It was a cute romance book, but not my favorite in the series. At some points in the story there didn't seem to be any real connection, besides lust, with the main love interests. Still it was a quick read and a good addition to the series.

1.5 stars. This was pretty unremarkable till the second half - the characters felt incredibly flat, the plot didn't really make sense, and the pacing felt stilted. It felt like Nora and Constantine barely knew each other (heck, I felt like I barely knew them!) and I didn't find it believable that they fell in love.

*spoilers ahead*

The part that took this book from "meh" to "oh no" for me though is when Nora gives Constantine the aphrodisiac that first appears in the prequel, expecting lower dose to prevent the aphrodisiac effect. When Constantine is apparently agonizingly turned on, she insists on getting him off - even though he repeatedly tells her to leave. It felt like if the tables were turned - if Nora had ingested an aphrodisiac and Constantine insisted on making her orgasm despite her refusals - it wouldn't be acceptable at all. The scene felt incredibly inappropriate and nonconsensual.

After that, it felt like the characters suddenly fell in love, even though they hadn't really talked much except for when Constantine had called Nora a charlatan. I didn't find the characters, romance, sex, or plot believable. It's a pass for me.

Jordan doesn't disappoint with her lastest Rogue Files adventure. A classic plot line of opposite attraction gives readers a delightfully salty and humorous romance when a young woman whose has chosen to hide her identity is discovered to by a man whose vulnerabilities are threatened by her deception. When she forces herself into his life to proven him from outing her to the world, they two of them embark on an adventure that addresses the unequality of the sexes and the weigh of family expectations.

I really wanted to enjoy this one because I've like everything else from her and this series. This one just didn't hit me the way the rest of her books do. It's probably a "it's me not you" thing but still....it just fell flat for me.

The Duke Effect is the seventh book in the Rogue Files series. Our main characters are Nora Langley and Constantine Sinclair. Nora is, of course, unmarried and is happy learning more about herbs and medicine. She basically apprenticed with her physician father, but couldn’t go to medical school because women were not allowed. Constantine is a soldier, who is horrified to find out he is the only heir left to a dukedom that he does not want. He has to leave his post and head home to England to learn about what he is supposed to do. It wasn’t until I started reading this book, that I remembered some of the other ones. I realized that this was the same Nora who gave her sister a untested pain reliever that ended up having an aphrodisiac effect.

I think the overall storyline is pretty unique. While the ethical choices can be debated in the real world, I thought it was rather smart of Nora to lead people to believe that her father was still alive so she could give medical advice. She really didn’t have much of a choice if she wanted to keep doing what she loved. What she didn’t expect was Constantine to show up on her doorstep looking for her father’s advice! She was forced to tell the truth and as the reader can imagine, Constantine was angry. This was a major obstacle in the falling in love part of the story! As Nora inserts herself in his life, it’s fun to watch a rigid and stuffy man slowly loosen up.

The romance is a slow burn. Both Nora and Constantine have some obstacles to overcome. But you can definitely expect some great chemistry and sexual tension within the pages of this book. Readers can look forward to the aphrodisiac making a comeback. I really enjoyed this book, as well as the rest of this series. It can definitely be read as a standalone, but if you are like me....I like to read each and every book in a particular series. This is the perfect book to escape the winter blues. Enjoy!

I enjoyed this book and their relationship but I felt like most of the book was spent with them being separated. the book moved very fast with very little reason for the hero and heroine to fall for each other other than attraction because most of the book was spent with them apart. all of the characters did not seem to be fully fleshed out and I did not like the way the book ended and wasn't a big fan of the epilogue. we could have gotten so much more from lady elise and lady birchwood. i'd give this book 3/5 because it was an enjoyable read but it could have been so much better

1866

Colonel Constantine (Con) Sinclair has been summoned from the battlefield to go to Birchwood House, home of the Duke and Duchess of Birchwood. All three of the duke’s sons have died within a year’s time and Con is the duke’s heir. A young woman, Lady Elise, had been betrothed to their last son and now the duke and duchess want Con to court her.

Eleanor (Nora) Langley of Haverston Hall lives with her sisters. Her mother passed away when they were young and her father, Dr. Langley, has also passed away. Nora wants to be a physician and learned everything she could from her father. Now, she grows her own herb garden, prepares medicines from herbs and tends patients.

