Love everything by this author and this book is no exception. It's a story of second chances, but not without a few obstacles to surmount.. Characters you definitely root for.
I received an ARC copy of this book from netgalley.

I am fan of the "The Untouchables" series by the author and was anxiously waiting for this book which is book five in the series. It was fun to meet some of the older characters again in this book but I didn't really like the characters of the hero and heroine. The heroine refuses to marry the hero but is alright having an affair with him when she is his daughter's governess. I didn't like that part of the storyline and didn't like the way their characters were written. A little disappointed with this book considering how much I have enjoyed the previous books in this series.

* I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

this book was fun to read, I liked the characters and the story line was very good. Real world situations made it believable. At times it felt a little stiff to me. It was well worth a read if you like a little bit of mystery and crime and a lot of romance.

Sometimes when historical romances address situations such as autism or Aspergers, it's glossed over as the character being "eccentric" and left at that. I loved that Burke not only incorporated many of the struggles that go into having the condition but didn't shy away from showing how difficult it can be, especially for the time period. A unique or "broken" hero isn't new to historical romance but Burke captured one that's definitely a keeper. Highly recommended.

Darcy Burke is a new author to me. I love her writing but passed over her books in the past because the covers didn't really pop. I took a chance requesting one through Netgalley and so glad I did. I will be tracking down more of her books. I like that the covers stick to a theme, I just wish they were a little more exciting and memorable. Some readers do judge a book by their cover, and while these are not bad they are just not memorable.

The children and heir romance-plotting are adorable. The pace is great and the characters are very likable.

I very much enjoyed this book. However, I did find the ending a bit rushed. I would have preferred it to have been more drawn out.

A pleasing read!__4 1/2 stars

Quite a beautiful story about a man who doesn't fit into the role thrust upon him and a woman betrayed by choices thrust upon her.
Bran Crowther, Earl of Knighton can't stand to be back in England. Indeed he figuratively and literally is chafed by the burden. He fled the constrictions and oppressiveness of England and his family at a young age. He found himself in Barbados. Now duty has called him back. Dubbed a defiant child by his mother, Bran is touted as the Defiant Duke.
Joanna Shaw now had freedom from a doomed marriage but what will she do? There is a definite attraction between Jo and Bran. Bran needs an heir and Jo's eight year marriage resulted in no children.
These two hurt souls come together healing each other, although with some mishaps on the way.

A NetGalley ARC

Never expecting to inherit the title Bran Crowther left England as a young man to pursue independence and adventure. Now duty calls and he returns from Barbados to England the new Earl of Knighton with his five year old daughter Evangelina, “Evie”. He knows he needs a wife and a mother for Evie and an heir to his new title. Widow Joanna Shaw isn’t interested in a second marriage, not after the loveless marriage. Joanna has given up on having her own children after eight years of marriage and no children so she loves and dotes her niece and nephew. She decides she wants to be a governess and accepts an offer from her niece’s new best friend Evie’s father Bran. Joanna and Bran are both emotional wounded souls who are flawed and so deserving of finding love and acceptance. Both are capable of great depths of love, but will they risk their hearts in this journey of finding acceptance and a love neither expected to have the HEA they both deserve! A great story for everyone!!!
This is my honest opinion and review of an ARC copy from Net Galley and the publisher.

This is the first book I've read by Darcy Burke but it wont be the last. I absolutely loved it. The characters of Jo and Bran were perfect for each other. Bran's daughter Evie was a great addition to the story (maybe one day we'll see her story). I cant wait to go back and read the previous books in this series.

The Duke of Defiance by Darcy Burke
The Untouchables #5

What a wonderful way to spend the day! I thoroughly enjoyed being immersed in 1817 London with Jo and Bran. This is not the typical historical romance with the silly ingénue and the rake but instead a story of two slightly more mature people embarking on a new phase of life. Both without spouses, one with a young daughter to take care of as he takes on responsibilities of being an Earl, one verbally abused for years by her vicious vicar husband before finding herself widowed and both so in need of a safe place to land. I loved all of the characters, the story, the issues dealt with and the love that grew in spite of expectations otherwise. A delightful book and the first one I have read by this author – it will not be my last.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

I truly enjoyed this well-rounded historical romance. Good plot.

Widow Joanna Shaw has known Bran Crowther as a child, he was her best friend's brother. Married off by her father at a very young age to an old man, marriage was of no interest...until Bram came back to assume the Earldom.
He still carried the inner scars from being tormented as a child by members of his own family and found Joanna to be a soothing influence for him and his daughter, but there were obstacles to overcome.
Wonderful addition to the Untouchables series and not to be missed.
I requested and received an ARC copy to peruse

I haven’t read all the books in Darcy Burke’s <strong><em>The Untouchables</em></strong> series, but I’ve enjoyed those I <em>have</em> read and can confidently say that each book works as a standalone.  <strong>The Duke of Defiance </strong>features a new central couple and briefly re-introduces readers to the “Untouchables”, gentlemen so named by their heroines because their lofty positions in society meant they were well beyond their touch.  Although as things have turned out, they obviously weren’t 😉

