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The Duke's Sons #6
A Favor for the Prince
Lord Alan Gresham is a bit embarrassed when the Prince Regent demands that he abandon his science experiments to work on an extremely important project―getting rid of a ghost. Alan is determined to debunk this obvious hoax as quickly as possible―until he meets a maddeningly forthright beauty.
Ariel Harding is also on a mission to discover the source behind the hauntings. She's initially unimpressed with Alan, but they soon realize that working together will get them the answers they seek. But only if they can keep their hands off each other...
Ariel Harding is also on a mission to discover the source behind the hauntings. She's initially unimpressed with Alan, but they soon realize that working together will get them the answers they seek. But only if they can keep their hands off each other...
416 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2020
93 people are currently reading
168 people want to read
About the author
Jane Ashford
52 books402 followersJane Ashford has written historical and contemporary romances. Her books have been published in England, Spain, France, Italy, Sweden, Slovakia, Denmark, Russia, and Latvia, Croatia and Slovenia as well as the U.S. She was nominated for a Career Achievement Award by RT Book Reviews. Her latest book, Lost Time, is romantic suspense with a touch of magic.
Her website is https://www.janeashford.com/ and her Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/JaneAshfordW... If you'd like to subscribe to Jane's monthly newsletter go to www.eepurl.com/cd-O7r and sign up.
Her website is https://www.janeashford.com/ and her Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/JaneAshfordW... If you'd like to subscribe to Jane's monthly newsletter go to www.eepurl.com/cd-O7r and sign up.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 16, 2020
This is the 6th and final book in the series, but it takes place first. It is about the youngest son of the duke who was married first, before book 1. All of the others overlap in time a bit but generally follow each other chronologically. I'm not sure why this one was published last. I was a bit confused before reading, but it was enjoyable. I think it works fine last or first, but this is a great series to read as a whole rather than stand-alone if you enjoy Jane Ashford.
October 28, 2020
Overall: 2 stars. A historical ghost hunters mystery romance that started off promising and quickly dwindled into meh.
(Note: this book is apparently a renamed version of the author’s earlier book The Bargain, but I read the story under this title so that’s what I’m reviewing)
Pros: Eh, the writing is decent. The first few chapters were fun - especially the ghost’s first appearance at Carlton House. Sadly, once the investigation gets going and our hero and heroine team up, things sort of slide into mediocrity.
Cons: The plot wasn’t all that interesting: neither spooky/tense nor silly/fun like a Scooby Doo mystery: these ghost hunters just don’t do all that much exciting. My biggest complaint, however, is our two leads. I’ll break it down:
1. The hero, Alan, is a condescending prick who believes love is for losers and, contrary to the typical character arc in romances for that archetype, he doesn’t learn to be less of an asshole or develop much of a “heart of gold” by the end of the story. He’s a “man of science” and reasoning, like a Regency version of the BBC/Cumberbatch Sherlock Holmes: “he’s not just smart and sciencey! He’s a jerk: how novel.” Alan is continually demeaning all the womenfolk around him for being silly females, which, sure, is period-accurate, but when not much else really is in this book, I don’t see the point in that characterization. He’s just a sexist asshole.
2. The heroine, Ariel, is a Regency!Manic Pixie Dream Girl who wanders into fancy parties and is super “quirky” by dressing badly and quoting Shakespeare and creating general “charming” mayhem. This is a zillion percent unrealistic, but like any Tessa Dare heroine, I’m cool with rolling with a more modern-inspired heroine in historical romance if the story and the character are fun/engaging. Ariel isn’t, but thankfully she’s not as dreadful as Alan is.
Is this book terrible? No, but it’s also really not worth your time either. I miiiiiight pick up another title by this author since the writing was decent, but I’m not holding my breath.
(Note: this book is apparently a renamed version of the author’s earlier book The Bargain, but I read the story under this title so that’s what I’m reviewing)
Pros: Eh, the writing is decent. The first few chapters were fun - especially the ghost’s first appearance at Carlton House. Sadly, once the investigation gets going and our hero and heroine team up, things sort of slide into mediocrity.
Cons: The plot wasn’t all that interesting: neither spooky/tense nor silly/fun like a Scooby Doo mystery: these ghost hunters just don’t do all that much exciting. My biggest complaint, however, is our two leads. I’ll break it down:
1. The hero, Alan, is a condescending prick who believes love is for losers and, contrary to the typical character arc in romances for that archetype, he doesn’t learn to be less of an asshole or develop much of a “heart of gold” by the end of the story. He’s a “man of science” and reasoning, like a Regency version of the BBC/Cumberbatch Sherlock Holmes: “he’s not just smart and sciencey! He’s a jerk: how novel.” Alan is continually demeaning all the womenfolk around him for being silly females, which, sure, is period-accurate, but when not much else really is in this book, I don’t see the point in that characterization. He’s just a sexist asshole.
