This one is compelling and I stayed up entirely too late reading it. The hero has a terrible childhood and is consumed with amassing wealth so he and his family will never go hungry again. Our heroine is clever and wants to be so much more in life than she is allowed as a woman. She runs a very interesting and progressive school where she is able to show the hero that there will never be enough money to feel safe, but maybe there are other things in life that are more important than money. The characters are well developed and the pacing is good. This book is a winner.

This is a good story and HR fans are going to like it, maybe even love it but (you knew there was a “but” coming here) along with an original premise there were too many instances of modern American language and 21st century politically correct actions. This is early 19th century England. Women, spinsters like Clara were more circumspect in their sexuality and ideas even if they were trying to change the plight of women. If this timeline had been pushed forward to the early 20th century it would have been more believable.

Objections aside, Ms. Bowen can capture a reader with her witty dialog and I do recommend this book to romance readers who want a hunky hero and feisty heroine.

Some authors just get better and better each time out, and Kelly Bowen is one of them.  Her last series, Season for Scandal, was tremendous, but right out of the gate, A Duke in the Night trumps them all.  It’s smart, sexy and romantic, and I enjoyed every bit of it.  In the lovely novella The Lady in Red (released late last year), Ms. Bowen introduced us to Clara Hayward, the headmistress of the Haverhall School for Young Ladies, who takes center stage this time out.  A brilliant and beautiful feminist ahead of her time, Clara meets her match in August Faulkner, the Duke of Holloway.  The pair, and this story, are sure to find their way onto my best of 2018 list in December.  New to Ms. Bowen?  You could start with this novel as it works perfectly well as a standalone.

August Faulkner, the Duke of Holloway, would give the world to his sister if he could.  After a childhood of hunger and desperation, he isn’t content to rest on his laurels and he’s amassed a fortune buying and selling companies.  He’s ruthless, determined and unsentimental... except with it comes to Anne.  When A Duke in the Night begins, he’s surprised her with a new ball gown and jewelry to match.  When she interrupts him in his study, he assumes it’s to thank him.  Nope.  Anne wants to discuss one of his hotels.  August, oblivious to her interest in the business, can’t fathom why she wants to discuss his hotel; he cuts her off mid-discussion and holding up her floor plan illustrations, patronisingly suggests she apply her talents to portraits or landscapes instead.  Poor Anne. The awkward visit ends when August’s man of business interrupts.  Anne departs - unhappily - but August is distracted.  He’s recently acquired the Haverhall School for Young Ladies and its surrounding property after two failed earlier attempts.  He wants to know the reason why and sets his man of business, Duncan Down, to discover it.

Ten years earlier,  August was an immature rake who, on a dare from his snickering companions, confidently asked famed wallflower Clara Hayward to dance.  When she accepted with an expression of bemused tolerance and allowed him to lead her out on the floor, Augustus was smitten…  and lost. Heart hammering once it was over, he left her in the care of her brother Harland... and never danced with her again - in fact, has not spoken to her since.  Discovering her name on the previous deed of ownership for Haverhall surprises him and triggers a flood of memories... and undermines  his pleasure in the purchase.  His instincts were right – Clara’s family fortune is gone and her brother, Baron Strathmore, is at risk of losing their shipping business.  August decides to acquire it - by any means necessary - before his competitors get wind of a possible sale.  When Duncan mentions Lord Strathmore is often found at the British Museum on Wednesday afternoons, August plans a ‘surprise’ meeting; instead, he sees Clara Hayward... and falls hard for her all over again.

