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Forbidden Love #1
My Dark Duke
In fear for her life, Miss Lillian Hamilton takes a new name and flees to London, desperate to hide from those who wish her harm. A chance encounter with the sinfully handsome Duke of Thorncastle affords Lillian the opportunity to take on a new identity - as his mistress.
Though it goes against everything she believes in, Lillian accepts his offer and finds herself catapulted into a world of wealth, luxury, and pleasure.
As Lillian surrenders her innocence to the duke, she realises that she is faced with another danger - losing her heart to a man who claims to have none of his own.
Sebastian Beaufort, Sixth Duke of Thorncastle learned from a young age that love was merely make-believe. Having spent his formative years attempting to emulate his philandering father, he is finally ready to put an end to his life as a rakehell…until he sets eyes on Miss Mary Smith.
Beautiful, feisty, and charmingly naive, Sebastian is determined to have her under his protection and safe from harm.
As Sebastian claims Mary’s body for his own, he is surprised to find mere pleasure is not enough to satisfy his desire. His ingénue awakes feelings within him, that he did not think he was capable of. Soon, he wants to possess all of her - including the secrets she keeps hidden from him.
As foes from Mary’s past surface once more, can Sebastian find the courage to reveal his true feelings, before it’s too late?
My Dark Duke is a steamy Regency Romance, the first in the Forbidden Love Series.
Though it goes against everything she believes in, Lillian accepts his offer and finds herself catapulted into a world of wealth, luxury, and pleasure.
As Lillian surrenders her innocence to the duke, she realises that she is faced with another danger - losing her heart to a man who claims to have none of his own.
Sebastian Beaufort, Sixth Duke of Thorncastle learned from a young age that love was merely make-believe. Having spent his formative years attempting to emulate his philandering father, he is finally ready to put an end to his life as a rakehell…until he sets eyes on Miss Mary Smith.
Beautiful, feisty, and charmingly naive, Sebastian is determined to have her under his protection and safe from harm.
As Sebastian claims Mary’s body for his own, he is surprised to find mere pleasure is not enough to satisfy his desire. His ingénue awakes feelings within him, that he did not think he was capable of. Soon, he wants to possess all of her - including the secrets she keeps hidden from him.
As foes from Mary’s past surface once more, can Sebastian find the courage to reveal his true feelings, before it’s too late?
My Dark Duke is a steamy Regency Romance, the first in the Forbidden Love Series.
190 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 23, 2021
72 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 21, 2025
Kitty St. Claire is a new author to me. I see she only has two books out, this one and Book 2 which oddly enough was written 4 years after this one. Interesting! I love the book covers in this series. When looking for new authors, a good book cover always catches my eye first. She seems to be steamy but we'll see.
I really liked Lillian and Sebastian. I liked their story. Cute couple. Sex was hot and there were many sex scenes. Overall a really good read. I will definitely be reading book 2.
I really liked Lillian and Sebastian. I liked their story. Cute couple. Sex was hot and there were many sex scenes. Overall a really good read. I will definitely be reading book 2.
January 4, 2022
*3.5 stars*
December 12, 2021
In fear for her life, Miss Lillian Hamilton takes a new name and flees to London, desperate to hide from those who wish her harm. A chance encounter with the sinfully handsome Duke of Thorncastle affords Lillian the opportunity to take on a new identity - as his mistress.
Though it goes against everything she believes in, Lillian accepts his offer and finds herself catapulted into a world of wealth, luxury, and pleasure.
As Lillian surrenders her innocence to the duke, she realises that she is faced with another danger - losing her heart to a man who claims to have none of his own.
Sebastian Beaufort, Sixth Duke of Thorncastle learned from a young age that love was merely make-believe. Having spent his formative years attempting to emulate his philandering father, he is finally ready to put an end to his life as a rakehell…until he sets eyes on Miss Mary Smith.
Beautiful, feisty, and charmingly naive, Sebastian is determined to have her under his protection and safe from harm.
As Sebastian claims Mary’s body for his own, he is surprised to find mere pleasure is not enough to satisfy his desire. His ingénue awakes feelings within him, that he did not think he was capable of. Soon, he wants to possess all of her - including the secrets she keeps hidden from him.
As foes from Mary’s past surface once more, can Sebastian find the courage to reveal his true feelings, before it’s too late?
I have never read a book by this author before but I think that I will read more.
Sebastian and Lillian/ Mary make a great couple.
Though it goes against everything she believes in, Lillian accepts his offer and finds herself catapulted into a world of wealth, luxury, and pleasure.
As Lillian surrenders her innocence to the duke, she realises that she is faced with another danger - losing her heart to a man who claims to have none of his own.
Sebastian Beaufort, Sixth Duke of Thorncastle learned from a young age that love was merely make-believe. Having spent his formative years attempting to emulate his philandering father, he is finally ready to put an end to his life as a rakehell…until he sets eyes on Miss Mary Smith.
Beautiful, feisty, and charmingly naive, Sebastian is determined to have her under his protection and safe from harm.
As Sebastian claims Mary’s body for his own, he is surprised to find mere pleasure is not enough to satisfy his desire. His ingénue awakes feelings within him, that he did not think he was capable of. Soon, he wants to possess all of her - including the secrets she keeps hidden from him.
As foes from Mary’s past surface once more, can Sebastian find the courage to reveal his true feelings, before it’s too late?
I have never read a book by this author before but I think that I will read more.
Sebastian and Lillian/ Mary make a great couple.
November 25, 2021
A steamy Regency Romance with heart. Heat scale 4/5.
January 11, 2022
LOVED THE IDEA OF IT. I'M A SUCKER FOR THESE TYPES OF PAIRINGS AND THE ONLY REASON WHY I DIDN'T RATE IT HIGHER IS BECAUSE I FELT IT LACKED A CERTAIN EMOTIONAL DEPTH THAT TRULY REACHES INTO THE READER'S HEART. NONETHELESS, it's a short but beautiful story.
Long story short,
Sebastian comes from the loins of a father who is infamous for his philandering ways and the old Duke was basically led by his cock and vices. While a rake, Sebastian has lost interest in pleasures of the flesh after imbibing for a decade, and it's understandable that when you gorge on something, it becomes dull and uninteresting. So, when our delightful heroine enters his home for the position of the housekeeper's assistant, mistaking HIM for the butler, he's more than amused to entertain the beauty and also inadvertently offend her with his blatant carte blanche proposal. Of course, Lillian is outraged and leaves. But he can't put her out of his mind, and this is one of the reasons why I didn't rate the book higher...let's say the author could have worded his feelings in a much better context of portraying his frustration and undeniable desire to have a woman - a stranger, and be troubled by her.
Sadly, we were only TOLD of what he felt, and failed to experience it on our own. I guess because the story's short, it didn't leave for much room to expound on their feelings? I don't know but, it definitely lacked that touch.
Our heroine, Lillian is masquerading as her old housekeeper when she escapes her little town with the fear for her life. Desperate for her job, it leads her to the duke's and when her situation worsens, she finds herself accepting his proposal. Frankly, I couldn't quite believe their chemistry...it didn't flow as naturally and escalated too quickly for my taste. If Sebastian wasn't so resistant to the idea of love and children, I might have pegged this as insta-love and we all know how EMPTY that leaves a reader feelings sometimes when we crave an emotional connection with the characters we read about. Lillian's endearing but not stupid, and Sebastian while a former rake, is caring and anything BUT without a heart as he insists.
OVERALL the characters were lovely and brilliant if not just a shell of what they represent. Everything was rather on the surface but, I enjoyed it because this happens to be one of my favourite troupes. It's enjoyable when you are pressed for time, and in other words, SHORT AND SWEET.
Long story short,
Sebastian comes from the loins of a father who is infamous for his philandering ways and the old Duke was basically led by his cock and vices. While a rake, Sebastian has lost interest in pleasures of the flesh after imbibing for a decade, and it's understandable that when you gorge on something, it becomes dull and uninteresting. So, when our delightful heroine enters his home for the position of the housekeeper's assistant, mistaking HIM for the butler, he's more than amused to entertain the beauty and also inadvertently offend her with his blatant carte blanche proposal. Of course, Lillian is outraged and leaves. But he can't put her out of his mind, and this is one of the reasons why I didn't rate the book higher...let's say the author could have worded his feelings in a much better context of portraying his frustration and undeniable desire to have a woman - a stranger, and be troubled by her.
Sadly, we were only TOLD of what he felt, and failed to experience it on our own. I guess because the story's short, it didn't leave for much room to expound on their feelings? I don't know but, it definitely lacked that touch.
Our heroine, Lillian is masquerading as her old housekeeper when she escapes her little town with the fear for her life. Desperate for her job, it leads her to the duke's and when her situation worsens, she finds herself accepting his proposal. Frankly, I couldn't quite believe their chemistry...it didn't flow as naturally and escalated too quickly for my taste. If Sebastian wasn't so resistant to the idea of love and children, I might have pegged this as insta-love and we all know how EMPTY that leaves a reader feelings sometimes when we crave an emotional connection with the characters we read about. Lillian's endearing but not stupid, and Sebastian while a former rake, is caring and anything BUT without a heart as he insists.
OVERALL the characters were lovely and brilliant if not just a shell of what they represent. Everything was rather on the surface but, I enjoyed it because this happens to be one of my favourite troupes. It's enjoyable when you are pressed for time, and in other words, SHORT AND SWEET.
December 18, 2021
A New Author to Follow
I was at a reading plateau when I came upon this book by accident. I have not been leaving reviews as of late but this book compelled me to leave a review.
