The dueling duchess is in fact the second novell from the serie " Wicked women from Whitechapel", but it was perfectly readable as a standalone, as I wan't aware of this fact before reading.
Moreover, the book is organized in 3 times, past, present and a prologue.
Usually I don't really enjoyed books where we jump from time to time, but I so enjoyed the story of Cecile a pistol master and Guy, the Darling of the ton that I forgot all the small disconvenients.
Cecile is not an ingenue, she's 36 years old and have lived a hard life. She travelled from France, to England and America. She doesn't trust men anymore. She had finally found her way in life by working in a female Circus, where she found finally a good friend Marianne, the main character of the previous book (the boxing Baronness).
Guy is the heir of a Duke, and the darling of the Ton. He's genuine, friendly and amazingly beautiful, but no strings for him. How will they find each other ? Please read the book to find it
You will have the pleasure to see this man grovel to try to getting forgiven by a strong and free woman.
The other good point in the book is all the secondary characters, Sin, Elliot, Blade, Cat.....

Good point for foreigners reading in english, the vocabulary is not to complicated and you hang on your book until you finished it.
Now I've got 2 needs,
- read the previous book " the boxing Baronness", that will be easy
- read the 3rd book, but I will have to wait that is get published.

5 STARS! 5000 STARS!!!! ALL THE STARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The story is about Cecile, who has such an eventful life (though not always in a good way) she briefly forgets she was MARRIED TO A DUKE, and Guy (or, as he prefers, Cecile's 'Ghee'), who- 1. is a privileged high-ranking aristocrat who 2. is a world-famous rake and abhors and avoids attachment; whose life is turned upside down when he 1. loses his status as a privileged high-ranking aristocrat, and 2. becomes VERY attached to Cecile.
What follows, and comes before, and during, is a plot that just wont stop.

Honestly, The Dueling Duchess is an amazing book. A really, really good book. Get excited about this one, people. Insert adjectives like compelling, engaging, riveting, engrossing - whatever you like, and this book will be it. It is so jam-packed with adventure and intrigue, and yet flows fast and easy, never feeling clunky. It is an absolute fresh breath of air amongst the genre.

The pacing is flawless, the dialogue- hilarious (like "With a great landed estate comes great responsibility. I didn't coin that phrase by the way." -and that's not even the best), the angst- exquisite and the characterization- BRILLIANT.

The only problem I have is that now I'll be left languishing for book #3, which I am legit desperate to read.

My most heartfelt thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for the eARC!

How does Ms Spencer do this …. Fantastic book. The intrigue and twists and turns of this book is super fun read.

Just go grab the book
I will write more soon.

Having recently read the first installment in this series, The Boxing Baroness, I was excited to dive into this second book featuring Marianne’s friend Cecile. (I have to say I am even more eager to read the third book with Josephine/Blade because she seems like a trip). Can’t wait for that one. Both books so far have been delightful.

For Celine and Guy’s book - I think this was a well crafted story with interesting characters and a well-paced and crafted plot. (though not quite as wild as the previous book’s plot which got to be pretty bananas). I’m not a fan of the back and forth between past and present timelines personally, but I get why the author used it to build some depth to the relationship. I think it’s well done, this is a kind of random personal preference. It was well executed and again, I get the purpose, so I wasn’t too bothered.

stray observation: I enjoyed the author’s notes about her research and historical accuracy/creative license used etc. I just always think that stuff is interesting.

If you want steamy scenes, this book totally delivers. Not as naughty as her SM LaViolette books, but more steamy than the average regency romance I come across. Spencer’s portrayal of the women of Whitechapel is indeed wicked, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I think book would standalone well, and while I read the previous book I don’t think you would need to in order to enjoy this one. Also a fair amount of re-read potential, the characters are fairly likeable and the events are often entertaining.

