Thaddeus, the new Duke of Hasford holds his title reluctantly but with a strong sense of duty he decides to complete his first task as Duke. Marry and secure an Heir. He sets his sights on what he thinks will be the perfect woman for him. But the lady in question's sister thinks otherwise. And she'll do everything in her power to stop this match from happening. Including perhaps, falling for the Duke herself.

I enjoyed this book immensely! Lavinia is a firecracker of a heroine and Thaddeus was such a giant, broody and noble hero. I loved the sisterly bond, the marriage of convenience trope, and that Lavinia is a writer. The couple had great chemistry and I loved the back and forth between them.

I do wish they had gotten over their miscommunication earlier and that the conflict hadn't resolved around that quite so much. But overall I really enjoyed this one!

I received an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A Wicked Bargain for the Duke is the third book in Megan Frampton's Hazards of Dukes series. I read Ms. Frampton's work in the past and found it immensely entertaining and amusing. I started this series here, on book three. Am I EVER going to start reading a series beginning with the first book?! Anyway, this one stood alone, and apparently characters from the first two volumes make appearances here. I had a blast reading this book; Ms. Frampton did a wonderful job blending humor, steam and love.

Thaddeus Dutton has become the Duke of Hasford; he wasn't interested in taking that role, but he's a good soldier and knows his duty. He decides his main goal should be to find a wife and make heirs. He sets his sights on Lady Jane Capel, a beautiful and demure young lady. What he was not expecting was Jane's curvaceous and outspoken sister Lavinia to always appear when he's with Jane. Lavinia knows her sister is in love with someone else, so she tries to keep the duke from proposing to Jane...but Lavinia fails. When Lavinia confronts Thaddeus at a ball to tell him Jane is not the type for him, they somehow end up entangled and Lavinia lands on top of Thaddeus when they fall. That was NOT a good time for the other guests to come across them! Thaddeus proposes to Lavinia to protect her reputation. Since this isn't a love match, they make a bargain concerning the begetting of heirs, not realizing that life doesn't always go as planned...

I totally enjoyed this fun romp with two extremely opposite leads. Lavinia has a big family and is best friends with her sister Jane and step-brother Percy. She's extremely protective of her siblings. She's outgoing, funny, speaks her mind, loves desserts, and is secretly a novelist; she uses Percy as the "author" of her books. Then we have Thaddeus. He was an officer in the army before he became duke. He was definitely not ready for his new role. He's stiff, rigid, and makes lists of what he wants and needs. He was an only child and had a very lonely childhood. He treated the search for a bride as a military campaign. Oil and water don't mix...or maybe it does! The steam between the two was off the charts; the action did not take place behind closed doors - we are privy to their sensual interludes. Their first few times together were funny - Thaddeus thought he was pleasuring his wife as well as himself...he was totally wrong. I admired Lavinia's bravery in telling him how it really is and how she expected to be pleasured. There were great supporting players here, particularly Jane, Percy, Precious the pup and Thaddeus's secretary. The book alternated back and forth between Lavinia and Thaddeus and scenes from the book Lavinia was writing which ran parallel to their own story. I sped through this book and could not put it down! I'm looking forward to the next installment, which focuses on sister Jane.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This is the third book in the Hazards of Dukes series. I have not read the first two and believe this reads fine as a standalone. While we see the characters from the first two, they really have minimal roles in this story.

I was in the mood for historical romance, and this was perfect. Lavinia is outspoken and thought she was going to avoid marriage and live alone. Unfortunately she was caught in a compromising situation with Thaddeus, a rather formal and boring duke looking for marriage. He had his eye on Lavinia's sister Jane, but ended up getting Lavinia instead. Fortunately there are some sparks.

Lavinia is a bit modern for her time and makes a bargain with the duke about their evening activities. While they'd both resigned themselves to a marriage of (in)convenience, this bargain could change everything. I really enjoyed the storyline. and will look for the next book in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Romance for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the way the chapters were broken up with snipits of the fictional book the main character was writing but other than that I found the story kind of boring. I didn't really care about the characters and that that Thad was much more interesting in the other books in this series.

Reluctant, dutiful Duke, Thaddeus, Duke of Hasford, knows that one of his first priorities as the new Duke needs to be to find a bride and provide an heir. When he sets his eyes on quiet shy Lady Jane Capel, he doesn't know that her more rebellious and vivacious sister Lavinia is hilariously determined to come between them so sweet Jane can marry her erstwhile suitor. But Lavinia didn't expect to become so intrigued by the austere Duke, and his thighs.

In her effort to interrupt Thaddeus' courtship of her sister, Lady Lavinia gets caught in the most compromising position, so of course, they are left with no choice but to wed. So their marriage of convenience becomes a bargain in bed to conceive an heir. Only when Lavinia pursues passion, Thaddeus is more than willing to comply.

