I love Loretta Chase`s novels and this one is definitely in my top 3! Great characters who showed depth and growth. Fantastic.

Lucius and Cassandra are a joy to read about. They start as such opposites and gradually move towards a relationship. Lucius needs to grow up, and he hasn't had a reason to until he meets Cassandra and decides to marry her. Cassandra isn't going to marry a man who doesn't love her and makes Lucius work to gain her approval. The story kept me reading. It made me smile and laugh, and enjoy how they came together in the end. A very satisfying read..

I am a big fan of Shakespearean adaptations in popular romance (I wrote my dissertation on them), but I get anxious about adaptations of The Taming of the Shrew. I should not have worried This was a wonderful twist on the story and had excellent echoes of the play and my favorite modern take 10 Things I Hate About You. I LOVED it!

The heroine takes on the role of the "shrewish" Shakespearean figure, here called Cassandra. She is an older, bluestocking heroine who speaks her mind and works to help the less fortunate. But she is stymied when her father says her younger sister cannot attend any society functions while she remains unwed. So Chase sets up the Shakespearean premise, and includes fun little references throughout, but I am thrilled to note that the hero is no Petruchio.

Ashmont is an overindulged duke who realized that he finally has something worth reforming for. He never tries to change the heroine. Instead, he tames himself in order to become the man he needs to be to win her love. He is a bit clueless, but tries so hard and learns so much that I found him adorable. I was cheering for the couple the whole time, and cannot wait to read the next story in the series.

You do not have to be a Shakespeare fan to like this book, but it has just the right amount to make it really fun. Trust me, this is worth the read.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher and Net Galley in return for a fair review

A new book by Loretta Chase is always a cause for celebration, and this one is a long time coming.

Although inspired by The Taming of the Shrew, it reminded me more of Chase’s own The Last Hellion, especially in terms of the characters. Like Vere, the Duke of Ashmont is a disreputable rakehell (His Grace the Dis-Grace) who is felled by the charms of a strong woman. Cassandra isn’t the crusader Lydia is, but she does have her own causes, particularly helping other women. Ashmont being smitten, he sets out on a course of reform to demonstrate to Cassandra that he’s worthy of her that frequently had me laughing and occasionally sighing with the feels. The ending of the book is just about perfect. Really, how can you not like a romance that concludes with a man reading passages from Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman to his bride on their wedding night?

I need to give a shout-out to some of the secondary characters, too. Keefe, Cassandra’s tiger/bodyguard, is an excellent friend and advisor (and maybe a bit of a matchmaker between her and the duke). Cassandra’s mother gets a star turn demonstrating how veiled threats can be uttered with deadly politeness. And while Cassandra’s friend Alice may be the subject of the next volume in the series, I think her aunt and Ashmont’s uncle need their own book. There seems to be a story brewing there, anyway, and I’d love to see Chase turn her hand to older characters for a change.

I thoroughly enjoyed this romance, and although I wouldn’t put this in the absolute top tier of Chase’s work, it does have exceedingly stiff competition. If you’re a fan of the author or just love historical romances, I highly recommend giving it a read.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

Loretta Chase is an instant purchase for me. I love her writing which is fun, witty, and entertaining - just what I need to escape the stress of real life. Book 1 was fantastic (on my all-time favorites list) so I was excited to read Book 2 and was not disappointed. An enjoyable read! Get it!

I was provided with an advance reader copy by NetGalley. My opinions are freely given and are my own.

This book was a delightful return for Loretta Chase. I loved each and every character in the book – well, except for the two nasties – who weren’t the nastiest nasties I’ve ever read. The writing is excellent, the story is tightly developed, and the characters are fully developed and totally relatable. Although the book is part of a series, it can totally be read as a standalone with no problem.

Lucius Wilmot Beckingham, the Duke of Ashmont, leads a totally hedonistic lifestyle. Getting to know other people – really know them – especially women, just never occurred to him. That is how he came to lose his former betrothed – at the altar – when she ran away – that was in the first book of the series, A Duke in Shining Armor. Unfortunately, his best friend, Hugh Ancaster, the Duke of Ripley, ended up with the runaway bride and he and Ashmont fought a duel over it.

Cassandra Pomfret is a very unique young lady – and a sore trial to her parents. She doesn’t mean to be a trial, but she can’t help being who she is. She’s very intelligent, politically savvy, socially aware, and just can’t keep her opinions and thoughts to herself as young ladies are expected to do. She is never partnered for dances at balls and is known as Lord deGriffith’s Gorgon, Cassandra Prophet of Doom, and Medusa. To make matters worse, those opinions she expresses are said very plainly and directly. She knows she’ll never marry, but she will do some good in the world through the Andromeda Society during those times when her father hasn’t banished her to the continent to live with her grandparents.

