Ten Things I Hate About the Duke

Difficult Dukes #2

by Loretta Chase

USA Today bestselling author Loretta Chase continues her Difficult Dukes series with this delightful spin on Shakespeare's classic, The Taming of the Shrew.

Cassandra Pomfret holds strong opinions she isn’t shy about voicing. But her extremely plain speaking has caused an uproar, and her exasperated father, hoping a husband will rein her in, has ruled that her beloved sister can’t marry until Cassandra does.

Now, thanks to a certain wild-living nobleman, the last shreds of Cassandra’s reputation are about to disintegrate, taking her sister’s future and her family’s good name along with them.

The Duke of Ashmont’s looks make women swoon. His character flaws are beyond counting. He’s lost a perfectly good bride through his own carelessness. He nearly killed one of his two best friends. Still, troublemaker that he is, he knows that damaging a lady’s good name isn’t sporting.

The only way to right the wrong is to marry her…and hope she doesn’t smother him in his sleep on their wedding night.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Fiction, Regency

386 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 2020

About the author

Loretta Lynda Chekani was born in 1949, of Albanian ancestry. For her, the trouble started when she learned to write in first grade. Before then, she had been making up her own stories but now she knew how to write them down to share. In her teenage years, she continue to write letters, keep a journal, write poetry and even attempt the Great American Novel (still unfinished). She attended New England public schools, before she went off to college and earned an English degree from Clark University.

After graduation, she worked a variety of jobs at Clark including a part-time teaching post. She was also moonlighting as a video scriptwriter. It was there that she met a video producer who inspired her to write novels and marry him. Under her married name, Loretta Chase, has been publishing historical romance novels since 1987. Her books have won many awards, including the Romance Writers of America RITA.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Taming of the Shrew! <--except good!
And what I mean by that is if you took the funny, spunky part of Shakespeare's classic, got rid of the parts where Kate ended up being brainwashed into thinking it was cool to bow to her asshole of a husband's every whim, and put it in a bodice ripper setting? Well, then you'd have Ten Things I Hate About the Duke.



This was quite a fun and far more palatable look at a romance featuring an intelligent woman who comes across as prickly, and the shiftless and (at first) drunken man who falls head over heels for her.
The difference between Ashmont and Shakespeare's Petruchio is that Petruchio is a loud, obnoxious, narcissistic dickbag who is determined to put Kate in her place, and Ashmont is more of a lovable ass that has a single-minded determination to win Cassandra's hand.
What starts out as Ashmont trying to put things right by offering to marry Cassandra after one of his fuck-ups nearly ruins her reputation, soon turns into him realizing that she's perfect for him. And he spends the rest of the book desperately trying everything to get her to take him seriously as a suitor.



He's clueless, by the way. Just a complete idiot when it comes to women.
But you do fall in love with him as he bumbles his way through a series of hilarious attempts to act like a grown-up for the first time in his life.



The couple's banter is funny and Ashmont's good intentions combined with his puppy-dog eyes eventually won me (and Cassandra) over completely.



This is one of those rare books that left me with zero complaints and a huge smile on my face. For whatever reason, I just connected with this story and thoroughly enjoyed myself from start to finish.
Highly Recommended!

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Be careful what you wish for in a book. Have you ever read a romance where the guy is kind of a jerk and the girl just forgives him way too easily without him doing any groveling, apologizing, or major changes on his part? Welcome to the book that is almost 100% about the guy doing all those things he really needs to do to win over the girl. It's boring as hell.

I will say this is the second book in a series and I did not read the first book. So in just this book, we only see two examples of Ashmont's bad behavior and then are told (not shown) a lot of his previous bad-boy exploits briefly. So his attempts to reform himself that goes on and on for the majority of the book didn't really feel like some major needed undertaking for me. Instead it just felt never ending.

At the end there's a secondary plot thrown in that is resolved in laughably easy fashion but it was kind of a relief to just escape Ashmont's "I'm not worthy" inner monologue.

I received this book for free as a Goodreads Giveaway, and this did not impact my review.

[OLT · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5 stars) I went into the reading of this with few expectations. There's something about immature, bad boy, entitled rich jerks that does not sit well with me. I did not enjoy Chase's first book in this series very much for that reason and thought I'd enjoy this one even less because it's about the most immature of this immature trio called the Dis-Graces. But Chase managed to make me like this guy and I enjoyed seeing him grow up and work to make himself worthy of our heroine.

As you can tell from the title, this is inspired by that movie Ten Things I Hate About You, which in turn was inspired by Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. This story, however, is a bit of a 180 on Shakespeare's play, since the character who is actually "tamed" turns out to be Lucius, Duke of Ashmont, the second of the Dis-Graces to have his story told to us.

At the beginning of this novel, we find our "hero" Ashmont drunk as a lord after dueling with fellow Dis-Grace Ripley, who had managed to run off with Ashmont's wife-to-be on the day of the wedding. (That can all be found out about in Book One of this series.) So, yeah, he's drunk and as irresponsible as always and he manages to cause an accident to the carriage of Miss Cassandra Pomfret, who is passing by on her way to visit her aunt.

The accident causes an unfortunate injury to Cassandra's manservant Keefe. When Ashmont passes out in a drunken stupor soon after, she throws a bucket of water on him and says, "You must collect yourself and try, for once in your misbegotten life, to make yourself useful." Well, there you have it, actually. He takes her words to heart. He also takes her to heart, quite taken by her take-charge, strong, opinionated personality.

Yes, Cassandra is our "shrew" of this story. But not really. She's just a woman who wants more from life than the subservient "I have no thoughts in my head that haven't been put there by a man" role that women are expected to play in 1800s England. She isn't demure enough to attract suitors, she involves herself in politics and social concerns through the Andromeda Society, and she tools around town, driving her own carriage.

Well, her father, well-respected politician Lord deGriffith, has had enough of this and has set down an ultimatum that she must make herself agreeable to the opposite sex and marry before her lovely and sweet younger sister Hyacinth will be allowed out and about in society.

This love story is actually quite delicious. There's a bit of the Lord of Scoundrels Dain/Jessica feel to the relationship of this H and h. You know, the maturity and smarts and thoughtfulness of the woman and the immaturity and bad behavior of the man. "'I'm very glad one of us has a large brain,' he said. 'Yours is perfectly functional,' she said. 'The trouble is lack of exercise.'"

There's also a lovely slow-burn development to the romance and some really warm, romantic scenes that are actually quite innocent on the surface. Remember the swoon-worthy LoS moment with Dain unbuttoning Jessica's glove while murmuring to her in Italian? In this story we have some swoony moments involving just hand holding. "Though the theater was well lit, their joined hands lay in the shadows, invisible to the audience. A delicious secret..."

And there's his sensual reaction to her dressed for the theater, in sight, sound, and smell, almost in taste. "Tonight she was deliciously undressed, or at least less covered than usual. Only a few strategically placed bows adorned the blue silk dress. One fluttered at each naked shoulder. The one of the center of her neckline moved in time with her bosom's rise and fall...When he leant over her, the scent of rosemary, lavender and Cassandra Pomfret rose to his nostrils...Even when he couldn't smell her, he could hear the faint rustle of silk when she moved. Breathed."

I really thought that Chase got the romance almost perfect here. We didn't get immediate sex even though there was almost immediate attraction. That had to wait until Ashmont proved himself worthy of Cassandra. And he worked very hard to do this. He stopped drinking and acting like a juvenile. He started listening and thinking of others. He even read A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Wollstonecraft. "..he saw her now, truly saw her, as no other man did or probably ever would. He'd taken pains to see her truly."

I loved the love in this. I enjoyed the hero's growth. I think this fictional couple has a chance for happiness in their fictional life.

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is second in a series and takes up events pretty closely after the first. Including some ramifications of how that ended. You could read these separately, really, but it's as well if you don't.

