This is the story of Regina , the daughter of the Earl of Hedgewick, and Carlton Guthrie, the Scoundrel of St. James.
Regina has been raised to be the perfect, most dutiful daughter. So she can be the perfect most dutiful wife. So when her father comes to her and tells her he's arranged a most advantageous marriage for her, she's not surprised, until she meets the groom. He's 14 and sickly. He apologizes to her for what their parents are doing to them. Regina realizes she can't go thru with the marriage and runs away to escape. She runs right into the arms (lierally) of Carlton Guthrie.
Carlton is the owner of the club, the Black Swan . He is considered a crime lord. We first met him in the 1st book of this series, A Most Unlikely Duke. He has secret and is seeking revenge for crimes done against his father.
Regina running into his arms and looking for protection is too good to be true. It's her father he wants his revenge on. He can offer Regina his protection while using her to get his revenge against her father.
But Regina's innocence and goodness have worked its way into the heart of the Scoundrel. He starts to rethink his need for revenge and think possibly of a future with her.
The story is so well developed. Watching Regina learn she to stand on her own 2 feet and make decisions for herself, including falling in love.
Watching Carlton trying to do what is right, not just for himself but for Regina as well.
I started this book and couldn't put it down. It just flowed from beginning to end with action, emotion and twists and turns. I loved it and give it a 5 star review.
As a side note, a minor secondary character, Regina's brother, Marcus, really deserves his own story. I loved the love and loyalty he had for his sister, never giving up looking for her. And loved his moral compass of doing what was right in the end, no matter what it cost him.
I want to thank Netgalley for allowing me to review this book. My opinion is my own.

Ratings (out of 5)
Banter: 👄👄👄
Chemistry: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
ACTUAL Regency Sex Books: 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻
⠀
Regina is the daughter of the Earl of Hedgewick. Since birth she has been groomed to be the perfect lady for one purpose - to marry well. But when her father announces a match that she cannot abide, Regina flees and finds herself in the arms of London’s most dangerous man, Carlton Guthrie, the Scoundrel of St. Giles. Carlton has spent nearly his entire life plotting and preparing for revenge. What a stroke a luck that Regina is the final missing piece. But what starts simply as a convenient arrangement - he’ll keep her safe and hidden while his secret plans fall into place - turns into much more and Carlton wonders if revenge is worth losing love.
⠀
I flew threw this book, friends. It is a lovely, sexy story about worth - both deciding what you are worth as a person and what our actions are worth in the long run.
⠀
Regina was a breath of fresh air. She is bright and intelligent and determined and I loved those things about her. That said, she is also naive and trusting, which felt very in-line for a woman of her upbringing. Carlton is the classic scoundrel with a heart of gold and I really enjoyed him as a character. I figured out the mystery about midway through the book, but that didn’t disappoint me because this is a romance *with* mystery, not a mystery *with* romance. (An important distinction, I assure you.)
⠀
This book is a slow burn for simmering sexual tension and chemistry building. It’s a story of two people learning who they are and what they want and, most importantly, what truly matters to them. I really enjoyed this book, friends, and the last 25% of it was especially thrilling.
⠀
🚨WARNING: There was a bit of disturbing ableism at the very beginning, but I am WELL AWARE that this is my modern lens and that the sentiments were probably very much the norm for a Regency aristocrat. Just… know it’s coming. ⠀
Kiss and Tell:
This book rolls along at a slow simmer. There is very sexy kissing throughout, a bit of hand play, and p&v penetration but it’s all very elegant and nuanced.

This was my first book by this Author and one I quite enjoyed - a perfect way to while away a pleasant afternoon .

Lady Regina Berkly knows that she must do her duty and marry well , However on meeting her young groom , the Duke , on the day before their wedding she realises she wants and needs more from marriage and flees . Rescued by Carlton Guthrie , the Scoundrel of St. Giles , she soon comes to realise that all he wants is revenge upon her father .
However both Regina and Carlton did not take into account their developing feelings for each other - will Carlton allow his desire for revenge to destroy what is between them , will Regina be able to see past Carlton's past and fulfil her wildest desire ??
This was a thoroughly enjoyable book with moment both tense and tender .

I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Carlton Guthrie, the Scoundrel of St. Giles, has been planning revenge for twenty years against the Earl of Hedgewick. When the Earl's daughter runs away from a planned wedding, she runs into his territory and he saves her from an attack. Regina cannot abide the marriage her father had planned for her and latches on to Carlton as he offers her a safe place to figure out what she plans to do next. Little did Carlton know was Regina is the woman of his dreams. Can he stay away and protect her innocence while he plots to kill her father?

I enjoyed this book. It started off well, dragged a little in the middle, then raced toward a satisfying conclusion. Ms. Barnes does a good job not only with the hero and heroine, but with the secondary characters as well. The mystery running through the book of why Carlton wanted revenge kept me turning the pages.

