Scoundrel Take Me Away

Dukes in Disguise #3

by Louisa Darling

Lady Lucy Lively despises the Duke of Thornecliff. Arrogant, cruel, and dangerously seductive, Thorne is the exact opposite of The Gentle Rogue, the mysterious highwayman Lucy adores. She has no idea they are one and the same man…and when Thorne suffers a terrible accident after a masked night of stolen passion with Lucy, neither does he.

Now Thorne has no memory of her—nor of lying about his secret identity. Furious and betrayed, Lucy introduces herself…as his fiancée. She intends to punish his deception, and she is desperate to Who is the real Thorne?

As they uncover Thorne’s past, Lucy finds herself falling for the man behind the mask. But The Gentle Rogue’s enemies are circling, threatening all he holds dear. Thorne will have to battle his darkest demons to win a chance at a future with the woman who sees every broken piece of him…and loves him for all that he is.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Adult, Enemies To Lovers

393 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 28, 2025

Reviews

[nikki | ཐི༏ཋྀ​​݁ ₊ ݁ . · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.25★

this was cute and the chemistry between them was so good. i'd been looking forward to this one since the prior book and although it's been a min and i'm fuzzy on details, i feel like it picks back up well.

thorn gets to have many layers to him for lucy to peel away besides his outer rake persona and his gentle highwayman mask by night. there's also a trope that's usually not my thing but i felt like was utilized well in this for the story and the relationship development. and the bedroom scenes 🥵

i didn't look at the blurb bc i already wanted to read this since book 2, but i've heard it has quite a spoiler in it, so skip it and just pick this up!

and ofc the amazing mary jane wells absolutely smashes the narration.

[GigiReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been salivating for this book since Thorne made his appearance in the second book (I'm a chaos goblin and read out of order) and couldn't wait to get this in my eyeballs. Lucy leaves for the continent for a few years (I guess she had to be aged up) She comes back to find her arch nemesis Thorne had beguiled his way into her brother's family. She's extremely against it until her mysterious highwayman tells her to date another dude so she can be sure it's him she wants. And things just happen to work out where Thorne ends up showing her the things proper ladies should not see and do. And there's all this ragey I Hate You foreplay that was hot af. And oh this is why I love HR sm because where else could you have a highwayman mask wearing Duke, a plucky heroine who is super smart but can't recognize he's the same man because he's wearing a mask 🤣 Ah, Historical Romance, never change your bonkers ways!

I'm so torn on this book because on the one hand it had every trope and microtrope I die for, it was well written and the hero is a DUKE AND A HIGHWAYMAN 💀 Unfortunately, the execution was a bit lacking and the pacing was really wonky. But my biggest complaint is what do you mean the hero is a highwayman but there's like zero highwaymanning going on? Ughhhh.I also didn't care for the bad Uncle backstory. It took a lot of space and it really was a big nothing burger.
(I say bring back true villains in books, I'm tired of the villains being sanitized and turning out to actually be good...yawn). The amnesia plot line is actually not a huge part of the book but I really enjoyed it because in true classic HR fashion after Thorne regained his memories he reverted to factory settings and was once again allergic to feelings. I really wish that level of angst and romantic conflict had been sustained throughout but while I adored most of the scenes of Lucy and Thorne together, they didn't flow right and made the romance feel disjointed.

Overall I've enjoyed this series, it's been a little uneven but still probably one of the best written ones I've read this year.
This author is perfect for fans of Elisa Braden and Lisa Kleypas.

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
🔥🔥🔥/5

Tropes:
Amnesia
Fake Identity
Rivals to Lovers

[Kelli Matthews | SighingOurPleasure · Rating 5 out of 5]

A top-tier Regency capital-R Rake with a secret identity gets hit with amnesia and has to reckon with the mess he made—while falling hard for the woman he betrayed.