This story starts with both protagonists in holes of their own making. Cassandra (who names their daughters after figures of tragedy? Seems like a bad idea, really) is under a pall for making public spectacles that splash back on her family. Her father isn't completely unreasonable, but asking her to toe the line seems like a huge thing to her because there are things she wants to accomplish and playing nice isn't one of them. Being the anachronistic feminist she is, this makes some sense and frankly, I kind of like how Chase has set up her anachronism because her actions actually make sense once translated into the period. That's a mash, isn't it? Put it this way: while her attitudes are pretty modern, how she goes about making change is reasonable and consists of things women of her period were actually actively trying to do. Just, not the young, single ones generally speaking.

The hole Ashmont has dug himself, on the other hand, is nothing like admirable or sympathetic. He's mostly just a drunken waste of skin, though a popular one. Worse, Cassandra had a giant crush on him when they were young because he championed her a couple of times when it was important to her young heart and he did so out of an innate kindness and care. So she imagined that he'd turn into a great guy that she couldn't wait to encounter once they were of age. Only he didn't turn out that way at all. A couple of disappointments later and she's pretty done with him, really. So he's not only in the generic hole of his making, but one specifically deeper in relation to Cassandra due to her very disappointed expectations.

It was great seeing his eyes open to her stellar qualities. It was even better that those weren't her physical attributes. Or not solely her physical attributes, I should say. They had some great banter and I kind of loved seeing Ashmont working so hard to earn a foundation of trust when he'd never had to try at all in his life before. And particular kudos for working Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman into the story in a way that went beyond a mere sop to Cassandra's feminist background. And extra kudos for making it a tool of seduction in a way that wasn't cloying or stupid.

Parts of the plot bothered me more than a little. Sections of PoV from the villains' perspectives almost always irritate and this is not an exception here. Venal people being venal doesn't interest me at all and I wish that Chase had found a better way to convey the strong family dynamic inherent in Cassandra's family than through these machinations. That family dynamic was outstanding, particularly when Ashmont recognized it as something he very much wanted for himself. But did we really need all the incompetent sleaze to get there? That's an honest question because I don't want to forgo the illustration of Cassandra's excellent family and the scene where Cassandra responds to blackmail regarding her parents by going to her parents was the best thing ever!

So this is five stars, though a little wobbly due to the idiots being stupid taking forefront more than I liked. Still, I really liked seeing Ashmont rise to the challenge and win the woman who would be the making of him; the moreso that she wouldn't actually have to be the making of him as they became a true team who would work together in a foundation of love and trust.

A note about Steamy: There are two explicit sex scenes putting this on the low end of my steam tolerance (because they were pretty constrained, really). Both were very well-integrated into the story, actually, and functioned perfectly in line with where both characters were in their relationship. So very well-done.

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Ten Things I Hate About the Duke by Loretta Chase, which was my first book by this author, if you can believe it. The novel really delivered with an interesting plotline and unique, exciting characters. Give me a repentant rake and an opinionated, strong woman and I'm a happy camper! How can you go wrong with a Taming of the Shrew retelling?

Ten Things I Hate About the Duke is a bit of a convoluted, long-feeling story, but I really got into it as I went along. I hadn't read the first in the series, A Duke in Shining Armor, but I didn't need it to follow the plot at all.

Some of the best parts of the story were the side characters. I really liked how they felt like more than plot devices and got their own stories as well. It felt extremely well-conceived. Also, Ashmont got to be fully shown in his drunken, screw-up self, and I love it when a male MC has to crawl his way up from the bottom. It's the best when authors make them work for their redemption, and the female MC didn't cut him any slack. At all. Yaaaassssss.

Super strong historical romance. I think it's beyond time for me to crack open my paperback of Lord of Scoundrels, don't you agree?

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

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[Caz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've given this an A at AAR

It’s been three years since we last had a new book from Loretta Chase, and I’m sure the burning question for historical romance fans is – was the long wait worth it?  I’m happy to say that yes, it was; Ten Things I Hate About the Duke may be one of those silly movie-reference titles that abound in historical romance these days, but the book itself is – thankfully – far from silly.  It’s classic Chase, featuring a pair of well-rounded, likeable protagonists, oodles of sexual tension and prose filled with insight, a generous helping of snark and the author’s customary razor-sharp wit.  It’s the best historical romance of the year, hands down.

Note: There are minor spoilers for the previous book, A Duke in Shining Armor, in this review.

Miss Cassandra Pomfret, eldest daughter of Lord deGriffith, is young woman who not only dares to hold opinions of her own but (even worse) dares to actually express them.  Cruelly nicknamed by the ton – Medusa and de Griffith’s Gorgon are just two of the charming epithets she’s attracted – she is continually frustrated by the restrictions imposed on her by society, the expectation that she should care more about her frocks than about working to make the world a better place.  But after she speaks out at a political meeting – and almost causes a riot – her father, a respected and influential politician, has had enough of her unconventional and ill-advised behaviour.  He has no doubt of her good intentions or her belief in the causes she espouses, but she needs to recognise that her actions reflect badly on her family, and particularly on her younger sister Hyacinth, who is having her very first London Season.  Lord deGriffith sees no point in his younger daughter moving in society if Cassandra’s actions continually undermine her position and reputation, and declares it is at an end, and that he will not give permission for Hyacinth to marry until Cassandra has done so.  For her part, Hyacinth – who has become the toast of the Season and attracted a host of beaux – isn’t particularly bothered at having her Season curtailed, but even so, Cassandra feels dreadfully guilty about it.  A couple of days later, Hyacinth urges her sister to go to visit their ailing former governess in Roehampton, and Cassandra sets out, with her maid and her groom accompanying her.

His Grace with the Angel Face the Duke of Ashmont has repaired to The Green Man on Putney Heath following the duel earlier in the morning with the Duke of Ripley.  Ashmont issued the challenge after his fiancée absconded on the morning of their wedding with Ripley in tow (perfectly innocently at first), and then, a few days later, jilted Ashmont in order to marry Ripley. Honour (and given this is Ashmont, a good deal of booze) demanded the challenge, and fortunately for all concerned, Ashmont didn’t put a bullet through Ripley.  A few hours later, Ashmont has drunk away the morning, despondent, and still shaken by the thought that he could conceivably have killed his best friend, He’s set to drink the rest of the day away when a commotion outside draws his attention.  Very much the worse for wear, he staggers outside, his one intention to stop the row that’s adding to the hammering in his head; he raises his pistol and fires into the air – causing the horses drawing an approaching carriage to bolt and the carriage to topple over.

Horrified – and still very drunk – Ashmont staggers over to the scene to find two young women lying near the carriage and a third body – a man – a short distance away.  He’s made his way over to the women and is relieved when one of them – a redhead – sits up… and not so relieved when she yells at him and smacks him with her bonnet.  As he finally faceplants, she gets up and calmly steps over him saying “Yes, you, of course… It only wanted this.”

Somehow, Cassandra thinks, she should have known Ashmont to have been the cause of all this mayhem – it’s what he does best after all. She’s known him, on and off, all her life, and was even – as a girl – in love with him… until she realised he was never going to become the man she hoped he would. But there’s no time to dwell on that; her groom has been badly injured and needs help; Ashmont’s clout and money are needed which means, unfortunately, that so is he.

Still lying on the ground, Ashmont is contemplating the clouds and flashing grey eyes and dark red curls… when a bucket of cold water is dumped unceremoniously on his head and he’s exhorted to get up and make himself – and his money – useful.

Ashmont does indeed make himself (and his money) useful and he tries hard to fix the humungous mess he’s made – especially after Cassandra’s maid decides to return home, leaving her mistress completely unchaperoned. Once word gets out about his involvement, Cassandra will be ruined – but luckily for all concerned, Ashmont’s uncle Frederick (Lord Frederick Beckingham, whom we met in the previous book) has a cooler, wiser head and advises Ashmont to leave as soon as possible after buying the silence of the staff at the inn, and thus protect Cassandra’s reputation.

