I have read other books by Darcy Burke in the Untouchable series and thoroughly enjoyed them but this one not so much. This story seemed to be a different style from the other books in the series and I did not care for it. I feel that some intrigue or mystery is fine but the gore in this one was not needed in my opinion. It seemed like the author spent a lot of the book making sure readers were caught up with characters from the previous books in the series. To me a good book is one that catches my interest from the start and I do not want to put down until I finish it. This book I had to work at to get through to the end and wouldn't have finished it except for my commitment to do a review.

David Langley, Earl of St. Ives, never thought he'd have the title just yet, but with the untimely death of his beloved father, he must adjust to his new life. That includes keeping a promise to his dying father that he would marry the daughter of his father's best friend. At the time, David would have agreed to anything to ease his father's suffering. All that changed when during a chance encounter in the woods, he meets Miss Frances Snowden. Fanny has brought David back-to-life after his father's death, but when they first meet, they both lie about who they are. When they finally meet again at a ton event, David is very pleased to see that Fanny was not a housemaid as she had claimed. With their feelings growing for each other, can David ignore his promise to his father and give up the woman he loves?

The story of David and Fanny is my favorite story in the series. Ms. Burke has written an intriguing story. I loved how they met and then reconnected again in London. There were so many reasons why they shouldn't be together, including Fanny's humble beginnings and David's interfering mother and uncle. The story takes a number of twists and turns and just when you think you know who the villain is, Ms. Burke throws in another surprise. Fans of regency romances will definitely enjoy this book.

Their acquaintance has started with a lie and a kiss- can they continue this admiration now that they know their true identities?

Love affair, tension and stolen kiss- this romance book has it all. This is a story for one evening to swallow but what a meal it is. Full of captivating flavors from the very first page to the last sentence. I really enjoyed reading this novel and for sure I am going to reach for more works of the author- Darcy Burke.

If you're looking for a light and entertaining read for a cold evening (or lazy Saturday morning) this is a novel just for you. I would also like to mention that writing is really good and you can see how much work author has put in making this piece.


Thank you NetGalley for sending me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Once I started this book it reminded me how much I enjoy read Darcy Burke's books.
Fanny and David meet for the first time in the country and share their first kiss. After they both return to London they find out they both lied about their identity. In love they face obstacles that seem impossible to overcome, but love can make anything possible. A great page turner that kept me up all night to finish.

I enjoyed reading this well-written book. Francis "Fanny" Snowdon met David Langley when she was staying at her sister's estate over Christmas. Only, Fanny told David that she was a housemaid and he told her that he was an apprentice to a steward. There was an instant attraction that continues when the unexpectedly meet in London.

There is bad blood between the Snowdon and Langley families that may ruin their HEA. Will Fanny and David get their HEA?

I just loved the characters in this book. Fanny and David were great characters and the supporting characters just made this book a wonderful read.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

Darcy Burke is a must buy author for me. I love this whole series! This book has something for everyone, laughs, heat, tension, romance, and a HEA!

Fanny and David meet by chance, each claiming they are someone else, and share a kiss. Months later they meet at a ball and the reality that each had lied about who they really were was evident but the attraction was still there. The book is well written and tells of their future encounters and the love that grows between them. There is a HEA but not before his mother threatens to reveal information about Ivy’s past and his uncle tries to murder her. There is a lot that happens in the book and I would recommend it for a great read.

I’ve really enjoyed earlier books in this series, so I was honestly disappointed when The Duke of Kisses fell kind of flat for me. Fanny, sister of Ivy, Duchess of Clare, was a character I just couldn’t warm to, mainly because she didn’t seem to have any defining characteristics of her own except ‘clumsy’. She starts studying ornithology because the hero is interested in it. She gets involved with charities because that’s what her sister enjoys. I never really got any sense of what Fanny enjoyed, what she wanted out of life.