Gabriel de Vere, Duke of Thornecliff (aka Thorne, aka The Gentle Rogue) starts this book as the villain we loved to hate and ends it as a man who’s earned his redemption one raw, vulnerable moment at a time. Beneath the swagger is a man cracking under the weight of his trauma, his secrets, and the roles he's forced himself to play—duke, scoundrel, masked vigilante.

And Lucy? She’s no doe-eyed miss. She’s bold, with worldly experience that comes from seeing the actual world on her travels and she gives as good as she gets. Watching her outwit, outlast, and ultimately choose to love a man so splintered by his past? It was everything.

The amnesia twist could’ve gone full melodrama, but instead, it gives us the perfect lens to see Gabriel unguarded — before the layers of performance hardened into cruelty and self-loathing. It’s rare that a romance makes space for this much character excavation without veering into angst-for-angst’s-sake, but Darling does it with grace and heat.

This book was sexy and deeply satisfying. I closed it with a happy sigh and a full heart.

I highly recommend the entire series! Thank you to the author for an advance copy!

[Laura McLoughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is the MMC both a Duke AND a highwayman? Yes, yes he is.
Does the FMC have complicated feelings about both (without knowing of the secret identity)? Yes, yes she does.
Does the MMC then get amnesia and forget everything that happened in the last decade or so? Yes, he absolutely does!

Does it all work out? Obviously.

Very entertaining and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

[BrandyD · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love this new author. It was a joy to watch Lucy and Gabriel mature and grow over the course of the series.

[Miranda R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Louisa is a master bc tell me how I loathed this bastard for 2 books and was wary about him going into this one and now I'm crying over him

[Nicole Reads Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend you go into this book without reading its blurb, which has a spoiler for a significant something that happens half way through the book!!! I had not read the blurb and cackled when I hit this part. Some of you may throw your book. Either way it is so much better not anticipating the event.

I do love a Romance where the MMCs appendage knows the FMC is the only one before he does and refuses to so much as twitch for anyone else. Realistic? Hell no. But I eat it up anyway.

I also love mess. And this book is hilariously messy because the Duke of Thornecliff is also The Gentle Rogue highwayman, one of whom Lucy thirsts after and the other she detests. It's a love triangle with only one MMC! So OTT ode to 90s rom-coms. Give me ten more. And then readers, it gets even more OTT with twists and turns, and it was just so fun. I read this via audiobook (narrated by Mary Jane Wells) and it was the perfect easy listen while doing other tasks. The Duke and Lucy's lives aren't perfect, but this isn't an angsty or heavy read.

My only very minor quibble, is that for a Rake and a Regency Lady who has done and seen things, I expected a lot more on-page horny action, even if it was just thoughts and feelings. All in all tho this still gave five star vibes (because I didn't read the blurb first, seriously, don't do it!)

I've enjoyed this whole series, and do recommend you read in order. We meet all of the MCs in the first book and their interactions there make this one so much more delicious. The entire series (eBook and audio) can all currently be found in Kobo Plus!

[Diane Shearer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow! So good! There is so much going on in this book, it would be amazing on its own, but it also brings the series full circle by redeeming the worst scoundrel, Thorncliffe, with the whiny brat from book one, Lady Lucy Lively. It is so well done! Dramatic? Sure. Over the top? You bet. The reconciliation scene at the end is so outrageous it’s incomparable. Some authors couldn’t pull off this level of intensity without it becoming corny, but Louisa Darling does it beautifully. This is the second book I’ve read this week that has a head injury resulting in memory loss. As a plot technique it is very effective when it’s done well, especially in an Enemies to Lovers trope. My only complaint about the series is the terrible book covers. They don’t begin to do justice to the emotional depth found in these stories. Especially this one of Gabriel. He is supposed to be the image of perfection but the guy on this cover handed me my drive-through order yesterday, I swear. I hope the publishers decide to do better by her in future.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the promise and premise of this book were a bit better than the execution. I was expecting a 5 star given my love for the first two books in the series and how much this one was set up previously. However, the pacing was all over the place. The amnesia plot line we are promised in the book's blurb doesn't even begin until after the halfway point. As a result, the relationship while Gabriel's memories are lost and the subsequent third act breakup are very seriously rushed. I thought the yearning here was done excellently and I loved Lucy's character and enjoyed seeing the characters from the first two books but that couldn't really overcome my issues with the pacing. Also, the ending felt really trite to me.

