Nash, the current Duke of Malvern, never planned to marry out of fearing he would be just like his violent, dead father. Instead, he spends his time taking care of his tenants and his father's numerous bastard children. When his grandmother, the dowager duchess of Malvern, comes to say his cousin and heir is too much like his own father, Nash agrees to get married and sire an heir of his own. He doesn't plan on loving his future wife, just getting her pregnant and then ignoring her.

At the same time, Ana Maria has gone from an unpaid servant in her own father and step-mother's home to becoming a debutante at the ripe age of twenty-seven. She isn't a shy, simpering miss and she knows what she likes - fashion and fabrics are keen interests. She also likes a growling, surly Duke, having known Nash since he was a boy and a good friend to her male cousin and half=brother.

Their friendship grows when Nash finds her trying to fend off a would-be thief on the docks when she is shopping for fabrics. He offers to teach Ana Maria some self-defense moves and she sees it as the perfect opportunity to learn about relationships between men and women after hearing talk of it during her servant days. As much as Nash wants to avoid an emotional entanglement with Ana Maria, he finds himself bored when meeting the prospective society brides his grandmother recommends.

An ARC was provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting romance couple for sure! I had fun reading about them and their romantic journey. I liked that you could read from both character's perspective. Their romance was sweet and a great read.

Thoroughly enjoyed this latest in the Hazards of Dukes series. Megan always brings a lighthearted yet poignant story and this was no exception. Looking forward to more.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Loved the scarred and growly duke and the sweet heroine. Enjoyable fun interactions at parts laugh out loud. Highly recommend.

There is a bit of a fairy tale quality to this historical romance, a cross between Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast and I have to say I enjoyed the ride very much. I love Megan Frampton’s romances because they often seem so preposterous but they actually really work!

Nash is your classic romance hero, he broods and grunts but when he falls for our heroine, Maria, he falls hard. I love when a hero teaches a heroine to defend herself and I loved seeing these two fall in love. This was a fun and actually light historical romance and I recommend if you’re looking for a breezy weekend read.

Tall, Duke, and Dangerous
by Megan Frampton

Ignatius Nash, Duke of Malvern, was a man with a reputation of hitting first and asking questions later. His father had died and his relatives were showing up, just as his grandmother just had done. He really couldn't remember her or at least very well. His father had broken all ties to respectable members of his family and Nash saw no reason to pick the ties back up. If they wanted to know him they would have to take him as he was. He was so tall he had to have furniture made to fit his body. The Dowager Duchess comes to the point, that she did not like his father. Her son.
Lady Ana Maria had been forced by her stepmother to join the servants in the house. She was not paid but worked as hard if not harder than the servants. Till about six months ago when she and Ana Marie's father were killed in a carriage accident. Ana Marie gained status and was sent upstairs to be treated like the lady she was. She was the daughter of a duke and the cousin to another and she had a large dowry.
I really enjoyed this story. Nash and Ana Marie really cared for each other but could not tell the other. She wanted to be told she was loved and she would accept nothing less. Poor Nash had been beaten both mentally and physically by his father, he was even afraid to speak. The characters were engaging and seemed so realistic. The support they get from each of their families is amazing and deserved. For me, this is a reread.
I highly recommend this tale of two gentle people that hope for the best and go with the flow and are desperate for love.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I have received a copy of this book courtesy of the publishes through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
This book had really good parts and oddly sloppy ones - as if they were written because something had to connect the good ones. The "oh, but we can't possibly marry even though there is absolutely anything preventing that' dragged on for far too long and, as it often happens in romance novels, the ending was clumsy and rushed. It's the third book I read this year about a man giving a lady self defense lessons. Lisa Kleypas did it wonderfully in Hello Stranger., Christi Caldwell did it moderately well in In the Dark with the Duke, Megan Frampton didn't do it much - it was simply a makeshift reason to get the characters to interact. As was a scene about going to the docks to see fabric - really, you'd think the shop owners would invite a Lady to their store and offer tea not expect her to mingle with sailors and merchants. The love story is nice and credible enough but everything else framing it is just not working. And the word 'oxymoron' is more frequent than a high school English class lecture about the before mentioned figure of speech. For me, this read was a 2.5 stars, rounded to 3 because some of it was funny.

Ana Maria is finding her way after being under the control of her stepmother. Nash needs to get married but is afraid that he's too much like his father and resists getting close to the only woman who interests him. This story was sweet with the right touch of humor and heat.

My favorite Megan Frampton book so far! Ana Maria and Nash are absolutely wonderful together, mixing not just some my favorite tropes (self-defense/kissing lessons, best friend’s little sister, I Must Protect You From Myself) but also the perfect blend of relationship building, conflict, emotional growth, and groveling. Can’t wait for the next one.

Loved the story. Hate the title. Nash was never brutal, yes he used his fists but to protect. Ana Maria was an interesting character. She been through a lot being made a servant for 20 years by a stepmother. I woukd have liked to have known more about how she felt. Their love story is about sharing your feelings. It's very good.