David, Earl of St. Ives, was much more interesting. A deathbed promise to his father to marry a girl he’s never met has him massively conflicted when he falls for Fanny instead of his intended bride, though to be honest I was never quite sure why he’d never met the young woman in question before. It wasn’t quite explained.

David and Fanny’s first meeting was charming, but there was a certain amount of insta-love the reader is expected to buy into, and considering I never figured out who Fanny really was despite being privy to her inner thoughts, I really didn’t buy into David’s romance with her either. And considering Fanny has personal knowledge of gentlemen who debauch young women and then fail to keep promises, through her sister’s prior experience, her eagerness to sleep with David frankly came across as naive and reckless at best, at worst making her look like the kind of woman who’d probably be called a brazen hussy if she wasn’t the heroine of the story.

A generations-old family conflict was resolved far too easily to be a real conflict, leaving the end of the story to limp to an unsatisfying conclusion.

This won’t put me off reading more of Darcy Burke’s books because I know just how well she can write and just how great most of her characters and plots were, but I honestly wish I’d given this one a miss. Two stars.

I really, really, really enjoyed The Duke of Kisses. Even though the heroine’s nickname is Fanny. I adored our hero, David, who while momentarily conflicted eventually figures out who and what he wants, and goes after it. It’s also nice to encounter a hero who is sensitive and considerate and kind from the get-go. Frances was lovely, and I was very much entertained by her conversations with her friends. I can’t believe this is my first Darcy Burke book, but I’m probably going to be adding the other ten books from the Untouchables series to my TBR for the new year.

Enjoyed it
Darcy Burke is one of my go-to authors.

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Part of a series: The Untouchables
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue

I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

AS much as I usually love Darcy Burke's books from the first to the last page ... this one was a fight. I really felt no connection to the heroine - Frances. In the beginning, it's something new because she is living with her sister - a love story we all enjoyed reading - but Frances herself is ... well ... quite ordinary. David Langley, Earl of St. Ives, doesn't want to marry the woman his family picked for him but he falls in love with Frances ... well, we've had this storyline quite often already and I really did not feel like there was something new about it.
All the other Duke stories were thrilling, fast in tempo and I loved the female leads for their wit and the males for their charm. But with these two ...

4.5 stars - This is a great read! It has heart, unexpected levels of heat and a little Romeo and Juliet style hate to keep things interesting. I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more of the series!

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Duke of Kisses by Darcy Burke is an entertaining romance. This historical brings out a dark past that has haunted two families. When two young people met at Christmas time, they found something most don't. Love...Neither one expected to see the other around later, so each told a bold lie. It wasn't until circumstances brought them to London, that they find out the real truth. A blossoming romance that excites and intrigues readers, like myself...I could not help but to become more intrigued by the couple. Dashes of humor, suspense, and heat are included. 

Darcy Burke brought two old families together in a single romance tale. Years of hatred, anger, and despair fixed. All it took was one time to fall in love. Both the Lady and Duke of Kisses find themselves stuck by family duty. Only they let it go for the chance to be together. Their happiness comes first. Themes of family, love, second chances, and forgiveness are explored throughout this piece. It was a read that kept me reading all night long.

I love this series and this is another wonderful outing. It’s a great story, quite intricate with lovely characters. I really liked him in particular and it was as good to see many of the other characters from earlier books.

You can read it as stand alone but the rest of the series is really great so I’d recommend reading them all

Really enjoyed the next book in this series. Not taxing on the brain, just to enjoy for what it is. If you love recency romance then this is the book for you.

The Duke of Kisses is another wonderful story in Darcy Burke’s Untouchables series. Fanny met David shortly after she came to live with Ivy and West, the Duke of Clare. They were both out for a walk and some time alone. There was an instant attraction and a kiss that neither would forget. Later when they meet again at a ball in London, that attraction is still there. David and Fanny make a great couple, but there are some serious obstacles to their courtship that may be difficult to overcome.

