Cover Image: Duke du Jour

Duke du Jour

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Member Reviews

Jared travels back in time to the regency period and inadvertently takes the place of one of his ancestors, the 7th Duke of Reston.

It was an enjoyable story, but I found 21st century Jared far too formal and the events towards the end of the book to be repetitive.

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This was a very fun and exciting read on Regency Romance. This is the first I've read of a time traveling Duke. It has love, spies, and mystery. An unknown danger follows the duke around. Who is a friend? Well written enjoyment. This story had my full attention!

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Jared Langley is the duke of reston who just found out that her fiancee was cheating on her. Surprisingly he feels no hurt. Just after that he stumbles into the past where he is the seventh duke of reston. He was disappointed to know this namesake of his. He set on to correct his ancestor's mistake and found the love of his life Arianna. He realized many truths of life there and feels happy for the first time in his life. How he came to terms with his life in past is truly mesmerizing. I recommend this book wholeheartedly. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

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Keeper keeper keeper.... BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY!
What a different story line! The hero is the time traveler going back in time. This was a superb read for me. I loved the characters, the way the plot was set out as well as the secondary characters. Each page was like a wonderful adventure. I am not sure what I was expecting , however, being totally enchanted and caught was what I got! I cannot wait to read more of this series. What a superb writer ! This writer is definitely not one of my normal listed authors. However, I am afraid I must add to my list! ... If you want a book that has a story line, some passion, some heart and a lot of adventure this is one for you. It is not all sex! It is a fantastic read.
I was given this book in return for an honest review via NetGalley. My opinion is my own and done voluntarily. Regards, Anna Swedenmom

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I was given an ARC of this book by Net Galley for an honest review.
This book was more than a relaxing read. I was hooked from page one till the very end. The many secrets and the mystery of the heroes ancestor was a great and different storyline. I just loved the hero and the heroine plus the villainess and of course the dog. I would recommend this great read with a difference to all fans of time travel books with the historical romance theme. I will be looking forward to the next book by this author.

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Publisher's Description:

Jared Langley, present-day Duke of Reston, tumbles into an abandoned fountain on his ducal estate and travels back in time to the year 1816. There, Reston servants and local villagers think him a dead ringer for his namesake and rakehell ancestor—the seventh Duke of Reston, gone missing at the Battle of Waterloo. Unfortunately, Seven got mixed up with French spies out to assassinate the Duke of Wellington, and an unwary Jared ends up in their crosshairs.

Lady Ariana Hart has loved Jared Langley, the seventh Duke of Reston, since she was twelve years old, until the night the rogue broke her heart. Given up for dead, her rakish neighbor makes a miraculous return from Waterloo—only Jared shows up a changed man and reignites all the feelings Ariana had long ago buried.

Jared is in a race against time. He must waylay the suspicions of his quirky servants and neighbors, get to Wellington before the French spies do, fix his fountain—before Seven shows up—so Jared has a way home, and definitely not fall in love with the irresistible Lady Ariana.

My Thoughts:

This well written, suspenseful, and delightfully humorous at times book is a great find. I had never read anything by this author before but will look for more.

This new to me author has written a winner in one of my favorite genres. I love a good time travel and it is a must to have segments that keep it light.

Jared is a Duke from the twenty first century with woman problems. His fiancé is quickly making her way through other eligible men but not necessarily men who out rank him.. she lays the blame for her infidelity squarely on Jared's shoulders claiming he doesn't spend enough time with her.

He has just given her an ultimatum; take a settlement from him or get nothing.

Jared goes for a walk to clear his head when he takes a tumble into a fountain and ends up in the 1800's mistaken for an ancestor that he more than greatly resembles.

Meeting the women in said ancestor's life is a great surprise. Why could he have not met someone like Lady Ariana Hart in his own time?

Will our hero be able to stay in the past with the undeniable love of his life or will he meet the same demise as the man he has been mistaken for?

Love, mayhem and attempted murder ensue. Will Jared and Ari make this impossible situation work?