[Anna Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again - what a nice book! 4.0 stars!
Thorne and Lucy were a long time coming and i enjoyed them a lot. Amnesia is not my favourite trope. That being said, it was very entertaining and emotional to follow Gabriel and Lucy. As with all the otther books in this series, I would have liked an even better and slower turnaround from him. The end seemed almost abrupt. Nonetheless I really recoomend I am so sad the series is over (I think?). Thus far we always got the setup of the next book in the previous one - and now no Dukes are left (that we know of). Looking forward to reading more of Louisas books in the future 💕

[LB · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book, I’ve been waiting for the Thorne book and this delivered. The set up was great, for the first half of the book we get the build up of tension between Thorne’s two identities and how Lucy feels about them both and then it’s all shaken up by his fall from the window and subsequent amnesia. Amnesia! Not sure if I’ve ever read it before but this worked for me even though it’s an absolutely ridiculous premise. Shout out to the amazing micro trope of “he’s jealous of himself.” This book was fun, sexy, and an excellent historical. Read it now.

[Jennifer Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25? I just love Louisa Darling. Her characters make me laugh and she does such a good job of making my heart ache for them even with the utterly ridiculous HR storylines. Similar vibe to Tessa Dare?

I did wish the third act breakup was a bit shorter and that Thorn got it together more quickly.

Mary Jane wells on the audiobook is phenomenal per usual! I adore her and I think she takes every book she narrates up a notch.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much fun. I unironically love amnesia tropes so I’ve read a lot of them, and Louisa Darling understands how to deliver the best of the goods of this premise while also doing some fun, fresh things with it.

[G Klo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been itching for their story since the beginning and goodness was it good!! The grand gesture at the end had me smiling and kicking my feet like a fool! Love this book and this series!

[MsWhiskey · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Pam C · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. I just didn't like Thorne as much and again, the "disguise" part of it was just ridiculous. But as Fated Mates would say...romance reasons.

[Allison K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook, but that edition was not available to select on Goodreads at the time I left my review. This whole series was excellent!

[Dreadfully_romantic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was everything and more! Funny, angsty, spicy, romantic, sad and sweet and I loved it. Lucy and Gabriel were a dream together.

[Francette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the first two books in this series and was really looking forward to this one, but it was a real let down. It just didn't have the emotion or the stakes of the previous two.

[Senorita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Narrated by Mary Jane Wells ❤️
I think I might add Louisa Darling to my favorite HR authors.

[Maj · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐. 5

[Michelle Halber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong historical romance... plot goes unexpected places, which adds to the fun.

[Grace Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

gabriel you’re charming enough i’ll forgive that you’re blonde

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read with a unique plot and complex, complicated MCs. Usually I’m not into an amnesia trope but it’s done so masterfully here.

[AJ Cecil-Starlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely Loved! Hoping for a story for Dominic.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun conclusion to the series. Lucy falls for the Gentle Rogue and starts to fall for the Duke and then boom, amnesia. The Duke no longer remembers his past after age 17 or 18 and Lucy falls in love with the man he is as well as his other personas. But she’s lied and pretended she’s his fiancée. How will that land if/when he recovers his memories.

[Farisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am stretching the definition of gothic novelist here but Lucy writes fiction about highwaymen so I’m counting it 😂 This book was fun and cute but DO NOT read the blurb before going in. The [spoiler] mentioned there doesn’t occur until we’re over halfway in! I will say that I did constantly think that though Lucy was out to prove herself a worldly woman, she read as quite young precisely because she wanted to appear as anything but. Because of this, Thorne never really felt right for her to me. I just wanted her to grow up more and find someone who wasn’t a girlhood fantasy.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started stronger than it ended.