In the 3rd installment of the Dukes of Hazard series, buttoned-up Thaddeus is the perfect Mr. Darcy to Lavinia's Elizabeth. I love how sex positive it was - Lavinia unapologetically knew what she wanted and Thaddeus was so receptive and open to her opinions. Because they were so communicative, it was especially frustrating when they were not as open and communicative about their feelings as more developed between them, The family drama also got a little trying - the mother especially.

Overall, this was a sweet and funny book. It had me laughing out loud at parts, and I very much enjoyed it.

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review*

3.75 out of 5 stars!

Due to certain circumstances, the hero had inherited his title and is now looking for a wife. The heroine wanted her sister to be happy and tries to block the hero from courting her sibling. The two ended up getting hitched due to a compromising situation. Under this auspicious beginning to their marital life, how will the couple deal with certain expectations and deepening feelings for each other?

Though I had not read any of the previous books in this series, it didn't deter me from enjoying the book. I liked the closeness the heroine is with her siblings and how the hero is close with his friends that he considers as his "family." Even the chapters pertaining to the story within the story weren't a hindrance to the whole story. I also liked the couple together and individually throughout their journey in this book. For my personal preference, I would have ever liked more details for smoother transition in some parts of the book. Overall, it's an enjoyable book and I look forward to reading more of the author's works in the future.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own.**

A Wicked Bargain for the Duke by Megan Frampton

Thaddeus Dutton, Duke of Hasford, needs to get married and produce an heir for the dukedom he has just unexpectedly inherited. He attends a book reading event to find suitable future bride candidates and meets sisters Lady Jane Capel and Lady Lavinia Capel. Lady Jane is ideal to Thaddeus on paper (he made a list), but he is inexplicably attracted to Lady Lavinia (Vinnie), who is not a conventional beauty for that time and doesn’t meet the requirements on his list. Lady Lavinia is also secretly a writer, who wrote the wildly popular and salacious book that is being read at this book event by her illegitimate half brother, Percy. Percy is pretending to be the author of these books, even though he’s a mathematician. Lady Jane wants to marry someone else, and the protective Lady Lavinia runs interference at every opportunity and ultimately lands in a compromising position that results in marriage to the duke.

The bulk of the book is about the marriage of Lavina and Thaddeus, and there is a secondary storyline about Jane and the man she wants to marry.

The reader is given a lot of insight into what the hero and heroine are thinking/feeling throughout the book which is employed so frequently that it took me out of the story and didn’t serve to make me feel connected to the characters. In Ch. 17 Thaddeus thinks of Lavinia “And she was well worth doing.” Ummmm, WHY?

There is some sex ed (“do you know even know where my clitoris is?”) which is a refreshing change from old school historical romances, and the language Thaddeus and Lavinia use evolves as their relationship evolves. It's entertaining, but it didn’t feel authentic as character development.

Between each chapter is an Interstitial that tells an entirely separate romantic story in one page increments. It served to take me more out of the main story rather than contributing to the story or the experience of reading this book.

I’m an old school historical romance reader and an avid romance reader in general. This is my first time reading a book by Megan Frampton and there were elements about the book that didn’t work for me in regards to character development and behaviors that didn’t fit that time period. I wanted so much to like it because the premise is fun and Lavinia is a great female character.

I so enjoyed this romance between two people who marry after they are caught in a totally accidental compromising position. Thaddeus is a duke in need of a son for an heir, and Lavinia wants to stop him from trying to marry her sister, whose feelings are engaged elsewhere. What neither realizes is that they are perfect for each other and unable to help themselves from falling in love. Both emotion and humor play a part. I am looking forward to the next installment!

A classic historical romance where a strict duke wants a proper wife but lands in a compromising position with said lady's rather improper sister. A bargain is struck that there will be no love only the begetting of an heir. This leads to our hero and heroine on their journey of love.
I will say the beginning I was excited for the steamy bits since both seemed rather excited in their thoughts. I was confused when the first sex scene did happen, because there was no details and it is of course explained but it was contradictive I guess. Basically Thaddeus has some rather kinky thoughts, if I may, but he did not please Lavenia. It was never stated that he thought she was too much a lady to have wild passionate sex. She of course demands for better sex and things heat up which is great. I just did not understand that part. Now the story felt a little small since the two did not really go anywhere. The part with Lavenia's sister Jane felt incomplete. Why did her true love not speak or why did his mother want them to stay with the parents after they were married? Maybe its for another book but I was baffled by that storyline. It is a side story so it's not important but I was curious. Back to our main story it is a feel good historical romance where opposites attract and build a loving steamy romance. I enjoyed it and read it in two days!

I loved this one! Megan did a fantastic job at showing open communication between a couple who had to marry due to circumstances outside their control. It was sexy and beautiful.

The only thing this book left me wanting was a deeper look at the Hero's back story. It's touched on at the surface but I wanted to understand a little bit more about his past.

This historical romance follows Lavinia, a sassy, blunt, honest, passionate heroine, and Thaddeus, a grumpy, introverted, proper, oblivious, duke. Thaddeus needs to get married and have an heir since he’s a duke (which came to be only a while ago), and he plans to marry Lavinia’s sister, but then Thaddeus and Lavinia are caught in a scandalous position, and have to get married.
I only recently realized that marriage of convenience is one of my favorite tropes, and this one did not disappoint. Lavinia and Thaddeus are really nervous and awkward around each other for a while, and I felt like the way that was done was so realistic. Their connection develops gradually and naturally, and while it’s frustrating and you’re like OMG JUST KISS ALREADY, it’s really fun to watch them face their feelings. I wish that it developed a little bit quicker because I feel like we didn’t fully get to see the parts of the relationship where they were really in love and passionate together, but we do get some good stuff, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The pacing was a little bit slow in some parts but I still flew through the book super quickly. I also loved the fact that Lavinia openly communicated some things that she wasn’t happy with to Thaddeus.
If you’re looking for a really fun, endearing romance that has a marriage of convenience, and complex and amazing characters, you need to check this one out. The 2nd book in this series is still probably my favorite but I loved this nonetheless. (You don’t have to read the books in order but I do recommend it because they’re all wonderful!)

Two pump chump. No lady wants to hear that. I believe this is the first story I have read where the guy was bad but thought he was pretty good. That is what I like about Megan’s writing. It is a bit quirky and it works. Throw in a woman who isn’t afraid to talk about what she wants and you get explosions. I love how they learned together. Not only sexually but as people who had no idea how to be in a relationship. Great story.

This was such a fun historical for me. Yes, there were some aspects that were a little repetitive for me. But all in all, I had a great time with it. I think both of our characters brought different types of loneliness to the table, and found companionship and eventually love together.

This is my first book by Megan Frampton and I enjoyed it. It was a fun, quick and engaging read. It's an easy to read book with lovely characters. I adored Lavinia's outspoken and honest personality and how Thaddeus valued those traits as an important attributes. I also loved how Lavinia and Thaddeus fell in love and the way both of them demonstrated in their own way.


P.S. Who doesn't love a man with beautiful thighs? LOL

Thaddeus is a reluctant duke who has ticked off all the items on his "become a duke" list, except one: Find a nice, quiet, respectable wife. Lavinia is the vivacious sister of the nice, quiet, respectable woman that Thaddeus sets his eye on. In a twist, Lavinia and Thaddeus are caught in an accidentally compromising position and have to get married.

It's fine? Lavinia is a firecracker who takes matters into her own hands when the marriage bed is somewhat lackluster. And she truly cares about her family, even though some of them are truly terrible to her. And there's this cute running gag of Thaddeus using the same word repeatedly (see truly in previous sentence). Both characters are list makers and order bringers, but their chemistry, while okay, isn't exactly combustible.

This is a fine book to pick up and read, but it didn't excite or enthrall me. Unfortunately, that's been my reaction the last couple of books from this author, so maybe we're just not a good match. YMMV.

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

A Wicked Bargain for the Duke
Book 3 in the Hazards of Dukes Series
Rating: 4 stars
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

A Wicked Bargain for the Duke was a delightful read! I enjoyed the witty banter and hot chemistry between Thaddeus and Lavinia. Though they didn't like each other that much at the beginning, since she was not what he was looking for in a wife. She never thought to be married. Her sacrifice for her sister was very admirable.
They fought their feelings for each other because the bargain they agreed to at the beginning of their marriage did not turn out to be what they both wanted.
I liked how Lavinia was upfront with Thad about what she wanted in the marriage bed. This was a fun scene to read, since he never expected for her to be so blatant about her desires and expectations.
They both complimented each other very well, the reason it is not a 5 star is that I would of liked to have seen them more time together out of the bedroom. That is why when she takes him to a concert and dance was one of my favorite scenes.

I highly recommend this series and I look forwards to Jane's, Lavinia's sister, story.

When Thaddeus Dutton, the new Duke of Hasford, decides that he needs a wife, he makes a list of all the attributes she would need. At a reading event he attends, he thinks he finds the perfect woman, beautiful, quiet and gracious, Lady Jane. Her mother, Lady Scudamore is overjoyed that he shows an interest in her. But Jane is in love with her next door neighbor, Henry McTavish. Lady Lavina, her sister, promises to help Jane thwart the Duke's advances but instead finds herself in a compromising position and must marry the Duke herself.
An enjoyable and engaging romantic romp, with a headstrong heroine and her unusual family. A newly made Duke, who is always focused on doing his duty to the exclusion of everything else. And how eventually they learn to open up to each other and create their own loving family.
Thank you Avon and NetGalley for this e-galley of "A Wicked Bargain for the Duke".

