Meet the unforgettable men of London’s most notorious tavern, The Wicked Duke. Seductively handsome, with charm and wit to spare, one night with these rakes and rogues will never be enough…
Notorious whip Giles Langford is surprised to learn his blacksmith is a girl, shocked to realize she’s the out-of-his-league sister of a duke, and horrified to discover he’s fallen in love with the impossible-to-tame woman anyway. With no money and no title, Giles has nothing to offer but his heart…
Felicity Sutton knows poverty firsthand, and she’s never going back. She might miss the smithy, but not the relentless desperation of no home and an empty belly. Of course she’ll accept the stability of a wealthy ton suitor. As for the penniless daredevil she loves, well… At least they’ll have one night to remember.
Review:
A fun addition to the series!
I accidentally read this one out of order–somehow it snuck right by me–but it wasn’t a problem at all; it felt like this was more standalone-ish than the others (though really, I think all of them could work as standalones, really). Felicity and Giles spent most of the book together, working on the vehicles in his smithy. Her brother Cole plays a largeish role, but you don’t have to have read his book to enjoy this one.
I liked the non-traditional elements of this one–Giles isn’t in the aristocracy (though he isn’t actually “penniless” as the blurb says), and Felicity spent a good portion of her childhood disguised as a boy, apprenticed to a smithy. She still prefers trousers to dresses, and working on curricles to embroidery. I loved that Giles fully supported her (once he got used to the idea–he was taken aback at first) and that he even started taking girls in as apprentices in his smithy.
A good portion of the conflict/black moment stems from miscommunication, but for a change it’s not between the hero and the heroine. I really appreciated that they both were pretty up front with what they wanted and needed most of the time. For all of the agonizing that Felicity does over her situation, it was resolved rather quickly and painlessly. Not that I’m complaining–I was definitely rooting for their HEA–but it did seem a bit anticlimactic after all of her hand wringing.
This was an entertaining series–fingers crossed that these two authors collaborate again!
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.