***I received an advance review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I adore Minerva Spencer so I was so jazzed to read this. I normally am not crazy about a historical involving a lady with a big complicated career but Cecile's amazing gig as a sharp shooter hardly qualifies as some stuffy career, she runs a circus for goodness sake! Guy is the perfect foil for her, the gossip's favorite darling and "Naturally, the thrice-blasted man had dimples in both cheeks. Lord, but he was beautiful and perfect." He is constantly calling her darling and princess and I'm loving it. Their banter is great and the first love scene comes fast (and then the romance becomes a second chance for the rest of the book). The first love scene, in a cramped caravan, is AMAZING like my jaw was on the floor. Dual POV really works because you get inside Guy's head and he wants her bad bad.

Best of all, Cecile is a heroine to ROOT for, like you just want her to get all the things she deserves. The cast of characters is great, and this can be read as a standalone, but gives you enough insight into other people that you want to read their stories as well. Each character is unique and well crafted. There's even an adorable little urchin, and the interactions between Guy (who plucks her off the street) and this little girl are heart-stoppingly cute. My ovaries were basically molten lava.

The back and forth as Guy tries to prove himself and Cecile tries to fight her attraction is so great, basically the majority of the book is one long grovel. There are some really fun femdom aspects to this as well as he is more than willing to do anything she asks and it titillates them both, with a bunch of praise kink sprinkled in as well (he calls her good girl quite a bit and I'm not mad about it).

The only thing that took me out of the story was the subplot of him losing his title. It seemed so odd to not even fight for it, almost like he knew the guy was full of it and was just going with it to join the circus, but it made sense for the plot, in the end.

The pacing was great, this book never felt sludgy or slow, and the end was JUST as good as the beginning, which always feels like a mega-bonus. Loved the epilogue and really cannot wait for Elliot's book.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for this great ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

I really liked the premise of the book and the characters were well written, I just found the plot too unrealistic and unbelievable to be completely invested.

The FMC is a legend, a woman living in a man’s world and smashing it, and I really like the other strong female roles as well.

Overall the book was good, but I personally need a more believable story.

The Dueling Duchess, by Minerva Spencer. I don’t know if I should cry after reading this book or be over joyed after reading this book. Minerva did a brilliant job with this story. I couldn’t help but notice how the two main characters had similar stories, but at opposite times during the story. I thought that that was clever.
You will understand once you read the book. Did I mention that Blade is a Bad Ass? Watch out Elliott! And that’s just one of the intriguing written characters in this stakes are high, scandalous book. Minerva did a fantastic job with bringing a love story about duty, sacrifice, love and honor.
Her writing ability pulled me into the characters world and there I was ( my mind that is), getting familiarized with Cecile, Guy, Blade, Eliot, Marianne and Sin. It was important for me to understand the two main characters, Guy and Cecile first. From how their story was told gave me a understanding of how they’ve come to cross these heroine life changing experiences. Have you ever read a book and it easily takes control of your imagination and from there you instantly visualize playing out in your mind? My friends when you can do that, you know that you are reading a exceptionally written book. I have to say this though, there was so much attitude in this book.
I mean the characters did not hold back on what they were thinking. If it wasn’t Cecile giving someone a dress down (Mostly Guy), there was Blade with her cold hard stare followed up by one word a day comments. Certainly you have to wonder how these woman were able to wrangle these men into their private affairs. And speaking of private affairs. I was yelling for Guy to bust some heads as the money grubbing Neanderthals came out of the dark, disrupting honest hardworking peoples lives.
While there in the thick of it, Cecile has Guys back while holding her pistols at the ready. Say what? I told you the women in this story where bad ass. Readers here me out. The background story is truly amazing. It’s exciting and entertaining.
Picture this, Cecile and her father are lead to the dark dingy, disgusting galos. I was in shock at How her father was speaking to her. I was curious as to know how this dark mysterious father daughter walk was going to end. Needless to say Cecile was too. Then son of a biscuit eater!
What wedding?! Im like, what in the sam tarnation is going on here?! I then said, I must investigate. Continue reading girl. I had to know and so, my raging curiosity activated my spidey senses as a self appointed investigator.
Let me say this, I am so glad that I did guys. What I uncovered in the book was capital. Back to the good stuff. A young woman gets lost at sea. A Duke is then introduced to a woman who has the capability to shoot a card right of your hand.
I recall a certain strong, masculine Duke yelped a few times during some performances, as he was the card holder. Cecile was wonderfully written. I loved the fact that her character was written as a strong woman who obviously can hold her own. Everywhere she went, she had her guns and knives attached to her. When Guy comes to help Cecile that is where the fun really begins.
I thought that the writer didn’t hold back with his character. Guy is funny and very charming to all the women. He has enormous passion and seductive qualities only stands to attention when he sees or is near Cecile. Most importantly his heart is as big as the sea when it comes to a certain Cat. And ladies from Ceciles lips to our ears, “Michelangelo’s David had nothing on Lord Carlisle”.
The way Guy’s body is described in the book had me so hot, I was melting. (Melting for an image of him in the book). You guys remember how the old historical romance novels would have at least one picture of the couple in between the book? What happened to that? Bring them back please!
Well anyway, as I was saying, you will love how Cecile can’t help but enjoy her fill of this darling Duke. Yes you lovely readers you, I had a exciting time reading this romance story. It warmed my heart very much, I patiently await the next saga in this series. I give this book two snaps and a, “Now get over here and strip before me my darling Duke”. “Your wish is my command mistress”.
Until next time my fellow readers… read on!

This book started off slowly for me; until it hit 30% or so, I wasn’t sure if I would finish it. But somewhere around that point, the story grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. I really liked the main characters and loved the setting of an all-female circus owned by a woman. I also appreciated that this romance featured a female main character who had lived through the French Revolution, something that is not all that common in romance. I’m excited to read the next book in the series, as those two characters intrigued me and the preview left me wanting more. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC.

The second in the new series about a group of extraordinary women performing in an all-female circus called Farnham's Fantastical Female Fayre in the early 1800s. This novel features Cecile, the French sharp-shooter, and Lord Guy Darlington. The events of this book crossover with the events in the previous book (as indeed will the third book) but it isn't necessary to have read that to enjoy this.

In the first book the Fayre travelled to France on tour with Darlington and two of his aristocratic friends (Sin, the Duke of Staunton and Elliott) in attendance, disguised as workers. During their time in France Cecile and Guy became lovers, but agreed that their liaison would end once they returned to England. Guy needed to marry an heiress to rescue his destitute family and he could never marry a penniless circus performer.

It's a year later and things have changed drastically for Guy, a long-lost cousin, and the rightful heir, has returned to claim the dukedom and all the entailed property. Suddenly at one fell swoop Guy has lost his wealthy fiancé, his title, his home, and most of his so-called friends. But strangely Guy finds it liberating, free from his duty, and secure in the knowledge that his mother and unmarried sisters are well-provided for, he can follow his heart, if Cecile can ever forgive him. So he signs up to be one of the workers at the Fayre (again), secure in the knowledge that Cecile will make him suffer before she even contemplates forgiving him.

I really enjoyed this, as with the first book there are a myriad of storylines interwoven in the book, including: the strange romance between Elliott and Josephine Brown (better known as Blade for her skills in throwing knives); an orphan child; a missing heir; a white marriage; a governess in disguise; and a raven.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.

First I want to thank Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review.

I absolutely loved this book just as much as I loved the first - The boxing Baroness.

The Dueling Duchess is the second book about the women in Farnham’s Fantastical Female Fayre. Cecile is an excellent sharpshooter that escaped from France and Guy is a soon-to-be duke who loses his dukedom that falls for this Annie Oakley, loses her, and then works tirelessly to win her back.

The book bounces between timeframes a little which I really liked because it filled in holes and gave more depth to Guy and Cecile's relationship in the first book. I did find Cecile's anger with Guy to be a little extreme in some parts and then it resolved almost too quickly for how angry she was, but otherwise, these two had so much tension and chemistry I felt the pages were burning up as I read, that's why I gave this book 4 stars out of 5.