While attending a meeting where the blowhard Mr. Titus Owsley, a member of the House of Commons, is making a presentation on the Sabbath Laws he is trying to have passed, Cassandra stands up and – Heaven Forbid – questions him. Her father is livid and delivers a strong lecture to her about her actions reflecting on their entire family – especially her sister Hyacinth. Then, he decrees that Hyacinth’s season is now over and she will not be attending any functions at all until Cassandra is wed.

Cassandra needs to get away – at least for a little while – so she heads out toward Putney, driving her own phaeton and accompanied by her groom/tiger Keeffe, and her maid Gosney. Everything was going along swimmingly until they approach the Green Man Inn and she sees two men tumble through the door. The men are in a brawl and all of the other men surge out onto the street as well. They are followed by an obviously drunk man who raises a pistol to the sky and fires. Her horses spook and take off into a field where the phaeton bogs down and throws all of the inhabitants crashing to the ground. Her tiger is badly hurt, but Cassandra and Gosney are only slightly injured.

The idiot with the gun? Well, that was none other than Ashmont. He was absolutely, totally falling down drunk and Cassandra was livid. She let him know it too! She and Ashmont had a history together – from childhood. She’d had such high hopes for the man he could become and he’d turned into one of the Dis-Graces along with his friends, the dukes of Ripley, and Blackwell. Now, he’d not only badly injured her tiger, but he was also causing her total ruination since she was unchaperoned and would have to stay until her tiger recovered enough to travel. Her phaeton is broken beyond repair and her maid took off on the first mail coach to come through the village. So, neither she nor Ashmont was having a good day. You see, he’d just had a duel with his best friend that morning.

Things go from bad to worse and Ashmont asks her to marry him in order to save her reputation. She, of course, refuses, but as more events occur – they end up making a pact that they’ll pretend to be betrothed and she can call it off after the season ends. Ashmont is totally shocked when he eventually realizes that he really wants to marry Cassandra. He decides he’ll do whatever it takes to win her – and – OMGoodness – he does some spectacular things. You are going to love him!

I absolutely adored Ashmont’s transformation. Once he realized what he’d been, he worked so very hard to become better and to win Cassandra. I also absolutely loved Cassandra and her family. It was wonderful to see a loving, supportive family who is actually open and honest with each other. Too often, our books are filled with the other kinds of families.

I thought Cassandra and Ashmont were absolutely perfect for each other. There is witty banter, humor, blackmail, a few love scenes, and an absolutely to-die-for ending. I hope you’ll read it and love it as much as I did.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Loretta Chase has a way of writing complex intricate characters. Cassandra Pomfret is bold, intelligent, determined, and quite funny. The story opens with her speaking out at a presentation of a bill by the designer of said bill. Word quickly gets back to her father, (a lord), and he is furious. Hyacinth, her lovely younger sister, is "the" debutante of the season, but their father decides that Hyacinth cannot attend any more balls or fetes until Cassandra agrees to marry someone.

Lord Ashmont, (Lucius), the gorgeous crush of her younger self has reappeared into her life in a not gracious way. The cause of an accident, Ashmont, a drunk, irresponsible Duke, and part of the trio of
Dukes known as the "Dis-Graces" becomes the target of her wrath. She demands his help to aid her groomsman who has been injured and she doesn't allow him the shirk his responsibility. Having just returned from a duel with his best friend, (who ran away with his bride), Lucius is not on his game. When their circumstances change, he tries to do the honorable thing and asks her to marry him, she responds with a teapot thrown at his head.

Cassandra doesn't accept his outrageous behavior. She calls him on everything and bests him a few times. He is enthralled by her, she's a true companion for him. Cassandra isn't willing to have a "ducal" marriage, she wants the real thing, people bound by mutual respect, passion, and in service to those in need, so she fights him at every turn. Lucius changes. His wastrel life isn't working for him anymore.

The side characters are well fleshed out, some evil, some sweet, all memorable.

This was such an enjoyable book that I read it in nearly one sitting. Loretta Chase has a great way with the Victorian dialogue, events, and customs.

This is a ARC through NetGalley, which I appreciate, and all opinions stated are strictly my own.

Ten Things was a delight. I LOVED the wit and banter between Cassandra and Ashmont. They were so fun to watch fall in love. Cassandra is so special and strong and unique and he is really her perfect match in both life and in conflict. I thought the relationship between her family and her groom was heartwarming and entertaining and the conflict was just stressful enough without being too much. I requested this book without realizing it was second in the series and while I think it would be fine to read it as a stand alone, I think there is so much more depth of character to be gained by reading the first book. It is almost a prequel into his story.

After a confrontation with Mr. Titus Owsley, a member of the House of Commons, Miss Cassandra Pomfret’s father lays down the law – he forbids Cassandra’s younger sister Hyacinth to marry or even participate in a season until the outspoken, opinionated Cassandra is wed.