A gorgeous sexy romance that was right up my street. Loved both of the main characters and was fully invested in their relationship.

Having spent the last 20 years with revenge on his mind, Carlton Guthrie now has the means to act on that revenge when Regina, his nemesis' daughter, lands in his arms and he saves her from the streets of St. Giles. What follows is a story of intrigue, danger, betrayal, secrets, all mixed in with passion.

The story gripped me from the first page to the last one, there are many tense scenes as well as many emotional ones and when secrets are revealed, you can't help but hold your breath until it's all laid out in the open. I loved the characters, all come to life under this author's imagination and it makes for an awesome read.

I was given an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

The Forgotten Duke is a really fantastic read. It’s great to see Carlton get a heroine and HEA worthy of him. Whether you’ve read every book in the series, or this will be your first, I highly recommend this read.

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

I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t want it to end. Regina is the dutiful daughter that never questions her parents decisions, Carlton is a crime lord. The chemistry is noticeable right away and their relationship is a very slow burn. I love that they fight for each other, even in the most difficult situations. I’ll definitely read more of Sophie Barnes’ books

Carlton is a duke who is presumed dead who is bent on revenge against the man that killed his father and tried to kill him as well. He builds up an empire in St. Giles and gets ready for revenge. Regina runs away from an arranged marriage and Carlton finds her. He offers her refuge and discovers that she is the daughter of the man responsible for his situation. Will love overcome revenge? I look forward to the next book in the series that tells Ida’s story. I received an ARC for my honest review

As with the previous books in the series, (The Forgotten Duke is book 5 in the Diamonds in the Rough series by Sophie Barnes) I enjoyed the story and had a hard time putting it down. When Regina fled her home to escape marriage to a young future Duke arranged by her father, she stumbles upon Carlton, The Scoundrel of St. Giles, and enlists his help. He has his own reasons for his help and protection, though. As Regnia comes to know him, she finds herself falling for him even as he is fighting his feelings for Regina and trying to keep his plans for revenge clear in his mind. A great weekend read. Thank you, NetGalley for this copy to enjoy and review.

Carlton and Regina's story is one of the best stories I have read in a long time. This book was so good I could not put it down. I couldn't wait to read what happened next. This book has laughter and tears, everything a reader wants.

This is one of those stories that peaks your interest in the beginning, makes a turn and you wonder when you are going to get back in the highway. It’s certainly takes time to bloom.

Regina escapes her home after discovering her parents plans to marry a VERY young teenage boy. She runs into the arms of Calrton who little does she know has been nursing revenge against her father. Carlton is our bad boy hero, and while I hoped so much for his character there was something that was lacking. Regina is our beautiful good lady, raised and bred to do her duty, but unable to face the prospect of marriage to a very young lord.

These two are characters that slowly evolved. You are also introduced to Carltons world, a rough place for those that are faced to survive in it every day.

This was an Ok read, it just lacked the intensity and swoon worthy story that I usually look for in my books.

Y'all, "The Forgotten Duke" let me tell you-

I'm a total judger of books by their covers. This is my first Sophie Barnes novel because (brace yourself) I don't like the font on her more recent book covers. It's too thin. I'm glad I took the high road and looked past the font (and the hero's peach fuzz cuz he can't even grow it) and read this book. Because I very much enjoyed it.

I liked the first half of the book but found it lacked a sharp, underlying intensity. The right words were there but that acute emotion that you find with Julia Anne Long and Sarah MacLean was absent for me. However, once I reached the top of the bell curve, I definitely started to feel much more emotionally engaged with the characters. I was hooked and read the book in two days. A lot happens in this book. It moves quickly but with detail that I loved and tells a bigger story besides reaching the HEA.

Our hero, Carlton Guthrie, is basically a rich, St. Giles version of Boondock Saints without the adorable Irish name. (Personally, "Guthrie" doesn't roll off the tongue easily. I feel like a "Guthrie" should be a hearing impaired heritage Butler who slips kids candy behind Dearest Darlingest Momsies and Popsicles backs.)

Carlton lacks the ruthlessness you seen in Charming Mickey from Elizabeth Holt's Scandalous Desires. He says things like "thank you" an awful lot which seems out of place in his position of cold-blooded criminal. He never came across as intimidating - until he did. Don't worry-he proves his rank.

And I'm so okay with it. Regina is our 18 year old Heroine. I have really been appreciating the older Heroine's that we've been seeing lately in some of the more recent releases, so I just pretended she was older. The first half of the book she's a little squishy for me, but I really grew to love her. She very firmly stands up for/with Carlton and what she believes is right for her. I appreciate her moment of panic on the ship- usually the H/H are always the strong one so it was nice to see this very human trait in our Heroine.  

