Davina MacCallum is determined to have her family’s land in Scotland returned to her. She just has to convince the king to hear her evidence; however, the land was given to the Duke of Brentworth. With both determined to hold out against the other, they find themselves thrown together, in their search for information regarding Davina’s ancestors. Soon, he king’s solution for Brentworth (Eric) to marry Davina, does not seem so unthinkable.

Both characters were strong and very stubborn, but so very likeable. Whilst Eric appears very confident and assured of his power when in discussion with the king, his determination to keep the Scottish lands, is a secret that has defined him. Similarly, Davina is a strong-minded woman, and having grown up assisting her father, a doctor in his work, is very capable and determined, when faced with the men opposing her actions. Together they are magical, with Davina breaking away the hurt, that Eric has lived with for many years. Set against the magnificent backdrop of Scotland, Ms Hunter’s brings to life such amazing and well-developed characters, as always. It was wonderful to also read of the characters from previous books in The Decadent Dukes Society, a series that I have thoroughly enjoyed. I so hope that there are more books of this quality by this amazing author.
I received an advanced review copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I've had this book on my shelves for a few weeks and put off reading it. For some reason the last few books on my Netgalley shelf were weak and I put it off. I'm so glad I finally read it.

I read an average of 15-20 romance novels a month. When you read that many a month, you get jaded pretty quickly about the similarity of the plots, the sameness of the characters, the same stupid things that heroes and heroines do. And yet I keep up the pace because amidst all the dreck, there are some real gems.

Never Deny a Duke is one of those gems.

Why?

It comes down to the heroine. The best romance novels have great heroines. The heroes can be somewhat similar and you can get away with it (handsome, stoic, smart, rich, etc, although even I will admit Brentworth is fantastic-- the right balance of thoughtful and masterful). But a mediocre heroine drags the plot down.

The plot is simple: the heroine (Davina) is trying to regain land that was seized from her family hundreds of years ago. The land is now in the hands of, yep, the Duke of Brentworth. He of course won't give up without a fight. And nor will she. They go on a joint caper to Scotland to find proof (or not) about the true history of the land. As always, the hero has a deep, dark secret associated with the land, which comes out over the course of the story.

I read the first book in this series (The Most Dangerous Duke) and thought it was reasonably good, although a bit slower paced than I liked. Brentworth is introduced in that novel and I remember thinking he was a compelling character. I'm glad to see that this really came through in this novel.

Aside from the characters themselves, I liked that this book doesn't stick to the usual romance novel cliches. For example, after the first love scene, he doesn't wipe her down as they seem to do in most romance novels (Ha!). Even in that love scene, she makes no attempt to be overly shy about her body-- she just owns it. Later on when he reveals something terrible about his past, she doesn't move to immediately absolve him of his guilt. She listens, absorbs it and doesn't judge him, nor does she utter any platitudes.

She's smart without being an idiot. Too often in an attempt to make the woman seem capable, the character is drawn out to be shrewish or overly bold. Not so here. Davina is a doctor's daughter, smart knowledgable, capable, opinionated, and less "miss-ish" than most single women, but she's conscious of the limitations of her position. She knows enough about medicine to care for a sick person but she isn't (and can't be) a doctor. She treats Eric with respect, but doesn't hesitate to call him out when she disagrees with him, which for a man who is constantly deferred to, is refreshing. She's honest and direct, not overly coy. She's a self-admittedly bad flirt. Their conversations are witty, without being overly forced. In that way Hunter manages to both balance the restrictions women faced in that era while simultaneously giving Davina some sense of agency.

Every choice the hero/heroine makes, makes sense in context. You understand why Brentworth is the guarded man that he is. You understand why Davina wants her land or why she has a relatively healthy attitude about sex, even for that era. Anytime the book veers even slightly toward cliche, Hunter drags it back to a sane place.

This is just a stellar book, and one I'll keep on my Kindle for a long time.

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Received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋
Such an enjoyable book to read , the characters are very endearing.
FROM -
Davina who is a strong Wilful lady , who is fighting for the return of her families estates and name , although she has no evidence with which to do battle.
TO-
Brentworth the very Ducal and stubborn man, who owns the estates in question .
He looks like he has it all , a Title ,Money , the ear of the King , in fact all everything Davina doesn’t , everything he needs to swing the decision in his favour.
As they search to find the truth will they find more than they bargained for ?
Great read and would gladly recommend it.
I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review

This is such an adult romance, and I mean that in the best possible way. The characters have an emotional maturity I’ve not found to be common in historical romances (or they develop their emotional maturity as the story progresses), and it allowed me to so thoroughly enjoy the story.