Ashmont is sensible enough to take good advice, and disaster is averted. But… clever, challenging, imperturbable, waspish Cassandra Pomfret has completely captivated him, and he decides to pursue her. The trouble is, she clearly isn’t impressed by his looks, his money or his rank – which are the things that usually get him what he wants – and he’s going to have to work harder than he’s ever worked at anything (which, let’s face it, he’s never done) if he wants to win her.

What follows is a sprightly and absolutely delightful dance as Ashmont, who is far from the idiot he allows the world believe him to be, slowly but surely works out how to prove to Cassandra that he’s serious about her. He listens to her, he values her opinion, he finds out about things that are important to her and in the process, he starts to take stock of his own life, and to realise how little he’s made of it – which makes Ten Things as much a story of a man discovering the person he’s truly meant to be as it is a romance. Ashmont isn’t a man redeemed by love, or a rake reformed due to the love of a good woman; he’s a man redeeming himself, a man coming to realise that he’s wasting the many gifts he’s been given and that he wants to be a better man than he’s been hitherto. Yes, Cassandra provides the impetus by making him want to change, and by opening his eyes to the reality and frequent unpleasantness of the world around him – but no change of this sort is effective if the person concerned isn’t determined to do it, and Ashmont is prepared to work at turning his life around.

Ashmont and Cassandra are superbly drawn characters who simply light up the pages when they’re together, and the author has done a splendid job of making Ashmont – who could have been hard to like – an endearing character, even when he’s making bad decisions. Cassandra is intelligent, independent, outspoken, and deeply compassionate, and I was impressed with the way she’s shown to be a woman pushing at the boundaries of the conventions that constrain her and trying to make a difference in the world, while still being very much a woman of her time. The author’s subtle but pertinent commentary on the position of women in society is beautifully observed and quite low-key but no less scathing for that.

There’s an excellently-drawn secondary cast; I really liked the dynamic between Cassandra’s parents, and appreciated that Lord deGriffith isn’t an ogre, but a loving father driven to the extremes of exasperation. I can’t wait to find out what’s going on between Blackwood and Alice, and there’s definitely a story to be told about Lord Frederick and Lady Charles. But for now, Ten Things I Hate About the Duke is a terrific read and a fabulous example of historical romance done right. Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait three years for the next instalment!

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

STORY GRADE: A
NARRATION GRADE: A+

Ten Things I Hate About the Duke was easily one of my favorite books in 2020; the audio improves this already tremendous novel. Kate Reading has a flair for rakes/wild-living/flawed noblemen and I AM HERE FOR IT. I swoon, I shake my head, I giggle…I love them – and her interpretation of these flawed heroes. Friends, Chase and Reading are a dream team.

While A Duke in Shining Armor, the first Difficult Dukes novel was fabulous, I couldn’t wait for Ms. Chase to spend more time with the dissolute and gorgeous, jilted Duke of Ashmont (dubbed ‘his Grace with the Angel Face’ by his best friends and fellow Dis-Graces, Hugh Ancaster, Duke of Ripley, and the Duke of Blackwood). In A Duke in Shining Armor, while Ashmont got rip-roaring drunk on his wedding day, Ripley (his best man) chased after his similarly intoxicated runaway fiancée, Lady Olympia Hightower. Ripley and Olympia wound up falling in love and an angry Ashmont challenged Ripley to a duel.

When Ten Things I Hate About the Duke begins, Ashmont is drunk and desolate after very nearly killing his best friend. He’s spent the morning imbibing at his favorite pub (the owners are used to his hijinks, fond of his coin, and tolerant of his behavior), when chaos erupts. Fed up, a woozy Ashmont steps outside and shoots his pistol to put an end to the kerfuffle. The loud blast inadvertently sends an approaching carriage and its riders careening through the street. Horrified, he runs to help and watches in dismay as the carriage tips over. Much to his relief, the redheaded woman who was holding the reins sits up, and then the woman next to her (her maid) stirs and also appears unharmed. He’s considering what to do next when the vaguely familiar driver approaches and begins insulting him before finally hitting him with her hat, knocking him off his feet.

Still drunk, now dazed and also a little bit afraid, Ashmont gets up and follows her to a man lying motionless near a tree. Ashton immediately recognizes him – it’s Tom Keeffe, a once successful jockey who survived a terrible accident that ended his career; Ashton is a fan. The pair exchange greetings and chit chat as the redhead fumes, until she finally silences the pair in exasperation. Keefe tries to reassure her that he’s well, while Ashton, confused about why the woman is with Keeffe in the first place, and uncertain what to do next (he doesn’t want to make her mad) staggers and then passes out. Oops. Friends, you read that right. It’s been a LONG and DRUNKEN day. Ashton comes to after the redhead dumps a bucket of water on his face and tells him to get up and make himself and his money useful. #badass

Cassandra Pomfret, the familiar and angry redhead, also sometimes referred to as Medusa or deGriffith’s Gorgon or Cassandra Prophet of Doom, is intelligent and Has Opinions. Opinions she’s also, much to her father’s chagrin, unafraid to share. WITH MEN! When Ten Things I Hate About the Duke begins, Cassandra’s plain speaking has gotten her into bigger trouble than usual. Exhausted and frustrated by her behavior and unwilling to tolerate it any longer, her father issues an ultimatum he hopes will force her to change: Hyacinth, her beautiful, beloved younger sister – the belle of the season – cannot marry or attend social events until Cassandra conforms to her father’s expectations and finds a husband of her own. The ultimatum saddens and infuriates Cassandra who, with a gentle nudge from Hyacinth, decides to leave London and reassess her future.

Cassandra is en route to the home of her former governess, accompanied by her maid and companion and friend Tom Keeffe, when disaster strikes. A group of men pour out of the local pub, a buffoon shoots his pistol into the air, and her horses go into a frenzy.

After cataloging her injuries, Cassandra sits up and recognizes the man crouched next to her asking if she’s okay. It’s the beautiful, angel-faced Duke of Ashmont, the man she loved as a young girl until he proved unworthy of her affections. The same idiot who just fought a duel with his best friend after his fiancée jilted him. Uh oh. Oh friends! This whole scene – and the ensuing days – is a hot mess of Ashmont trying and failing to fix the GIGANTIC mess he’s made, and Cassandra awesomely putting him in his place. I loved her, I loved him, I loved sweet Tom Keeffe – who quickly does some romantic mental matchmaking – and I loved how the carriage disaster sets these two on a path together. Ashmont is no dummy (he just acts like one in public All the Time). He’s a sexy badass who keeps making bad decisions, but has finally realized that drinking and shenanigans are ruining his life. Cassandra is the one woman who gives as good as she gets and is more than a match for him. Ashmont usually relies on his uncle (and only living relative) to help him out of his various messes, but this time – instead of fixing everything – he gives Ashmont good advice…and Ashmont follows it.

Cassandra knows a single, minimally chaperoned woman involved in a carriage accident with an infamous duke is a disaster in the making. So after a brief stay to ensure Keefe is on the mend, she returns to London, convinced her life is ruined. But unbeknownst to her, Ashton puts his money to good use silencing any witnesses and also returns to London. And then Cassandra’s real problems begin. A repentant Ashmont has decided he likes Cassandra. A lot. And he’s sexy and hot and sweet and stubborn and determined to be the man he believes Cassandra deserves. Cassandra futilely resists, and what follows is a battle of wits, wooing, sexy smirks, good smelling cologne, smart, clever repartée, and chemistry and…friends, it’s all so much fun.

