Recently discovered this author and she is fast becoming one of my favourites, already looking forward to reading the third instalment in this series. Hugh and Lila had great on page chemistry and the story was exciting and heartfelt.

What a great read, so well written as expected from Christi Caldwell.

This story had it all, a slow burn romance with two wonderful characters in Hugh and Lila. Both of them with wounded pasts, they find out what love is all about together. Another gripping page turner that kept me up late into the night.

Lady Lila March clings to the darkness as a recluse. Nightmares from the past bring back the fear time and time again. Reaching out to Hugh Savage, a bare knuckle fighter, Lila wants him to teach her how to defend herself. Both live in darkness and need each other, but Hugh doesn't feel worthy. Only by revealing the past can it bring them together. Another exceptional book in the series that has one twist after another and totally unexpected. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Two people with pasts that they are able to persevere to have a future and they do it together. I enjoyed both characters in this story and how they went thru a change to have a future of love and happiness.

Raised in a brutal world the hero Hugh only knows to fight his way. Lila, the heroine, has become a recluse after being injured in a violent massacre. They each recognized a shared tortured soul. This book was a little too violent for my tastes. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Montlake Romance for my honest review.

In the Dark With the Duke is the second book in Christi Caldwell's Lost Lords of London series. This wonderfully woven tale pairs Lady Lila March, who suffered greatly during the tragedy at Peterloo, and street fighter/Lost Lord, Hugh Savage.

Both characters, deeply scarred, attempt to heal each other in unconventional ways. Both Hugh and Lila transform each other's lives in ways that only can be imagined by delving into this dark to light tale.

In the Dark With the Duke by Christi Caldwell, is yet another triumph to her credit. A fan of darker romance, this story sated my appetite for the dark along with the build up to an perfect HEA.

Another lively and entertaining romance, well written by Christi Caldwell. The author has a way of describing a range of scenes, including brutal ones in such a way as to make them believable and acceptable. A true romance between a lost lord and a brave young woman. An excellent read.

*Review to be posted on blog on 5/21/20*

Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

My Reactions:

My Attention: Engaged

World Building: early 1800’s London and I learned about Peterloo (wasn’t aware this happened!)

Writing Style: classic Christi Caldwell

Bringing the Heat: 🔥🔥🔥 – slow burn and there’s only one major scene but it did it’s job!

Crazy in Love: they get to know each other a lot before they declare their love for one another

Creativity: loved that I learned something new, plus I love this lost lords trope

Mood: I’m in the mood for romance😍 but this book was an emotional one. 😟

Triggers: fighting, violence

My Takeaway: Lady Lila fights the demons of her past so she can feel strong and move on with her present. 💪🏾

What I Liked:
*The history of Peterloo was an eye opener and it was horrific. I liked that this book had characters that experienced what happened on that day on both sides of the massacre.

*Lady Lila is a fighter! She comes off as afraid and fearful of life, because of her past with Peterloo. I thought her story was emotional and heartbreaking.

*This story is about violence, fighting back against fear, survival instincts, forgiveness and love.

*Both Lila and Hugh are broken people with so much to gain in knowing and loving each other. I liked how their attraction grew as their stories are linked unknowingly. They have challenges trusting one another and forgiving themselves about things they couldn’t control but seeing them come together was gratifying.

Things That Made Me Go Hmm:
*This book can be read as a standalone but it does mention characters from another series I love that Christi Caldwell wrote before the Lost Lords of London.

*Hugh’s “lost lord” story didn’t really come about until the end. One day he’s a brawler teaching Lady Lila survival skills and next he’s a rich duke but the story doesn’t delve into that part of it in depth. For the most part of the story it’s Hugh Savage the brawler or partner of an arena where fighting takes place, not Hugh Savage the duke.

*Annalee is a side character we barely see but she’s mentioned a few times and was with Lila at Peterloo. Is Annalee going to have her own story, because I want that story!

Final Thoughts:
This story is about strength, perseverance, and forgiveness. Both Lila and Hugh are trying to change things about their lives but first they have to deal with their pasts. I’m enjoying this Lost Lords of London series so far, it’s only getting better. I hope to read more of the lost lords and hope we get more emotional stories like this one.

Oh I do love the way Christi Caldwell brings characters to such vibrant life that they jump off the page right into your heart. Lila has suffered a devastating trauma and Hugh's life is no different. She needs to feel she can help to protect her loved ones from the savages she knows exist in the world. Hugh thinks of himself as one of those savages. We long for each of them to be healed and to learn to live free and love. Somehow Ms. Caldwell makes this magic happen and we once again have a beautifully wrought Regency Romance.

My only negative is that I thought making Hugh the Lost Lord was done quickly and not enough attention paid to his transition. This in no way made the book less readable.

In the dark with the Duke - Christi Caldwell

I received an ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I have never read this author before and sadly I won’t bother with any more as this was not my cup of tea. Sorry, but I got very bored and struggled to stay on track..

The author can clearly write well, but I found this story incredibly disappointing. It was long winded, meandering and failed to come to life for me. As an expose of the horrors of the underworld of society in 1810, it worked but it nailed the message in with a hammer rather than a deft touch which might have been more effective. The Other characters were so one dimensional that I was bored rigid. Congratulations to the writer for highlighting the infamous massacre of Peterloo.

The descriptions of all the vicious, cruel and unpleasant things in the book went on for far too long, and there seemed to me to be little to redeem the unrelieved gloom of the story. I kept waiting for the lighter touches to contrast the gloom. Lila and Hugh were a lovely couple and I was pleased they had a happy ending even though it was a bit too fairy tale like to fit in with the overall tone of the book. .

There were some seriously puzzling plot elements. If Hugh been kidnapped about age 14, it would make sense that he remembered much of what would have been a classical education. However, kidnapped as young, as he was, he would not yet have started that education, so where did all his knowledge come from? Certainly not in a cage!

Also, Hugh managed to retain his upper class speech patterns and accent despite being kidnapped so young and then living in amongst people who certainly did not speak as he did. It was a puzzle that asked for too much suspension of disbelief.

I’m disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this more as I am always on the lookout for authors Who are new to me. Sadly, I will not be dipping into Christi’s back catalogue.

This book doesn't suffer from the second book in the series slump - in fact - I think this book was even better than the first! I would give it a very solid 3.5 stars!

Hugh is a fighter - not by choice or passion - but because he was trained as a child to fight and basically let out of his cage only to fight. After escaping that life by being forced to make a choice between someone's life and his own freedom - he joined the army and fought some more. The last straw was a horrific experience on British soil. From there he walked away from the military and found his way back to the rookeries of London to his old life. He is now just surviving - and trying to pay his perceived debts.

Lila was a carefree, spoiled debutante until she was almost trampled to death during the Peterloo Massacre. Since that time she has become a recluse - and clearly struggled with agoraphobia. She is just managing and barely getting by. She decides to start taking back her life by learning to defend herself - and goes to the most notorious fighter in London to make that happen.

Lila and Hugh are very sweet together - and it is clear that he basks in her love and care - something he hasn't had even a glimmer of in his memory. Lila comes alive when Hugh challenges her and pushes her.

The only thing that kept this from being a four star read for me were some inconsistencies in terms of the timeline and lack of development of certain plot points. For example, Hugh was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery as a fighter - but he still speaks with perfect upper-class diction, can read, write, do complex math, and has a pretty well developed knowledge of history. He also has no memories of his childhood before that time, so he had to have been pretty young when he was kidnapped - and he definitely didn't have a chance to learn any of while he was caged and fighting. So all of that is pretty messy. I was willing to believe it - but only just. This was a problem in the first book in this series too. Also <spoiler>, the plot line with Valerie was very confusing. I am guessing it is being saved for a different book, but it was a big motivator in this story but ultimately wasn't developed or resolved at all. That was frustrating. </spoiler>

Overall this was a great read and I recommend it!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are my own.

In the Dark with the Duke was an enjoyable read. I’m a sucker for any romance with a street fighter, and this was no different—though I found myself wishing for some more of the flavor of the fights and the city’s dark underbelly to come in. Lila and Hugh has a good dynamic, and I especially appreciated all the things Hugh noticed about her, ways he saw her for who she is rather than what the world would assume about her. I did feel, though, that Hugh’s revenge subplot had a lot going on that went nowhere, and that Lila got over Hugh’s revelation near the end rather quickly, with little discussion.

This was the first book I have ever read by Christy Caldwell and it was very different from any other romance I have ever came across. I was in pain through most of this book and the reason I gave it four stars is because that is exactly what the author intended. There is a deep Dickensian side to the story and it is not for the faint of heart - the past experiences of both the H and h are very vividly described and they are nothing short of a thriller bordering on horror. <spoiler>there is child abduction, child abuse, fighting to the death and even a woman split open with her rib cage open</spoiler>. There is a HEA but the story is about trauma and suffering more than it is about the butterflies of falling in love. The fact that the protagonists end up together is a therapeutic need for both of them more than anything else. While I am convinced that this author is not for me, she paints a very vivid picture and her characters are multi-dimensional. For those who are into shaking, cathartic experiences with a good dose of dwelling into the dark side of human nature (and I do mean DARK, not your regular rake seducing and abandoning unsuspecting debutantes) this is a good read.

4.5 Stars

IN THE DARK WITH THE DUKE by Christi Caldwell. What a tale! Ms. Caldwell brings two characters together, from different walks of like, and blends them effortlessly and delightfully. I truly enjoyed reading the story of Hugh and Lila. Hugh, despite being larger than life, figuratively, he does not value his own worth. That broke my heart. And Lila, despite being a Lady of the Ton, cannot see past her own hurts and limitations. However, Lila certainly had my respect and admiration for she is brave and kind and will do whatever needs to be done to help those she loves. Hugh, not believing he is worthy, fights his feelings and personal growth a bit throughout.
The character development, for me, was wonderful. Both grew and became enlightened by what they discovered about themselves. There is some dark in this tale. Both Hugh and Lila have lived through some very traumatic times that certainly made my heart hurt for both. This is a bit of a slow burn romance but worth it. If you enjoy historical romance, that has some danger and true love, I recommend IN THE DARK WITH THE DUKE. (received NetGalley ARC for honest review)

I really liked this novel. It's really fun reading about characters that aren't in the aristocracy (well, at least in the first half of the book, Hugh was a fighter - and that is it). I liked both protagonists: Lila and Hugh were compelling characters who inspired empathy in the reader. I really appreciated that Lila went after what she wanted and that Hugh was more of a beta hero and someone who felt things deeply. The story also flowed really well and had a good pacing. I strongly recommend this book.
(4.2 stars, that I will round up to 5 because I liked it very much.)

Not my usual read but enjoyable. Well written, well developed characters and plot. Would have enjoyed more romantic scenes and humor to balance the heaviness of the story. Would have also appreciated some information about Peterloo earlier in the story as I found myself googling the event to find out what had happened before it was fully revealed by the author. The strength of the main characters was admirable. It was nice to read about a woman not waiting on a man to save her and not afraid to take matters into her own hands. Would read again, would recommend to friends.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC. This review is given voluntarily and honestly.

Wow, what a story! Christi Caldwell never ceases to amaze me with her stories and this one will be known as one of my favourites. It's not a light, airy romance, this is more of a dark, nitty gritty kind of story but it's so well written and you'll be in love with both the hero and heroine before you can blink.

If you love a hero with a tortured soul, you've come to the right book! My heart ached for Hugh, for the childhood that was stolen from him, for the fighting that he hated and for the lack of any kind of love in his life. As for the heroine, Lila, she has been a recluse for almost 10 years, not being able to go out during the day when so many people are around due to a tragedy that changed her life.

When Lila decides she wants to try to overcome her demons, she sets her sights on a man who has never lost a bare-knuckle fight, Hugh, and demands that he teach her how to protect herself. Hugh has demons of his own to fight and wants nothing to do with Lila but he soon learns that she does not take "no" for an answer!!

Two broken souls who help each other heal turns into a beautiful love story.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Lila and Hugh's story is a painful, emotional romantic tale. Both scarred from a horrific past that left them with no choice but to survive, it only makes sense that they find each other and learn to heal. Lila hires Hugh to teach her to fight and despite his misgivings he agrees. Their lessons turn passionate and they discover that there is more to life than just fighting to get by.
A well written, emotional romance.

In the Dark with the Duke is a slow burn romance of two imperfect people trying to navigate their way in a world that has scarred them emotionally and physically. Along the way they learn to love and trust, and while they don't shed their demons, Hugh and Lila realize they are better when they open themselves up completely to each other.

While this is a "dark" book - triggers of war, emotional, physical, and child abuse, there was also so much light and hope that the author infused, even moments of great humor. The romantic tension between Hugh and Lila was off the charts, and while only one sex scene, it was pretty steamy.

Each character grows and develops and changes for the better as the story progresses. Hugh is strong and convicted. He's a fighter, in all aspects. But he was refreshing in that he wasn't out for revenge, but comes to realize that true justice doesn't have to be dealt only from the streets. We first meet Lila as somewhat timid, but quickly learn that she is so much more and I love that Hugh recognizes from the beginning how strong Lila is and respects her right from the start.

The fight scenes are so well done. The reader really gets of sense of time and place, infusing all the senses. The grit and grime, the crack of bones; all well done.

I would have liked the big reveal about the person who started the Fight Society that kidnapped children to have had a bit more of an impact. No spoilers . . . It was a smart twist, but it seemed a bit tacked on at the end. I hope there are plans for more books about Sylvia and Valerie, their stories are definitely not finished. One thing I was confused about was just how old Hugh was when he was kidnapped. He remembers nothing from his time before he was stolen, yet we're told he was already a great fighter when he was taken.

