Nearing thirty, the Duke of Rathburne is finally ready to make amends for the wager that caused him and his best friends, Griffin & Hawk such scandal—but taking on a ward who needs a husband is a feat he’s not sure he can manage. The last he saw of Miss Marlena Fast almost a decade ago, she was a spirited little ruffian, not the sort of bride most bachelors on the marriage mart sought. But one glance at the lovely lady she has become is enough to convince him otherwise. Orphaned young and shuffled from family to family, Marlena counts on her fierce independence and quick wits to keep herself content. 
I absolutely adored the chemistry between Rath & Marlena, little things like Rath knowing almost to the minute how long it had been since he had seen her were so touching & had me totally hooked. Rath is tall, broad shouldered, handsome with a smile that makes your knees go weak. He’s also got a wicked sense of humour, which I loved. Marlena is hiding a secret & gradually learns there’s two sides to every story. A delightful page turning read. I really liked the previous two books in the series but for me this was the best of the three, it could be read on it’s own but to fully appreciate Rath & Marlena I’d recommend reading the first two books

My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

It’s All About the Duke by Amelia Grey
Rakes of St. James #3

Three young men made a wager…
A scandalous wager – at least society said it was.
Three young dukes gained the dubious “honor” of being named…
…The Rakes of Saint James.

In the final book of the series the Duke of Rathburn “Rath” has agreed to become the guardian of Miss Marlena Fast who will be coming out in her first season with the ton. She lives with a widowed cousin, has dear friends living next door and has a secret she really doesn’t want Rath to find out about. Of course, eventually the secret does come out and there is a happily ever after for the couple and a few other couples in the book. The reader gets to see how the other two rakes and their wives are doing, too. Each chapter of the book begins with an epigraph taken from “Miss Honora Truth’s Words of Wisdom and Warning About Rakes, Scoundrels, Rogues and Libertines” – who the author of this tome and weekly scandal sheet is unknown throughout the series but revealed at the end of this book. 

I had trouble with this book because I found difficulty relating to the characters and the story. I did not really engage with hero or heroine and didn’t seem to care about them as much as I would have liked to. I had this feeling that the story could have been told in about half the words. Anyway, I am sure that some will love this book and others will find it rather slow and tame. 

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC – This is my honest review. 

2-3 Stars

This book

This was my favorite book out of the trilogy. I loved Rath's no nonsense attitude. He owned who he was and only apologized for the necessary things. He was true to his feelings throughout the whole story and he remained honorable. I liked Marlena's innocence and I really enjoyed her growth as a character. Her curiosity and shifting feelings felt real and made sense for a woman of her age. I really enjoyed Eugenia and Veronica's secondary story throughout the book and I love that everyone ended up with there happily ever afters. I would have liked to see Lady Vera get her happily every after and a glimpse into what everyone thought when they found out Marlena's secret, but other than that this was the perfect ending to the series.

I received a copy of this book thru Netgalley.  This is the third book in the trilogy The Rakes of St. James and it is as enjoyable as the other two.  It is very well written, but still needs proofing which is to be expected in this advance read copy.  Marlena comes under Rath’s control as being her guardian.  Events happen and there is a HEA to this book.  There is a lot that happens in the book and it is worth reading.  I am sure when the final copy is available all of the grammatical issues will be resolved, that being said, they do not take away from the story.  It is a clean romance that is appropriate for most age groups.

I recieved a copy of this book through NetGalley and St Martins Paperbacks for an honest review.It's All About the Dukes the third book in 'The Rakes of St. James' series. The Hero is 'Rath' The Duke of Rathbourne and a very arrogant hero he is. The Heroine is the lovely and very clever, Miss Marlena Fast. Marlena's guardian is very ill and has asked the Duke of Rathbourne to take on guardianship of Marlena. He agrees to this while half drunk and experiencing a hangover. In his arrogance he thinks to train Marlena as a perfect lady that will be excepted by the Ton and get her married off well, then he can pat himself on the back and say he did a job well done. Marlena has been, with her friend Eugenia to writing the 'Miss Honora Truth's Word of Wisdom and Warning Doubt Rakes, Scoundrels, Rogues and Libertines' book and knows that arrogant Duke of Rathbourne is  one of the biggest Rakes in society so is reluctant to go along with his plan to 'train' her like a dog for society. The story started off very well and I liked the back and forth banter between the Hero and Heroine but the was parts of the story that just annoyed me. I usually like the stories that Amelia Grey writes and was looking forward to this book, but just could not like this one so much.  The main aspect of the story I did like was the Miss Honora Truth's quotes of wisdom. Some had me laughing out loud. I will look forward to the next book and hope that there are more sage pieces of advice from Miss Honora Truth.

It’s All About the Duke is a great finish to the Rakes of St. James.  Starting off with the witty conversation between Marlena and Rath, the Duke of Rathburne, is a little slow, but definitely worth staying with it.  This could be a stand alone, but I enjoyed reading through the series with a vested interest in what would happen with Rath, who was the rumor starter and who was Honoria Truth.