Ashton quickly realizes Cassandra is good to everyone but herself, and makes it his job to understand his prickly, brainy lady-love. He reads Wollstonecraft, learns about issues that are important to her, and protects her from anyone and anything aiming to do her harm. Yep, there are villains, too! Listeners expect the carriage disaster to prove the biggest impediment to love between Cassandra and Ashmont, but it’s the villains (along with an assist from the lovely Hyacinth (who I hope gets a novel or novella of her own) who actually nudge the romance in the right (sexy times) direction. Ashmont and Cassandra are lovely together in every iteration – enemies, co-conspirators, friends, and eventually lovers, and it is a JOY to read yet another terrific Chase romance.

I was thrilled when I finished reading the novel, but I sighed in absolute happiness after I listened to it. Kate Reading nails our mischievous, sometimes bewildered, deeply in love Duke of Ashmont, and nearly matches the excellence of that portrayal with our tough-as-nails heroine. She gives as good as she gets, and Ms. Reading masterfully captures both her strong and fearsome outward persona and her vulnerable, less confident, tender side. I was totally engrossed in her performance, and she’s similarly brilliant at bringing to life the secondary characters, too. Ms. Reading is the perfect narrator to voice Ms. Chase’s novels. She becomes these characters. I didn’t hate anything about Ten Things I Hate About the Duke! I loved it – you will, too.

[Merry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable book that I would read again. I sampled the first in the series and had trouble getting into the plot. I will try the book again. The book is more about the personal growth of the Duke of Ashmont and the love of a good woman, Cassandra. I found it a fun lighthearted read as the Duke doesn't always come off as the brightest bulb.

8/22 I just finished the audio reread and it was very well done. I have little to add to my above review. I do wish that the #3 book would be published...but I guess when the time is right it will.

[Topastro · Rating 5 out of 5]

2022 reread - This was a perfect example of feminism with in historical romance. I was struck with how the the heroine showcased her ideals for the time she lived in without compromising the accuracy of the time. It was well balanced and thankfully not with the current trend of having a modern heroine in some corset and calling it historical romance.

Kate Reading's voice is a weighted blanket for my soul.

The first book of this series was ok but Ten Things I hate About the Duke hit it out of the park. I loved the self assured Cassandra. Bold and outspoken her relatable insecurities and desires made it easy to love and connect to her. Ashmont with this dissolute ways was loveable but as Cassandra knew, needed some polish. The character development was done well and I was rooting for the MC from the beginning. Cassandra's family was also a delight, all the secondary characters were well written. I'm definitely keeping tune to see what is going on between Blackwood and Alice

[Addie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not warm to the hero, he was forgiven far too easily, annoyingly quick redemption arch that was completely unbelievable.

And he DID NOT DESERVE HER.

LC excels at times in her writing and some of the dialogue between the two is magnificent, but I was confused, distracted and bored by the plot (s).

And did I mention how much I disliked the hero?

[Preeti · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Heroines I love/I will become bi for, childhood unrequited love, redemption arc)

I read this book a few days back and forgot to write the review. No, the book was delightful, I just got busy reading other books and missed to update. Furthermore, I have wanted to read this book since its release, because 'Ten things I hate about you' is one of the few rom-com movies I truly love and have watched more than a dozen times.

Plotline
The story revolves around Cassandra Pomfret. She is a 24-year-old, red-haired, highly intelligent, no-nonsense girl. She is a member of Andromeda society that helps distressed women and the poor. But, she is known as 'Medusa' among men who fear she can make any man cry. And, though her father is a member of the house of commons and a liberal, still he doesn't approve of her riding and public speaking against political bills. So, he curtailed Cassandra's younger sister's freedom to stop her from doing something reckless.

Then, By being at the right place at the wrong time, her carriage meets an accident, and her old bodyguard Kev was injured. She became furious to know that the accident was caused by Lucious, the duke of Ashmont. He is good-looking and rich, but in reality, he is a total rake, drunkard, and a known prankster. He was also recently jilted by the to-be bride, who ran away on the day of the wedding.

After this meeting, Lucius wants to marry Cassandra but she is sure this is another of his passing fantasies. And, is not ready to cut any slack for him.

Romance

So, here comes the twist in the tale. Cassandra had known Lucius since childhood. He was her crush for a long time and maybe even the unrequited love but when she grew up and saw him as another wastrel, she buried her feelings for him.

But, now, Lucius is trying hard to win her and put things back to order. The banter or more like Cassandra giving him grief was really funny to read. I have lost count of the number of times Lucius has proposed and how many times Cassandra threatened to kill him. The first time, I think she threw the teapot.🤭🤭

I also love that in most of the HR books, the heroine is shown as swooning just by the single glance from a rake hero but here it was completely different. Plus, we also get to see that it's not easy for a reformed rake, Lucius's struggles were very real.

Since I ranted about a so-called feminist/vigilant Historical romance a few days back, I am obliged to add, this book here is how a perfect feminist HR should be written. I have read only one book by Loretta Chase, that too a long time back. So, I had no idea that her writing is so witty or that she captures the plots and customs of time so accurately.

Niggle
 Maybe I am a bit mean/sadist because I wanted the poor hero to suffer more even though I have not read the previous book and had no idea how much havoc he has created in the past. If not for this issue, I would have given this book a five-star.

Still, I am looking forward to reading more from this author. Maybe I will start first from book 1 of this series.😂😂

Note- Thanks, Nelly Swilla, for nudging me to start reading this book otherwise, I would have wasted another few months.

[Emilia Redington · Rating 4 out of 5]

4☆☆☆☆
This was such a beautiful book. Loved the heroine. She was so matter of fact and even if she was in love with the Hero since she was young, she didn't swoon in his arms just because. She told him how a good for nothing he is.

Lucius on the other hand was my kind of hero, respectful and set up on winning Cassandra but not by using subterfuge. He reviewed his life and actions and wanted to be a better version of himself. That is what a healthy relationship should inspire in man.

I loved their bantering and passion.

It was kinda dragging sometimes, but nothing to undermine the beauty of the story.

[WhiskeyintheJar · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.


A match made in Bedlam: the Gorgon and the prankster.

Second in the Difficult Dukes series, this starts off about a week after the first in the series, A Duke in Shining Armor, ended. If you read the first, you'll remember Lucius, the Duke of Ashmont as the drunken jilted groom. Lucius did not recommend himself much and as this starts off, he continues with his drunken ways, causing a carriage accident that enmeshes our heroine. Lady Cassandra deGriffith has a reputation as a too opinionated woman and considered on the shelf. When a carriage accident caused by none other than the wastrel Duke of Ashmont and her childhood crush, has her groom and friend laid up with broken ribs, she is furious at him.

“I like a lively girl,” Ashmont said.

The first half of this felt a little slow and meandering but it comes together more in the second half as everything comes crashing together. The carriage accident causing Cassandra's friend to be laid up and her maid running away, sets up Lucius offering marriage to her to save her reputation and thus our marriage of convenience trope is born. Cassandra states and thinks the betrothal is fake and just for appearances sake but Lucius wants it to be real as by the second half, he's consciously enamored by Cassandra's backbone and wit and subconsciously in love with her.

She was a force to be reckoned with, and he was ready to reckon.

Cassandra for her part is extremely cautious about Lucius, she knew him in childhood as their circle of family and friends played together and had a childhood crush on him. Her childhood crush gets, well crushed, as they grow-up and Lucius becomes an obnoxious prankster and lush. Cassandra is scared to believe and trust in this “new” Lucius that is trying to act more mature and seems intrigued and attracted to her. Cassandra was mostly raised by her grandparents as her parents had eleven kids and seemed to want to focus on the boys more. This seemed an odd add-in as we never get scenes with Cassandra and her grandparents and there was some dancing around making her father a caring man for her but he didn't raise her? She has the added pressure to not cause drama because of her more feminist views and actions she takes in their favor have damaged her reputation and her father is trying to keep her in line by punishing Cassandra's younger sister, Hyacinth, by restricting what Hyacinth can do during her season. I'm team Cassandra, because how can you not be with this line: Coffee rooms, generally, were men’s domains. Cassandra usually observed such proprieties, because men became hysterical when women trespassed, and that was tedious. The word tedious is killer. So Cassandra is trying to protect her heart and not cross any lines, all while scandalous Lucius is saying he has mended his ways and truly wants her as a wife.