I never heard of the Peterloo massacre, so I did "enjoy" learning about this horrific event and will do a bit more research about this moment in history.

There seemed to be references to other characters from previous books in Christi Caldwell's other series, so I look forward to making those connections and reading those other books (like Lila's brother Henry, married to a former courtesan).

In the Dark with the Duke is the second book of the Lost Lords of London series. It's the first I've read from this series, and completely could be read as a stand alone.

I received this book through NetGalley, the thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

This book contains graphic scenes from Peterloo and deals with issues of PTSD.

When I pick up a Christy Caldwell book, I know I’m in for a lot more than just the usual historical fiction. I wasn’t disappointed with A Duke in the Dark.

In the previous book I learnt all about toshers - I didn’t even know it was a thing! In this one, I was introduced to the merciless world of bareknuckle fighting.

Christy builds her plot around gritty and realistic circumstances which really sets her apart from so many other authors in this genre. I must admit, because of their intense nature, I don’t always read her books - but when I do I’m never disappointed.

Her books aren’t always filled with humour, but they will pull on your heartstrings.

This book wasn’t any different.

Lila March is probably one of the oddest heroines I’ve read in a historical fiction. She reminded me a little of Gertrude from The Bluestocking.

Lila suffers from PTSD and has severe agoraphobia. She has hardly left her home since the fated day her life changed, and has become somewhat of a recluse, speaking only to her family. Yet, there is the spirit of a fighter somewhere within her.

She decides that she does not want to be helpless - not the way she was on that day. She wants to be able to defend herself and her family should they need it.

Now I didn’t really understand what prompted Lila to suddenly want this - I understand there was one situation in particular in the beginning of the book - but it didn’t seem as strong as a motivator to push an agoraphobe out of her comfort zone.

Anyway, she decides she wants this, and sneaks out at night when she’s comfortable within the shadows to find the notorious fighter that the papers keep talking about.

The notorious fighter, Hugh, hates fighting. He’s really not a vengeful person and just wants to be left in peace. This was already a breath of fresh air from the usual retribution driven men.

He was broken boy who was further destroyed by the war. He is stuck in a situation that he hates, and doesn’t know how to get out.

For a while, his character seemed a bit all over the place. I wasn’t quite sure what the purpose of his existence was. Maybe that was meant to be the case, though.

Both of them bring out the best in each other, and they teach the other a little something to help them out of their misery.

I thought Lila’s character was beautifully developed, I loved seeing her open up and really come into her own.

I was a bit disappointed with Hugh. Like I said before, he lacked a little substance for me. I did feel for him though. Having endured all that he did growing up, he turned out to be a man of remarkable character. Not violent, or angry or vile - just lost and tortured.

I also think the whole ‘lost lords’ bit was rushed and seemed like it existed merely as a device to set the last part of the book into motion. It felt a bit odd that someone who hated nobs so much, would suddenly assume the role of a Duke and not really show much struggle.

With the previous book, I liked how that aspect was explored more. I liked seeing the struggle of a ’tosher’ inhabit the role of an aristocrat. It added a layer to story.

In this one, it seemed thrown into the book in haste.

Other than this wayward thread though, the plot was very well woven.

Christy gives you pieces of a puzzle and clues throughout the book on where to place them. As the story progresses, they big picture becomes clear and you feel satisfied!

In this regard, the side characters, albeit fewer than most books, played an important role. As much as I hated Bragger and Maynard, I felt like they deserved better. I felt for them, and their actions were justified. At times, I even disagreed with Hugh and wanted those two to get their retribution for all that they’ve endured.

I liked Sylvie as well. Though, I feel she should have had a greater presence in the story, when we did get her, she stole the show.

The book didn’t really have any more side characters, strangely enough - just those three, one ringleader who makes a small cameo and a wicked nob with a special appearance. I don’t know if I liked it, or wished we got more scenes with the characters interacting with people other then each other and their inner monologues.

I enjoyed reading about the lessons themselves - they were fun and steamy, without being cringe. They formed the crux of a romance novel which actually had more of a parallel story than romance (I don’t mind). I also liked seeing how Lila grew from those lessons!

Overall, I must say, this one wasn’t as good as the first one in this series (which I devoured in about 4 hours straight) but it would be unfair to compare since they were quite different.

That’s not to say this one wasn’t good! It was heart-wrenching and eye-opening. I learnt a lot about Peterloo, and it really drove home the atrocities of war and violence. It also shows the triumph of human spirit over these things.

It’s what you’d expect from a Christy novel, plus a little bit of extra knowledge on bats - you’ll see!