3.5*

A story of how love and trust and partnership can renew lost hopes and dreams.
Secrets and lies weigh heavily on our hero and heroine. Tragic events have changed everything, futures they once dreamed of are no longer insight.
Lucas Vincent, “The Undercover Duke” Duke of Willowby, separated himself from family and through the years friends being a spy for the crown. Recently severely injured Lucas is left in terrible pain and guilt ridden from the friend he could not save, Dr. William Oakford. His superiors need to keep him hidden but with their best healer dead they turn to the next best person Diana Oakford, William’s daughter.
Diana’s mother passed when she was young all she had was her father, he raised her the only way he knew, to be a healer. Several years ago her heart was broken and her life changed forever. She put away her hopes and dreams and focused on her plants and herbs. The last thing Diana wants to do is help the people who took her father away for so much of her life. When she’s told its The Undercover Duke, a man her father talked of like a son she could not turn him away.
Lucas is surly and rude and in such horrible pain that he’s unable to move about much with out help. When Lucas realizes who Diana is he’s swamped with guilt and demands to leave not wanting to drag her into this mess. They strike up a deal, a month of doing what Diana thinks will help then he can leave.
Their attraction is instant but neither want a relationship but can’t seem to resist each other. As the days go by Lucas gets stronger and their relationship grows to friendship and trust. Lucas gives Diana on thing that she’s never had, to make her own decisions and choices. Can they count on each other when they need each other the most or will old hurts and secrets get in their way?
There are some great twists and turns that I did not see coming.
I love Jess Michaels writing a story telling.

2.5 -3 stars

This was a mixed read for me, where I essentially liked the characters individually and together as a couple, but I struggled with the pacing of the storyline, how events played out and connections that were acted on rather fast.

This book takes a trope I really enjoy ‘the wounded duke’, so I was excited to read about Lucas Willoughby. Lucas was a spy for the government and injured in espionage trying to unroot a traitor. His long-time friend and surgeon is killed. Months later he is brought to a gifted healer, Diana, daughter of the surgeon. Diana was a wonderful character, strong despite her grief and truly gifted. However, this is where my brain did a screeching halt at how events then played out. I wanted a slower build of the relationship between the main characters.

The back stories to these two characters were well thought out and I savoured these details and richness it brought to the story. More emphasis on the healing aspects would have floated my boat too.

I will definitely continue to read Jess Michaels even though this particular book didn’t totally float my boat.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Lucas is the Duke of Willowby but has never really accepted his role, he prefers to work for the War Department as a spy. When he is injured he is forced to stop searching for the man who betrayed him. Diana is the daughter of a physician who works for the War Department, he was killed the same time Lucas received his injury. Now she has been tasked with healing him with all others have failed. Will she succeed and when sparks fly between them can they keep emotions out of their affair? Fast-paced historical read with lots of twists and turns. Steamy chemistry and great characters. I loved it!

After having lost her father a few months ago, Diane Oakford had been living a quiet life. In The Undercover Duke, however, things are about to change dramatically. Receiving a visit from the Earl of Stalwood, spymaster to the War Department, she is recruited to aid in the healing of a man injured in the same mission that killed her father.

Lucas Vincent, the Duke of Willowby, was a spy for the crown. Severely injured on a mission, he is in pain and not used to inactivity. His short temper and irritability are quickly apparent when he first meets Diane and realizes it is she who will be caring for him.

Trained by her father, Diane is a gifted healer. Lucas needs a healer of a class better than the ones who have been treating him thus far.

He is very different from the man she imagined when she had been told about the Undercover Duke by her father. For one thing, he’s a very handsome man.

Lucas feels responsible for her father’s death. Diane feels that his death on the same mission which injured Lucas is more reason to help. She does not want her father’s death to be in vain.

Romance With A Touch Of Mystery

This story, another of The 1797 Club series, is a good standalone read. The author has done in an exceptional job of bringing the two characters together from very different backgrounds.

They also work together to solve the mystery of who it was who betrayed the mission. I do like a sense of mystery in the book in this one provides a surprising answer.

Author, Jess Michaels, is definitely one that I will keep an eye on while I am looking out for more 1797 Club books.

Reviewed for LnkToMi iRead in response to a complimentary copy of the book provided by the publisher in hopes of an honest review.

