the darkness, her soft hand questing, sliding gently over him.
He lay back with a moan. “Please. Touch me.”
Chapter 25 – 🔥 missionary followed by doggy
It was dark, he’d blown out the candles, but she could see the hard lines of him, the jaw, the dark eyes. The enormous muscles of his arms bulging as he supported his weight above her, moving slowly, slowly. Deliciously.
Chapter 32 – her on top but it’s pretty short

Total chapters: 32 and an epilogue



Extra stuff like what my review breakdown means, where to find me, and book clubs


Full break down on what my ratings above mean here:
Overall: How I felt about it everything considered!
Readability: How ‘readable’ was the book? Did I fly through it? Did I have to tell myself to pick it back up repeatedly? Were any passages confusing? (I will probably score like (1) is literally unreadable due to formatting/typing errors, etc (2) There were lots of errors that made it difficult to read OR It was extremely confusing and I had to reread passages to make sense of it OR I disliked it so much I had to bribe myself to keep reading (3) I didn’t really want to keep reading and would have preferred to abandon the read and start something else OR some minor continuity issues/confusion (4) I liked it fine, maybe a minor error or 2. I was happy to pick it up when I had time. (5) I never wanted to put this down. I thought about it when I wasn’t reading it. I hid in the bathroom from my kids to read. I threw inappropriate food at my children for dinner so I could read instead.)
Feels: Totally subjective to each person but did the book give me any tingles? Any butterflies? Did it rip my heart out (in a good way?)
Emotional depth: How well do I feel I know the characters at the end? How much did I feel their emotions throughout the story?
Sexual tension: Again, subjective, but how strong was the wanting and longing to me between the characters? A book might have strong sexual tension without a single touch.
Romance: Was there romance? Did romantic things happen? This can be actions/words/thoughts of the characters and again is subjective.
Sensuality: This is how the intimate scenes are written. Kisses and sexual scenes – how sensual were they? Were they on the mechanical side? Was there emotional pull tied in? Were the details explicit or flowery? These are subjective but generally (1) too short to get a good judgment (2) not all what I'm looking for - very vague or flowery prose (3) either not explicit enough or not enough emotional pull (too mechanical/physically descriptive without the emotions) (4) what I love in a scene (5) absolute perfection - perfect balance of emotional longing and explicit descriptions
Sex Scene Length: How long the bedroom scenes are (generally (1) is 1-3 sentences (2) is a few paragraphs to a page-ish (3) is about average, a few pages (4) more well developed scenes, quite a few pages with descriptions (5) the majority of the book takes place in the bedroom. This is always hard to tell for me on audio!
Steam Scale: Generally, each flame is a scene. If scenes are super close together I sometimes combine them. If a scene is super short or so vague I don’t know what’s happening, I don’t count it. There’s some levels of grey but generally the number of flames is how many sex scenes there are (I max out at 5 so I’ll put a + after if there’s more than that)


Find me
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Book Clubs
The Ton and the Tartans (Historical Romance)
Upturned Petticoats and Undone Cravats (Historical Romance with Steam Requirements)
A Love Less Ordinary (Science Fiction, Paranormal, Monster, Fantasy)
Modern Manuscripts (Contemporary Romance)
Words for the Wicked (Contemporary Romance with Steam Requirements)
Vintage Romance (Old School Romance – published 2000 and prior)

[justinejustreads · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have to start this review by saying I didn't know I was getting a historical romance inspired by a musical. I've read most of Lenora Bell's older works, but haven't picked up the last couple because I didn't think the premises were for me. I am, unfortunately for this book, sick to death of retellings in the romance genre. I don't think I'm alone here either. Who is asking for retellings? Avon, do you think this is what HR readers want? Are you pushing your authors to write these?? I went into this pretty blind, having chosen it based on my confidence in the author and the blurb. I like age gaps and scarred war heroes. I realize that this trope can be problematic because of the power imbalance, but usually when an author writes this trope, they age up the heroine psychologically. She's been through it. She isn't naive and juvenile etc etc. Unfortunately that wasn't the case here. This heroine was eighteen going on fifteen. At no point did I think this person was mature, and thus the age gap made me squeamish. Then I realized...this is inspired by Annie. Except the rich dude falls in love with his ward instead of his secretary. (I've only seen the 1985 film and have not seen other Annie source material.)

What are you all thinking publishing a book in 2026 about a man who is thirty-five marrying his eighteen year old ward and then dropping Annie Easter eggs throughout the book? I have no idea who is going to receive this book well, especially in this political and social climate. Perhaps this trope needs to die at this point because the nature of this premise is predatory and not what new readers to the genre will want. The female main character, Ana, acts completely childish throughout the book, and her guardian, Warburton, is completely without personality except for his honour and duty and desire for her. The "good girl" moments in the spice were infantilizing, not sexy. This was grumpy-sunshine, sure, but where is the depth in Ana's character from surviving the tragedies she's been through? Why does she read so one dimensional? The plot felt contrived, and to be honest, I didn't get the feeling this was a book the author even wanted to write.

“I’ve always told myself that even in the darkest of times, the sun will return. Now I’m not so sure.”

If this is what we can look forward to from historical romance in 2026, I'm not feeling very optimistic and sunny.

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for the arc.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I go round and about, in and out with Historical Romance these days. New authors to the genre have literally made me gag and it is with trepidation I even try a new author. I'm goanna say that I like Lenora Bell. She has written a wonderful story about a passionate, creative redheaded character and her guarded, scared guardian finding each other and true love, of course with several bumps along the way.

