anna harrington is slowly becoming one of my favorite authors. i feel as if a few of her books snuck their way onto my kindle just because they knew id love them, and the duke of deceit is no different. a well executed story with a romance worth writing home about

The Duke of Deceit is the second instalment in The Dukes of Darkness series by Anna Harrington, but can be read as a standalone. The story follows Lucien, a bad boy rake, and Jess, the innocent heroine.

The book was fast-paced, with great dialogue and passionate moments. Lucien was a very loveable hero, especially when you find out his reasons for wanting to keep his blackguard reputation. Jess was pretty naive, she would do anything for her family.

I very much enjoyed reading Lucien and Jess' story. If you're looking for a lighthearted read with banter and some spice, this book might be for you.

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

Lucien Grenier, Duke of Crewe, prides himself on his black reputation. Miss Jessamyn St Claire believes Lucien ruined her sister, and she is determined to hit Lucien where it hurts most. When rumors arise about Lucien doing good deeds, he must put a stop to it in order to protect his secrets.

This is the second book in the Dukes of Darkness series. This story stand up well alone, but Lucien played a role in the first book where information about his family is brought to light.

From the blurb, I wasn't quite sure how to feel about this plot...but, as usual, Harrington delivers with intrigue and interesting characters. There was snark and spice, and it worked for me. I did think Jessamyn's protests in the "third act" were a little weak, but necessary to roll into the eventual conclusion. 4.5 stars rounded to five.

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Ruined, Revenge, Sibling's Suitor (sort of), Villainous Hero (sort of)

Steam: 3

* I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

Their first interaction had Lucien kiss an angry Jessamyn as a warning and she liked it. This scenario repeated and it’s not what I expect from rivals to lovers. Too much instalust for me.
If Lucien cared so much for Philip and justice for him, why couldn’t he just be his heir and manage the affairs? The dukedom would go to Lucien’s heirs anyway, so what’s the problem? Still, Jessamyn’s ultimatum felt a little unfair and Lucien proves himself but it made me wonder if she did enough work to deserve him.
The insistent use of gel for girl was grating. I started counting.

The book is cute I guess in the way all romance novels are but the plot was kind of farfetched and Jessamyn was too forceful for my taste. Like who could do something like make a duke give up on his title and benefits on a whim? I disliked her for it and I don’t think someone could have done something similar at the time. Overall it was a nice read.

A wonderful tale of lies, secrets, dark past and a battle of wills between two characters. Exciting read with witty exchanges and steamy encounters. He fears his darkness will engulf her but she is the light and the peace to his soul so love and friendship found a way.

I received an ARC of this book and leaving my review voluntarily.

I had a fun time reading The Duke of Deceit. I really enjoyed book one so I was so excited to be able to jump into this one.

This time around we have the two MMCs trying to one-up each other, uncover secrets and fall in love. I enjoyed the snarky banter between these two and they had a ton of chemistry. The romance is fun and the sex scenes spicy. The heroine could be a little annoying at times due to her naivety and her willingness to believe anything her sister tells her. Lucien was a great bad boy with a heart of gold. Loved these two together.

Can't wait for the next one (fingers crossed).

The Duke of Deceit is the second book in The Dukes of Darkness historical romance series by Anna Harrington, and it’s a wonderful addition to the series. With compelling characters, a unique story, and a few secrets that unravel over the course of the story, it’s an entertaining and romantic read.

Lucien and Jess have so much chemistry, and for the most part, I enjoyed their swoon-worthy love story. Lucien is a dreamboat, and his friends are amazing too. Jess is also great, though I didn’t love the ultimatum she kind of pushed with Lucien. It made me question the depth of her love, though I think by the end, my opinions about this changed, and I could tell she was as devoted as him. Lucien, however, totally proved his love for Jess, and that was super satisfying and pretty swoon-worthy. The way he put everything on the line for her and risked it all to do what was right made me love him even more.

Overall, I enjoyed this historical romance. It’s an interesting addition to the series, and I’m really curious to find out what happened between Lucien’s friend Shay and Sophie in a future story in the series. They keep hinting at something, and I can’t wait to see how their story plays out. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

I have to admit that I have been a little underwhelmed by this series so far. The series is called the Dukes of Darkness but so far the thread they really have in common is women who set out to destroy men only to find out they have all their facts wrong. The overall plot here - a sister going after the man she thinks "ruined" her sister only to find out that sister lied - has been done before and it's not really a favorite of mine. And Jess's plan to bring down Lucien didn't fully make sense to me and seemed like something he could have explained away as some marriage-minded mother trying to reform his character in order to get him trapped in a marriage. And I kind of understood her not wanting to marry Lucien until he was honest about the true heir to his title, but she also seemed a little short-sighted in that area and wasn't really thinking of the full repercussions if things went bad for Lucien and his brother. Or if someone took advantage of Phillip once he ascended to his title (and even with Lucien keeping a close eye on him it could have happened. My favorite part of the book was finding out who the actual father was and the circumstances behind why Jess's sister hadn't been honest about it. That was actually a really sweet love story. Overall, this book was enjoyable, but I never really felt like a connected with the plot or characters.

Lucien has a dark reputation but he quietly does philanthropic deeds that he wishes to keep quiet.
Jessamyn is determined to interfere in his life as her sister Amanda states she is pregnant with his child.
Many secrets are uncovered including his ducal lineage, the baby’s father, and their relationship is affected by all of it.
Fun sexy scenes and good banter between characters.

The Duke of Deceit was a fast, fun historical romance about two people who are embroiled in one upping each other. Lucien, the bad boy rake is a walking contradiction. He's trying to hide a secret by acting like the biggest jerk on the planet. Meanwhile, Jess, the ever-so-innocent heroine, is determined to turn his rogue reputation into that of an alter boy so he will marry her “ruined” sister.
The book itself was a quick and fun read but did have me rolling my eyes at times. The banter was sharp, the pacing was brisk, and the language was what I would expect from a historical romance. However, I think that the categorization of "Enemies to lovers" was a little generous. These two were practically drooling over each other at first sight. It's like the author couldn't decide if they wanted a slow-burn or a microwave romance.
And don't even get me started on the FMC. She's so naive, she'd believe anything her “ruined” sister said. But hey, if you're looking for a lighthearted romp with some good old-fashioned snark and some pretty spicy scenes, this book might be for you. I rated this a 4 as it kept me reading, had some pretty steamy scenes, and kept with the true nature of a historical romance. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC <3

Oh boy, did I need a good historical romance this week. And once again, Anna Harrington delivered. Lucien and Jess were an adorable couple, and the author's choice to have a character with Down syndrome was incredibly touching.

Tropes: enemies-to-lovers
funny banter
miscommunication
spicy times in a carriage!
grand gestures

While I loved the little historical details that Harrington is excellent with, I think my favorite part of the novel is Lucien's character. His reasons for lying to the world were heart-breaking, but I understood why he did it. I wasn't the biggest fan of Jess, but the rest of the story (and Lucien!) made up for it. In my opinion, she seemed a tad too eager to hook up with the guy that she thinks impregnated her sister. However, when she finally slowed down a little, I enjoyed her moxie and fierce attachment to Lucien and her family.

Overall, I adored this romance and can't wait to read the next one in the series!

I'm a fan of Anna Harrington's work, but this one missed the mark for me a bit, mostly because I wasn't a huge fan of Jessamyn as a character, and a lot of convoluted logic had to come together in order for the plot mechanics to play out. The book follows Jessamyn and Lucien, who come together because Jessamyn's sister, Amanda, claims that Lucien is the father of her unborn baby. Jessamyn decides that the only course of action is to reform Lucien's image (something which irks him) and essentially leverage his reputation to force him to marry Amanda. This logic is already a bit of a leap, especially because Amanda does not wish to marry Lucien for her own reasons, but Jessamyn moves passed that quickly in order to do what she believes is the right thing for her sister.

Ultimately, Jessamyn does this pretty often throughout the book and is mostly rewarded for it. She meddles and moves forward without anything to back her beliefs up, and without listening to anyone else's advice. What was so frustrating was that she's rewarded for all of this, instead of chastised for her heavy-handedness.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jessamyn is determined to make rake Lucien marry her pregnant sister. She decides to give him a better reputation by having good deeds done in his name. Lucien has no intention to marry anyone and likes his bad reputation. It keeps people away from discovering his secrets. They try to fight their mutual attraction. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for my honest review.

Wow, Lucien and Jess are, simply wow.

Jess is smart, protective, unapologetically vindictive, and out to set things right. She's has big blinders regarding her sister (an angel NOT) and Lucien (a devil, NOT), and her aunt tries to moderate her behavior but to no avail. I liked it when she had to eat her humble pie and get off her high horse when the truths regarding her sister and Lucien came out. She is truly remorseful.

Lucien, you can totally be my book boyfriend. He is a kind, compassionate, and loyal hero. He's also very, very smart and I liked that about him. His cultivated persona is fun, too. Oh, and he totally, unashamedly falls in love and is such an amazing hero.

I really liked this book. It was fast-paced with good dialogue, raw emotions, and passion.

#netgalley #TheDukeofDeceit

Absolutely delightful! I love Anna Harrington's books, and this was no exception. We love a reformed rake, don't we, folks?

Enemies to lovers, strong leading lady, sort of a mistaken identity, great dialog, HEA - I really loved it.

Anna has done it again! If you have read any of Anna's books, you know she will not disappoint. The Duke of Deceit is a historical romance that sweeps you into the lives of Lucien Grenier, Duke of Crew and Miss Jessamyn St. Claire, whose paths cross in a deliciously tangled web of revenge, redemption, and passion. Harrington's deft storytelling made me feel like I was right there in the story, watching the characters' lives play out in front of me, a true testament to her skill in crafting an immersive romance.

Lucien prides himself on being seen as the ultimate rake- a man whose reputation is as black as night. Yet, beneath his wicked exterior lies a heart far softer than anyone suspects. When rumors circulate about his involvement in charitable acts, he risks exposing his true nature- and even losing his dukedom if secrets come to light. Jessamyn, however, is determined to unmask him for a different reason. She is set on exacting justice by rehabilitating his reputation until he agrees to marry her ruined sister. What Jess doesn't expect is to discover Lucien's goodness, nor the undeniable spark that kindles between them.

Harrington's characters shine, with Lucien's complex duality and Jess's fierce determination making them the perfect pair. The chemistry between them is undeniable, and every interaction brims with tension and depth. Watching their relationship evolve from revenge to love feels natural and exciting, and the gradual uncovering of Lucien's secrets keeps the story engaging.

Themes of forgiveness, reputation, and the hidden self add layers to the romance, making it more than just a love story but an exploration of how love can transform even the darkest reputation. Harrington handles these themes with care, showing how true connections allow us to see beyond the facades.

The Duke of Deceit is a must-read for historical romance lovers who enjoy spirited heroines, morally complex heroes, and a story that feels rich and real. If you're looking for a book to whisk you away, this one will make you feel as if you're living it alongside the characters- a love story that you will want to keep experiencing over and over again. I can't wait to read the rest of the series book!!

"Duke of Deceit" is a cute, fairytale Regency romance, with a heroine named Jessamyn—an apt choice for the era—and her counterpart, the duke, Lucien. The story is well written.

However, often several rounds of plot explanations slow down the narrative flow, reducing engagement and inducing frustration with the story's advancement.

Jessamyn's character is probably supposed to be an independent, self-made heroine, but she ultimately comes across as impertinent and meddling. Jessamyn continues to act on her impulses, driven by her regrets over her father's departure and without communicating or discussing her decisions, leading to the main confusion in the story. Also, Jess's mind is "swirling" quite a lot and frequently, leading to the question of how she gets through her day.

Of course, this is a romance novel, so the story is more of a fairy tale than a historical tableau. Nevertheless, some plot "twists" are unnecessarily cheesy. It gets steamy around the third part of the book. Again, not necessary to the plot, but probably to the genre.

In summary, "Duke of Deceit" offers a cute romance set in the Regency era (probably for the purposes to include a duke), but offers no real character development, which makes it difficult to build a relationship with the characters. It can be read as a stand-alone. While it may satisfy readers looking for a light HEA, those seeking deeper character relationships may find it lacking.

I was provided a free advanced reading copy by NetGalley. This is my honest - and voluntary- review.

Is Lucien really the rake everyone believes him to be? Or is it just a facade?

When Lucien’s father , the Duke of Crewe, passes away Lucien makes the decision to behave in the opposite manner of his father while also hiding that reputation to do nice things for the less fortunate.

Jess, our artist, believes that her sister was taken advantage of and decides to force both their hands by “changing his reputation”.

This is my first book by Anna Harrington and I loved it, I would still call it a slow burn with MC’s who cannot keep their hands off each other. I can’t wait to read more of her books.