While harvesting some healing bark from high up in a tree, Nora falls into a pond where a naked man is swimming. She immediately orders him to leave. When the man calls at her home to see Dr. Langley Introducing himself as Con. He has come as he wants to find a medicine for pain relief for the duchess. He is furious to find that the man is dead and Nora has taken over his duties and correspondence and plans to expose her deceptions. But he decides to take Nora to visit with the duchess and see if she can help the women. While there, Con and Nora can’t help but form an attraction. Can the two of them from such different backgrounds have a successful marriage?

This was an interesting book and I admired Nora’s determination to learn as much as she can about medicine. Con is OK but not the most romantic man out there. However, they manage to have a good relationship.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Heat Factor: It didn’t get cracking until about 50% of the way through the book and then it was just nothing to inferno in about one chapter.
Character Chemistry: They’re both a bit straight-laced but with this undercurrent of rebelliousness and it works.
Plot: Nora trained extensively under the tutelage of her now-deceased physician father and has become a talented healer who corresponds with those in need of help under her father’s name in secret. The soon-to-be Duke of Birchwood seeks Dr. Langley’s help only to find out about Nora’s deceit. Desperate to right herself in his eyes and save her reputation, she pushes Constantine to allow her to help him, and then they get all hot and bothered and so will you.
Overall: I was SO CLOSE to writing this one off and then I hit 50% of the way through it and hooooo buddy...Sophie Jordan just lit the whole thing on fire.

I really started this one thinking I’d be writing a review about how mild and cerebral the whole thing was--because that’s very much how both Constantine and Nora initially present themselves--but I was FOOLED. This book might feel slow in the beginning but I assure you, call it dry and you’d be a liar, liar, panties on fire.

The whole beginning is a very leisurely unfolding of Nora’s quest to convince Constintine to allow her to treat the Duchess of Birchwood. As a surprise heir (three sons of the Duke all passed away unexpectedly, leaving Constantine as the last option), he’s desperate to DO THE RIGHT THING at all times, and is understandably grumpy to discover Nora’s deception. Nora seems to be talented but closeted--she didn’t understand the potential ramifications of her deceit, and she lives in a small bubble where she’s accepted and appreciated by her village and family.

When she shows up uninvited to treat the Duchess, things are a little bumpy and unpleasant. She’s not treated warmly, and she knows she has to prove herself. As time goes on, even as she struggles to cure the Duchess, Constantine’s respect for her grows.

This brings us to about 50% of the way through. Ah, that carriage ride of fire.

After Constantine brings her to see a real-life surgery and medical school (and defends her publicly, I might add), they bump into each other in the carriage on the way home and that’s pretty much the end of them leaving room for the Lord between them.

This book is a CLASSIC hot historical romance. Skirts and heated looks, disapproving stares, and a big old “she’s compromised!!” hullabaloo. I loved it.

Also, you get the whole bumbling proposal situation which I’m weirdly fond of at this point, plus a lot of really witty zingers. I loved that Sophie Jordan opted to avoid the whole jealous, social-climber fiancee-to-be scenario and really fleshed out her supporting characters. She really rounded everything out quite carefully and the end result is a classic story with anything but predictable characters.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

Stellar historical romance! Sophie Jordan does it again. The Duke Effect was a fun, quick read with lots of romance, respect, and feminism. It was enjoyable and I will certainly be promoting it to my patrons who love historical romance.

The Duke Effect (The Rogue Files #7). By Sophie Jordan. 2020. Avon (ARC eBook).

When Colonel Constantine Sinclair had to give up his career as a soldier in order to step in as the heir to a dukedom, he feels obligated to learn by the side of the Duke and Duchess of Birchwood, who took him in as an orphaned child. And when he learns that the Duchess is ill, he decides to seek out Dr. Langley, a physician Con had corresponded with for years. He is confident that the doctor, who dispensed pain mitigating advice for Con’s soldiers. His confidence is severely compromised when Nora Langley is revealed as having taken over her deceased father’s correspondence. Concerned that Sinclair will denounce her abilities and make known her deceit, Nora gets him to agree to letting her try to treat the Duchess in exchange for his silence.

The Duke Effect is a slow burn romance, but like Nora’s tonic, the outcome is inevitable and their attraction burns. The story is also a fun, fast-paced read. I loved the opening, the epilogue, and all the in-between. From the get-go I wanted to see Con loosen up a bit and stand up for himself and for Nora to succeed in medicine, which society deems unsuitable for women. A great way to tie up the Langley sisters.

Sparks fly when an unconventional young woman with a sharp mind clashes with a rigid heir to a dukedom in The Duke Effect. Sophie Jordan’s seventh Rogue Files novel is entertaining and light on its feet, though ultimately the story suffers a bit from its rushed pace.

I adored Nora and Ms. Jordan makes it easy to do so. She’s intelligent, curious, and wants to be needed. Nora learned from her physician father and she’s a gifted, learned healer who would make an excellent doctor if it weren’t for the sexist rules in England preventing women from attending medical school. Since the death of her father she has been dispensing medical advice in his name, which lands her in hot water when one of her correspondents shows up on her doorstep. Constantine is a bit harder to like at first. The colonel who finds himself as the heir to a dukedom after the deaths of his three cousins is a man of exacting character. Con grew on me as the book went on and he began to reconcile his sense of duty with his own wants, needs, and moral compass.

Nora and Con are good together and the pages of The Duke Effect flew by, which is why I was surprised to find I was three-quarters of the way through the story before the romance kicked in. I loved it when the sexual tension began to simmer, enjoyed the heightened awareness between Nora and Con, but the love story did feel incredibly rushed. If there had been another hundred pages focused on the romance it would have done the story a world of good. I felt sped through parts that I wanted to savor and the “I love yous” didn’t feel earned. It’s a pity because the romance had so much potential and what we do have in the story I thoroughly enjoyed. I struggled with rating this because I did really enjoy what I read, but I cannot deny Nora and Con’s relationship was underdeveloped. The epilogue did, however, leave me with a smile on my face and ended this book on a high note.

Constantine has been called back home. His cousins have passed and he is now the heir to the duke. When he gets home, he realizes that the duchess is sick and no one seems to be able to help her. Having corresponded with a doctor while in the army, he decided to pay him a visit to see if he might be able to help. What he doesn't know, is that the doctor has passed and he has been writing to the doctor's very knowledgeable daughter. But Constantine doesn't like being lied to...

Nora had worked beside her father for years. So when the letters kept coming and asked for help, she felt she needed to help them...but they all thought she was her father. She never counted on one of them coming to talk to him. When Nora reveals what she has done, Constantine decides that he doesn't need her help and he leaves. But Nora takes it upon herself to get to London to see what she can do for the duchess.

The duke approves of Nora staying and trying to help the duchess. This leads to Nora and Constantine spending time together. While they are attracted to one another, can Constantine get over Nora's deception?

I adored Constantine and Nora's story! I loved that Nora had a skill that was out of the norm for women of that time period. I loved that even though Constantine had dismissed her help in the beginning, she didn't let that stop her from trying to help the duchess. With being a little pushy, she was able to get others to see her worth. Along the way, she was able to get Constantine to loosen up a little bit and get a little bit of that starch out of his collar! This was a great addition to the Rogue Files series!

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this quite a bit. Nora and Constantine were likable, but this was missing something for me. I didn't care for the way Nora was so easily dismissed by several of the other characters and I really wish the relationship Nora and Constantine developed while writing to each other would have been explored. But all in all, an enjoyable read.

Nora Langley grew up learning medicine directly from her physician father and follows in his footsteps and she becomes the town's local healer and herbalist. She corresponds with people across the country so it’s no surprise when the dashing future Duke Constantine Sinclair show up on her door step desperate bid to save the woman who raised him, the Duchess of Birchwood. He discovers she’s a charlatan and sets out to expose her betrayal. He’s quite attracted to her and she convinces him to give her a chance to prove herself. I love Nora, she’s quit the unconventional feisty young woman who wants to be taken seriously and she finds herself attracted to the ridged stuffy Constantine who falls in love with the least likely young Nora. I have voluntarily read and reviewed these excellent story.

I loved Nora and her quest to be accepted as a physician in her own right. Con was an ok hero and I would have liked to see more of them getting to know each other - they just didn't spend enough time together for my liking. Also, I was disappointed that the love potion from the last book popped up here again. It seemed like a (gender-reversed) retread of the previous book and I didn't feel like it was needed here.

The Duke Effect – the latest romance from Sophie Jordan – follows Nora Langley, a young woman impersonating her deceased father – a medical man – in correspondence, and Constantine Sinclair, who uncovers her ruse. Nora lives with her older sister, and her husband, a black sheep of a duke. Constantine is serving in the army overseas, the distant heir to a dukedom. Their love story is certainly charming, but there is little to appeal to the discerning reader beyond the steamy scenes.

In the five years since Nora’s father died, she has taken over his duties as the local physician, dispensing medical advice in their small town. She also, instead of publicising her father’s demise, sends her advice (using his name) to his many acquaintances. Unlike her besotted sisters, Nora has no desire to settle down and marry; she does not begrudge them their domestic bliss, but she has found herself immune to the charms of men, at least so far. She even communicates with an army colonel abroad, one Constantine Sinclair, who consults with her under the impression he’s corresponding with Dr. Langley, not Ms. Nora Langley.

Constantine is forced to leave his career in the army behind when he unexpectedly becomes heir to the Duke of Birchwood. Though he finds it an unwelcome obligation, Constantine does his duty, returning to England in order to marry and sire an heir. Upon his return, Constantine seeks out Dr. Langley for a remedy, only to discover Nora’s deception. Nora promises to help Constantine with his aunt’s mysterious ailment on her honor as a healer. They are instantly attracted to each other, but both know that any relationship would be impossible. No matter how good-looking Constantine is, Nora knows that he is too honorable to engage in only an affair with her; and despite his attraction to Nora, Constantine has a duty to marry well, and an eccentric herbalist doesn’t fit the bill.

It’s a bit hard to understand why Nora doesn’t strike out on her own, rather than living with her sister and brother-in-law; given her skills and training, finding work as a midwife would, surely, have been easy enough. Nora is an agreeable person, independent, open-minded and generally likable. Her characterization is pretty consistent, although she occasionally comes across as fairly naive, especially for a character who has a lot of opinions, and presumably years of medical knowledge gained under her father’s tutelage.

Constantine is also very likable, an honorable and single-minded individual. When he becomes the heir to a ducal title, he immediately begins to try to shape himself into the ideal duke, following the instructions of his distant relative, the current duke, and his wife. Raised by the couple, but having experienced little affection, Constantine feels obligated to meet their expectations, marry the lady they choose, and live the life they prescribe for him. He has to decide if duty comes before happiness, and what a life he chooses for himself might look like.

While Constantine’s character isn’t explored as deeply, he and Nora have excellent chemistry. The obstacles to their union are considerable, and frankly, while their story is enjoyable, those obstacles aren’t dealt with very ably. Their communication is sporadic at best, and most of the attraction between them seems to stem from his interest in Nora’s unconventional way of thinking, and her admiration for his honor and kindness. They do not seem to have a great deal in common, or exchange more than a couple of sentences throughout the text. They share a lot of sexual chemistry, but there is one problematic moment when consent is definitely questionable between them.

The Duke Effect was an enjoyable read, and is very sexually charged, but not something I’d reread. I found Nora’s turnaround from confirmed spinsterhood a little too abrupt, and though I enjoyed her as a protagonist, I think the story would have been stronger with a little extra backstory on both of the main characters. Admittedly, I haven’t read the previous books in the series, which might have further information about Nora. The ending is certainly a plausible happily ever after, but it felt a little unearned, and might seem abrupt to some readers.

Sophie Jordan’s The Duke Effect is the 7th book in The Rogue Files series. While the last book in the series, The Virgin and the Rogue, is one of my favorite books of 2020, The Duke Effect left me a bit bewildered at times.

In the last book, Nora infamously concocted a tonic to help her sister’s cramps. However, the tonic acted as an aphrodisiac as well. Read that book for the entire story. This is part of Nora’s role as an herbalist.

Nora spent years working alongside her father who was a doctor and is an expert at using herbs to heal. She regularly treats the townspeople and has been corresponding with others as well. The problem? She was corresponding in her father’s name.

Constantine Sinclair never expected to be heir to a dukedom. But when that happens he agrees to do whatever is demanded of him by the duke. He also wants to help the current duchess who suffers from mysterious muscular pain.

Constantine has been corresponding with Dr. Langley (Nora’s father) for years, so he travels to ask the doctor for help. He learns that the doctor has been dead and has been writing to Nora. He is outraged.

Constantine is angry at Nora for her deception and threatens to reveal her as a fraud. He leaves, but Nora decides to follow him to London to prove that she can help the duchess. She shows up at the ducal residence.

While waiting for the duchess to exhibit symptoms, she and Constantine get to know each other - and of course develop an attraction to each other. Eventually, Nora does get a chance to try and help the duchess, but things go a bit sideways.

And by sidewise, I mean that the duke acts like an ass. Nora and the duchess seem to develop a warm relationship and the duchess seems willing to let Nora try to help. Unfortunately, Nora’s presence disrupts the duke’s plans.

The duke has expectations of Constantine, ones that do not include someone like Nora. And here is where things sort of took a turn for me. Constantine loves Nora (yay) and well, the duke isn’t happy.

So, Constantine makes some decisions which I actually understood . . . but made me question what role the duke and duchess played in the story. Were they supposed to be villains or not? I’m still not sure.

I also didn’t entirely understand Constantine’s motives. He believes he needs to follow the duke’s mandates. He feels an urgent need to help alleviate the duchesses pain. And then he just doesn’t any longer.

So while I really enjoyed Nora and Constantine together and their courtship, I didn’t get the storyline that brought them together. The thread with the duke and duchess and their relationship with Constantine felt incomplete to me.

And yes, the aphrodisiac does make an appearance, and it is Constantine who takes it willingly. This might be my favorite part of the book.

The last Langley sister gets the short end of the stick.

I’ve been reading this series since we started with the first Langely sister, who excitedly rushed home to care for her family after her father passed away. Since then, I’ve hung on bated breath for the adventures of the remaining sisters and none more than Nora, who wanted to follow in daddy dearest’s footsteps as a doctor. Of course, she couldn’t, but that’s not to say she still hasn’t been treating patients in their small town, serving as a midwife and doing other doctor work.

I vastly hoped for a love story that would be sweeping and knock this scientist off her feet. Instead, it’s a pompous proud new to inherit duke who used to be in the military and a good ol’ fashioned threat of exposure that get our heroine on the path to her HEA.

This book fell into a lackluster bucket amid the crazy hijinks and sweeping moment romantic elements that have been present in Jordan’s previous books in The Rogue Files series.

What did I like? The idea of an ex-military man set to inherit a title and finding out his pen pal was a woman instead of the male doctor he thought he’d communicated to over years. I also like the heroine, I always liked her. She’s more logical and sensible. Not prone to flights of fancy, but also strong and sturdy. Someone telling her no isn’t going to stop her and it doesn’t in this book.

What I didn’t like?

The hero being an ass, in his prideful moments threatening to expose the heroine and then never actually seeing the heroine in action. There are holes. Plot holes. These two come together because Nora is afraid of being exposed to other people, she’s provided medical advice to, so she hies off to London to help the hero’s aunt, a duchess in pain. Nora is never actually able to help the duchess much and shows no proof of her abilities, which I guess is fine if the hero falls for her anyway. But, thinking back, I’m not sure what he falls for. Her smile and attractive body or the fact she gets excited about helping people and studying medicine.

They spend just as much time avoiding each other as being around one another only to fall into each other’s arms by mere circumstances and uncontrollable lust, which suddenly manifest as love. Meh.

If you’re looking for pure escapist, slightly reality bent historical romance, this book is for you. I won’t yuck on that yum, but it wasn’t my cup of tea and I wanted a bit more.

~ Landra

I enjoyed reading this book very much. Two opposing forces can't help but have some interesting confrontations. A Colonel in His Majesty's Army must give up his commission and take his place as the heir to a dukedom. The Duke and Duchess lost all three of their sons over minor accidents and Constantine Sinclair as a distant cousin is next in line. The Duchess suffers from spells of extreme pain. Constantine seeks help from Dr. Langley, only to find out he died five years before. Imagine his surprise when a young lady, Nora Sinclair, confesses to writing to him for several years instead of her father. A very angry man isn't nice to Nora, berating her for her deception. Refusing her help, he returns to London. Nora sneaks away to help the Duchess. Eventually Nora breaks down Con's defenses. Once again the tonic for extreme passion comes into play. I love the sparing between them and Con's defense of Nora. Set in Victorian England. A must read for Sophie Jordan fans. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Youngest sister, very spare heir who is now the duke, and a mystery illness.

The Duke Effect is the seventh book in the Rogue Files series. It is the story of a young woman, Nora Langley, who defies society and doctors to the people in her town. She has learned all about plants and healing illnesses from her father, who was a physician. She has corresponded with many people, including Constatine Sinlair, former soldier, now a duke’s heir.

Constantine Sinclair is a man whose only goal in life is to continue being a soldier, but life has a way of changing our goals, and none more than Con’s. He is now the only heir to the Duke of Birchwood. Con returns home and finds the woman who raised him having serious health issues. The only person who he trusts is the one he has been corresponding with, but when he travels to the Langley household, he finds out that he has been duped. The man is actually a woman, Nora.

When Con leaves Haverston Hall, the home of Nora’s sisters, he refuses the help Nora is offering. But she doesn’t give up that easily and follows Con to London. There they make a deal that she will help the Duchess if he doesn’t share her lies with the world. What will happen when they both accept the flaws of the other and look beyond them?

This story is the story of a younger sister trying to find her way. I relate to this story because while, I might not be the youngest in our family, I am the only girl and being told and treated like Nora has is relevant to me. And also to all of us. We need to have our dreams mean something.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of love, hope, and change.