This was a cute regency novel. Primrose and Oliver have known each other for a long time. Oliver’s best friend is Prim’s brother. After being in the military for years, Oliver has returned because he has just inherited a dukedom. Someone though is trying to kill Oliver and after the second attack, he enlists the help of Primrose and her brother. So off they go to a house party to solve the mystery. Of course, along the way Oliver & Prim realize they may just have feelings for one another.

I liked Oliver and Primrose but not with each other. I felt like they were more friends than lovers. Oliver is a joker and Prim, is well….prim and proper. I just didn’t feel the chemistry between them. The mystery itself was an easy one. Not a hard one to figure out but there were other things going on at the party that weren’t accidents. Another bad seed if you will. Overall, a cute story and I wouldn’t hesitate to try another book by this author.

This was a delightfully engrossing introduction to a new-to-me author and she could very easily come to be one of my go-to authors. I love that the book is imaginative, intelligently-written and very romantic. It is also very well plotted and the characters are exciting, entertaining, witty, likable and very relatable. I believe this is a follow-on series to Larkin’s Baleful Godmother series – and this book was so good I’m not only going to read future books in this series – I’m going to go find the books in the first series and read those as well. It was just the kind of humorous, non-angsty read I needed and I loved it. I read it straight through the night. I kept telling myself that I needed to put it down and get some sleep, but it was so interesting and exciting that I just had to see what happened next. Finally, at 7 AM, I read the last word and thought “WOW, just WOW.”

Captain Oliver Dasenby is now a duke at the age of twenty-nine. He never expected nor wanted to be a duke, but with several deaths in his family over a short period of time, he is now saddled with the responsibilities and the privileges of being a duke. Maybe he also inherited something else – somebody is trying to kill him.

Lady Primrose Garland, the daughter of a duke, and the sister of Oliver’s best friend, Rhodes Garland loves books – all kinds of books, but particularly those written centuries ago. Her favorite was written by Marcus Aurelius and she used his quotes in living her everyday life. She is prim, proper, serious, and she totally believes that her brother’s best friend is a useless fiddle-faddle. Oh – and by the way – she also has a faerie godmother who has gifted her with a special talent.

Oliver has always been a good-humored jokester that causes everybody around him to love him. He’s more serious than many think because he is always in a good mood and happy. However, he does take serious things seriously – even if he might use his humor about them. Primrose ‘Prim’ has never seen that. To her, he just jokes about everything and doesn’t take anything seriously.

When Oliver’s life is in danger both Rhodes and Prim will do whatever it takes to unearth the murderer and keep Oliver safe. The mystery is suspenseful because you never know where the next attack will come from and you don’t know who the villain is. Surely it must be someone close to home. When an invitation to a house party arrives, they all know they must attend to unmask a murderer. It is so entertaining to watch as Oliver’s good humor and zest for life slowly changes Prim’s opinion of him. That is quite a house party too – there is a LOT going on and you really need to read the book to keep up with it all.

Did I mention that you get two HEA’s – well – I should have – because you do. So, you get an engrossing mystery, two lovely romances and two HEA’s. Along with all of that you get some of the most intelligent and witty banter I’ve read in a long time. All-in-all a wonderful read!

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"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

An absolute delight of a historical romance! Oliver is so different from the usual brooding serious heroes we typically read in Regency romances. Not only is he humorous, he is thoughtful and sweet as well. Primrose is his exact opposite in that she is serious and a bookworm. Their interactions are as amusing as they are humorous and heartwarming and it is difficult for the reader not to root for their romance and HEA.

The story is also well written, having more depth than just opposites attracting. The characters and storyline are entertaining and draw the reader in. The novel is written in Miss Larkins easy smooth style that has the reader flying through the pages. Between her writing, the story, and the characters, the reader will eat this story up in no time.

This story had a great little twist to it for me, in that it is a historical romance, but with some real magic thrown in. It was my first book by Emily Larkin and I loved it. It is a great story of how the love of friends can turn into so much more. Yes there is also mystery, laughter, and like I said magic, but most of all it is the story of how Primrose and Oliver learn that childhood friends can be so much more to each other. I would recommend this book to others, and would love to read more from Emily Larkin.

<b> But that was the mark of the very best friendships, that you could pick up where you’d left off, however long you’d been apart. </b>

This was a quick historical romance with two mysteries and a hint of magic.

Oliver grew up with Primrose, he was her brother Rhodes best friend. He left for the Calvary and seven years later, he was surprised to find out he inherited a dukedom.

