DNF: I got to 62% in the ARC and I just didn't care enough to go on. Unfortunately, Sophie Jordan is an author who doesn't seem to resonate with me. The cover was a temptation that led me in, and the opening scene was exciting, but it seemed slow going after that. Or rather fast - I would have expected a lot more than 38% left based on where the story was when I decided to put it down.

Pros: Woman blacksmith, physically strong and large.

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

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was the next book in the Duke hunt series. I have to say I still cannot understand the series title because they both have not been about dukes at all. I guess this was a pretty good read it did seem slow at times but an okay read.

I absolutely loved this story! I was so excited for Gwen's story. It's always a breath of fresh air to read a historical romance from the point of view of a non ton member, especially a strong woman in a profession mostly held by males. I loved how Jordan not only focused on the love story but Gwen's struggles to maintain her family business. Kellan was in need of a wake up call and Gwen provided just that. Their relationship really showed the power of a partnership, not that it's necessary but how empowering it can be to find your person in life or love.

I really enjoy Sophie’s books! They’re always so fun, sweet, and sexy! This one was just that! Our MC’s are a perfect pair! The dynamic was interesting as our heroine, Gwen was a blacksmith and our hero, is a swindler! When Gwen tries to save Kellan from the towns people wanting to hang him, they end up in a marriage of convenience. Gwen is strong, tall, curvy, and has a big heart. She isn’t used to being cared for. She also isn’t so sure about love. Kellan doesn’t want love and has never really had a home before. It was fun watching these two learn to work together while Gwen tries to fight the tension and lust for Kellan! All in all a fun easy read!

A
A 2.5 rounded to 3

I had wanted to read Gwen's story from the time I met her in the previous books of this series. She is definitely a unique heroine - singled out for what she does (runs a smithy) and her statuesque appearance (being taller and stronger than even many men). And she speaks her mind too! So when Kellan appears in her life, or rather, her smithy, it was a love-story waiting to smolder, but it just didn't happen as I had hoped.
I loved Gwen, and also loved that Kellan is not of the duchy but just a regular fellow. Though the story started off well, I felt there were things missing when I reached the end and actually thought I might have skipped pages. And what about the villains? No comeuppance at all.
Maybe it was because I wanted more for Gwen from knowing her in the first two books of this series (that I loved), but this book was just a ok-read for me.
However, I know I will continue reading Sophie Jordan...

Disclaimer: Thanks to Netgalley for the digital review copy of the book. These are my honest opinions of the book.

For me this book is a 3.5 star. When a e-book shows 20% more in a book you expect 20% more of the H & h finally coming together, resolving any issues and then a nice epilogue. Nope, at 85% or so the book ends and the rest is advertising for the previous books. I took half a star off for the very abrupt ending. I was really looking forward to Gwen’s story from the few times we met her in the previous books. I love the idea of a female blacksmith and Sophie is really good at make us feel for Gwen. She may be in a tough, male profession but she still has vulnerabilities, insecurities that a woman in her position may feel when it comes to her femininity. I don’t think the previous books mentions too much about the family she lost, but I found this so sad that she was left so alone in the world. Then to have a horrible family of rival blacksmiths trying to run her out of business while also trying to force her into a marriage with one of his disgusting sons, she’s just mired in what feels like helplessness. No wonder she so quick to help Kellan (who is facing down a pitch-fork wielding mob who wants to hang him for the scam his father was running pretending to be a duke!!) The first 1/2 of this book is quite exciting to the build up and I thought the marriage would actually come sooner and then we would have the “marriage of convenience “ slow, but hot and sexy falling in love trop (since they agreed to stay together a year). But the whole book takes place in 3 week (reading of the marriage bans) and there’s a whole lot of Insta-lust, heavy petting, I mustn’t do this or my heart will be broken when you leave me going on and it got a bit wearing. I think Kellan could have been fleshed out a bit. I did like how the author related his background and how even as he helped his dad in his scams, he did it reluctantly due the promise he made his dying mother to always look out for him. I still didn’t get a full feel for his character. So all and all, I liked but didn’t love the book. We do get introduced to the “real” Duke of Penning and that made me look forward to the next book in the series. So while I did enjoy this book and it’s story I just feel like I needed more of it to make it memorable.

I enjoyed this book. It was a fast read. The story line started on the first page and was interesting until the end. I recommend this book.

The Scoundrel Falls Hard, The Duke Hunt #3, by Sophie Jordan, focuses on a marriage of convenience between blacksmith Gwen Cully and rogue fugitive Kellan Fox. It hits the ground running with an exciting, intriguing, and fast-paced start, but soon the pacing slows as Jordan develops Kellan’s and Gwen’s uneasy alliance and burgeoning romance. Jordan’s usual vibrant description, steamy love scenes, and complex characters are all present, making this an entertaining read. I love the characters and their connection. Gwen is fiery, strong, fearless, independent, beautiful, and passionate about her family’s blacksmith forge and operations. A handsome unrepentant rogue, Kellan is a skilled thief raised in the art of the swindle. But he’s not afraid of hard work or fulfilling his commitments. He keeps his true self and feelings behind a mask, but Kellan is at a crossroads in his life. After meeting and working with Gwen, Kellan begins to see the possibilities for him to have another life that doesn’t involve thieving, lying, and stealing from others—a life he never chose for himself.

Jordan develops their fiery chemistry and connection through steamy, gentle, sexy, sweet, and intense interactions, banter, and love scenes that contribute to Gwen and Kellan’s development. Their sexual attraction is strong, but they also connect on an intellectual and emotional level, which scares Gwen because she believes her life to be just fine without a man. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see or experience Gwen working in the forge creating the smithery they sell together, which is a bit of a disappointment, as that’s one of the things that drew me to the character.

As the village blacksmith, Gwen has worked hard to keep her family’s blacksmith business prosperous and legacy intact. However, when a local rival threatens her livelihood and independence, Gwen feels she has nowhere to turn with no family left. But can she rely on the handsome fugitive who takes shelter in her shop to help her? Unfortunately, Kellan’s life since childhood has been a dangerous game of deception, leading him to flee, hide, and fight for survival desperately. He takes shelter from his pursuers in a smithy. No one’s more surprised than him when the tall and beautiful blacksmith Gwen protects him from an angry mob of villagers—except for maybe Gwen herself. Kellan and Gwen agree to a year-long marriage—in name only—to save his life and her family’s blacksmith operations.

While I love the development of the relationship between Gwen and Kellan, their characters, and their connection, I don’t love the novel as much as book 2—perhaps because my expectations were high. The resolution came a bit too quickly and without enough interaction between Kellan and Gwen leading up to the conclusion, or perspective from Kellan, considering the angst behind it. Maybe it would have worked better with a bit more of Kellan’s perspective.

Overall, The Scoundrel Falls Hard is a steamy, angsty, sexy, and sweet historical romance with some nicely written moments of suspense and action.

Advanced review copy provided by Avon Books via Netgalley for review.

Overall: 3.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Intimate Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥 (There are 4 scenes in this book. 3 of the scenes are crammed together within 5% of the book and the last is in the epilogue and is short. I wasn’t sure how to count this one, steam wise, so make your own decision about if the hotness will work for you. The scenes were great but I was sad with the placement of them :( )
Humor: A bit
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine

Should I read in order?
This is third in the series and the heroines from the previous two novels are mentioned here. Imogen has some page time (book 1, The Duke Goes Down) but overall this is fine to pick up as a stand alone (I did!)

Basic plot:
Gwen is minding her own business in her smithy, when a man comes in to hide from a mob that wants to hang him for his deception. She ends up pleading for his life and declaring her love to save his life. They begin a bargain to stay together for one year.

Give this a try if you want:
- 6 foot tall blacksmith heroine!
- Antihero – he’s a thief, liar, and pretender (raised by his father and roped into his schemes)
- A bit of fake relationship feel – they agree to stay together for a year before parting ways
- Slow-ish burn. There’s a number of kisses but all the steam is crammed in at the end.
- Marriage of necessity – to save the hero’s life from a mob
- One bed at the inn!
- Working class hero and heroine
- Country/small town setting
- Book 1 of the series is set in 1838 I believe, so this one is early Victorian time period

Ages:
- Both characters are 28

My thoughts:
This book could have been SO GOOD!!!! But I had a couple issues with it. Still, I loved some parts enough that I rounded up to 4 stars.

I loved the start of this story, loved the unique characters. Gwen is a 6 foot tall black smith and I just adored that. She’s recovering from the loss of basically her whole family and is trying to make a living on her own now and dealing with competition that moved into town. Our hero, Kellan, has been raised by his scoundrel father that’s always out to charm or scheme his way through life. I feel like I haven’t read an antihero in awhile and I’m always willing to give them a try.

