Denying the Duke, by Callie Hutton is a historical regency romance, as well as the third book in the Lords and Ladies in Love series.

As the second son to a duke, Lord Alexander Pemberton was treated with disregard by his parents and scorn by his older heir brother. Alex never envied his brother, until it was announced that his brother was betrothed to Lady Patience Browning...the woman Alex loved.

Four years later, Alex returns home after the death of his brother and discovers that Lady Patience Browning is still single. After years apart, family interference, and numerous misunderstandings, Alex and Patience attempt to reconcile their youthful time together with who they are today, despite the continual hindrances to their new relationship.

Denying the Duke is geared towards those who prefer reading historical regency romances.


Note: I received this book from NetGalley, which is a program designed for bloggers to write book reviews in exchange for books, yet the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I started out really liking this book.  But Patience, the heroine in this book, becomes very immature and unreasonable the further into the story you go.  For example,  when her father tells her he has arranged for her to marry a 60 year old earl, and Alex ( the hero in this book) streps in to save the day by saying she had already agreed to marry him,  she throws a tantrum.  She refuses to marry him because he doesn't ask properly. As i said, this book had so much potential,  but i thought it lost its way.  All in all,  i still did enjoy it.

This book was good. Alex wss a little overbearing for my taste. I could relate to Patience's exasperation but it was a good read!

In Denying the Duke, Patience certainly does deny the Duke. A woman beyond her time, Patience is sick of how women are treated in her day. She's watched abuse, been forced into things she doesn't want, and finally gets a chance to take a stand. 

The stand she chooses to take was a bit overkill in my opinion. Alex, the second son she fell in love with years ago is back, and she is taking out all of her frustrations on the man who doesn't deserve a lick of it. I loved Alex. He was so kind and thoughtful. He had a touch of (undiagnosed due to the era) PTSD. I loved that the author included that in Denying the Duke. That time period had quite a few wars, and PTSD is not a new thing. 

Denying the Duke had mystery, suspense, and intrigue. I couldn't put it down as I read. I needed to know what was going to happen. It was a wonderful story, it is the 3rd in a series, but can be read as a complete standalone. 

*Review Copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads*

Enjoyed this story of the lovely Patience and Alex,  first loves, separated by circumstance, and machinations of their parents.  He left and joined the military, leaving her to face her fate as a bride to his elder brother.  Four years later he returned to bury his brother and finds they never married.  Do they resume their young relationship or do they part?

Oh, to be young and naive. Patience and Alex thought love would be enough, but there were other plans at play. Callie Hutton never heads in the direction, I think she'll go. From heartache to tempting fate, she keeps her thoughts close to the vest and keeps readers guessing what's going to happen next. Denying The Duke plunders through a war, betrayal and heartache to create a courageous tale of love's power and life's hope. With the heart involved. ease is never to be expected only hoped for.

4.25 stars
Four years ago, Alex Pemberton, second son of the Duke of Bedford, had planned a life together with Lady Patience Browning daughter of the Earl of Wilton. However, when their fathers announced Patience was to be betrothed to his brother Cyrus, the heir, Alex left his family's estate and joined the military.
Alex returns to assume the title Duke of Bedford when Cyrus unexpectedly dies. He is unprepared for both his new responsibilities and the reunion with Patience. The horrors of war are a heavy burden, and when he learns that Patience never married his brother, he is stunned.
Patience withstood the bullying of her fiancé and her father for four long years. The Earl of Wilton wants Patience to now marry Alex but she refuses just because he's the duke, especially if he no longer loves her.
A well written page turning book, the conversations & interactions between Alex & Patience are delightful, their marriage of convenience had me laughing. A very good story of second chances, an escaped traitor all add to the mix. The characters are well portrayed & I hope Alex’s three friends have their stories. Alex is used to being an army officer & treats Patience as though she was one of his men at times, at other times he’s overly protective. Patience has been bullied & wants Alex to treat her as his partner, whilst she’s quite a strong character she does dissolve into tears a lot. I thoroughly enjoyed the book & will certainly read more by the author. The only criticism I have is Alex Pemberton became Duke of Bedford with principal seat at Woburn Abbey, the real Dukes’ of Bedford principal seat is Woburn but they are the Russell family, so why wasn’t Alex a Russell when his grandfather was?

Kind of a hard story to review. I really liked Alex and his protective ways however I was a little put off by Patience. The story deals with a very hard subject, abusive relationships. I understood where Patience was coming from, I just thought it went on too long. Also, Alex really needed to be honest. The scene at the theater was terrific. Overall I thought the story was done quite well.

One of the things that I really like about Callie's writing is that she is able to evoke strong emotions about her characters.

Alex I absolutely loved. As a second son, he was treated horribly by his family. When he finally found love, it was ripped away from him so he decided to venture out on his own and make a life for himself. The choices that he made left him emotionally scarred but despite that he was determined to make the best of his situation and lead a good life. He had horrible male role models but still managed to treat others better than he was treated. He wasn't perfect but he really made an effort to protect others.

Alex and his friends made this book worth reading. I would love to read more about this loyal band of friends.  

Patience really drove me up the wall. She knew how horrible some men treated women. She saw it first hand with her abusive father and her fiance. She prayed for years for her first love, Alex, to return and rescue her but when he actually did, she wasn't the least bit grateful. She was a drama queen. She wanted to be taken seriously but when she didn't get her way, she ran away and refused to listen. She made a fool of Alex in front of the staff and their friends, repeatedly and worst of all, she used his decency against him. We have all met women like Patience who create unnecessary drama in their lives and lives of those around them.

Fortunately, the long needed conversation was had which paved the way for these two to have an amicable life together.

I really would have liked to see Patience's father end up in debtors prison. That would have been hilarious.

I received a free, advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

Publisher's Description:

Forbidden fruit never tasted so sweet...

Four years ago, Alex, a second son, had planned a life together with Lady Patience. However, when Patience was betrothed to his brother, the heir, Alex left his family’s estate and joined the military.

Alex returns to assume the title Duke of Bedford when his brother unexpectedly dies. He is unprepared for both his new responsibilities and the reunion with Patience. The horrors of war are a heavy burden, and when he learns that Patience never married his brother, he is stunned.

Patience withstood the bullying of her fiancé and her father for four long years. She refuses to marry Alex just because he’s the duke, especially if he no longer loves her. How would that be better than what she has already endured? Promises made in their youth are not enough to overcome the changes life has wrought for them but love can grow and transform, if only Patience could believe that.

My Thoughts:

Callie Hutton has written a remarkable second chance romance with this newest addition to the Lords and Ladies in love series.

Alex and Patience fell in love four years ago, but when Patience is forced into a betrothal with Alex's older brother, the heir to the dukedom. Alex joins the military to get away from this unbearable situation.

Now after the death of his father and unexpected death of his older brother, Alex has inherited and returned to find that Patience never married.

They are most certainly not the same people that fell for each other four years ago.

Will they be able to overcome their differences and find happiness together or will the ravages of war that Alex continues to have nightmares about anf his bossy ways drive them apart?

I found the characters in this story endearing and memorable. Some of the characters I recognized from previous books in this series. Carry over characters just seem to enhance this story rather than take away from it. 

Although it can be read as a standalone I think it is better reads as part of the series. They do not, however need to be read in order to be enjoyed.

I gave this book 4.25 of 5 stars for storyline and character development and a sensual rating of 3.5 of 5 flames. There is a remarkably entertaining cat and mouse game carried on between our hero and heroine which lends a brief comical nature to the story

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley to read. This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Denying the Duke by Callie Hutton is a charming historical romance with interesting characters and angsty storyline. However, the conflict was very anticlimactic to me. The almost non existing problem wasn't really a problem and so about mid point the story fell stagnant. Not really any suspense or who done it, like I would have liked. I appreciate the opportunity to read the book and Thank Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I really enjoyed "Denying the Duke" by Callie Hutton.  I'm not usually a huge fan of reunion stories, but this one was actually sweet and Alex and Patience definitely deserved their happy ending.
Patience and Alex met when she was a young sixteen and he a young twenty-one.  As a second son, Alex has been ignored most of his life by his parents, they showered their favor on their eldest, Cyrus.  Patience and Alex spend a few idyllic days together at his parents' estate and make plans for their future.  Their happiness is destroyed when Patience is unhappily betrothed to Cyrus.  
Alex leaves his family and Patience, when Cyrus dies four years later he returns to take up the dukedom.  He believes Patience married Cyrus and is uncomfortable seeing her again and the possible children she may have had with Cyrus.
Patience never wanted to marry Cyrus and put off the wedding as long as possible.  Patience is tired of men and their bullying and she believes she could be a spinster and live alone.  Of course, her father won't accept that and wants her to try and win Alex back.  But the war-hardened Alex who returned is not the Alex she fell in love with.
There is still plenty of chemistry and passion between Alex and Patience, but Alex has to work to win back her heart.
Little bit of suspense thrown in, but that felt a little incomplete for me.  Alex's relationship with his mother felt incomplete as well.  They needed a conversation or two between them. 
Very nice book, really enjoyed the story line.  There are a few passionate love scenes.  I do wish Alex and Patience would have had a heart-to-heart talk, would have cleared up their some of their angst.  But I would recommend this one to romance lovers.