Mrs. Joanna Shaw is the widowed sister of Nora, the Duchess of Kendal, who was the heroine of book one, <strong><a href="https://bookish29.wordpress.com/2017/05/13/the-forbidden-duke-the-untouchables-1-by-darcy-burke-audiobook-narrated-by-marian-hussey/" target="_blank">The Forbidden Duke</a></strong>.  Joanna – Jo – was unhappily married to a country clergyman for around eight years, and is now living with Nora while she decides what she wants to do with the rest of her life.  At thirty-one, she is still lovely and her position as the sister of a duchess gives her a certain cachet in society – but she is not sure if she wants to remarry.  Her late husband’s emotional cruelty has naturally soured her view of the institution, and her inability to conceive a child during eight years of marriage makes her a less attractive prospect as a wife.

Bran Crowther, the Earl of Knighton was a third son who never expected to inherit his father’s title.  But the recent deaths of his two elder brothers necessitates his return to England from the successful life he had built for himself in Barbados, and he and his five-year-old daughter, Evie, are finding it difficult to adjust.  Fortunately, however, Evie has found a good friend in Becky, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Kendal, and when Bran arrives to collect Evie from a play date, he meets Mrs. Shaw and is immediately struck by her wit and good sense, as well as by her beauty.

Bran and Jo are attracted to each other, and their interactions are nicely judged and generally very honest.  They are initially brought together when Nora offers to help Bran to find a new nurse for Evie and then has to send Jo in her stead.  Bran is pleased to discover that Jo's views fit with his own, and also finds her comments about the dos and don'ts of London society very helpful as he tries to settle into his new life.  When he – and Evie – practically beg Jo to become Evie's governess, she finds she cannot refuse, even as she knows that being in close proximity to Bran day after day is not a good idea.  But she has come to love Evie as she is coming to love the girl's father, and agrees to a trial period, trying not to think about what will happen when Bran eventually takes a wife who will be able to give him more children and, most importantly, an heir.

Jo's concern about her lack of fertility is the main source of conflict in the romance, and it's one I'm not particularly fond of.  The women in such stories always blame themselves without any reason to do so other than that they're women and therefore the fault must lie with them!  Bran at least has the sense to suggest that it might not be Jo's fault, but she is naturally very sensitive about it, and isn't prepared to let him take the risk that she won't be able to give him any more children.  Her belief is not helped by the insecurities about her womanliness fostered in her by her late husband, but it's nonetheless a plot point that always makes me roll my eyes.

Bran is a no-nonsense sort of person, and his years of living away from the strictures of London society have made him careless of convention and proper behaviour.  He thinks nothing of allowing Evie to go without shoes when they are at home – to the intense disapproval of some of his starchier servants – or of divesting himself of cravat and coat in front of Jo, when it is certainly not the done thing to 'disrobe' in front of a lady.  (Not that Jo minds, of course😉)  When he describes how clothes make him "itchy" and then explains how, as a child, his mother regarded him as defiant because he refused to wear clothing or eat what he was given; how he could never sit still or remain in bed all night, I thought Ms. Burke may have been setting him up as someone with a condition such as ADHD or on the Autistic Spectrum, but this is never made clear.  Jo comes to recognise and accept Bran's quirks, but other than having been brought up by an extremely harsh, unforgiving mother and a father who didn’t bother with his third son, we're not really given much of an explanation for them, and for the most part they are just glossed over.  There's an implication that Evie, too, has anxiety issues, but these are handled in more or less the same way.

And on the subject of Evie, much of the time she comes across as much older than the five years of age she is supposed to be.  At one point, she tells her father: <em>"I was certain you might be falling in love" </em>- which sounds more like a teenager, for instance, and she reads as more of a plot-moppet than a real child.  Children are hard to write well (Grace Burrowes is one of the very few romance authors who is able to get it right) and I'm afraid Ms. Burke has missed the mark. She’s also way off the mark when it comes to the master/servant relationship that should exist between Bran and Jo. He pretty much treats her as the mistress of the house as soon as she sets foot in it, assigning her a bedchamber in the family wing, a maid of her own, and insisting upon her eating meals with him, to name just a few things no over governess would have been granted. I get that Bran is supposed to be unfamiliar with society customs but Jo should know better and allows Bran to wave aside her very weak protests.

As I said at the beginning of this review, the book does work as a standalone, but information about previous characters and situations is given in obvious info-dumps, rather than evolving naturally; and while the good-natured teasing between the four heroes of the previous books is one of the best things about the this one, it felt like overkill for all four of them to just happen to be around in order to meet Bran.

While the writing is strong and the love scenes are sensual, <strong>The Duke of Defiance </strong>is, sadly one of the weaker entries in this series. I do plan to read more by Darcy Burke, but I'm going to chalk this one up as a misfire.

