I am really happy that Chase's publisher has not tried to get her going on illustrated covers, That would just be wrong. I really enjoyed the two leads in this, particularly their clever and arch senses of humor. It was all very British. I also enjoyed that we got to see the characters actually have to do the work when it came to learning how to be a married couple. This book understood that a fully realized life doesn't end at happily-ever-after, and that true, lasting love involves making choices every single day and learning how to compromise .

<b>Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. My views are my own. </b>

Spoiler warning! Because some of the issues I have with this book can't really be addressed without me spoiling some parts of the plot, skip the parts of the review I've marked with spoiler tags until you've actually finished the book.

While this is the third book in the series, most of the action takes place before the events in <i>A Duke in Shining Armor</i> and <i>Ten Things I Hate About the Duke</i>. You don't need to have read either of the two other books to enjoy this one, in fact, I would say you might enjoy this one more without prior knowledge of those stories.

Lady Alice Ancaster has known Giles Lyon, the eighth Duke of Blackwood since long before he was a duke. They first met when she was eleven and he was thirteen, and he was one of her brother's best friends and partners in crime. By the time she was seventeen and he was nineteen, there was a clear infatuation between them, and they shared one very memorable kiss. Knowing that Alice deserved someone better, and fully aware that he wasn't ready to give up his wild and reckless ways with his two bosom buddies, Blackwood chose to leave it with that one kiss and studiously avoided Alice thereafter.

Eight years later, their drunken antics take an almost fatal turn, after they play with a loaded pistol and the duke of Ripley, Alice's brother only barely escapes a shot to the head. Alice is furious with Blackwood for letting things go so far (of the three Dis-graces, he is reckoned as the most sensible one). She declares that she hates him, and only a few days later, she sets off to London determined to find a husband. The idiotic stunt proves to Alice just how likely is that her brother will die unfortunately young and their loathsome cousin, Lord Worbury will inherit both the title and the estate. Worbory hates Alice because she and her best friend Cassandra beat him up for torturing a kitten when they were younger, and he hates Ripley and his friends for looking on. Worbury is already living beyond his means, promising his creditors money once he becomes the next Duke of Ripley.

Alice's aunt, Lady Julia, orders Ripley, Blackwood and Ashmont to stay far away from London while Alice tries to find a suitable husband. While Alice has lived a perfectly respectable life, the presence of her dissolute brother and his best friends will make it more difficult for her. Ripley and Ashmont dutifully agree, but Blackwood is unhappy with the idea of leaving Alice alone in London with Worbury still lurking about, so he stays behind to sort out some financial affairs (or so he claims).

Of course, after a series of chaotic events, involving the odious Worbury, a scruffy street urchin in need (whom readers will recognise from the previous two books in the series, not to mention in a slightly cleaner guise in <i>The Dressmakers</i> series), dealings with the criminal underworld, and then Ripley's sudden and unexplained disappearance, Blackwood and Alice have spent so much time travelling about unchaperoned with one another that Alice is likely to be at the centre of a terrible scandal, unless she and Blackwood marry. So they decide to do so (it doesn't hurt that deep down they have loved each other for over a decade) and for a blissful six months, their marriage seems like it will always be harmonious. That is, until the Duke of Ashmont gets himself into even more trouble than usual, and Blackwood has to go off to save him from himself.

<spoiler>
For two books now, Loretta Chase have been dropping hints about the marriage of Lady Alice Ancaster and the Duke of Blackwood, a union which so shocked polite society. In <i>A Duke in Shining Armor</i>, they appear to be estranged, but having gone back and looked at all the mentions of Alice, some of those hints may have been a bit misleading. Having also gone back and looked at <I>Ten Things I Hate About the Duke</i>, I don't understand why Cassandra, Alice's very best friend in the whole world, a person she refers to as a sister not in blood, wouldn't know the truth about Alice and Blackwood's marriage. Alice and Cassandra correspond regularly, and I don't understand why Alice wouldn't have told her friend that she and Blackwood had to spend more time apart because Ashmont was so out of control he had to have someone sensible accompanying him. Everyone who knew the three dukes would have understood why such a thing would be necessary. That most of society didn't know the truth about the Duke and Duchess of Blackwood's supposed estrangement doesn't seem strange at all, but why would Alice have kept the truth about her actually really happy marriage from her friend?