This is the third book in Madeline Hunter’s Decadent Dukes trilogy, and I do believe it was my favorite. Our duke here is no saint, but discreet, and keeps his emotions so tightly wound inside that he’s beyond ripe for a grand love affair. The same could be said for our heroine, except she is so honest and forthright and focused that she’s completely blindsided by love. And it’s a slooooow burn love. No movement on that front until about 50%, maybe? It made me appreciate the author’s storytelling all the more.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Never Deny a Duke by Madeline Hunter. Kensington Books, 2019.

After the 1745 uprising, her family was stripped of their land and Davinia’s grandfather - the new baron at 5 years old – was declared dead for his own safety, taken away and hidden in a foster home. The story begins after her father dies; her estate is part of Eric’s ducal holdings. Davinia petitions the King to have her title reinstated and her estate returned.

The likeable hero and heroine, the smooth writing style, consistent character development, a bit of mystery and more history than usual all contribute to make this enjoyable historical romance better than average.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of Never Deny a Duke via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was another fun title from Madeline Hunter. Here Davina is pitted against the Duke of Brentworth in an attempt to prove herself the rightful heir of one of his properties. Both characters are well matched and well-crafted versions of their types - the Duke who holds his passions at bay lest they get out of hand and the woman with an unusual upbringing who seeks her own independence. Centered around a land dispute based on the generations back Battle of Culloden, the book doesn't really follow through much on some of the more complicated political issues (Brentworth is working on a vote abolishing slavery, etc.) but the overall journey of bringing the two together is enjoyable.

Davina MacCallum just wants what her family is entitled to. She is willing to do whatever must be done to get the lands that her family should own back. Davina meets with the King's man to get the ball rolling. She has no idea what she's got herself into now.

The Duke of Brentworth isn't willing to part so easily with something that belongs to him. He cannot deny his attraction to Davina, but he's not just going to hand over one of his properties because of it. The more time he spends around Davina, the more he questions keeping the land. Still, there may just be one option he has yet to consider, marriage. But will Davina have him?

Author Madeline Hunter pens another beautifully written historical, NEVER DENY A DUKE. Ms. Hunter has a great eye for detail and an amazing way of making the characters and scenery so real to the reader. Although not my favorite read by Ms. Hunter, I did enjoy Davina and Brentworth's story. They both gave as good as they got, and found love in an unexpected place. Fans of the DECADENT DUKES series will not want to miss NEVER DENY A DUKE.

Eric Marshall, the Duke of Brentworth, has definitely met his match when fiery Scottish Davina MacCallum presses her claim that his Scottish estate Teyhill actually belongs to her family. She will not be dissuaded and pursues every clue and proof that she can find. Brentworth is a very private man and the last thing he wants is for this problem to become public. Much to his annoyance, the feud becomes public and he agrees to help Davina find proof is there is any to be found to prove her claim. What Brentworth doesn't anticipate is how attracted he is to Davina the more he gets to know her. Her intelligence, medical knowledge and kindness draws him closer and he is reluctant to step away from her.

I loved Davina! She is a strong opinionated Scottish lass who believes in fighting for her family's legacy. Her blunt matter of fact attitude marks her as odd for a young woman of her time, but I enjoyed the conversations between her and Eric. Her influence eventually wears down the mask that Brentworth presents to the ton and he soon he welcomes her presence. Ms. Hunter seamlessly weaves fact with fiction and I enjoyed reading about a different Scottish story than is the usual plots about Scotland. This 3rd book in the series is my favorite. I look forward to reading more books by Ms. Hunter.

Davina is positive Eric Brentworth, the Duke of Brentworth has possession of her family’s estate. The king has promised to assist her in retrieving her lands, but the king’s aide is determined she not have her family lands because there is no proof. And, he does not want to get on the bad side of the duke. Davina believes the proof was sent to the king years ago, but according to the aide, if there had been proof and it had been sent to the king, somehow it has been lost.

Having met the duke upon coming to town, Davina did not say anything to him about ‘her’ estate and lands. What would any normal duke do, he confronts her head on telling her she is wrong and a fraud. Being one of the decadent dukes, Eric is never wrong.

The transformation of Eric is heartwarming. He truly tries to be a gentleman. He truly tries to support Davina in her mistaken quest. But, as they journey together, you see him become a better man. Eric is not quite sure what to do with a woman who is not charmed by his consequence. You begin to realize fairly quickly there is something not quite right with the estate itself. There is something Eric is hiding from himself and others, especially from Davina.

Eric’s best friends are the Decadent Dukes from the first two books in the series. They pretty much give Brentworth a hard time. The Duke of Stratton and wife Clara and the Duke of Langford and wife Amanda play important roles in this book, too. This a great book for a heartwarming romance.

FINAL DECISION: I loved the restrained hero who hides some secrets and the independent woman who fascinates him. I especially enjoyed that these two become friends and there is great respect between them before passion wins out.

THE STORY: Eric Marshall, the Duke of Brentworth is incensed when he learns that a Scottish woman, Davina MacCallum, seeks to gain control of one of his family's properties claiming that her family are the rightful heirs and it should not have been added to the ducal estate. Brentworth is determined to turn away the fraud, but his anger is in direct proportion to his intense attraction to Miss MacCallum. Davina wants to reclaim her family legacy in order to build a life for herself and establish a medical facility on the property -- honoring her father's work and her own interests in the medical field. But first she has to wrest the property from the duke.

OPINION: While I admittedly tend to enjoy the outwardly passionate stories, I really did like this book even with its restraint. In the beginning of this book the hero is really buttoned up (but fear not, we learn some of his secrets later). The relationship between the hero and heroine begin in polite (and not so polite) arguments. Some might not be interested in the details of the land inheritance, but I found the investigation quite interesting.Eric is such a restrained man but he has an essential kindness and respect of Davina that I really liked. He is a man living with his mistakes but he is a good person. Davina is an independent a woman who is unconventional for her time. Yet, what is especially enjoyable in this book is that it feels like this book stays within the constraints of its time. So often these days, historicals have characters who sound like they fell from the streets of modern America into a time machine. These characters are progressive for their time, but the way they interact with one another and even in the constraints of their time felt more realistic.This romance is quieter and the relationship takes time to progress, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. It reminded me of the type of book that Mary Balogh -- a restrained slow burn.I especially liked seeing the other couples from the series who have important supporting roles here as well.

WORTH MENTIONING: There is a nice little epilogue to reward readers of the series.

CONNECTED BOOKS: NEVER DENY A DUKE is the third book in the Decadent Dukes Society series. While the romance here is self-contained and thus the story can be read as a standalone, the overlapping characters makes this book richer by being familiar with their stories.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

Review will be published on 4/30/19

I thoroughly loved this book. I have always enjoyed Madeline Hunter’s writing, but I found this to be my absolute favorite. I love historical romance novels, but one common thread you usually find is the woman putting a road block on love because of some silly reason that’s only in her mind, with much back and forth. I appreciate that this novel doesn’t do that. It moves smoothly along and you really get to know the characters. I found myself reading long into the night as I didn’t want to put it down. The story keeps you engaged.

Davina MacCallum is a woman of Scottish descent trying to prove to the King that she is the rightful heir to a property that was given away after the battle of Culloden. The King is sympathetic, but doesn’t want to take the property from the current owner, the Duke of Brentworth, without his agreement. Davina is determined to find the proof that the Scottish line did not die out at Culloden as was believed. Brentworth is just as determined to prove that it did, so they join forces to find the evidence. The fallout is a heartfelt, loving, sensual story that I really enjoyed.

There are few things better than a strong woman who refuses to bend in historical romances and Davina stepped into the role perfectly. I love the progression with Eric and Davina, how they grew together.

Sometimes, the wordplay between the two seemed a bit too modern for the time period, but small things can be overlooked.

A satisfying conclusion to the Decadent Dukes series. The Duke of Brentworth has a problem: a woman is petitioning the king to have her Scottish lands and title restored. Lands that Brentworth inherited as part of his dukedom. As the two work in search of proof (or disproof) of her claim, they also grow closer together.

Davina is an enjoyable character with her modern sensibilities and intellect. And Eric the duke is both more restrained and more passionate than the previous books let on.

George IV has a neat way of resolving an awkward real estate problem--send the young woman who claims her Jacobite ancestors were wrongly cheated of a barony off with the starchy English duke whose family now owns it. With HEA, this will work itself out.

Madeline’s novels are always a treat, and Never Deny a Duke does not disappoint! Mesmerizing in plot, characters, and detail, it is “steamy” without being vulgar, and gives the reader a wonderful sense of being in that time and place as the story develops. I always want to read quickly to see how the story ends - but then I don’t want it to end!

Davina MacCallum is out to hold the English king to promises made by his father. Her family's lands in Scotland were confiscated for lack of an heir and given to the Duke of Brentworth. She wants to get the land back and establish a hospital to carry on her father's medical legacy. But to do that she must avoid being railroaded by the king and his cronies and get Brentworth to be reasonable.

Eric Marshall, the Duke of Brentworth, refuses to give up any of his estates lest he set a precedent for any future charlatan's claiming lost inheritances. He's not afraid to go toe to toe with the king; he's too assured of his own consequence. The only one who doesn't seem impressed with him is Davina, which unwittingly intrigues Eric, though not enough to make him give in.

As the two are thrown together in a search for the truth about Davina's ancestry, with opposite goals, their growing attraction soon makes it difficult for them to remain staunch enemies. However, attraction doesn't make a happy future and both may have to learn how to compromise if they want one.

Eric was fiercely proud, arrogant and very well aware of his own power and influence. This made him largely unlikable for much of the book but of course he has hidden depths and old hurts he is hiding to protect himself. Davina was almost a bit callous in her single-minded determination to prove her rights to the land in that she began to focus only on that designation and forget a bit about her main goal of establishing a hospital to help people. Sidenote: her insistence on calling him "Brentworth" most of the time, rather than Eric, even after they married, was a little annoying.

It was a bit of a meander through the extra scenes to the barebones plot, but I think they added to my enjoyment and made the relationship between Eric and Davina believable. I found the final admission of feelings between them left me a bit unsatisfied but I think it was also fitting for the characters.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved Eric and Davina's story!!

Davina is just trying to get back her legacy. The problem is that the man who currently holds the property doesn't believe that she has a right to it. But Eric has met his match with Davina. She isn't afraid to go toe to toe with the formidable duke. Who will win this battle of wills?

I loved watching Davina and Eric together. I loved that Davina never backed down when Eric challenged her. I think that is what also attracted him to her. He wasn't used to someone going against him.

This was a great conclusion to the Decadent Dukes Society and I'm sorry to see it it as I have throughly enjoyed the series. But I'm also excited to see what Hunter has in store for us next!

Davina and Brentworth are a well matched pair and anyone who picks up this book will enjoy it from the beginning. Their search for the truth as to who truly owns the property in question leads to a great romance that the reader will love from the very first page. I couldn't put this book down.

I really enjoyed this story. It was my first by Madeline Hunter but won’t be my last. I loved that Davina lived her life according to herself and did what she thought was right. It took some time for me to care for Brentworth, he seemed a bit too self righteous to me. I loved them as a couple because Davina is such a strong heroine and stands up for herself to Brentworth and I felt that was exactly the type of woman he needed. I was a little miffed about one character just kind of fading away after being pretty consistently involved at the beginning. It felt partly unfinished. But overall a great story.