In the 1800's proper young ladies went from their father's home straight to their husband's, never given a chance to explore the world, make their own decisions or get into and out of trouble on their own, always protected and guarded. It was quite a system and worked to great advantage of the male. Analise Crewe was a part of this system until her father's battlefield death left her unprotected and for over three years, she is on her own. Not a good situation for a redheaded spitfire of a hellion but just when she was about to get in real trouble, she is rescued by Deckard Payne, Duke of Warburton, who made a promise to her dying father to be her guardian. It took Dex awhile to find her and just in the nick of time.

Ana is imaginative, inquisitive, full of life and not easily controlled. Much to Dex's dismay she is not a demur, retiring debutante and he is having feelings that are not at all the feelings a battle scared gentleman should be having as the guardian for a willful young woman in his charge.

Ana wants to write about the fantastical world she envisions in her mind. But her book is rejected and she is told to continue a romance series penned by her late employer. Ana's major problem is that she doesn't have much life experience to draw on and needs Dex to provide her with some.

Brooding and secretive, Dex just wants to see her married and out of his home to leave him alone, at least that is what he tells himself. When Ana goes too far in seeking experience for her book, she inadvertently courts a real scandal, but Dex is there to rescue her and marry her.

My thanks to the Publisher, and Author, for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

[Dhaaruni Sreenivas · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, this book is a ward/guardian romance, and I’m generally not inherently opposed to that or to age gap romances in general, but it just annoys me when the younger woman is 18-years-old, aka could be a high school senior, and not because I’m jealous that 18-year-old are hotter than I am at 30.

As Phoebe Maltz Bovy writes in Features and Bugs, until relatively recently, it was NORMAL for adult men to be sexually attracted to teenage girls, and to not have to bother hiding it.

“Because I lived through the before-times, because I remember like yesterday not just early 2017 but 1997 (when I was 14 myself), I can paint a portrait of the mindset. It was quite simply not pedophilia-coded in that context (SHOULD HAVE BEEN but wasn’t) to declare barely-pubescent girls the world’s most beautiful women. You could do this in the National Review and be celebrated for sharing difficult truths. Only a liberal hag of 21-plus would mind hearing that age 15-20 is, as John Derbyshire argued in 2005, the peak female form. Pedophilia, in the before-times, was molestation. It was men (almost always men) acting on desires. But there was a popular understanding that red-blooded men liked teenage girls (American Beauty, remember that movie?) and that this was something disconnected from the tiny subset of men with genuinely troubling urges.”

One reason that #MeToo had so much backlash is that a lot of people, not just men, were really angry that behavior that previously went undiscussed or was even celebrated and envied was now deemed “problematic,” including but not limited to grown men lusting after and pursuing girls who were young enough to be their daughters.

Look, I’m not a prude about age gaps, in fiction or in reality when all parties are of legal age, like Julie Anne Long’s What I Did For A Duke is one of my favorite romance novels of all time (in it, the hero is almost 20 years older than the heroine). And, I do understand that young women are generally considered more attractive than older ones, and I’m genuinely at peace that I’m not in the initial blush of youth anymore. But that said, I think it’s nasty and unbecoming to insist that 15–20 is the peak female form, and I find it weird that a romance novel that’s set to published by Avon (meaning not an independent publisher) in 2026 has a hero that’s 35 and a heroine that’s 18!

I haven’t read a romance novel published in the last 15 years where the heroine is under 20, and even prior to that, there aren’t nearly as many as you’d expect, even among the bodice ripper categories from the 80s and early 90s. Even though it was more acceptable for older men to lust after teenagers 30-40 years ago, everybody still knew that teenage girls were teenage girls, and romance audiences, who obviously skew female, remembered what it was like to be 16 and have some guy twice your age creeping on you, and it sucked. There's also zero discussion of the age gap in the book, and the fact the hero and heroine have a borderline dominant/submissive sexual relationship, from the very first time they, and she, have sex, combined with the age gap, is kind of disconcerting for me, and I know I'm not the only one who feels this way.

I was curious if it was a male thing to be attracted to much younger women and women don’t feel the same way about younger men, but I asked my husband and he said that even if 18-year-olds are physically attractive, being romantically involved with a teenager gives him the ick because of how immature they are, and he didn’t understand why any 35-year-old would marry a girl that age.

Plus, in the case of this book, Analise also acts like a teenager, not just a sunshiney and #irreverent adult woman, and it’s quite frankly annoying because Lenora Bell also is intent on noting how physically SMALL Ana is.

Anyways, other than that, the book could have been worse so I’ll give it 2 stars, but I just couldn’t get past the age gap and I’m not the only one given the rest of the reviews. Next time, Lenora Bell needs to write a protagonist that doesn’t act like she’s planning out her outfit for senior year homecoming, that’s all I’m saying.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This new-to-me author has me hooked!!! Loved this marriage of convenience, grumpy/sunshine story.

The growth, the breaking down of walls. Absolutely beautiful

[eyes.2c · Rating 3 out of 5]

A battlefield promise to a dying man

As cavalryman Lieutenant John Crewe lay dying on the battlefields of Belgium his commander Deckard Payne, Duke of Warburton promised to become the guardian for his young daughter, Annalise. Wounded, it takes several years for Dex to find his ward.
I loved to two main characters, the delightful Annalise, budding author, and the brooding battle scarred duke, her guardian.
I equally enjoyed the story of the dragon written by Ana unfolding before every chapter. A cunning metaphor.
In the end though the story became all too predicable.
Ana’s search for her father leads her into trouble. We knew it would.
The surprises weren’t as effective.
The potential five star read, devolved for me into a pleasing read.

