Series Name: Taming the Dukes, # 3
He could sense rather than see her spine snap straight at his silky reply. God, it gave him such sinful pleasure to tease her.
The Worst Duke in London is bursting with witty banter, lusty attraction, and a heroine who keeps the hero on his toes.
Lady Evangeline Raine prefers animals to people and has no interest in marriage–much to the dismay of her flirty younger sister, Viola. Because their father has one rule: Viola may be courted, only if Effie has a suitor as well.
Saddled with debt, Gage Croft, Duke of Vale, is determined to rebuild his estates. When the owner of his vowels offers him a fortune to charm the impervious Lady Evangeline for the season so Lady Viola can be courted, the game is on, even if it means pretending to seduce an unconventional wallflower.
But Gage gets much more than he bargains for in an adversary who wants to make her own scandalous arrangement. Effie will go to London for the season, but only if Gage agrees to be her lover. Yet when their fake courtship leads to passionate feelings, will their indecent proposal end with the season or be the start of something real?
This is my first Amalie Howard book, but it won’t be my last. I love a good Regency romance romp, and when I heard that 10 Things I Hate About You inspired this book, I knew I needed to get my hands on it. This is the third book in the series and reads as a stand-alone. But after meeting the couples from Amalie’s past books, I now want to go back and read the rest of the books in this series because they are delightfully fun characters I want to spend more time with. I am so impressed with Amalie’s writing and her ability to create such a fun and spicy romance. Amalie masterfully took the movie 10 Things I Hate About You and made it into a Regency romance. I was blown away by how she took this contemporary rom-com and made it her own. She nailed it!
Gosh, I don’t know where to start with what I loved about this book. First, let’s talk about the story. This was a fun and fast read. I was always entertained with what was happening in this book. Everything was perfectly timed to hook me in even more. I read this book in one sitting, and it’s addictive. This story has it all: those swoony unforgettable moments, sharp, witty banter, plenty of spice, drama, and a heroine who isn’t afraid to take what she wants. Everything was balanced perfectly and worked together to create a swoontastic love story. Another great thing about this book is that you get to spend time in two prominent Regency settings. In the book’s first half, we are in the English countryside, where we get moments when the heroine is stuck on a path, or the MCs are at a garden party. Then, in the second half, we are in London during the season, which includes balls, concerts, and visiting the less reputable parts of London. It was like you got the best of both worlds in this book.
The characters were fabulous! I loved Evangeline and Gage. They were perfect for each other. It was great watching them interact. They constantly kept each other on their toes and left each other befuddled and bemused. It was great. Evangeline was a wonderful heroine. She is smart, compassionate, and doesn’t take crap from anyone. Her sharp tongue has landed her in hot water a few times in London society. Her passion for helping animals leapt off the pages, and I loved how she often found herself in sticky situations because she was rescuing an animal. She has no desire to marry. She sees marriage as something that will take away her freedom and ability to help animals. Gage is that tall, dark, and broody hero who just wants to return to the Highlands. He hates everything to do with London society and doesn’t want the responsibility of being a Duke. I like him; he is a reluctant Duke who has found himself thrust into a great deal of responsibility. On top of that his brother has left the Dukedom in heaps of debt. Gage agrees to try and court Evangeline in order to forget the last bit of debt tied to Gage’s family.
The romance in this book is banging! I knew that it was going to be spicy just from the sparks that were going off between Evageline and Gage. It was just pure lusty tension. What surprised me was that both characters were virgins, but fear not, they figure out what is what pretty quickly. This is a very spicy, slow burn, and I loved all those secret moments between Evageline and Gage. There is something so wonderful about two characters doing something naughty in a dark corner or out in a garden. The notion that they could be caught just heightens those emotions and makes for such a damn fun reading experience. Besides, for all the lusty bits, these two have some pretty sweet and quiet moments. I loved watching as the connection grew deeper between them. And the grand gesture at the end of the book was amazing. If you are a fan of forced proximity and sex agreement, both MCs are virgins, alpha males, and a hero makes a deal to woo the heroine, then you are going to love this book.
The Worst Duke in London is a must-read for anyone who loves Regency romances.
Thank you, Forever, for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
