'Wild and ridiculous and implausible and painful. But also, rather perfect.'

First things first, I have been on a Bareknuckle Bastards binge this last week or so. And ohhhh, how I've loved it. I didn't intentionally set out to read these three books back-to-back, but here we are, because I. Could. Not. Stop. Reading. (This series is my first by this author and they were *chef's kiss*.)

As much as I want to rave about Daring and the Duke—and I do, believe me, I do—I won't. Instead I'll keep it short and simple: this was a wonderful, rewarding, heart-wrenching, and swoonerific (it's a word, fight me) ending to the story of the Bastards...and the specter that's haunted their whole lives. I was enraptured and engaged, and completely emotionally invested, and I don't think I could've asked for a more satisfying conclusion.

One final note: I absolutely adore Grace—brilliant, powerful (and she owns it), and brave. Not always perfect, but perfect because of that.

Readers have been waiting for this couple’s story since we were first introduced to it in Wicked and the Wallflower. Ewan, the Duke of Marwick, has been leveling punishments against Grace's (and his) brothers since learning of her death. However, that lie has been exposed. Ewan has learned Grace lives and the time has come for all their secrets to be revealed showed any of them hope for a future.

An emotionally turbulent, heart wrenching, sensual, and humorous second chance love story gives readers an personal look into a relationship that was damaged by a sadistic parent. Redemption of a character is a tricky concept to pull off. You have to not only convince the reader the character is worth redemption, but also give them a plausible explanation for their previous behavior and an believable reason for the change. Writing with her trademark compassion and honestly, Maclean not only boldly redeems her hero but shows us that things are never quite what they seem as she plots Grace and Ewan's reconciliation and happily ever after.

Sarah MacLean is one of my favorites, so I was so excited to be approved for this ARC! It did not disappoint! Grace/Dahlia was an incredible heroine and a match for her brothers. I loved reading more about her world and the space she created for early Victorian era women.

MacLean’s books hold a special place in my heart as I come to them when I am feeling low. Daring and the Duke was no different, and brought happiness during difficult times.

I am a BIG fan of Sarah MacLean. Her writing. Her passion and advocacy for the genre. Her craft talks! I was looking forward to the conclusion of this serious immensely-- a trio of novels that continues to present fresh takes on favorite tropes... which is what makes reading historical for me as a reader such a pleasure.

And that is the words to describe this novel: pleasure. Both the adventure plot (Grace as Queen of the Garden's leading house for women's entertainment) and the romance plot (watching with delight as Ewan grovels). The reading experience also would have been an immense pleasure for me considering a couple of things-- most of which are outside the author's power.
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I loved the history between Grace and Ewan. The scenes between them as children felt viscerally tender... and enough for me to keep reading and investing in the outcome of the novel. The part that was hard for me to invest in, though, was Ewan's secret that propels the novel forward and keeps the couple apart. It just didn't seem enough for me to suspend my disbelief. Therefore, I had trouble rooting for them as a couple, as I felt with one great conversation, they could have figured it out (maybe because those childhood scenes were so good...they communicated beautifully!). I actually found my attention wandering to the series's other couples and, in truth, I put down the book a few chapters in to reread BRAZEN & THE BEAST (and probably liked it, even more, the second time around... Hattie & Whit <3).

I also found it difficult to invest in this novel with what is going on in our country right now. At first, I started this project looking for "escapist reads" during COVID-19 to recommend to writing students and library patrons, but now, what is happening in our country as we confront our systemic racism is not something to escape from.

I want to thank HarperCollins & NetGalley for sending me this eBook. I can't wait to read Hell's Belles and see what MacLean writes next.

Years ago, Grace, with her two brothers, left her father’s estate. They left another brother behind. Thing is, the three boys really are brothers but they are not related to Grace. Ewan, the brother left behind, chased them out and got the title of Duke for his future.
Grace, Devil and Beast (the other brothers) made their way to London. There, they slowly built a good life for themselves in the slums. Reinventing herself as Dahlia, Grace has become the Queen there. She rules with a kind heart but can never love. Ewan’s betrayal has ruined her forever.
The Ewan returns as the Duke. Dahlia’s world is turned upside down and she must decide if she loves him or hates him.
Opinion
I cannot help but love this series. This book in particular is breathtaking. Grace and Ewan are still in love with each other but neither are willing to give up their positions. Ewan chased Grace away. Grace cannot go back to being the innocent girl she was. With each chapter, I was pulled in more to their story. The love, loss and betrayal between the two is consuming. This was the perfect way to end this sweet series. Oh, and the ending? It will totally blow your socks off. Great book!
Much thanks to netgalley.com for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I've waited for Grace's story and it really delivers a punch! Emotional, angst ridden and exciting. Grace was betrayed by her first love and now is at the top of the underworld. He searches for her and still loves her but she's not interested in reconciliation. Wow! We get ballrooms and back alleys.
An outstanding conclusion to the Bare Knuckle Bastards and I loved it.

This last book in the Bareknuckle Bastards series does not disappoint! What an exciting conclusion that pulls together all the pieces and loves that have meant so much to readers in the previous books. Sarah MacLean writes her characters so well that they become family and friends to the readers.

This book started a little slow for me, and was very wordy! I didn't find that the story had much dialog for the first half. It was just too descriptive. The story did pick up around the 2nd half and was hard to put down at that point. Definitely not the best book in the series but i enjoyed the end.

I've loved every book I've read by Sarah MacLean and this book was no exception. This is Grace and Ewan's story. They are characters who will be very familiar to readers of the earlier books in this series and I have been waiting impatiently for their story ever since I finished the previous book. Overall, it was a very good read and difficult to put down. I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because it felt unexpectedly slow at points in the middle of the story.

4.5 Stars

This, my friends, is what they call a grovel novel. In its purest definition. No one does those like Sarah Mac and I’ve waited for this one since the moment we were introduced to Mad Duke Ewan in the first book, and there seemed no scope for his redemption. But A. Those are my favorite kind of (anti) heroes, and B. Sarah MacLean is a champ of redeeming the so-called irredeemable. And she does it again. So much so that by the end of the book you forget why you thought him beyond redemption in the first place.

Seems it’s the year of the redheaded heroine, and Grace is their trail blazing, trousers wearing, bare knuckle fighting, flame haired queen. She’s the ruler of her domain and of Ewan’s heart and soul. Ewan, on the other hand, is not at all what you’d expect. And I’ll leave it at that. However, seeing him trying to get back in the good graces (ha!) of Grace and the garden, is a swooning, unexpected delight. While he doesn’t keep his badness by the end of the book, he does keep his touch of madness, which took me aback a little, but works surprisingly well for the book.

As always with her breathtaking prose and powerful storytelling, the author weaves a tale full of romance and empowerment and whimsy, all while throwing her trademark punches at the patriarchy and doing it with pretty words and lyrical dialog. I could actually imagine this whole series on screen with its action and larger than life showmanship. This is theoretically, a perfect book, but I may have gone in expecting a touch more angst and darkness, which is clearly my own predisposition.

3.5 Grace and Ewan's story. This has been much anticipated, but as Ewan is such a villain in the 1st two books, it's tough to get over that. Plus it was frustrating that he didn't explain himself until SO much later, that I was cringing everytime they got together beforehand. This was more of a 3 for me, but since we got to see Devil and Beast I gave it a little more, but it's a necessity for rounding out the series.

#Daring and the Duke #NetGallery. This is the third installment of the Bareknuckle Bastard series and it doesn’t disappoint. Dahlia/Grace is a survivor along with her brothers (not blood related) in the slums of Covent Garden. They survive by fist fighting and becoming the leaders in the underworld. It was quite refreshing to read about Dahlia becoming a successful woman during a time where women were just property and disposable. Dahlia and Ewan the Duke grew up together and had a complicated history. MacLean really captures the essence of these two souls who had issues in the past and were able to work through it and find the love they once shared. It was a great story and I would recommend it. I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.

The Duke of Marwick does some heinous stuff to characters in the first two books in the series. Sarah MacLean might be the only author I trust to convince me that this character deserves happiness by the end of the series. She did it! As Ewan is trying to win Grace over and show her he's changed, MacLean is doing the same thing to the reader.

The first two books in the Bareknuckle Bastards series were phenomenal. The characters were amazing and the story for each was compelling and built up Ewan, the Duke of Marwick, as this irredeemable villain who betrayed Devil, Whit, and Grace when they were children and has come back to try and destroy them once again. The pile of his sins from the first two books was high and he had a LOT of work to do to ever be worthy of the sheer wonder and power that is Grace. So going into this book, my expectations and standards were at an all time high.

It should honestly not be surprising that Sarah MacLean delivered. And I mean DELIVERED. This book is just as phenomenal as the two that came before it. There is groveling, there is penance, there is forgiveness, there is sexiness, there is love, and there is redemption. This book contains so many feelings: anger, heartbreak, sweetness, sexiness, happiness, love... and so many more that I'm too overwhelmed to put down. MacLean finishes off this series fabulously, as only she can, and I can't wait to get my hands on whatever she writes next.

Sarah MacLean is one of my favorite historical romance authors and this doesn't disappoint!

This is a solidly enjoyable read. I've been looking forward to Grace's story for ages, so I'm grateful for the advanced arc. I loved her and the Duke's relationship and appreciated that MacLean doesn't let anyone off the hook. Our hero is a man that's made extreme mistakes, and I loved his arc here. There's something almost Gatsby-ish here that I had a lot of fun reading.

Plus, the steamy scenes are great. I'll just say that.