Lavinia and Thaddeus enter into a marriage neither want. Lavinia to save her sister Jane from marrying Thaddeus who wants a calm and proper wife, but Jane is so shy and is in love with another. Talk about opposites. Thaddeus is very proper and regimented, and Lavinia ghost writes novels and is very outspoken. Lavinia breaks down his barriers and worms her way into his life and heart. I found myself smiling and laughing as I read through the book. This is a nice, lovely romance.

Frampton is a hit-or-miss author for me, but I think she hit it out of the park with this book. I loved it! I smiled. I giggled. I wanted to give some people a swift kick-in-the-rear. These two delightful characters just won me over from the beginning. We have an uptight, all-that-is-proper, stick-up-his-rear army officer turned duke looking for a quiet (very quiet) biddable wife. Through totally accidental circumstances, he ends up married to a vibrant, talkative, intelligent, hoyden - and he has no clue what to do with her. She also has no problem speaking her mind and freely speaks to him about his inadequacies - as a lover and other things.

Thaddeus Dutton, the new Duke of Hasford, never expected to be a duke and isn’t particularly happy about it. His cousin, Sebastian, Never Kiss a Duke, was supposed to be the duke until a birth irregularity was discovered. Thaddeus wanted Sebastian to remain as the duke, but there was absolutely no way to make that happen. Thaddeus is a military man through and through. He was raised to know a military career was to be his – and he appreciated the discipline of it – knowing what to expect – giving and/or receiving commands and knowing what to expect from that. Now that he’s been the duke for a few months, he’s reached the next item on his list (he makes lots and lots and lots of lists). It is time to find a bride and he has a list of requirements for that bride (of course he does). She must be quiet, biddable, very proper, attractive, and – he’d love it if she was passionate as well. As he attends his first bride-acquiring social event, he sees Lady Jane, daughter of the Earl of Scudamore, and is sure his bride-search is over. How nice – he was only forced to attend one social function before he could focus on his future bride. She is from a very eccentric and scandalous family, but Jane herself is very quiet, very proper, and he’s sure – very biddable. He can overlook the rest. Well, maybe most of the rest – Jane’s sister Lavinia is just beyond the pale. She’s boisterous, hoydenish in both actions and speech, and she has no problems telling him exactly what she thinks. Thank goodness he doesn’t have to marry her!

Lady Lavinia loves life! She’s vivacious. She’s funny. She’s intelligent. She’s an eternal optimist and sees the world and everything in it in bright, vivid, full-spectrum color. She adores her siblings – all of them – the legitimate and the illegitimate – and she’ll do anything to protect them. Especially Jane – because Jane is the one who needs the most protecting. So, when the larger-than-life, large, formidable duke immediately focuses on Jane, Lavinia knows she has to do something. She doesn’t know what she’ll do, but she will do something if he continues to focus on her sister. When his proposal seems imminent, Lavinia pulls him aside to tell him that he cannot propose to her sister and she intends to tell him exactly why – except – well – stuff happens and she ends up married to the duke instead.

All of that happens early on in the book and the remainder of the book is the two of them dancing around each other and their own expectations. He is at a bit of a loss when it comes to dealing with her very forthright comments on every facet of their lives – even the bedroom portions. He does really well though and instead of shutting her down, he listens and often changes course based on her input. They made a terrible bargain on their first day of marriage and that haunts both of them throughout the story.

I absolutely adored both Lavinia and Thaddeus – they were absolutely perfect for each other. He curbed her excesses and she brought out his spontaneity and humor. The ending was delightfully done and I closed the book feeling very happy about their future. Now, I can’t wait to see Jane’s story in Gentleman Seeks Bride

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Megan Frampton's writing just gets better and better in this series! I've been enjoying this series and we have made it to Thaddeus' story. I was really hoping for Olivia's own novel (Ivy's sister) but hopefully she will appear later in the series!

My quick take aways from the story: I loved the characters, laugh out loud moments, dysfunctional families, when the communication is clear and blunt. Some of the romance is a bit behind closed doors and there is some hurtful/ignorant behavior.

Thaddeus quits his military career to take over a Dukedom. He makes a list of what needs to be done first and find a wife is near the top of the list. Forcing himself out into society to a book reading, he meets sisters Jane and Lavinia. He has an instant attraction to the hilarious Lavinia but it is the quiet Lady Jane he thinks will make a perfect Duchess.

Lavinia will do anything to protect her sister, who is in love with someone else. It is hilarious how Lavinia inserts herself into the Duke's courting of her sister. I loved her thought process and how she tries to overcome certain obstacles.

And that is just how the story starts!

Thank you to #Netgalley and #Avon for the early read. The opinions are my own.
#MeganFrampton #AWickedBargainfortheDuke