I gave this book 4.5 of 5.0 stars for storyline and characterization. The hero and heroine are simply delightful and their mutual love of Jared's large dog just adds to the humor and more.

The secondary characters are well developed and essential to the plot of this book.

I received a complimentary digital ARC of this book through NetGalley to read and review. This in no way affected my opinion of this title which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

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Duke du Jour is a humorous tale of time travel. Jared, the 13th Duke of Reston, spends his spare time researching his ancestors, namely the previous dukes. His time travel sends him back to impersonate the 7th Duke of Reston, also, named Jared. I was about halfway through the book before it hit me that possibly the 8th Duke of Reston was the son of the 13th Duke of Reston. Although the ending and HEA are somewhat predictable, Ms. McCarty writes an enjoyable trip there.

I love the descriptive ways Jared describes the people around him, including his attackers, red kerchief, blue kerchief, slouch hat. He even calls the duke he is impersonating number seven. He claims to have amnesia as an excuse for not remembering people and events around him. He realizes someone is out to kill him and that the true seventh duke might actually be dead. For a long time, he does not trust any one around him.

Jared is drawn to his neighbor, Lady Ariana, although he knows he has to return to his own time. Ari has been in love with Jared forever, but she has allowed him to hurt her too many times. Regardless, loves him anyway. Ari is a strong, but tender-hearted woman when it comes to Jared. She knows his reputation and worries he will return to the rake-hell he was before returning from Waterloo. Ari keeps loving and hoping he will return her love. Your heart kind of hurts for her while at the same time wanting them to reach their HEA.

Jared is frequently frustrated with ‘seven’ due to his wastefulness and chasing skirts, for which he keeps getting blamed. And, he cannot tell anyone. He learns quickly that employees and bills are not getting paid. Just his care and concern for others lets those around him know he really has changed, except he hasn’t. He is the 13th duke, not the 5th.

The was this unfolds will keep you wanting to continue reading just to see what will happen next. For a fun read, pick up this is truly enjoyable book. It is my first McCarty book and I look forward to more of her writing.

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It was the blurb on Goodreads: "...a reverse Kate and Leopold...a light-hearted time travel romance where a bewildered modern-day duke ends up in Regency England and meets the girl of his dreams..." which got my attention. And since I had just read Betting on Cinderella of Petie McCartey I knew I would be in for a treat.

And yep, it was great. Jared, thirteenth duke of the Reston estate finds himself awakened after a fall in a fountain on his property. However, it is not present day but 1816. The era where woman can not be seen unaccompanied with a man, because their reputation will be compromised. The era where Jared the seventh lived as a rascal, breaking women's hearts all over the place.

Jared the thirteenth comes from an era, where all of his known ancestors were unlucky in love. And his luck had just run out, since he found out that his fiancée is cheating on him. Therefore: no more marriage for love for him.

But after meeting Seven's lovely neighbour Lady Ariana, Jared finds himself questioning whether there would be love for him in the cards. If only she would have been born two eras later. Because Jared now needs to find a way to go back to his own time, without disrupting the future. But where is the seventh duke and what has he got to do with the French who are threatening with war at Waterloo?

Intrigues, passion and a wonderful display of historical ways of wooing a lady. A wonderful, light-hearted read. Funny, with a lot of twists and turns. Five out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