Needing to get away, Cassandra sets out with her groom and maid to visit her former governess, but she never anticipated that the recently jilted Lucius Beckingham, the Duke of Ashmont would be at the coaching inn getting drunk after dueling with the Duke of Ripley, his former best friend turned bride thief! Nor did she think he would try to quiet a restless crowd by shooting into the air and spooking her horse, causing an accident that injured her groom and threatened to ruin her reputation. Nor did she ever expect or want him to insist that she marry him!

Cassandrea will never admit it – but Lucius was her first love and her hero, but over the years she realized that he never noticed her and she closed off her heart. She is content to be a spinster and refuses to wed Lucius, but when they are caught alone together a second time, she hatches a plan, she still won’t marry him but does agree to pretend to agree to marry him – especially since it seems her father is willing to let Hyacinth attend events with them. But she is clear – she can’t trust him and will not marry him.

No one is more surprised than Ashmont when he realizes that he really wants to marry Cassandra and sets out to win her over. It will be a long, uphill battle to win her hand with more than one person set on keeping them apart. But this is a battle Ashmont intends to win and soon winning her hand is not enough, he wants more – he wants to win her heart!

This was a well written, fast paced, fun twist on The Taming of the Shrew. Cassandra and Ashmont are perfect for each other and provide the reader with lots of witty banter and amusing moments without dragging the story into the realm of silly or fluffy. The book has humor, betrayals, great secondary characters, more than one “villain”, warm love scenes, blackmail and a very, very sweet ending. This is the second book in the series, but it can certainly be read as a standalone title. I really loved this book and happily recommend this title!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher. *

We first met Ashcroft in the first book of the series. He did not make a good impression. While not at all a villain, he was immature, careless, and selfish. He enjoyed the benefits of being a Duke without taking any of the responsibilities. It was so much fun to watch him begin to see his own faults and take action to change in this book. Even better was seeing him come to an awareness the realities of life for those less fortunate than him.

The catalyst for the change in Ashcroft was meeting Cassandra. Cassandra follows the current trend of historical romance heroines being “different.” In her case, it is her outspokenness that sets her apart. While many shy away from her because of it, Ashcroft finds her nature challenging. Her set downs bring his current lifestyle into sharp focus. Rather than a case of insta-love, Ashcroft and Cassandra come to appreciate each other slowly. While he begins to see her as an individual instead of a replacement bride, she becomes more aware of his strength of character.

**I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.**
Few authors write a historical like Loretta Chase. After reading A Duke in Shining Armor, I desperately wanted to know what was going to happen to the jilted bridegroom. Ashmont is the epitome of entitlement. He does what he wants with no care for anyone else. He isn’t intentional trying to harm anyone but he’s really not concerned if he does.
Cassandra is well aware that she is not a shining example of an Acceptable lady. She’d be fine with that if it didn’t reflect poorly on her younger sister.
This book was a delight. Poor cluelessly cruel Ashmont really meets his match with Cassandra. She’s not impressed by his money. She’s not scared of his reputation. She just needs him to help her for a little while. I loved the banter and how Ashmont realizes to really get Cassandra, he’s going to have to look at the world differently.
Cassandra has to learn to forgive people and trust in love.
There are seeds for several other stories that I hope she writes soon.

This enemies to lovers romance was truly delightful. I enjoyed the Women's Movement parts as much as the romance. I was rooting for our couple to find happiness, even as they were fighting. The premise of this one was full of some standard historical elements, but put together in a way that made it feel modern and fresh at the same time.
Both Cassandra and Ashmont were really interesting in their own ways. I really enjoyed getting to know them through their romance.

3.5 stars

Cassandra Pomfret’s blunt plain-speaking has gotten her into hot water before, but now she’s gone a bit far and her father is exasperated. Not wanting to risk damage to his political career, Lord deGriffith issues an edict: Cassandra’s beloved younger sister must end her season and may not marry until Cassandra herself does. Now an encounter with a notoriously wild and rakish duke is sure to destroy what’s left of Cassandra’s reputation and take her sister, along with the rest of her family, down along with her.

Lucius Beckingham, the Duke of Ashmont, has the good looks of Adonis, but his bad behavior has made him persona non grata in many of the elite circles of London High Society. He’s at a bit of a low point now, having been jilted by his fiancé and the resulting duel nearly caused the death of his best friend. But even Lucius has a code and he won’t allow damage to a respectable lady’s reputation to stand. The best solution is to marry her, if only he can convince her she doesn’t hate him quite as much as she thinks.

