"She'll do the wrecking. And you won't for a minute think you don't deserve it."

What can I say about this SERIES except Sarah MacLean has done it again. Daring and the Duke is the third book in SM's The Bareknuckle Bastards series and the one that many have been most excited for. It tells the long-awaited story of Grace Condry, Queen of Covent Garden and all around badass, sister to the other two Barenuckle Bastards (Devil and Whit) and owner of the best women's pleasure house in London. After being betrayed by Ewan when they were 13, TBB run away to Covent Garden and build amazing lives there, trying to make the Garden a safer place while their rage and betrayal festers. Grace uses her heartbreak, rage and sadness to seal herself away, never finding the pleasure that she grants to her clients every night. But when she and Ewan come face to face after 20 years and Grace tries to enact her revenge, she struggles to hold onto her indifference in the face of her first love.

"What do you need, Grace?"

I have to admit, I was a little worried about this book - I mean if anyone can fully redeem a character it's Sarah, BUT Ewan is literally horrible throughout the first two books, to main characters that we learn to love and root for. How were we going to learn to love and root for the Mad Duke of Marwick? And SM definitely creates such beautiful back story (back story that has been there since Wicked and the Wallflower), weaves in so much pain, honesty, secrets and truth, and fleshes out Ewan, the Duke of Marwick, in such a way that you can't help but root for him. BUT, it was all a little bit too quick and too easy. Ewan did horrible things in the first two books and I am not sure that he should be so easily forgiven. And Grace, well I was never worried about loving Grace and I did indeed love Grace. I was hoping this book would be a 5 star read like many of SM's others, but there were a few reasons why it isn't:
- I wanted to see Grace in her world as Queen of Covent Garden more. We get it a little bit but I was so looking forward to seeing her break faces, outmaneuver, and be the queen we know she is.
- I felt that a lot of Grace and Ewan's love was based on 20 years ago, as 13 year olds, when we know that they have changed so much. We got tiny glimpses of who Grace and Ewan learning about each other as adults (think the roof scene) but not enough for me to feel like the love they had was more present than past.
- Ewan's redeeming was too quick and too easy. I wanted more groveling. Way more.
- I wanted more Devil and Whit, but especially Devil. I know, I know, it's not Devil's book. But I love the dynamic between The BB and it would have been nice to see their dynamic play out more, especially in the end.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and when it ended I wanted more. More of the series and more of the world. I can't wait for Sarah's Hell's Belles series coming next year and it might be time for a new SM backlist re-reads.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and HarperCollins Publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a little slow going for me. But let me say it quickly picked up pace. This is Grace and Ewan's happily ever after. But it didn't come easily for either of them. It was a hard fought win.
This book made me laugh and made me cry. It also made me understand Ewan little bit better. He wasn't afraid to fight for his love.
If you haven't yet, get a copy when this book is released. Get to know Ewan before you pass judgment on him.

Perfect ending to a perfect series! Ewan got the most satisfying redemption arc and I loved following his and Grace’s love story. There was some excellent groveling, so many romantic moments, the most perfect grand gestures—really, everything I could have hoped for as a fan of this series, this book had. Always impressed by Sarah MacLean and looking forward to whatever she writes next!

I think this is a solid 3.5 stars for me because I really liked the previous two books and did enjoy this one as well. I liked the chemistry of Grace and Ewan and the steamy scenes were, well, quite steamy. I did have a couple issues, one with the writing, which I'll discuss, and one with the plot, which I won't because of spoilers.
The writing issue I had was the repetitive use of certain words and phrases. It got so bad it was bringing me out of the story constantly. There was also a lot of repetitive explaining, like reminding the reader of Ewan's sins a million times over, and even two descriptions of the same outfit in the same scene. I'm hoping these issues are cleared up in the final edition.
Overall, I really enjoyed the whole series and loved how it all came together. I've found a new author I will definitely be following from now on.

Where to start.

Ewan is one of three bastard sons of the dastardly Duke of Marwick. And the one who claimed the title, losing his found family in the process.

The others ran and lost themselves in Covent Garden, and built themselves an empire.

Ewan did awful things in his search for Grace. Unforgivable things. But now he’s back, asking to pay penance for his sins.

If anyone can redeem the unredeemable, it is Sarah MacLean. And she did it masterfully. My heart broke into a billion pieces, and she put it all back together with gold thread.

We learned all the dark secrets Ewan kept for 20 years. Why he claimed the dukedom over Grace and his brothers. And ultimately, what he was willing to do to get them back.

This gets 5 brilliant gold stars. Brava, Sarah.

This book is perfection! It is definitely my favorite romance book I have read to date and in the very top of the list of the best books I have ever read. The third in an amazing trilogy, Daring and the Duke tells the story of Grace and Ewan. The two have a long, troubled history with one another. Grace is exactly what I want to read in a female character today. She is a fighter, literally and figuratively. She is strong. She stands up not just for herself but for those around her. In the first two books we learn of the horrid things that Ewan has done in the past to both Grace and others around her. MacLean brings him to this book with the reader thinking there is almost no way he can redeem himself. In addition, one cannot imagine a hero deserving of and equal to the power that is Grace. However, because this author is so masterful, Ewan not only finds his redemption, he has become the very best hero I have ever read. He is the hero I never knew I wanted and definitely needed.

The writing is so good. MacLean just improves upon herself throughout each book of this trilogy with this final book showing what a master she is at her craft. There are so many lines and scenes and even little nuances that just make this story so much more than it could have been on the surface. It is a book that will stay with me for a long time and is sure to be a consistent re-read for me. While the book can surely stand alone, it is so much better for having read the first two in this trilogy so I would definitely recommend starting with the beginning. MacLean has outdone herself here and you would be wise to go purchase the first two books in preparation for this one to come out as it's a must read you do not want to miss.

Of course this is brilliant. Sarah is such an amazing author, she’s an auto buy for us, but I think she outdid herself with this one. So so so good!

Daring and the Duke is my favorite book in this series. Sassy and tough, Grace Condry is now the queen of London's pleasure house for women. Her mother's bastard. baptized as placeholder for the Duke of Marwick"s, Grace became expendable as the old Duke brought in his bastard sons to fight for the place to be Duke. The half-brothers and Grace became family but for Grace and Ewan the feelings ran deeper until Ewan betrayed them all. Grace is hard as iron and content with the life she now has but Ewan wants her back. Intense, a little mad, and whole lot of sexy, Ewan will not stop until Grace is his once again. Steamy with an unconventional heroine, the story is everything I love about historical fiction with some of the best characters I have ever read in the genre. I am sad to see the end of the series but it has been a pleasurable ride. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

3.5 stars

Daring and the Duke is the final book in a trilogy, the Bareknuckled Bastards, a historical romance featuring the seamier side of London. I've read the previous book, and if you haven't read any of the prior novels, you might be confused. Ms. MacLean assumes that the reader already knows the backstory between the heroine, Grace/Dahlia and Ewan, the Earl of Marwick, along with their brothers.

If you've already bought into the series and like Sarah MacLean, you'll probably enjoy this childhood sweethearts to enemies to lovers story, though apparently Ewan is quite the villain in previous installments. For me, there were too many frustrating moments to really settle into enjoy the novel. First, the assumption from the first chapters that reader already know things before MacLean gives context; Grace/Dahlia, who is so OTT (amazing fighter! enlightened brothel owner! <---not my jam) that she's a caricature to me--she never felt real to the time period; Ewan withholding reasons for his originating villainy that would have likely reduced this novel significantly if he had just freaking told Grace/his brothers. Instead, he keeps thinking about it, until I was completely annoyed. But if he did, the book might had to wrap up at the half way point (though the author could have created a different obstacle, like had he really atoned for his more up to date real villainy?)

Last, I never bought into this amazing love between the mains that would have survived *twenty* years when they basically fell in love as very young teenagers over what was probably the course of a about year and change. If they had been late teens, perhaps. Even thinking of the great stress they were under at the time, I still couldn't buy it. To me, it was hard to see how such very young love in such a time period, could result in a Great Romance so many years later, when they were separated, and not connected in any way.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book. This boooooook! I absolutely loved the first two books of the Bareknuckle Bastards series but I would be lying if I didn’t admit that THIS was the story I’ve been waiting for from the beginning.

And it was pretty epic. It was bloodthirsty. And empowering and redemptive. A literal gamut of human emotions.

You’ve got Grace and Ewan who are just throbbing, visceral LoveAngst (Gawd, I love LoveAngst.) You have the reigning Queen of Covent Garden, masterfully running the show with her army of fierce female warriors. You also have a family who loves each other, fighting for each other. And there’s forgiveness and the reunification of brothers. *whimpers brokenly*

Oh. It’s hot too. Very.

And now we wait for the newly announced Sarah MacLean series, Hell’s Belles. (A Victorian Girl Gang, you guys! A Girl Gang!)

Thank you Netgalley and Avon for the chance to read an advanced copy. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sigh. I have loved Sarah MacLean’s work, until the Bareknuckle Bastards series. I did not care for Felicity and Devin’s book at all. I am just over revenge plots in which the woman is a pawn in the master plan of the “hero.” Hattie and Whit’s book was much better, and I had hoped Ms. McLean was returning to form; Hattie is one of my favorite heroines ever, in any series.

I was nervous about this book, because I didn’t see Ewan as redeemable. The previous two books quite clearly portray him as a monster. He killed multiple people and very nearly killed Hattie. Unfortunately, my concerns were warranted. His redemption, such as it was, was quick and easy. The story that explains how/why he nearly killed Grace and his brothers was accepted far too easily by all. Not all characters can be redeemed, nor should they.

I was really looking forward to this, as it’s the third book in the Bareknuckle Bastards series and Sarah Maclean did such a good job of building this story up in the background of the two other novels. All roads and narratives led down this path and it was the culmination of a bigger story.

Ewan, the villain from the first two novels, and Grace, a badass lady brawler who owns her own brothel are the stars in this installment and their love is, well, really twisted and obsessive. The beginning is hella dark and it’s exactly what it needs to be given the first two books. I was expecting the rest of the novel to keep up this pace of groveling, longing, and tainted love. But it really didn’t. The darkness soon gave way to ball room scenes and masquerade parties and quiet calm discussions of the past, despite the bloodshed that Ewan left in the previous pages. Granted, there are a few twists, but I felt like the Ewan and Grace I was seeing here were not the characters I had read previously. Maybe this was to show their growth? Maybe it was to show how they reached out past the darkness that consumed them? Great, but it was rather unexpected.

Ultimately though, it’s a Sarach Maclean novel through and through and her novels are always worth a read.

This is the final book in the Bareknuckle Bastards trilogy and though it can be read as a stand alone you won't want to miss the first two books. This story is full of the signature emotion and heat, tempered with humor, of the. first two books. It also manages to deftly conclude the journey of the "siblings" whose lives were manipulated by the old Duke. Bravo!!

When I received the email from Net Galley that my wish for an ARC in exchange for a fair review was granted it was all I could do to not scream out loud, so I did the next best thing and took to screaming on Twitter.

I own copies of the first two and have been waiting and waiting for this book to come out so it is safe to say that I had a lot of expectations and hopes for this book and it did not disappoint. About a quarter of the way through the book my notes switched from thoughts and written reactions to various numbers of flame emojis 🔥

I was not expecting to like Ewan as much as I did. Is he unrealistic in his painful devotion to Grace? Yes and I loved every moment of it. This book was grand gesture after grand gesture which is usually the most cringe part of a romance novel for me, but it worked my god it worked. Sarah is an incredible writer to turn a "villain" into a true Hero who literally "refused to rip her bodice" (literally the book says that).

Grace felt like a full human. She was strong, confident, and unapologetic about who she was. She had a past, a present, and knew what she wanted for her future.

I loved that Beast and Hattie as well as Devil and Felicity were present for most of the book as well as the small nods to Sarah's The Rules of Scoundrels series. I would happily revise this world again. The side characters were well enough developed that I would love to read a novella about almost any of them.

As much as I loved the book, I don't think that it should read as a standalone. Would it still be enjoyable? Yes, but the emotional impact would have been a lot less. It very much is the third in a series with characters that have been developing across three books despite each having its own Hero and Heroine.

A few of my favorite lines with no context:

"... I realized that what I felt before you arrived had not been hope, it had been fear. And when you arrived, you were hope."

"Grace had not gone from girl to woman; she had gone from girl to goddess."

"You are a queen. I am your throne."

Sarah MacLean offers a solid ending to the Bareknuckle Bastards trilogy. I feel like MacLean is a solid and popular author and you are guaranteed some heat, some fun, and a great pairing. Grace and Ewan are no different, though I was pleasantly surprised at how the author brought round the villain in previous books. I will say that even though I am a huge fan of hers, the repetition in this book (especially when it came to describing clothing) and the very MacLean-esque way of writing with sentence fragments was slighting annoying after a while. I still enjoyed it enough to keep going, though. Great quick and easy read with appearances from characters from previous books (and some fun Easter eggs for fans of her earlier series!).

We’re spending hours immersed in the news, but when we need a break from the non-stop barrage of headlines and scary charts, reading something that takes our mind off of stressful things is one of the best mood-lifters around. To find out why, I interviewed bestselling novelist Sarah MacLean (Brazen and the Beast, Daring and the Duke) and co-host of the weekly romance novel podcast, Fated Mates.

https://www.retailmenot.com/blog/best-escapist-books.html

I thoroughly enjoyed this finale in the Bareknuckle Bastards series. It was everything I needed in a romance (and the world) right now. Sarah MacLean’s heroines are always strong, but Grace may be my new favorite; I love a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to ask for it. If you’re looking for a historical romance that features women (their work, their pleasure, their friendships, their impact in making change) front and center, this one’s for you.

I've been anticipating this book since I began Sarah Maclean' Bareknuckled Bastards series, and I think it's highly likely that I'm not the only one who is super stoked for Grace's and Ewan's story. Essentially, Daring and the Duke is a childhood sweethearts, to enemies to ???? story. After Ewan betrayed her and broke her heart, Grace has never stopped running from him as she fought, bled, and fashioned herself into the queen of Covent Garden. When Ewan, AKA the Mad Duke of Marwick, realizes that Grace is alive, all he wants is to get her back. On the other hand, Grace plans a revenge that will finally banish Ewan from her life for good.

Daring and the Duke is peak Maclean; the drama, angst, stakes and pleasures are HIGH. I was personally all about escaping within its pages to bawdy rookeries, glittering ladies' brothels, and the soaring rooftops of London with a strong-minded, resourceful heroine and a devoted antihero. I appreciate that Maclean's romance explores consent, forgiveness, honesty and the harm caused by patriarchy and unchecked privilege. I'd definitely recommend this books to fans of Lisa Kleypas and Tessa Dare!

It took me a while to get a hang of this series. I can see what Sarah was trying to do and I love Ewan's redemption. I love Grace and her strength. Loved the ending.

I enjoyed this book, I enjoy all of Sarah MacLean's books, and while I wasn't sure this pairing of Grace and Evan would work out, I think the author tied all the threads together nicely. I went back and reread the previous two in the series, and as a package deal, I think it's better than her second series, the Rules of Scoundrels series.