Overview: After it becomes clear that her brother’s reckless behavior may result in a wretched cousin inheriting the dukedom, Lady Alice decides that marriage is the only option to ensure a secure future. However, her quest for a husband must be put on hold while she and her brother’s best friend, the Duke of Blackwood, search for her brother after he goes missing…

Thoughts: Being the third of a series, I had a bit of trouble getting into the book at the beginning, especially with all the references to other characters. Additionally, the separate adventures made the story feel a bit disjointed. BUT the best part about the book by far was the affinity that Alice and Blackwood felt towards each other and their shared history. I also loved that Blackwood recognized and accepted Alice for who she was (costumes and accents and all!). I definitely plan on reading the first two books in the series!

Take home message: My Inconvenient Duke is a surprisingly action-packed historical romcom featuring a passionate and headstrong female character. Tropes include: road trips, brother’s best friend, and second chance romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, steamy, action-packed and kept me reading. I enjoyed this book and will continue look for new books by this author.

I was actually so for the relationship between Alice and Blackwood from the beginning. I love the way it turned out.

Alice is the sister of a Duke. A Duke who, with his two besties, is one of the dis-graces. In other words, they are bad boys. Blackwood is one of them. Alice decides she needs to get married because if her brother gets himself killed, she will be at the mercy of his evil heir. Blackwood decides to stay in london to watch over her while she’s husband hunting. Evil heir causes problems and her brother goes missing and her and Blackwood end up together for longer than is proper so they decide to get married BUT THE CHAOS IS NOT OVER.

Alice is super into social reform and helping the poor. Blackwood is super into drinking with the boys and causing chaos but it works. They are PINING. You can feel it. I loved it. I was behind them 100%. He was actually so sweet to her. They had arguments but you just knew it would work out.

I loved them as a couple!

1832

Lady Alice Ancaster has awakened to yet another sound of drunken men outside her window. The three dukes nicknamed Their Dis-Graces, are being way too loud. Her brother, Hugh, the Duke of Ripley, along with Giles, the Duke of Blackwood, and the Duke of Ashmont are up to their shenanigans once again.

As she is about to turn 25, Alice has decided to journey to London and stay with her chaperone, Lady Kempton, and search for a husband. She has told the dukes to stay away from her in London so they and their antics do not impede her finding a suitable husband.

The Duke of Doveridge, 42, appears to be enamored by Alice as he has danced with her numerous times. He is thought to be a confirmed bachelor but she may win him.

When Alice gets involved with another woman in helping rescue some young boys who are orphans running in gangs of pickpockets, she enlists Giles to help her find and rescue a young boy. But it’s when Ripley goes missing, Alice enlists Giles’s help to find him sending them on a life changing journey.

I felt that the three dukes were quite immature and rather unworthy of their titles. Dukes should be strong men with the wherewithal to keep track of their wealth and properties, but these men were too busy drinking and acting like fools. Since there is a lot of humor in this book it helped save it for me. I thought it ridiculous that Giles is so busy trying to keep his friends out of trouble that he isn't nurturing his own marriage. That’s sad and rather weird. I wish the book had been shortened somewhat as things seemed to drag out. I did not read the first two books in this series so I had a bit of a struggle to keep up, but things fell into place fairly well although it was a bit tedious.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

dnf at 16%

So I have learned that I do not enjoy when the male love interest is inconsiderate or immature. Blackwood is both of these, and while he's already made some subconscious attempts at the inconsiderate part, he still feels like a teenage when he is truly in his 30s while Alice is leagues ahead of him when it comes to maturity (plus she is a very considerate person to those around her).

All of that isn't truly enough to dnf a book, but the way this was written was so confusing. It would randomly switch POVs in the middle of a chapter or a different character would show up and I'd have reread the same section multiple times in an attempt to understand what is happening. By reading other reviews I have learned this is not just a me issue, so I'm left here dumbfounded wishing I actually knew what I just read.