Primrose is called a spinster in the description of this book, but she’s a duke’s daughter, she can do whatever she wants and society goes along with it. She also has a gift, she can translocate, which means she can move from one location to another with just her thoughts. All the women in her family are blessed with a gift of their choosing at the age of twenty three from a literal fairy godmother.

When Oliver comes back to the England, he is an eligible bachelor who just inherited a dukedom. Women are throwing themselves at him in subtle and not so subtle ways. Primrose remembers him as the friend from her childhood and treats him as a friend instead of conquest.

Someone isn’t happy that Oliver is now a duke. Several attempts have been made at his life by pushing him into traffic, and the most likely suspect is his cousin Ninian. So when he gets invited to a house party that includes his uncle and cousin, Oliver goes and his friends Rhodes and Primrose go too.


The strength of this story is the slow appreciation Oliver and Primrose have for each other. They started as childhood friends and are friends as adults, but gradually appreciate and fall in love with each other. Oliver was charming with a great sense of humor. Primrose started as a little judgmental, but really opens her mind toward others.

The weakness of this story is who is behind the attacks. I felt it was fairly obvious, but the story isn’t about the mystery, it’s about the romance. Also the Miss Middleton-Murray plotline was too much with the other mystery going on.

If you’re looking for a historical romance between friends, this is a good one to add to your list.

Primrose and the Dreadful Duke
4.5 stars
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Primrose was a great character. Her Faerie talent was used to good effect at the beginning and at the denouement of the villain. I might have wished for some more action in the middle especially of an amusing nature but this was probably taken up with the romance. Oliver was an interesting hero. Not so over the top to be unbelievable but with flaws as well as virtues. You don’t have to have read the rest of the series but I think it does help.
I’m really enjoying Miss Larkin’s books.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book by NetGallery in exchange for my honest review

Larkin may be my new favorite historical author. I hadn’t read anything by her before, and this book had me laughing aloud before the first chapter was done. Oliver, the hero of the book, is charming and lighthearted, the sort of character who all too often ends up playing a sidekick rather than the lead. Here, he’s the perfect match for Primrose, the bookish heroine who finds herself at a house party with a murderer who’s out to get Oliver. It’s a light mystery and a delightful romance, and I’ll be stocking up on more of Larkin’s books. 5 stars.

https://wordpress.com/post/margobondcollins.com/11072

For those that haven't read the Baleful Godmother series from Emily Larkin, this is a spinoff from that. In it, the woman of a certain line get a wish for power/ability when they turn a certain age from their "godmother." Primrose Garland is the woman in this story who got a wish on one of her birthdays. Oliver is her brother's best friend who has recently inherited a dukedom. It was quite unexpected but it seems there have been a couple recent deaths to lead to his inheriting. Now however, it seems like someone may be trying to kill him. Primrose feels determined to help in determining what is going on and while keeping Oliver alive.
I wouldn't label this by any means as scifi. It's not too much magical/mystical influence in this story to overdo it. The overall story is fun with a cute relationship between Primrose and Oliver. It's very light without a ton of suspense even though there is a murder mystery.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A fun, lighthearted mystery with a sprinkling of suspense and magic.
I liked this book a lot as the characters were so much fun. I loved the banter and teasing that went on between Primrose and Oliver. Prim's brother Rhodes was also very likeable and I want to read his story when it come out.
I enjoyed the fact that there were two people causing acts of violence which meant that there were two mysteries for Primrose and Oliver to solve. It made very entertaining reading.

I wasn't sure about Primrose's ability to 'translocate.' I felt that the story was brilliant enough without this facet and it didn't add anything to the story. I think I would have preferred the book without this magical element.

This is my first book by Emily Larkin, and it was such fun! Primrose's brother Rhodes was best friends with Oliver (formerly a cavalry officer and now a duke), and Oliver was also friends with "Prickly" Primrose. After Oliver becomes duke, it seems someone is trying to kill him, but who? Rhodes and Prim are determined to keep their friend alive as the three attend the house party from hell. Besides someone trying to put a period to Oliver's existence, someone is also trying to take out the competitors for Oliver's attentions in non-lethal ways.

Oliver and Primrose were great characters. Oliver laughed and joked at just about everything. He didn't let much get to him. Primrose was a bit of a bluestocking....she wanted to read by herself at the house party. That's my kind of gal! Oliver loved that Prim treated him normally and not like a duke. Even when friendship starts to morph into something more, I adored that they both kept the humor between them. Prim's names for Oliver (Daisy, Jingle Brains) are very funny, and I enjoyed their alliteration. This story isn't all fun and games; there was also some heartache. But the humor stands out the most.