I could NOT contain my excitement when I received the email stating that my wish was granted to read and review an ARC of this beauty! Thank you so much to the publishers and Netgalley for this gift!

First off, can I please be Grace? What a strong, loving, brave, badass QUEEN she is. I wasn't quite sure after reading the first two books in this series how Sarah was going to tell Ewan's side of the story but I had no doubt it was going to be as amazing as the first two books. IT IS! IT SO IS.

Ewan is fully redeemed in my eyes, his story breaks my heart. I love a good second chance romance! I totally swooned at all of Grace and Ewan's interactions (two words ....masquerade ball) and flashbacks.

Thinking about this book makes my heart swell and brings tears to my eyes....I am so happy with it. No spoilers, just absolute adoration for Sarah and the finale of this fantastic series.

3.5 stars, rounded down.
Listen, I am a huge Sarah MacLean fan and Fated Mates listener. Brazen and the Beast is one of my favorite historicals. That said...parts of this just didn't sit well with me.

I think the BKBs were way too hard on Past Ewan and way too easy on Current Ewan. The revelation about why he acted the way he did 20 years earlier was... not surprising to me. Y'all knew the old Duke was evil. Evil man did evil things. ¯\_(⊙_ʖ⊙)_/¯

This isn't a huge plot spoiler, but I am in A Mood that may spoil yours. [ We are told pretty early on that Ewan's mad revenge plans caused the deaths of five people, BKB employees. When he & Grace are fighting, she tells him that if Hattie had died, she'd let Beast kill him in retaliation. So... Hattie's life matters more than those others? Their loved ones aren't entitled to their pound of flesh? Money, some bruises & blisters, and helping with the wash doesn't fix that.

In the last couple of days, we've had ever escalating news of injustice against Black Americans (George Floyd, Christian Cooper, and Ahmaud Arbery). I don't want to encounter heroes and heroines who behave on the principle that some lives matter more than others. (hide spoiler)]

That said, the story accomplishes the goal of finding a solution to the other intractable barriers between them and getting to an HEA that works. Just not enough grovelling for me. IDK that enough grovelling exists.

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for an eARC. Clearly, I still gave a candid review.

Although this is my first book in the Bareknuckled Bastards series, it was fairly easy to catch up and I found it quite enjoyable. Sarah MacLean did a good job of summarizing the events of the previous books without making it burdensome. I loved Grace’s passion and Ewan’s determination. I loved the idea of a pleasure house that caters to women. I think I would have liked to see more of Ewan’s jealousy, which is probably a petty want, but the main obstacle to their reunion was their stubborn hold to the past. I found their constant rehashing of their history went on too long, so a different type of conflict would’ve been welcome. There is a lovely collection of supporting characters that helps round out the novel. I’ll definitely go back to the other books in the series to learn the brothers’ stories.

“What Do You Need?” This, this book is exactly what I needed.

The Bareknuckle Bastards series has been building to what promised to be an explosive and emotional ending. Daring and the Duke sooooo delivered!

Ewan and Grace fell in love as little more than children in truly terrible circumstances, so how could it be expected to last? Now twenty years later, despite everything her head is, and has been, telling her, Grace finds herself intrigued by and desperate for Ewan. Now that he knows she’s alive, Ewan’s sole purpose is to give Grace everything she needs.

This grovel novel is epic and heart-wrenching but it’s also feminist as hell! From Ewan’s ability to love and support Grace so completely regardless of how she wants to live her life and the choices she’s had to make to survive, to Grace’s need to be sure that their love won’t be the end of her freedom or her goal to provide the women of London with the same outlets and pleasures as the men, Daring and the Duke is everything I needed from Ewan to forgive and entrust him with Grace, the Covenant Garden Queen.

And that EPILOGUE!!! Thank you, Sarah MacLean!

Side note: I highly recommend that you read this series in order in order to truly enjoy the perfection that is Daring and the Duke.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book but all opinions are my own.

Oh man I really wanted to love this book. I loved the first book in the series -- Wicked and the Wallflower -- and Felicity is one of my top 5 heroines ever. I enjoyed the second book too, although I found it a bit long.

I think you have to know what you're getting here. This is a grovel book. If you've read the previous books (and you should, this does not work as a stand-alone), you know that Ewan messed up. Understatement. He's done some incredibly bad things and treated people horribly.

And for me, the grovel was not enough. We don't SEE Ewan become a better man on the page. He does that off-page, and that it makes incredibly difficult for me to trust that he's grown and deserves forgiveness/redemption. Especially because Grace, our other POV, is so incredibly biased. She still loves him, from page 1, so I find her view of him hard to trust.

So in the end, what Sarah was going for here--Ewan's redemption--fails for me. The writing and world-building was great, and I really enjoyed seeing all the other characters. It was compulsive writing. But I didn't believe in Ewan as a character, and I didn't believe in him as a partner for Grace, so as a romance, it didn't work for me.

**Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review.**