I've heard of Loretta Chase and I can't believe that this is the first time I've read one of her books! The book was long and many things were going on. Nonetheless, my interest held and I made it to the ending. The author had a quirky and humorous writing style--I often found myself rereading the funny parts.
One unusual thing was that the story kept on going even after what could have been the happy ending. The FMC was busy with her many activities while the MMC was basically trying to fill his time. This must have been where the "inconvenient" thing came into play. Like many a modern couple, they had to struggle to find time for each other. It was also noteworthy that the duke's two friends found their wives (off page) in the same timeframe as this story. These last chapters of the book could be considered a super-extended epilogue. The little tidbits that were dropped about the other dukes sounded interesting and I was pleasantly surprised to see that their books have already been written!
I received a free ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

First, I liked the story and the plot. It had humor and a bit of adventure. Secondly, I liked the characters who needed to mature and be responsible. Here's what I didn't care for: this book should have been the first not the third book in the series as these two people are featured as married in the first two books, so being out of order is disrupting. The other thing, I personally don't care for is repetition. This is a talented author with good story telling skills, there's absolutely no need to fill pages and pages with repetition when you have great skills. I will continue to read her work as I'm a fan, hopefully workout being disappointed.

The angst and heartbreaking decision made when Giles Blackwood chose the hijinks and camaraderie of his two friends over his feelings for Alice who is the younger sister of his friend.
Giles wants Alice and is especially torn when she goes on the Marriage Mart.
Lots of fun and action as their relationship develops despite her brother and his decision.
Highly recommend as the story moves quickly to the HEA.

Intelligent, no nonsense, quick thinking heroines are my favorite type of characters so I was charmed by Lady Alice Ancaster. She was a perfect combination of lady and tomboy. How she gets into and out of predicaments was written with finesse and keeps the reader engaged.

Her bother and two friends really are a mess and how author Loretta Chase weaves their madcaps adventures into the storyline made me laugh as well as feel frustrated for Alice. So many times I wanted to stomp my foot and cry for her.

I thought that the Duke of Blackwell was a great mix of being a messup and being helpful. Readers will enjoy his character and his interactions with Lady Alice.

This storyline is fast paced, includes danger, drama and not a moment of boredom for the reader. I really loved the unpredectable ending, I hope you do as well.

Rating: 2/5 stars
Steam level: Open-door

Thoughts:
There is a lot to like about this book. The suspenseful plot is riveting, friendship is depicted authentically, and the main character interactions felt endearing. The author describes her characters and their backstories in such a way that truly brings them to life. Additionally, that she wrote an entire series based on flakey, gorgeous, and difficult dukes is so creative and inherently funny.

Alice is such a strong female lead. I love how she doesn’t back down from a fight and is unafraid to call Giles out on his mistakes. Her past shows that she’s been let down one too many times, and Giles represents the opposite of what she craves, which is stability. This makes their relationship journey hard-won, especially given their tumultuous youthful history. The author wrote the romantic and steamy scenes with such care and dedication to the characters. Everything felt so blissful between them during these moments, and it felt reminiscent of the sweet, innocent, and unspoken love that they shared years ago.

Although there was so much to like about this book, I felt that Giles and Alice’s romance deserved more on-page attention. A lot of their romance seemed to occur off-page, whether it be in the past or individually in the present. Additionally, at times, the non-romantic subplots felt like they held more of a spotlight than the romance, which distracted from the brewing tension between the main characters and impacted its overall effect. The true impact of the subplots is shown in the final chapters of the book, which provide glimpses into Giles and Alice’s marriage and marriage-in-trouble experiences. These chapters depicted subtle and romantic moments between both main characters that made their marriage feel authentic. However, the weight of their actions and marriage seemed to be dulled by the history that felt missing between them.

Overall, I would say that I just could not completely connect with this book. There was so much to love about it, but I felt that more of the romance needed to happen on-page.

DNF at 20%

At this point in the story, I don't really have a connection with either the FMC or MMC. The plot is a little too slow for me to truly enjoy and immerse myself in, so sadly I'm moving on to another story.