Marlena has a heart of gold.  She is giving, caring and a super loyal friend.  All of this came about from her desire to help her new friend three years earlier.  Enter Rath as Marlena’s new guardian.  His inner conversation is quite hilarious once he decides to be a true gentleman.  He indicates his father went to his grave still trying to reform him.  Thank goodness he did.  It made the story all the more interesting.

Even with her scandal sheet writings, Marlena’s heart is in the right place.  Her guilt takes over once she gets to know the people of whom she has been writing.  They are no longer nameless, faceless beings.  Rath’s heart is just as loyal.  He has a strong sense of loyalty to his friends, too, in how he wants to protect them from hurt.  With Rath becoming Marlena’s guardian, both of their worlds take an interesting journey.

I loved the fainting neighbor, Eugenia.  Great add in to the tale.  And, how can you not love a dog lover!  

I was engaged and enjoyed the final book in the Rakes series.  Nothing was left hanging, all questions were answered and lightheartedly, every one had their HEA.

Cute and coincidental, that is how I view this book. I enjoyed Marlena and her BFF Eugenia and even some of Eugenia’s fainting whenever she saw the duke.  That this consummate Rake had an epiphany and became an honorable gentleman who could sponsor a ward who is in her twenties…well, that was a stretch. Okay, now you think I didn’t like the book but that is not true.  Ms. Amelia Grey can write circles around most others and give you laughs one minute and have you tearing-up the next. This was a most enjoyable Historical Romance, cute and coincidental.

I wanted to like this book, I really did. With a blurb promising an ugly duckling story ("The last he saw of Miss Marlena Fast, she was a spirited little ruffian, not the sort of bride most bachelors on the marriage mart sought. But one glance at the lovely lady she has become is enough to convince him otherwise….") what's not to love, right? *sigh*
This book was so repetitive and slow that it was difficult to plod through. It's like there was only about 100 pages worth of actual story and it needed to be stretched to fill an entire book. Maybe this should have been published as a novella so the story could have moved at a faster clip, and it would have been an entire star or two rating better.

It's All About the Duke is the third instalment in Amelia Grey’s ‘The Rakes of St James’ series. While part of a series it can be read as a standalone. 
The Duke of Rathburne, along with his friends, wrote to twelve debutantes requesting a secret meeting and signing it from a secret admirer. Each lady turned up causing their marriage prospects to diminish.  He has now been given the unenviable task of guardian to a young woman making her entry into society. 
Marlena Fast, has no interest in gaining another guardian, particularly one with Rath’s past. Her friend’s sister is one of the woman duped by Rath and the women have been writing a scandal sheet to help raise funds. 
The two protagonists can not help but be drawn to each other and with a secret to protect Marlena is desperate to resist. 
I had forgotten that I hadn’t liked the previous book in this series, while the description was intriguing it suffers from a lot of the issues I had before. The plot for this is incredibly slow. The first conversation takes three chapters! The dialogue is repetitive and painstakingly slow. I would not recommend this book to anyone. 
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. For more reviews please visit my blog:
http://www.wonderfullyweird88.com/

Amelia Grey’s latest in the “Rakes of St James” series is a charmer.  Her heroine is a down to earth writer, gardener, and very good friend.  Her  hero is a more complicated fellow, with a questionable history, but a desire to improve.  I especially liked the historical science touches in this satisfying romance novel.

As the third and final book in the Rakes of St. James series, I was underwhelmed. As the finale, I expected more excitement, unfortunately, it was a sizzle.

As the tale mostly took place in Marlena's home, the lack of diversity in setting had me feeling claustrophobic. Additionally, there was barely any passion, the more intimate scenes were an afterthought.

Overall, I was disappointed in this third installment but enjoyed the first two enough.

Book #3 in the series (The Rakes of St. James), It's All About The Duke can be read without knowledge of the previous books (my case).
In order to make amends after a disastrous wager over young ladies with his two best friends, the Duke of Rathburne accepts to take care of a young ward, Miss Marlena Fast. But Marlena proves to be much more than the country miss the duke expected, especially in which concerns a popular gossip sheet, which criticizes the duke and his friends.
I enjoyed the premise of the book, but it takes forever for the plot to unfold: for example the first meeting between Marlena and Rathburne in the book lasts 3 chapters. I'd like to read other books by Manda Davies, but I think her plots should unfold in a faster way.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. Marlena Fast prides herself on being independent, but then the Duke of Rathburne becomes her guardian. He's notorious for a scandalous wager he made with his best friends, and Marlena thinks he needs to make amends. Sparks fly between them in more ways than one. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

They were three young noblemen; drinking, gambling and mistresses were what their lives were all about. One night a wager was placed; how many of the twelve young ladies about to be presented for their first Season in London would agree to meet with a secret admirer? Whoever got the most positive responses would win the wager! No one would ever know what they did, or so they thought. That was before what they did was blasted all over London in all the scandal sheets so popular during that time. All three future Dukes would end up paying the piper and became known as the Rakes of St. James.