Obviously, it's because Chase wrote this book last, and can't really go back and rewrite her previous book for the details to fit in better. It is just frustrating that after two books setting up the strange and sudden marriage of Alice and Blackwood, and then their estrangement and supposed enmity, it turns out that nope, there's nothing. It feels deeply anti-climactic to have waited since 2017(!) to find out the truth about Alice and Blackwood, only to discover that their marriage was fine. They married because they loved each other, somewhat suddenly to avoid a scandal, and got along splendidly, with the exception of a few rows, where they realised their mistake and apologised to one another before it could ever become a big deal. I shouldn't be disappointed in a book because there isn't enough drama, and two very enjoyable characters have a happy marriage. But I was led to believe that there would be drama - and now I feel short-changed.
</spoiler>

The release of a new Loretta Chase book is always a treat, and it's difficult to describe my delight when I was granted a NetGalley ARC for this back in November. Obviously, I read the book almost instantly and had to re-read it now to remind myself of the plot details before I wrote my review.

Loretta Chase has written some absolute classics, including <i>Lord of Scoundrels</i>, which is 25 years old this year. It's a book I have read multiple times, but never actually reviewed (must absolutely rectify that later this year). I happen to think two other books in the series are better, and I've re-read them more often, but that does not take away from the fact that it's a great book, with a stupendous heroine. Chase has also written a lot of books that are fine when you read them, but a bit more forgettable once you put them down. This, sadly, is one of the latter ones. There's nothing wrong with it, as such, but having first read it right after my re-read of Ten Things I Hate About the Duke, which is a full five-star read and so very perfect, this paled in comparison. There's the issue that I mentioned in my spoiler section, and there's the fact that Alice and Blackwood running around after a street urchin seems to take up far too much of the plot, both in the first and last quarter of the book.

It should be noted, that Loretta Chase is a queen of the romance genre for a reason, and even a not-perfect book by her is worth your time. Some of the things that annoy me about this book won't matter at all if this is the first book in the series you read. While writing this review and finding books to link to, I also discovered that there's a short story, featuring Lord Loveden (who is Alice's main suitor in this, before it becomes obvious to everyone, including her, that Blackwood is the only man she could possibly be happy with). So now I've got more Loretta Chase to read.

<b>Judging a book by its cover: </b>This cover differs from the other two in the series, in that on those books, there is a woman seen from the back, apparently running away or towards something. Here, the woman on the cover, who I guess is supposed to be Alice, is happily wandering about the garden, wearing a dress looking nothing like 1830s fashion (which to be fair, was awful, so well done cover designers). She's probably a lot happier, dreamily drifting along since her marriage came about in a much less dramatic way than that of Olivia Hightower or her best friend Cassandra.

I was excited to read a historical romance centered in London area. The book definitely gave me Bridgerton vibes without much spice.
I enjoyed the setting and the characters, the only thing I disliked was the lack of romance. Yes there was a relationship in the book but I think there was more focus on the other events happening and seemed to skip the romance.
Overall, I enjoyed it but wished it had more to it as far as story and romance

I’m torn on my thoughts and how I feel about this book. I will preface it to say that I haven’t read the first two in the series and that this is also my first Loretta Chase book. However, based on other reviews I’ve read for this one I don’t see how that matters. Alice and Giles were secondary characters in the first two books BUT majority of this story takes place before either of those.

Before I get to what didn’t work for me, there’s some things I did enjoy. The last quarter of the book was really enjoyable. There’s a bit of a time jump once they marry and the banter between Alice and Giles was great and wished it had been there the whole time. I liked and can appreciate being able to get a full love story of it’s always been you with a second chance and then allowing your spouse space to do what’s needed for them to find fulfillment in life. It’s a great notion and I think that was achieved.