A Avon and Harper Voyager ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

[AcademicEditor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just perfect, really. Longer review TK

[Nikki (awallflowerreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book immediately throws you into the story and grips you in its clutches by the prologue! Dex, on the battlefield makes a promise to his dying comrade- find and protect his young daughter. Immediately after making the promise Dex is horribly scarred on his face and spends two months unconscious in recovery. Still healing, he awakes determined to find Annalise to keep his promise to her father. And when he reads her letters containing chapters to a story she is writing- he becomes invested in not just her future but the future of the story. It then takes him several years to find her…Ana is just trying to get her epic romantasy published, but men are small minded as are publishers and they’re not interested in her work. That is, until she sells them on her fake fiancé and her mentor’s post-humorous work. When a Duke shows up claiming to be her new guardian, she might not believ him at first, but he’s about to make all her dreams come true.

Talk about setting up an excellent and compelling plot that throws these two characters together for the best kind of bonkers. Lenora Bell always knows how to grab at my interest and hold it, especially when she does things like adapt well-loved media into steamy historicals. She’s done it with multiple series and when I heard this book was inspired by Annie I was so curious how it was going to play out. Spoiler alert - it so works!

Anna and Tessie’s relationship is so cute and fun right from the start! There’s a level of familiarity since they’re close in age and I just love that Anna’s first duty was to find an ally and friend in the house. Anna’s free-spirited determination was an absolute blast to witness. Especially against her guardian and love interest who’s much more stoic, though he can clock every one of her fanciful plans.

I can see where readers might not like the age gap between Dex and Anna, since it is a large one (14ish years) and Anna is so young in general. But I actually really liked it, because it felt realistic to the characters. Anna isn’t someone who’s “wise beyond her years” and is instead the person who “throws all caution to the wind” which ends up being just what this scarred Duke needs to heal. Her optimism, joy, and youth, bring out these sides in him in a way that I thought was really well done. I also just think it’s so much fun when the older man gets jealous of all the “pups” vying for his girl’s attention, and Dex is Giving that energy with his overprotective instincts.

Like most Lenora Bell books, this one delivered on lighthearted humor and fast-paced dialogue! The characters have insane chemistry and despite their age difference are a perfect match. Watching him take the brat, and her best the beast was a rewarding time all-around. Highly recommend this one for those that love a modern-feeling historical romance that delivers bonkers hillarious situations and dialogue.

4/5
Thank you to netgalley and publishers for an eARC of this book.

[Cameron Sauschuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Negtgalley and HarperAudio for this arc!!

I really liked this book! I love that her novel mirrored her real life, but also that it wasn’t involved TOO much, and that it was only little snippets. Sometimes when they include books the characters are writing it can be too much, but this was the perfect amount. The only thing I wish was different, was I wish we got to see more from Decks. I know he did a lot of good work, but I wish we got to see more of it. Because when Ana started piecing together his list of names, I was like woah why haven’t we heard about all the families he’s been helping. I also wish we had gotten ONE nightmare scene. He talked about having them, and then talked about them going away once Ana was there, but I wish we could have gotten a scene when he had a nightmare and she came to soothe him. I also wish we heard more of his inner thoughts about his brother and stuff. But I wasn’t thinking too hard about this, I was having fun and enjoying the romance!! I love that he was the dragon of the story and that he changed! Loved that bit. Great audio production too!!

[Heather | Nerdy By Nature Blog · Rating 2 out of 5]

*I received a copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I think it's time for me to throw in the towel when it comes to Bell's books. I've read a few of them now, and I found them all to be just okay. Her premises are fun, but something about the execution falls flat, as was the case here. I appreciated the marriage of convenience element, but the age gap felt unnecessary. That trope is inconsistent for me, and Ana genuinely read as an inexperienced eighteen-year-old. On one hand, I liked her pluckiness, but on the other, it made her feel younger than her years. I also wanted more complexity in her relationship with Dex. He was so emotionally distant that his love confession felt unearned. It was a quick read, and I flew through it all in basically one sitting, but I don't think I'm interested enough to continue the series.

[Cassandra]

So I thought this book was gonna be an extension of grease but it wasn't or I couldn't tell that it was. It does seem to be Annie (based on what other reviewers wrote) and I have not ever watched this that I can remember so there were no references I got. Overall, it was just okay to me. I liked Ana's imagentivness. Her writing was a real passion for her. Our grumpy scarred hero was just okay to me. I went in with expectations that this was gonna be Rizzo and Kenicke and got not even close, so I think that is on me.

Some people had an issue with the age difference, I didn't. He wasn't actually her guardian in any meaningful way.

4/6 stars

[Dayle (the literary llama) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent read with some shining moments but the pacing was uneven. The promised plot from the synopsis doesn’t happen until nearly 200 pages in. It felt like that should have been condensed to 50 pages and what followed expanded and their personalities revealed more as they interacted after the wedding.

But I did love the characters! Ana was delightfully fun and fiery. And Dex’s comparisons to the dragon in the story within a story were great.

Overall, I was happy to have read it but it was a little bit off throughout.