Clara is struggling to come to terms with the sale of Haverhill, the legacy left to her by her parents.  Discovering the Strathmore fortune was all but lost was a brutal shock, but she agreed with her siblings that it was necessary to do whatever they could to keep Strathmore shipping afloat, although the personal cost, Haverhill, is staggering.  Lost in thought at the British Museum, she’s startled by a voice from her past, and pulse racing, she turns to see August Faulkner, the man who stole her heart during a waltz ten years ago.  She’s never forgotten him and although she tries to remain calm as the exchange mundane comments on the sculpture in front of them, she’s overwhelmed by her emotional and physical response to him.  When he asks if he can call on her the following day she’s confused.  Surely he knows she’s headed to Dover for the Haverhill summer session?  After all, his sister is scheduled to attend.  But before she can remind him, they’re interrupted by a family friend and depart shortly thereafter.  Disappointed, Clara assumes it will be another decade or so before she sees August again.

When August discovers Anne has snuck away to Dover, he’s furious at both her and Clara, whom he mistakenly assumes pretended she didn’t know Anne was to be one of her  students.  He promptly pays a visit to the Earl of Rivers and the following day, he’s on his way to the earl’s estate, Avondale  (site of the summer school) to assess the estate’s crops and livestock.  But really, he’s going in order to retrieve Anne.  Oh and finagle a way to meet up with Baron Strathmore, and convince him to sell Strathmore shipping, and hmm... to see Clara.  With whom he’s madly in love.  Sigh.

Reader, the set-up is marvelous, the principal and secondary characters are terrific, and Ms. Bowen puts August and Clara on a wonderfully romantic and passionate collision course.  The summer session at Haverhill, as you may have surmised, is far from a typical finishing school.  And Clara isn’t your typical teacher.  Instead, under her tutelage and via her trusted network of mentors, the specially invited girls are given an opportunity to pursue their professional dreams - for Anne, it’s the chance to become a hotelier.  When August shows up at Avondale, Clara is alternately thrilled (to see him) and terrified (he’ll discover what they’re up to).

I love a great-enemies-to-lovers story and this one is a doozy.  Clara and August play a bit of cat and mouse as he tries and fails to understand what’s really happening at Avondale, and they try and fail to fight their attraction to each other.  August is convinced he knows best for his sister and Clara... well, Clara patiently and delicately shows him how his own privilege - white, wealthy, titled, male - largely informs his opinions... and that he’s often wrong.  August’s love for his sister is deeply rooted in their history together, and he struggles to understand her wants, desires and frustrations.  Reader, he tries.  Often to comic effect, but he does.  Fortunately, Clara is a smart, sexy and sharp teacher, and she’s unwilling to play the simpering female to August’s alpha hero.  Although the sexual tension between them is intense, it never overwhelms the feminist message that underlies the romance and the novel.  Clara constantly surprises August and challenges the way he thinks.  August’s evolution from typical male to enlightened male is particularly well done, and A Duke in the Night is at its best whenever they’re together.

Unfortunately, undermining the burgeoning relationship between the pair is August’s purchase of Haverhill.  He keeps it from Clara - and his frequent missteps in regard to the school and Strathmore Shipping leave Clara uncertain of her place in his heart.  She doesn’t trust him, and begins to doubt the choices she’s made in life - to remain single and pursue an academic life instead of to have a husband and family.  August is yet another painful reminder of how ‘different’ she is; after all, he only danced with her on a dare from his taunting, snickering friends…

Oh reader, there’s so much to love about A Duke in the Night - and this review only scratches the surface.  The love story and lovely tribute to early feminism are both fabulous and so well done.  Elegant, romantic and engaging, A Duke in the Night is one of the best romance novels of 2018.

Buy it at: A/BN/iB/K

Oh my, this book has to be a favorite for me. I didn’t want to see the story of August and Clara to end. Both characters were unusual enough to be very interesting and the secondary characters were intriguing as well. I will definitely be watching for future books from this author!

3.5 stars

August Faulkner, Duke of Holloway, learned how harsh life can be when he was young and his father was thrown into debtors prison. It was a lesson he would never forget and he has forged ahead with securing a financial future for himself and his sister Anne. August has a knack of buying run down businesses, reorganizing them and making them profitable. Because of his past, he never has enough and has a ruthless reputation when it comes to business. With so much success behind him, he harbors one regret in letting Miss Clara Hayward slip through his fingers in his youth. When Anne enrolls in Haverhall School's summer program, August comes face to face with his greatest regret.