2. The heroine, Ariel, is a Regency!Manic Pixie Dream Girl who wanders into fancy parties and is super “quirky” by dressing badly and quoting Shakespeare and creating general “charming” mayhem. This is a zillion percent unrealistic, but like any Tessa Dare heroine, I’m cool with rolling with a more modern-inspired heroine in historical romance if the story and the character are fun/engaging. Ariel isn’t, but thankfully she’s not as dreadful as Alan is.
Is this book terrible? No, but it’s also really not worth your time either. I miiiiiight pick up another title by this author since the writing was decent, but I’m not holding my breath.
September 6, 2020
This is her book "The Bargain", just with a new name.
June 17, 2022
When I picked up a few books at the library, I found this book in my bag. I was going to return it without reading, but stopped and read the first chapter. I wanted to read more. It turns out this is a very good book with lots of adventure, dead mother, ghosts, Young strong girl, who end up helping handsome Lord catch the ghost. I found myself being mad when I had to put the book down.
Then I find out that this book is the prequel to a 5 book series. I have already added them to my reading list. A wonderful surprise.
Then I find out that this book is the prequel to a 5 book series. I have already added them to my reading list. A wonderful surprise.
August 31, 2021
This is listed by Goodreads as the sixth book in this series, but it takes place first chronologically, and Amazon describes it as a prequel to the rest of the series. I happened to read it first, and since many of the books overlap, I think it worked out perfectly in that regard. Jane Ashford is usually good with me as regard to premise, but a bit lacking in the chemistry/dialogue, and I wouldn't say this series as a whole breaks that pattern.
Alan is the youngest son of a duke, the academic one, who still lives in Oxford and researches. He's been asked by the Prince Regent, who has some sort of relationship with Alan's dad, the Duke, to clear up a situation involving appearance by the "ghost" of an actress at Carlton House, the Regent's town residence. The Regent wants this cleared up, as he considers that it makes him appear foolish.
The actress in question happens to be the heroine Ariel's mother, Bess Harding, who died by suicide. Ariel is also investigating these appearances, because she doesn't understand her mother's death at all. Of course, they end up combining forces, in more ways than one.
Ariel is supposed to be the fanciful foil to Alan's rather stodgy persona--another review references her as a Regency Manic Pixie Dream Girl, and that's not too far off. To that end, Ariel comes across as a rather sympathetic but immature (in the sense of being girlish) character, while Alan is misogynistic and rigid. I honestly didn't love either one of them, and both of them seemed attracted to the other rather mysteriously and in spite of themselves. I didn't feel any chemistry or buy into their romance.
I did think the portrayal of Bess's mental health issues was sensitive, realistic, and well-done. The ending, however, where Ariel is literally and figuratively legitimized, was a bit out of left field but fine enough.
Alan is the youngest son of a duke, the academic one, who still lives in Oxford and researches. He's been asked by the Prince Regent, who has some sort of relationship with Alan's dad, the Duke, to clear up a situation involving appearance by the "ghost" of an actress at Carlton House, the Regent's town residence. The Regent wants this cleared up, as he considers that it makes him appear foolish.
The actress in question happens to be the heroine Ariel's mother, Bess Harding, who died by suicide. Ariel is also investigating these appearances, because she doesn't understand her mother's death at all. Of course, they end up combining forces, in more ways than one.
Ariel is supposed to be the fanciful foil to Alan's rather stodgy persona--another review references her as a Regency Manic Pixie Dream Girl, and that's not too far off. To that end, Ariel comes across as a rather sympathetic but immature (in the sense of being girlish) character, while Alan is misogynistic and rigid. I honestly didn't love either one of them, and both of them seemed attracted to the other rather mysteriously and in spite of themselves. I didn't feel any chemistry or buy into their romance.
I did think the portrayal of Bess's mental health issues was sensitive, realistic, and well-done. The ending, however, where Ariel is literally and figuratively legitimized, was a bit out of left field but fine enough.
January 23, 2021
I picked this up for the plot. The idea of the characters trying to uncover or get rid of a ghost was so intriguing to me, especially for a Regency romance.
This was my first read by this author. I think this read okay as a standalone. There are some characters from previous books but their plot lines aren't revealed or discussed much.
The first half of the book I couldn't get enough of. I thought the characters and premise were set up nicely. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. Unfortunately the story's pacing starts to drag in the middle; however it does pick back up in time for an action packed ending.
Also, I do wish the romance was developed more. Ariel and Alan do balance each other well but you never really feel the sexual tension between them. That's why I felt the sex scene sort of came out of nowhere. There was very little build up to it.
I think the ghost plot should have been condensed. The ghost plot gets swapped for the one about Ariel trying to find out about her mother's death but than gets rushed back for the ending. I think I would have liked the two plots to be paced /timed better.
Otherwise, I did enjoy the writing style and bought four more books by Ashford!
This was my first read by this author. I think this read okay as a standalone. There are some characters from previous books but their plot lines aren't revealed or discussed much.
The first half of the book I couldn't get enough of. I thought the characters and premise were set up nicely. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. Unfortunately the story's pacing starts to drag in the middle; however it does pick back up in time for an action packed ending.