* I received a free copy from the publisher

[SelinaW · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very easy and interesting read and my first by Lenora Bell. The characters are both likable and easy to root for - a brooding scarred military hero Dexter, who tries to redeem the hurt he imagines he dealt on the battlefield and his innocent but curious and imaginative ward Ana, who dreams of publishing her own fantastical novel about castles and dragons and ends up ensnaring her very own dragon and taming him.

They come together out of duty (Dexter’s to Ana’s father) and marry out of duty as well, but there is passion burning underneath (and lots of it too, and not without some steamy kink!). The book is slow burn but once it starts burning, it’s hot.

The author stayed true to the character’s personalities. Ana is only 18 and she is frequently frustratingly dense and spends many a scene attempting to right a wrong that was not hers to get into. Dexter is slow to change and can be surly and disgruntled. I thought the storyline was well done with some action at the end. I found myself slightly wishing there were more pages there at the end to give main characters more time to develop their feelings with the reader. But what a fun read nonetheless!

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for this ARC!

[Jessica White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genuinely funny and swoony, Can’t Get Enough of the Duke begins with a promise made, a promise kept that Deckard, Duke of Warburton will look after the daughter of his fallen comrade, agreeing to become her guardian. This would seem to be a simple Duke meets girl meets Guardian to lover, but first Dex will have to find Ana, second he’ll have to convince her that he’s safer than the boarding house she’s been living in for the past few years, and thirdly he’ll have to also convince her to settle down with a husband, despite her lack of enthusiasm for marrying for anything other than love. In other words, Dex has his work cut out for him.

Whe we meet Analiese, her biggest hurdle is that she’s penning a fantasy novel and yet the publisher is unwilling to purchase it from her unless she is married and her husband can do her bidding. One problem: she hasn’t quite finished the novel. So when Dex appears as her solution to a husband, it’s almost too good to be true. Meanwhile Dex has the issue of creating a safe space for Ana and encouraging her to attend balls all the while he just can’t find anyone good enough for her whose face he doesn’t want to punch. The solution? Why a marriage of convenience of course! (This is where we all snicker as readers because we know just how long that’s going to last). All it takes is one kiss from Ana and Dex is done for. No one else is good enough for Ana.

This book was humorous with delightful writing, and let me say I was not disappointed AT ALL with the intimacy scenes. Ana read as quite young to me (she is!) and initially I didn’t know if this age gap would work, but her bold personality makes her a match for Warburton and she keeps him in his toes in and out of the bedroom. Thank you to Avon and Harper audio for my gifted copy. I would recommend reading with your ears or your eyes!

[Ronda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you #NetGalley and #HarperCollins for the advanced copy of #CantGetEnoughoftheDuke by Lenora Bell in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited about this book because I love musicals and I love Lenora Bell's books. This book had all the trademark humor that I have grown to expect from her work and the writing style flows really well also. I was a little worried about the age gap but Bell handled it just the way I like - it's brought up but we don't get a thousand references to how young and innocent Ana is. What I didn't count on is that Ana is Annie in this Annie, the musical retelling and well, Annie is a bit of a brat. There was a time or 2 that I would have thrown her out of my house, if she was my guest and that made it hard for me to believe that these 2 could fall in love. The final straw that sent me over the edge was towards the end where Ana puts herself in danger and completely disregards common sense and that always irritates me in a book. I need the heroine to be smart and sensible. Does she somehow end up in dangerous situations from time to time, sure, I can get on board with that but let them be ones that she can't see coming a mile away. Also, don't go into locked rooms 20 seconds after being invited in someone home and don't invite estranged family members over without easing your husband into the idea.

Don't get me wrong, I still love Lenora Bell and I'll still be jumping at the chance to read her next book (and there a couple of her backlist that I still need to read) but I will probably steer clear from Annie retellings in the future.

[Breanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beauty and the beast trope with the vibes to match! I don’t know if any of this makes sense but a lot of books with this trope are great, just lack the feel I associate with the original tale. This is giving locked away in tower vibes without there being a lock or tower😂 Plus our man is deliciously jealous💕

Loved seeing FMC vs her overbearing chaperone. When Glynis was first introduced I was thinking, “please no, I cannot take this rando lady ripping this poor girl” but lmaoooo was I wrong. No worries yall, Ana drives HER crazy instead🙏🏻✨ We love to see a young woman just REFUSE!! I also loved Celestia and Rupert, I wish that storyline was more of a focus. It was super interesting.

This book had so many parts that REALLY hit for me (FMC’s passion for writing, beautiful love declarations, his admiration for her, moments of healing, Dex’s reflections on the senselessness of war) but some parts were a miss, mostly due to personal preference I think. I wish she was aged up a bit, she had some mature and super observant moments but she also drove me crazy with her immaturity. Her saying (paraphrased) “Aren’t I so smart figuring this out?” and it’s literally his survivors guilt/war trauma list, made me real deal face palm🤦🏻‍♀️😅 It held me back from feeling the spark between them. Which is crazy because some of the things he says to or thinks about her are the most romantic words can get!

If the premise sounds interesting to you, I would recommend it! Especially if you like the “the grinch’s heart grew three sizes that day” feel😂❤️

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC!! All opinions are my own.

[Lindsay pinkcowlandreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lenora Bell’s Annie retelling, Can't Get Enough of the Duke, we are first introduced to her daddy Warbucks character, Deckard Pay the Duke of Warburton as he is comforting as fellow soldier on the battlefield as he lays dying. Here he has asked to take on the guardianship of his comrades daughter, Ana.

