We love Loretta Chase and we've been looking forward to reading how she handles a marriage in crisis. Turns out she manages it by ... not really writing a marriage in crisis? The majority of the book is set BEFORE the first two books in the series; the main characters don't even get married until mumble-ty % into the book (trying to be spoiler free but just take our word for it that it's a significant way into the book).

Blackwood is one of the 3 "Disreputable Dukes" we met in A Duke in Shining Armor; Alice is one of their sisters. They've been gone for each other since she was 17 and he was 19, but he chose his friends instead of her. (Honestly, at 19? we can't really blame him. We're working on historical romance timelines, though!) Now she's 25 and has realized that she needs to marry soon because her brother's heir is awful, and her brother doesn't seem destined for a long life. Blackwood is determined to help her make the match of her dreams ... even if he wishes it were him.

Chase's prose is as sparkling and funny as always, and the couple is well-matched and loving. Our only gripe is that they seemed TOO well matched for a marriage in crisis! But read as a brother's best friend romance? This is pretty pitch perfect.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

After a hiatus, master storyteller Loretta Chase returns with a rollicking romance, full of intrigue, a dashing Duke, and a heroine with a nasty right hook but a virtuous heart. The charm of “My Inconvenient Duke” lies in its beautifully crafted prose and Chase’s characteristic razor-sharp wit, proving once again why she is revered as one of Historical Romance's finest.
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Lady Alice Ancaster and the Duke of Blackwood are very mad at each other. Or, more accurate, Lady Alice and Blackwood are positively mad for each other and have been since they were far too young to do anything but mess it up horribly.

Blackwood is part of a trio of badly behaved Dukes who have been enjoying themselves way too much for the ton’s preference: Playing pranks, getting drunk, and doing sketchy things with sketchy firearms. Which is all well and good except Lady Alice happens to be the younger sister of one of the Dis-Graces. If their hijinx manages to get her brother killed she will be left to the mercy of the kind of man bad enough he earns the nickname Worm.

As are all Chase heroines, Lady Alice isn’t a fool, nor does she suffer them lightly, so she sets off for London to find herself an advantageous match that will keep her away from the Worm. Blackwood, not liking the idea that the one woman he’s secretly pining over might actually end up with someone other than him, chases after her and the adventure begins.

But with these two, there’s never a dull moment - often quite literally, as they collide with the underworld of London and the nefarious people in high society alike who would enjoy seeing Blackwood, Lady Alice, her brother, and all their friends and family meet an unhappy ending.

Chase knows how to tell a story - one that is both about the power of love and reconnection, and also an adventure with real stakes and powerful conflict. This is something so often missing in many newer published romances, where many writers seem more fearful of taking risks with the story and allowing the characters to be complex and imperfect. Alice isn’t a fragile flower and Blackwood isn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves either, making them a perfect pair for an imperfect world.

What makes this love story truly special is that it doesn’t conclude with the conventional 'happily ever after' at the altar. Instead, Chase takes readers on a journey that extends beyond a wedding day, exploring how Alice and Blackwood navigate an actual marriage together. Their story is one of adventure and personal growth, as they seek to carve out a life filled with love and purpose, defying societal expectations, and readjusting the world to fit their deep commitment to each other.

Chase skillfully employs multiple points of view, a technique that has become less common in romance but is executed to perfection here. This approach allows us to peer into the minds of more than just the main characters, including the antagonist. Without that third person perspective, the motivation of the antagonist would lose nearly all of its power, reduced to a flat, greedy cartoonish villain - but one we don’t connect with enough to truly feel elation when he gets his in the end. We also get to see Alice and Blackwood as viewed by other people in their world, which provides a deeper understanding of their motivations, fears, and desires in a way they simply can’t tell us themselves. First person will always be inadequate in that way, as no one can be objective about themselves, and here we are the better for the perfectly executed multi-POV.

Chase's ability to blend humor with heartfelt emotion is on full display, making "My Inconvenient Duke" not just a delightful read but a deeply satisfying one. The novel is a testament to her enduring talent and a reminder of why she remains a beloved figure in historical romance. If you're a fan of sharp wit, intricate storytelling, and a love story that lingers long after the final page, "An Inconvenient Duke" is a must-read.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the Advanced Reader Copy. Expected Publication Date January 21, 2025

I’m on the fence about this novel. Alice is independent and feisty and loyal to her brother. Giles secret.y loves Alice but because he’s a desolate duke, he’s kept his distance. When her brother goes missing they are thrown together in search.

Just really long and bogged down with plot strings that didn’t assist in telling the story.

I think the ARC version is in need to pairing down.

They get their HEA. Hat redeems the story.

Lady Alice Ancaster has a soft heart and a hard left hook.

And between her brother and his friends’ penchant for bad ideas and her own efforts to help children born into poverty, this society-shunning lady-turned-Dutchess has her hands full.

Giles Bouverie Lyon, the Duke of Blackwood, prefers his exciting, if all-together reckless, life with friends to the responsibilities associated with a Dukedom.

Together, Alice and Giles find they are an unstoppable pair capable of taking on crime lords and evil cousins—and unfortunately, often each other.

I’m not sure how I’d classify this book, but I think it’s important for readers to understand that the romance in it is secondary.

The plot structure doesn’t operate like your traditional regency romance - which I found refreshing in some places, but in others, this book seems to lose the plot. Part love story, part social reform commentary, part conquering an evil villain, part dramatic rescue of a lost sibling, part second-chance/ reconciliation between newlyweds who have lost their way.

Overall, this one had quite a bit of potential—and I have enjoyed Chase’s work in the past—but there were just so many secondary storylines (and so many secondary characters and POVs) that I never had the opportunity to get invested in a couple or a conflict.

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

It was hard to get a grasp on Blackwood as a character- he's everything and nothing all at once. Irresponsible party boy, mega responsible landowner and husband. Ne'er-do-well and do-it-all, all at the same time. Alice was annoying, honestly, and her tragic backstory was underwhelming. Not my favorite.

Thank you Avon/Harper Voyager & NetGalley for a chance to read this ARC.

I’m going to be honest, I am…. disappointed! I’m a huge LC fan, and I read the prior book in this series & loved it, but this one was just not great. It really sucks because it had such potential & the MCs were enjoyable. You have childhood friends (maybe frenemies)/brother’s best friend deliciousness - what could possibly go wrong? Evidently, a lot.

First of all, this is the literary version of those “your unemployed friend on a Tuesday morning” memes - it felt like ENDLESS side quests with virtually no romance. By halfway through the book, I wasn’t even fully sure that Alice & Giles even liked each other.

There are a few great chapters directly before & after they finally get together, and then SUDDENLY we fast forward nearly a year in the future, and things seem to almost pivot to a “marriage in trouble” sort of plot line (they still very much like each other, they’re just never together/Giles says he’s “bored” with his life). It was SUCH a bummer! It’s a shame this is the book written for such a fun, well-suited couple.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for accepting my request for the eARC of Loretta Chase’s My Inconvenient Duke. Loretta Chase is a household name in Historical Romance, I’ve great enjoyed much of her backlist, but her latest series and this installment has not been a highlight for me. The writing was quite good, but the couple barely spent any time together, there was barely any sense of the two of them being in love with each other, and far too much time was spent on the story’s villain and on the hero’s friends, who were each other heroes in the previous two books in the series.

I really liked the previous two books in the series and was looking forward to My Inconvenient Duke. Brothers best friend + friends to lovers/second chance romance sounded perfect! While I really liked the humor, I felt like there was A LOT going on besides the main love story between Giles and Alice and I had a hard time keeping interested in their story.

Great tropes (second chance, brother’s best friend, marriage of convenience, reformed rake), but the writing tells more than it shows. More so than other historical romances written these days, this book feels a tad dated or stiff. I haven’t read any of the author’s previous works, so I don’t know if this is the standard or not.

It’s not dual POV; it includes the perspective of many, including the villain and random characters. The story moves at an even pace, but there aren’t many “wow” moments, and the third-act breakup/strife is abrupt after a time jump.

I do really like the MMC and the FMC, and the setup of this story, but the pieces just don’t come together the way I’d like.

In this long-awaited conclusion to Chase’s Difficult Dukes series, we get the story behind Lady Alice Ancaster and Giles Bouverie Lyon, Duke of Blackwood. He’s one of her scandalous brother’s equally scandalous best friends. When she heads to London in search of a husband, he keeps turning up to help and watch out for her.

Sadly, this one did not work for me. It was confusing, boring, and frustrating. Not sure if this would have been improved by having read the first book or remembering the second book more (even though I did read it twice in the past few years). So many times I thought "Did I forget that? Am I supposed to remember/know something already or was it poorly explained?" So maybe it was me? But I would not recommend reading this book as a stand-alone or starting point for the series.

Was this a romance novel or more of an elaborate series of scrapes that a friend group gets into? The characters felt flat and their motivations under explained. Little of the book focused on the actually romance between Alice and Giles. She spends the first half of the novel disappointed in the him and pursuing another man (also a duke). The plot was taken over by so many silly little external conflicts (missing orphan. missing brother. missing orphan again! gotta close down an abusive school. wow the same orphan is missing AGAIN!).

Calling this a second-chance romance felt like a stretch for marketing purposes. Yes, they had a friendship in their youth and one dramatic kiss as teens before Giles realized he didn’t want to be tied down to a wife at 19. But there was no ruination, no promises, no years of angst or pining!

The best part of the book was the time between Alice and Giles agreeing to get married and through the honeymoon because it finally felt like there was some focus and acknowledgement of their romantic relationship. There were a few glimmers of charming banter and successful chemistry. In theory, I like the idea of seeing them work for their HEA post-wedding, but in reality the end of story felt unnecessary and taken over by silly married-life conflict we didn’t need to read about (the demands of the Royal Court, taking care of irresponsible friends, continued villain hijinks, etc).

A few extra grievances:
- Giles’ POV in the first half had so much Excessive Capitalization to Emphasize Big Ideas. It got Very Annoying.
- There were so many instances in the first half of this book where the heroine or dukes joke (?) about how “brainless” the men are or how long it takes them to form a single thought and how hard it is to match the heroine mentally. Like, excessively! Are these your series heroes or not? It went behind “he’s a himbo” and into insulting IMO. I don’t need all my heroes to be scholars but this did not contribute to the romance! And then it just felt weird because Giles is helping problem solve throughout the book! Is he useless or not? If it was meant to be a joke, I didn’t laugh.
- Her background trauma of three months of abusive boarding school could have been cut entirely. Only three months? And then the trip to Yorkshire? I did not need this extra plot distraction.

I do love other works by Loretta Chase so I was bummed about the outcome of this one! Going to cheer myself up with a reread of Lord Perfect or The Last Hellion.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and honestly review this ARC.

What a lovely story! Alice is the daughter of a Duke. Her brother has two friends, also dukes. Blackwood is one of her brothers friends she has known most of her life. They shared a kiss one time and then he left. The three dukes are rather notorious for pranks and society looks down on them. At 25, Alice decides she needs to find a husband, and requests the trio stay out of London so she can build her respectability. Blackwood has always had an interest in Alice. He decides to stay behind to watch out for her. Thus their adventure begins. Along the way, he proposes, and she accepts. They continue to have adventures and rescues in spite of being married. A very enjoyable tale!

Alice and Blackwood’s story is everything I adore in a historical romance—full of longing, unspoken desires, and a touch of heartbreak. The tension between them simmers as they navigate old wounds and undeniable chemistry, with each encounter drawing them closer. Blackwood’s sardonic charm and Alice’s determination make for an irresistible pairing that had me smiling, swooning, and completely invested. The journey from past regrets to a love worth fighting for is woven so seamlessly, and every moment feels both tender and thrilling. This is the kind of story that leaves you with a full heart and a dreamy sigh.

Loretta Chase wraps up her Difficult Dukes series with another delightfully entertaining tale about childhood friends who eventually learn they can depend on each other as adults for love and support. Lady Alice Ancaster and Giles, Duke of Blackwood, have known each other for 15 years. Blackwood is one of two best friends of Alice’s brother Hugh, Duke of Ripley. Together with Lucius, Duke of Ashmont, Blackwood and Ripley have been raising hell for so long that they are no longer welcome among good society.

After witnessing the latest escapade of the ducal trio which results in Hugh almost being shot, Alice decides that for her own protection she must marry. She’s concerned that Hugh and his friends will never change their reckless ways, which will lead to Hugh’s eventual early death, leaving Alice at the mercy of his presumptive heir, their weaselly cousin, Lord Worbury.

As Alice embarks upon her season, she ends up spending time with Blackwood as her involvement with charitable endeavors regarding educating poor children takes some unexpected turns. These interactions show her a different side to Blackwood, and give Blackwood a deeper appreciation for Alice. When the pair are out all night while chasing down her missing brother, Alice has a choice to make between marrying Blackwood or a more conventional suitor.

Once the pair are wed, they must learn to balance conflicting priorities between family, friends and responsibilities. #MyInconvenientDuke is another wonderful story from Chase featuring two caring and brave characters, some witty dialogue and a well-rounded cast of characters. Highly recommended!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #ReadAvon for the ARC.

My Inconvenient Duke is the 3rd book in Loretta Chase's Difficult Dukes series. Ms. Chase is an auto-buy for me and I was thrilled when I discovered that another book in the series was forthcoming. Lady Alice Ancaster, sister to the Duke of Ripley has known Giles, Duke of Blackwood since she was 12 years old. Blackwood, along with Ripley and the Duke of Ashton are bosom buddies whose antics have placed them on the fringes of polite society. When Alice was 17, she and Blackwood had a moment. A moment he stopped as he made a choice whether to pursue Alice or stay friends with her brother. At 19, he chose the brother.
Now the heir between Ripley and the loathsome cousin Worbury has died and the "Worm" is next in line for the dukedom. With Ripley living a life of dissipation, Alice becomes fearful of being under Worbury's control should something happen to Ripley, therefore she enters the marriage mart with the idea of marrying someone with enough power to counter a duke. Blackwood takes it upon himself to watch over her in London because her aunt has declared London off limits to Ripley lest he ruin her chances of making a good match. Feelings come to the surface and Blackwood begins to understand the choice he made all those years ago might not have been the correct one. With kidnappers to contend with and Worbury to deal with, Alice and Blackwood are reconnected long enough to allow their real feelings to surface.
I love Loretta Chase. She is at the top of my list of historical romance authors. This book is not at the top of her list, but neither is it at the bottom. I would put this one firmly in the middle. The book has a bit of a slow start as Chase sets the stage for Alice and Blackwood's relationship and this book is more of a slow burn romance than many of her other books. Once the main characters are in the same city, the romance starts to take off. It is then that Chase's witty banter starts to show up in this story. She is an absolute master at dialogue and that is where her characters are above most others. She individualizes them through believable dialogue that makes you think you would love to meet this character in person. After a four year hiatus, I am thrilled that Loretta Chase has another story to enthrall us.
*Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited that Loretta Chase had a new book coming out! I loved the first two books in the Difficult Dukes series. This book was a mixed bag for me.

What I liked:
*best friend's sister and friends to lovers tropes are usually a slam dunk
*the dialog and banter between Alice and Giles is perfection
*having a MC who wants to help disadvantaged people and animals is my kind of person, as I love notable children and pets in stories
*the first chapter was one of the best openers I ever read. I was so excited and had very high hopes for the rest of the book

What could've been better:
*as much as I love a do-gooder, there was just too much time spent in the book going on rescue missions and not enough on the actual romance between Alice and Giles. This made the book feel really, really long.
*Unfortunately, I don't like epistolary novels. I can't even explain it adequately. When I see a letter, especially a long letter, my eyes glaze over and I skip it.
All in all, I feel terrible for leaving a 3 star review.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

I didn't read the other difficult dukes series but I got to read about alice and blackwood and their glimpse of when they were married.
I loved their banter and I loved the story, the beginning was a bit slow to get into but I loved the middle and end. This was really great page turner I was really excited to get to read Loretta Chase's new book since I collected her older books in the past and loved them as much.

It’s been awhile since I read the other two books in this series. Therefore I was a little lost on the timeline as this began before the last two books began. Also the book alluded to characters I thought I should know but didn’t remember. Once all the background came back to my memory I enjoyed this story of two people just trying to find their way within themselves and with each other.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Yes I did drop everything to read this book in one sitting and yes I'm so happy about it!!

MY INCONVENIENT DUKE is the third in the Difficult Dukes series and it's been a book I've been looking forward to for a long time because 1) Loretta Chase and 2) we get glimpses of Alice and Blackwood in the first two books and they were married! So I was so intrigued as to how this romance would go.

If you're unfamiliar with the Difficult Dukes series, it's focused on 3 friends who are all dukes and only have two brain cells among them. Ripley and Ashmont tend to pass one brain cell back and forth and Blackwood has a proprietary hold on the other one most of the time. Alice is Ripley's sister, so this book was "brother's best friend" as a trope. Alice and Blackwood have had a connection for years, ever since they were kids, but of course he is fighting it because, one brain cell, but when one of their drunken escapades goes too far, Alice decides she has to take her destiny into her own hands. In fear and worry that her brother might one day go too far and fall into a scrape he can't get out of, thereby dooming the dukedom and her to the dubious mercies of her brother's heir, Alice puts herself on the marriage mart. Blackwood, as a man who has a brain cell 90% of the time, figures this out and goes to London to help and warn the odious heir away. But he is pulled further and further into Alice's orbit as her do-gooder impulses and fearless determination require his help, and if he is honest with himself, he doesn't want to get away. True Wifeguy vibes. And Alice is a classic Loretta Chase heroine, determined and passionate about justice and very clear on what she wants, refusing to be left behind for any reason.

The truth is Alice and Blackwood's story takes place both before and after the other two books, the first 60% or so before and the last 40% a year later. I was a little worried that something catastrophic was going to happen to make me both very sad and this a second chance romance, as one expects when the two main characters appear on page married, but instead what we got was the story of two characters fighting daily to make their happily ever after a reality. They have to figure out how to be married. They have to compromise. They have to apologize to each other. They have to balance their marriage with their loyalty to their friendships. We get a real picture of what it means to be married and to push through the every day trials and come out the other side stronger.

I had an absolutely marvelous time, and we even got some madcap adventures like ones from the previous books. I had forgotten a lot of details and now I am so eager to go reread the first two books in the series. Then I bet I'll love this book even more! Five entirely wonderful stars.

Heat level: 2.5

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC.

I really wanted to get into this one, but for some reason I just couldn't. And honestly even looking back as I make this review, I don't even remember what I read of this one, so it's probably the best that it was a DNF.

As one of America's most beloved romance authors, and one of this reader's favorites, this final book of the Difficult Dukes series does not disappoint. Lady Alice Ancaster is in dire need of a husband before her brother, the Duke of Ripley, gets himself killed with his reckless ways, and Lady Alice is left to the wiles of her wastrel and vicious cousin, Lord Worbury. Chase has created in-depth characters with witty dialogue that is often hilarious. A delightful and enjoyable read, and a suitable end to the last difficult duke. Recommended for all romance collections.
I received this pre-published work digitally from NetGallery, but the opinions expressed here are my own.