In It's All About the Duke, the third book in author Amelia Grey's The Rakes of St. James series it is Rath, the Duke of Rathburne who meets his match and faces the consequences of his earlier deeds. The Duke of Rathburne becomes the guardian of Miss Marlena Fast when her former guardian becomes too ill to present her to Society for her first Season. Miss Fast has a secret, a very worrisome secret when she finds out who her new guardian is. 

I have immensely enjoyed the previous two books in the series as well as this one. I find it extremely likeable when an author includes the characters in the previous books in the series throughout. Amelia Grey has treated her readers to some very charming characters who for me seem to have lept off the pages of the book to become familiar friends. I am very pleased that all three Rakes of St. James found true love and their "Happily Ever After."

I really enjoyed Rath and Marlena's story!

When Rath comes sweeping in and tells Marlena that he is stepping in as her guardian, she doesn't know what to think. She has a secret that she must keep from him at all costs. Of course this causes many interesting situations and misunderstandings. But as the two spend more and more time together, Marlena finds it harder to keep her secret. What will Rath do when he learns the truth?? 

This was a great conclusion to an awesome series!

I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book. 

Rate and Marlena do complement each other. I did like Rath’s character more. He acknowledged his mistakes of the past and attempts to make things right. I really liked that he left it to Marlena to decide when it came to their relationship and how it should progress. Marlena’s reasons for writing the column are well-intentioned but there were aspects to it that I found difficult to believe. Justine as the annoying chaperone was well portrayed. This story has a slower pace and depending on the reader’s preference  may or may not be to their liking. Overall, this was a charming story.

“It’s all about a duke” presents as an interesting storyline, with the Duke of Rathburne trying to make amends with his past but taking far of his ward Miss Marlena Fast. Having been orphaned at a young age, she has begun to appreciate her freedom. However, that is until she meets Rath. They soon find that their relationship is more than just that of a ward and a Duke.
I have enjoyed many of Amelia Grey’s earlier novels but I found this story to take too long to develop. Conversations between characters in the story took whole chapters when they really only warranted a few lines, which was disappointing as the story was quite an interesting one, as were the characters.
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Decent writing. A little cheesy, but charming. 

Scenario (no spoilers):
Rath (Duke of Rathburn) has grown a conscience as he nears thirty and accepts the responsibility of a ward who needs help entering society. Little does he know that his new ward, Marlena, hates his living breathing guts due to folly behaviour in his youth and is now writing anonymously about him in the scandal sheets.  There is insta attraction/love. 

Did not finnish 19% - 2 reasons

1) Something happens/happened, then what happened (past or present) is told to someone else, then someone contemplates what happened. 

2) Poor editing – example:
“Marlena rubbed her fingers where the duke’s hand had touched hers she’d reached then books he was holding.”

It's All About the Duke by Amelia Grey is one of a kind. This historical romance shows a man who goes about being a rake all his life is actually more of a gentleman underneath all that cockiness. He's confident, bold, and everything a woman wants in her lifetime partner. His bachelor ways are soon coming to an end.

The Duke, aka Rath, is made a guardian of a young woman of his age. He didn't want to be her guardian of free will. But he felt, it was his destiny towards making up for his terrible ways. A way to show his father and family friend tha he can be the Duke that wanted him to be. No more scandalous plans...until, he meets his ward. All thoughts of propriety gone...thoughts of having her as his...keep him troubled. 

Marlena is a young woman who is different than her peers. She adds refreshment where past heroines are concerned. I couldn't help but to love her personality and felt thankful that the writer created such a fun character. Strong, independent, and a bit scandalous, Marlena writes scheming stories on the Rakes of St. James. Little does she know, her life is about to be turned upside down when the very rake comes into her life, as her guardian. Of all things impossible, Marlena finds herself growing attached and more attracted to her guardian than she has proper rights to...plus, her secret of writing about him and his friends will surely mean nothing can come between them, right?

Amelia Grey has wonderfully captured my full attention. This new title, was everything I had hoped for in a good read. It went beyond my expectations. Sizzling sparks, chemistry, and scandal all wrapped in one delicious piece. Plenty of action to enjoy, as well as mystery. Overall, I highly recommend It's All About the Duke to all readers. Looking for a romance that sucks you into the time period and keeps you begging for more....then, this is it!

I have read this whole trilogy and enjoyed it for the most part (even though I gave Last Night with the Duke only 3 Stars because it left so much open that is revealed in later books)

This IS the best book of the series but then again it reveals everything that she has hidden from us in the other stories, some of it things we did not even know we were missing but the story was very good, the characters engaging but the "romance" was kinda clunky but love finds a way I suppose LOL

The best thing about this book was tying up all the loose ends from previous books in addition to a decent story but the hero of this story seemed to be terribly constrained in actions not directly related to romance which I found a bit frustrating and the ending a bit too kumbaya for some of the side plots.

So over all this was a good 4 Stars trilogy, I would recommend it to friends now that the whole thing is available but reading it one book at a time then waiting for the next one was not a pleasant experience so be aware that to really enjoy this trilogy to its maximum you do have to read the whole thing.