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A time travel romance where a bewildered modern-day duke ends up in Regency England and meets the girl of his dreams
Jared Langley, present-day 13 th Duke of Reston, tumbles into an abandoned fountain on his ducal estate and travels back in time to the year 1816. There, Reston servants and local villagers think him a dead ringer for his namesake and rakehell ancestor--the seventh Duke of Reston, gone missing at the Battle of Waterloo & thought to have died. Unfortunately, Seven got mixed up with French spies out to assassinate the Duke of Wellington, and an unwary Jared ends up in their crosshairs.
Lady Ariana Hart has loved Jared Langley, the seventh Duke of Reston, since she was twelve years old, until the night the rogue broke her heart. Given up for dead, her rakish neighbour makes a miraculous return from Waterloo only Jared shows up a changed man and reignites all the feelings Ariana had long ago buried.
A loved this book it definitely ticked all the boxes for me, Time travelling back two hundred years & the amusing faux pas Jared made so entertaining. The pace was very good, with spies, assassination plots & Jared falling in love all lead to a page turning novel. Surely, not Shirley, the opener to a series as Bullen & Dex deserve their HEAs. The characters were very well fleshed & likeable. The villain were villainous & Harry adorable. The author is new to me & I look forward to reading more from her

My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

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This is more of a 3.5 star read. I loved the spy aspect that was woven in, and the mystery of who was involved and why. There were definitely some surprises along the way, and once that part of the story got moving, I couldn't put it down. I also enjoyed the time-travel aspect. It isn't something that you see a lot of, and what you do see sometimes is a little "out there", but this was well done. The interactions between the MALE characters were interesting, and I enjoyed watching Jared of "now" become close with the people the Jared of "then" knew. I also liked the fact that although there were some close encounters, this remained a sex free novel. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a good sex scene, but so often they are thrown in for the sake of having one, or moving the characters relationships along (and lets be honest here, the author could have had one and cleared some things up in the end), however the fact that they chose NOT to do that spoke volumes.

What kept this from being a solid 4 star read for me was two things. To begin with, the outcome was painfully obvious. I knew there was only one outcome, and I feel like anyone who reads this will come to the same conclusion. The second (and bigger) issue for me was that I do not like Ariana. I could not like her. I TRIED. But it seemed like she was always and forever running away and bursting into tears over something she had overheard. Where was the backbone that she showed the rest of the novel? Why didn't she stand her ground and stand up to Jared during these times when she seemed to have no trouble doing so when they were alone?

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

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"Duke du Jour" is a simply adorable time travel romance by Petie McCarty. Jared, living in the 21st Century, is the current 13th Duke of Reston. He is engaged to a woman of his social standing, he doesn't love her, and when he finds out she is cheating on him, he is mad but not heartbroken. Jared takes a walk on his estate to clear his head and falls into a fountain, and wakes up 200 years in the past.
The current Jared has a lot to learn about the past, it seems he is mistaken for the seventh Duke of Reston - also named Jared. Society believed the 7th Jared was killed at Waterloo and they are shocked when he walks into the house.
Arianna has loved Jared since she was a child following him around. She always looked up to him until the night of her first ball when she heard him speak harshly of her with a conquest. Arianna believes she has long gotten over her childish infatuation with Jared.
The current Jared, masquerading as the former Jared who has a bad case of amnesia, realizes the Reston duchy and Jared's life in general is an absolute mess. The servants aren't being paid, the tenants are sinking deeper into poverty and there is no money left for anything. Not many people like Jared the7th, he drank too much, had affairs, and lived a life of leisure while his tenants and estate fell into ruins.
Jared the 13th wants to change the past before Jared the 7th makes his way back from the war. It's a monumental task, someone is trying to kill him, he is falling in love with Arianna and he isn't sure who he can trust.
Great plot, interesting story line, Jared and Arianna have great chemistry, the villains are terribly dastardly and the side characters are likeable and real. I really liked this twist on time travel, sending a man back in time instead of a female.
Jared believes he needs to get back to his time or the future will be a complete mess. I really, really liked this book. The only complaint I have is there are no love scenes. I like my books with hot, sexy scenes. But I would recommend this to romance readers who enjoy time travel stories and "clean" reads. This book would have been a five star read if it had included love scenes.