I really enjoyed reading this book by one of my favorite authors. Ms Chase writes romance like nobody's business. The series is about three dukes who are difficult but are redeemed by women who fall in love with them. The characters were fully developed with thoughts and feelings of their own.
This one is about Alice and Blackwood who are married but are estranged. You find out that Alice is one tough cookie who takes matters into her own hands in trying to get her husband on the right track. It takes a while within the story line to find a compromise and being truthful with each other.
Of course, there is a happy ending that find Alice and Blackwood a forever love.
I appreciate Net Galley for this ARC title in which I gave an honest review.

Lady Alice Ancaster, sister to the Duke of Ripley, having debuted years ago and then spending several years abroad, was in no rush to marry, instead devoting herself to helping the poor children of London. But when her brother and his two friends, who are also Dukes and known as “Their Dis-Graces” pulled another of their stupid, drunken stunts, that ended with her brother almost being killed, she knew she needed to do something to protect herself. Since her brother had not wed and seemed destined to get himself killed, leaving her to the mercy of his heir – their vile, distant cousin Viscount Worbury or as she calls him Cousin Worm. She sets out for London and the Marriage Mart and has no trouble finding suitors, no, her trouble is her brother’s friend and fellow Dis-Grace, the Duke of Blackwood, the man she fell in love with years ago and who chose a life of a wastrel over her! But when one of the young boys she watches out for gets on the Worm’s bad side, Blackwood is the perfect man to help her save him. Then later when her brother goes missing, it is once again Blackwood who she turns to for help, but this time his help will cost her. They end up married and presumably on their way to HEA.

Giles Lyon, the Duke of Blackwood has always loved Alice, but at nineteen, he knew he wasn’t ready to settle down and marry, so after sharing a kiss with a young Lady Alice, he walks away from any chance of a future with her. Now after a stupid, thoughtless prank that could have easily left her brother dead, he feels bad about their behavior and vows to stay out of her way. But when he learns that she is being seriously courted by a very eligible duke, he can’t seem to stick to his vow and follows her to London, never expecting to end up married to the only woman he has ever loved. Everything seems perfect, but sadly life gets in the way and happily ever after isn’t as easily attained as one would think.

Having absolutely loved the first two books, I had high expectations for this book. Sadly, this book was not the book I had hoped for. In the first two books, Alice and Giles are already married and seemed to be estranged, but in reality, they were not at odds, just busy taking care of everyone but each other. It takes them a very long time to reprioritize their lives and put each other first. I liked the story, but it was long and repetitive, with nothing really keeping them apart or together. The result was that I just didn’t feel the romance that was so prominent in the previous books. This book has a lot going on and had some fun moments that Ms. Chase is known for, but in the end, it fell a bit flat and ended a bit too abruptly and had no epilogue, which was disappointing. Overall, light on the romance but still a fun read and a book I would recommend to readers of the series, but not a book I would read again.

3, maybe 3.5 stars

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

My Inconvenient Duke by Loretta Chase is a wonderful historical romance. The main characters are a feisty lady, Lady Alice Ancaster and one of her brother’s best friends, the Duke of Blackwood. This is the third book in the series and while I have read the prior books, this book can be read as a stand alone. Each book focuses on a different duke.

Lady Alice realizes after being woken up by her brother and his friends' antics that she can not depend on her brother. In her world, she would be left to the horrible cousin to take care of her , if anything happened to her brother. At the rate he was going, she was not going to have a brother much longer. She has spoken to her family and the “boys” were told to leave London, so Alice can make a great match.

The Duke of Blackwood understands that he is banished to the country, so he doesn’t muck up Alice’s chances for a perfect husband, but he just can’t leave her. He seems to show up where she is and often at a perfectly helpful time. It isn’t until they journey to find her missing brother, that Alice realizes that she has gone too far.

I enjoyed this novel. I loved how the main characters have an affinity for each other. I love how they listen to each other. Mostly I loved the love between the main characters. My Inconvenient Duke by Loretta Chase is a great read.