I was extremely fortunate to receive an ARC of the Dueling Duchess, written by the extraordinary Minerva Spencer via Netgalley.
Cecile Blanchet, owner and gun shooter maestro is faced with hiring her ex-lover,
Gaius Darlington, former Duke of Carlisle, aka the Darling of the Ton. Guy has suddenly become a common man when an older cousin appears and takes possession of the Dukedom. He slowly learns and appreciates the trials and tribulations of the common man. He has always loved Cecile but societal standards prevented him from offering her marriage. No longer a Duke, he wants to win back her heart. Both characters are hiding so much from each other. The development of the characters personalities is extraordinary. My emotions ran high and low with the progression of this beautiful story of all that we are willing to give up for the one we love. I can't wait to read the next book .... such an enticing teaser at the end.

I loved reading this Regency set Annie Oakley like story. Cecile finds herself supporting herself as markswoman. And I have to say I loved this one. But then I’m a sucker for sharpshooting women. And I tend to not like Regency setting. But If you give me a kick ass female who breaks the mode then I’m hooked.

This is the second book in the series, this is about Cecile- a French woman in an all woman circus and Guy- a Marquess who’s undercover for his friend. I really enjoyed this book! It’s a romance and a mystery. The dialogue and banter between the characters was great! A must read!

More than just a spicy romp (although it most definitely is), this book is also a hard look at British and French history. Especially, it deals with how women were viewed, how far we've come, and how far there still is to go.

Cecile is an amazing heroine, who has overcome more hardships than most face in a lifetime. Trust me, she deserves a happily ever after with a partner who is her equal.

I also find myself genuinely thankful for Xiran Jay Zhao's Robespierre reels on Instagram for keeping French history relevant!

If historical romance is your thing, then this book will be decidedly satisfactory.

4.5-5 Stars!! I really enjoyed this book. This is the second book in ‘The Wicked Women of Whitechapel’ series and can be read as a standalone. I never read book one and still understood this book. The main characters, Cecile & Guy, were lovable and slapable at times. There are a few hot & heavy ‘sexy times’, lots of pay back and groveling, scenes that had me sad & scenes that made me laugh, and all wrapped up with an HEA ending. Loved the twists at the end, didn’t see them coming. All in all, an enjoyable and entertaining read that I’d highly recommend!
Can’t wait for Blade & Elliot’s story next! And hopefully Helen gets a book also!
*I received this at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I couldn't wait to read this book. I have several books in line but as soon as I got the ARC I had to read this next.
While this is the second book in the series it can be read as a stand alone. I think I liked this even more than the first and I can't wait for number 3.
Guy worked undercover for the all female circus to help his friend. He made the mistake of offering carte blanch to Cecile because he could not marry her. He needed an heiress to maintain his cash starved family estate and title.
Cecile's father was a master gunmaker a skill she was taught along with shooting. Now as owner and sharpshooter of the all female circus, she agrees to hire Guy.
I liked their relationship. Especially guy and his willingness to do anything to win Cecile. I do feel like the ending was rushed which I feel like was the same problem with the last book.
I also liked the supporting characters but felt Cat was a weird addition.
Ready for Blade and Elliott's story.

Thank you Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

I really loved this - it's been a while since I've read a book straight through, but this series is so engaging and entertaining. Also, we love a romance where the woman is older than the man!!! A lot of historical romances feature a 20yr old and a 32yr old which - no hate! - requires a bit of cognitive disassociation for modern readers above the age of 20/25.

This book centers on Cecile - the sharp shooter from the first book - and Guy Darlington (cute lol). Both characters are fun, though the book does have a kid, miscommunication, and some enemies-to-lovers trope-ish stuff (so if none of that is for you, you might not like this!).

I also really like Spencer's writing, her regency romances feel new every time, even though the genre's appeal is predictability. I literally can't wait for the next book in this series.

