Late night quick unedited notes

I listened to the audio of this book on Hoopla. I enjoyed this historical romance. I learned much about Scottish history. Learning about the mystery surrounding the Duke’s negligence of Teyhill and the cover up of the true ownership of the property. I liked how Davina never gave up on her quest to restore her grandfather’s property. She was smart and determined.

Davina MacCallum has come to London for one reason, to reclaim her birthright. She has finally been granted an audience with the king and plans to show him the letter from his father, stating that the claim is valid. Her great-grandfather the Baron of Teyhill was killed at the battle of Culloden and as all believed his son and heir died and the lands were given to an English nobleman. But she contends her grandfather didn't die, that he was hidden away after the battle for his own safety. The king's aide sympathizes with her, but says the letter from the previous king is not enough, she needs proof that her grandfather was in fact the heir, the heir was recorded as dead. On her way out, she runs into Eric Marshall, the Duke of Brentworth, they met at a salon hosted by Clara, the Duchess of Stratton, whom Davina knows through the journal Clara sponsors. Davina's father was a doctor and Davina worked with him, she was not able to study medicine herself, but has a wealth of knowledge and has written several essays that were printed in the journal. They chat briefly and she leaves, determined to find proof for the king.

Eric has been summoned by the king, he is not sure what it is about, but is sure it won't be good. He sees Davina, who he met and liked, she didn't fawn over him and was quite intelligent, he does wonder about her, but pushes it aside when the king's aide approaches him. Haversham noticed him speaking to Davina and tells him of the problem, and that the king wants to save face. Eric says just give her back the land, problem solved! That is until he learns that his family it the one that received the land. Memories flood him and he refuses to relinquish the estate. He now thinks Davina is a fraud and will prove it!

Their first confrontation is filled with angry words and accusations and far from backing down, Davina becomes more determined than ever to get the estate back. Frustrated, Eric talks to Langford and Stratton about it and they suggest a softer approach, noting that their wives like Davina and don't think she is lying. When rumors start to circulate about them, the king again summons Eric and this time commands him to marry her - that will give her the land and let him keep it. Eric refuses to even consider it. He tries changing tactics with Davina, but she will not let it go and he agrees to work with her to either prove or disprove her claim.

They journey to Scotland (separately) and Eric can't help but admire her. When he goes to her parents home and sees the state of disrepair, he helps her. And when she nurses a friend, he stays with her and their relationship begins to change. By the time the reach Teyhill, Davina wonders how she misjudged him so badly. And when he learns what her plans are for the estate, he realizes that he too, misjudged her. But the estate holds many secrets and opens old wounds, can the relationship they have now forged grow into something more or will those secrets tear them apart?

This was a very good end to the series, the writing is great, the story is interesting, filled with emotion, wonderful characters, an inept chaperone, secrets, revelations, warm love scenes, witty banter (mostly thanks to Langford) and an epilogue that is completely satisfying! This is the last book in the trilogy, but it can easily be read as a stand alone title with no problems. I enjoyed this book and would happily recommend it.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an e-arc that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*

Another stellar story from Madeline Hunter and she saved the best duke for the last. Davina and Eric have a wonderful love story, and I was impressed as usual. It is a great way to wrap up the Decadent Duke series and I highly recommend it!

Not your run of thrill plot. Davina thinks one of the Duke’s holdings actually belongs to her. But the Duke wants to keep that particular holding. Thus we have a enemies to lovers story. I’m not a big fan of those but even this one has the enemies stage last too long for me to see the romance in it. I would not recommend this book to my patrons.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2020 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2020/01/2020-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

This was an absolute delight of a romance, and I loved the slow, slow descent into love between these two reluctant enemies.

I immensely enjoyed reading this. It had a different prospective on a historical romance. What I liked the most was that the H/h were both very emotionally stable and confident people. I feel the main focus of the story was about our heroine, Miss Davina MacCallum, searching for her family history after her father on his death bed revealed a family secret. Davina is not your typical heroine. She is calm, level-headed, direct, astute, observant, dedicated, persistent in her causes and had a heart full of compassion. She did not try to impress anyone and she was down-to-earth. She did not fear speaking her mind but always with respect. She was always herself. Who would not admire a confident woman? In her quest Eric Marshall, the feared Duke of Brentworth was entangled in it. Eric's first impression of her was that she was a fraud making baseless claims. However, to amicable resolve the issue they agreed to work on it and do it together. Somehow Eric became more interested in Davina the more he got to know her and vice versa. It is a slow-moving romance but I feel not enough time was spent on it. Instead of smoothly moving through the romance it felt as if jumped from scene to scene. The good thing was that it did not affect the overall story. Eric is an intimidating man and was a part of the Prince Regent's inner circle. He was a powerful duke and yet Davina was not affected at all by him. She treated him as an equal and spoke to him as such. He was intrigued by her. Overtime the attraction, the intrigue led to the first kiss. Then another and another until the passion was so combustible, they could no longer deny themselves. A fascinating and interesting read of enemies to lovers. I do recommend.