While I enjoyed this story and it kept my interest throughout, I thought Clara was more of a modern heroine instead of a young woman in Regency England. Her ideas of what young ladies should or shouldn't do would have not been very well received among the ton. I also did not understand why Clara was labelled a wallflower in her youth. There was one scene in a ballroom when she meets August, but in another scene her parent's parties were the "it" place to secure an invitation to. There was a slight twist in the book that didn't really surprise me and there are also a few plot questions left unanswered. While this wasn't my favorite story, I do enjoy Ms. Bowen's writing so I'll definitely be reading more of her books.

There's nothing I won't read of Kelly Bowen's. She's become an automatic buy for me. I love her wit, I love the flow of the story, I love the chemistry, and most importantly, I love how her heroines are strong. Historical romance junkies...check her out! She's worth it.

A Duke in the Night starts a new series, and a new direction in the tone of her stories. Not as dark as her last series, it still possesses the same wit and chemistry.

I love the meeting of minds with the hero - August, and Clara, our heroine. They are of course, perfect for one another.

I found this title to be a bit plodding in places, but overall decent. I liked that the female wasn't the usual wilting flower, but she was still hesitant and un-trusting, like the typical female in romance novels. I also liked how the male actually thought and grew (a tiny tiny bit) but he still made all the decisions to protect his women. So overall meh .

If you are looking for a thoroughly modern romance wearing Regency era attire, you may enjoy this book. I did not find anything about it believable - not the characters, not the dialog, not the plot. Meh.

Also, this line from the description? "August Faulkner is a man of many talents, not the least of which is enticing women into his bedchamber." Turns out, <spoiler>the heroine has more sexual experience than the hero. Very Regency era, that. </spoiler>

Bowen masterfully captures the essence of the historical romance while bringing us a heroine that we would adore and expect from a contemporary romance. Emotionally connecting the reader with heartfelt circumstances, scarred and realistic characters and Bowen's ability to create a world with words, I have to admit its one of my favorite historical romances I read so far.

I received this ARC copy of A DUKE IN THE NIGHT from Forever - Grand Central Publishing. This is my honest and voluntary review. A DUKE IN THE NIGHT is set for publication Feb. 20, 2018.

My Rating: 5 stars
Series: The Devils of Dover
Sequence in Series: Book 1
Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: February 20, 2018
ISBN-10: 147891856X
ISBN-13: 978-1478918561
Genre: Historical Romance | Contemporary Woman

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Duke-Night-Dev...
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Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com

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Great book. Very well written. Great full characters that keep you reading all night! Loved the female lead. She is strong, quick minded, and erudite. The dialogue is dynamic and witty. Hot! Can't wait for the next book. I've already recommend it to a friend and the romance buyer.

I really enjoyed this book, as I have all of Kelly Bowen's work. This book is the first full-length title in Ms. Bowen's new series, The Devils of Dover, and tells the story of August Faulkner, the Duke of Holloway, and Clara Hayward, who runs the Haverhall School for Young Ladies. August and Clara had a brief interaction years ago, and when August comes back into her life, sparks are still there. However, there is a complication: August has bought Clara's school and intends to close it. Clara has given her life to the school, which is her family's legacy, and so there are many impediments to a relationship with the Duke. It would've been very easy for August to be an extremely unlikable, unsympathetic character, and there were certainly times in the book when I was ready to strangle him. However, Clara was a wonderful heroine, and Ms. Bowen is a skilled enough author to make us root for August and his redemption.

While a novella preceded this book, it is not necessary to read the novella first. Clara only makes a cameo appearance in the novella, and the novella's main characters do not figure into this book.

Kelly Bowen continues to be one of my favorite romance writers. Another strong, swoony, feminist romance.