So, like I said, I loved the beginning of this story. It was action filled and a bit emotional right out of the gate and I was just so eager to see what happened with these two. But the middle was a touch dry for me. I got kind of bored. Then, when they go on the small road trip and stay at the inn with one bed things got fun again. But I didn’t realize that was near the end of the story. The page count was deceiving, as I was only 70% in but really it was the finale. So I think I got it in my head that there was time for a lot more and it made the ending feel even more abrupt to me (though I think I would have had some issues with it even if I wasn’t looking at the percentage.)

Gwen Cully has become independent because she’s had to be, having had the running of her family’s blacksmithing business since her father’s and uncle's illnesses and subsequent deaths. Now a new blacksmith has moved into the village and is threatening Gwen’s livelihood, though she has no one to turn to for help catching up on her orders. But all that changes when a ridiculously attractive fugitive uses her shop as a place to hide out from an angry mob.

Kellan Fox is a confidence man and has made no secret of it, though most of his actions have been with the express goal of keeping his father out of trouble as much as possible. Unfortunately, his father hasn’t shown Kellan the same consideration or loyalty, leaving him fighting for his life against an angry mob of villagers. When Gwen protects him and stands up for him against the outraged mob actively trying to hang him, Kellan and Gwen wind up roped into agreeing to marry. Marriage may be the only way to save Kellan’s life, so Gwen agrees, with the stipulation that it be a union in name only and that it will end in a year’s time.

Despite her ground rules, Kellan makes no secret of his attraction to Gwen, though she’s often skeptical of his sincerity. Though she has reservations, Gwen finds herself allowing Kellan ever closer to both her heart and her body, all the while still questioning whether or not she can truly trust him.

This was such a uniquely tropey book! I really liked the fact that not only do we have a working heroine, but neither of the MCs is titled. Both are ordinary people, and the hero is more of an antihero and very much a scoundrel, though with a heart of gold and his own set of morals. He was so sweet to and protective of Gwen, and his admiration for her so abundantly clear, that it was impossible for me not to root for them as a couple. In fact, contrary to my expectations, it wasn’t the scoundrel hero responsible for the annoyances I did have with this book, but the heroine as she kept being so wishy-washy with him out of her own discomfort with her reaction to him. She did at least realize what she was doing and take steps to ameliorate this behavior, but it took a while. Thankfully, in the meantime, the sexual tension between these two built through the roof and made this feel like the slowest burn ever as I waited for these two to finally give in and admit their feelings/desires. These two were fire when they finally did come together, but I have to say I would’ve loved to see a bit more of that. Maybe that makes me sound dirty or whatever, but I don’t care. These two had phenomenal chemistry and I wanted to see more culmination of that. Nevertheless, I loved seeing a tall, not especially conventionally feminine woman get the male and attention and praise she deserved, as well as someone to stand up for and defend her, all the while being wholly aware that she didn’t need him to. Along those lines, I definitely wanted to see the disgustingly oafish Meyer put in his place more firmly, but alas, it was not to be. Overall, this storyline was bananas given the way these two came together, the villagers are certifiable and I’m not sure I’d have wanted to live there still if I had been either of these two, but I very much liked this couple.

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

Release Date: August 23 2022

📖📖

Kellen is a criminal and being chased by a mob of townspeople. Fearing for the life of the stranger, Gwen, the towns blacksmith claims that she is in love with him thus essentially saving him…for now. Gwen is fighting to keep her families business going despite the fact that she is a single women. Kellen suggests a marriage of convenience that would solve both their problems. When the marriage is consummated a fire is ignited that neither can ignore. When time is over for the marriage, will they be able to overcome their obstacles or will they go their separate ways?

This is the third book in #thedukehunt series. I enjoyed the first two books and was excited to read the third. It was really disappointing. The steam was great but that’s all there was. Just steam. The characters had no emotional connection, no stomach butterflies. I’d skip this book unless you’re looking for good sex scenes.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

#ascoundrelfallshard #bookstagram #historicromance #netgalleyreads #romance #notarecommendation #thedukehunt #avonbooks

A great addition to The Duke Hunt series. Very exciting in the beginning and the chemistry between Gwen and Kellen is fiery. I’m excited to see if there will be more. I think we’ve been given a taste of the real Duke of Penning’s story…
5 stars!!!

The author did a fabulous writing this story. I always loved her books. The story sucks you in. I give 8 stars. It gets you at some parts to put down.

By the end of this novel, I really liked the story and the characters. Admittedly, it took me a little longer to get into the story than normal. Maybe it's because I'm new to the series or maybe it was how much resistance both characters insisted on having, even though they both wanted the relationship to work? I don't know --it was just a little bit off for me at the beginning, but by the end I was so happy for their HEA.