Davina MacCallum strongly feels that her family's claim to ancestral lands in Scotland is legitimate and she appeals to the King in London for the return of the land. However, the lands in question are now held and owned by the Duke of Brentworth and the king urges him to find a solution to the problem. It seems that there could be some validity to Davina's claim and the king has a plan in mind that Brentworth is reluctant to accept. Marriage!

I enjoyed this story of two strong individuals who had to compromise to find their happily ever after.
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC; all opinions are my own.

My rating 3.5 Stars

Having read all three stories in this series in succession, I was eager to read Eric Marshall, the Duke of Brenthworth's story. He is the most reserved, the most certain he would never be bit by love, of the three dukes. He has no problem at all maintaining his persona and has no intention of changing.

Meanwhile, being called before the king he doesn't respect is more than an annoyance to him. He is faced with Miss Davina MacCullum as she insists that she is rightfully owned an estate. Davina tries to approach the king, who would rather not be bothered with the situation. When it is determined that Eric actually owns the estate in question, the king and his staff foist Davina's claim onto him.

Davina doesn't approach the king empty-handed. She has the promise of two kings and some proof, so now dealing with Eric should be relatively easy. Needless to say, Eric has no intention on releasing his estate - and the secrets he is hiding with it - to Davina or to anyone else.

Davina is not about to give up. She believe her grandfather was a baron, and although not being born a male, has a right to said property. I loved Davina! Not only does she write articles for a women's journal, and has formed strong friendships with the other ladies readers were introduced in the first two books in this series, she has a strong will and refuses to give up.

Meanwhile, I was moved by Eric. It became increasingly easy to see why he had a shell around his heart and it was enjoyable watching Davina being used as the instrument to crack it. This was my favorite of the three in the series, especially when we discover why Eric fought so hard not to give up the estate. This added a nice touch to an effective story.

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After having read at least 70 historical romances, most connected series, over the past 18 months, made it a bit difficult to enjoy this series as a whole. It was the most laborious series I have read to-date. This may be due to the fact that the romances seemed stilted and rather unemotional. As this had been on my TBR for months, I am glad that I had the opportunity to read it. This was a trilogy, which are my favorite to read, and there were definitely a lot of positives. I am curious to read Madeline Hunter in the future, and do hope to see more strong heroines like she wrote for this series.

Many thanks to Zebra and to NetGalley for offering all three ARCs for review. These reviews are my honest opinions.

This book is a slow burn. Great (and very sensible characters) - I love the enemies to lovers trope so this book was straight up my alley. The romance was entertaining and the supporting cast funny. I look forward to Hunter's next book in the series!

Davina McCullum has an excellent claim to a Scottish barony, and she even has powerful friends who have agreed to take up her cause with the king. All would seem to be clear for her to regain the property her family once lost.

Except that the current owner of the property is a certain duke who sees absolutely no reason why he should give it up. Despite the fact that he never goes there and in fact, considers it a site of traumatic and painful memories, he’d rather defy a king and leave a well-born and deserving young woman forced to work for a living rather than live in the home and comfort she is due.

Frankly, I thought Brentworth was a greedy, selfish brute far too accustomed to getting things his own way. I couldn’t help but imagine how he’d have dealt with Davina if she hadn’t been young, pretty and connected to people he respected, and it was an ugly picture. Smearing her name all over London would have been the least of what Brentworth would do to defend something he didn’t even want. Never for one moment did he consider offering her any sort of reasonable compensation as an alternative, and her concerns about the barony being subsumed into his ducal titles were raised once and then promptly dropped, never to be addressed again.

While I thought Brentworth was an entitled prig, Davina was delightful and deserved far better than she got. The book shone an uncomfortable spotlight on the huge disparity not only between the sexes, but also the haves and the have-nots of society, one which persists to this day, where money and power beget more money and power and everything is about who you know.

Despite the romance at the core of the story, I actually found the outcome ultimately quite depressing, with its core message that even if a woman does eventually get what she wants, there’s no way it’ll be on her terms. The fierce Scots spirit was dismissed as unworthy of notice, with the only politically active Scotsman in the story something of an antagonist and every character who appeared during the visit to Scotland bowing and scraping to Brentworth in a way I found completely un-Scottish. If you want books which feature fiercely independent Scots in the time period, you’d do much better to check out May McGoldrick, whose Scots characters display the proper disdain for the English you’ll still encounter in that country today.

The writing here is good, the plot all hangs together, and if you like very proper English dukes you might like this, but at the end of the day I disliked Brentworth intensely and found the outcome depressing. Two stars.

Never Deny a Duke by Madeline Hunter is third in the Decadent Dukes series.
Ms. Hunter has given us a mystery story with romance and humor. I enjoy historical romances that give us a peek into life of that time. The English had treated the Scottish brutally and unfairly for a long time so this story is actually viable.
I enjoyed this series.