I'm super happy with the journey I took with Soph in this book. I'm definitely intrigued by the last chapter and plan on following the series!

Alrighty, they've kissed and I've told you about it!

Running away from an unwanted marriage, Regina finds herself cornered by ruffians. Suddenly a man comes to her rescue. Fighting them off, he then takes her to his club. Carlton Guthrie is the Scoundrel of St. Giles, known for his violent and unscrupulous reputation. Once he finds out Regina's identity, Carlton has the perfect weapon of revenge. His focus of revenge soon becomes less important, because of Regina. This book reads at a steady pace with lots of action, romance and a swoon-worthy hero.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

The Forgotten Duke is book 5 in the diamonds in the rough series by Sophie Barnes and in opinion the slowest paced book of all the series. I think that this is due to her attempt at building up the mystery of the disappearing women from Carlton Guthrie’s establishment and not because the book is not phenomenal.

Lady Regina becomes a runaway bride when she is being made to marry the Marques of Stokes, slated to become the Duke of Windham. He turns out to be nothing but a child without much to impress on a young lady nor much mobility due to his disability. She speaks with him and tries to be kind but she knows that she can not spend her life and make a future for herself with him no matter how dutiful a daughter she has been in the past. She decides to run away and is accosted while traveling in St Giles and is saved by the infamous gaming hell owner Carlton Guthrie.

It becomes quickly clear to Regina once he starts to be kind to her and looking out for her comfort and needs that Carlton being known as the scoundrel of St Giles though a well deserved title stems from a bigger mystery. Before this little adventure Regina had never lived, she has always done what was expected and not put her needs first. She did not even have hopes of a love match. Poor Regina just wanted at least a comfortable union with her perhaps the love and care of the heirs she knew it would have been her duty to provide. So she finds in the gaming hell a chance to explore life and discovers Carlton to be a man of principles and not a ruthless killer as rumored. At this point in Regina’s life it even begins to look as if he may be a man of better principles then perhaps her own father the Earl of Hedgewick who turns out by the books end to be a sore disappointment of a human being.

Once the characters are built up a few chapters in you find yourself drawn in and completely enthralled. You worry for the disappearing girls from the gaming hell and the issues of human trafficking and sex crimes rears it’s ugly head. Also you want to know why Carlton wants revenge so badly against the earl that he was at first willing to fight falling in love with Regina. The depth of emotions and volatility of anger, love and hate puts you in the thick of it as you read and feel for the characters. As with all the other books in the series, there is pain, discoveries about oneself and laughter as the characters interact and the book comes to culmination.

I really feel terrible for Marcus and hope that he perhaps gets his own story because he deserves not to suffer because of his parents misdeed. I think it’s bad enough he is now striped of his title and set adrift while his sister has found love. Since he now has a powerful family ally in the Duke of Windham perhaps he will be alright.

I received a complimentary download of this book on NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed here are completely my own and sincerely given.

I am voluntarily giving this review for this book and they are completely my own opinions. WELL!! You have to read this one!!!!!

The Forgotten Duke tells a familiar story, but does it so well it feels like a something new. I was immediately swept up in Regina's troubles and had no trouble rooting for her happy ending. She's not a perfect person and makes mistakes throughout the story, but she always means well. Her kidnapping was unexpected and added another layer to her character. I would have liked to see her have one last confrontation with her father rather than having to be told about what happened from her brother. I was a little slower to warm up to Carlton due to his treatment of Regina in the early days of their relationship, but as he started to see her as a person rather than a pawn I was able to get on board with him being the man for her. I agreed with her decision to choose Carlton over her father, but I also wished she had gotten a chance to really have it out with him over some of his deceitful behavior rather than just wanting to ignore all of the things he had done early on. I'm hoping for a story with Marcus as the focus - he was a great brother and handled all the adversity so well, he deserves his own happy ending.

Loved this book by Sophie Barnes. The characters were wonderfully crafted and had me falling in love. I loved the diverse characters and the different spin on the genre. I will definitely be purchasing this one for my shelf when it is released and eagerly look forward to the next book by Ms. Barnes.

I’m a sucker for a gaming hell owner falling in love with the woman he’s protecting/kinda screwing over story! Though this one is perhaps a bit less steamy than I’d like, and there was a bit much going on with the intrigue, this was a fun read that took up an afternoon I likely should have spent on other pursuits, which is lovely on a cool fall day cozied up on the couch!!

A sheltered daughter runs away on the morning of her wedding to a 14 year old future Duke. Running into St. Giles, she meets up with Carlton Guthrie, kingpin of this area. Regina turns out to be the daughter of the man he has pledged to kill. She plays right into his plans but along the way, love develops on both sides. Will he continue to seek vengeance? Will Regina be enough to have him stop? A sweet story I thoroughly enjoyed.