The only thing I found unnecessary here was the bit of magic. However, after reading that this book was an offshoot of a series containing magic, its presence here makes sense. I really look forward to the next books in this series. I think I must check out the first series, too!

I received a copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Oh my gosh! This was one of the most enjoyable, smiling until my cheeks hurt, reads I’ve had in a long while.

Upon his return from India, Oliver takes his new place as duke and makes a game out of all the young misses that throw themselves at him for his title. The only woman who doesn’t take him seriously or inflates his ego is his childhood friend Primrose. When it becomes apparent that someone is trying to kill him, Prim and her brother step in to help him find who the villain is as well as who it is not. Along the way, Oliver quickly realizes that what he feels for Prim is much more than that of friends.

I absolutely loved this story! Oliver was just too dang cute! He had such a wonderful sense of humor and the author kept it completely appropriate to the era. He kept Prim on her toes and she did the same for him. Their banter was perfection and the romantic development between them was very natural.

Prim was bookish and a bit nerdy as well as feisty and sweet. I loved how she was able to challenge Oliver and bring him to heel, calling him out when necessary. I was completely enthralled with both this heroine and hero and couldn’t get enough of them.

There is definitely a villain, a couple actually, causing drama and mayhem to erupt throughout the story. The fact that I was grinning like a loon one minute and then gasping and wide eyed the next made me love this book even more than the characters alone.

This is a fast paced read that never bogged down. The secondary characters were exactly what was needed, always adding to the story instead of acting as filler. While the steam level is a bit low, considering the era, this couple were definitely pushing the boundaries. They don’t find complete fulfillment until the end, but I can honestly say I didn’t miss it at all. There were lots of hot kisses to tide me over as well as the mystery they are trying to solve. It ends with a nice little epilogue that highlighted how wonderful this couple really are although it was too short. But then again, I’m not sure I would ever get enough of them.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved, loved, LOVED this book! Though it should be called Prickly Primrose and the Dastardly Dashing, Delightful Duke (these two have a thing with alliterations, and it rubbed off). Fair warning though: this book is related to the rest of the author's books, in that every heroine gets a visit from the family's fairy godmother and is granted one wish - it can be anything, like the gift of being able to tell when someone lies, or to magically going wherever they want to go.

That being said, I absolutely ADORED the main characters. They give off a sort of Castle & Beckett vibe, constantly bickering, with him taking almost nothing seriously but radiating happiness, and her constantly rolling her eyes at his antics, but loving them deep deep - deep down.

"Aargh!" Oliver shrieked, and then pretended to swoon to the floor. "You should have been an actor, not a duke," Primrose told him dryly. Oliver opened one eye. "I know." Then he opened the other. "Wait! Do you think I could be a duke AND an actor?" He sat up on the floor. "That's a thought! What do you think, Prim? The Duke of Westfell as… Romeo!" "The Duke of Westfell as… Dogberry." "Harsh, Prim. Very harsh."

Those two have the best chemistry I have read in a while! Watching them bicker was an absolute delight!

I didn't even mind the who-is-trying-to-kill-the-hero subplot, and from me, that's saying something given that that sort of drama usually automatically loses a book at least a star from me. But this just worked for me somehow. I absolutely loved spending time with Prim and Ollie, and I can't wait to see more of them!

"Idiot," she said, with great affection ... "Yes, but I'm your idiot."

Magical, delightful, loved every page!! There are so many wonderful things I can say about this book, but it would not do it justice. You just need to read it to see what I mean!! The author kept me enchanted by her imagination and humorous writing with characters that where lovable and witty. This is the second book I have read within the Baleful Godmother sphere and cannot wait to read every one of them!! Oliver Dasenby is back from the war and has inherited his title of duke due to the unexpected deaths in his family. But he begins to suspect somebody is trying to kill him and not sure why! He is a very easy going humorous jokestor who has the single ladies of the season after him for the parson's trap!
Lady Primrose Garland is sister to Rhodes, Oliver's best friend and has grown up knowing him. At twenty eight, bookish and highly intelligent, she has always thought Oliver a fribble and they have always teased each other. Gifted with a special talent by her faerie godmother, she has not thought to marry but when Oliver comes back into the picture, things begin to change.
Mystery, suspense and a lovely cat and mouse game occurs when they are all at a house party and strange things start happening. Oliver is definitely in danger but who could it be?
"Settle on the type of person you wish to be and stick with it, whether alone or in company." One of the many great quotes in this book. Loved it!!!!