Davina McCallum claims that she is the heir to a Scottish estate ceded to the Crown when her great-grandfather, Baron of Teyhill, died at the Battle of Culloden at the end of the Jacobite Rebellion. The Crown requires more proof, so her goal is to find it by tracking down information on her grandfather, the rightful heir, who was sent away to avoid harm after Culloden. Eric Marshall, Duke of Brentworth, hasn’t visited his Scottish estate since a tragic fire years before and struggles with both guilt and remorse. However, he has no intention of giving it up to Davina. When asked by the Crown to marry her so he can retain control of his family’s estate, he initially refuses but then decides to accompany her in her quest. Will Davina find the proof she needs or will she lose her heart and her inheritance to the Duke?

Hunter has woven a double mystery in with the romance: Davina’s claim to the title and estate and Eric’s discomfort with going to Scotland because of the fire and probable cause of it. Otherwise, the story employs the usual historical romance tropes: strong-willed woman (usually orphaned) down on her luck; handsome, aloof aristocrat with a shadowy, painful past who avoids love and passion and is usually cool under pressure; situation that forces them together where they are initially antagonistic towards each other, but, as they work together, the passion and love grow; and love triangle including another man who usually has some ulterior motive to wanting to marry the heroine. This is a standalone, but the protagonists from the first two books are very instrumental in bringing Davina and Brentworth together. A fun, engaging romance that is a satisfying end to the series.


I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Kensington Books/Zebra through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Davinia MacCallum has one mission - to reclaim her families Scottish land unfairly confiscated by the Crown. She has been promised an audience with the King. Luckily, the Duke of Brentworth has also received a summons and his family is the ones that were given the confiscated land. When Eric discovers Davina's mission, he is determined to keep his land.

I liked the premise of this novel. Davinia was a strong heroine who was working as a tutor, not a governess. She was an intelligent woman. Eric is determined to keep his Scottish estate. As they are thrown together, they work to find proof of Davinia's claim and start to fall in love.

This was an enjoyable read with wonderful characters.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you!

4.5 stars

My reading has slowed to a snail’s pace compared to last year, but I seem to be having more hits than misses lately. That is a very welcome trend, and Madeline Hunter’s latest continues it. I thought the romance and characters were lovely.

This was the final installment in Hunter’s Decadent Duke’s trilogy, but it can be read as a stand-alone. Brentworth is the least scandalous of the trio. He is the most respectable and wields considerable power in the ton, enough power that the King does not have the influence over Brentworth that he might over other peers. This is problematic because the King and the King before him may have promised to return lands in the Brentworth holdings to previous Scottish owner’s family that was thought to have perished in the Jacobite uprising. Conveniently, the Scottish family’s heir is an attractive woman of marriageable age. Despite Brentworth’s fascination for the medically-trained Davina, he does not give in easily to the convenient solution.

Brentworth and Davina embark on a fact-finding mission, both hoping to disprove the other. This causes them to spend much time together, which fuels their initial spark. I enjoyed how their relationship grew in an organic way. They both grew to respect each other, however begrudgingly at the beginning.

Hunter has typically written a reliably good, sometimes great read, but I did go into this one uncertain of how I would enjoy it because this has been an uneven series. Thankfully it ended on high note, in my opinion.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

He is the last duke standing, the sole remaining bachelor of the three self-proclaimed Decadent Dukes. Yet Davina MacCallum’s reasons for searching out the handsome Duke of Brentworth have nothing to do with marriage. Scottish lands were unfairly confiscated from her family by the Crown and given to his. A reasonable man with vast holdings can surely part with one trivial estate, especially when Davina intends to put it to good use. Brentworth, however, is as difficult to persuade as he is to resist. The Duke of Brentworth’s discretion and steely control make him an enigma even to his best friends. Women especially find him inscrutable and unapproachable—but also compellingly magnetic. So when Davina MacCallum shows no signs of being even mildly impressed by him, he is intrigued. Until he learns that her mission in London involves claims against his estate. Soon the two of them are engaged in a contest that allows no compromise. When duty and desire collide, the best laid plans are about to take a scandalous turn—into the very heart of passion . . .
This was a really good story that I enjoyed reading. I loved following both characters as they sought to unravel the estate in question and ended up falling in love. I really liked both characters and their interaction with each other. Brentworth reminded me a lot like Mr. Darcy, an I really liked Davina but she was a bit more practical than Elizabeth. I highly recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Madeleine Hunter gives us a regency romance around lost Scottish heirs, inheritance and strong heroines and heroes. Enjpy the romp.

3.5 stars. I liked this book once I was able to get into the story a little. The first twenty percent of the book was so slow going I struggled to keep going (the characters barely interacted). Once Davina and Eric were placed together on the road trip the story really began. I was glad I kept going. I liked the characters, their interactions and banter were nicely written, and they seemed to balance one another, as well.

I liked the plot enough to continue to read it to the end, although at some point it did get a bit tedious. Having said that, I learned a lot while reading it and I liked the characters. I appreciated the female protagonist was a feminism and very much her own person before the book began and she met the male protagonist.

Davina MacCallum and Eric, Duke of Brentworth’s tale is the 3rd in the Decadent Dukes Society series; a standalone, happily ever after, historical romance with lots of sizzle.
This is a well told story with a bit a mystery, engaging characters, some battles between the hero and heroine with lots of steamy romance as they work things out.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest opinion.