The Dueling Duchess is the second in a series of unconventional historical romance heroines by Minerva Spencer, and it greatly overlaps the first book, The Boxing Baroness. French emigree Cecile Tremblay is a sharpshooter with secrets in an all female London circus, who after recent events, finds herself in charge of the Fayre. Gaius Darlington is a now former peer who previously offered her carte blanche, insulting her grievously, and who now finds himself regretting his mistakes. The novel flashes forward and back, with several layers. It is well written and engaging but to be honest, if I hadn't recently read the first novel, I would have struggled mightily. It seemed to assume that their chemistry was already established, and with the complexity of the first novel, the characterizations would have been confusing across the board. Still, it's a cut above most. Four stars.

NetGalley provided an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

#TheDuelingDuchess is another winner for Minerva Spencer in this series that highlights the unusually talented women who are part of Farnham's Fantastical Female Fayre in Regency England. This story focuses on expert markswoman and French émigré Cecile Tremblay, who recently assumed ownership of Farnham’s where she is a star performer; and Guy Darlington, a mainstay of the gossip columns and satirical prints for his outrageous behavior as the Marquess of Carlisle/Duke of Fairhurst.

This book builds on the relationship that Cecile and Guy began in #TheBoxingBaroness, when they and their friends were in France to try to locate the Duke of Staunton’s brother, who had been lost in the Napoleonic War. In fact, the first part of #TheDuelingDuchess recounts what happened in France from Cecile’s and Guy’s perspective.

In the second part of the book, Guy has just lost his title, position and estate due to the appearance of a man who claims to be his long-lost cousin, and the rightful Duke of Fairhurst. No longer responsible for the saving the dukedom by marrying an heiress, Guy sees this development as an opportunity to repair his relationship with Cecile. He visits her to ask for a temporary job. If Guy can’t win Cecile in six months, he plans to move the U.S. where he has a farm he inherited from his uncle. Cecile offers Guy a position, but, to bump up ticket sales, she insists that it includes him being on stage during her sharpshooting act and the knife-throwing act of Jo Brown (aka The Blade).

In addition to Jo, also back in secondary roles in this story are several characters from #TheBoxingBaroness, including the former Marianne Simpson, now the Duchess of Staunton; the Duke of Staunton; and Elliott Wingate, an agent for the Home Office and a friend to Guy and Staunton. A new addition is Cat, an orphan, who Guy finds digging through the trash one night, and who quickly becomes part of Cecile’s household.

In his effort to win Cecile’s affections, Guy asks Jo to look into the circumstances under which Cecile signed over rights to her father’s gun designs to her cousin, Curtis Blanchard. Cecile’s father was a gunsmith for the French king before the French Revolution, and he taught Cecile everything he knew about gun. Jo’s investigation reveals that Curtis and his wife, Matilda, have cheated Cecile out of money related to a patent for an improvement she invented. No sooner is this problem dealt with, than Cecile finds out that she has family in France—including her mother, whom she thought was dead, and a sister, that she didn’t know existed.

It was a pleasure spending time with Cecile, Guy and their friends as they work through the many complications they faced. Can’t wait to see what happens with Jo and Elliott in this next book in this well-written, charming series!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks for the ARC!

5 stars

An excellent second book to this series. I think it may help to have read the first but it's by no means essential. We meet again Guy Darling a good looking rogue who has been a womaniser and the heir to a duke. He went with Marianne's circus in the first book to rescue Sin's brother. Sin is a duke and Marianne's husband. It's a female circus so whereas Marianne was a female boxer her friend Celine is a sharp shooter and Guy has to be her target practice. Jo, the knife thrower is back as is Elliot the spy. There's lots of threads to follow and like book 1 there are a couple that aren't fully resolved making me long for book 3.
Celine is a more mature heroine and has a checkered love life and she's not shy about demanding action from her man.,
I enjoy the side characters; The waif that Guy finds, Jo's pet crow, Guy's ex fiancee. The baddies often get their
comeupance, we have closure on both the cranberry farm and Guy's fate as usurped heir to the dukedom. I'm looking forward to Jo and Eliott's book...and now there are other potential circus workers in the form of Guy's ex Fiancee Helena.

Really recommended, bring on book 3 !!

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