This was the one who’d spun herself dizzy, gazing at the stars. This was the little rebel who wouldn’t be bullied. This was she, all grown up.

Lucius grew up without a mother and his father definitely had a hand in creating the man who became one of the three 'Dis-Graces'. Again, for how much and important Lucius' uncle Frederick was, I was we could have gotten more scenes with the two together. I was not a fan, at all, of Lucius when the first book ended but I have to say, he did a pretty good job of redeeming himself in his own book. He pays attention to Casandra (her reads Wollstonecraft for her!) and begins to fall in love for who she is and he works to show her that. For people that are looking for more sex scenes, you only get one here, for others that want the depth of relationship to come from more tantalizing emotion bred from inner and mental connections, the second half delivers this with some sweet letter writing and other moments.

The way she’d looked at him. He’d thought he’d died and come to life at the same time.

Secondary characters from the first carry over and I find myself still strongly desiring Lucius' uncle Frederick and Julia's story and Lucius' friend Blackwood (another Dis-Grace) and his wife Alice clearly have some marriage angst that begs to be sorted out. I also really enjoyed the sense of time and place that the author managed to create, it helped make this feel like a solid historical instead of window dressed. This started off slow for me but with a hero that worked to bond with the heroine and managed to be dashing in Vauxhall and feel this while helping Cassandra stop a family from being evicted: They had nothing. He wanted to weep. She makes men cry, Morris had said. Maybe they ought to., well, how could you not soften towards him and cheer for him to sweep Cassandra off her feet.

“Because you’re you,” he said softly.

[Carol Cork *Young at Heart Oldie* · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in Loretta Chase’s Difficult Dukes series has been a long time coming, but I’m delighted to say it was well worth the wait. It combines all the elements I love so much about Ms. Chase’s books - an entertaining story filled with fascinating characters, sparking wit, laugh-out-loud moments and a captivating romance.

I admit to having doubts that Ms. Chase could make Ashmont not only likeable, but also deserving of the heroine’s love. I’m pleased to say that my reservations proved groundless, because she does a splendid job. In A Duke in Shining Armor, Ashmont displayed none of the qualities of a true romantic hero. He may be handsome, rich and possessed of natural charm, but these attributes are far outweighed by his flaws. He’s an immature, irresponsible, reckless libertine who is forever causing mayhem with his silly pranks. If that wasn’t enough, he let his would-be bride slip through his fingers and nearly killed his best friend in a duel.

Cassandra is intelligent, strong-willed, impulsive and confident – a woman who fully embraces her individuality. As a member of the Andromeda Club, a ladies’ charity, she is fully aware of the poverty that exists and the injustices inflicted on those less fortunate than herself. I like how she doesn’t just play lip service to her charity work but is actively involved in it. She has strong political views and is not afraid to voice them in public, much to her father’s vexation. Hoping that a husband might curb Cassandra’s behaviour, he stipulates that her younger sister, Hyacinth, cannot marry until Cassandra herself weds. Despite everything, she clearly loves her family very much, but cannot deny her true self. Her father isn’t tyrannical but simply someone who loves his family and fears that his daughter’s behaviour will reflect badly on the whole family.

Ashmont is the last person Cassandra would ever consider marrying. As a young girl, she had fallen hopelessly in love with him and imagined that he would grow up to be somebody fine and noble, only to have her dreams crumble to dust. However, a carriage accident and scandal will change the course of both their lives.

Ashmont is totally captivated by Cassandra; he admires all the attributes other men find unattractive - her plain speaking, her intelligence, her confidence, and her impulsiveness. He’s knows that his looks and charm won’t carry any sway with Cassandra and he must gain her trust and respect. He knows it will be a Herculean task but he’s determined to do it. I enjoyed watching Ashmont gradually becoming the man Cassandra hoped he would be. He stops drinking and takes time to find out what’s important to Cassandra, and in doing so, comes to appreciate the constraints placed on women by society, and the plight of the poor, things he had previously been oblivious to. He comes to realise just how pointless his life has been until now.

Given her past disappointment, Cassandra finds it hard to trust or respect Ashmont because she’s certain he will break her heart all over again. But time and again, she is surprised by his actions, such as the obvious thought and care he’d taken in choosing the gift for Keeffe, or diffusing the situation with the rent collector, using restraint rather than his customary fists.

The chemistry between these two is positively delicious and their witty banter an absolute delight. Of course, the path to true love never runs smoothly and obstacles come in the form of Ashmont’s rival, Mr. Titus Owsley, (or as Ashmont refers to him, ‘Mr. Tight-Arse Oh-So-Holy’, and the vindictive Lady Bartham who sets out to destroy their new found happiness. Unlike so many other heroines, Cassandra is sensible enough to tell her parents the truth of the situation, and I love the scene where her mother, Lady deGriffe, thwarts Lady Bartham’s insidious scheming.

The story is rich in Ms. Chase’s trademark wit and humour and these are just a few of my favourites moments - the ‘umbrella fight’ which conjured up the most wonderful images in my mind, the letters between them after Keeffe’s accident, and Cassandra’s letter to Ashmont detailing ten events that had happened since he ‘staggered’ into her life. I also like how Ms. Chase always brings an element of social commentary to her books,

The secondary characters all add depth to the story and I particularly liked Keeffe, Cassandra’s groom, who is more than just a servant, and Sommers, Ashmont’s valet, who is prone to weeping at the state of master’s attire. I am looking forward to reading Alice & Blackwood’s story in the final book in the series, and also hoping that the obvious history between Ripley’s Aunt Julia and Ashmont’s Uncle Frederick will finally be revealed.

MY VERDICT: Highly recommended.

[Becky (romantic_pursuing_feels) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥
Humor: Yes! It’s lovely, especially the second half.
Perspective: Third person from both the heroine and hero’s perspective (more heavy in the heroine’s, I think)

(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )

Should I read in order?
It’s not truly necessary for this one – but the heroine from book 1 is the fiance of this book’s hero that left him at the alter. There’s some mentions of them, but I think if you wanted to read out of order, you would be okay knowing that small tidbit.

Basic plot:
Cassandra’s father decrees her sister a cannot marry until she does, hoping to tame her bluestocking tendencies. But soon after, Cassandra has an unfortunate encounter with the infamous Duke of Ashmont that compromises her.

Give this a try if you want:
- Late Georgian time period (1833)
- Childhood friends, though hero has been oblivious to heroine
- Compromised (ruined) heroine
- Slow burn with a bit of unrequited love feel (heroine has loved hero from afar until he repeatedly disappointed)
- Lower steam – only 2 full scenes and they are on the lighter side
- Lots of humor and wit, which really picks up in the second half
- A unique hero – he comes off as a bit of a fool (the heroine is the one with the brains and he readily admits it) and he really had a strong character arc showing his growth to be worthy of the heroine.

Ages:
- Heroine is 26, hero 28

My thoughts:
Soooo this book totally took me by surprise!!! I did listen to the audiobook and I think that helped a lot – Kate Reading did a fabulous job here and it helped my enjoyment (I can’t say I super loved her hero voice, but what can you do? Other than that it was amazing!)

I’m not sure why I had such low expectations for this book. Maybe I peeked at the wrong reviews when it first came out and it stuck in my head. I was thinking I was going to get a book that was flat, boring, and basically a slog with zero character connection. But this book I found to be such a gem!

I’ll admit the beginning was a bit of a struggle – to me there felt to be a lot of time in the heroine’s head and I was wanting the plot and characters to have more dialogue and move forward a bit faster than they were. And the hero, Ashmont, is made to be a totally unlikable idiot. But once they are established, I was just having so much fun with them!