He is the last duke standing. . . the sole remaining bachelor of the three self-proclaimed Decadent Dukes. Yet Davina MacCallum’s reasons for searching out the handsome Duke of Brentworth have nothing to do with marriage. Scottish lands were unfairly confiscated from her family by the Crown and given to his. A reasonable man with vast holdings can surely part with one trivial estate, especially when Davina intends to put it to good use. Brentworth, however, is as difficult to persuade as he is to resist.The Duke of Brentworth’s discretion and steely control make him an enigma even to his best friends. Women especially find him inscrutable and unapproachable—but also compellingly magnetic. So when Davina MacCallum shows no signs of being even mildly impressed by him, he is intrigued. Until he learns that her mission in London involves claims against his estate. Soon the two of them are engaged in a contest that allows no compromise. When duty and desire collide, the best laid plans are about to take a scandalous turn—into the very heart of passion . . . Dabney and Caz are both fans of Madeline Hunter's work, and both read Never Deny a Duke - they're here to share their thoughts on the novel.Caz: First of all I have to say that I was really relieved to discover that Never Deny a Duke was a big improvement on the previous book in the series, A Devil of a Duke, which just scraped a C grade from me last year.  And I liked the premise of this one – and the way Ms. Hunter handles it – quite a lot.  Davina MacCallum has come to London in order to petition for the return of the Scottish lands and title she believes were unfairly … ‘diverted’ to an English nobleman following the Jacobite uprising in the mid-1700s, but although the King (George IV) had given her reason to believe he would support her when they met during his recent visit to Edinburgh, when he returns to London nothing happens, so Davina comes south to further her cause.  It turns out that the lands in question were given to the Dukes of Brentworth, and the current holder of the title – reserved, discreet and formidable Eric Marshall – has no intention of just handing over part of his estate.  This story could so easily have been one of those “feisty-heroine-stomps-her-foot-a-lot-while-driving-reserved-hero-round-the bend” stories, but Ms. Hunter instead presents two grown-up, sensible characters who, while striking sparks off each other, approach the situation with a degree of common sense.  They are opponents and neither wants to give way, but they’re not stubborn for the sake of it and while each wants to be proven right, there’s no sense that they’d resort to underhandedness to do it.Dabney: This is my favorite Hunter since her Rarest Blooms series. This novel is wonderfully calm. As I turned page after page, there was emotional space that rather than being filled with hard to believe drama was simply replete with a growing respect and love between two leads I’d like to spend time with.Caz:  Yep, there was a real sense that these two were mature individuals who thought things through, and that made their attraction even more believable, because they both knew it was so irrational considering their circumstances. The author wisely kept the drama to the actual drama of the situation rather than manufacturing it.  And on that note, I also liked the way she handled Brentworth’s Big Secret - which could have been badly overplayed, but wasn’t.Dabney: Agreed. Even the way the claim to the estate is resolved is sane and sensible. Hunter trusts her characters’ inner thoughts and outer actions to tell the story and does so beautifully. I also really like the sexual side of this story. This is a sensual story that breaks slowly. Without spoiling, let me just say that the last conversation in the novel the two have about the passion they share was singular in its honesty and focus. I loved it.Caz: I also appreciated the lack of overdone mental lusting.  There’s no doubt about the attraction between the couple, but as you say, it’s a slow, sensual build and it was lovely to read.I really liked both leads - I keep coming back to the words “mature” and “adult”, and I suppose that’s partly because they’re so strongly contrasted with the number of romance protagonists who don’t behave that way - but I got a real sense that both of them were people who knew themselves and were comfortable in their own skins.  They communicate well, even when doing so might not be in the interest of gaining their objective.  I particularly liked that Davina, while having unusual ambitions for a woman of the time, doesn’t feel the need to jump up and down while shouting “look how unconventional I am!”Dabney: Let’s also give a shoutout to how well Hunter handled the history in this book. It could have been sooooo dull, all that stuff about historical documents, church records, and the plunder of the British Empire, but, instead, Hunter tells her story in a way that all those small details are interesting and feel nicely integral to the story.Caz: Yes, and I particularly liked the way she portrayed the king (George IV) which was, from everything I’ve read, pretty accurate, especially about his propensity to agree to things and then backpedal, or his tendency toward paranoia.Dabney: I’m happy for you. I am an HR reader who, unless it’s so egregious that I am aware of it - I’m still not clear when the Regency era ends and the Victorian begins - the specific historical veracity of a story doesn’t matter much to me.Caz: Um… yeah, well, we’re polar opposites on that one.  So rather than get into a fight about it (!), I’m going to move on and say this; it’s common, in the last book of a series, to bring back characters from earlier novels, but sometimes that seems as though it’s done just for the sake of it.  Here, however, the Duke of Stratton (from The Most Dangerous Duke in London) has a significant part to play.  He’s a good friend to Brentworth, listens well and offers good advice, and I appreciated that he wasn’t there just to pay lip service.  What I didn’t like so much, though, was the way that both the previous heroes came across as rather hen-pecked (!)  I know we like it when these sexy, alpha heroes fall for their women, but that doesn’t mean they need to turn into doormats after the wedding!Dabney: Um… *looks around furtively* …Well, as someone who is famous for her bossiness and who is blessed to be married to someone who lets me have my own way on many things, I didn’t notice that. I did, however, really like that the friendship between the two men seems real and important to them. They’re not bros raising beers, they’re mature men sharing wisdom and supporting one another.Caz: I’ve been going back and forth over a final grade for this one and have decided to go with a B+.  The characters, the romance, the plot and the historical detail all combine to make this one of those ‘quiet’ character-driven romances I really enjoy.Dabney: Me too. It’s a lovely, wise, subtly sexy read.Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/KoboVisit our Amazon Storefront