Zachary Black: Duke of Debauchery by Carole Mortimer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Unexpectedly Compelling

The story of a woman who makes a horrible mistake that ruins her life and the man who she betrayed, this story is compelling and makes a reader want to know how there can be a happy ending.

THE STORY: Zachary Black, Duke of Hawksmere operated as an agent for the Crown during the war with France. One night when entering his carriage, he finds a veiled woman in black who wants his help to get information to British authorities about the imminent return of Napoleon that will result in another war. Zachary is determined to find out who this mysterious woman is. What he doesn’t expect is that it is Lady Georgianna Lancaster, the woman to whom he was briefly engaged and who eloped with her brother’s French tutor. Georgianna has returned, unmarried, ruined and — Zachary suspects — now a French spy.

OPINION: I loved the dark tone of this book. Georgianna made a horrible choice that ruined her life and irrevocably changed her. Zachary, in fact, doesn’t even recognize her at first. Torn between his continued attraction to her and his suspicions about her motives, Zachary has a difficult time dealing with Georgianna. I liked that Georgianna made such a terrible mistake and that readers get to see how she has changed. She is a strong woman who is not intimidated by Zachary and he is even more entranced with her because of it. While the book has an incredible turn of events where Georgianna is still a virgin, I so enjoyed the sparring between the main characters, that it did not diminish my enjoyment of the book.

WORTH MENTIONING: Although Zachary is referred to as the Duke of Debuchery, it is hard to actually find him acting in that manner. Instead, he is honorable and quickly becomes remorseful about how he has treated Georgianna.

FINAL DECISION: I really liked this book. My only complaint is that it would have been better with more pages to resolve more of the relationship between the main characters. After only mildly liking the prequel, I did not expect to like this one as much as I did. The complex relationship between Georgianna and Zachary, however, had me completely engrossed wanting to know how it would be resolved.

CONNECTED BOOKS: ZACHARY BLACK: DUKE OF DEBAUCHERY is the first full length story in the Dangerous Dukes series. There is a prequel novel but this book is better and a reader missing nothing by starting here.

STAR RATING: I give this one a 4.5 rating because I loved the angst filled story that seemed impossible at the beginning and yet worked out perfectly.

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Rufus Drake: Duke of Wickedness by Carole Mortimer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good Story, Short Novella

THE STORY: Anna Bishop is caught in a compromising position by the new Duke of Northamptonshire, Rufus Drake. In order to extricate her, Rufus demands a kiss as payment. When the two meet again, Rufus can’t seem to keep Anna from his thoughts and Anna knows that she is in danger from the handsome rake.

OPINION: I really liked the characters in this story. Anna and Rufus are really sweet together even as they argue and debate their way through their relationship. For such a short novella, I thought that both Anna and Rufus were clearly deliniated as characters. I liked them so much that I wish there was more to their story, however, I thought that this was a story that was told adequately in the length given.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book seems to be a prequel for the next book in the series as a mystery seems to be starting.

FINAL DECISION: This story is short but the couple is sweet and I liked their interactions.

CONNECTED BOOKS: RUFUS DRAKE: DUKE OF WICKEDNESS is book 4 of the Dangerous Dukes series. It can be read as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

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Marcus Wilding: Duke of Pleasure by Carole Mortimer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Too Short to Be Compelling

MARCUS WILDING: DUKE OF PLEASURE is a very short novella that introduces Mortimer’s new series. It is the story of Julianna Armitage who was widowed after being married to a disagreeable man who cared not about her. She has come to Marcus Wilding, Duke of Worthing to ask him to tutor her as to pleasure so that she can take a lover. Unknown to Julianna, Marcus has loved her for years and now intends on luring her into marriage.

This novella is short and good enough but there is little disclosed about Marcus and Julianna except for their physical relationship that is detailed here. The novella is a nice start to the series but was too short for me to really care about the characters. It was worth the price (free!) and the time I spent reading it. I look forward to reading more of the series.

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Darian Hunter: Duke of Desire by Carole Mortimer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Liked the Characters and the Plot

Continuing the story of dukes who help the English in their battles against Napoleon and the women with whom they fall in love.

THE STORY: Darian Hunter, the Duke of Wolfingham is incensed when he finds out his younger brother has been seen with Mariah Beecham, Countess of Carlisle. Mariah has a very bad reputation. She is rumored to have had numerous lovers before and after her husband’s death. When he confronts her, he is intrigued by the strength of the woman and attracted to her despite himself. The two are shocked when it is revealed that they have both been acting as spies for the British crown. They are needed to act as lovers at a house party in order to discover an assassin. Mariah has no intention of becoming involved with Darian. She was forced into marriage by her husband and doesn’t intend on becoming involved with anyone again. The two, however, cannot resist one another and as secrets are revealed, the two realize that there is more to the other than they thought.

OPINION: While I found the story adequate, I think that the characters and the story had more promise than was realized. Mariah’s backstory was heartbreaking and I think that there was not enough attention paid to how she made the transition to a strong woman. Her actions and her words were contradictory and I just didn’t feel that her character was developed enough to explain her contradictions. I think this was just too big a story to be contained in the length of the novel. There are too many things happening and there was not enough emotional depth or character development to support it. The book is a good one time read but doesn’t have staying power.

WORTH MENTIONING: There are small cameo appearances by the heroes of the other novels in the series, but not enough to be satisfying.

FINAL DECISION: While I liked this book, it wasn’t as good as the second book in the series. The subject matter was full of angst, but the treatment of the subject matter wasn’t as deft as the prior book.

CONNECTED BOOKS: This is the third book in the Dangerous Dukes series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 3.5 stars.

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