An erotica delight, Undercover Duke continues Michaels’ 1797 Club Series. Though it can be read as a standalone, the rest of the series should be enjoyed as well! As someone who has read Jess Michael work for years, this series should be noted for her growth as an author. Her works have always been steamy with deep emotional connections between the H/h. Undercover Duke is no different save for the evident refinement of Michael’s skill. Her plots are further developed, characters more dimensional, and the love between her leads is as dynamic as it is touching.

Long story short, Michaels is one of the best historical writers to date who only gets better over time. If you want a good historical story filled explicit scenes between two people meant for each other, she should be on your TBR.

 

❧ Arec

Jess michales! She’s had the best book series on the independent market. I really enjoyed graham book be best. But this is great read. I can’t wait for the next one.

LOVED Lucas and Diana! Their love story was so sexy and the mystery surrounding the traitor just made this an absolutely perfect, well-rounded novel. I love this series and these books see to get better and better. Can't wait for Matthew to find his happily ever after!!

ARC provided by NetGalley.

Jess Michaels has a way of snaring the readers attention from the first and not letting go until the end. The wounded hero trope is my very favorite because I love to seem them healed and happy in the end. This story had it in spades. Lucas Vincent, the Duke of Willowby at a very young age, has done everything he can to avoid the Dukedom and has worked as a spy for the War Department. Terribly unhappy in his life he fights like he doesn't care if he gets killed and maybe he doesn't. Unfortunately he was gravely wounded in the field and has been sent home to heal. His injuries were grave and he was sent Diana Oakford, whose father, a physician in the war, had died when Lucas was wounded. Two lost souls brought together seems fated and it does not take long for their mutual attraction. But nothing is ever simple when secrets and a mystery get in the way and try to pull the couple apart. This is part of a series that I have not read but I think a lot of the characters in past stories showed up in this one. This can be read as a standalone although I am anxious to read the entire series. If you love historical romance with a little steam, this one if for you and I cannot wait to read the next book by this author!

This really is an excellent series. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Diana is tasked with healing Lucas, a spy for the Crown. There is also the problem of a traitor in the ranks. Secluded together, Diana and Lucas have an attraction to each other. Both have and a difficult upbringing. Slowly, secrets are revealed and the possible traitor identified. This was an absorbing read and kept me guessing as to whom the traitor might be. Lucas and Diana also meet up with the other duke’s and their wives. I’m looking forward to the next in the series. I was given a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Undercover Duke
by Jess Micheals

Once again this series keeps on getting better and better, full of mystery and intrigue.
Lucas Vincent the Duke of Willowby is a spy for his country and lives his life without a care if he dies or not. All his life has been full of hatred and loathing from the people that should have loved him until he finally learned the secret that made him who he is. Gravely injured on an assignment he’s sent home to recoupe his healing isn’t going as well or as quick as his superiors need.

Diana Oakford is tasked with getting Vincent better after all her father was a great physician and she needs to keep herself busy after the loss of her father. They both need each other their attraction was instant. He found a kindred spirit in her, she was everything he needed just that he hadn’t realized how much, until the enemy comes knocking at their door.

I loved loved this wounded hero he was not a typical Duke he was a risk taker and really wanted nothing to do with his title. Loved Diana as well she’s everything he needed but they did have some trust issues that thankfully got resolved. Lots of mystery and secrets that get revealed, everything wraps up nicely. I really enjoyed this series and can’t wait for the next one. Keep them coming Jess Micheals !

I recieved a ARC from NetGalley, this is my honest opinion.

The Undercover Duke by Jess Michaels is book Six in The 1797 Club series. This is the story of Lucas Vincent and Diana Oakford. I have read the previous books in this series but feel this can be a standalone book.
Lucas has been gravely injured and he is not getting any better. So Diana is called in to help with Lucas to get better. Diana is George Oakford's daughter. George was a war surgeon and was also killed at the time that Lucas was injured. Lucas feels guilt for the death of George along with his injuries are keeping him from going forward in his health. Diana doesn't except his guilt and presses him to get better with her help.
Exciting hot read!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley to read in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else's.

Lucas, Duke of Willowby has always lived a life that was filled with untruths. He even made it a career of it. Which unfortunately almost cost him his life. However, he is not healing from his injuries and it appears to be getting worse.

