I really liked this story. I got excited when I read the description; I felt there was so much potential for a female protagonist who hovers between two worlds: one criminal, and one respectable. And sure enough, Amanda is nuanced, and her character development is fascinating.

Gabriel St. James is a bit more cardboard cutout-ish, but even he exceeded my expectations. He works so well as a foil for Amanda, as he is both bored and rebellious enough to push at the confines of society and willingly get entangled with someone like Amanda. I loved their meet-cute, as well as the creative way these characters get to know each other in secret. I liked that there was no major secret reveal that caused one character not to speak to another for half the book; that was a trope I sensed coming, but one Hunter deftly dodges.

Gabriel and Amanda's story is sexy, romantic, fun, suspenseful, and complicated, pretty much everything I look for in a romance novel of this genre. The end of this book is satisfying, and left me with a smile on my face.

I was surprised by how much I liked this. Not a page turner by any means and the genre does make it somewhat predictable. I would have liked to see more rallying from her employer (i can just see the lady riding into battle with her parasol) about the situation, and I was hoping for some sort of twist about who had the mother in the end or her actually leaving and him having to chase her that wasn't there. I guess I hyped myself up through the book and expected something wow to make it more of an adventure rather than just a "faux pas" of a relationship which never pushed it over the edge. A passable book to read, well written for the most part. What I did like was having a woman who, while nodding to societies covenants, clearly valued her own happiness more.

A Devil of a Duke, is better than I expected. The ending didn't happen the way that I expected it to either. Easy to say that I enjoyed it and would advise everyone to read it.

This review will appear in the debut issue of Romantic Intentions Quarterly. We will also share our thoughts on social media closer to the book's pub date.
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An exceptionally enjoyable novel with a strong, complex, and capable heroine, and a witty hero ready for self-discovery. Miss Amanda Waverly is trying to build a new life away from the clutches of her disreputable past, but is pulled back again and again by the ties of blood. Gabriel St. James, Duke of Langford, was amenable to a brief liaison, but is drawn in by the mystery and challenge that Amanda presents, and stays because he falls in love, even if he doesn’t realise it at the time. Supporting characters are finely-drawn, and the narrative keeps the reader on the hook until the happily ever after.

5 stars

Gabriel knows how to leave a woman wanting, "he kissed her again, hard and long, calling forth her own passion with savage demand. Then he melted into the shadows, leaving her trembling against the wall." Gabriel takes protecting his womn very seriously, "he gripped her arm firmly. “Do not try my patience, Amanda. You will go nowhere without me. I will not have you riding across the country and confronting this man alone.” I liked this book, I loved Gabriel.