ARC Review! My Inconvenient Duke, Loretta Chase’s most recent (and final) book in the Difficult Dukes series, has been one of my most anticipated reads since her last book was released (in 20XX). So I was absolutely giddy when I get the opportunity to read an early copy. This is the story of Lady Alice Ancaster, younger sister to the Duke of Ripley (MMC in book 1 of the series) and best friend of Cassandra Pomfret (FMC in book 2), and Giles Lyon, the Duke of Blackwood and the third of a trio (including Alice’s brother) of misbehaving dukes the ton has nicknamed Their Dis-Graces. For years Alice has watched her brother and his friends scandalize the ton with their ridiculous antics but when a drunken escapade nearly results in Ripley getting killed, she has had enough. After Ripley’s latest near miss, Alice realizes that the only way to protect herself from ruin at the hands a despicable cousin who would inherit if Ripley died is to marry. For his part, Blackwood, who has been (mostly) ignoring the feelings he’s had for his best friend’s little sister for years (the one kiss they shared when they were teens definitely doesn’t count). When Ripley goes missing and Alice and Blackwood go after him, they find themselves facing an opportunity they never thought possible: marriage to one another. But with Alice’s need to court Society to further her social causes and Blackwood’s desire to shun Society in favor of his friends, can they make it work?

Let me start by saying that this is not the book/story I was expecting. The first 2 books in the series teased a marriage in trouble so that is 100% what I thought I was getting here. Instead, it was a brother’s best friend, second chance romance with some miscommunication/adjustment issues that resulted from a sudden engagement/marriage. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing (I happen to love both the brother’s best friend and second chance tropes) but it definitely colored my reading experience. I will also say that some of it felt a little too similar to the previous book (10 Things I Hate About the Duke). That said, this is a Loretta Chase book and so it was still a highly entertaining reading experience. The FMC was fierce, the banter was top notch, the side characters was stellar, and I still very much enjoyed it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon for the e-ARC; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Satisfying read!

I took to Lady Alice Ancaster straight away. Also to Giles Bouverie Lyon, eighth Duke of Blackwood, one of the three Dis-graceful dukes. When their disgraceful lordships, Ripley, Blackwood and Ashmont showed up at any ton function, the rooms emptied. Not that they were invited anywhere because they weren’t. Most of the ton ran when they hived into view.
It’s Ridley’s sister Alice who’s our focal point and Blackwood.
A girl Blackwood had taught to shoot when she was fifteen, who’d he first met scrambling out of a second floor window when she was ten, bold and cheery as you please
Alice has grown up. She’s spent a year abroad with her friend Cassandra Pomfret. Alice is part of the Minerva Society that takes on street children, educates and house them and find them employment
At the moment however she’s realized that if something happens to Ridley his black hearted heir, Penric Ancaster, Lord Worbury would make her pay.
Alice decides the only way to be safe is to marry. Taking herself and her aunt to London she sets about the task. Only things keep happening and the man who’d broken her seventeen year old heart is there to pave the way and provide her with backup.
A sort of enemies to lovers romance with intrigue and danger thrown in for good measure. Wonderful!

An Avon and Harper ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

My Inconvenient Duke by Loretta Chase is an entertaining mix of romance, humor, and drama, though it doesn’t fully meet the high expectations set by the previous books in the Difficult Dukes series. Lady Alice Ancaster needs to find a husband to save her family’s dukedom, and the Duke of Blackwood—her brother’s best friend and former crush—reluctantly steps in. Their love story spans years, from unspoken longing in their youth to navigating marriage’s challenges.

The book shines in its witty dialogue and mature portrayal of relationships, showing how love requires effort and compromise. However, the pacing felt uneven, with a slow start and a rushed conclusion. While Giles and Alice’s chemistry is apparent, the romance occasionally takes a backseat to subplots and secondary characters.

Despite some flaws, the clever banter and heartfelt moments make this a worthy read. Fans of the series will appreciate its humour and resolution.

Lady Alice Ancaster is in want of a husband. Why? Because of her scandalous brother; who she feels is hell bent on recklessness to the point of death. So she seeks out a husband in order to escape the clutches of the dastardly. cousin who would inherit.

Giles, the Duke of Blackwood at 19, was told to chose b/w his friendship & his best friend's little sister. Choosing friendship over Alice starts to take a back (carriage) seat years later when Giles finds himself attempting to play behind the scenes knight errant to Alice's season.

My Inconvenient Duke is the third book in A Difficult Duke series. Having not read the previous two novels, after reading this one I look forward to starting from the beginning. I loved Loretta Chase's dramatic writing flare and the angsty banter between Alice and Giles. There is nothing like the drama of a Chase novel; when you know anything can happen. And as scoundrel-y as the dukes were, I always love a friendship group b/w MCs, & this friendship brought a lot of tension to Blackwood & Alice's story. There is nothing like an MMC who doesn't feel like he is capable of love & a FMC who everyone is trying to protect when she can clearly and without a doubt protect herself and those she cares for. I always wish to be more like a Loretta Chase FMC!

I will note that I did feel a tiny bit lost having not having read the previous books in the series, mostly because the timelines b/w the three books appear to happen simultaneously. I will rectify this immediately and reread My Inconvenient Duke afterwards and update my review!

He really is inconvenient....

Since I somehow blocked out all the events of the prior two books, I'm coming in cold on this one. Lady Alice is determined to take her future into her own hands after her idiot brother and his two idiot best friends almost shot his face off. She goes on the marriage mart at 25. Giles, a duke who was attracted to her ten years ago when he was 17 choose her brother and his friend to run wild with. All three chose to mess with not so innocent women, drink, have fun and do nothing but cause trouble. For ten years they ran free.

I thought Alice was better off with her Gallahad duke who truly liked and wanted her. Unlike Giles who, while he may have thought of her as the one who got away, was only too happy to go with the flow, have fun and not be a grown up. This continued way too long and didn't show lack of growth on his part. But, its Loretta Chase and the writing is superb.
Recommend, because I liked Alice.

This long-awaited final book in this author’s Difficult Dukes series was both a letdown and entertaining. The second book in the series was published four years ago in 2020, and I had to go back and skim-read it to refresh myself. This book is most definitely my least favorite of the series, but perhaps that is because I had such high expectations for it.

In the previous two books, Giles and Alice are already married but estranged. In this book, I expected to learn the reason for the estrangement and their resolution. That isn’t what I got (at least not to me). I never really felt the romance in this story nor the sad emptiness when the two are apart. It was just presented as business-as-usual because – well – it was business-as-usual. Each put their friends, their projects, etc. before their marriage and romance. Even at the end when Giles does such a sweetly romantic thing, it doesn’t have that heart-quivering, exciting, uplifting feel of romance.

There were many moments of entertaining, witty humor – especially in Giles’s internal dialogue, but that wasn’t enough for me to believe in the romance. For me, we could have done with less page time skipping around the countryside looking for lost urchins and brothers and more time on the romance time between the two main characters. Many parts of the story just felt slow and a tad draggy.

The opening chapter is excellent and sets the stage for Alice’s sudden decision to participate in London’s Season and find a husband. The chapter gives us an excellent feel for the dynamics between the three friends but doesn’t give a reasonable explanation for them (especially Giles) continuing to (at nearly 30) cling to decisions made in their teens. One would have to believe that the three would have some intellect and moments of clarity to run their vast estates and see them profitable. However, all actions described would make us believe they did nothing but drink, carouse, party, gamble, and participate in debaucheries. Personally, I had a hard time meshing the two attributes.

I am a huge fan of this author and always appreciate her wit and humor, which are displayed in her characters and situations. I especially enjoyed Giles’s internal dialogue in this book, but had a hard time translating those internal dialogues into actions on the romantic front. We were introduced to two new characters (or maybe they were in the previous books and I’ve forgotten) who would make good MMCs for future books. I really liked the Duke of Doveridge and the Earl of Lynforde and would love to see them find their HEAs in a truly romantic story. Another thing this book lacks – especially as the series end – is an epilogue that brings all of the couples and their HEAs into focus for us. The last chapter might have been meant as an epilogue, but I don’t think so and if it was, it missed the mark for me.

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