Cute story. I liked all the mystery and intrigue. It kinda wrapped up a little quickly but I really enjoyed this book

Darcy Burke dies it again! A romantic story intertwined with mystery. I loved Arabella and Graham and the whole story was engaging and satisfying!

Graham Kinsley and Arabella Stoke’s story, 1st in the Spitfire Society series, a happily ever after, no cheating, historical romance with some sizzle.
This story is well written with fully fledged out characters, with intrigue, humor and a great building chemistry between Graham and Arabella. In the era in which this story takes place, love always takes second place to money and how you appear to society; this is the dilemma that the hero and heroine of this story have to overcome; the author does a marvelous job of putting all the pieces in place to find a happily ever after.
I look forward to the next in this series.
I received a copy of this story through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

Loved the premise of two elites both broke and searching for a partner to get them out of their debt. But the female lead in this story was too progressive and felt off for the time period.

After Captivating The Scoundrel, I was a bit hesitant to pick up another Darcy Burke story. But since Never Have I Ever With a Duke was the first in a new series I decided to give it a go. And yay! Unlike Captivating The Scoundrel (where I didn't understand the first part of the book, because it was the fourth book in a series), I didn't get lost in this story. We meet Arabella Stoke, who doesn't want to be betrothed because of a business arrangement, but she wants to marry for love.
However, since her father has gambled and put their home into debt, she really doesn't have much choice. So, when her friends of the Spitfire Society (ladies who have decided not to marry, but live their life as they seem fit) understand she wants to marry a wealthy man, they introduce her to Graham Kinsley.
Little does she know that Graham is as penniless as her. Because Graham has just inherited the title and the earldom. But it is nearly bankrupt. So, his only chance is to marry a wealthy heiress. When he meets Arabella, however, he is torn. Can he let the estate go, to pursue his own happiness? But the employers count on him to keep the estate afloat.
When Arabella offers to team up with him to find the source of the swindle, both her father as Graham's relative seem to have fallen for, he decides to find out who did this. But the closer they come to the truth, the more risk they take. Can they find the source of their issues and resolve their debts? Or are they destined to live without each other? Find out for yourself in this wonderful historical read. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

Graham and Arabella are a wonderful couple. Ms. Burke continues to write characters that you instantly fall in love with. This book is wonderful and a good read for a fall day.

Such a great story! Two really likable main characters are thrown into a difficult situation through others bad decisions. It has excellent plot execution with a bit of mystery. Great character development of both main and secondary characters. The secondary characters are memorable and I hope they have their own stories to tell!

I received a copy for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A nice enough read. Given the plot, I did think there would be more of a 'happy ending' for the characters, but it ended okay. Also, while I clearly don't mind romance between characters, in this particular book the hero and heroine went from nearly nothing to everything in the span of a scene, which I thought was out of character. I would probably pick up another book by this author, based on this novel.

The destitute new Duke, Graham, and Arabella, the penniless want-to-be member of the Spinster Society, start off a new series by Darcy Burke. This looks to be another promising series even though I find most 'first in the series' romances tend to focus on all of the upcoming characters and gives less focus on the romance at hand. This didn't take away from the story but the conclusion felt a bit rushed after a lengthy set-up. Graham was quite the hero, giving up a lot in comparison to Arabella. He stole the show in this story but the two still felt like a good match.

A good start and I'm sure even better to come!

Highly entertaining, sexy, fun and engaging romantic adventure filled with longing, love and undeniable passion..... was a great read from beginning to end. Really enjoyed this emotional thrill ride!

Determined? Yes. Spitfire? Not so much.

This first in Darcy Burke's new series, The Spitfire Society, just didn't grab me. I quite liked Graham Kingsley, the new seventh Duke of Halstead, as the unacknowledged relative who became a Duke only to find everything mortgaged to the hilt. There is a deeper story behind this, but it's like looking through a dusty pane of glass trying to pull it all together. The former Duke had not only gambled heavily but had made suspect investments that never came through. Graham has to marry an heiress to bring everything about.
Arabella Stoke is in the same boat. Her father's gambling habits and less than stellar investments means she has to marry for money to save the family's fortunes.
Of course they fall for each other. However this is expressed in chancy illicit liaisons in doubtful places, not in declarations of love and marriage. It seems Arabella Stoke has had her previous moments of anticipation but too me it's all a bit too Thoroughly Modern Milly for the times.
Together Graham and Arabella pursue the identity of the swindler who'd beguiled their desperate relatives into ruin and things come to a HEA if somewhat differently to what they'd anticipated. The getting there is painful (for the characters and me as the reader). Despite the foundation for more depth, in the end I found the story somewhat thin.

