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An Addictive Affair with the Hellish Duke

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She’s at the mercy of his lips…

London falls into despair when an unknown sickness starts claiming lives.

Lady Jane Curtis realizes she's made the biggest mistake of her life when she convinces her mother to accompany her into town. With her reputation almost in tatters, her fate rests on the shoulders of one very handsome, but very troubled Duke.

Arthur Harris, Duke of Dalwater, has been living in the shadows of his injury ever since he can remember. After suffering from such pain, love seems like a sick joke to him. That is until he comes across Jane and her blissful touch.

When rumors about Jane having the disease start circulating, she is immediately shunned. With her mother already bedridden, an anonymous letter confirms her greatest fear. Arthur has fallen deathly sick with the incurable illness. And it's all her own fault.

491 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 19, 2020

192 people are currently reading
30 people want to read

About the author

Olivia T. Bennet

81 books35 followers
Having obtained a degree in Journalism, but with an affinity for literature and creative writing, Olivia Bennet knew from a young age that her future lay in the romantic ideals of the past. With a fascination for the Regency era and a good romance, she started her career as a historical romance author the old-fashioned way: with pen and paper.

Born in rural Devon, Olivia draws inspiration from the vast farmlands of the British countryside and the people living in the surrounding villages. An avid artist, she takes her sketchbook everywhere with her and captures the beauty of nature, which she then incorporates into her books.

Allow your conscious to be carried away on a wind made of letters and words, of love, mystery and the magic of the Regency era. Start your journey and allow Olivia's pen to guide you!

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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for Space Cowgirl.
4,133 reviews145 followers
September 24, 2020
The Unexpected Duke🐺🍆⛲

ADULT Regency Romance💕 and Adventure

As a child, Arthur Harris👦 loses one arm to amputation as the result of a dog mauling. As an adult and now Duke of Dalwater🐺🍆⛲, he still has awful phantom pain at times from the missing limb. He travels from his country estate to London to meet with a Doctor who may have a new medication that will help him.

He meets Jane Curtis💃💋 at a ball and the two are immediately smitten with each other.

Later, Jane💃💋 is blamed by her father, a Viscount, for The influenza death of her mother. It was known there was a terrible sickness killing people in the South of London, but the upper class never thought it would reach their neighborhoods.

Jane💃💋 insists on taking her mother with her to the market, where a sick indigent man assaults her mother. Jane's father actually turns Jane💃💋 out with nothing after her mother dies, his grief is so overwhelming. He stays drunk after that.

Jane💃💋 must rely on her maid to help her. The maid wisely writes to Arthur🐺🍆⛲, and he comes to rescue Jane💃💋 from certain death in the streets....
Now Jane💃💋 must come to terms with her guilt.. And her love for Arthur...

ARC Provided by Bookfunnel 🌀
I also got this ebook with KU.

This is a very long book with several unexpected twists and turns in the tumultuous relationship between Arthur🐺🍆⛲ and Jane💃💋, and Jane with her estranged father. There are some errors in the way high society acted and interacted at The time. I didn't like the title👎 and it doesn't reflect the personality of Arthur at all.
5,426 reviews67 followers
September 28, 2020
An Addictive Affair with the Hellish Duke A Steamy Historical Regency Romance

This author has again written another good and enjoyable story about love and family and friends and forgiveness and happiness at last The Duke of Dalwater Arthur Harris and Jane Curtis fall in love with each other and they have a very determined woman trying to keep then apart but love wins.The characters are very determined and emotional and the extended epilogue completes the story.A very good read
1,448 reviews3 followers
September 28, 2020
An Addictive Affair with the Hellish Duke.