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This is a time-travel with a difference – it is great fun. The present-day 13th Duke of Reston, Jared Langley, having broken up with his fiancée after he discovers her cheating on him, walks out onto the grounds of his estate and contemplates his future near an abandoned fountain. He experiences a severe headache and falls back into the fountain only to emerge in 1816. His servants, friends and people in the local town, all believe Jared to be the 7th Duke of Reston, who they all believed had been killed at the Battle of Waterloo. Jared manages to convince everyone that he has lost his memory whilst trying to uncover the whereabouts of his ancestor, Seven. However, Jared soon discovers that this reappearance has meant a renewed attempt to murder him. Thrown into the storyline is Lady Ariana Hart, his neighbour and childhood friend. Ari has loved Jared for always but on his return, has resolved to distance herself, or so she tries. Her feelings were crushed when she overhears him laughing about her naivety, with one of his mistresses.

This was a great book and I found myself, immersed from page one. I thought I had the ending all worked out, only to find an interesting twist to the story. The characters are so well developed with Jared, attempting to resolve Seven’s financial issues whilst being honourable towards Ari, despite his growing feelings. Whilst Ari is headstrong, she shows a great strength of character and saves Jared on several occasions. Jared’s friends also added to this story and I hope to see more of them in the future stories. I look forward to reading more in this series as this was definitely a page-turner.
I received an advanced review copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Jared, Duke of Reston the 13th, living in modern day London, takes a walk in the back of his estate. It has overgrown, he spends all of his time in London, managing his money. He takes a walk to the fountain, he has a headache, Falls in the fountain, and he finds himself and the 19th century during the time of Napoleon. He has to claim amnesia, an order for everyone not to think he's insane, he knows they might send them off to the Madhouse. He then realizes the seventh Duke was a rake of the first order. He meets lady Ariana and he is madly in love. There are people out to assassinate him, and he doesn't know why. Some now, he has a brother, a best friend, a wolfhound dog, and Lady Airi. How can you possibly stay in this century when he belongs in the 21st century? This is a great story, it's a clean Romance, it's fast-paced, love all the characters.
I highly recommend! Thanks! Enjoy!
carolintallahassee👒

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Jared Langley, Duke of Reston, is sick of his the way things are going in his life. All he cares about is researching his ancestors, but for some reason when he comes across a relative of the same name who looks just like him, Jared cannot find out anything about him. When Jared takes a tumble into a fountain in his garden, he awakens to find he has traveled through time to 1816. To top it off, everyone thinks he is the missing seventh Duke of Reston. Jared plays along to keep people from thinking he's nuts.

Jared has no idea the trouble he has stepped in. By impersonating his ancestor, he has made himself a target. Jared must work against the clock to uncover what happened to the seventh duke before he loses his own life. It is clear the his namesake/lookalike was not the best of men, but what will happen when the truth is exposed about him? Will present-day Jared suffer the consequences?

Author Petie McCarty's DUKE DU JOUR is an unbelievably captivating tale. I found myself laughing out loud more than once. Jared is such a great guy and he has to go backin time and fill the shoes of a relative who has been nothing but a rake and wastrel. I love how Jared tried to be a better person for all those past relative Jared had wronged. He even endears himself to all those who had grown to hate past Jared. The romance side was great too. I was almost sad that we didn't at least learn that past relative Jared didn't take Jared's place in the future. Other than that, I really enjoyed DUKE DU JOUR. I especially loved the relationship that developed between Lady Ariana and Jared as well as the comraderie/brotherly love between Jared and the seventh duke's brother, Bullen.

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GREAT READ! NOT GOOD READ! BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY! If I could give 10 stars I would!
WOW! What a wonderful story. I loved the characters, the plot, the way it unfolds. I love the humor, the passion, the romance. This author is one of the best I have read in some years. Her imagination is so wonderful that even with only the small amount of paranormal the rest just is enchanting. I absolute adore this book and to me it is a KEEPER! I would of thought in this series , that it would as many do, just be so so. She has amazed me making this book even better...

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In return for this ARC, I promised a fair and honest review. First bit of honesty....I do not usually like time travel books. Second bit of honesty...this one was SO GOOD. So much going on that the story never slowed and kept me intrigued. Really well written and a larger than normal story. You will love it too!

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