A NetGalley ARC

I enjoyed Never Have I Ever with a Duke. I always enjoy Miss Darcy Burke’s historical romances. For me, this one did get a little muddled in the middle a bit. It seemed like there was a bit of a deviation from the main characters, in an effort to help build the backstory for some of the secondary characters, whom I assume will have their own books in later installments of the series. Thankfully things got back on track and I was able to enjoy love triumph in the end.

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

NEVER HAVE I EVER WITH A DUKE starts off Darcy Burke’s new series, The Spitfire Society with an engaging story of two people who desperately need to find rich spouses in order to save their family or family homes but end up falling for someone just as penniless as themselves. I freely admit that I’m not only addicted to series so to start right now at the very beginning is perfect for me, but also that I absolutely love when unlikely people fall in love.

Yes, for the time period it was often necessary to find a rich husband or wife in order to save estates that have been plundered in one way or another. Still, Graham and Arabella each have unique mindsets for the timeframe since Graham knew and worked for members of the ton and now finds himself as a Duke with responsibilities and no cash to tend to them at all. Each has had their families swindled by the same man so there is common ground between them from the beginning.

This couple begins as friends with a common goal, once they realize that neither has the funds they were so hoping to find within a match between them. I enjoyed that Graham wasn’t the least bit surprised by Arabella’s intelligence or her determination to be a major player in bringing the swindler to justice. There was not only respect but acceptance of each other’s unique ways and that is refreshing in a Historical Romance.

In NEVER HAVE I EVER WITH A DUKE you’ll find likable characters, a nasty villain, unusual situations, sizzling moments, friends to lovers and acceptance of each other just as they are. I had a blast with this one, and I’m definitely keeping an eye out for A DUKE IS NEVER ENOUGH due out in 2020. There is a connection to Ms. Burke’s series The Untouchables should you want to go back for more information about characters you may see wandering through this series on occasion. Necessary, no, of course not, but an enjoyable reading experience for they are really good stories that you’ll easily get caught up in. I’d not hesitate to recommend this story to any reader who loves a good Historical/Regency Romance, a likable couple, and threads woven through this story that will continue throughout the series.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Darcy Burke never disappoints and this book is no exception. It has all the elements that we have come to expect from her. A good story line with romance, a villain and a white knight in shining armour for a damsel in distress
Just loved it

This is my fair and honest review in return for this ARC. A pocket to let Duke and a bankrupt Lady. Each searching for a means to save their families from ruin caused by a swindler. In their search for a way to recover, they team up and end up entwined in more. Another great tale by Darcy Burke.

Never Have I Ever With a Duke is the first book in The Spitfire Society series by Darcy Burke. It can be read as stand-alone and the next books will feature Arabella's friends.

The most annoying thing about this book was the year it was set. It certainly didn't feel like I was reading a novel set in 1819 because the chaperons were a foreign idea to these characters. Who cares about them or the rules of society? I am tired of reading modernized historical romances. I have read more CR books with virgin heroines than HRs with virgin heroines this year and I am starting to think that there is something seriously wrong with that. Arabella had a lover in the past. She was in love with him and everything, but I mean wtf? Also, she and Graham had sex in a clearing where anyone could have passed by and they didn't give it a second thought. If this was CR I would have gone with 5 stars, but it's not. And before you start spouting things like misogyny, please remember that this is HR and certain things are expected. An unmarried woman running around more freely than a woman in the 21rst century is not one of them.

There plenty of mentions of characters from other series so the readers who are familiar with the author's work might see some familiar faces. The future main characters of the series appear for the right amount and the ladies are intriguing, so there is no doubt that I will read their books. I am just a little disappointed with this book. It had a good premise, but it wasn't good enough for me. I was also expecting a little more angst.

I simply love Darcy Burke's books. Her heroines are always brave, daring and quite modern for that historical period. They always try to help others and save themselves for the better although they would do everything for their families' needs.
This time the struggle was huge, the missing monetary support let just one option open....to marry real quickly to save the family without giving out how very bad the situation was.

The problem though was to falling in love with someone who struggles as well with a baggage of bankrupt dukedom.

Both main characters were amazingly well fitting and fighting for the rightness. And let me tell you the attraction......sizzling through the pages.


I loved every second of this brilliant book.

The title alone made me start thinking about the possibilites that Darcy Burke would use to enchant me in this story. Oh yes, I always know when I start one of her books, I should make time because it will be hard to put down! An exciting start to a new series, The Spitfire Society, grabbed me quickly from the first page. An unexpected encounter between the main characters involving a sword and a biscuit had me smiling at what would happen next!
Isn't it always the case of a heir needing money for his bankrupt estate or a daughter needing to save her family by marrying for money that meet and find an attraction? Well such is the case with Graham Kinsley who had just inherited a dukedom. Well the title at least because the estate owes a lot of money and he needs to marry for money. Or recover the money the former duke had invested in a terrible scheme. But who was it?
Arabella Stoke is in the same situation with her father ill and only her mother and she trying to keep everything running with little funds due to somebody having swindled her father.
As these two find each other and eventually learn they have a lot in common due to having their funds taken by the same swindler, they set out to find him and try to set things right.
It seems though they may find more along the way than what they initally seek. But how could these two almost desitute people come together?
An exciting story that I highly recommend and cannot wait for more in this series!

Arabella and Graham are both from bankrupt families and find themselves putting on false faces when in society. For both it was bad investments made by their fathers; with extra trouble for Graham because he's now really in charge of the dukedom. In order to avoid sandals, they both must marry wealthy spouses; love doesn't even enter into the equation, and Graham has to marry before his birthday or his disreputable uncle takes over free and clear. They meet and fall for each other but can't do anything about it because there's no money! When they discover they are in the same circumstances, they decide to work together and ignore the attraction blooming between them. To make it harder, Arabella has no desire to marry -- ever-- and is set to join the Spitfire Society, where she can be independent in an era where women weren't allowed to be. Graham was a commoner and a secretary until the dukedom lands on his head.

Both characters are extremely likeable and you find yourself rooting for them to get together.

London - 1819

Arabella Stoke’s father is not well and their family’s financial circumstances have dropped significantly. Her father had made an unwise investment with a man and now finds himself swindled out of all of his money. Her mother spends a lot of time at her husband’s bedside.

When Arabella is out walking her mother’s dog one morning, he gets away from her. Running after him results in her accidentally knocking into a gentleman. She is dressed as a servant so people won’t know that she is reduced to walking her own dog. The gentleman she ran into very kindly helps her look for and find the dog.

Arabella is finding it difficult to be without money. She had loved being part of the Spitfire Society which is a group of young spinster women who prefer to stay single, live in a home of their own and live life as they want. Her two friends, Phoebe Lennox and Jane Pemberton are happy in their lives as young spinster women.

Arabella’s mother is urging her to find a wealthy man and get married right away as the family needs the money. That is certainly easier said than done.

Graham Kinsley, the seventh Duke of Halstead, inherited a pile of debt along with his title. Halstead Manor is not bringing in any money and the mortgage on Brixton Park, just outside London, will soon be foreclosed on. The previous duke had made some very bad investments and after going through the paperwork he left behind, it appears he had been swindled out of his money. Therefore, Graham has no other option but to marry an heiress.

Graham and Arabella meet again at a ball and she confides about her father. He confides that he, too, is poor. No matter, they are attracted to one another. Graham knows that without selling Brixton Park, he won’t have any money with which to fix up and keep Halstead Manor. He wants Arabella to have a good life and knows he cannot offer her much.

Graham has learned that the man who swindled the previous duke and also Arabella’s father, along with countless others is Piers Tibbord. Now, Graham has made it his mission to find this man and make him return the monies that he stole from people. However, he only wishes he had the money to offer for Arabella.

I really liked this story. Both Arabella and Graham are strong people and make a wonderful couple. Boo-Hiss to the man who swindled money from all those people. However, those people were stupid to fall for his get rich quick schemes. I wanted to plant my foot in Arabella’s father’s butt for lying in bed wasting away at his stupidity with his wife and daughter waiting on him. Gah! Get up and be a man! Take charge and get your money back, weakling! I guess my comments prove that the author’s story got my ire up! Well done, Darcy Burke!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.