A few years later, he’s finally able to find Ana, and just in time! Ana has just been rejected by a publisher for her fantasy novel and is about to lose her place in the boarding house unless she agrees to work for the landlady’s sister as a courtesan… thankfully, instead of running into the madame and her Johns, she runs into Warburton and his news of guardianship.

Ana now has a home, access to funds and a supporter in her writing career… and expected to go out in society and find yourself a husband! but why go out in society when she has the perfect husband material under the same roof as her!

The romance between Warburton and Ana it’s not easy since Ana is fighting Warburton at every turn. There’s a definite age gap in this guardian/ward situation, and it’s telling by Ana‘s immaturity and lack of realism. She makes a lot of bad choices and pays for it every time!

As for Warburton, he is your typical scarred hero with the lost fiancée and intimacy issues. Though we meet him on the battlefield, I wished that his emotional scars were more fleshed out with more showing than telling.

Overall, I found the story to be OK. It’s not my favourite Lenora Bell book, and it’s definitely not my least favorite. I also find I’m disappointed that we won’t get the third installment of The Thunderbolt Club series.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by historical romance, mainstay, Beverly A. Crick. She’s not a narrator. I personally look for, but I am used to her reading style. She delivers a classic historical romance, read and does a good job with her accents. She provides a traditional vibe to the story that has a lot more modern sensibilities, this helping keep the historical romance feel.

[Elizabeth McFarland · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this captivating historical romance, we have a war hero duke, a spirited aspiring author, and a guardianship that sparks unexpected chemistry. As usual, Lenora Bell writes a charming story and a swoon worthy romance.

Bell's newest historical romance was an absolute delight! With an age gap, grumpy sunshine, marriage of convenience, and beauty meets beast, it hit all my favorite tropes! Analise is an author of what seems to be a romantasy where the dragon behaves more and more like the Duke as it goes on. How fun is that?

I have to say, I didn't even realize this book was an Annie retelling until I finished it. I'm probably one of the few people who's never actually seen Annie, so even though I know it from pop culture, I don't know it well enough to spot it right away. Looking back, I can totally see it in the story, characters, and names.

This was overall a fun read and I'm looking forward to the next book is the Thunderbolt Club series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a miss for me. Age gap romances, however well they're written, always give me the ick. In this case, Ana is 18, and Dex is 35. Worse yet- Ana is a convincing 18. She's naive, dense at times, and childish. Ultimately, I couldn't get over that.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Abbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so fun! Such a great reminder of why I love historical romance - a bit extra, a bit chaotic, but also passionate and addictive. I wish the heroine wasn't 18, but aside from that, super enjoyable. Lenora Bell can be hit or miss for me, but I'm so glad I picked this up! Please continue publishing historicals!!

[Nemo (Norma) · Rating 2 out of 5]

thank you NetGalley for the audiobook ARC!

there’s age gap and then there’s just odd dynamics. freshly 18 and their legal guardian is the latter. when you forget that part it’s a good story, but the reminders bring back an uncomfortable air i couldn’t shake.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I voluntarily read and reviewed this advanced copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As soon as I noticed Dex in the first Thunderbolt Club book, I knew he was my favorite. He was a scarred veteran with a broken heart who was in desperate need of some sunshine. No wonder I like Dr. Abbot on The Pitt so much. Months after I read this, I learned this was an Annie retelling and it makes total sense. Enter a down on her luck ginger orphan named Analise destined to clear up the cobwebs and the sorrow in the duke's life. I absolutely loved everything about this book. The intensity, friendship, and natural progression of the couple's descent into romance. I didn't think the age gap was too bad, considering it was normal for the time period. I would have shaved off perhaps 100 pages, but most of those were gold. I even reread certain sections to prepare for my review and it was still pure sunshine. I really enjoyed this author and hope to explore more of her bibliography. I may not have any scarred dukes in my neighborhood, but you can your bottom dollar I'm certainly gonna look!

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a huge Lenora Bell fan, and I was excited when her new series The Thunderbolt Club was coming out. I started reading You're the Duke That I Want as soon as I got the ARC from NetGalley. I knew it was based on "Grease", but I didn't realize just how closely it would follow its story. To tell the truth, I was a bit bummed. It was entertaining, but waaaaaaaay too much Grease! However, I still wanted to get my hands on Can't Get Enough of the Duke, the second book in the series. We're talking about Lenora Bell here! I heard it was somewhat based on "Annie"; but since I never saw the play or movie, I knew it wouldn't affect me one way or another. I read this one quickly, and was absolutely thrilled with how much I enjoyed it. This is the Lenora Bell I know and love!

War hero Deckard Payne, Duke of Warburton, made a battlefield promise to a friend to become guardian to orphan Analise Crewe. He certainly wasn't planning to marry the girl! But that’s what happens when he’s forced to wed her to save her honor. The last thing Analise wants is a loveless marriage to a brooding duke who lives in a castle and keeps his heart tightly locked. He’s determined to keep her at arm’s length, but he wasn't prepared for the self-described "redheaded spitfire of a hellion". Warburton didn't want a wife, especially an inquisitive and far-too-pretty whirlwind who upends his regimented life. Her sunny disposition charms everyone she meets and soon she’s discovering buried secrets and shining light into even the darkest of hearts…his own.