Also, I do wish the romance was developed more. Ariel and Alan do balance each other well but you never really feel the sexual tension between them. That's why I felt the sex scene sort of came out of nowhere. There was very little build up to it.
I think the ghost plot should have been condensed. The ghost plot gets swapped for the one about Ariel trying to find out about her mother's death but than gets rushed back for the ending. I think I would have liked the two plots to be paced /timed better.
Otherwise, I did enjoy the writing style and bought four more books by Ashford!
September 1, 2025
Well the characters continued to be the absolute worst in this story. At least that was consistent. But everything else?
Why the hell was this the last novel and not the first? Every single book had at least one point where I thought to myself “it feels like I’ve missed some prequel novel,” only to find out that the missing info was in book 6. Flora and Robert’s book felt this missing piece the most. Terrible writing/plotting.
Then there were the characters themselves in this. The brother’s were all using “ain’t” like the low brow ruffians they are decidedly not. And they didn’t talk like that at all in the earlier books. It was just weird. And I’m pretty sure that the heir was called Lord Hightower in the first book and kept being referred to as Lord Highgrove in this one.
Just not a great series over all. I won’t be reading more from this author.
Why the hell was this the last novel and not the first? Every single book had at least one point where I thought to myself “it feels like I’ve missed some prequel novel,” only to find out that the missing info was in book 6. Flora and Robert’s book felt this missing piece the most. Terrible writing/plotting.
Then there were the characters themselves in this. The brother’s were all using “ain’t” like the low brow ruffians they are decidedly not. And they didn’t talk like that at all in the earlier books. It was just weird. And I’m pretty sure that the heir was called Lord Hightower in the first book and kept being referred to as Lord Highgrove in this one.
Just not a great series over all. I won’t be reading more from this author.
December 23, 2023
What I really liked about this book was the relationship between the heroine and the brothers. I thought that was really entertaining to see them all flock to her for advice. I will say, that I felt the book left some unanswered questions. We figure out who is doing the hauntings, but not really why the mom died. Also, there was a sex scene in the book for those who don't like to read books containing that
May 16, 2021
This is the second(?) book by Jane Ashford that I’ve read, and just like the first, I thoroughly enjoyed this. Regency romance but with a dash of adventure, this novel featured a strong-willed and intelligent heroine and a stubborn and unrelentingly stern hero. Fairly standard Regency fare but I loved Ashford’a dialogue and the little “ghost”/investigating a suicide plot.
August 13, 2021
3+ stars = This is really .05 of 5 for this series as it is the start of everything (none of the sons are married yet). They must be counting strictly by copyright date. FictionDB has the actual count to my thinking. And from reading the comments on this book it is a reprint of a book 'The Bargain' (hence the late copyright date then). Nobody mentioned if it had any updated scenes or not.
July 11, 2020
A must read
I loved this story! I'm glad Alan and Ariel finally got their own story. It was a story of mystery and intrigue. It was also a story of the abuse of children which I am very much against. 👍👍👍
I loved this story! I'm glad Alan and Ariel finally got their own story. It was a story of mystery and intrigue. It was also a story of the abuse of children which I am very much against. 👍👍👍
September 27, 2020
Good book but annoying that they released her old book (the bargain) with a new title. Started reading the first few pages and knew I had read this before but how since it was only published a couple months ago? I got it from the library, would have been really mad if I had bought it.
July 21, 2020
Overall an enjoyable story, nice romance but the side stories do tend to overwhelm the main plot at times.
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May 9, 2022P
October 16, 2022
I read the series in the order listed here but think I'd have preferred this to be first rather than last.
October 22, 2022
Loved the family dynamic of the Gresham brothers and Ariel! A little disappointed with the ending to the "ghost", but completely was not expecting that. 4/5 read!
May 17, 2023
easy escape with suspense, humour, romance and sex scenes. Totally unrealistic. The last third a bit disappointing.
October 2, 2023
It was a light relaxing romance set in England. I really enjoyed the twist of who done it in the last chapter. I would read more books by this author.
July 27, 2024
Big disappointment as I usually like this author.
January 3, 2023
Minus one star for completely unnecessary use of Romani stereotypes/costume , and minus another star for using childhood sexual abuse as a throaway plot point /side character motivation, not providing for any closure for the affected characters
The plot dragged on quite a lot in the middle and i do hate the "they both love each other but are too fucking stubborn to communicate" trope when it's not done with care - which it isn't, here.
Otherwise it was fine, prose was good, plenty of humor and the author did a great job of giving each Langford brother a distinctive personality and voice, which is quite difficult
The plot dragged on quite a lot in the middle and i do hate the "they both love each other but are too fucking stubborn to communicate" trope when it's not done with care - which it isn't, here.
Otherwise it was fine, prose was good, plenty of humor and the author did a great job of giving each Langford brother a distinctive personality and voice, which is quite difficult
October 14, 2025
Hilarious in parts, a good read
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews