4.5 Stars

IN THE DARK WITH THE DUKE by Christi Caldwell. What a tale! Ms. Caldwell brings two characters together, from different walks of like, and blends them effortlessly and delightfully. I truly enjoyed reading the story of Hugh and Lila. Hugh, despite being larger than life, figuratively, he does not value his own worth. That broke my heart. And Lila, despite being a Lady of the Ton, cannot see past her own hurts and limitations. However, Lila certainly had my respect and admiration for she is brave and kind and will do whatever needs to be done to help those she loves. Hugh, not believing he is worthy, fights his feelings and personal growth a bit throughout.
The character development, for me, was wonderful. Both grew and became enlightened by what they discovered about themselves. There is some dark in this tale. Both Hugh and Lila have lived through some very traumatic times that certainly made my heart hurt for both. This is a bit of a slow burn romance but worth it. If you enjoy historical romance, that has some danger and true love, I recommend IN THE DARK WITH THE DUKE. (received NetGalley ARC for honest review)

I really liked this novel. It's really fun reading about characters that aren't in the aristocracy (well, at least in the first half of the book, Hugh was a fighter - and that is it). I liked both protagonists: Lila and Hugh were compelling characters who inspired empathy in the reader. I really appreciated that Lila went after what she wanted and that Hugh was more of a beta hero and someone who felt things deeply. The story also flowed really well and had a good pacing. I strongly recommend this book.
(4.2 stars, that I will round up to 5 because I liked it very much.)

Not my usual read but enjoyable. Well written, well developed characters and plot. Would have enjoyed more romantic scenes and humor to balance the heaviness of the story. Would have also appreciated some information about Peterloo earlier in the story as I found myself googling the event to find out what had happened before it was fully revealed by the author. The strength of the main characters was admirable. It was nice to read about a woman not waiting on a man to save her and not afraid to take matters into her own hands. Would read again, would recommend to friends.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC. This review is given voluntarily and honestly.

I am thoroughly enjoying this new Lost Lords series by Christi Caldwel. (Not that I don't enjoy all her books since her first book)

This second book of the series, takes us into the world of bare knuckle fighting as the last took us into the sewers of London. That one had me googling 'toshers' and this one the 'peterloo massacare'.

Both the protagonists, Lila and Hugh still suffer nightmares from Peterloo and it is interesting to read how they overcome those and find each other. Amid much loved previous characters (that had me once again rereading past titles) Lila, a self-made recluse, and Hugh, the bare knuckle fighter from the Rookeries, fight and overcome their fears and overcome them to finding a perfect HEA and of course a stolen title.

Wow, what a story! Christi Caldwell never ceases to amaze me with her stories and this one will be known as one of my favourites. It's not a light, airy romance, this is more of a dark, nitty gritty kind of story but it's so well written and you'll be in love with both the hero and heroine before you can blink.

If you love a hero with a tortured soul, you've come to the right book! My heart ached for Hugh, for the childhood that was stolen from him, for the fighting that he hated and for the lack of any kind of love in his life. As for the heroine, Lila, she has been a recluse for almost 10 years, not being able to go out during the day when so many people are around due to a tragedy that changed her life.

When Lila decides she wants to try to overcome her demons, she sets her sights on a man who has never lost a bare-knuckle fight, Hugh, and demands that he teach her how to protect herself. Hugh has demons of his own to fight and wants nothing to do with Lila but he soon learns that she does not take "no" for an answer!!

Two broken souls who help each other heal turns into a beautiful love story.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Lila and Hugh's story is a painful, emotional romantic tale. Both scarred from a horrific past that left them with no choice but to survive, it only makes sense that they find each other and learn to heal. Lila hires Hugh to teach her to fight and despite his misgivings he agrees. Their lessons turn passionate and they discover that there is more to life than just fighting to get by.
A well written, emotional romance.

In the Dark with the Duke is a slow burn romance of two imperfect people trying to navigate their way in a world that has scarred them emotionally and physically. Along the way they learn to love and trust, and while they don't shed their demons, Hugh and Lila realize they are better when they open themselves up completely to each other.

While this is a "dark" book - triggers of war, emotional, physical, and child abuse, there was also so much light and hope that the author infused, even moments of great humor. The romantic tension between Hugh and Lila was off the charts, and while only one sex scene, it was pretty steamy.

Each character grows and develops and changes for the better as the story progresses. Hugh is strong and convicted. He's a fighter, in all aspects. But he was refreshing in that he wasn't out for revenge, but comes to realize that true justice doesn't have to be dealt only from the streets. We first meet Lila as somewhat timid, but quickly learn that she is so much more and I love that Hugh recognizes from the beginning how strong Lila is and respects her right from the start.

The fight scenes are so well done. The reader really gets of sense of time and place, infusing all the senses. The grit and grime, the crack of bones; all well done.

I would have liked the big reveal about the person who started the Fight Society that kidnapped children to have had a bit more of an impact. No spoilers . . . It was a smart twist, but it seemed a bit tacked on at the end. I hope there are plans for more books about Sylvia and Valerie, their stories are definitely not finished. One thing I was confused about was just how old Hugh was when he was kidnapped. He remembers nothing from his time before he was stolen, yet we're told he was already a great fighter when he was taken.

I never heard of the Peterloo massacre, so I did "enjoy" learning about this horrific event and will do a bit more research about this moment in history.

There seemed to be references to other characters from previous books in Christi Caldwell's other series, so I look forward to making those connections and reading those other books (like Lila's brother Henry, married to a former courtesan).

In the Dark with the Duke is the second book of the Lost Lords of London series. It's the first I've read from this series, and completely could be read as a stand alone.

I received this book through NetGalley, the thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

This book contains graphic scenes from Peterloo and deals with issues of PTSD.

When I pick up a Christy Caldwell book, I know I’m in for a lot more than just the usual historical fiction. I wasn’t disappointed with A Duke in the Dark.

In the previous book I learnt all about toshers - I didn’t even know it was a thing! In this one, I was introduced to the merciless world of bareknuckle fighting.

Christy builds her plot around gritty and realistic circumstances which really sets her apart from so many other authors in this genre. I must admit, because of their intense nature, I don’t always read her books - but when I do I’m never disappointed.

Her books aren’t always filled with humour, but they will pull on your heartstrings.

This book wasn’t any different.

Lila March is probably one of the oddest heroines I’ve read in a historical fiction. She reminded me a little of Gertrude from The Bluestocking.

Lila suffers from PTSD and has severe agoraphobia. She has hardly left her home since the fated day her life changed, and has become somewhat of a recluse, speaking only to her family. Yet, there is the spirit of a fighter somewhere within her.

She decides that she does not want to be helpless - not the way she was on that day. She wants to be able to defend herself and her family should they need it.

Now I didn’t really understand what prompted Lila to suddenly want this - I understand there was one situation in particular in the beginning of the book - but it didn’t seem as strong as a motivator to push an agoraphobe out of her comfort zone.

Anyway, she decides she wants this, and sneaks out at night when she’s comfortable within the shadows to find the notorious fighter that the papers keep talking about.

The notorious fighter, Hugh, hates fighting. He’s really not a vengeful person and just wants to be left in peace. This was already a breath of fresh air from the usual retribution driven men.

He was broken boy who was further destroyed by the war. He is stuck in a situation that he hates, and doesn’t know how to get out.

For a while, his character seemed a bit all over the place. I wasn’t quite sure what the purpose of his existence was. Maybe that was meant to be the case, though.

Both of them bring out the best in each other, and they teach the other a little something to help them out of their misery.

I thought Lila’s character was beautifully developed, I loved seeing her open up and really come into her own.

I was a bit disappointed with Hugh. Like I said before, he lacked a little substance for me. I did feel for him though. Having endured all that he did growing up, he turned out to be a man of remarkable character. Not violent, or angry or vile - just lost and tortured.

I also think the whole ‘lost lords’ bit was rushed and seemed like it existed merely as a device to set the last part of the book into motion. It felt a bit odd that someone who hated nobs so much, would suddenly assume the role of a Duke and not really show much struggle.

With the previous book, I liked how that aspect was explored more. I liked seeing the struggle of a ’tosher’ inhabit the role of an aristocrat. It added a layer to story.

In this one, it seemed thrown into the book in haste.

Other than this wayward thread though, the plot was very well woven.

Christy gives you pieces of a puzzle and clues throughout the book on where to place them. As the story progresses, they big picture becomes clear and you feel satisfied!

In this regard, the side characters, albeit fewer than most books, played an important role. As much as I hated Bragger and Maynard, I felt like they deserved better. I felt for them, and their actions were justified. At times, I even disagreed with Hugh and wanted those two to get their retribution for all that they’ve endured.

I liked Sylvie as well. Though, I feel she should have had a greater presence in the story, when we did get her, she stole the show.

The book didn’t really have any more side characters, strangely enough - just those three, one ringleader who makes a small cameo and a wicked nob with a special appearance. I don’t know if I liked it, or wished we got more scenes with the characters interacting with people other then each other and their inner monologues.

I enjoyed reading about the lessons themselves - they were fun and steamy, without being cringe. They formed the crux of a romance novel which actually had more of a parallel story than romance (I don’t mind). I also liked seeing how Lila grew from those lessons!

Overall, I must say, this one wasn’t as good as the first one in this series (which I devoured in about 4 hours straight) but it would be unfair to compare since they were quite different.

That’s not to say this one wasn’t good! It was heart-wrenching and eye-opening. I learnt a lot about Peterloo, and it really drove home the atrocities of war and violence. It also shows the triumph of human spirit over these things.

It’s what you’d expect from a Christy novel, plus a little bit of extra knowledge on bats - you’ll see!

Christi Caldwell wows again in this second book, part of her Lost Lords of London series. This book can beb read as a stand-alone, but the first book is equaly amazing.

One thing I love about this author is she continues to right HEA's for characters that feel real. They all have very human problems and noone one has grown up having the perfect life. They each live their day one at a time, one foot in front of the other. I can always feel connected to the hero and heroine and it makes the story that much better.

In the Bed with the Duke is story about two people who are trying to move from their pasts. Lila and Hugh have suffered so much physically and emotionally that it has consumed their lives. When Lila decides she wants to learn how to defend her to protect those she loves she finds Hugh, who is known as the best fighter in London.

Lila wants to find more ways to slowly become the person she once was. She is brave and resilient, honest, and has a no nonsense attitude that I love.
Hugh is a child of the streets. He was forced to fight for years before leaving to join the military. When he got out, he was even more emotionally damaged. He was homeless, begging for food before being rescued by old acquaintances He now feels beholden to them.

From there we get a slow burn romance as these two lost souls learn to put their pasts behind them. Each of their interactions are better as the story progresses.
We have a little bit of a mystery mixed in with their story, but it in no way takes away from their love story. We are left we more characters to love and I hope to see Sylvia and Annalee have stories in the future and for me some questions I can't to be answered.

I can't wait until the next Christi Caldwell release!!!

While the circumstances of hero Hugh's life are saddening, the interaction between him and the heroine keeps the book from dwelling in misery. Instead, we get to see both of our main characters overcome their wounds from the past as they figure out their futures. The way their relationship evolves perfectly reflects their lack of confidence in their ability to be part of a couple. Both broken and not entirely sure they can be fixed, they have a slow burn relationship where they explore the physical, but the emotional ties take longer to build. The pacing of story and character arcs are just right, and the heroine and hero are likable. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Lila is the sister of Henry from Clara and Henry's story in the Wicked Wallflowers series, but you don't need to have read that one to enjoy this one. You also don't need to have read the first Lost Lords book. So if you want to read this one first, go for it!

I read a lot. A lot. Which means I'm rarely running into authors that truly surprise me. Christi Caldwell has done that with this book. It is amazing. In the Dark with the Duke tells the story of Lila and Hugh. Both come from very different worlds and different backgrounds. Towards the beginning of the book it's hard to see how the two will ever be able to work together, let alone find their HEA. Both have been through their own traumas and just don't see eye to eye on much. Caldwell writes characters that are so very raw and real. You cannot but help feel for them and, despite it seeming impossible, hope they find their way through their troubled start. The tension between the two is palpable and kept me from putting this book down. The world of boxing and the rookery that Caldwell portrays is exciting and gritty. I loved every part of it. I loved that everything wasn't easy, perfect and shiny. You're not spending your time in this book in ballrooms. I loved that the writing was just so well done. It's exciting and refreshing. Lila is strong, brave and determined. Hugh is just so dang good. While In the Dark with the Duke is part of a series it works just fine as a standalone. I really really enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone.

In the Dark with the Duke is about Lady Lila who asks the “Savage” to teach her how to fight. Both of them have deep scars that they unravel together. The story was enjoyable, but I just didn’t feel for any of the characters.

Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

OMG I loved it, it was different and something that I would not have expected so way to go Christi, I had just finished one of your books about a day ago and this one came bout so I requested and so happy I did. I loved Lila that girl went thru hell but got the gumption of learning how to fight to defend herself and survive, and she is a survivor actually everyone in this book pretty was, from her widowed sister, her brother and her besti however they all had different way to cope. And then we have Hugh, hhhh Hugh (a duke) but you wouldn't know it and neither did anyone one else since he was ripped from his life so long ago and this guy suffered to but he ended up learning to not only live his life but to start enjoying it when Lila comes in with a crazy request. Grab my friends and Enjoy!