This starts off with the heroine already applying for a position in the hero’s household. From there they meet and she gets propositioned but she made the hero work hard to win her. No irrational stubbornness but just strength of character and conviction. The innocent heroine did not want to settle for less but circumstances made her accept the offer of the hero. The hero’s character is not as sensationalized as that of the heroine but it is refreshing for once not to be slapped at the face by how handsome and strong and rakish and womanizing and brooding and tortured a hero is. The hero in this book is portrayed as mature. He had a past of sowing his oats but it was not used to define him as an attractive character. The love scenes are super hot and just the right balance. It did not occupy chapters but the frequency was enough to add spice to the romance. The villain is a relative after the heroine’s fortune (I know it is a common trope but the flow of the story and the developing romance between the hero and heroine truly was the highlight of this story). The epilogue though is just good. Not all books are perfect. I enjoyed reading this book overall but to be fair it does need some editing. The name if the heroine was typed as Beaufort in the opening chapter but it is actually Hamilton. A prologue would have added to the development of the characters and story. Ans lastly, more books in the series would be great! Please give us the story of Falconbridge and Graystone and Barty.
I was at a reading plateau when I came upon this book by accident. I have not been leaving reviews as of late but this book compelled me to leave a review.
This starts off with the heroine already applying for a position in the hero’s household. From there they meet and she gets propositioned but she made the hero work hard to win her. No irrational stubbornness but just strength of character and conviction. The innocent heroine did not want to settle for less but circumstances made her accept the offer of the hero. The hero’s character is not as sensationalized as that of the heroine but it is refreshing for once not to be slapped at the face by how handsome and strong and rakish and womanizing and brooding and tortured a hero is. The hero in this book is portrayed as mature. He had a past of sowing his oats but it was not used to define him as an attractive character. The love scenes are super hot and just the right balance. It did not occupy chapters but the frequency was enough to add spice to the romance. The villain is a relative after the heroine’s fortune (I know it is a common trope but the flow of the story and the developing romance between the hero and heroine truly was the highlight of this story). The epilogue though is just good. Not all books are perfect. I enjoyed reading this book overall but to be fair it does need some editing. The name if the heroine was typed as Beaufort in the opening chapter but it is actually Hamilton. A prologue would have added to the development of the characters and story. Ans lastly, more books in the series would be great! Please give us the story of Falconbridge and Graystone and Barty.
November 30, 2021
Darkly Impressive Debut
This book was recommended in another author's newsletter and I'm very grateful I clicked on that link, grabbed it via KU and read it in one sitting, missing a meal in the process!
Starting with hidden and mistaken identities, Lillian/Mary and Sebastian's tale expertly weaves its way through dockside threats and Vauxhall sparkle, respectable lodgings and a mistress' bedroom with enjoyable touches of humour (the hair pulling comment definitely made me chuckle).
Lillian and Sebastian have some wonderful exchanges as they overturn their expected behaviours and choices, overcome her cousin's nefarious behaviour, and culminate in his wonderful declaration of love (sigh!).
There's a great supporting cast, particularly loyal Polly and irrepressible Bertie, but even minor characters (such as the footman, lodgings house owner and room mate) are clearly delineated in few words, and the period settings (such as the trip to Vauxhall) are wonderfully yet easily detailed making the whole story a very enjoyable and accomplished debut. I look forward to more.
This book was recommended in another author's newsletter and I'm very grateful I clicked on that link, grabbed it via KU and read it in one sitting, missing a meal in the process!
Starting with hidden and mistaken identities, Lillian/Mary and Sebastian's tale expertly weaves its way through dockside threats and Vauxhall sparkle, respectable lodgings and a mistress' bedroom with enjoyable touches of humour (the hair pulling comment definitely made me chuckle).
Lillian and Sebastian have some wonderful exchanges as they overturn their expected behaviours and choices, overcome her cousin's nefarious behaviour, and culminate in his wonderful declaration of love (sigh!).
There's a great supporting cast, particularly loyal Polly and irrepressible Bertie, but even minor characters (such as the footman, lodgings house owner and room mate) are clearly delineated in few words, and the period settings (such as the trip to Vauxhall) are wonderfully yet easily detailed making the whole story a very enjoyable and accomplished debut. I look forward to more.
November 27, 2021
My Dark Duke is not your mother's Regency Romance. Sebastian's parents consisted of a cold, philandering father and an unstable mother. Unwilling to pass this on to his children and feeling undeserving of the wealth and title, he refuses to fall in love. Instead, he wants to pass everything on to his kind hearted cousin and just have meaningless hook ups. When he encounters Lillian aka Mary, he recognizes her as an innocent, but in need of protection and his largess. He can only offer this to her as his mistress. The mystery of Lillian's past and their romance was predictable. However, the characters and story were engaging and the bedroom scenes added just the right amount of heat.
November 27, 2021
The first book in the Forbidden Love series a well written story with a very good storyline that held my interest throughout. Miss Lillian Hamilton is in hiding from someone that means her harm, she meets Sebastian Beaufort, Sixth Duke of Thorncastle who offers her protection and keep her safe from harm. Their story has suspense, drama, danger, twists, turns, a villain, and romance. This is a new Author to me, and it looks like this is her debut book. I will be watching to see what else she puts out. I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review
December 4, 2021
Good Read
What a delicious story! I thoroughly enjoyed watching Sebastian, the Duke of Thorncastle, (who thought he was unable to love) lose his heart to the strong, feisty young woman who was running for her life for a disaster caused by self-defense. Although I felt the resolution of the climax in the story was a bit abrupt, it did not detract enough to hinder the story’s delightful ending. This is the first story I’ve read by this author; I think I need to see what more she has to offer. The story flowed well enough and the characters were believable.
What a delicious story! I thoroughly enjoyed watching Sebastian, the Duke of Thorncastle, (who thought he was unable to love) lose his heart to the strong, feisty young woman who was running for her life for a disaster caused by self-defense. Although I felt the resolution of the climax in the story was a bit abrupt, it did not detract enough to hinder the story’s delightful ending. This is the first story I’ve read by this author; I think I need to see what more she has to offer. The story flowed well enough and the characters were believable.
November 22, 2022
3.5
A very entertaining read!
It obviously had great similarities with the Bridgerton book 1 but it was ok. What I didn’t enjoy so much was the ending of the story. It felt rushed and the main problem of Lillian’s character was resolved through a misunderstanding… like what? All that buildup for the plot to be resolved that conveniently??
But hey 🤷🏻♀️ at least it kept me reading.
A very entertaining read!
It obviously had great similarities with the Bridgerton book 1 but it was ok. What I didn’t enjoy so much was the ending of the story. It felt rushed and the main problem of Lillian’s character was resolved through a misunderstanding… like what? All that buildup for the plot to be resolved that conveniently??
But hey 🤷🏻♀️ at least it kept me reading.
November 27, 2021
Enjoyed it.
A little but dark but still a good read. Looking forward to more from this author.
A little disappointed with the extended epilogue. I requested it but apparently you have to wait for the author's newsletter to read it.
A little but dark but still a good read. Looking forward to more from this author.
A little disappointed with the extended epilogue. I requested it but apparently you have to wait for the author's newsletter to read it.
November 30, 2021
Absolutely loved this book!
This book is my first in historical romances, and I was not disappointed! I loved all the characters, the plot was a bit obvious however I enjoyed it so much that it didn't bother me. 5 stars well deserved 👏
This book is my first in historical romances, and I was not disappointed! I loved all the characters, the plot was a bit obvious however I enjoyed it so much that it didn't bother me. 5 stars well deserved 👏
December 29, 2021
solid story
4 1/2 ⭐️Great light read. Wish they book was longer and got more in-depth with the characters. Some people like shorter books but as I read super fast I like them a bit longer. Getting to better know the characters. I will read more from this author.
4 1/2 ⭐️Great light read. Wish they book was longer and got more in-depth with the characters. Some people like shorter books but as I read super fast I like them a bit longer. Getting to better know the characters. I will read more from this author.
April 19, 2022
Pretty good
I thi k this may be the authors first book, and it shows. It's not perfect, but would read more by this author, and I look forward to seeher writing akills develop. #mistress #virginheroine
#reformedrake
I thi k this may be the authors first book, and it shows. It's not perfect, but would read more by this author, and I look forward to seeher writing akills develop. #mistress #virginheroine
#reformedrake
December 10, 2021
Steamy and engaging regency romance!
January 3, 2022
Well written
The book was very well written. It was an easy smooth read. I enjoyed her story very much And look forward to her next book
The book was very well written. It was an easy smooth read. I enjoyed her story very much And look forward to her next book
March 4, 2022
4.5 Liked the writing and story. Good chemistry between the h/H. A little too insta/simplistic hero. But still really enjoyable. I'll read the next in the series if it ever comes out.
July 13, 2024
A simple easy read. All for the possessive trope
June 6, 2025
My Dark Duke
Kitty St. Claire has written My Dark Duke. This is Book 1 in the Forbidden Love Series.
Lillian & the Duke meet in a most unusual way & from there their meant to be.
Kitty St. Claire has written My Dark Duke. This is Book 1 in the Forbidden Love Series.
Lillian & the Duke meet in a most unusual way & from there their meant to be.
June 19, 2025
three stars because I’ve read the storyline from other authors
Seem like I read this storyline before from other authors, but it was a good read, but not what I was expecting🦋
Seem like I read this storyline before from other authors, but it was a good read, but not what I was expecting🦋
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews