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**TL;DR**: Unfortunately rather forgettable, but a unique execution on the idea.
**Source**: NetGalley, thank you to the publisher!

**Plot**: A second chance romance with a brother’s best friend. It was very cute and at times very funny.
**Characters**: They were lovely. I actually quite liked our primary characters. Her brother made me very mad however.
**Setting**: This one moved all over the place! This might be my favorite thing about it as we travelled a bit and ended up in odd places over the course of this romance.
**Romance:** I love a good ‘damnit I love them’ moment, and this was full of those.

**Thoughts**:

My Inconvenient Duke has left me stumped. On one hand I barely remember this book and I finished it just a few days ago. On the other hand I do remember actually loving parts of this and enjoying it in the moment. In the book’s defense my personal life has been wacky so that could be part of the problem, but there was something here that didn’t elevate me out of that mess enough for it to be a true escapism moment.

The core of this is a brother’s best friend with a dash of second chance romance. Lady Alice is in a possibly dicey situation with inheritance laws and the fact that her brother is a real lazy disgrace of a duke and she’s worried he’ll tomfoolery himself to death. That would leave her in the grasp of a truly terrible cousin. So she decides to hit the marriage market, which means of course her brother’s best friend suddenly pays more attention to her and gets caught up in her own brand of tomfoolery.

Like I said, I found parts of this very funny and I enjoyed bits of it. I can even still see scenes in my head. Yet it didn’t quite click. I’m interested to read this again in the future, as this could have been a me issue. The writing was funny, it was clever, and there were a lot of PoVs to help really flesh out the world. I just didn’t hook in completely.

If you like Loretta Chase I know you’ll enjoy this and if you’re a fan of historical romances I’d highly recommend it. I will definitely revisit it myself to try for a better experience.

Loretta Chase’s writing is so amazing frankly I am lucky to live in her timeline.

This book was fun and slightly second chance for the majority, despite being a marriage in crisis. It largely took place before the first two books in the series, aka before the two were married. I remembered the marriage was ~in trouble from reading those two books, but this book didn’t really care about that honestly.

I don’t quite know if Chase pitched this as book one but it was push to three or if it was always three, but it felt a bit odd? The whole first half was centered around the Duke of Ripley being missing and a street urchin who was targeted by Alice’s sticky cousin. Blackwood and Alice basically teamed up (albeit begrudgingly) to find the duke and protect the young boy.

These were technically plots but felt random when you were waiting to see why their marriage was in trouble. They almost felt like side characters in their own book I spent a lot of the book waiting for the other show to drop, and I just don’t know if it even really did? Like there was a bit of fighting and marital drama, but it felt rather dramatic to center a whole book around getting to that point when it was all rather mild.

However, it’s a book written by Loretta Chase and I still had a grand time reading the story, even when the romance was waylaid by several other plots. My favorite moment was when she agreed to marry him. That was peak Loretta Chase characterization on his part. It felt like I was HOME.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5 🌶️🌶️*/5

There was truly like one main scene I remember and pieces of some others. I definitely think we could’ve used a bit higher heat when all was said and done because she made us WAIT for a lot of things.

My Inconvenient Duke by Loretta Chase is a unique take on the Regency romance novel. What is the usual part is the beautiful female main character and the handsome male main character and the chemistry that exists between them. That very chemistry is what makes the Duke of Blackwood an "inconvenient duke" for Alice. She's drawn to him but considers him nothing but trouble due to his history of drunken pranks and other irresponsible behaviors. What is unusual about their "unwanted" romance with each other is the influence that The Minerva Society, dedicated to good works, has upon Alice and her unexpected need of the help of Blackwood to rescue an impoverished orphan. The extent of the committment that Alice has to the priorities of The Minerva Society and how the Duke gets involved in helping those in need is what makes this romance unique. One good deed filled with unexpected drama leads to another and we don't know what's coming next and how things will be resolved. The adventures that ensue keep the book interesting as we watch how Alice and the Duke manage curveballs that come their way and the chemistry that gets harder and harder to ignore. I enjoyed this book and was happy to see how it fit in with the first two books in the series. If I hadn't read the first two books I still would have found the book enjoyable. I received an ARC from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

I had a good time with this book! Alice and Blackwood were fun to watch as they circled around one another. Their adventure through your the book was a bit chaotic, but fun. The pining… THE PINING and their banter in this book was *chef’s kiss*! While this books overall was a pretty good time I wish some of the extra POVs we got went a little further. Some would seem to be starting subplots that would then seem to go no where or weren’t wrapped up in a satisfying way to me.

I think this is a case of just me because while I did enjoy the dynamic between Alice and Blackwood I did kind of lose interest around 60% there was too much going on and the switching of povs between various characters was truly confusing from the start.

3.5? First 70% was solid then it slid off real fast.

I haven't read the first two books and since this one is set before those, it was fine. (There were references to those books but vague enough to give away less than a book jacket).

This was fun and enjoyable and I am a fan of Maggie Proudie! The banter, the antics, all mostly good. Alice never felt NLOG and Blackwood's self-deprecating humor was perfect, not too little as to be unaware or too much as to become a pity party.
However... I can suspend belief until you tell me THREE dukes are running amok, wreaking havoc, unchecked. I struggled to overlook that.

The opening incident lacked, IMHO, the gravitas that Blackwood later gives it.
There were 3 conflicts in the plot, 2 would have sufficed. I don't mind how late into the book the marriage happened but it felt like the book could have ended there because then the remaining conflict does not get the attention or detail needed. Everything after the wedding happens so quickly it feels shoved in there.

I thought Alice was a brilliant character. I loved her so much, I loved her strength and her ferocity and her insistence on what was right. I loved her work with children. And her efforts with the school!

I struggled with Giles. He felt a bit spoiled and was at loose ends even after marrying. I wanted to yell at him a lot.

The plot and their engagement felt a bit disjointed. I had a really hard time with this, but I'm glad I finished it. Mostly for Alice!

Heat Factor: Tender, playful, and just as euphemistic as my teenage heart remembers

Character Chemistry: It’s a pretty fantastic antagonism because he’s disappointed her but they’re still mutually pining

Plot: Alice’s brother and his two best friends are probably going to kill themselves with their stupidity and recklessness, so instead of returning abroad to live as she had planned, she decides to get a husband so she won’t be subject to the whims of her awful cousin

Overall: I was just thinking I would finish this trilogy and have done with it, but Blackwood and Alice were really fun to read

This felt like a throwback to my early romance reading days, except this whole trilogy has focused on more modern sensibilities in a kind of interesting way (see my reviews for the other two books here and here), and the banter is actually good banter. I guess that banter dig is really about all the “banter” I currently read, because authors love to make their characters be all, “OMG, I love this banter I have with this love interest!” And, you know, like a joke, the effectiveness is lost if you have to explain it. Chase doesn’t explain it, she just does it, and it is A+++++++.

Here’s an example from after they’ve stopped bickering constantly in favor of getting married:

"“That hat,” he said, shaking his head. “That hat has taken leave of its wits. It thinks it’s a hat but it’s gone too far. It’s much too much hat. I want to take it off. I want to take off the rest of your excessive clothing. But.”

"“I believe I should like for you to take off the rest. But leave the hat on. So many pins.”

"“Alice.”

"“Giles.”

"He smiled. “You’ll make me dote upon my own wife.”

"“Is that so wrong?”

"“It’s very difficult to think while you sit in my lap,” he said.

"“Why are you thinking at a time like this?”"

Really, though, even when they’re antagonizing each other, their dialogue is a dry back and forth designed for undercurrents more than what is actually said, and it’s really fun. I love most of my current reading, but I have to admit that there’s just something to be said for the writers who trust their readers to understand and just show, show, show.

Anyway, enough about this book just being really well written. Here’s the deal: in the first book in the trilogy, Alice and Blackwood are already married, but (it’s been so long I can’t totally remember) they seem possibly estranged? Not really in love? I don’t know, I think on the one hand I forgot that Blackwood was already married when I picked this book up, and on the other I expected it to be a seducing my spouse? So the important things to know are that this book is a prequel to the other books, but it also kind of has spoilers for the other books, in that there are references to Ripley and Ashmont’s respective romances toward the end of the story. Not much detail, so maybe read this first, whatever, it’s all probably fine. The other important thing to know is that it is not a seducing my spouse book at all. It’s a mutual pining, but he can’t do anything because he’s bad for her, but she won’t do anything because she’s mad at him for being bad for her, but when push comes to shove they choose each other book. It’s so great. The “If we don’t go home right now you’ll have to marry me!” “Okay, I will!” moment is awesome. On par with those old romances I read long ago, but like I said, with a much more modern flair.

Alice has a difficult past—her father, who controlled the finances and was also impecunious, definitely had some mental health thing going on, but the characters don’t have words to properly describe it. As a result, she has deep trauma about some time she spent at an abusive school where her father sent her, and after she was rescued by her aunt and uncle, she was able to live a pretty awesome and independent life, studying in Paris and frequently traveling the Continent with her best friend. But she knows her brother is the only thing standing between her and another man controlling her life in really frightening ways, so rather than continuing her life of travel and independence, she decides to get a husband.

Blackwood is one of her brother’s best friends, and her brother told him when they were all still teenagers that if he wanted to pursue Alice then he had to stay on a straight and narrow path, because that was the kind of man Alice deserved. Instead he chose to raise hell and become a social outcast with his two best friends, so he’s been secretly pining for her from the wings for years. And so the stage is set for their mutual pining, but she’s not going to wait around for him to shape up, and he’s going to stay in the wings where he belongs.

The thing is, when Alice gets into trouble (which she often does, on account of her social justice work and generally fiery personality) Blackwood is the one who knows what’s going to happen, and he’s also the one she turns to for assistance. Not the very nice, older duke who is enchanted by her and who has political ideas that truly match her own. Bummer, dude. Can’t compete with the guy she’s always wanted. And so, from street children to Alice’s brother being his ridiculous self, Alice and Blackwood go on caper after caper.

Because of their long history, the challenge these two need to overcome isn’t so much vulnerability to get them to the “I love you,” it’s seeing each other for the people they are happiest being and making room for those people in their marriage. As the one with the most privilege, Blackwood has a bit more to see in terms of why Alice chooses the fights she does, but Alice also needs to see that Blackwood can still be a free spirit and a responsible husband. The reasons they initially fell for each other are the sparks that keep their relationship playful and fulfilling. I initially picked up this book solely to finish the trilogy I’d started, but it ended up being a truly delightful read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

This sadly did not work very well for me which is a huge bummer because I love Loretta! But the pacing of this book was wild - I was into it until about 60% and then I just got so bored. I ended up speeding up the audio to finish it because I just wanted it to be over.

I do think my experience with this book was better than it could have been, partially because I didn't remember anything from the first two books!

I absolutely LOVE Loretta Chase so it actually pains me to say this one just didn't do it for me. And I think it honestly might have if I wasn't expecting a second chance romance.

In the book’s defense, the actual synopsis does not even hint at second chances. It was more of the major estrangement vibes this pair was emitting in the first two books in the series…and the…uh…description *above* the synopsis that says the series is continuing with a charming brother’s best friend second chance romance. 🥴

After our introduction to Blackwood and Alice in the previous two installments of Difficult Dukes, I was anticipating a cold marriage in absolute shambles, maybe a grovel or two, and a grand reconciliation...but I found myself thinking "Is the second chance in the room with us right now?" I didn't expect this story to begin (or remain) WELL before the events of the previous stories or for the FIRST chance to happen that far into the book. Their relationship woes were just not really woe'ing to me? Like...the biggest obstacle seemed to be that they collectively had more side quests than Link in The Legend of Zelda. Your friends and family are a mess--set some boundaries, your Graces.

The writing itself is amazing as we can always expect from the author, and it maybe would have even felt a little more like 4/5 stars to me if the pretty blatant "second chance" implications weren't following this couple throughout the series so far.

If you pick this one up, I implore you to focus on “BROTHERS BEST FRIEND” and forget that I used the phrase “second chance” so many times in this review that you could play a drinking game. Because honestly even a "not my favorite" Loretta Chase novel is still really good.

3/5 stars (for me but maybe not for you!)

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I love Loretta Chase's historical romances. I've waited a while for this to be published. Although I was confused of the timeline and characters of this third installment at first, I looked back at the previous books in this series for a refresher realizing this was a prequel. Great characters in Giles and Alice with witty banter along with accuracy of the time period. Don't expect just a love story, as Ms. Chase's writing is a bit more intriguing than just HEA. Many thanks to Avon Books and Netgalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

This feels like an entirely me problem but despite trying twice, nothing about this book felt like it made sense. Part of it may be the way that some historical romance authors do the thing where Dukes always have multiple names, but for some reason, for me, it felt like every name was slipping through a sieve in my mind. I really wanted to like this one and so often Chase does work for me. Alas, this was not the one. That said, these truly seem likely to be me problems and not generalizable. Therefore, if you're up for a complete mess of a man cleaning himself up enough to discreetly keep an eye on his best friend's younger sister's (who he's absolutely down bad for) attempts to find a husband, you should definitely give this one a shot! Just maybe have some extra brain space for comprehension.

Although this is the concluding book in the series, it definitely can be read as a stand-alone. The first half of the book takes place before the preceding two books, then parallels them, so you don’t get the sense that you are missing something.

Alice and Giles were both clever, strong-willed individuals so they seemed evenly matched. I especially admired Alice, who was strongly committed to bettering the lives of those who were not in as fortunate circumstances as herself and would never just ignore someone in need. Giles had been living a rather reckless and thoughtless life up until then, but when Alice plunged in to help someone, he didn’t hesitate to back her up.

The romance wasn’t as much of a focus in the book. Instead, it was more of a series of escapades that gave Alice and Giles a chance to grow closer and ultimately a reason to get married. Nonetheless, it was a fun romp. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Finally, I know what was going on with Giles and Alice. During the first two books in the series they were already married and estranged. No one would ask them what was wrong, and they didn't say so it was a huge mystery that drove me crazy. I waited, and waited some more for the author to finish their love story. Ms Chase takes us back to the beginning when the couple first met and follow along until their well-deserved HEA. The first two Dukes stories made me laugh at their antics, but the Blackwoods made me kind of sad. Lots of family and friend obligations mixed with longing, attraction, desire, happiness and separation, there were so many emotions in their journey. I loved every minute of it. As much as I wanted to rush through all three books to have the stories completed, I'm now sorry that it's over. I can recommend the entire series as a good read and all three can be standalone.

I received a complementary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon publishers.

#MyInconvenientDuke #DifficultDukes #NetGalley #Avon #LorettaChase #historicalromance #romance

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an eARC of My Inconvenient Duke through NetGalley, in return for my honest review.

We follow two characters who have been friends since birth but grew distant after a passionate kiss that the Duke of Blackwood walked away and didn’t com back from. He believed he wasn’t good enough for his best friends younger sister, but it all comes rushing back when she is actively finding a husband in order to protect her family’s estate and her brother’s wellbeing.

This was a fun read with cute moments between the FMC and MMC. I was waiting for their story which showed up in book 1. Going back in time to when their marriage came to be was interesting. There were a few parts where the inner monologues became redundant, but the overall story was captivating. Especially when they didn’t ride off in the sunset after getting married. They still have obstacles to overcome.

This is Very Difficult to say, but…This Very Difficult Duke and his duchesse deserved better.

The story is a hot mess. It’s less about Alice and Blackwood as a couple, and instead a repetitive series of loosely linked vignettes featuring the pair as an avenging adventuring duo righting wrongs by whatever it takes (lots of money and force, usually).

Along for the ride is a merry band of friends and frenemies, too few (or none) appearances from the friends and family we ACTUALLY love and hoped to visit with again, and a laughable villain who no one cared about in any way whatsoever.

Meanwhile sexy shenanigans are shoe horned in to ensure readers know the chemistry between our leads isn’t just limited to their do-good adventuring.

Such a bummer ending to an especially delightful series.

This was a well written siblings. Best friend to lovers romance. There were so many plot twists and turns, emotional issues, and much more of excitement that kept me engaged. The ending was very happy. I recommend reading.

A romantic tale of Lady Alice and her brother’s best friend Giles, the Duke of Blackwood. Alice and Giles had an attraction to each other but never acted on it because he, her brother, Ripley and their friend, Ashmont, all Dukes, were rakes of the highest order. After their latest drunken behavior leaves Ripley injured, Alice fears something will happen to him and she will be left at the mercy of her villainous cousin if he inherits the dukedom. Alice heads to London to find a husband and Giles follows her to protect her from any harm her cousin may attempt. Though Giles isn’t welcomed by polite society, he and Alice are thrown together often as she turns to him for help with locating a young waif she has befriended and also her brother when he goes missing. My Inconvenient Duke is a slow burn but has a HEA for the two main characters who have to work hard to get there.

My Inconvenient Duke is the third book in the Difficult Dukes series. This is the first book in the series I have read. I am not sure reading the prior books would have helped me to like this book. I found the writing to be difficult and did not flow well. The characters were not likeable to keep me engaged.

The premise interested me but did not live up to my hopes for a good story.

As always, Loretta Chase fills her books with adventure, banter, and swoon. This one isn’t what I expected it to be, but I still loved it. I think we are led to believe their marriage is in crisis by the last two books, but in fact they have a very sweet relationship and I loved seeing them get to know each other better. I recommend beginning the Difficult Dukes series with this book, THEN reading the other two. As always, Kate Reading does an amazing audio for listening fans.