A Duke in the Night was written by Kelly Bowen. This is the first book in her new Regency-era Devils of Dover series. I was very excited about the opportunity to read this book because I’ve heard a lot of buzz about Bowen in my book group.

Clara first encountered August during an incident in which he was dared to ask her to dance at a ball. Ten years later, they meet again when August’s sister enrolls at Clara’s school for young ladies.

August arrives at the school with a flimsy excuse as to why he needs to be there. Clara has moved on with her life, and she is very happy with the way her life has tuned out, but his return stirs up old memories, and she doesn’t know if she can trust him. She is skeptical about his reasons for remaining at the school, as well as his attempts to spend time with her.

August does have an ulterior motive, but as he spends time there, not only does he begin to see Clara in a new light, but he also sees that his sister is no longer a little girl who needs to be protected. There were some allusions to his backstory; I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll just say that he didn’t inherit his title in the conventional way. I found myself wanting to know more about his earlier years; they certainly shaped his current personality, but I want to know everything!

The story is bolstered by some really great secondary characters. I especially enjoyed the two elderly sisters who share the manor house with the school. I hope that I am just as spry when I am that age! I should also add that the villain of the piece was fairly easy to spot, but he had some really great mustache-twirling moments!

I would absolutely recommend A Duke in the Night. Clara and August have such good chemistry. They are also both fascinating in their own rights- their personalities are both very different than the usual archetypes found in the genre. Some might find the conventions to be too modern for the era, but I loved Clara’s commitment to instilling a sense of independence and self-affirmation in her students. And August’s reaction to these unconventional ways was just as fun! I am looking forward to catching up on Bowen’s earlier books, as well as looking forward to the next book in the series!


I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. Clara is a strong independent female in a time when women were expected to be a damsel needing rescue. August is a duke who has built himself up from nothing, and is used to getting his way. He is also the overprotective brother to a young woman who looks up to Clara and seeks the same independence. Sparks fly as Clara makes August question societal norms and his role as his sister's guardian. I couldn't put the book down. It was a perfect cold weather read.

This novel.was fantastic!! I could not put it down and devoured it. I loved August and Clara and could not get enough of their banter, passion and heated exchanges!

When August Faulkner, womanizer, lothario and ruthless businessman sees the innocent Clara Hayward, Headmistress of the Haverhall School for Young Ladies, after ten years, their attraction and passion rises to the forefront and sparks fly. But despite knowing that he is back in her life again to take over her family’s business, her heart can’t help but open to the very duke who could destroy it for good. Will he put his love for Clara or his ruthless business tactics first?

Gahh! This novel.was so good and honestly I could not get enough! Their passion and banter was fantastic and the way Clara gave as good as she got and made August feel. I was seriously hooked.

All in this was great! I would like to thank Netgalley and Forever Romance for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

This was my first Kelly Bowen book. It was very enjoyable. I liked the hero's evolution and how his typically narrow mind was broadened. My one petty complaint was the part she copied from the movie Gone With the Wind. "You need to be kissed and often. And by someone who knows how to do it".

Wonderful story - enjoyed the characters & plot. Will be looking for more of her books!

Review will be post closer to release date.

I’m going to try to write a review to do this book justice, because it deserves that, but dang it I’m not sure I can. A Duke in the Night left me shaking my head, partly at how wonderful it was, but also because at about halfway through I realized this is the first Kelly Bowen book I’ve ever read. And how did I let that happen?

August Faulkner, the Duke of Holloway, is a talented businessman. He buys out failing companies and then turns them around to make them profitable. Sometimes by making them more than they were before, and sometimes by breaking them apart and turning them into something new. He wasn’t always a duke, he was once a lonely boy on the streets trying to get his family out of debtor’s prison and back to respectability. He has never forgotten what that feels like, which is why no amount of money or power will ever be enough to satisfy him. His purchase of a school owned by the Hayward family, sets his mind to also remembering the night he danced on a dare with a young wallflower named Clara Hayward. And was absolutely enchanted. When August discovers the reason why the family is selling off the school, he sees yet another business opportunity, but when he talks to Clara again he soon discovers there might be something he wants more than money.