I must admit I couldn't get enough of the Duke myself! A brooding, scarred military man? Sign me up! He is the kind of hero I've always fallen for. Though there were occasions that I wanted to shake some sense into him, I couldn't help but adore him. He blamed himself for the deaths of his men under his care, and he definitely had what we now know as PTSD. When one of Dex's dying friends asked him to find his motherless daughter and become her guardian, he swore he would. He had read some of her letters to her father, and she included chapters of the book she was writing, and he was totally charmed by the story. When he found Analise after a long hunt, she wasn't what he was expecting! She was living in a horrid boarding house, whose proprietor was planning on having Ana work for her sister's establishment, a house of ill repute. When Dex showed up, Ana thought he was a man sent to take her and use her for sexual purposes. Yes, she was definitely a redheaded spitfire of a hellion! Dex learned what a dangerous weapon a pencil could be. I loved Ana! She was smart, a talented writer, and seemed to have a sunny disposition no matter what her situation was. She was convinced her father was still alive since his body hadn't been recovered, and was determined to find him. She had worked as a secretary to a popular female author, and when the woman died Ana was left to fend for herself in the horrible boarding house. She was trying to get her book published, and the publisher would only consider if she finished the book her employer had planned to write. When they were found alone together, Dex was forced to marry Ana to save her reputation. She wasn't afraid of the big scarred duke; she found him rather intriguing. This was definitely a grumpy-sunshine love story! Some reviewers were turned off because Dex was 35 and Ana only 18. In the period this book took place in, it was very common for titled men to have young wives. This didn't bother me at all, since Ana had not been a sheltered young lady for a while, having been on her own, and she wasn't a child. When they married Dex thought he would continue on as he had been. Silly man! Sunshine beats grumpy every time! Ana managed to charm everyone in Dex's circle. The romance was scorching hot (apparently Dex liked to be bossy and give discipline, and Ana definitely wasn't scared off; she felt empowered). I don't want to give any secrets away so the book isn't ruined for you. There's much excitement towards the end, and I was pleased with the outcome! I'm thrilled that this book was what I expected from Lenora Bell. You can't help but be charmed with it. I look forward to the next book in the series!

There was a book-within-a-book in this story: The book Ana had written and was trying to get published,The Dragon and the Blue Star. If you're like me, you will find the excerpts of Ana's book as charming as Dex found them!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

[Whitney Theresa June · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝐆𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐲 𝐯𝐬. 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 ✔️
𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨 ✔️✔️
𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐞 & 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 (𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞 ✔️𝐬)

Welcome to my I read this book in less than 24 hrs b/c I couldn’t stop slightly unhinged review!

Lenora Bell you had me at a wounded man just trying to make good on a battlefield promise to a fallen comrade after reading his letters to his daughter then desperately trying to find her.

Do you know what I found out I like in a meet cute? When the MMC who has been searching for the FMC for YEARS, finally locates her to knock on the door, the FMC opens it, believes he is there to take her as his mistress & promptly flees. AND when he catches her, she uses a pencil to defend herself! Does she prevail? Well, not in this moment but lady is just getting started! Do we get a gruff he's holding her tight in order to keep himself from being injured but it's really hot b/c we know they kinda realize they are both in to it...

Give me all the feisty red haired hellions who manage to unsettle the men who fall for them against their wishes. Make her a writer, who in the name of research, is ready to court scandal & forces footmen into fake duels & I am in love with her!

Deckard 'Dex' Payne, Duke of Warburton you hot AF wounded giant of a fictional man. Were you gruff & monosyllabic until you were in the bedroom making me fall even more in fictional love with you? Yes!
Did I also want to shake you a little bit for having your heart so closed off & feeling as though you did not deserve anything after surviving when your friends did not? Yes.
But it only made you more lovable & more in need of being brought out of your cave bit by bit by Ana. When he was like, you want to be a writer, well then we will do whatever it takes for you to achieve your dreams, I may have been screaming at Lenora for writing my ideal man. I loved how much he tried to right the wrongs of anyone he felt needed to be protected. And when it came to avenging Ana! (I am finding I am rather into vengeance in my books as of late...) There were so many layers to his character & as we continued the story it just made wanting him to get his HEA even more meaningful.

Analise 'Ana' Crewe! Goodness she was a force. I loved how she interacted with the world. How she took '𝘯𝘰'𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 & 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩! (Well that one backfired but goodness it was worth the angst & yearning we had been witness to!) When that MMC is pushed to the brink and then the '𝘧*** 𝘪𝘵' moment happens - I am a goner!

For me, as a reader, Lenora Bell takes these small what feel like should be transactional moments b/w the MCs & supercharges them with emotion. They may be brief but they are very impactful & I don't know another writer who does it quite like she does. It is one of the many reasons she is a beloved historical romance author of mine. Her dual POVs play off so perfectly against one another & how we switch mid chapter gives even more connection to how the characters are feeling towards one another in the moment.

There were so many times when I forgot that this was an age gap romance with how much Ana has experienced losing her father & becoming a companion for a famous authoress. Unless it was Warburton continually telling himself she's his ward while at the same time staring daggers at anyone who approaches her even if it his friend. Then there's a choice she makes later on, which I cannot fault her for, but I was like lady PLEASE don't do it! Was it an age/lack of world experience? Or was it a young woman who needs to keep the fantasy of her father alive as she had done in her manuscript? I will let you decide fellow readers.

When I received a gifted eARC it truly felt like the best present. This will be one of my favourite reads of 2026!

[Hone · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Review copy courtesy of HarperAudio Adult/Avon, Lenora Bell, and NetGalley.)

4⭐

Having glanced at reviews before I requested the audio, I knew this was inspired by Annie. But from the way some people were talking about it, I expected those references to be over-the-top and distracting. Luckily, that was not the case.

