Cover Image: Joy to the Duke

Joy to the Duke

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

This is dramatic, romantic and entertaining. When Calder fell in love with Felicity his father interfered and Calder lost his chance to marry her. Ever since then he has refused to let any happiness into his life. But now that his father is dead, Calder can do as he pleases, including canceling all of the Christmas celebrations that his father enjoyed. When Felicity returns to care for a relative, Calder sees it as a chance to have what he wanted, Felicity and a happy life. His demeanor drastically changes when he and Felicity reconnect, he becomes the man he should have been all along.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. This is my honest and voluntary opinion of it.

Was this review helpful?

Darcy Burke is one of my favorite historical romance writers. I find that she almost always creates a story that sucks me in. Joy to the Duke is the novella about Calder and Felicity whose love story was cut short by their fathers 10 years ago., but now they have a second chance. This book has been sitting in my tbr for quite some time and I'm so happy I finally go around to reading it. Very enjoyable.

Was this review helpful?

Joy to the Duke was a very well-written novella. For such a short book, the author conveyed a great deal of sadness and heartbreak. She is also able to help the main character find his way to healing.

Ms. Burke does a wonderful job in helping the reader to understand the difficulties that Calder experienced at the hands of his own father. In the earlier books, we learn that Calder is cold, bitter and unwilling to allow himself to feel any emotional attachments.. All along, you assume there is a reason for it. Initially, his sisters blame his former girlfriend, Felicity. However, we soon learn that she was a victim of circumstance as was Calder. In addition to a strong story, the fact that the events center around the Christmas season makes it even better.

Thank you to NetGalley for this reader's copy.

Was this review helpful?

This was a yes book for me! I loved it. Plot line and characters were solid, the whole thing was just solid. It was a great experience.

Was this review helpful?

A lovely, well written, Christmas themed, second chance historical romance novella. There are a few side characters from previous books, but this can be read as a stand alone. Set in 1811 with good historical details and a slow burn romance between our 'scrooge' hero Calder and Felicity, the lady he loved ten years ago and let go. A nice engaging story and I will be reading more from this author. My thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the gift of the eARC, in return for my honest opinion. 3.5 stars.

Was this review helpful?

Another great read by this author! I laughed, posed and think, and craved for more after reading it. The book took me to another place full of romance and laughter. 4.5 stars.

Was this review helpful?

A great romance. Calder & Felicity's relationship was very well paced. I love the letter trope in these books, as they seem more timely than the parent/friend coming to the house to tell one of the characters that the other one doesn't love them.

Was this review helpful?

Joy to the Duke features a wonderful second chance romance and was a fantastic conclusion to the Love is All Around series.

Calder Stafford, the Duke of Hartwell, has spent the last ten years determined to be the opposite of his father, a man who showed his son no affection instead reserving it for his sisters and the town he loved so much. Now that he’s the Duke, Calder’s first order of business is getting rid of the holiday traditions his father loved. When Felicity Garland returns to town, Calder has no intention of seeing her after the way the two parted a decade ago. But when it becomes clear the couple were driven apart by his father’s meddling, Calder questions the path he’s on and his life quickly begins to change for the better.

Calder and Felicity’s relationship at the start of the story is very antagonistic as both are under the impression the other walked away from their relationship ten years ago. Once it comes out the two were forced apart by Calder’s father, their relationship quickly begins to repair itself. Felicity is the driving force behind this at first as once she knows the real reason for Calder leaving, she immediately wants to fix things whereas Calder has a harder time accepting the situation. I loved how much Felicity pushed Calder and how she wouldn’t give up until he lost the hardness he acquired over the years. Their interactions are full of wonderful banter and Felicity’s stubborn nature definitely leads to some interesting scenes between the pair. I thought the ending of the book was well done and the way Felicity and Calder’s relationship progresses is fantastically done.

Where the second book in the series, The Gift of the Marquess, overlapped timeline wise with the first book, The Red Hot Earl, this one overlaps with the second. I loved getting to see some of the scenes from a different perspective and I liked the author’s decision to have the books somewhat overlap. Calder’s sisters, Bianca and Poppy, feature heavily in this book and I really enjoyed getting to see more of their relationships as Ash and Gabriel are wonderful love interests.

Overall I really enjoyed Joy to the Duke and would highly recommend the series if you’re looking for some short reads to get you in the holiday spirit.

Was this review helpful?

In the conclusion to the trilogy, we finally learn why Calder has been so unpleasant in the first two books. This story of young lovers thwarted and finally. reconciled makes for a fitting conclusion to this engaging romance series. Characters from the first two books are present here as well, and the culminating celebration make this lovely holiday tale. As with all of Ms. Burke's books, this one is well written, with strong well-defined characters.

Was this review helpful?

Darcy Burke delivers a great story filled with special characters, laughter, and romance. Be sure to put this on your TBR list.

Was this review helpful?

Another in the Stafford series and as always, Darcy Burke does not disappoint. Having followed the series from book one, I eagerly awaited this one and enjoyed reconnecting with previous characters in this lovely tale of romance. Could also be read standalone.

Was this review helpful?

A predictable story and a keeping-the-lovers-apart plot device that felt a little bit contrived, but a sweet story that I couldn't seem to put down until that HEA. A nice holiday read.

*ARC via netgalley*

Was this review helpful?

Another Duke series about Christmas, whoohoo! I love the historical romance with the fancy Dukes in breeches. So, when Darcy Burke had a new serie: Love is All Around, I had to request it on Netgalley. The three books are about the Stafford sisters Bianca and Poppy and their cold hearted brother Calder.
The timing of the stories is parallel, so while Bianca is trying to solve the issue of the party of St. Steven's Day, we can read in Joy to the Duke why Calder is opposed to the party. Whereas Bianca and Poppy have warm memories of their father, Calder hates the man.
As the eldest, Calder to the brunt of their fathers expectations and threats. Their father wanted to raise the new duke with an iron fist. He went as far as to buy off the girl Calder wanted to marry to avoid him to lose focus.
So excuse him, when Calder is not up to cheering in Christmas spirit and rejoicing about the greatness of their father.
He doesn't care that everyone is thinking that he is as cold as ice. But when Felicity returns home to take care of her mother, Calder gets visions of his past, present and future. With or without Felicity, the girl who he thought left him over a bag of money.
Felicity didn't understand why Calder promised to marry her and then send her a letter to reject her. But she picked up her life and married someone else. But now, being widowed and taking care of her mother, Felicity isn't about to let her life be ruined again by a grumpy Calder. She knows the man she fell for all those years ago is still somewhere deep down. So, she puts on her best Christmas spirit and is determined to crack the ice walls around his heart. Will she succeed? Find out for yourself in this re-telling of Scrooge! Enjoy. Five out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

Was this review helpful?

Joy to the Duke is a delightful romance novella with a Christmas HEA. Felicity Garland returns to her childhood home to take care of her mother, after leaving when she is told by (then) the current Duke of Hartwell tells her that his son will not marry her because she is after the money. She also returns to look forward to those holiday traditions that the Duke of Hartwell (previous love of her life) will put on, but he doesn't do anything for the community.

Felicity takes it upon herself to convince the man she once loved, to ungrinch his heart for tradition and love.

Was this review helpful?

Fun Regency take on the Scrooge story, with a bitter and emotionally closed off Duke redeemed and brought back into the family fold via a beautiful lost love and some sex in front of the fireplace.

Was this review helpful?

This was a fun light ho.iday romance. Perfect for a snowy day with a cup of tea in front of a roaring fire.

Was this review helpful?

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Many thanks to the author for this opportunity.

Joy To The Duke, by Darcy Burke, became available at booksellers in November of 2019. Joy is the third and last book in the Love Is All Around series. Three members of one family and how they got to their HEA's. I've enjoyed the entire series but Joy may be my favorite. The way Ms Burke has woven A Christmas Carol into our heros story worked very, very, well.

Calder Stafford, the Duke of Hartwell, is a mean, miserly man. Heart of ice, doesn't care about anything or anyone, except his dog. He's become awful after his Father ran off his first, and only love. Dad was a piece of work, a bad piece. Calder has acted ugly to his sisters & later makes amends, thank goodness. His scrooge moments are great.

Felicity Templeton Garland is the one that got away. A decade ago she got a curt, nasty letter from Calder, but really his dad. Her family left town, dad paid off her dad to go. It's all a mess, but they never stopped loving each other. She's one determined lady. I'm glad that all worked out well for everyone.

#DarcyBurke #JoyToTheDuke #Netgalley #LoveIsAllAround

Was this review helpful?

3.5 stars!

While this wasn’t the most original Christmas novella, I did enjoy the story and characters as well as the incorporation of the original “A Christmas Carol” story we all know and love. Darcy Burke is definitely becoming one of my personal favorite historical romance authors, and I look forward to reading more of her novels in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Was this review helpful?

He would close his heart off and never love again. Lord Calder has loved and lost but now Felicity has come back to town. He longs for love but has hardened his heart until it barely beats. Secrets comes out and misunderstandings are cleared up. Will they be able to overcome the past and find love? This is a second chance for love story. I loved the characters. I received this book from the author and I was gifted with it as well by a friend who knows how much I love this author. Received this book from Net Galley and the publisher for a honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Calder and Felicty's story was the perfect ending to this trio of stories. I couldn't put this book down. I hope Thornberry will get a book too.

Was this review helpful?