In return for reading this ARC, I promised a fair and honest review.  I have read other Callie Hutton books and so was looking forward to this one.  Sorry to say that I was left a tad disappointed.  The story, to me, seemed a bit disjointed.  There was a flow that seemed to be missing.

I really enjoyed this-- I loved the tension between the two main characters, and the drama of the storyline.

Got an advanced copy from NetGalley for an honest review. 
Trigger warning for domestic abuse.

This book is the third in a series called Lords and Ladies in Love, but it is also a stand-alone book. I have not read the previous two, and I do not think that by not reading them my experience was lessened. There is instant-love in this book, but I can forgive it because the characters separated for four years, and thus they have to re-fall in love. Patience and Alex–the lovers–are likable enough. Patience can be a bit ignorant and obtuse sometimes, and other times she displays wisdom and a clarity of mind. Alex can be the insufferable masculinity male lead, but like Patience, he is capable of admitting his wrongs and changing. I enjoyed reading how the two of them fall in love, which goes from sexual tension to an actually deeper appreciation and understanding of each other. Since this is a romance book, I have to rate it more towards an R rating as it does have some sexual descriptions. The minus of a star or point (what have you) is because while it was an enjoyable read, it wasn’t life altering. There is also a description–can’t write here because of NSFW–at the beginning of the book which made me giggle; but after that part, the other descriptive parts were rather well written. Another part of the book that I was confused about is that Patience’s mother and father kind of disappear after the wedding. And lastly there was this bit of text which infuriated me when it first appeared, but as the book progressed it became clear that Patience only said this out of ignorance:

“Her mother’s acceptance of her father’s ill treatment had allowed the man to bully everyone. Had her mother stood up to him, perhaps all of their lives would have been better.”

This part gave me pause because, to me, it seems like Patience is blaming her mother for her father’s abuse. Overall, it is a really nice romance novel.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is book three in Calle Hutton. This book made me furious. Patience was just annoying I couldn't stand her. She just drove me nuts. The story was pretty well done but I just wanted more from her. She was just crazy!

This was a beautifully written story. Characters you will absolutely love, a villain who you can't help but hate, and a storyline made for a great read!

Callie Hutton never fails to bring to the pages characters that are entertaining to read. Ms Hutton is my go-to-author for historical romance for this reason. Another great read in the Lords And Ladies In Love series.
Review copy received from Entangled Publishing via Netgalley

It's an interesting story. I liked it. Patience and Alex fell in love when they were quite young but as soon as their love story started it ended too. Now after four years they're seeing each other again. Both have changed, life hasn't been good to either of them. One thing still remains though i.e. their mutual attraction. They can't seem to stop wanting each other. Although, physical attraction might not be enough for a happy marriage.
Patience has had it enough with over bearing men. Her father is the worst but Alex is no better. So she decides that she going to make sure that she doesn't become a door matt for him. Circumstances made it so that they have to get married. Alex needs a wife and wants to protect Patience from her father's abuse. And patience has no choice whatsoever. But she will make sure that her marriage is not like her parents'. She doesn't want to be a helpless woman anymore.
Alex doesn't know how to convince Patience that he will never hurt her. He tries but she seem to think the worst of him. So he will have to show her that he cares for her. Their marriage may not be a love marriage but it will also not be a marriage of convenience. Unfortunately danger lurks in the corners and Alex doesn't have time to make sure that Patience is on the same page as him. For now he must focus on protecting her from getting hurt. His past is still following him. Until the traitor, who threatens is wife, is brought to justice there isn't going to be any peace for him.
It's a cute story with a dash of realism. life isn't always easy, most times it turns out to be quite painful and not at all what we expect. Patience and Alex might get lucky and find their happiness in the end. Or may be their marriage is doomed from the start.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. I quite enjoyed reading it and would recommend to historical fiction fans. It's a well-written story with well-developed characters.

Lady Patience met and Lord Alex Pemberton, second son of the Duke of Bedford, when she was just sixteen and he was twenty. As sweet love blooms between them, Patience is horrified to learn that her father has bethrothed her to Alex's older brother and heir. The young love they harbored was torn apart and Alex leaves to join the military, knowing the woman he loves is forever gone from his life. Four years later, Alex learns his brother has died and he is now the Duke of Bedford. Patience and Alex are vastly different people now. Can they find a way back to each other?

This book deals with serious issues of abuse and PTSD. Ms. Hutton does a great job highlighting how helpless women were in the Regency period. They were either owned by their father or their husband without much choice in how they wanted to live their lives. I could feel the desperation of both Patience and her mother as her father's explosive anger lands on them and also the horrifying nightmares that plagued Alex from his time in war. There was a good subplot of a traitor to the Crown running around London, bent on revenge against Alex. That was interesting and kept the story moving forward. I really enjoyed this story and fans of Regency romance will definitely enjoy it as well.