I found this book so funny, in just the best ways. Witty one liners, banter, family dynamics all came into play but the absolute best part was Ashmont. He was so unique! He has made major mistakes in his life. Too many to count and he doesn’t really seem to care – his former fiance would rather have escaped out the window and run away with his best friend than marry him (check out book 1 if you’re curious! I also enjoyed that one – review here: A Duke in Shining Armor ) He is known as ‘his disgrace’ instead of his grace and it’s well earned. And his first encounter with Cassandra just reinforces that he is a hot mess.

But, Cassandra makes him realize what a fool he is being. And makes him want to pull his life together for her. He has something to live for, something to care about. He is reformed, or trying at least, and it was just really wonderful seeing a hero put in the work, the hard work, REPEATEDLY to win her. And I found myself falling for him. I just couldn’t help it!

I loved Cassandra too – she is quite independent, with strong beliefs and feelings, but I also adored how much she cared about her family and how all of their relationships worked together. A side note – I adored her parent’s relationship and how her mother came to her rescue towards the end of the book was really heart warming. I really loved her whole family.

I am so glad to have read this book. My heart is still warm and happy days later after finishing Cassanda and Ashmont’s story. So I mark it as 4 stars because it was a bit low on the tension and I did struggle in the beginning a bit to get into it but overall it was extremely enjoyable.


Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

43% - kiss
56% - kisses
69% - kisses
76% - light groping, kisses, oral for heroine
98% - kisses, missionary

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite a disappointing read. I have really liked some books by this author in the past, but this one was very average for me. There are some good reviews of it, though, so don't let my grumpy thoughts stop you from trying this yourself. These are just my personal reflections after reading.

I think part of the problem for me is the trope itself. The three difficult dukes (shades of Madeline Hunter's Decadent Dukes???) were established in the previous book, (which I didn't much enjoy either.) I think Ms Chase worked too hard to make her dukes seem roguish and rakish, and they simply come across as immature, drunken idiots.

In this book the writer seemed to be working very hard to redeem her naughty duke, but it just dragged on and on. Yes the duke did change his ways and become a more mature person, but it all happened in the space of a mere eight weeks, and one wonders how the already-established drunken habits of a lifetime of immorality will change so readily. Hmmmm. Will it last? Maybe?

The actual getting together of the two leads took way too long, as well. There was too much of the 'I'm not worthy of you' 'No you're not but I have secretly always loved you anyway' stuff. Unfortunately, I wasn't invested enough in either character to care very much as it all dragged on. I didn't like the duke in particular. Yes he was changing for the better, but he was a grown man who till now had for many years simply lived a thoughtless, pointless, idiotic, uncaring, drunken life. Not my kinda guy........

I found the moment when Cassandra dressed as a man to sneak in and tell the duke she was in love with him just too far-fetched and unnecessary. There must have been a better plot device to do this. Then I rolled my eyes and started skimming when the ridiculous blackmail plot was revealed. Thank heavens Cassandra told her parents, and I started to read more fully again.

There wasn't a lot about why the duke wanted to marry Olympia in the first place, which is fair enough because it related to the previous book, but I still wasn't convinced. He lurched from this strange engagement to someone he hardly seemed to know or care about, to a quick reform into a caring, enlightened man who fell deeply in love with another woman. Hmmmm.

I found the section near the end that focused on The Vindication of The Rights of Women to be too much like proselytising, I'm afraid, and the writer desperately trying to convince readers that yes, the leopard had miraculously changed his spots. Again, it didn't convince.

Not sure whether I'll bother with the third book when it's released.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Cassandra Pomfret’s blunt plain-speaking has gotten her into hot water before, but now she’s gone a bit far and her father is exasperated. Not wanting to risk damage to his political career, Lord deGriffith issues an edict: Cassandra’s beloved younger sister must end her season and may not marry until Cassandra herself does. Now an encounter with a notoriously wild and rakish duke is sure to destroy what’s left of Cassandra’s reputation and take her sister, along with the rest of her family, down along with her.

Lucius Beckingham, the Duke of Ashmont, has the good looks of Adonis, but his bad behavior has made him persona non grata in many of the elite circles of London High Society. He’s at a bit of a low point now, having been jilted by his fiancé and the resulting duel nearly caused the death of his best friend. But even Lucius has a code and he won’t allow damage to a respectable lady’s reputation to stand. The best solution is to marry her, if only he can convince her she doesn’t hate him quite as much as she thinks.

I found this book to be charming, on the whole, but I do have some mixed feelings about it. The duke certainly needed a wakeup call and Cassandra was perfect for him in that regard. However, much of what she says to him is extremely rude and goes a long way towards making her unlikable. The fact that she treats him this way to protect her heart and because of her strong feelings for him is the only thing that made her tolerable for me and had me cheering for them as a couple. Lucius certainly had a lot of growing up to do and it was like he finally woke up when he noticed Cassandra and remembered her from their childhoods. He grew as a character by leaps and bounds and Cassandra did as well, in her own way. I loved the fact that, though it took a while, by the latter chapters of the book Cassandra and Lucius were confiding in each other and she was relying on him to be her partner. When they faced challenges, these two surprised me with their honesty with each other and reliance on each other to get through to the other side of the issue. That aspect made this story work for me, though I did lose some patience at times with the extremely slow pace. I would’ve liked to see a bit more comeuppance for our villain here, rather than this merely being an opportunity to show how Lucius had grown, but nonetheless the scene did still work here. This was my first read from this author and it did take a bit for me to get used to the writing style, especially the way the dialogue is written, but it made the banter a bit snappier and that worked here. My biggest issue is that for all of Cassandra’s self-described pining she did for the duke, I never really felt the depth of her feelings for him, even by the end really. Lucius’ falling for her made more sense and I just wish she hadn’t been so fickle and had given him more of a fair shake sooner. It took a long time for me to actually feel the connection between them and even by the end they still didn’t quite feel like they were on equal ground for me. By the end, Cassandra was a tolerable character I could root for and Lucius wound up being likable as well; I think he just needed someone to believe in him and expect more from him. The thing that most annoyed me in this reading was the near-constant reference to Greek mythology and the only issue I really had there was the use of, for instance, ‘Oh, Juno,” as an exclamatory. This just struck me as super awkward and annoying and pulled me out of the story a bit, but that’s probably just a personal idiosyncrasy of mine. I definitely think I would’ve enjoyed this more if I’d read the first book, which I plan to go back to, but I do look forward to Alice and Blackwood’s story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Delirious Disquisitions · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. So so so good!! Never thought reading about a himbo love interest who gets into feminist literature and starts reading to be a smarter, better man so he can woo his strong, intelligent, fiercely independent heroine could be something so personal. And yet here we are. I'm so completely enamored with this book and these characters. RTC when I stop fangirling over this and get my thoughts straight.

[Donna (Currently Busy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book picks up right where "A Duke in Shining Armor" left off - in June of 1833. (The duration of the story covers the remaining summer months in 1833.) Dukes Ripley and Ashmont have survived their duel over Lady Olympia Hightower and Ashmont retreated to Putney Heath's The Green Man to drink away his memory of almost accidentally killing his best friend. While drowning his sorrows, a fight breaks out and the pub becomes too noisy for His Disgrace. So he drunkenly walks out and then fires his dueling pistol in the air.

At the same time Duke Ashmont's gun discharges, Cassandra Pomfret was traveling in the same vicinity with her groom Keeffe and her hand maiden Gosney, to visit a former governess. The gunshot scares her horses and her carriage is overturned breaking Keeffe's ribs. Knowing Ashmont since she was about ten years old, she was not surprised to find he was the one responsible for causing the accident.

In my opinion, Pomfret is one of the best heroines I've encountered. She remembers Ashmont from their younger years at Camberley Place, but he's so inebriated that he doesn't recall her and eventually passes out on the ground. Cassandra wakes him by pouring a bucket of cold water over him. In front of spectators from the The Green Man, and while threatening to beat him with her carriage whip. My respect for her climbed from that point on.