Clara Hayward at her heart is a teacher. She has been headmistress of her own school for years, but she also teaches a few students during a summer session at a leased property owned by an elderly lord. Since the death of her parents and the discovery that their excesses have led to the possible ruination of the family shipping business, she and her siblings have done everything they could think of to keep it afloat. That includes selling off the beloved school her mother left her. But she still has students whose minds she intends to broaden and who’s gifts she wants to see blossom and grow. Her methods might be unconventional, but they benefit the few students she picks every summer. This session will be a bit different though, since she will not only have to guide her students, and worry about her family’s finances, but also try to keep her interest in the newly arrived Duke of Holloway under control.

What can I say about this couple? I absolutely adored every single thing about them. I adored them apart. I adored them together. I just flat out adored. Clara is so ahead of her time. An independent woman determined to stay independent who offers her students the ability to learn things not acceptable for the time period they are living. She teaches them to look beyond their family’s holdings and money, to see each other and themselves for their own gifts and wants and needs. She offers them the ability to learn in the area of their choice and the opportunity to work in that field in a practical way. Clara is pragmatic, and wise, and progressive. Yet, its the way she teaches that I loved, she asks questions and makes inquiries and lets others make their own conclusions and discoveries.

“What is it that gives you the most joy out of life? The thing that gets you out of bed in the morning?”
Ownership. Acquisition. Building something from nothing.
He knew he should probably say something flippant like cards or whiskey or snuff. “Business,” he hedged instead.
She considered him. “Are you good at it?”
The best. “Yes.”
“Now just for a moment, pretend Lady Anne didn’t approve of what you did.” She pulled her fingers from his and stepped away. “And now, just for the moment, pretend she had the control and the power to stop you from doing what you loved.”

August is set up as an alpha male who loves making money, but from the first page I saw a man who was protective and kind and loving. A man who adored his sister and would do whatever it took to see her safe and happy. A man who might have been a tad bit stubborn, but listened when Clara talked and respected her for herself and her wisdom.

“Do not put words in my mouth, Miss Hayward. Because that’s not who I see when I look at you.” The force of his words made her eyes widen. “I see an intelligent woman, the same one who once put an ignorant buck in his place and taught him that things are rarely as they seem. I wish I had understood that then.”
“And what would you have done differently if you had?” she asked quietly.
“I would have asked you to dance again.” August reached for her hand and caught it, bringing it up between them, his thumb sliding over her bare knuckles. “I wish I had asked you to dance again.”

They have a lovely courtship and a lovely romance. They talk to each other. They learn about each other. August listens and broadens this thought processes, mainly about his sister and what would really make her happy in life. Clara learns to trust and that maybe she can be herself and just as independent with the right person. They are incredibly sexy together. There are several very well done love scenes and I kind of wish there were several more. I absolutely, one hundred percent believed this couple’s evolution from acquaintances to friends to lovers to in love. I might have been annoyed at times with each of them, but I also understood the whys and hows of what led them to make certain decisions and what ultimately brought about certain misunderstandings and upsets. In the end I loved their HEA and how it was written. My only complaint would be that I would have loved an epilogue.

If you read one historical romance his year, make sure it’s this one. A Duke in the Night hit all my romance lover buttons. I can not wait to see what comes next in this series. Final Grade-A

Favorite Quote:

“I am not going to accept less of you, Clara Hayward. I will have you, and you will have me. You will show me everything that you have ever learned about pleasure, and then I will show you more. I will be the man who kisses you until you can’t breathe and you can’t think.”

I really enjoyed this title, I'd been looking forward to it after reading the short story set in the same universe. I like this idea of a school with special projects to create opportunities for women so they could do the business-thing of their choice. Can't wait to read more.