Fanny and David are delightful characters, on their own and as a couple. They are intelligent, honest (well, David might not have come clean about everything at first), kindhearted, and determined. They are comfortable with each other. Their story is charming and romantic. There is unpleasant history between the families that makes the parents harsh and disagreeable. There is danger in a scandalous secret.
Why is David called the Duke of Kisses? Fanny can tell you. This is an enjoyable read. I highly recommend this book and the series.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The review and opinions are my own.

Loved this book. There were no gorgeous rakes or magnificent blaring beauty heroine. Just normal people who fell in love. Okay so he was a Duke , but one that was down to earth. Great story. Love the series.

Although this is the 11th book in the ‘Untouchables’ series, it works perfectly as a standalone, and though characters from earlier installments are present, they are well-rounded enough to belong in this story too, without adding confusion to a reader coming to the series fresh. It’s as though each character really is part of this little world, which works really well to make this feel realistic and engaging. I’d definitely be interested in checking out some others in this series.

Our main characters are Fanny Snowden, a clumsy, bookish, strong-willed girl, and David, the Earl of St Ives, a soft-but-strong cinnamon roll who loves birds. The two of them meet by accident and share a romantic kiss before they know each other’s identities, and are shocked when they meet again in society as Earl and sister to a Duchess! I loved that the two of them fell for each other so hard to begin with – I was almost left wondering what obstacles there could possibly be to their relationship, as they seemed to get along so well! Still, obstacles there are…

One thing that I really appreciated in this book was that both Fanny and David were upfront about their feelings the whole time. So many times in romance you have lovers who refuse to communicate, leading to confusion over whether or not they actually like, let alone love, each other – but here these two are always supportive of each other and always open about their attraction. They have secrets, of course, because this is a romance novel, but the reader never doubts that they are utterly smitten with each other. To see such a nice, sweet, openly loving hero is quite something! I really, really liked David’s characterisation and wish we could get more cinnamon roll heroes! He reminded me a little of Alistair from Dragon Age, but with a love of ducks instead of cheese…

This is just such a cozy read – even though there is the requisite amount of peril, there are plenty of genuinely lovely moments. It’s just so nice to see such a sweet and healthy relationship on the page. There’s space for them to be silly and cute with each other, as well as arch and banterous (the more usual form of dialogue). Aw, they were just so cute! A great read for a pick-me up. Five out of five cats.

The Duke of Kisses, David to Fanny, or St. Ives to Frances Snowden, at first, seems to be the perfect fit for kissing and possibly courting. They keep meeting and kissing, in addition, to somewhat clumsy, but laughable accidents. David quickly makes friends with other gentlemen of the ton as Fanny makes friends with ladies who might help her open a workhouse for women who need assistance.

Ms. Burke begins to share with us more details about David and how he became an Earl so young. How the loss of his father and the promise David made to marry a family friend’s daughter is going to cause problems with our deliriously happy couple.

One of Fanny’s new friends is Arabella Stokes and her mother. Of course just to complicate the situation, Arabella is the young lady David promised his father, upon his deathbed, that he would marry to unite their families. To make matters a bit worse, David’s mother shared this tidbit with Arabella and her mother. Now they are expecting the marriage, even kind of insisting on it.

David, Fanny’s perfect man, seems to become a very confused gentleman. He promised his father, but he is taken with Fanny. David does not know how he can go back on his word. With time to think about his conundrum, David realizes is is in love with Fanny and does not want to be without her. This is just the first half of the book!

Ms. Burke continues to keep you enthralled. You know David and Fanny will reach their HEA, but the road is definitely long, winding and fraught with heartache. Throw in David’s passion for studying birds and racing. Add in Fanny’s passion for assisting women with a workhouse that helps them rather than holds them back. Include other couples from The Untouchables series and you have a great book! This is one you will not want to put down until you see our sweet kissers reach that HEA. This is one series that does not need to end. There are so many amazing rogues and ladies that still need to be brought together!

Darcy Burke continued to shine in Duke of Kisses. Fanny and David's story was truly a joy to read. Once I started I couldn't put it down. I cannot wait for the next one.