This was my first Lenora Bell book, and I was thoroughly impressed by the romantic tension, the flirty banter, and the chemistry between Anna and Dex. Bell writes excellent romance: the love story is well paced, parts of it are genuinely laugh-out-loud funny (“You’re not to consort with rakes!”), and the sex scenes? Spicy. Anna, while sexually inexperienced, is curious and enthusiastic once they get going, not shy or retreating. Their first intimate encounter contained some very light D/s that was a little unexpected, but definitely not bad.

The characters really made this story for me. I enjoyed Anna quite a bit. At 18, she is younger than most Regency heroines I’ve read, but she is neither wilting nor retreating, so she feels well matched to Dex. Others said she read younger than 18, but honestly, she felt older to me. Inexperienced in society? Sure. But not a child. I will also say I appreciated when the narrative finally stopped reminding me how slight and skinny she was. Yes, we get it: she’s tiny and has a big personality. But the description of her absorbed in her work, the light on her face, how she seemed to illuminate the room? That is how you do it.

The one thing I did not love was Anna’s blunt approach to digging into Dex’s past. She goes so far as to invite his estranged brother and sister-in-law to dinner without his knowledge, and she pries into his private wounds, including the war, in ways that felt genuinely disrespectful. The charm curdled a little for me in those moments. That said, the invasiveness does ultimately serve a narrative purpose, because I’m not sure Dex would have ever grown the way he does without Anna’s particular brand of dogged persistence.

I also really liked Dex, though he was a little preoccupied with his own supposedly horrifyingly scarred visage. (Dude, you’re obviously handsome, okay? Chill.) Still, he was deeply invested in making amends and caring for people, and his self-loathing felt true. It made his final decision to embrace life and give his heart to Anna feel that much more powerful and earned.

This is the second in the Thunderbolt Club series, but it’s obvious there are far more books tied in, even if only through cameos. That felt a little overwhelming at points because there were clearly so many people I did not know. But those moments are brief, and while I’m sure the reading experience is enhanced by knowing the broader cast, this story was not diminished by being my entry point into the canon.

Okay, but can we talk about the American lawyer Patrick? A little research shows he’s a fan favorite, and you can absolutely count me among the readers now excited about him. There’s a brief mention of him defending a “murderess,” and I immediately thought: is he next in the series? Maybe something with Chicago vibes? I would absolutely come back for more Patrick. Yum.

Audio-Specific 🎧: 10 hours 40 minutes. Beverley A. Crick brings a strong accent game, which really helps in a story featuring characters from a wide range of locations, and I especially liked her portrayal of Anna. My one hesitation is the narrator’s delivery, which has a tight-jawed, slightly clenched quality. It works surprisingly well for the Duke’s repressed fury, but it also seems to become her default register for everything else too: tender moments, comic moments, all of it. It never quite relaxes. My only other “complaint” is pure preference: it is way too slow at 1.0x. You can bump it all the way to 1.5x without distortion, but 1.25x felt ideal to me.

📌 TL;DR: A spicy little historical romance with a great protagonist. (Also, Patrick’s story WHEN???) The Annie trappings neither enhanced nor detracted from the story for me.**

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**Okay, fine, I’m a liar. There is one moment that pulled me completely out, if only briefly, and that was the reference to Tomorrow. But what was Bell supposed to do, ignore the most iconic song in the entire musical? Not if she wanted to fully commit to the bit. So: necessary evil.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever I pick up a Lenora Bell book, I think to myself, “Why don’t I read more Lenora Bell?” She writes consistently solid historical romance, and I always end up enjoying myself. Can’t Get Enough of the Duke was no exception.

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the complimentary ARC.

Deckard Payne, Duke of Warburton, was terribly wounded in Belgium while serving the British in the fight against Napoleon. But he was one of the lucky ones. He watched most of his men die on that battlefield, including Lieutenant Crewe, who made Dex promise to become guardian to his teenaged daughter. But by the time Dex has recovered enough to find Analise, she’s disappeared from her finishing school with no forwarding address.

Fast forward two years, and Dex finally has a lead on Ana. She is living in a seedy boarding house in one of the worst corners of London as she tries to sell her fantasy novel to a publisher. But the publisher has no interest in her story and thinks it’s unseemly to publish a novel by an unmarried woman with no connections. Ana thinks fast and proposes that she finish her mentor’s series of cozy romance novels—and, because she just can’t help herself, she invents a fake, titled fiancé. Now she just needs to write as fast as she can so she can earn enough money to keep herself afloat and find a nobleman to marry.

But all her problems appear to be at an end when a mysterious duke shows up on her boarding house doorstep, claiming to be her guardian, and then whisks her away to his Mayfair townhome. The problem is, Ana still needs to finish her book so she can make a name for herself, but Dex insists she make her debut and find a suitable husband, even if Ana has no interest in marriage.

This book reminded me so much of an old-school Garwood. We have a big age gap between our leads. Ana is only 18 and reads as very young on the page. She has no family and is desperate for a sense of community, which she builds over the course of the book (very reminiscent of Garwood). Dex is in his mid-30s, a scarred war hero, and so set in his ways that any deviation from his carefully laid plans is an affront to nature. But he secretly has a heart of gold. I loved the dynamic between them and had so much fun reading about their shenanigans.

