So I read the book without reading the blurb and since it was called Big Duke Energy assumed I was getting five stories of dukes. Nope. Only two had dukes as our heroes and those were my favorites of this book.

The premise is minor characters of these authors’ series get their HEA. Reading these stories, it’s obvious there is a backstory you’ve missed out on if you’ve never read these authors. I would not call most of these standalone.

My two favorites are by Amalie Howard and Stacy Reid. Actual dukes are our heroes and their stories were standalone.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.

Five stories from different authors giving secondary characters a chance to shine. I think this is a great idea but not having read all the corresponding books I felt a little lost sometimes with references to people and stories from past books. There are varying steam levels up to and including bondage and whips. I think a reader's enjoyment of the book will depend on if they've already read the books involving the secondary characters and if they prefer this level of steam.

This was a fun collection. I have read all of these authors in the past and enjoy them all, but in this particular collection, I felt the strongest stories were Howard and Reid—I would have loved full-length books about their characters—with Byrne and Caldwell very close behind. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an eARC!

This is a great anthology of unconnected stories from historical romance authors. By unconnected, I mean they are not connected to each other. However, the stories from Byrne, Caldwell, Howard, and MacGregor are all related to other novels of theirs, but I never felt confused and thought they worked great as standalones. I have not read Stacy Reid before so I don't know if their story was related or a standalone but it read great as a standalone. In fact, Reid's story was probably my favorite complete story. All five have different levels of heat, from scorching hot in Amalie Howard's to on the page but not over the top explicit in Stacy Reid's. Novellas and short stories are my favorites when I need a quick read, a break from a subgenre, or have a book hangover from another read, and this anthology completely fits the bill for that reading need. All five were excellently paced and quick reads. I thoroughly enjoyed them all. All of them made me want to read or reread the related novels. Fans of all of these authors should enjoy this anthology.

A great steamy read from some of the best Historical Romance authors! Some of the stories are not about a Duke but that doesn't detract from the enjoyment of them.

For fans of the Highwayman series, Byrne has a novella about Earl on the Train, Sebastian Montcrieff, a villain in the Rook book.

Reid and Howard are also favorite authors and don't disappoint. I picked up this book because of the catchy title too and it really does not disappoint!

What a mixed batch! Each story is quite different so it’s up to each person but this is my take and based on the fact that I do not know these authors nor their characters. Overall 3,5 stars out of five.

THE EARL ON THE TRAIN: I am not big fan of assassins and promoting such so I couldn’t get into it at first. But after a break I picked up again and managed to finish it. There are a lot of references to other characters and past events but it didn’t get me too annoyed and I ended up enjoying the story. 4 stars.

LOVED AND FOUND: the premise was just too unrealistic for me. A duke’s daughter becoming friends and then lovers with a commoner / builder of the estate? His brother who is also a builder then goes off and marries a Lady. Which year are we talking about it here? Also the first chapter from the children’s point of view was a snooze for me. 3 stars.

THE WOLF OF WESTMORE: quite an usual tale and kept me engaged except for the ending that reminds me of many stories when authors run out off steam and star including kidnappings, random events, etc. I personally prefer more development of their relationship than the unnecessary drama. 4 stars.

PUT UP YOUR DUKES: not my favorite. The story didn’t make much sense and too many sex scenes for a filler. One good sex scene is always nice but come on! I expect more from writers than this. We get it, all he wants is to shag his wife all day long. 2 stars.

DUKE OF EVERY SIN: it starts very strong but then loses the momentum. The turn of the male character from cynic and pragmatic to a mushy love sick puppy was way too quick for me. Perhaps it’s hard to make a more natural transition in a short story, 3.5 stars.

A few stories drop many “f” bombs throughout the book. Too much sex (quality over quantity?), characters sleep too quickly and while unmarried with almost strangers. This compilation was not my favorite and overall 3.5 stars.

""Body, heart, and soul. I give myself to you freely and without reservation, to do with whatever you wish."
Her heart sputtered, stalled, and then kicked over in her ribs twice as fast as before. Surely she was misunderstanding. "But...you have often said you are not a man who wants to be tied down."
He shrugged. "Historically-metaphorically-that's been true, but in the strictest sense of the word, I very much like to be tied--"" - from "THE EARL ON THE TRAIN," BY KERRIGAN BYRNE

Wow! Even if Kerrigan Byrne's The Earl on the Train had been the only story, this anthology would have been worth the read (5 stars all the way). It's short but man, does it pack a steamy, heart-wrenching punch! Due to length constraints and my tendency to ramble, I'll focus on just some of the stories in this collection, but all five were fantastic--steamy AND gripping.

Kerrigan Byrne's contribution clearly picks up with some unfinished side character business but even without having read the book with the characters' first appearances, I was able to follow their back-story--and what a fascinating one it was. The story opens with Sebastian, our alpha villain/hero, about to commit murder. As he's about to plunge his knife into the chest of his victim, he realizes he's mistaken his man and finds himself face to face with the only woman who has ever managed to tug at his heart, Veronica. What follows is an action-romance movie that speeds the reader through a bevy of emotions, and includes some laugh-out-loud bits like the one I've quoted above. For a novella, this story was sizzling--awkwardly steamy if you are trying to read around your family, so be warned! But what really got to me by the end was how adept Byrne is at blending attraction and emotion effortlessly. By the end of the novella, short though it is, you are convinced of Sebastian and Veronica's passionate love for one another and the reasons why they fit so well together have been demonstrated with absolute conviction.

Loved and Found by Christi Caldwell (4 stars) has some fairytale vibes to it! The story opens in a idyllic duke's manor where a working class boy comes across a pretty girl hiding from her parents. Their meeting is the start of a lifelong connection. From childhood friends they move to lovers, but of course, fate tears them apart. The girl, Edie, can do nothing to prevent her separation from the hero, Thaddeus, when it happens--and the reasons given are convincing and realistic when the reader finally learns them.

Put Up Your Dukes by Janna MacGregor has a highly original premise. Amelia is estranged from her husband, the publisher of a gossip rag. Her marriage to him resulted in her expulsion from good society. His publishing of a piece damaging to her friend resulted in the collapse of their marriage. But despite their official estrangement, the couple still sees one another once a week and their physical desire for one another remains strong. I loved the fact that the hero and heroine were already married and somewhat older than the typical romance couple when the story began, and that the story addresses a marriage in crisis!

Overall Rating: 5 Stars

Steam Level: Very Steamy!

I received an arc of this book. My opinions are my own.
I love all the authors in the book. They are some of my favorites. Each story is different, but good in its own way. I think I enjoyed Stacy Reid's book the most. It had lots of steam and chemistry between the couple. The only bad thing is each story is short, lol.
I recommend this to everyone looking for a quick escape from the stress and worries in life. Interesting stories, lots of steam and romance.

I loved this collection of historical romances. I am a big fan of regency romances so these were perfect. Highly recommend

You can never go wrong with a collection by such amazing authors.

Big Duke Energy is an anthology collection of five novellas:
The Earl on the Train by Kerrigan Byrne
Loved and Found by Christi Caldwell
The Wolf of Westmore by Amalie Howard
Put up your Dukes by Janna MacGregor
Duke of Every Sin by Stacy Reid

These books are all about second chances. Second chances at love and at life. Each one packed a punch in emotion and chemistry, and I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. I’ve read all of these authors before, except for Stacy Reid, and I’ll be looking for more of her books as well.

I can definitely recommend this if you’re a fan of historical romance.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Big Duke Energy indeed! This book is full of sexy novellas with alpha heroes who go after what they want. While not all of them are dukes, they do all go after what they want, which tends to be the heroines! Some of these are second chance romances, while the others have quite creative plots, particularly the last one in the collection.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

This was a fun anthology. Steamy but not as steamy as I expected. Byrne and Reid were my favorites. They all work as stand alone.

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

*** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review ***

This was a fun collection of novellas from a variety of beloved historical romance authors. Kerrigan Byrne’s entry was definitely my favorite in that it delivered the edginess and darkness I’ve come to expect and love from her. I haven’t read from all of these author’s previously, so I want to catch up a little on their respective backlists and then give these novellas another read through.

**The Earl on the Trail
Kerrigan Byrne
4*
Sebastian and Veronica share a troubled past that neither can forget and may not be able to forgive. But when they meet again and emotions run high, there’s a fine line between love and hate.
**Loved and Found
Christi Caldwell
4*
This was such a good story. Thaddeus and Edie a second chance romance after years apart. Such an emotional story.
(**I hope this was edited again before publishing for the many mistakes **)
**The Wolf of Westmore
Amalie Howard
4*
Wulfric and Jocelyn are both the center of two family’s funding. Wulfric trying to take her family down and Jocelyn being used to gain the upper hand over Wulfric. When she takes things in her own hands all he// breaks loose. This is a very spicy story have a fan near!
**Put up Your Dukes
Janna Macgregor
5*
I loved everything about this story! Amelia and Martin were both strong minded a bullheaded people. They loved each other but Amelia hated what Martin did for a living and Martin waited for Amelia to change her mind. You don’t know how your hurting someone until it’s to late.
I need to figure out if the secondary characters have their own books.
**Duke of Every Sin
Stacy Reid
3.5*
This story started out a bit more on the dark side but changed swiftly. It was still good but I just felt that change was to soon and missed out on what could of made it a really good story.
Verity and Ethan came together due to fear, heartache, guilt and selfishness. Responsibility and hope of what the future may bring will keep them together.

This anthology is everything you didn't know you wanted in historical romance. There's something for everyone's spice palette - from just a bit steamy to oh my goodness I need A/C steamy. The stories are not connected, and in some cases don't actually feature a duke, but they are all very enjoyable and worth the read.

I was already familiar with (and love) Kerrigan Byrne, Christi Caldwell & Janna MacGregor but Amalie Howard & Stacy Reid were delightful surprises. I will be sure to check out more of their work.

Strongly recommended!

Excellent collection of novellas - I was interested in this for the Kerrigan Byrne entry (which was fantastic) but ended up enjoying all the other entries a lot. Definitely have some backlists to check out!

Spoiler Alert! Every story is fabulous! But what more can you expect from these authors!

The Earl on the Train by Kerrigan Byrne
What's a pirate doing on a train? He is on a mission by bringing justice to those who need it by taking out an enemy. But what happens when he runs into the one woman who has never been out of his thoughts? An adventure to happiness and redemption.

Loved and Found by Christi Caldwell
A second chance at love that will melt your heart. They were pulled apart before, but maybe now they can find what they should have had all along. Sweet and delightful.

Put Up Your Dukes by Janna MacGregor
A husband and wife who are pulled apart by his driving force. His work on a gossip newspaper that tears people apart at times. She tries to intervene when others ask her to stop a story and she just cannot sanction what he is doing. When he goes too far, it comes down to her or his paper. What will he chose? Sweet story of a love that needs attention.

Wolf of Westmore by Amalie Howard
A humorous tale of a woman who decides to take what she wants, even though he is suppose to be her family's enemy! Well with a name like Wulfric, how could you not? A lively story with a some characters from past stories showing up to make it even better!

Duke of Every Sin by Stacy Reid
She is determined to rescue her sisters abandoned child and take care of him, but she never expects to receive a proposal. A sweet short story that will warm your heart!

A good collection of reads involving secondary characters from the authors other books. The steam level is from scorching to steamy. A pretty good read altogether that I would recommend on a rainy day.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley and am leaving a review.

Wow what a great collection of novellas. Of these authors, the only one I haven't read from is MacGregor, and I think this is a great introduction to their work. For the other four authors, their contributions play to their strengths and offer the reader a great introduction to how they create romances and worlds that are uniquely their own. Definitely recommending this book.

I am doing an overall rating for this one, as I think Kerrigan Bryne’s book was a 5 star, Amalie Howard was a 4.5, Janna MacGregor was a 4, Christi Caldwell was 3.5, and Stacy Reid was 3. MacGregor, Caldwell, and Reid were new to me with authors but I would read all of them again.