"I did not have time to wait for you to come to your senses." she said. "I strongly doubt that will ever happen, in any event."

"You are so intoxicated, Lucius, as to be a danger to yourself, not to mention everybody in your vicinity. Regardless of my personal feelings - and personally, I find your condition and behavior disgusting and disgraceful in the extreme -"

There are late bloomers and then there's Lucius Wilmot Beckingham, the sixth Duke of Ashmont. As described in book one, Ashmont is best friends with Dukes Ripley and Blackwood. They became fast friends while at Eton and as they grew, their antics became well known and they were eventually dubbed "The Dis-Graces." They are also no longer welcome at court and Almack's due to their preposterous pranks. It's in this book that Ashmont finally wakes up and realizes his bad reputation is a true hindrance. Especially when it comes to having a relationship with Cassandra Pomfret.

Cassandra is the daughter of a member of Parliament. Her father is Lady Charles' (a/k/a Aunt Julia) brother. Miss Pomfret too is no stranger to creating problems. Having read Mary Wollstonecraft and joining the Andromeda Society, Cassandra believes a woman should have a say in politics and be able to defend herself in public. Due to a recent parliamentary incident, her father reminds her that "Your behavior reflects on her (Cassandra's sister Hyacinth), on all of us. You came out years ago, and you're still unwed. You do as you please, with no checks on your behavior, thanks to my overindulgent parents." This quote stays with our heroine throughout most of the book.

Cassandra impresses Ashmont with her straight talk, assertiveness, intelligence, and her ability to drive her own carriage. And he does finally remember her and a couple of particular incidents from their youth. He spends the remainder of the book trying to win her over. Their banter is priceless. She always has a good comeback for him and he enjoys it. Cassandra knew once upon a time that Ashmont was a good person deep down. And thought he could be again, but seriously questions whether he truly wants to grow up. Her doubts in him are well founded.

His redemption? So worth reading about. His journey to think of others before himself, to learn and exercise patience in situations that used to be handled with his fists. And best of all, the things he does to help Cassandra and also to learn more about her as an adult? Chef's kiss.

This book has romance, political intrigue, a vindictive Countess, and behind the scenes schemers in Lord Frederick Beckingham and Lady Charles Ancaster. They connive to put Cassandra and Ashmont in the same places at the same time in London. But... there's still no closure to their own relationship which was introduced in book one. Maybe the next one?

I highly recommend this book to readers of historical fiction. It was funny and extremely entertaining.

🪁 - 4 star rating.
🪁 - Bingo square #11 (A beach read or has summer aesthetic/vibes.)
🪁 - 23/100
🪁 - Tastefully written and somewhat humorous intimacy scenes.

PS -
The title comes from a list of ten things Cassandra writes in a note to Ashmont and delivers to him in Chapter 14 - while dressed as a man because she's unchaperoned. The note was written to tell him how she truly feels about him. Number 10 being the most important.

[Scott Rhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here’s 10 things I love about Loretta Chase and her novel, “Ten Things I Hate About the Duke”:

1. Did we really need another romance novel based on William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew”? The answer is, of course, yes. Especially when it flips the script and makes the dude the shrew. In this case, it’s bad-boy Duke of Ashmont who is being tamed by the just-as-tempestuous Lady Cassandra Pomfret, an outspoken 19th-century feminist. I also dig Chase’s reference to the fun 1999 Heath Ledger-Julia Stiles rom-com “10 Things I Hate About You”. (Seriously, if you’ve never seen this, get it from the library now. And you call yourself a fan of romance…)

2. Chase is funny. Seriously, she could be writing sitcoms, except that I hate most sitcoms, and that was an unintentional insult to her. She should keep on doing exactly what she’s doing, which is writing very funny romance novels.

3. This book makes me want to read more Chase novels, mainly because she ties in many of her storylines by bringing in recurring characters from other books. That, and she’s just a good writer, and she makes me want to read more of her novels just ‘cause.

4. Chase is great at pacing. If this had been a Jane Austen novel, it would have probably been 300 pages longer. Nothing against the great detail and description that Ms. Austen was so good at in her wonderful novels, but let’s be honest: Ms. Austen wrote at the speed of tea-steeping and euchre tournaments. You can’t blame her, it’s what she knew.

5. Chase is great at dialogue. Seriously, she is the Elmore Leonard of Victorian romance.

6. Chase populates her stories with very real, believable, and lovable characters, much like Ms. Austen.

7. Also like Ms. Austen, Chase isn’t afraid to write about relevant social injustice issues. While the feminist gender-equality issue is a given, there are also attempts to bring in issues such as child-labor (a serious issue of the Victorian Era) and evictions of the poor (a serious issue that is, sadly, still as relevant in the 21st century as it was in the 19th).

8. Those sex scenes! Hot damn! Even the scenes in which absolutely nobody is having sex but there’s so much sexual tension and general eye-fucking going on are hot as hell.

9. I have a thing for redheads. So, apparently, does Chase. (Full disclosure: My wife’s a brunette, but she likes to add red tints in her hair. I have a chubby just writing about it.)

10. Seriously, those sex scenes. Unlike some of the more prudish romance novelists out there (and excluding the ones with a disturbing predilection for “sexy” rape scenes or sex scenes with an uncomfortable level of rape-iness), Chase is not afraid to let it all hang out, with everything on the table. Or the floor. Or the chaise lounge. Or the drawing room. She’s also not afraid to call a cock a cock. You go, girl.

[Alexandria Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Completely unrealistic, completely ridiculous, but damn if it didn’t surprise me at every page. Despite my ever lasting love for Loretta Chase, I was HIGHLY skeptical I would like this book after first being introduced to Ashmont previously. And yet, somehow, I did. Kudos!!!

[Iris · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/22 - I was listening to The Taming Of The Shrew again and remembered I'd read but never listened to this—though narrator Kate Reading is one of my favorites. I love her voice, maybe that's why I liked it a half-star better this time? It's not tightly plotted but there's something in the way her heroes and heroines interact—wittily and so obviously enamored by the entire person—that's very appealing to me. The title is still terrible though.

This is described as a spin on The Taming Of The Shrew but unlike so many others "spins" utilizing the dominant man taming an uppity woman plot to titillating effect, Loretta Chase chose to focus on another glaring aspect of the Katherine and Petruchio dynamic—that as Shakespeare wrote them—they are both unruly misfits. In TTIHATD, were it not such a gendered term, the shrew label might have been applied to both h and H. Classic shrewish characteristics are split between them: the Duke of Ashmont's undisciplined behavior and antics have left him unwelcome in polite society; Cassandra is too publicly vocal about her opinions, which makes men uncomfortable.

Early on Cassandra speaking to her father says she doesn't see "the wisdom of changing my character in order to please a man." He responds "Not your character. Your behavior. Can you not see the difference?" And no, neither Cassie nor Ashmont can until they want to. In the case of both, familial/external pressure to conform to social dictates—so they are marriageable—is present but not enough. The emphasis is firmly on the benefits of self-directed change; nce that's accomplished their reward is each other.

Otherwise it's lighthearted and fairly typical for LC. Cassandra comes off as smart and reasonable with some poor decision making towards the end; Ashmont's character is less consistent and he's too puerile for my taste but their dialogue and interactions are sharp and funny. The problems the protagonists cause themselves are of more interest than the machinations and weak motivations of the villains.

[kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cassandra Pomfret is run off the road and nearly killed by an extremely drunk Lucius, Duke of Ashmont. When he proposes marriage, she proposes he get bent. They flirt, fall in love, make sex, and thwart blackmail together.