Diana was trained by her father, who was doctor, to be a Healer. She also is mourning her father’s sudden death. She is at a loss at how her father could have died so violently. When she is asked to help with the healing of Lucas, at first she was hesitate, because of the possible dangers. But when she understands that Lucas was with her father at the time of his death, she decides to help.

The closeness between Lucas and Diana develops immediately. As their connection grows so does the mystery behind how Lucas was attack and who was involved.

Jess Michaels did it again. I have been fan of her books since her series of The Notorious Flynns. This author always gets it right. She knows just how to draw the reader into the book, sometimes with a little mystery. Which is just enough to see the Happily Ever After. You never will go wrong reading her books.

I received this book for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Five Dukes down the aisle! Five Dukes to go!

Jess Michaels gives us another Duke to fall in love with in The Undercover Duke. Lucas Vincent, Duke of Willowy, has been absent from the previous five books, so going into this book the readers have little information about the mysterious man. Turns out Lucas is not only a Duke, but one of the War Office’s most valuable spies. When Lucas tries to ferret out a double agent, he is severely injured and his close friend and father figure, Dr. Oakford, is killed.

Daughter to the doctor and a healer in her own right, Diana, is convinced to come to London to care for the Undercover Duke six months after his injury. She agrees once she learns Lucas was with her father when he died. They start their adventure in Diana’s modest London cottage where the spark of desire becomes even more powerful than the pain.

Working through his pain, his inability to investigate, and his burgeoning feeling for Diana, Lucas is a mess of male pride. Diana has her feminine flame stoked by the devilishly handsome duke, but has been burned when a previous spy her father worked with took something he had no right to ask for. Wary of each other but still widely attracted, the pair begin an affair with a promised end date while Diana helps Lucas recuperate. As Diana has a little experience with the male sex, Michaels doesn’t hold back when it comes to the scenes that could steam the words from the pages. She creates the perfect mix of desire, tenderness, and even love for the couple who believe an end is in sight.

With more twists and turns as their affair turns down the road of true love, Lucas begins to investigate again. With the help of Simon Greene, Duke of Crestwood, Lucas is launched back into society and Meg, the Duchess of Crestwood, takes Diana under her wing. But the double agent has plans for both Lucas and Diana, plans that could tear them apart.

You won’t want to stop reading once you’ve started. So grab your drink, your snacks, and your tissues and settle in for another five star adventurous romance with The Undercover Duke!

Lucas Vincent, Duke of Willowby, had a very unhappy life joined the war and later the War Department and became a spy. Lucas is a member of the 1797 Duke’s club whom we have never met, he left the group when he was sixteen after he found out why his parents hated him and he felt he didn’t deserve to be a part of the club any longer.
Diana Oakford lost her mother when she was very young and had only her father left. Her father was a doctor who worked for the War Department and he taught Diane all about the art of healing herbs and medicine. Simon was injured six months ago and still not fully healed and he’s to Diana Oakford. She knows her father always thought of Lucas as a son so she’s not surprised to learn her father was helping the Lucas on his mission when he was killed.
Loved this story of a wounded spy and his lady doctor who are physically drawn to each other, both are needing to heal and find themselves physically attracted to each other. Their fiery passion leads to a steamy, provocative love scenes and an intriguing plot with a mystery to solve finding the traitor within the War Department. We get to see some old friends from the Duke’s Club which always fun read!!!
This is my honest opinions after I voluntarily read a copy of this book that was provided to me with no requirements for a review.

Lucas Vincent is the reluctant Duke of Willowby, so much so that he instead works for the War Department as a spy. When a simple case of surveillance goes incredibly wrong, Lucas must give up his career to fight for his life. He may have lived through the attack but his body is slow to heal.

Diane Oakford, daughter of George Oakford, a War Department pysician, is asked to use her own healing skills to get the Duke back to his duties. Lucas is determined to find the double-agent who continues to strike. He also realizes Diana can help him heal and provide pivotal information on the possible culprit.

Diana and Lucas both have secrets they are keeping from each other but the close living arrangements makes it hard to hide. They are drawn to each other and healing takes place for both of them.

Will the case Lucas is compelled to solve destroy what they have built?

Another winner! I believed the instant connection between Diana and Lucas and also their dilemma standing between them and a happy ending. The other members of the Duke’s Club and their wives come just in-the-nik- of-time to talk some sense into the pair.
Loved this one and can’t wait for the next installment to be released!

The Undercover Duke is another amazing book in the 1797 Club series. Jess Michaels continues to keep us entertained with enticing subject matter in her writing. I will say this did not end quite as I expected because it kept me guessing as to what really happened.

With Diana being the daughter of a surgeon who works for the crown and a healer in her own right and Lucas a spy trying to recover from serious gunshot wounds, the stage is set for these two to come together. Our heroine, Diana, was extremely kind and patient with her patient, Lucas, the undercover duke. She had been mislead in a previous relationship, but had a woman’s needs. She and Lucas had a quick and sensual attraction. He was not in the best frame of mind and was borderline cruel at times, but he redeemed himself in the end, which counts for something.

One of Lucas’s detractions was his withholding of his belief regarding Diana’s father. Women want honesty and openness from their man. Lucas was not used to answering to any one, much less a woman. His willingness to change is what turns him into out hero.

Michaels books are generally quite sensual, but I believe she may be stepping over the line of the type of book I prefer. The brief mention of the future use of the ‘rosebud entrance,’ for me, pushes the limit. I believe that can stay in the more erotic books that contain sex not romance. Even a little less sex with more relationship building might be better.

It's a nonstop reading..
The story starts rather slowly but soon the plot gets thrilling and I needed to discover who was the villain. I was surprised with the last chapters.

The book is part of a serie but can be read as an independent story. Diana was a nice woman i met in the previous book. She was the daughter of a rural doctor, just a bit bluestoking. When she becames entangled with the duke, she loses part of her characteristic strenth. She behaves like a different person with a few sparkles of her prior self.. As the story goes on the main characters are more credible.

This is the next book in the 1797 Duke Club. It is Diana and Lucas’ story. He is a Duke and a spy. Her father was a surgeon for the war department. Her father taught her to be a healer. Lucas was shot on his last mission. She is asked to heal him. She was more than a healer to him. There is a lot of sex in this story. There are many twists and turns in this story. It was a very exciting read. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Publisher's Description:

Lucas Vincent may be the Duke of Willowby but he’s never acted as such. He’s been too busy working for the War Department as a spy. But years of dangerous work has finally caught up to him and he was involved in a violent attack that nearly killed him. Forced home, his angry, aggressive desire to get back in the field and find out to who betrayed him is keeping him from healing.

Diana Oakford was raised by a physician who served the King’s War Department and she knows better than most the dangers that job entails. She was also trained in healing, so when she’s asked to come and assist with Lucas’s recovery she has a hard time refusing.

Once they’re alone together an unexpected connection begins to grow between these two people who have fought their emotions all their lives and more begins to heal than just Lucas’s broken body. But just when they start to believe they could find some kind of happiness, the past rears its ugly head and Lucas will have to choose between the life he once led and the woman who has changed his world.

My Thoughts:

This latest addition to Jess Michaels series The 1797 Club is filled with suspense. There is of course the prerequisite building of love too, but this book is much more suspenseful than any of the others so far in this series.

Although Lucas is a Duke he has never acted much like one would expect a member of the peerage to act. He is much more intent on serving King and country as a member of the King's War Department. He is very good at what he does, but when another member of the War Department turns traitor Lucas means to bring him to justice and is nearly killed attempting to do so.

Diana is the daughter of a physician who also works for the War Department and is presumed killed on the same night as Lucas's near fatal injury.
When Lucas is not healing properly she is recruited to heal him.
The connection between them grows the more time they spend alone together.

Will the secrets that Lucas holds about himself ruin his chance at love and a Happily Ever After future with Diana?

Will Diana's past be what changes everything?

I gave this well written book 4.75 of 5.0 stars for storyline and character development and a sensual rating of 4 of 5 flames. The physical intimacy between this couple is combustible.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the author/publisher via NetGalley to read and review. This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

This book started out very good. I really liked the premise and where it was going, but about a quarter of the way through it started to slow down a bit. I had a hard time with the "heavy" burdens the hero and heroine were facing. The tension between them was believable, if a little too heavy at times. It is well written, but it moves a bit slow. I recommend reading it if you like dark Regency romances with a spy plot.