But there are a few things that I wasn’t a fan of. The POV switches to a few other secondary characters on top of the MMC and FMC. This was confusing because it started so close to the beginning of the story and I wasn’t expecting it. I got used to it pretty quickly but threw me at first. I liked Alice and Giles well enough but didn’t connect with their romance. There’s a lot of action that’s keeps the pacing up but it overtook the romance part of the story for me. I believed in their pent up feelings but found their decision to be together anticlimactic because I was waiting for a passionate declaration and didn’t get that.

At the end of the day, I didn’t love it but liked how the story ended in a full circle and complete. It’s an epistolary story with several letters exchanged between main and secondary characters.

There’s one page encounter and several occurring off page. It was lower steam.

I received an advance reader copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars rounded up. This is definitely an example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. There is A LOT going on in this book, as it covers not just the backstory of how Alice and Blackwood ended up together but also fast forwards to explain how they became estranged—as seen in books 1 and 2 of the series—and how they eventually reconcile. On top of that there are several villains of varying degrees and a lot of moving pieces to fit in. At times, the pacing is a bit uneven, with the first half moving somewhat slowly then the back half speeding through a lot of plot. That said, I really liked how we got to see Alice and Blackwood’s relationship develop over time, including through the rough patches when the outside world starts to impede on their time. Though they both are stubborn and independent, they recognize a kindred spirit in the other and feel they can finally act on the feelings that have been brewing since they were younger (albeit out of necessity due to circumstances). Both also has their own flaws and vulnerabilities that they need to deal with in order to become a better partner, which they learn to work through in a refreshingly mature manner.

Other notes: Having read Ashmont’s and Ripley’s points of view already it was interesting to see how their actions taken out of context of their own stories were viewed by other characters (by Alice and Blackwood as their long suffering sister/friend, particularly). There are a number of sympathetic characters introduced here that seem ripe for their own series or spinoffs, so hopefully we will see more of them in the future.

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!

After having seen Alice and Blackwood´s marriage in the firs two books I was curious to their back history and how they ended up married but spend a lot of time separately. In this book we do spend a lot of time prior to their marriage and I was very cautiously reading hoping I would not be left brokenhearted. Their marriage in crisis was just learning to work together as a married couple. Which could feel a little underwhelming depending of how you look at it, I loved it.

Chase's romance novel felt a bit scattered, with two characters who we were told were in love without seeing them develop the romance, and an extended epilogue made for an odd ending.

My Inconvenient Duke by Loretta Chase

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 1/5 🌶️

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, Netgalley, and the author for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

My Inconvenient Duke is the 3rd book in Loretta Chase's Difficult Dukes series. Loretta Chase’s historical romances are always amazing, featuring complex characters and fantastic chemistry. Each of the Difficult Dukes books can be read as standalone books, however, My Inconvenient Duke brings together characters from the previous books and presents a conclusion to the series. Reading this was super fun and I enjoyed all of the historical elements throughout!

Lady Alice Ancaster, sister to the Duke of Ripley, has known Giles, Duke of Blackwood since she was 12 years old. She wants to safeguard her future by finding a respectable husband. Alice has a perfect candidate in mind. When trouble arises, the wrong man shows up. Giles is all wrong for Alice, but she can’t ignore how interesting he is.

When Alice was 17, she and Blackwood had a moment. A moment he stopped as he made a choice to stay friends with her brother. Giles, the Duke of Blackwood, is known as one of the three Dis-Graces. He dislikes the many rules his social class must abide by. Blackwood offers to look after Alice while she is a part of the Marriage Mart. Giles knows he is the wrong one for her, but he cannot resist being heroic for Alice. Feelings arise and Blackwood begins to understand the choice he made all those years ago might not have been the right one. With enemies to deal with, Alice and Blackwood work together long enough to allow their feelings to surface.

Overall, this is a great historical romance with excellent chemistry, an intriguing plot full of action, and fantastic banter throughout. I’d recommend My Inconvenient Duke to all fans of historical romance!

This was a quite lighthearted brother’s best friend romance; a little more ton-centric than Loretta Chase’s older works, but this also is the first new release I’m reviewing by her.

Basically, Alice has a messy rake duke for a brother, and his antics combined with his heir being a gross loser means she needs to find a husband fast. Which should be easy, but it only works as long as her scandalous brother and his duke friends stay away…. and our hero obviously doesn’t. Blackwood and Alice had the beginnings of what a romance, but Blackwood backed out because Feelings Are Scary and She’s Too Good For Him and Thou Shalt Not Break The Bro Code.

In classic Loretta Chase fashion, we also get the villain’s POV, but I’m going to be honest, there wasn’t a lot of menace there, a lot of his actions were kinda pathetic. There’s also fairly large underworld/lower-class component; Alice and Blackwood are forever running about the grittier parts of London, which was probably the most enjoyable part of the book.

I like Loretta’s writing— it’s sharp, funny, and her characters always give good banter, but the plot just wasn’t very interesting to me and I found myself skimming a lot of the book. I thought it would pick up post-marriage (surprise! they do marry midway), but it kind of meandered along to the end.

The sex:

Blackwood gives classic (reformed) rake sex— tender, but very thorough, like, he GETS a woman’s body, you know? Again, classic Loretta Chase sex scene, though a little less explicit but also less flowery than her older stuff from what I remember.

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 3.5/5
Heat Level: 3/5
Publication Date: January 21st

The final installment of the difficult dukes series by Loretta Chase is here and does not disappoint! This can easily be read as a standalone. I have only read the second book in the series and I still want to go back to read Ripley’s story.
The timeline of this book will crossover with the first two books, and you get to see some events that happen there from the perspective of Blackwood and Alice. It’s a story that has a timejump in it at around the 70% point.

Everyone here knows how much I love a story that has mutual pining and whew, the pining here was topnotch. I also really love a hero who claims to know himself and feels he isn’t good enough for the heroine. What I find refreshing in this book is that Blackwood is very resigned that he will never end up with Alice, but really desires her to have a happy life and will do everything in his power to give her that, and so he’s very much a big brother to her in his behavior. Normally when this type of trope enters the book, it’s met with lot of jealousy across the board with the resigned hero, the typical ‘If I can’t have her, no one can and no one else is good enough for her.’

The story very much focuses on the growth that Blackwood is going through. He has dedicated himself to being one of Their Dis-Graces, because he refuses to conform to the rules of society that have been stomped into him from when he was growing up. During his time ‘protecting Alice from any scandal’, he slowly begins to have doubts if the life of Their Dis-Graces is what he actually wants. Through society’s (and Alice’s) eyes, he’s a blackguard without any brain, although admittedly everyone knows Ashmont is the worst, and he lets them perceive him that way.
Meanwhile Alice is a typical rebel and tries her best to abide by the rules of society, but her bluestocking ways cannot be hidden away.

What at first glance seems like a himbo/bluestocking pair, eventually turns out to be a very smart golden retriever hero with a loose cannon heroine combo and I ate it up!

The only thing that bothered me a bit was the end of the book. It felt like it was an added on thought and like it was needed to tie up all the loose ends. In my opinion, those ends would’ve been fine left open, it meant that the story wasn’t really going anywhere in terms of further relationship development between Blackwood and Alice.

Thank you to Avon Harper Voyager and Netgalley for providing an ARC.

Thank you so much to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this ARC provided for review. All opinions are my own.

I have read and enjoyed several of Loretta Chase’s other books and I was really excited to receive My Inconvenient Duke. Unfortunately, I found myself quickly going from excited to frustrated to bored.

Loretta Chase can definitely build a character and a plot! I think pacing was where it fell apart for me—too much time spent on things that didn’t build the romance or felt repetitive? Full disclosure that I had not read the first two books in this series (I don’t usually read interconnected books in order, but it’s never been an issue), but I had read the summaries and understood that everything was happening all at once. I did not expect, however, that so much of the book in the last third would be spent showing events we (presumably) had experienced in other books through a different lens. I don’t object to post-wedding conflict, but everything from the wedding on felt summarized and rushed, which was disappointing.

Overall, while I did not enjoy this book, I’m sure it will find its readers, and I will still be picking up Chase’s next book, as I’ve enjoyed so much of what she has written until now!

As per my stated policy, I only post online reviews of books I enjoy and want to recommend. As such, I will not be posting this review on my social media.

Upon first meeting Blackwood in the earlier books, I had a feeling I was going to like him. I couldn’t wait for his book. I imagined his would be a story filled with angst and pining and drama and while this storyline and backstory should have set that up, I felt it lacking in so many ways.

I love the idea, loved the general idea of the characters, what throws them in each others paths, the ways they interact with each other and the ultimate happily ever after.

What was missing for me was the romance. It almost felt like women’s fiction with a little side romance. With the backstory of Alice and Blackwood, there should have been heart pumping, heavy breathing moments of stolen looks, accidental touches, gazes from afar, painful realizations about their love and their childhood and that stolen kiss. Instead they communicated so clearly and explained and solved all the complications so effortlessly (and to be honest unrealistically) and so quickly, that there was no time for all that good stuff that makes romance novels so incredible to read.

Was the story good? Yes
Do I love Blackwood and Alice together? Absolutely
Did the story lack romance? Unfortunately Yes
Would I read more books in this series? Also Yes!

Such an absorbing story. I did not want to put it down. Alice is a strong, self assured woman. She is intelligent and logical and understands the perils she faces as a woman. Giles is the bad boy you can't help but like. Their story is full and rich and oh so believable in how they get along.

Loretta Chase’s Difficult Dukes series features a friend group of young Dukes who have lived a wild youth but might just be ready to settle down – with the right woman.
I loved the first two books in the series and had high expectations for this one. I liked it, but I felt it was the weakest of the series.

The first book, A Duke in Shining Armor, introduces us to the trio of The Dis-Graces. These are wild young men who are products of their upbringing and society. No soft heroes here, but over the course of each book they do the work to become worthy of the fantastic FMCs who they end up with.

Each of our heroines is a fantastic feminist for the time and a real delight to read about. I loved learning about about some of the social issues at the time in England and how women played a part in working for change. I also loved how fast-paced and action packed these books were. They are plot heavy, but the characters also grow and change a lot during the course of the books. There are far-fetched scenarios and wild chases and it’s a ton of fun.

The first book features a runaway bride and falling in love with the “wrong” guy. Book 2, Ten Things I Hate About the Duke, was my favorite and was a loose Taming of the Shrew retelling with the best romance in my opinion.

The final book in the trilogy, My Inconvenient Duke, was actually my least favorite of the books because it’s a second chance romance that was teased throughout the first two books. I was waiting for some really wild reveal with how exciting and brilliant the first two books were and I was let down a bit, but it was still an enjoyable read.

I wish this book had about three fewer side plots so we could have spent more time with Blackwood and Alice. It felt very scattered - what was the main conflict? Worbury? The terrible school? Alice and Blackwood being too busy to be married? Ripley not having his stuff together? Ultimately, I really liked both Alice and Blackwood and wish Chase had refined this book a little more. Even if we didn’t get marriage in crisis like we were shown in the first two books, I would have enjoyed the story of these two falling in love and making a life together. It just really felt like this book needed a strong content edit and better plot direction. All that said, it was enjoyable, in a way, and the mains were great together. The dialog is funny and Alice is a great FMC, headstrong and fierce. If you enjoy plot-forward romance with one of the MCs pining away, you will enjoy this!

In the face of her brother's reckless behavior, Lady Alice Ancaster decides to set her sights on securing a husband, because a husband will protect the dukedom from her abhorrent cousin swooping in and ruining everything. Giles, the Duke of Blackwood can make grown men cower in fear, and he feels indebted to Alice, so he returns to London to keep an eye on her quest for marriage. But Lady Alice isn't a shrinking wallflower, and is constantly causing chaos unbeknownst to the rest of the ton, and Blackwood keeps getting pulled into her schemes. There's undeniable chemistry between the two of them, which they had acted on once upon a time, but things are different and they aren't meant for each other...right?

This book was funny, and I liked that Alice was a fairly modern-seeming woman. Giles was absolutely besotted with her, and we love a man that's a simp for his woman. I had a good time reading this book - it's a fun historical book with witty banter and fun characters. It's part of a series, and while I didn't read the first two, I wasn't completely lost. It's possible I missed out on some interesting connections between books, but it wasn't necessary to read them to understand the action in this one.

Second chance Historical
Even as a child Blackwood is attracted to Alice, but is wise enough to know he's not good enough for her. He's wild and a prankster, part of a trio always in trouble, one of whom is Alice's brother. Ms. Chase's Alice is a smart and strong individual, also drawn to Blackwood until circumstances conspire and they are married, becoming a formidable pair. This historical has second chance romance, intrigue, revenge and redemption. I highly recommend.

To save her family’s dukedom, Lady Alice needs a husband—and her childhood friend, the roguish Duke of Blackwood, keeps unexpectedly appearing to help. Their undeniable connection complicates her choice, forcing her to decide between duty and desire.

This book is hilarious! Alice is brilliant, and I love the dynamic between her and Blackwood. What a great way to wrap up the series!

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Lady Alice finds herself in need of a husband to save her from the possibility of becoming under her awful cousin’s thumb. Giles, the Duke of Blackwood, has been secretly in love with Alice for years but his bad reputation and a promise he made to her brother keeps him from acting on his feelings. When Alice enters the marriage mart Giles too returns to London to keep an eye on Alice and make sure she doesn’t pick the wrong man.

I am baffled by this book. This is the third book in the series and Alice and Giles are somewhat unhappily married before the first book starts, so I was expecting this to be a marriage-in-trouble book but they don’t even get married until after 70% and the timeframe of the story doesn’t jump to past the second book until 85%ish. I could see doing this if it was the first book in the series, but not as the third book. The first half of the book is very densely written with a lot of side plot that doesn’t always move the story forward. It very much felt like a historical written in the 80s or 90s in that regard (I don’t hate it, but it felt dated). I had to fight the impulse to skim so that I would not geet list. And then after their marriage, the writing style changed entirely to brief snippets of what was going on. The book honestly would have been a 4 star book had it just been the first 75% as a standalone or first in a series, but it’s placement in the Difficult Dukes series is just perplexing.

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

Thanks to @avonbooks for an advance copy of one of my most highly anticipated reads of the year: My Inconvenient Duke by Loretta Chase, out January 21st!

When I say highly anticipated, I mean it! Fans of Loretta Chase and the Difficult Dukes know that she dealt with some serious writers block when it came to the third book in this trilogy, but this one was worth the wait. Mild spoilers ahead?

What happens when a bunch of stubborn, rebellious idiots set out to protect someone they love? To start with:

-My best friend’s sister/she’s not for you angst
-Snark as a love language
-A MMC obsessed with the FMC
-I can’t decide whether I want to kiss you or kill you
-“NEVER WITHOUT ME”
-Try and stop me (derogatory)
-Try and stop me (affectionate)
-THE SCENE WHERE HE SETS THINGS RIGHT
-Murder or That Sort of Thing
-Lots of Dis-Grace-ful shenanigans

Alice and Blackwood’s story has been a long time coming and Chase delivered a conclusion (?) to the series that will appeal to newer HR readers and longtime fans alike: tell me Alice doesn’t have some Jessica Trent, Lord of Scoundrels energy! Those two would be thick as thieves.

It’s clear Chase didn’t have a plan for this book when writing the series (after alluding to a marriage in crisis in previous books, that is not the focus; this book takes place chronologically *before* the first two books in the series) — it didn’t bother me, but I get that it might put some readers off.

In spite of issues with the plot (how many times can the same orphan be kidnapped? Asking for a friend) Chase does this remarkable thing where each Duke is a complete disaster and you can’t see how they could possibly redeem themselves, and then she writes their story. And I fall headfirst each time. I have such a soft spot for these blockheads and I think a lot of other readers will, too.