I was sadly disappointed in this one. I loved the cover and the description but the story I got was lackluster. I didn't really feel a connection between Kellen and Gwen - they don't even really have substantive converstations! The ending was also super abrupt.

Absolutely wild entry into this series. I had a great time seeing Gwen finally get her book, and Kellan was a lovely hero who gradually settles into an honest life. The pacing was a bit odd with an intense opening and then a slow-burn to follow and I missed having a peek at the characters BEFORE the story started to get a better sense of them as individuals (but instead they spend the whole story together). Gwen's stubborn self-sufficiency really hit for me, and I was rooting for Kellan to grow into her partner. This probably seems scattered, I liked it but wanted there to be more of it!

Tropes: Working Heroine (Blacksmith), Anti-hero/Villainous Hero, Marriage of Convenience

Imposter Kellan Fox hides in Gwen Cully’s blacksmith shop, trying desperately to escape the village mob hunting him. Unable to stop the angry townspeople from attempting to hang him, Gwen stakes her own reputation by declaring she loves him. Choosing matrimony to save his neck is an easy choice for Kellan, but they both see advantages to a short-term marriage of convenience. Gwen doesn’t trust Kellan easily, but it’s hard to keep things platonic when their attraction burns as hot as her forge.

This is the third book in The Duke Hunt series, but this story can mostly stand alone. There is helpful information in the previous stories about the town and the neighboring dukedom (Kellan’s father was pretending to be the new duke). The heroine from the first book makes an appearance.

I absolutely loved Gwen! She is working as a village blacksmith, keeping her family’s business going despite losing her father and uncle and having to deal with a smarmy competitor setting up shop. She’s strong and capable, but also vulnerable. She feels the sting of criticism that she’s “manly” and different than other women. She loves herself, but she doesn’t realize how badly she needs someone to stand beside her…not as a champion, but as an equal, a helpmate. I connected to that completely!

After losing his mother, Kellan grew up running swindles with his father. This time, his father went too far and left him behind to face the consequences. Kellan needed to work on himself, and Gwen gave him that second chance. He tried to prove himself worthy and worked to gain Gwen’s trust. I loved when she punched him and told him not to be a baby.

~ Leslie

I adored this unconventional historical romance about a salt of the earth blue collar heroine and the scoundrel who’s ready to settle down!

Gwen is trying to make her family smithy a success, but the new competition in town is determined to undermine and demean her. When Kellan Fox seeks sanctuary in her business from a mob intent on bloodshed, her voice of reason is the one that saves him from the noose.

There’s only one tiny problem- she claimed he should be spared because she loved him. The man who was the object of his con agrees, and demands that the banns be read and they be forced to marry.

Gwen only needs Kellan’s brawn to help in her business and get much needed repairs done to her home. But his kiss curled her toes and she’s hyper aware of the fact that he’s taller than she is - a luxury she very seldom encounters.

Kellan is intrigued by this woman who’s unlike anyone he’s ever met. Fiercely independent and competently self-sufficient. He wants to help her but he wonders how long she’ll find him useful.

Plot: 4 Stars
Characters: 4 stars
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥1/2

I don't know Gwen. Can you really trust a life-long con man, swindler, charlatan, and thief will really stay forever living hand-to-mouth in your small town toiling in your smithy? I don't have a good feeling about this. With a deceased mother, Gwen was raised by her blacksmiths father and uncle. With them now gone she is an oddity in her small village. A tall, strong, pants-wearing, female blacksmith. One day she finds Kellan cowering in the corner of her smithy, running and hiding for his life. The villagers are out to hang him for impersonating the ducal heir. His father, impersonating the Duke, abandoned him to be killed. Gwen is horrified when the townspeople drag him to a tree and put a rope around his neck. She yells out "I love him!" They find themselves engaged and come to an agreement. One year as a platonic married couple will give Gwen the help she needs to make her business profitable, while Kellan owes her for saving his life. The book takes place during the three weeks while the banns are read. Platonic doesn't last long! I like that neither is an aristocrat. I do wonder why Gwen's physical appearance was made to sound like she was a freak. Amazonian tall, hands bigger than her bully's father, large, etc. This was emphasized throughout. Best of luck to them both.

The Scoundrel Falls Hard is the third book in Sophie Jordan's The Duke Hunt series. It can be read as a standalone but the first two books are so good that you don't want to miss those.

As for this book, I liked it, but I didn't love it despite containing several of my favorite tropes. I did love Gwen and how fierce and strong she is. But Kellan got on my nerves.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read in the series but not one I would go back to again.

Thanks to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.