If this novel is any indication of what's to come from the series, I'll be eagerly awaiting the next installment!! Duke Gone Rogue was a pleasant surprise as I've been feeling lately like my recent reads have been a bit over the top in the drama department.

Not to say there is no drama.. naturally it wouldn't be in this genre without some flair... but this story was much more focused on the romance and the character development than my recent reads. Will's struggles to redeem his family name in the face of the disaster his late father left behind is honorable, but the price he paid for those efforts is steep in a fickle society. As a result he's considered "heartless" even though his efforts seem to be mainly out of love for his sisters and their futures. Physically and emotionally exhausted, he is essentially voluntold to take a holiday by his loving but frustrated sisters. As he interacts with Maddie, we see his motives shift from focusing on repairing his family name to allowing himself to reflect and grow. Much of this change is due to his relationship with Maddie.

Maddie faces a similar duty, though it was borne out of a different type of familial commitment. Her parents' beloved nursery became her responsibility, and out of love for them she has worked herself to a point of exhaustion. Her tenacity and drive to keep the business afloat while giving so much to her local community was admirable and endeared me to her character from the start.

Though their passion did take some time to fully ignite, I felt this was consistent with the characters and the plot. I didn't find it boring or frustrating, but it certainly could have been if not for the author's excellent prose. Their friendship bloomed first with the undercurrent of attraction, and it was an enjoyable build that I think really added to how much I enjoyed this book.

Really looking forward to the rest of the series!

This may contain spoilers.
This book was an interesting view of how a working woman, she owns a nursery, and a duke, who comes to Cornwall from London, meet and develop a relationship. The book opens with the heroine overhearing the hero's fiance dump him. The hero had been uncovering the misdeeds of his father (who has passed away), and developed a reputation for being dull. But many people were scared that he would reveal the misdeeds that they shared with his father. He did not do that, but he was looked down on because of this. He is forced to vacation because his youngest sister is getting married and having a party that she will have to invite his ex fiance. So he goes on vacation to an estate in Cornwall where his father had horrible orgies and rented the estate out to his friends who also had questionable revels there.
He meets the heroine again in Cornwall and is still attracted to the heroine. They develop a friendship. She is involved with her business and various committees in the village. But she makes time for him and takes him around the village because she really likes him.
This is where I get confused. He is a duke. Every other historical romance I read has always, always made a big deal about the family of his future duchess. The heroine's mother was the daughter of a viscount, but her father was a gardener and worked on his father's estate. So she doesn't meet future duchess criteria. But that doesn't seem to matter in this book. Everyone seems okay that they are having a sexual relationship and he probably won't marry her, but they get married and there is no uproar. Confusing.
This is otherwise a well written story. But because it goes into fantasy land, I give it 4 stars. I just can't reconcile the lack of background and the fact that no one looked down on the heroine. I recommend reading it because it is good, but different in that tangent.

I enjoyed Duke Gone Rogue by Christie Carlyle. This was a sweet historical romance. I prefer my romances with a bit more steam but I thought the intimate scenes were still well-written and the chemistry between the H and the h was natural and beautiful. Enjoyable, fun read.

Duke Gone Rogue by Christy Carlyle is a great historical romance. I liked that the story focused on the relationship between the two main characters but without an overload of sex scenes. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will consider reading more from this author. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a very cute historical romance that focuses on the sweet relationship between two perfectly matched people, Will and Maddie. Will is seen by society as grumpy at best, but Maddie understands him. They both are very duty-driven, responsible, selfless people that want the best for each other.

When Maddie said, "Surely Will can't be blamed for merely telling the truth and trying to put right what his father had done wrong," I know they were perfect for each other.

When Will is sent to by his sisters on a vacation, little did he know he would find a town of people who accept him, including Maddie. He found love and is almost too selfless to fight for it. Their love for each other was sweet and relatable. It was adorable seeing Will so quickly imagining Maddie as his Duchess! They are both immediately attracted to each other so expect some mild spice.