This was a delightfully engrossing introduction to a new-to-me author and she could very easily come to be one of my go-to authors. I love that the book is imaginative, intelligently-written and very romantic. It is also very well plotted and the characters are exciting, entertaining, witty, likable and very relatable. I believe this is a follow-on series to Larkin’s Baleful Godmother series – and this book was so good I’m not only going to read future books in this series – I’m going to go find the books in the first series and read those as well. It was just the kind of humorous, non-angsty read I needed and I loved it. I read it straight through the night. I kept telling myself that I needed to put it down and get some sleep, but it was so interesting and exciting that I just had to see what happened next. Finally, at 7 AM, I read the last word and thought “WOW, just WOW.”

Captain Oliver Dasenby is now a duke at the age of twenty-nine. He never expected nor wanted to be a duke, but with several deaths in his family over a short period of time, he is now saddled with the responsibilities and the privileges of being a duke. Maybe he also inherited something else – somebody is trying to kill him.

Lady Primrose Garland, the daughter of a duke, and the sister of Oliver’s best friend, Rhodes Garland loves books – all kinds of books, but particularly those written centuries ago. Her favorite was written by Marcus Aurelius and she used his quotes in living her everyday life. She is prim, proper, serious, and she totally believes that her brother’s best friend is a useless fiddle-faddle. Oh – and by the way – she also has a faerie godmother who has gifted her with a special talent.

Oliver has always been a good-humored jokester that causes everybody around him to love him. He’s more serious than many think because he is always in a good mood and happy. However, he does take serious things seriously – even if he might use his humor about them. Primrose ‘Prim’ has never seen that. To her, he just jokes about everything and doesn’t take anything seriously.

When Oliver’s life is in danger both Rhodes and Prim will do whatever it takes to unearth the murderer and keep Oliver safe. The mystery is suspenseful because you never know where the next attack will come from and you don’t know who the villain is. Surely it must be someone close to home. When an invitation to a house party arrives, they all know they must attend to unmask a murderer. It is so entertaining to watch as Oliver’s good humor and zest for life slowly changes Prim’s opinion of him. That is quite a house party too – there is a LOT going on and you really need to read the book to keep up with it all.

Did I mention that you get two HEA’s – well – I should have – because you do. So, you get an engrossing mystery, two lovely romances and two HEA’s. Along with all of that you get some of the most intelligent and witty banter I’ve read in a long time. All-in-all a wonderful read!

Please check out my reviews at:
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlippinPagesRev
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarbBookReview

"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was another Faerie godmother story, although the gift (translocation) that Primrose had chosen didn't really feature significantly in the plot. Since she used it mostly to save going up and down flights of stairs, the story would have played out more or less the same if she hadn't had a supernatural power. This was an easy sweet read and the plot made sense, although the identity of the baddie was obvious from the halfway point.

Having said that, it was pretty repetitive: the hero Oliver spent the whole novel fending off the debutantes who were throwing themselves at him - apart from Primrose and another girl who was in love with Oliver's cousin, the female characters were mocked, and portrayed as solely focussed on "catching a Duke". In addition to the baddie trying to harm Oliver, there was a second baddie, trying to remove her competitors in the "catch the Duke" stakes, and this sub-plot involved Oliver and Primrose going up and down flights of stairs (or using translocation as a short cut) and checking on pieces of string on an hourly basis, which did not make for interesting reading. They also made countless journeys to the State Rooms to plot and kiss, and again, this happened with relentless regularity. They just never sat still.

I'll keep going with these, but this one was a little slow.

Emily Larkin continues to shine with this series “Garland Cousins”, that follows on from “Baleful Godmother” series. Oliver Dasenby has returned from war, to take on the role of the Duke of Westfell; however, he soon finds himself in danger of being killed. Primrose, the daughter of a duke and her brother Rhode’s, quickly agree to help uncover the murderer.
I found myself constantly smiling at the dialogue between Primrose and Oliver. Primrose finds him infuriating but loves how he is always so cheerful, whilst Oliver finds Primrose prickly but wants only to spend time with her. They were such a delightful couple, as they struggle to piece together the accidents that occur around.
The secondary characters were well developed and added depth to this lovely story. Whilst this is a stand-alone novel, the Baleful Godmother series will simply add to any reader’s enjoyment.
I received an advanced review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Review excerpted from my blog post over at FanSciHist (https://fanscihist.wordpress.com/2018/08/11/primrose-and-the-dreadful-duke-by-emily-larkin/)

My Rating: 4 stars

Library recommendation: Recommended for public library historical romance collections or new adult collections.

