This was one of those stories that pulls you in from the very beginning. Filled with well developed and interesting characters, this is definitely worth a read! I absolutely loved the banter between Clara and Marcus, it kept things interesting, especially when they tried to ignore their obvious chemistry for so long.

Clara was one of the more complex characters that I have read in awhile. It was obvious that her first husband was cruel to her, and betrayed her in one of the worst ways, yet she still was an active part in trying to secure a proper match for her ward. She still felt that there were good men out there despite what had been done to her, and was willing to settle for nothing less for Ellie.

Marcus was a bit harder to like, although he did randomly give Clara and the rest of the family grand gestures, such as returning a statue that had been lost in a card game, little things that spoke more of his character than words alone could have done.

Overall, I am sure this story will appeal to those who enjoy a well written historical romance.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Distracting the Duke by Elizabeth Keysian, book 1 in "Wayward in Wessex", which promises to be an amazing series. Regency Romance set in 1820 Devonshire, England. Debut author! Well written with engaging but flawed characters. The storyline was genuine, entertaining and fascinating. Steady paced. The reader will find a wide range of emotions, from tears to laughter, to dread as Lady Clara Tinniswood, a recent widow and Marcus, the Duke of Ulvercombe, who wishes to find a amenable, and biddable wife, faces challenges to finding their HEA. Ah, yes, maybe not! Clara, is opinionated, volatile outspoken and not caring what anyone thinks. Marcus, is complicated, overbearing, and a true alpha male. Apparently, opposites do attract, for Clara and Marcus are as opposite as night and day. Oh, but sparks fly, and they can't seem to stay away from each other. Then, there is Ellie a ward of Clara and her brother Philip's. Ellie is the one Marcus sets his sights on, but fate has something different in mind. I did not like Marcus at first he was a bit overbearing, but you soon feel his painful childhood, which has made him into the man be has become. Clara uses her attitude to hide her vulnerability and her past hurts. Together, these two make a match that neither wanted but found the other holds the key to their heart and happiness. "Distracting the Duke" is a story of the battle of wills, passion, romance and love. I found myself engrossed with Marcus and Clara'a story. Their interactions were definitely a struggle of wills as both these characters are strong-willed, flawed with wounded hearts. This is a story that will capture your heart! Clara and Marcus' flaws is what, in my opinion, made them more realistic, likeable and easy to relate to their worries, desires and apprehension of love. "Distracting the Duke" is an entertaining and captaviating tale of opposites attracting, like vinegar and oil. The secondary characters are usual, but help move the story along. Especially, Philip, I hope he will have a story of his own. As a debut author, Ms. Keysian has presented herself well, proving herself as a exciting new author. She has a way of drawing the reader into the story and holding their interest. Well done! I look forward to the next installment of, "Wayward in Wessex". A great read for fans of Regency Romance, opposites attracting, complicated characters, and great storylines. Strongly recommended. An enjoyable and satisfying Regency Romance. I received a complimentary copy. Rating: 4 Heat rating: Mild Reviewed by: AprilR

'Distracting the Duke' by Elizabeth Keysian is book One in the "Wayward in Wessex" series. This is the story of Marcus and Clara. This was my first book by Ms. Keysian and I must say I truly enjoyed it. I will be looking for more of her books!
Clara is a widow who had a very bad marriage that left her somewhat traumatized. But she is trying to help her brother and their ward with the season and finding a husband. Marcus is a Duke that is out to find a "brainless, biddable beauty to bear his children". Marcus at first is thinking that Clara's ward might be the wife for him and tries to get to know her better. But Clara is being a distraction to him. Some of his first interaction with her was seeing her with a turban on her head and looking like someone in her thirties. But after a humorist run in he starts to see that she is younger than that and it pretty. But both have their funny bickering and still have certain thoughts about how each ones attitude is. But the more they interact the more they start to see how wrong they are about the other. Both in their past have been abused in one way or another...their attraction to each other just keeps growing. This was one book I could not put down and enjoyed it so much! It does take you through laughing, crying and hope that they will overcome their their sad past. "My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."

The Lady and the Duke are like fire and ice. THEY DON'T MIX. He wants even tempered and sweet. She is volatile and opinionated. She wants to make her own choices and live a life beyond the control of a man. He wants a woman unlike her. Or does he? Distracting the Duke is a tale of passion that merges a battle of wills with a meeting of minds and ultimately the stealing of hearts. Mine included.

Distracting the Duke keeps you laughing at the way the Marcus Albermarle, Duke of Ulvercombe, tries to woo the very biddable Ellie Soper, ward of Phillip Weston. Widow Clara Tinniswood overhears Marcus state he is looking for a biddable wife to his friend Lord Snettisham. Clare determines her brother’s ward, Elli, will make him the perfect wife and sets out to bring the two of them together. Marcus, too, believes Ellie will be a quiet duchess who never causes him trouble. Marcus’s grandfather had almost gambled their family into the poorhouse. It was beat into Marcus to protect the family and estates by his father. Through sound investments and good decisions, Marcus has repaired the family’s funds.

Clara is the widow of a cruel and sadistic man who fathered a child with her sister. Clara harbors tremendous hurt from this and suffers fears caused by her husband when she displeased him. She has determined never to marry again, but wants to make sure Ellie has a good match with the duke.

Even in the midst of these difficult situations, there is humor and challenging conversations between Clara and Marcus. At times you want to laugh out loud at the circumstances that develop between them. He challenges and teases her as she berates and pesters him. He finds it laughable and she finds it trying. Yet, they cannot stop searching each other out and cannot keep their hands off of each other.

It becomes necessary one night for Marcus to stay the night at the Weston household. Phillip locks his sister’s door and his ward’s door. Due to the ill treatment of her dead husband, Clara cannot stand to be locked in a room. Marcus had already witnessed her fear of being locked in the night of the ball when they are accidentally locked together in his camera obscura high on his roof. Due to the result of Phillip locking Clara up somewhat similar to what her husband had and what follows, Phillips challenges Marcus to a duel. Marcus knows something is not right, but is not sure what is wrong or why Phillip would have felt it necessary to protect his sisters from what Marcus might have done during the night. Even with this situation there is humor in Clara trying to talk Marcus out of dueling with her brother. Marcus is drawn to Clara and the frequent peels she rings over his head. He loves the challenge she presents and even strips in front of her on of her misguided attempt to stop the duel.

He cannot help but tease her even as he kisses her silly. She cannot stop challenging him. It all makes for a delightful story even as Marcus strives to understand what has caused Clara’s pain. He sees she is a caring and passionate woman who is afraid to trust. What follows is what makes you want to cheer for Marcus as he tries to help Clara even though he could lose her. Thank you Net Galley for sharing this charming book in exchange for an honest review.

Distracting the Duke by Elizabeth Keysian is Book 1 of the Wayward in Wessex Series.

Love.This! Spot-on perfection with this historical romance! Marcus and Clara are the right combination in this riveting romance and it’s so hard not to fall in love with them as their story unveils. As Marcus sets about wooing Clara’s ward, the sparks fly between the twosome and what a ride it is. A new-to-me author, Ms. Keysian is now going on my go-to reading list.

Please note that an ARC was generously provided in exchange for an honest review of which this is both honest and completely voluntary.

I give an honest review in return for this ARC. Well written story with some rather complicated characters and plot. Not an abundance of eroticism.

in distracting the duke, marcus, the duke of ulvercombe, is, as austen might put it, a single man with good fortune in want of a wife. but he wants a marriage that is free of strife, having grown up in the toxic atmosphere that surrounded his parents' loveless union. he figures that to get that, he needs to find a sweet, innocent woman without strong opinions.

and he has a great candidate, miss eleanora soper checks off all the boxes, except he keeps getting distracted by her argumentative guardian, lady clara tinniswood. at every turn she challenges him, about their families' past connections, about the weather, there is nothing this woman won't argue with him about. but unlike the horrible dread and persist awfulness that surrounded his parents' arguments, marcus finds himself enthralled by clara.

quite literally, he can't stay away from her. he keeps trying to remember that he's supposed to be courting eleanora, but the reality is that if clara is in the vicinity she holds all his attention. and it's not just that he's attracted to clara sexually, he finds that he enjoys the time he spends with her. it's exhilarating in a way that most society interactions are not. she challenges him and he feels alive.

he also recognizes that she has some baggage that causes her to keep him at arm's length. her first marriage was not a happy one, and her husband was emotionally and physically abusive. her sister also betrayed her by sleeping with her now-dead husband and bearing his illegitimate child. so that's a lot to deal with. once he figures out what is holding her back though, once marcus realizes that only clara will do, his previous statements of milquetoast wives bedamned, then he goes after it.

he may not win every argument he has with clara, but this is one he can't, he refuses to lose. and this is what is great about the book, marcus might have some doubts about how he feels for clara, and it definitely takes him some time to decide what it is he wants, but once he figures it out, he fully commits. i mean, from the moment he meets clara, all he does are things to please her, to protect her, to make her happy. and when he realizes that his life would be colorless without her, he goes about making things right. he brings back the light to the dark corners of clara's heart, he makes himself so irresistible, he proves to her that he will love her no matter what the future holds. and it's so freaking romantic.

I received this from Netgalley/ publisher in exchange for an honest review. this is the first book in a new series by Elizabeth Keysian. I must say I was not in love with this book. We meet Lady Grace and Lord Marcus during a ball in which Marcus is supposed to court the ladies ward. I was hoping for a good read but I just did not love Marcus. At the end he was way too bossy for me! He just puts his hands where they were not needed. Just an okay read for me.

I loved it! Duke of Ulvercombe and Lady Clara both are amazing characters, and perfect for each other. Marcus is looking for a wife who is agreeable, biddable, and easy to talk to. Clara is a Lady who is very opinionated and have a hard time keeping her opinions to herself. She is straightforward and outspoken. There is no way they can ever like each other. They tend to be an annoyance to one another and their interactions often end in disagreements and arguments. Still for some reason they seem to crave each other's company. Soon they both realize that regardless of their mutual dislike, they are attracted to each other. Unfortunately there is no solution for their dilemma. The Duke must marry and he is not willing to marry someone he doesn't like. And Clara does not want to marry again, she will never trust another man for as long as she lives. Therefore, they have no future together and thus they must let themselves to have their futures separate from one another. But will it be that easy? Can they both find happiness and end up with what they want most? Or should they just let go of their respective pasts and be happy together?
It's a very well written novel. I couldn't put it down once I started reading and read the whole thing in one sitting. I quite enjoyed the story, as well as Marcus and Clara's banters. Their constant bickering was quite entertaining. I found it full of hunour, romance, and lots of fun. Definitely a must read for all historical romance readers. :)

A duke who wants a biddable wife, but does he really? Marcus thinks he does and has his eyes set on one but her guardian keeps getting under his skin. She is not at all what he thinks he wants – Clara is intelligent and has no problem speaking her mind. Unfortunately, Clara has skeletons and demons in her closet that prevents her from accepting love but Marcus is very patient. I love their interaction and the tension leapt off the pages. This is a really nice story and it kept your interest throughout.

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.

I’m adding Elizabeth Keysain to my list of must read authors! Her first release under the Entangled Scandalous imprint is a marvelous journey in love, lust, and invention.

Marcus Albemarle has his Dukedom to run and needs the perfect and biddable Duchess, like Miss Eleanora Soper. The problem is his animal natures that arise whenever her guardian, the widowed Lady Clara Tinniswood, is near. Marcus and Clara are all wrong for each other, but for reasons unknown they just fit. Marcus wants order to his life while Clara just wants to setup her own house and be alone. Clara’s late husband burned her love of marriage and she wants nothing to do with the institution. So, how do two such as these find their way to happiness? Through relinquishing fears, devoting their hearts, and breaking down walls to build a life worth living, together.

Keysain developed a unique story with vibrant and flawed characters. I loved the bickering between our fated couple as much as I loved their passions. I can’t wait to find out who the next Wayward in Wessex novel will focus on. There are so many choices of fantastic characters to build on!

Could not get into this book. The lead male and Clara were very indecisive about their feelings. I do not like books like that. Tried to give it a chance and read 50% of the book. Just can't finish it.

This book was very odd for a historical fiction. It was all over the place and a little hard to believe.

Very sweet story about finding true love despite the obstacles. In some places the story lagged but overall found it a good, lighthearted, quick read.

Marcus Albemarle, the Duke of Ulvercombe, wants an amenable, biddable wife, and has set his cap on Eleanora Soper. Unfortunately, her vastly opinionated, frustrating, and lamentably beautiful guardian, Lady Clara Tinniswood, keeps distracting him, tempting him to consider a far more tempestuous.
Recently widowed Lady Clara Tinniswood wants only to organize a quiet new life for herself, beyond the control of any man & hopes to set up a home on her own soon. But one shockingly unguarded moment while confronted by Marcus’s gloriously naked body catapults her headlong into a forbidden passion and threatens to undermine all her well-laid plans.
A very good debut novel, the characters were well portrayed & certainly not two-dimensional. Both Marcus & Clara have suffered abuse, he by his father & her by her husband. Their verbal sparring is highly entertaining & the chemistry between them goes from warm to hot. Marcus is everything you want in a hero, gorgeous, understanding & compassionate. Clara vowed never to trust a man again after her disastrous marriage but Marcus is so caring & patient that it was lovely to see her gradually coming alive again. The late night in the library is so moving. I certainly look forward to more books from the author

A Duke seeking an agreeable union with a pretty society darling and one opinionated widow seeking to live her life quietly on her own terms, come together in this novel by Elizabeth Keysian.
I truly liked Clara Tinniswood who was hoping her ward would catch the eye of the Duke of Ulvercombe but happens to fall hard for said Duke herself. Clara suffered horribly during her first marriage and understandably has her guard up with Marcus. The Duke' s story could have been more compelling but his harsh upbringing was only slightly alluded to. With not having enough details of his background, his wobbling back and forth between Clara and her ward was infuriating at times.
While I liked the story enough, I had to take it down to 3 stars because of a major annoyance which was the two main characters finding out about each other's background from other people. This happened throughout the book and never once did Marcus or Clara think of being open and honest making their romance more believable. I questioned their communication and trust levels, without which doesn't bode well for a strong and committed relationship.
Good story but slightly flawed..

Definitely an enjoyable read. If I can justify taking off one star it would be for this reason, the heroine. While in all other ways she is strong, the standing and coming forward for what is stopping her seemed to be almost an impossibility. The situation she is blocking out is a little too real life for me. The story has many layers here, the characters are well written and there are many things happening at the same time. There is a wide range of life immersed within the pages and the romance seems to be a foregone conclusion from the start. It is a very enjoyable read even with the infringement of real life. While it is not to my taste, I have to give it 4 stars for being creative, well written and having depths unlike the normal writings in this day and time. It definitely engages your interest and will keep you reading. The author is talented in their writing. I was given this book in return for an honest review. Anna Swedenmom

Brilliant book I stayed up late to finish it even with night feeds looming in the early hours.

Premise in short: Duke wants to marry a biddable woman but ends up falling for the woman's guardian.

Only reason this book isn't 5 stars is it took the characters too long to get together, I would have liked them to have been together for a bit before the end of the book.

4 Stars - Received from Netgalley for an honest review.

Review posted to GoodReads - 31/1/2017