This is firstly a romance with some excellent quotes:

"I love you...I adore you...And I've realized that I simple cannot imagine my life without you. Not a single day."
"I love you...Now don't take this as license to be grumpy, but I think I may have loved you from the moment we met."
"Somewhere between stumbling out from behind a potted palm and boating with him in the cove, she had fallen in love. The sight of him made her smile, and it also made her mouth water. Mine, her heart seemed to shout, whether it was true or made any sense at all."
"He loved her boldness, loved her determination. He loved her, and the realization didn't come as a revelation but settled inside him like a truth that had been there all along."

I enjoyed how this was a romance without any big drama, which allowed for a focus on their relationship. Cute relationship and likeable characters drive the story. Additionally, because the time period was late Victorian, the modern technology and culture was refreshing from other historical romances.

For a sweet historical romance focused on the characters becoming their best selves and finding love, read this book.

3.5 stars

When Will Hart, the Duke of Ashmore, travels to the family lands in Cornwall at his sisters’ request, he never expects to run into the woman who witnessed his broken engagement. Madeline Ravenwood is equally stunned when she is tasked with convincing Will to fix his eye-sore home before a special visit by Princess Beatrice. So much rides on Princess Beatrice’s endorsement, including the success of her family’s business, but the more time Maddie spends with Will, the more she questions her priorities. Will’s feelings for Maddie grow stronger as they spend their days together, but can he convince Maddie that they have a future together when social constraints and expectations threaten to keep them apart?

The majority of the story takes place in Haven’s Cove, a seaside community where Madeline lives. A small community where everyone knows everyone else, Haven’s Cove is vividly depicted, and I can see why Maddie loves it so much. It sounds so beautiful and is the perfect backdrop for the story.

Maddie is a hardworking, generous, and kind woman. She is independent and very different from the women Will is accustomed to interacting with. Maddie is very involved in her community and is on numerous committees, including the one preparing for Princess Beatrice’s visit. So much rides on this visit, and Maddie is hoping that it will boost the economy and garner more recognition for the nursery she inherited from her parents. Maddie is often conflicted between her responsibilities and her desires, and this proves true when it comes to how she feels for Will.

Will is super swoon-worthy in a grumpy kind of way. At the start of the story, his life revolves around restoring his family name and providing his younger sisters with a secure future. He is intense, and people see him as rigid, heartless, and unpleasant. Leaving his duties behind, leaving the ton and polite society, and even leaving the pressures of being the eldest brother responsible for the well-being of his younger sisters gives him the opportunity to be himself. He finally has a reprieve and doesn’t even realize how much he needs it.

With Maddie, Will completely lets his guard down. He’s so much more relaxed and himself when he’s with her and without all of the pressures of the dukedom and the desperate need to restore his family name and right his father’s wrong weighing him down. And Will changes so much as the story progresses, as does Maddie. They definitely bring out the best in each other and encourage each other to live their best lives. I love how they both come to realize what is truly important.

The love story between Will and Maddie is fantastic. They have such amazing chemistry, and I like how they learn more about themselves and each other as their relationship progresses. They have a lot in common and relate to each other well, even though they are from different social classes and have lived very different lives. For example, both characters have had responsibilities thrust upon them, and neither had much say in their futures. These commonalities connect them on a deep level. On top of that, their chemistry and romance are so swoon-worthy!

The gifts Will gives Maddie, the way he tries to see things from her perspective, his newfound interest in flowers because she loves them so much, and their mutual respect and thoughtfulness are so lovely. Will does so many thoughtful and touching things that contrast with the man people think he is. His actions regarding Maddie show just how much he’s changed. Maddie, in turn, is generous and giving with Will, and she often puts her own duties aside to help him. They have such wonderful chemistry, and the slow-building romance is definitely my favorite part of the story.

Duke Gone Rogue is a great start to what promises to be a fun new historical romance series! It’s an entertaining read with well-layered characters, and the love story is romantic, angst-filled, and a bit steamy. I’m so thankful to Avon, NetGalley, and Christy Carlyle for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Will post links closer to pub. date

This one struggled to hold my interest. The characters were not especially compelling, particularly the lady who didn’t have much of a personality other than being extremely busy all the time. There wasn’t a whole lot of drama either, just a lot of talk about duty and no real arc to the story.

This is the first book in a new series by Christy Carlyle. Unfortunately it fell a little flat for me.