Warning: Hereafter, you chance spoilers. I will try never to reveal major plot points, but to review any book, you must reveal some parts of the story.


________________________________________


Number of titles I have read by this author: 1

Love story speed: This was a medium burn to me. It could be argued that it’s closer to a slow burn.

Relationship dynamics: The Fairy Godmother Blessed Spinster of High Birth (h) / The Brother’s Titled Best Friend (H)

Sexual content: Some; sex is exploratory, “onscreen” and explicit

Triggers: None that I felt the need to flag.

Grammar/Editing: I didn’t see any grammatical or spelling errors of note.

Review: This book is written in a style that is suggestive of being geared toward a younger adult audience (i.e. 18-25), although it is still quite enjoyable for more mature age brackets. Some of the plot in the novel is quite repetitive but I enjoyed what ultimately ended up being a fairly straight-forward and pleasing story. The historical setting was a bit vague, although, overall, it seems to more-or-less fit within what I would expect for a Georgian or more specifically Regency period setting.

Oliver and Primrose are lovely, playful characters and their relationship is very fun and lighthearted. However, the progression stalls a bit in the middle of the novel and is hindered a bit by the repetition mentioned previously. The amount of time they spend sequestered away from others at the house party also strains credibility. The supporting characters are, for the most part, well-developed, interesting, and engaging – particularly Ninian (Oliver’s cousin) and Rhodes (Primrose’s brother). I wouldn’t mind seeing more of them, although it doesn’t appear that that is the author’s plan for this series.

Overall, a quick and light read. I will be adding the series to my to-read list and probably looking into the main series as well.

Alliterative version: A fairly fun frolic featuring a delightful duke and likable lady. Regretful repetition and crumbling credibility do not seriously spoil an otherwise notable narrative.

Full disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely delightful. I’ve read the previous books in this series about a fairy godmother and her granting a wish to the female descendants of a family whom the fairy godmother was indebted to. But don’t let the magical aspect of the story distract or deter you.

Oliver is a former soldier who is now a duke. Oliver is unlike other romance heroes in that he is happy, He makes a game out of the tedious girls who are courting him for his title and loves to tease his old friend, Primrose. Prim is a serious person, loves books, intelligent conversation and is not expected to marry. As the story unfolds, both Oliver and Prim are revealed to be much more than first appearances and as they slowly realize this about each other, the romance blossoms. There is also a mystery of who is trying to kill Oliver, Prim’s wonderful, loving brother, and a French valet who is also hero material. In some romance books, I skip the same-old sex scenes. This isn’t the case here; I won’t forgetting the the game Oliver and Prim played for a long time!

I absolutely adored this book. Prim and Oliver have been frenemies since they were children. They ran into each other frequently as Oliver was best friends with Prim's brother, Rhodes. They constantly throw insults at each other. Oliver just inherited a title and several estates and many women are wanting to marry him. Some of them are willing to do just about anything to get rid of the competition. Suddenly, accidents are happening to him, someone wants him dead. But why? Rhodes and Prim plan to help him find out who wants to hurt him. They go to a house party and find out so many things. Does Oliver's uncle want to kill him or is it his cousin? Maybe one of the women whose feelings he has been playing with? Can Prim and Oliver put their differences behind them and admit to the attraction between them? And Prim has a secret. I loved the secrets and magic. It is a mix of a mystery, thriller and romance all rolled into one. I received this book from Net Galley for a honest review and no compensation otherwise.

A new book by Emily Larkin is cause for joy, and Primrose and the Dreadful Duke did not disappoint. Continuing the tales of young women with supernatural powers, courtesy of a not-so-nice fairy godmother -- the Baleful Godmother -- we meet Primrose to start off a new series of these books. Oliver Dasenby is a long-time family friend, but one that Primrose Garland (herself the daughter of a duke) has sparred with her entire life; he becomes even more insufferable once he inherits a dukedom. But when Primrose realizes someone is trying to kill her Ollie, not matter how annoying he is, she has to help solve the case. The dialogue between the two protagonists, the secret signals and the funny descriptions of secondary characters all add up to a rollicking tale — and there's a hint of danger, because, after all, someone really is trying to kill Ollie. And, boy, does Larkin keep us guessing. Best of all, these two go from like to love in a realistic yet still romantic way -- this is a sweet love story with characters who truly deserve their HEA. They discover new things about each other, despite their long friendship -- the continual quotes from Marcus Aurelius are particularly delicious. He discovers Primrose's secret power, and that scene is laugh out loud. Can't wait to read what's next. (I received a NetGalley ARC. Opinions mine.)