While I have enjoyed Megan Frampton’s other works, this one just wasn't my favorite. The story is about Nash, Duke of Malvern and Ana Maria. They are described as childhood friends that have gone through trauma/abuse by their parent while growing up. Not much insight is given of their past (just that it happened). They reconnect as adults with deeply rooted insecurities. Their bond is a slow burn throughout the book. Things eventually heat up when Nash starts providing Ana Maria lessons on how to defend herself.

Overall, I'm giving this book a solid 3 stars. It took me awhile to warm up to the characters. The story felt hastily written, choppy in parts, and somewhat anticlimactic towards the end.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nash, Duke of Malvern awakes one day to find himself firmly wedged between a dowager duchess and a hard place.
Or more to the point.
His grandmother's demand that he marry. In order to save the dukedom from being disgraced by a roguish relation with violent tendencies. Due to inherit as Nash's heir.
Even though Nash has done his level best to avoid both marriage and children. For fear that he, like his father, would give in to his propensity toward temper.
Against someone smaller, softer, weaker. Someone he loved.

Ana Maria is a lady now.
Well, she has technically always been a lady.
But now that her stepmother is dead; she is now able to come out from a life of drudgery and servitude to live as one.
Her coming out into society just in time to coincide with Nash's entrance into society's "marriage mart".
Nash, the best friend of her half brother, Sebastian.
The grunting, growling, quiet, and very serious Nash.
Nash, the one man who is always trying to save her. Trying to teach her how to 'fight and fuck'.
As she teaches him to live and love.

This is a sweet "homey, lover, friend, meets Beauty And The Beast meets Cinderella" styled romance.
Nash is so sweet, broken, and well intentioned that one can't help rooting for him.
And Ana Maria, and her zest for color and lust for life seems the perfect foil for his self imposed hermitage.

There is a decided lack of sex in this romance, when compared with others of its ilk. But what there is acts as proof of a growing bond between two people struggling to open up to each other.
And the possibility of love
This is a story of love and redemption. Communication, possibilities, fighting, fucking, and friends becoming forevers.

*This book is the second of the series The Hazards of Dukes. AS such, it mat be read alone or a part of its intended series.

WTF Are You Reading would like to thank Net Galley and Avon Books for providing the review copy on which this unbiased critique is based.

TALL, DUKE, AND DANGEROUS - Megan Frampton
A Hazards of Dukes Novel – Book 2
Avon
ISBN-10: 006286744X
ISBN-13: 978-0062867445
ASIN: B0847P4G72
October 27, 2020
Historical Romance

Nash, the Duke of Malvern, is a handsome but gruff and uncommunicative man who gives away few of his feelings. His mother ran away from his father when he was ten-years-old. A mean and abusive man, his father often beat his wife and son. Once his wife left, he only showed his son the despicable and debauched parts of society. Nash is afraid to intermingle with people, afraid to unleash any violence on them, as his father told Nash he took after him in every way. Nash has hunted for his many illegitimate siblings and helped them in their lives. All of his servants are half-siblings (they wanted to do this). He has no intention of marrying until his grandmother, the Duchess of Malvern, visits and tells him he must—she tells him his cousin and heir (who he is unfamiliar with) is just like his father, and to prevent this man from becoming the next duke, he needs to choose a wife so he can produce an heir, but a woman willing to live separate lives.

Ana Maria resides with her cousin Thaddeus, the Duke of Hasford, in far better conditions. Her step-mother, the former Duchess of Hasford, had relegated her to servant status as a scullery maid. Now she is Lady Maria Dutton, and at age twenty-eight, having her first season. She, however, is now determined to do things her own way and make her own decisions. Outside of her brother Sebastian, who was declared illegitimate as told in the first Hazards of Dukes novel, NEVER KISS A DUKE, and her cousin Thaddeus, the only person she knows is Nash. The four of them played together as children. She understands Nash’s clipped words and growls and other non-verbal communications. While he doesn’t seem to want her, she becomes determined to have him.

These two seem fated for each other, yet Nash’s preconceptions about himself and of love make it impossible. Ana Maria attracts him more than any of the ‘eligibles’ on his grandmother’s potential wife list. Does Nash use violence? Yes, in proscribed situations. Is Ana Maria allowed to do whatever she pleases? Her brothers and Nash all know she doesn’t know the dangers of society. Both Nash and Ana Maria are hunted by potential mates for their wealth, causing some interesting scenes. Two questions came to mind as I read the story. The first is how could Ana Maria’s father, the duke, let his wife treat his daughter so shamefully? The second, how could two dukes live so close as to be neighbors? Yet the emotional and unique situations in TALL, DUKE, AND DANGEROUS are what carry the story and make it a good and interesting read.