1. I want to acknowledge first and foremost that I may be "off my feed" so to speak: the past 12 months have done a number on my attention, my hobbies, my free time, etc. I want to acknowledge this because it may shade how the rest of this review goes, so:

2. I didn't really like this??? SACRILEGE, I AM AWARE, BUT: it wasn't until I was nearly 50% of the way through this thing before it felt enjoyable or romantic. All the setup, all the drama over Cassandra's gorgonity, and Ashmont's drunkness, and the fallout of the landau accident, and the reminiscing about childhood meetings felt clunky and dry and unclear. There's so much presumed about the characters and their world and their connections that it was a chore to pick through them in order to find a story about a Medusa and her dumb hero.

3. That said, I did like the romance of this: I liked Ashmont realizing that he wanted to change and going about as best he could. I liked Cassandra bantering with him and then realizing her own feelings on the matter in the context of what she would or would not allow of herself. I liked the point system, and I liked Ashmont realizing how big and terrible the world is and wanting to do something because it was the right thing and not just because it would impress Cassandra.

4. Except the multiple comments made about how dumb Ashmont were got kind of....frustrating? Like, Chase knows how to do heroes who are himbos COMPLETELY, but it didn't end up feeling cute or fun in Ten Things I Hate About the Duke: it felt mean and derisive.

5. I really liked Hyacinth in this as a side character! She was a delightful addition, and I loved how distinct she was as a woman, as a sister, and as a daughter.

6. The whole Lady Bartram thing was ridiculous.

7. If all the superfluous stuff had been trimmed back slightly to allow more focus to fall on the banter and the boners I think I would have been far more content. But as it is: 3 stars.

[ChasingLeslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fresh from a jilting and a duel with one of his best friends, an inebriated Lucian, Duke of Ashmont, causes a carriage accident that injures Miss Cassandra Pomfret’s groom/friend. Being alone at an inn seeking medical attention could be interpreted as a compromising situation, so Ashmont asks Cassandra to be his replacement duchess. She is less than impressed, but he is unrelenting.

This is the second book in the Difficult Dukes series. It can be read alone, but it takes place right after the events of the first book. I really tried, but I simply could not connect with this book. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters and, at the beginning, I felt like Ashmont was creating more of bond with Cassandra’s groom than with her! I didn’t find him engaging or humorous, and Cassandra felt equally flat and fickle. I didn’t see the love…the romance was lacking for me, both emotionally and physically.

* I received an ARC and this is my honest review. #TenThingsIHateAboutTheDuke #NetGalley

[Antonella · Rating 3 out of 5]

while this one wasn't boring as book one I really wish I like the characters more or felt their connection...

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was a delight!

Here's the thing: Loretta Chase has written some of my all-time favorite HRs: Mr. Impossible, Lord Perfect, Silk is for Seduction, even Lord of Scoundrels. I shouldn't doubt her ability to write a really excellent book. However, the last few of hers I've read were...fine. (I've never read anything of hers that I really, truly did not like or think is bad.) But since they've been just fine, I went into this with not the highest of expectations. Shame on me!

I will say, in my (partial) defense, that this starts out a bit slow. The first 30 percent or so is a LOT of inner monologue, dialogue about seemingly unimportant details of events, and a lot of remembering things that had happened far in the past. I liked Cassandra from the onset, but I didn't really think Lucius was all that special. (Maybe because blonde dudes don't usually do it for me?) Anyway, I was kind of just coasting along. (I won't go so far as to say I was bored...)

Until suddenly, this got really good. The verbal banter between the MCs got wittier and more fun, and they started having more actual interaction with each other. It had been a hot minute since I read a historically-accurate, well-researched Regency (I know this is not actually "Regency" since it takes place in the 1830s, but I'm lumping it in that category due to the style and attention to period accuracy.), and I have been a bit tainted by less-accurate titles where the MCs are sneaking around-or not even sneaking- all over the place. This is not that. This is much more true to the period, and the MCs have to fall for each other and learn about each other fully within the constraints and the framework of the time and the society in which they live.

Once I fully committed to reading a book where propriety and gossip and one's behavior can literally make or break someone (because it could and did), I found myself enjoying this immensely. It does a great job of staying true to "the rules" of the time and the unfortunate realities women had to deal with, yet it also shapes a strong, smart, independent-minded female character that is believable. I think this is a testament to LC's skill as an author. In this way, I kept thinking of Georgette Heyer, my gateway author into HR, and how this reads much more like that than say, Tessa Dare. (Which is not a knock- they're just very different. I've come around a lot to TD, and dare I say it....heh...I have really liked the last few of her books that I've read.)

I can't say that Lucius is on my short-list of favorite HR heroes, but I found myself liking him a lot more by the end of the book. He does prove himself to be more than he was in the last title, and he has some great witty lines with Cassandra, especially in the second half of the book. I would consider him a rakehell successfully redeemed. He'll do.

Overall, I was delightfully impressed with this one. I gave it 4 stars because truly, it does get off to a bit of a slow start, but it is very solid and enjoyable, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, but also accurate and well-crafted HR with substance.

ETA: I failed to mention how fantastic the scene is where Cassandra's mother so handily manages the verbal smackdown on Lady Bartham! This is worth reading just for that! And I loved the familial dynamics between Cassandra, her sister, and her parents. It was nice.

[Inna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread 10/25/2022: 4 stars, and that's being generous. Not sure why I decided to do this reread only a year after the first, but it wasn't the best choice for me right now. I remembered very little of this book (already not a good sign) so I figured I would enjoy it since my original review was so positive. Maybe just my mood wasn't as good this time or something, but I only found mild enjoyment in this reread.

I will say, I like that Loretta Chase throws a lot of real history into her books. I was constantly running into small details that had me getting on google to learn more. My wikipedia search history and browsing is pretty extensive from the last couple of days.

I'm looking forward to seeing what Loretta Chase does with the next book in this series - which on her website was predicted for 2022. Maybe it will be released in 2023 now since this year is nearly over? I'm really hoping it won't feature an element of cheating since the trope is a marriage in trouble. I loooooove marriage in trouble when done right (and IMO that's when they both stay celibate). Crossing my fingers that I'll be able to read that book without barfing!


Original Review 5/21/2021: 4.5 stars. Just as good as the first in the series. My suggestion is to not read them in immediate succession because the stories are somewhat similar, and the similarities are painfully obvious when reading both books back-to-back as I did. Also, listen to the audiobook if you can, it is very well done.

This is the story of the second dis-grace, the Duke of Ashmont, AKA the jilted groom from book 1. The book begins right where the last one left off... with the hero meeting the heroine immediately after his duel ends. He’s drunk and makes some poor decisions that put her in a compromising situation. Based on the contents of book 1 and how this book begins, I expected that this book would focus largely on the hero’s sobriety. Thankfully, the author took this in a different direction, one which is much more entertaining, imo. The hero is immediately taken with the heroine... who in turn thinks he’s lower than pond scum. He decided to pursue her and they slowly grow to know and love each other. It really is a lovely story with a very sweet HFN ending.

Safety is pretty good in this one. Hero is a manwhore but no specifics are really given, he doesn’t run into mistresses or anything else distasteful. He does consider going to a brothel briefly but almost immediately discards the idea. Heroine is the standard virgin. There is OM who is interested in the heroine who causes some issues for the couple. No OW drama, no scenes with OM/OW, no cheating.

[girlwithhearteyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars and a top tier book!

A.k.a. that time I listened to an audiobook and giggled to myself the entire time.

This was an A+ retelling of The Taming of the Shrew / Ten Things I Hate About You. I loved how Cassandra was so direct, cutting and wickedly smart, and how Lucius was so besotted and won her over by actually putting 👏 in 👏 the 👏 work 👏!

Their banter and also their inner dialogue had me cackling. Is Loretta Chase always this funny? I gotta read more of her books.

[Hannah B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay I need to reread and I’ll probs give it five stars — I just know my mind wasn’t fully in it this time to truly absorb the small nuances and such. And truly that’s more impressive since it was still great <3

[Joanna Loves Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one. So much better than the first in series.