Grade: C - 3 stars

Sometimes when you start a book it's hard to relate to or like the characters, this is not that book. I likes both the h and the H very much from the very start. And really would have been upset at anything coming between them, fortunately, the relationship moved fairly smoothly as regency romances go, and I was not disappointed. The book is part of a series, which I have read, so was familiar with some characters, but the couple is new. He is a new Earl, the third son who had not expected to inherit. She ia the widow of a vicar, who apparently was rather un-vicarish. There is of course, an immediate attraction between them, though there are some barriers, and a romance ensues. And a HEA , most rewarding! Look forward to more by this author.

After what could only be described as an unhappy childhood, Bran Crowther left England and settled in Barbados where her married, had a daughter, and was happy. Bran does not want to be in England, and he does not want to be the Earl of Knighton, but he is. Following her sister’s scandal, Joanna Shaw accepted the first proposal she received and found herself in a miserable, loveless marriage. She dotes on her niece and nephew, but wants a family of her own and a purpose for her life. These two meet as a result of a friendship between her niece and his daughter. They are drawn to each other, but here are a few problems. Will it be possible to move past these hurdles and find love and a happy life? Two very smart and precocious five-year-old girls think so. They see a spark between Bran and Jo, and do their best to fan the flames. Will it work?

The Untouchables is a wonderful series, and The Duke of Defiance is the best book yet. This simple and straightforward story proves once again that our heroes are not untouchable, just in need of the right touch. The new characters are great. Bran is quirky and Evie is intelligent and adorable. Joanna is just what they need, and they are just what she needs

The Duke of Defiance is another great in the Untouchable series with strong, handsome men and the wallflowers with whom they fall in love. Darcy Burke brings together a third son who unexpectedly becomes the Earl and Jo, who was ruined along with her sister years earlier. Her sister Nora’s story with Kendal was the first in the series, The Forbidden Duke, in which Jo was introduced.

Both Bran and Jo are fighting their own demons. Bran was considered a defiant child by his family. He grew up with a very difficult relationship with his parents and brothers. Now, with his father and both brothers dead and he the earl, he struggles with the way they and his mother treated him causing him to leave England for good to make a life in Barbados. He was considered a ‘defiant’ child. Jo is struggling with the emotional bullying of her husband, the vicar, who really did not like women. He just wanted a child, but, apparently, could not do that well do to his proclivities. Yet, he blamed her for everything.

In addition to their emotional struggles, Bran seemed to have sensory issues causing him to labor with physical human touch and clothing touching his skin. He experienced some muscle tension that needed frequent massage. In Barbados, the weather suited him well since clothing was lighter and less needed. Jo just accepted him as he was, loving him all the more for his needs.

Jo’s niece, Nora’s daughter, became fast friends with Bran’s daughter. These two friends had a lot to do with bringing Jo and Bran together. Their frequent ‘play dates’ eventually lead to Jo becoming Evie’s governess in Bran’s home. Plus, the girls wanted Bran and Jo to marry, contriving reasons for them to be together.

The amazing love that develops between Jo and Bran is gradual, sensual and sweet. Quickly in their relationship, Bran asked Jo to marry him. With her decline, he knew he had not handled it well. You will appreciate the development of their adorable connection.

An important part of the Duke of Defiance is bringing the final book in the series ‘in touch’ with the first book. Nora and Kendal have been married for several years. Yet, there was always the question of the somewhat estranged relationship between Jo and Nora. Nora truly felt responsible for her younger sister not having a season and the possibility of a good marriage. Thus, the cause of Jo marrying a vicar. These two stories were so well interconnected allowing the sisters to finally talk about what happened all those years ago. Jo released her anger and still, they were able to become even closer than before their harsh words. Nora was able to truly let her sister know she took the blame for everything that happened following the kissing incident. Having read all of the series allowed that bit of closure that was unexpected.

The Duke of Defiance is truly a standalone book, but I think I enjoyed it all the more for having read the series in succession. These would be a great series to load into your kindle for a vacation read. They are not too serious and not to light-hearted, just plain good reading.

I enjoyed reading this book by Darcy Burke, my first by this author, particularly the originality of the Duke of Defiance. Having a peculiar, different hero, with such unusual issues and quirks, was refreshing.
I was expecting, though, that Bran’s uncommon traits would be somehow more thoroughly developed and explained. I would trade that for the sex scenes, which sounded formulaic and drawn-out.
For these reasons, I enjoyed more the first part of the book, when the character of the hero was being revealed.
I liked both main characters, as well as the side characters, including two little girls that become best friends right away (but I felt that Evie spoke often as a grown-up and not as a six-year-old child).

Another great story in the series. Ms Burke once again manages to create such diverse characters. The Duke of Defiance, brings Bran Crowther, the Earl of Knighton back to England, having left his life in Barbados. He initially fled to escape his family but returns when his father and twin older brothers die, leaving him the new Earl. His young daughter, Evie is struggling with the changes but has befriended the daughter of another duke (book 1 in the series). It is this friendship that brings Bran in contact with Jo, the sister-in-law of the duke, and the sparks soon fly. Jo accepts Bran and his defiance of all irrelevant things (many of which he calls his peccadillos) and he, loves her despite her possible infertility. This was a lovely story and it was great to see many of the dukes appear again, if only for a short section of the book.