Robin Lee

This was a very well written story about a lady and a Duke who both new each other as children when the lady was abused and used as a servant by her step mother and the duke was abandoned by his mother and left with an abusive father.
This is pretty much how the author introduced the characters because this was a book in a series that was supposed to be stand alone. This is not a stand alone story. The author did not tell the reader nor explain how each was abused. There were just casual references to it such as the lady learned to take the abuse from the duchess and give a slight smile and not change her attitude or the duke observed his father and his friends drinking and gambling and consorting with women. And the duke has been attempting to meet his bastard siblings and offer them funds because they were his family. I am sure the earlier books actually started back in their histories and the reader actually understood the emotions of the characters at that time. But what may be seen as redundencies to an author is actually the story to the reader.
I felt cheated out of the full story of how Ana Maria's and Nash's characters grew like they did. I feel that the characters were a little 2 dimensional because of this and as a reader I could not emote with them. I felt frustrated at some.of the dramatic plot twists that seemed over blown. I felt that there were danglers because this is a serial book, not a stand alone story.
What I read was very good, but not complete. The author should write the book as if the reader has never been introduced to the characters, because they haven't. 3 stars.

I found this to be good book, just not one to put out on my favorites list. Nash, a family friend, feels the need to watch over Ana Maria and keep her protected. She, on the other hand, wants to prove an attraction between them. The two are at constant odds over their feelings for one another, and this is basically the theme of the story. Had the book been shorter, I would have rated it higher; it became a bit long.

My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the opportunity to read and review Tall, Duke, and Dangerous by Megan Frampton.

Nash, Duke of Malvern, is a man of few words. He holds himself away from others in fear of passion becoming violence. But when he learns that the cousin next in line for the dukedom is a brutish man like his father was, Nash reenters society to find a wife he can wed and forget. Ana Maria was born a duke’s daughter, but relegated to servant by her hateful stepmother. After her stepmother’s passing, she longs for independence, purpose, and affection. When Nash thinks Ana Maria’s independent actions put her in danger, he insists on teaching her some self-defense. Soon, their physical contact and attraction begins to blur the friendship line.

This is the second book in the Hazards of Dukes series. It helps to have read the first book, in which Ana Maria’s half brother finds out that his parents’ marriage was invalid, and he loses the dukedom.

For me, this was a 3.5 star book which I’ve rounded up to a 4 star. It took me a while to warm up to the characters. Ana Maria felt immature at the beginning, and Nash a bit wooden. I thought Nash became much more interesting as the past with his father, mother, and servant-half-siblings was revealed…it just took longer than I would have liked to get there. The later chapters felt somewhat choppy, jumping around to different scenes.

What I did like was the relationship between Ana Maria and Nash. They were friends first, but are both fighting an attraction. I liked that as her confidence grew, she wasn’t afraid to tell him what she wanted. I also liked that Nash did some soul-searching before rushing into a proposal, thinking a relationship would magically fix everything. Also, there were some good, steamy scenes.

* I received an ARC and this is my honest review. #TallDukeandDangerous #NetGalley

Ana Maria has lived a rough life with a step mother that treated her as a servant. She is now a Lady because she was killed in carriage accident. She has longed for Nash for years, He is best friends with her brother and cousin. She decides she is going to be her own person and live life to the fullest. She loves bright colorful fabrics. After visiting a fabric shop she finds herself in a bad situation. Enter Nash to the rescue. They just can't seem to fight their attraction.
Nash lived with an abusive father his whole life. He doesn't want to marry because he is afraid he will become abusive. However, Ana Maria is simply irresistible.

While I have enjoyed Frampton’s other works, this one didn't really do it for me. I really liked the premise and characters, but the story as a whole felt somewhat anticlimactic.

The protagonists search for an idea of self in her new station was a very appealing core story. If you ignore the seemingly endless use of (incorrectly applied) “oxymoron,” Ana Maria presents a great retelling of the Cinderella story. As a leading lady she is smart, likable and generally trying to do the right thing. However, that is about as far as we get in character development. Her foil for our mighty hero, Nash, brings a bit of development for him, but this friends to lovers story doesn't really “get there” when all is said and done.

This was still an enjoyable read, and would make a good addition to your summer reads list, but given what I know this author can do, this wasn't what I was expecting when handed a new Frampton to review.

This novel brings together two people who need to overcome their pasts. Ana Maria is like Cinderella, going from rags to riches, but without marrying her prince. She becomes more confident and assertive with her choices, knowing what she wants. Nash believes he is like his father, to use his anger and fists to hurt others. Nash fights but to protect others and those who deserve a good punch or two. Nash has a good and kind side, one he rarely shows but to a few. Ana Maria and Nash have known each other for years and feel more than friendship for each other, neither trying to pursue the next level. Nash teaches Ana Maria to defend herself, but more physical contact is needed to satisfy their attraction. Nash needs to overcome his own pasts and fears if he wants Ana Maria to be his duchess.
I received this novel from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

She has longed for him to see her for as long as she can remember. Nash is now in need of a wife. Always the one to do the right thing, Nash cannot possibly consider Ana Maria, since she is his best friend's sister. Her decadent gowns and lively conversation keep him coming back for more and Ana Maria will take all she can get. But no one is going to tell her she cannot stand up for herself. Ms. Frampton has done a marvelous job creating such likeable characters. Readers won't be able to put this book down.