I had moments of laughter, sadness, anger and tears. This was a very good story that could touch a reader on all levels. One character I wanted to strangle, one I wanted to hold while they cried and one that I hurt for as much as they hurt. This book was full of all the things that made you feel like you were immersed in their very lives. When you read this, you are definitely involved.
436 reviews24 followers
October 30, 2020
Jane Curtis wanted to get out of the house and go shopping, she convinced her mother and father that she and her mother could go shopping and not risk getting infected with the contagion that was going through southern London. Her mother was coughed on by dirty man. They went to Almack's where she was introduced to Arthur Harris, Duke of Dalwater who was explaining chakras to her. This was well written and easily read book and I plan to read more books written by this author...
2,031 reviews22 followers
September 24, 2020
Loved reading the amazing and engaging historical story. After Lady Jane's mother gets sick after Jane and her mother go to town, Jane meets the handsome Duke of Dalwater, Arthur, she doesn't see the man who is missing part of his arm but a kind, charming, and considerate man who she wants to spend more and more time with. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written full of heart-break and romance, and a must read romance story.
508 reviews2 followers
April 23, 2022
Great Story

I can't imagine her father doing what he did to her! Kind of makes me want a ladies maid of my own!
Profile Image for Sharon Thomas.
664 reviews3 followers
November 27, 2023
Jane meets the Duke at a party. They are instantly attracted to each other. Her mother gets sick Miss Thomas tries to keep them apart and it is still a happy ending
Profile Image for Sw3.
845 reviews4 followers
October 25, 2021
DNF 8%. The h was incredibly unlikable. Spoiled. Childish. Vain. The ~meeting~ of the H and h was super awkward. Lot's of starting. When the h started feeling his "stump," I just couldn't take it anymore.
3,736 reviews9 followers
April 21, 2022
Totally enjoyed reading this book
1,130 reviews4 followers
June 30, 2022
This book has a good storyline, has likeable (on the whole) main characters and moves along at a decent pace, but is spilt by multiple things, spoilt brat of a leading lady, poor writing, and a complete lack of knowledge of Britsh aristocracy.
This book is primarily set in London during a contagious virus, which seems to be hitting people of all classes indiscriminately. It opens with Lady Jane Curtis, a typical self centred teenager, who is fed up of being restricted to her house and a slightly dull and restricted season. Her mother wanting to keep peace agrees to go to the local market (did the aristocracy really shop at the local market?) where Jane finds an unusual headdress, which she decides to wear on her next night out. All dressed up she arrives with her parents and is introduced to the young Duke of Dalwater, (who is missing his right arm after a hunting accident as a child) by a mutual friend. Jane quickly (as in within 5 minutes) becomes enamoured of him. The mutual friend starts spreading a rumour that Jane is the source of the contagion, in order for the Duke to stop his friendship with Jane, it doesn't work. When
Jane's father decides to move the family to Bath to speed up her mother's recovery, the Duke and his mother follow. But trouble follows, and it just gets worse and worse until Janes father throws her out of the family house and forbids her return.
As this book is so much around a contagious virus, why when someone is ill does everyone crowd into a room with them? Both with Jane's mother, and when her father's brother was dying from consumption?
I have an issue with the title: why is he called the Hellish Duke? he never appears anything other than charming.
My other issue is, (and I accept it may be because of my love of the regency period,) is the errors in how things were done in this period, things like ladies being served port at the dinner table, the incorrect way people are greeted or introduced. The most inaccurate was when Jane was referred to as Typhoid Mary. The story of Typhoid Mary was in the US at the end of the 19th century, but the book it set early in the 1900's from dress etc and most in the UK would not be aware of things that happened in the US outside maybe military matters so this reference is ridiculous.
Added to some truly awful descriptions e.g. 'her hair butter yellow', or 'her hair lay across the pillow like a brown stain', I wonder how some books get published.
I realise to many these are small issues but for me they detract from the book.

Note on second reading I see the reference to typhoid Mary has been removed, or at least I didn't notice it. The book doesn't improve on second reading, suspect I only started it again as it had status of new not read.
Profile Image for Tam.
2,181 reviews54 followers
October 23, 2020
Great, multi-faceted characters. Very interesting plot. Vivid descriptions. I felt every emotion. Just steamy enough. Kept me intrigued from the first page to the last. Simply a GREAT read!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

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