A Duke in Shining Armor
Series: Difficult Dukes #1
Author: Loretta Chase
Published November 28th 2017 by Avon

Goodreads Synopsis
Not all dukes are created equal. Most are upstanding members of Society. And then there’s the trio known as Their Dis-Graces.

Hugh Philemon Ancaster, seventh Duke of Ripley, will never win prizes for virtue. But even he draws the line at running off with his best friend’s bride. All he’s trying to do is recapture the slightly inebriated Lady Olympia Hightower and return her to her intended bridegroom.

For reasons that elude her, bookish, bespectacled Olympia is supposed to marry a gorgeous rake of a duke. The ton is flabbergasted. Her family’s ecstatic. And Olympia? She’s climbing out of a window, bent on a getaway. But tall, dark, and exasperating Ripley is hot on her trail, determined to bring her back to his friend. For once, the world-famous hellion is trying to do the honorable thing.

So why does Olympia have to make it so deliciously difficult for him . . . ?
Goodreads

Review
When Lady Olympia Hightower made the match of the Season, everyone expected she would be overjoyed. But really, she's not. Marrying the drunken Duke of Ashmont is not her idea of marrying well, but her family could do with the money, and Ashmont does seem to really care about her. Well, for the bookish Olympia, it all becomes too much, and on the morning of her wedding, she flees the home, climbing down a trellis, and followed by none other than the Duke's best friend, Hugh Philemon Ancaster, seventh Duke of Ripley. Ripley's reputation is nearly as bad as Ashmont's, and he truly thinks he must be the devil incarnate for his lusty thoughts of his friends bride. But as they are travelling together, with Olympia more than a little drunk, they fall for one another, and just how do they break it to Ashmont? Will it all go well, or will there be pistols at dawn?

I realised that when I bought Ten Things I Hate About the Duke there was a previous book, so held off on reading that one until I could get a copy of A Duke in Shining Armor, and I'm glad, because I feel like this book definitely has introduced us to the three Dis-Graces, and will help me to understand Ashmont more in his own book. Lady Olympia is the perfect lady, but bookish too, and that has led to her still being unmarried, and dangerously close to being on the shelf. When she saves the drunken Duke of Ashmont from falling into the road one morning, she gains his attention, and his affection, and the entire Hightower family believe this is their salvation. But Olympia can't face marrying such a rake, and one known for his pranks, and has a little too much Dutch Courage on the morning of her wedding, convincing herself it's a good plan to try and escape in her wedding dress, trailed by Ashmont's BFF, Hugh, Duke of Ripley. And once Hugh caught up to her, there was a whole calamity of issues that lead to them before forced together longer and longer, and it was lovely to see them grow from being wary of each other, and then slowly falling for each other. Meeting all of the other characters, especially Aunt Julia, and being given peeks into the life of the final Dis-Grace, the Duke of Blackwood, who I hope we get a story about soon. I can't wait to read Ten Things I Hate About the Duke.

Dates Read:
April 2-5, 2021

Rating
4 Stars