I always love the plot of the grumpy, moody Duke that no one likes and who hates balls. He refuses to attend parties except those he absolutely must. He falls for an independent Victorian woman who owns her own business and his personality is completely different with her than with the rest of the world. There is fun banter between the two, but I found it difficult to rationalize he changed so completely differently that his whole personality changed.

I read a lot of romance and there was very little steam, which made it a slow read for me. There was very little explicit sex on the page and one closed door scene that I wish had taken place on the page. It would have went a long way in solidifying the feelings that the reader had for these two characters.

Duke Gone Rogue is the first book I've read by Christy Carlyle, and with this one book, she has immediately ascended to the top of my favorite Historical Romance authors list. My immediate reaction after finishing this book in one sitting was, "Now this is Historical Romance done right!" I will attempt to set aside simple, unadulterated gushing to write an actual review, but it won't be easy!

Will Hart, the Duke of Ashmore, is reviled in London as a heartless curmudgeon. His fiancée recently dumped him, and his sisters want him to leave town so he doesn't ruin his youngest sister's engagement party. To escape his reputation, and take a much needed holiday, he travels to his scandalous father's pleasure estate in Cornwall, forcing him to come face-to-face with his father's debauched ways. All he wants to do is sell it and put the past behind him, but his rigid plans start to crumble when he meets Madeline Ravenwood and the staff of Carnwyth.

Maddie Ravenwood is a pillar of the Haven's Cove community, a young businesswoman who has taken over and runs her deceased father's landscaping business, serves on ten different town committees, and is in the throes of preparing for a royal visit from Princess Beatrice, which will surely bolster her failing business and bring notoriety to their little Cornish town. But in order to make the visit a success, she must convince the unrelenting Duke of Ashmore to repair his eyesore of a property. All her responsibilities and commitments suddenly seem to have less import after she meets the Duke and they start to develop an easy rapport that quickly blossoms into something more.

The beauty of this book stems from the adeptly-written characters. In my opinion, Will and Maddie are two of the most well-developed and realistic characters I've read in a long time, and it was incredibly refreshing to read a Romance with such mature and authentic leads. The characters learn so much about themselves throughout the book, what they want and need to be happy in their lives, and that individual character development complements their developing relationship nicely. There was no "pining and whining," and from the beginning, Maddie doesn't hesitate to speak her mind or articulate what she wants, not only in her life, but also from her love interest. How satisfying to read a FMC that flat out says, "I want you" and "Please touch me." More of this in Romance please!

The relationship is never one-sided. Although a powerful peer in Victorian-era England, Will is as supportive of Maddie's endeavors as he is focused on his Dukedom. His love for her shines through his attentiveness to the life she has built for herself, and Maddie returns that respect in kind. There is a natural give and take between the couple, and their mutual care for the other's well-being and needs bespeaks of a genuine love. It's on top of this foundation that the author layers playful dialogue and innuendo that lend further realism and authenticity, building a romantic tension and chemistry that's compelling and palpable.

One of the ways you can tell this book is so well-crafted is that it doesn't rely on sex to build the chemistry. In fact, here is a book with very little explicit sex-on-page, and yet it has some of the best romantic chemistry I have ever read! It just shows that with the right characterization and relationship building, a little sex goes a long way. That being said, the bathtub scene between Will and Maddie was pure fire! and quite the culmination to the slow-burn that takes almost the entirety of the book to develop. Whew!

I happily give this book my highest of recommendations. I think it's an excellent example of a mature, well-developed Romance. The prose is solid, the characterization near perfection, and there is no contrived side-plot used to drive the story. This book is about Will and Maddie and how their lives are enriched through knowing each other and falling in love. I will definitely be reading on in this series and look forward to more from this author!

A little slow, but the writing is sparkling and the cover is absolutely gorgeous. I'd be proud to have this book sitting on my shelf, for sure!

I enjoyed both MC however overall I found the book slow and kind of boring. There was a lot of talk and explanation of flowers and shrubs! The steam level was very low and nothing really happened until about the 3/4 mark of the book. I am not sure if I will read any following books in the series.

I loved this book!! So much chemistry between Maddie and William. I loved reading their story. Can't wait for more from this author!!