A lot of people struggle with guardian-ward romances because of the power dynamics. Technically, Dex has all the legal and financial power over Ana. But in the hands of a skilled writer, those dynamics can be turned upside down. Ana’s cheerfulness, steadfast refusal to comply with social norms, and determination to have her own life and career push Dex out of the position of power in their relationship and give Ana the upper hand. There is a small power-exchange component to the intimacy, mostly driven by Dex’s trauma from the war, but I felt it was handled with skill and actually gave those scenes a depth you don’t often find in guardian-ward romances, especially when the heroine is this inexperienced.

There are so many other things to love about this novel, including the friendship Ana forms with her maid, the story surrounding Dex’s family, and the excerpts we get from Ana’s fantasy novel at the top of every chapter. I do wish we’d gotten a bit more of Dex’s family drama woven into the novel earlier, because it becomes so critical to why he is the way he is, but I felt we got enough toward the end that the payoff was still satisfying.

Can’t Get Enough of the Duke was an absolute delight. 4.5 stars.

[ColleenIsBooked · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, You're the Duke that I Want, which was a loose Grease retelling. From what I've gathered, this book is supposed to be a loose (very, very loose) retelling of Annie. We start off in Deckard's POV on a battlefield as one of his soldiers is dying. The dying man makes Dex the guardian of his young daughter and gives him the letters and her portrait. Unfortunately, right after this, Dex is grievously injured and spends two months recuperating. During these two months, Analise, the new ward, disappears from her girl's school and years pass before we finally catch up with them meeting for the first time. This is not a meet cute, Analise actually attacks Dex thinking he is someone trying to take her to work in a brothel. Anywho, the story continues and Analise is being retrained in etiquette to be presented by Dex's matronly and stuffy aunt, but she is wild and rambunctious. Long story short, Dex is grumpy with a hidden heart of gold and Analise is a wild woman who wants to be an author. In theory, this sounds like something I would like, however, the way this was written very much did not work for me. I liked Analise making decisions for herself about her maid and trying to reconnect Dex and his brother. I liked Dex working in the background to make the lives of his fallen troop members' families better. Unfortunately, the romance fell flat for me. Analise is barely 18 and she very much acts like it. She is extremely immature and childish at times and not in a grown woman whimsical way, more like as a rebellious teenager (which she is??). She also just doesn't think through anything ever in a way that is often detrimental and makes her look very silly and/or unintelligent. This does not work well in my mind for an age gap relationship where the man, Dex, is kind of a dom? It is strange in a way that I do not like. The dialogue surrounding their intimate scenes felt weirdly stilted and unnatural. For example, out of nowhere he just turns to her and says basically "tonight we go all the way" hello?? huh?? It was not hot.
My other issue is something that could be fixed by now since I did read an ARC copy, but there are things that don't match up? For example, Dex tells Analise that his brother Roland is married with two boys; so, he isn't pressed about having an heir at the moment. But this is the only mention of this Roland character. In fact, later in the book, when they are chatting he mentions only a younger brother. She said oh is he married, kids? and Dex says yes and no. What do you mean? What happened to Roland with the two kids? But later he mentions all of his siblings are married? Whomst? How many? Where are they? But later on, they act like Rupert (the married one with no kids) is the only sibling. I was very confused about that, and this is just one instance where things just didn't match up in a distracting way.
I am sure that there are readers out there that will love this book. For me, it didn't really work. However, I am still interested in other books that might pop up for this series. There seems to have been an easter egg of a possible Sound of Music type retelling.

*Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.*

[Tracy Emro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deckard “Dex” Payne, the Duke of Warburton makes a battlefield death promise to one of his men, Lt John Crewe as he lays dying in Dex’s arms, he promises to find and care for the man’s daughter, Analise, but just moments later he himself is attacked and it is months before he is healed enough to look for Analise. When he finally returns to England and begins his search, he is devasted to learn that Analise is no longer at the school her father enrolled her in and no one knows where she has gone. It takes years for him to track her down and when he does find her, he is shocked to learn she isn’t the docile, young schoolgirl he was imagining, but a beautiful young woman who is anything but docile. He finally convinces her that he was sent by her father to take care of her. But in addition to being older than he imagined, Analise isn’t biddable in the slightest and has no intention of making his task easy. Little by little, she worms her way into his heart, something he thought was long dead.

Analise Crewe doesn’t believe her father is dead, but with no other alternatives, she agrees to let the duke “launch” her into society, something she only agreed to so she can research the ton for her book. As an aspiring authoress, she left school after her father was reported missing and went to work for a well-respected authoress, who believed her work was good and sent her fantasy story to her publisher. But when the lady dies unexpectedly, Analise is once again on her own, that is until the duke shows up. She never expected to be the ward of a wealthy, grumpy duke and when they ended up compromised and forced to marry, she is determined to make the best of things. Too bad her duke is just as determined to keep her at arm’s length.

I definitely liked this story better than the last book and I think that is because I haven’t seen the movie Annie in decades, so I thankfully didn’t make that association. The book has a lot going on and at times I felt a little lost, but overall, it was a fun grumpy/sunshine book with a couple different storylines that ultimately come together in a very charming happy ending. As I mentioned before, I didn’t get the Annie reference (which honestly is a bit cringy) and I wasn’t put off by the age difference, because I have been reading historical romance for years and could easily accept that young women marrying older men was a common practice – but I can also see how it could be off-putting to a contemporary reader. Overall, it was an OK read and if you are a grumpy/sunshine fan – you will probably enjoy this book. This is the second book in the series, but they are very loosely connected, and this book can be read as a standalone title with no problems.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *