Sophie Reads YA: Emily E.K. Murdoch

ARC Review: The Duchess Charade (The Wallflower Academy #3) by Emily E.K. Murdoch

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The Duchess Charade
Series: The Wallflower Academy #3
Author: Emily E.K. Murdoch
Published February 27th 2025 by Mills & Boon Historical

Goodreads Synopsis
A wallflower breaks free…

Only to fall hard—for the duke!

Adventurous, free-spirited Sylvia Bryant has no intention of entering the London marriage mart—she plans to return to Antigua and her mother, whom she was forced to leave. But first that means breaking free from her prison of a finishing school! Only when she makes her daring escape, the last thing she expects is to literally land in a duke’s lap! Now Sylvia and Theodore are forced into an engagement, which Sylvia certainly doesn’t want to make permanent. Yet if their union is just for show, why does her attraction to Teddy feel dizzyingly real?
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Sylvia Bryant doesn't want to be at Miss Pike's finishing school - the Wallflower Academy - and plans everything she can to escape and return to Antigua and her mother. However, it's harder than it looks, and she's been stopped time and time again. On her latest jailbreak, she finds herself in the carriage with a handsome gentlemen. Discovered, she and Teddy masquerade as an engaged couple, while they try to work their way out of it. But their attraction is real, which certainly complicates matters.

I liked this book, but it was my least favourite of the series. Both Sylvia and Teddy's characters could've been stronger in my opinion. Teddy didn't know who his family were, but Miss Pike took him to be a duke and he kept up the charade as long as he needed to, especially when it could help Sylvia. I found Sylvia to be quite selfish at times, and hurtful to those around her who cared for her. I think she needed more of a reality check than what she got in the end, because she didn't apologise as much as I think she should've done. Even so, she and Teddy were good together, and they were well matched.

Dates Read:
January 30-February 1, 2025

Rating
3 Stars

ARC Review: More Than a Match for the Earl (The Wallflower Academy #2) by Emily E.K. Murdoch

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More Than A Match For The Earl
Series: The Wallflower Academy #2
Author: Emily E.K. Murdoch
Published June 1st 2024 by Mills & Boon Historical

Goodreads Synopsis
How long can she resist...

the earl she shouldn’t want?

Marilla Newell refuses to play by Society’s rules for finding a husband. Not after her calamitous engagement to an awful earl. Living her life without sight makes it even harder to trust, so she’s immediately wary of charming rogue, Finlay — especially because he’s an earl! Yet the more their worlds collide, the less Rilla can recall her objections, until she learns about his duty that threatens their fledgling flirtation...
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Marilla Newill has been harmed by love before, and has no intention of ever finding herself engaged, let alone married, and especially not to a titled gentleman. She may be blind, be she sees more than most, and she knows when someone is disingenuous. Which is why it's so hard for her to stay away from Lord Finlay Jellico, even if he is an earl.

I think this one might be my favourite in the series. Rilla was such a strong and fiery character, and she made Finlay work for her love. She had previously been engaged to an earl, who'd unceremoniously jilted her, and she wasn't going to go through that pain again. Living at Miss Pike's finishing school - otherwise known as the Wallflower Academy - she preferred to stay to herself, or with her close friends Gwen and Sylvia. Even so, she did have to occasionally attend the events that Miss Pike put on, and that's where she met Finlay, who was sweet and charming - everything she was scared of. Finlay knew from the start she was blind, and would keep orchestrating reasons for them being together because he could she see was skittish and would take more than a little wooing for him to make her his. It was definitely worth it in the end though.

Dates Read:
January 28-29, 2025

Rating
3 Stars

ARC Review: Least Likely To Win A Duke (The Wallflower Academy #1) by Emily E.K. Murdoch

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ARC Review: The Best Things in Life are Dukes (Dukes in Danger #10) by Emily E.K. Murdoch

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The Best Things in Life are Dukes
Series: Dukes in Danger #10
Author: Emily E.K. Murdoch
Published March 1st 2024 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
A broken engagement, a duke, and a house party…

When Luke Beauchamp, Duke of Ashcott, was thrown from his beloved’s home by her brother, there was only one thing to do: become a spy and run away to France.

Perhaps not his finest moment—but he’s learned from his mistake, and is determined to win Lady Margaret Everleigh, his one true love, back. The trouble is, she has absolutely no desire to see him, and plenty of witty remarks at his expense.

When Luke knows what he wants, he gets it. He’s the most scandalous rake in the ton, and he’ll do anything, even orchestrating a “surprise” meeting at a fortnight-long house party, to win her back.

Lady Margaret, or Peggy to those she loves, isn’t buying it. All this remorse is too little, too late. Where’s Luke even been since he abandoned her to the scandal of a broken engagement?

Try as she might, Peggy can’t entirely escape either Luke, or her feelings for him—but unfortunately a few other house guests at this party have plans for her that she may not like…

Will Luke ever humble himself to reveal his true feelings to Peggy—and will Peggy finally admit to herself, let alone the man she once loved and lost, that the best things in life are dukes?
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Returned to London after some time in France, Luke Beauchamp, Duke of Ashcott, wants to rekindle his romance with former fiancee Lady Margaret Everleigh. They had a whirlwind romance, but when her brother, the Duke of Dulverton, discovers Luke hiding in their library, he throws him out, and Luke goes without a fight. Peggy wants nothing to do with Luke, and flees Bath for the Sedley's house party, hoping he'll get the message. But Luke won't give up, and when he realises they are at the same party, he will do anything to prove his love to her, and get her back, once and for all.

This book definitely jogged a lot of memories. The heroine's elder brother was the protagonist in book 2, Strike While the Duke is Hot, and the Sedley's were the couple in book 4, A Duke in Time Saves Nine. Peggy and Luke were an alright couple, though I thought she may have given in a little sooner than expected. Luke definitely made a mistake in leaving the Dulverton home without a fight when Henry discovered the couple, but his time in France - working as a spy - helped to shape him into the man he now was. I liked the way they did come together, though hated that Peggy was nearly harmed in the process. The book has set up for the next story, and I look forward to reading it.

Dates Read:
February 17, 2024

Rating
3 Stars

ARC Review: Play With Dukes, Get Burned (Dukes in Danger #9) by Emily E.K. Murdoch

18:00

Play With Dukes, Get Burned
Series: Dukes in Danger #9
Author: Emily E.K. Murdoch
Published January 19th 2024 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
Can a man ever give too many gifts to a woman he refuses to touch?

Daniel Vaughn, Duke of Thornfalcone, never expected to be a duke. Now he’s attempting to pay off his dead brother’s mistress, Nora Harvey, who is absolutely refusing to accept anything from him. His whole life has changed, people won’t stop bowing when he approaches, and even his sister refuses to stop calling him “Your Grace”. Daniel needs to just fix something, as he used to do in his old spying life.

Nora Harvey, his brother’s old mistress, will accept his beneficence. Whether she likes it or not. But Nora doesn’t want this bizarrely kind Duke’s help. She knows what men really want, and she’s waiting for this Daniel to suddenly demand what every man demands.

You know. That.

But though his natural shyness keeps him back, the heat growing between them threatens to burn through all their good intentions and cross all of Society’s lines. Such a shame that Nora has more than one secret which will soon radically alter Daniel’s life and put them both in danger…

Can Daniel restrain himself from kissing his brother’s ex-mistress—and will Nora ever tell him that she never actually accepted his brother’s attentions?
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Daniel Vaughn, Duke of Thornfalcone, has recently inherited his brother's title, and with it comes a lot of debts. So when he finds a letter from a woman named Nora in David's messy study, Daniel is ready to repay the debt and clear all the burden on the estate. However, Nora is not an old lady, but rather a beautiful young woman, who Daniel believes to have been David's mistress. Nora, however, doesn't want Daniel's help or support, and is doing everything she can to make it difficult for him to make amends. Though Daniel may be shy, he is drawn to Nora, and can't seem to stay away.

I liked this book, but there wasn't much to keep my attention once I was finished. Nora and Daniel were okay main characters, and their chemistry was definitely fiery enough for a romance. Daniel was sweet, and I really appreciated how he fought for Nora, and showed her how he could be trusted. Nora, however, was a little too high strung and defensive, which was disappointing as she never caused herself to lose out on love and happiness. A happy ending though, one which was right for the couple.

Dates Read:
January 21, 2024

Rating
3 Stars

ARC Review: Curiosity Killed the Duke (Dukes in Danger #8) by Emily E.K. Murdoch

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Curiosity Killed the Duke
Series: Dukes in Danger #8
Author: Emily E.K. Murdoch
Published December 7th 2023 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
Samuel Dellamore, Duke of Chantmarle, is on a mission . . . but it’s not the one everyone thinks.

Samuel has turned up in Edinburgh and convinced Society that he’s on the hunt for a wife. But his actual mission is to scour the city to discover the traitor spilling secrets to the French.

Samuel’s natural curiosity, good looks, and title have always been enough to get him what he wants—even when he’s not on the hunt for a spy—but a chance encounter with a Miss Lucy Finch shows him that she may be the exception to that rule. This mysterious woman quickly becomes a baffling and intriguing distraction from his real purpose in Scotland.

Unfortunately for Lucy.

The last thing she needs is the attention of a duke while she’s trying desperately to pay off her ruthless blackmailers. And she’s determined to warn this Samuel away from her—for his own sake. She knows she’s dangerous. Bad news.

But the duke’s curiosity and the growing attraction between them lands them both in a scandalous situation which only a marriage of convenience can set right.

Will Lucy accept the offer of respectability just when she needs it? And, even more importantly, can she keep the scandal of her past away from the devastatingly handsome duke she may just be falling in love with?
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Known bachelor Samuel Dellamore, Duke of Chantmarle, is in Scotland on a secret mission. To the ton it looks as if he is on the hunt for a wife, but in reality he wants to discover who the traitor spreading secrets to the French is. So meeting the beautiful Miss Lucy Finch, who cares nothing about his title, and is doing everything she can to keep him away from her, is new for Samuel. Lucy is being blackmailed, and the people who are threatening her are dangerous - especially to a duke. But Samuel is not about to give up, not when he's found someone who he thinks he could love.

I definitely preferred this one over the previous book. Both of the main characters were fantastic in their own right, but together they were unstoppable. Lucy was unlucky enough to find herself the victim of blackmail, and being forced to courier secrets for their silence. She knows it's wrong, but no one is there to protect her, and she won't risk others being harmed in the process. So she has to be grumpy to force Samuel away, and in doing so, piques his interest even more. He was the sunshine to her grumpiness, and he wanted to help her, no matter what. I did hate how Lucy lied to him, but understood why she did it. They made the perfect partnership, and I was so happy with how their romance turned out.

Dates Read:
January 19, 2024

Rating
3 Stars

2023 New Release challenge

ARC Review: Where There's a Duke, There's a Way (Dukes in Danger #7) by Emily E.K. Murdoch

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Where There's a Duke, There's a Way
Series: Dukes in Danger #7
Author: Emily E.K. Murdoch
Published October 26th 2023 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
Arthur Hebblethwaite, Duke of Fitzpaine is in rather a pinch. Firstly, he’s not actually a Duke.

It was such a clever idea. Pretend to be a duke, go to France, and live on the scraping and bowing of those desperate to impress a nobleman. All well and good, until someone recognizes him. Until he grabs a woman and uses her as a hostage to escape a French encampment. Until he looks at the woman and…oh, hell.

Joanna Bettencourt doesn’t know what’s being a shy heiress with a father desperate to marry her off, being captured by the French and held prisoner, or being dragged onto a horse by a maniac by the name of the Duke of Fitzpaine. Pretending to have a husband ready to protect her seemed the obvious option.

But as the “Duke of Fitzpaine” and the “penniless Mrs. Epwin” arrive at the coast, desperate to return to England, they are faced with a there’s only one cabin. Cue a little pretence that this time they both share. A fake marriage.

They’re both lying to each other, and they both don’t know it—but they can’t lie for long about the heat searing between them, the affection growing as they slowly open up to each other.

When the truth finally comes out, will there be a way for this “Duke” and this secret heiress to find happiness?
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Pretending to be an English duke in France was a good plan, until Arthur Hebblethwaite, pseudo-Duke of Fitzpaine, was recognised as an impostor. Trapped in a French encampment, the only way he can flee is by taking an English woman as a hostage, and using her as his getaway plan. Arthur could never have expected that the woman he grabs is Joanna Bettencourt, an heiress who fled her father and the threat of an arranged marriage. Joanna is not a shy and retiring young miss, and is ready to give as good as she gets when it comes to dealing with Arthur. Making their way towards home, they have to pretend to be married, but the fake relationship seems to come with very real feelings.

Another addition to the Dukes in Danger series, but one which is definitely more of a standalone. Set predominately in France, Arthur and Joanna have to rely on each other as two English people in a foreign country, who had recently been at war. Joanna was shy, but she was also feisty. With Arthur, she felt comfortable to be herself, and he allowed her to be as real and honest as she needed to be. Arthur was a con man, but he wore his heart on his sleeve, and fell for Joanna, hard.

Dates Read:
November 4, 2023

Rating
3 Stars

2023 New Release challenge

ARC Review: Put Your Best Duke Forward (Dukes in Danger #6) by Emily E.K. Murdoch

15:00

Put Your Best Duke Forward
Series: Dukes in Danger #6
Author: Emily E.K. Murdoch
Published September 15th 2023 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
Joseph Chisholm, Duke of Wincham doesn’t need a damn horse trainer to tell him what he already the loss of his leg makes riding impossible.

His doctor, on the other hand disagrees. Doctor Walsingham recommends a trainer who has never failed, and so Joseph begrudgingly agrees to meet the man. He’ll soon see the situation is impossible.

So when a dazzling beautiful woman—in breeches!—arrives at his door, even Joseph’s self-imposed isolation isn’t enough to make him forget the impropriety of the situation.

But Harriet Godwin, or Hattie to her friends, doesn’t care. This irritating Duke who’s never cared much for his neighbors or his tenants can go to hell as far as she’s concerned…

Except that the debts her father left on her horse stud farm have to be paid, one way or another. An agreement is made and Hattie begins Joseph’s horse training. But as the grumpy Duke re-learns how to ride a horse, could his heart be re-learning how to rejoin life? After such a tragedy, is there any point in returning to Society?

And when danger strikes, just how far will Joseph go to protect this woman he’s determined not to like?
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Returning from France with an amputated leg, Joseph, Duke of Wincham, is even more irascible than ever before. He hates the fact that he can't walk or ride like he used to, and he won't let anyone help him. But following a fall, he allows the highly recommended doctor to pass his details onto a horse trainer, Godwin, in the hope that he'll be able to find some joy again. But when Harriet Godwin arrives on his doorstep, the woman who saw and insulted him, and claims she can get him in the saddle within a month, he'll take that bet. Hattie knows that this will be her hardest work ever, but she's running out of money, and the £50 the duke will pay will be enough to save her stud farm. As the two work together, throughout thick and thin, it's clear that what may have started out as simply a job, has soon become so much more.

Another lovely addition to the Dukes in Danger series. As I read through this series, I don't think they are less companion books, and more books which are simply in the same universe. There's very little overlap between the characters, though some names are mentioned. Put Your Best Duke Forward is very much a self-contained book. Hattie has been the sole owner and operator of her family's stud farm since her parents' deaths, and it's been a struggle. Getting the chance to work with the often absent Duke of Wincham will be more than enough to save the farm, and tide her over into the new year. But when she inadvertently insults Joseph, they get off on the wrong foot, so to speak. It's hard for her to convince him she knows what she's doing, but helping to ease his pain in their first lesson was a good start. I liked how she didn't let him get his own way, and was just as fiery as he was. They really were made for each other, and I didn't even mind how quickly Joseph realised he wanted to make her his duchess. The ending was cute, and it's definitely setting up for book 7.

Dates Read:
September 3, 2023

Rating
3 Stars

2023 New Release challenge

ARC Review: Every Duke Has His Price (Dukes in Danger #5) by Emily E.K. Murdoch

14:00

Every Duke Has His Price
Series: Dukes in Danger #5
Author: Emily E.K. Murdoch
Published August 4th 2023 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
Hugh Shardlow, Duke of Martock, is a Duke down on his luck, and determined not to get tangled into any other danger. That’s why he’s accosting this young woman in the middle of nowhere, France, in the middle of the night.

He’d only come to France to drink, gamble, and escape the terrors of England. Even with his father dead and buried, the place held nothing but darkness for him…until his money ran out.

Which is why the brightness of this mad Englishwoman, searching the French armies for her supposedly prisoner-of-war brother, is an absolute nonsense.

Nice young ladies don’t march into French encampments. They don’t meander into French inns and accost the locals asking after her brother. And they certainly don’t make bargains with strange penniless desperate Englishmen. But Beth Mead has never been one for Society’s expectations, nor keeping them.

And so a deal is Hugh will help Beth find her missing soldier brother, and she’ll pay his passage back to England.

Both think they’ve got the better bargain, but you can’t put a price on trust—and as secrets and lies intermingle with hopes and expectations, Beth and Hugh swiftly discover that to protect themselves, they may have to betray the other…
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Beth Meade finds herself in Narthern France looking for her injured brother, Matthew. She speaks French well enough, but being an English woman, alone, is dangerous. When she is accosted in a tavern, she is lucky that another patron, who also happens to be English, comes to her rescue, and in return for helping her, he wishes for a ticket home. Beth thinks he is simply Hugh Shardlow, but he is in fact the infamous Duke of Martock. Hiding his true identity from her, Hugh soon falls in love with Beth, but is it too late for him to reveal the truth?

I knew when I finished book 4 that Nancy's sister, Beth, would be the heroine of one of the next books, and I wasn't wrong. I loved how strong she was. When we first met her, there was clearly a spark and fire in her to save Matthew, and she took off from home, alone with a little money, to France to search the countryside of her brother. She never gave up hope, not even when faced with soldiers or insults, and she pushed Hugh to be the best version of himself. I didn't like how secretive Hugh was, though that seems to be a bit of a theme for this series. His family was in disgrace, though he was a Duke, and he was in France for a bit of a jaunt, rather than fighting or doing anything worthwhile. To be honest, he only starts helping Beth for the ticket home, as he had gambled and drank away all his cash. Even so, he does prove himself worthy, again and again, even after hurting Beth with his lies. Another lovely addition to the Dukes in Danger series.

Dates Read:
August 24-25, 2023

Rating
3 Stars

2023 New Release challenge

ARC Review: A Duke in Time Saves Nine (Dukes in Danger #4) by Emily E.K. Murdoch

13:00

A Duke in Time Saves Nine
Series: Dukes in Danger #4
Author: Emily E.K. Murdoch
Published June 23rd 2023 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
Byron Renwick, Duke of Sedley, is a man on a mission. Vengeance fills his soul, and he will stop at nothing to gain justice.

Which is why he finds himself chasing after a mail coach in the dead of night with a mysterious and rather beautiful passenger. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. After discovering the Glasshand Gang’s plans to rob a mail coach, Byron was determined to catch them in the act and bring them to justice.

Missing the mail coach, and accidently letting slip to a woman that everyone in the mail coach was in danger? Also, not the plan.

Anne Mead has just put her darling younger sister on that mail coach and won’t take no for an answer from the strange gentleman who seems to know the nine people on that coach are now risking their lives. She tells him in no uncertain Anne is going with him. Together, they’ll save her sister.

But secrets on both sides threaten to surface in their race against time, as Byron keeps his title and more to himself, and Anne resists spilling the truth about her family.

And a sequence of inns with only one bed available doesn’t help…

With nine lives hanging in the balance, will Byron and Anne be able to put their bickering aside to rescue them—or will their growing attraction prove more of a distraction?
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Byron Renwick, Duke of Sedley, only thinks about stopping the Glasshand Gang who killed his father, and destroyed his brother. Hellbent on revenge, he chases the Dover mail coach, but not alone. Miss Anne Mead, Nancy to her friends, has been both sister and parent to her younger brother and sister since their parents deaths. When Matthew is injured and missing in France, Nancy puts younger sister Beth on the mail coach, hoping she will be able to find their brother and return home safely. However, Nancy overhears Byron state that all those on the coach are at risk by the Glasshand Gang, and stows away with him. Initially angry with each other, they soon find a camaraderie in the face of adversity. But Byron is hiding the fact he is a duke, and Nancy is struggling to hide her growing feelings.

I've really been enjoying this series, and this book was no different. Byron and Nancy both had big responsibilities on their hands, and though both were from the ton, Byron was not seen as a respectable Duke, and Nancy's family fell from grace when their father lost their fortune. They were so well matched for each other, though this did bring its own problems. They bickered like an old married couple from the moment they met, and it was hilarious to see how pigheaded each of them could be. I did wish that they were both more open about themselves and their families, but I understood that reticence to be vulnerable. The climax of the story was great, and I can see that it is helping to set the stage for book 5.

Dates Read:
August 23, 2023

Rating
3 Stars

2023 New Release challenge

ARC Review: The Duke is Mightier than the Sword (Dukes in Danger #3) by Emily E.K. Murdoch

12:00

The Duke is Mightier than the Sword
Series: Dukes in Danger #3
Author: Emily E.K. Murdoch
Published May 9th 2023 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
Montague Lancaster, Duke of Caefall, is in hiding in Oxford after a wartime injury, trying to ignore his doctor’s advice.

Because he’ll definitely be going back to France to fight, right? He’s determined not to leave his honor on the battlefield—but Montague has financial concerns to keep him occupied. The Duchy is bankrupt. He’s got to keep it a secret and keep his presence in England quiet.

Fencing is his only refuge, his passion, and Montague agrees to teach students to pass the time. Easier said than done when a poetess storms into his bedchamber and demands he help her finish her poem…

Sarah Lockwood is tired of having her poetry diminished merely because she’s a woman. Society holds no interest, and she’s in search of a poetry professor in one of the prestigious Oxford colleges to help her finish it. She ends up discovering a hidden duke who fences like a soldier and kisses like the devil.

Words cross blades with actions as both Sarah and Montague fight their growing feelings for each other, and the expectations of the world.

She cannot be a poet. He must return to France to fight. So which is the duke or the sword?
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Being injured while fighting the French, Montague Lancaster, Duke of Caefall, is hiding in Oxford, ignoring all advice and pretending nothing is wrong. He has family matters to concern himself with, and knows he will be heading back once he's healed, right? However, nothing he does seems to help, but he won't stop himself from trying. So when Sarah Lockwood mistakenly knocks on his door, expecting a poetry professor and finding someone decidedly not, it's almost like a dream come true. Sarah is sick of people not believing in her poetry simply because she is a woman. She wants to improve her writing though, and she needs to learn how to fight with a sword. Montague agrees to teach her how to fence, but the close proximity between them may just prove too much for their burgeoning feelings to handle.

I think this is my favourite of the series so far! Montague and Sarah had the perfect grumpy/sunshine romance, and they brought out the best in each other. Montague's growth throughout the course of the book was wonderful, and we saw how he dealt with his demons in a positive way, to make himself a better man, for both himself and for Sarah. A lovely addition to the Dukes in Danger series, I look forward to the next!

Dates Read:
May 8, 2023

Rating
3 Stars

2023 New Release challenge

ARC Review: Strike While the Duke is Hot (Dukes in Danger #2) by Emily E.K. Murdoch

11:00

Strike While the Duke is Hot
Series: Dukes in Danger #2
Author: Emily E.K. Murdoch
Published March 24th 2023 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
Henry Everleigh, Duke of Dulverton, is determined to discover who’s ruining his sister’s reputation.

That’s why he’s in the middle of nowhere, attempting to convince a blacksmith to take him on as an apprentice—undercover, of course.

He’s tracked down the source of the lying gossip to this forge, and Henry is not prepared to find a woman at the anvil.

A woman blacksmith. What on earth next?

Minny Banfield doesn’t exactly expect respect, but she’s never had a strange man march into her smithy and demand to be taken on and trained. If she didn’t need the money, she could firmly ignore him.

Him, and his handsome face, and broad shoulders.

But the secret messages she’s been passing have taken a toll and she needs work. So if this Henry Everleigh appears to be running from the law, what harm can it do to keep him around?

Sparks fly as Henry and Minny clash, both of them keeping secrets they are certain will destroy them—as the heat builds between them, a fiery desire that soon neither of them can deny…
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Henry Everleigh, Duke of Dulverton, is sick of seeing his sister's name in the gossip rags, and knows that the source is someone linked to a smithy in a little town. Masquerading as a country gentleman wanting to learn a trade, he's more than a little shocked to discover a woman working and owning the smithy. Minny Banfield knows the kind of comments that are made about her, but she'd proved herself to be a great smith, and deserving of her job. Teaching the mysterious man who's walked into her smithy demanding training is not something she would usually do, but she needs the money he is offering, and could do with an extra pair of hands too. As Henry and Minny work together, they realise that the attraction which has been simmering between them is about to boil over, and Henry is still keeping secrets.

Another addition to the Dukes in Danger series, and one which I really enjoyed. I liked the way Henry and Minny were able to get close to each other, and fall in love. Yes, Henry was hiding his true identity, and the reason he was at the smithy in the first place, but he managed to reveal a lot of his true self to her even so. The messages that Minny was sending were innocuous really, and I felt real pity with her and her brother for why they were separated. A great romance, and definitely suited to the series!

Dates Read:
May 7, 2023

Rating
3 Stars

2023 New Release challenge

ARC Review: Don't Judge a Duke by His Cover (Dukes in Danger #1) by Emily E.K. Murdoch

10:00

Don't Judge a Duke by His Cover
Series: Dukes in Danger #1
Author: Emily E.K. Murdoch
Published January 5th 2023 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
Lawrence, Duke of Penshaw, is undercover and getting punched on a daily basis.

Devastated by the murder of his brother by a traitor to the Crown, Lawrence agrees to leave his identity as Duke behind to go undercover at an illegal boxing ring in London. He’s waiting for the killer to return from France, and absolutely must not get distracted. Especially by a beauty from Society who absolutely should not be here.

Julia Dryden knows her mother would be scandalized by her presence at the boxing matches—it flies in the face of their agreement for her to choose a husband by Easter. After all, she isn’t getting any younger.

But her eye is caught by a tall, handsome man who gives everything in the ring and seems to have no fear of danger.

From two different worlds—but not the ones she thinks—Julia has no idea the man she’s falling in love with is not a common rogue.

And Lawrence has to keep it that way for if he loses focus, just for a moment, he may lose everything.

The chance to catch a killer, put a traitor behind bars, revenge his brother…and Julia’s heart.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Losing his brother to a traitor, Lawrence, Duke of Penshaw, agrees to go undercover to discover who the murderer was. Fighting at an illegal boxing ring by night, Lawrence is shocked to discover a society lady at his matches, especially when she returns night after night. Julia Dryden knows she is risking a lot to watch Lawrence, but after her parents decree she must marry by Easter, she is ready for one last hurrah before she is forced to settle down.

When I saw that Emily had a new series coming out, I jumped to download my eARC, and dove straight in. I liked the banter and camaraderie between Julia and Lawrence, especially as Julia believed they were from different classes in society. They had an easy relationship with one another, and it was clear that though the sparks flying were full of lust, there were real feelings growing underneath. The mystery aspect of the story perhaps could've been developed further, but the danger the pair were in was real, and the ending came with a bang. A great start to a new series, though, definitely setting the stage for future books!

Dates Read:
February 19, 2023

Rating
3 Stars