I found this book to be charming, on the whole, but I do have some mixed feelings about it. The duke certainly needed a wakeup call and Cassandra was perfect for him in that regard. However, much of what she says to him is extremely rude and goes a long way towards making her unlikable. The fact that she treats him this way to protect her heart and because of her strong feelings for him is the only thing that made her tolerable for me and had me cheering for them as a couple. Lucius certainly had a lot of growing up to do and it was like he finally woke up when he noticed Cassandra and remembered her from their childhoods. He grew as a character by leaps and bounds and Cassandra did as well, in her own way. I loved the fact that, though it took a while, by the latter chapters of the book Cassandra and Lucius were confiding in each other and she was relying on him to be her partner. When they faced challenges, these two surprised me with their honesty with each other and reliance on each other to get through to the other side of the issue. That aspect made this story work for me, though I did lose some patience at times with the extremely slow pace. I would’ve liked to see a bit more comeuppance for our villain here, rather than this merely being an opportunity to show how Lucius had grown, but nonetheless the scene did still work here. This was my first read from this author and it did take a bit for me to get used to the writing style, especially the way the dialogue is written, but it made the banter a bit snappier and that worked here. My biggest issue is that for all of Cassandra’s self-described pining she did for the duke, I never really felt the depth of her feelings for him, even by the end really. Lucius’ falling for her made more sense and I just wish she hadn’t been so fickle and had given him more of a fair shake sooner. It took a long time for me to actually feel the connection between them and even by the end they still didn’t quite feel like they were on equal ground for me. By the end, Cassandra was a tolerable character I could root for and Lucius wound up being likable as well; I think he just needed someone to believe in him and expect more from him. The thing that most annoyed me in this reading was the near-constant reference to Greek mythology and the only issue I really had there was the use of, for instance, ‘Oh, Juno,” as an exclamatory. This just struck me as super awkward and annoying and pulled me out of the story a bit, but that’s probably just a personal idiosyncrasy of mine. I definitely think I would’ve enjoyed this more if I’d read the first book, which I plan to go back to, but I do look forward to Alice and Blackwood’s story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Cassandra Pomfret and Lucius, the Duke of Ashmont collide into each other with Cassandra paying the price for his drunken prank. Her groom was hurt and her vehicle shattered in pieces, Ashmont does what he usually does--throw money at the problem and it usually goes away. Cassandra loathes Ashmont for his recklessness and especially since as a duke he could do so much good in the world. Ashmont starts a long road to sobriety and can't stop thinking about Cassandra. With her groom injured, Cassandra needs a male to help with some of the charity work and she writes to Ashmont. He jumps at the chance to prove himself worthy of her affections. Can he redeem himself enough to win Cassandra's heart?

I started reading this book, then put it down, read a few other stories and then came back to this one. I'm so glad I did because I absolutely loved this book! Ms. Chase weaves a story full of twists and turns and finally a HEA. I especially loved Cassandra--a strong woman willing to do anything to help others even putting herself in danger. Ashmont grew on me, but one of the stars of the book is Cassandra's mother. In her own quiet way, she cleaned up a mess that could derail the happiness of Cassandra and Ashmont. I was sorry to see the book end as I would have loved to see what good these two could do together.

3.5/5 Stars

I liked this book, I just didn't love it. This is the first book I've read by Loretta Chase so I was unsure as to if I would enjoy it. I enjoyed the writing, it kept me engaged in the book. The first part of the book I liked, and couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen. The middle felt very muddled for me, I found myself wanting to put the book down and not continue. It got a little boring because I felt like there wasn't really anything happening and it just wasn't holding my attention. The end of the book though was great! By the end, I was enjoying the characters and the romance. I grew a new love for the main character's mother ( she was kinda badass). Overall this was a okay read for me. It was a fast and easy read and perfect for what I was in the mood for.

Ten Things I Hate About The Duke is very well written, and I think a lot of readers will love it. Personally, it just didn't grab me.

I was looking forward to reading this book since I'd read and enjoyed the first in the series (Ripley and Olympia's story). This story, about Cassandra and Ashmont, was just a little slow for me. I guess I wanted more of a conflict. I liked the heroine Cassandra a lot, though I do feel like she of her backstory was missing. I also wish the book had a more admirable hero for the reader to root for. Ashmont just lacked substance, although he frequently acknowledged that lack about himself and seemed to want to improve. I suppose I just needed more of a metamorphosis to fall in love with the character.

The story more or less stands on its own, but as there are a lot of characters, reading the first book in the series before this one could be helpful. Even having done that myself though, I still found myself forgetting who knew whom and from where.

In short, it's a decent book that is probably worth reading as long as you don't expect too many plot twists or fireworks.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review

4 1/2 stars - Ten Things I Hate About the Duke is the second book in the Difficult dukes series by Loretta Chase. I don't think you have to read the first one in order to enjoy this one. It had been a while, and many many books for me, so I couldn't remember much about the first one and I wasn't lost at all. Loretta Chase is a wonderful storyteller and knows how to give you enough of any needed backstory without overdoing it on unimportant details. I loved the banter and romance between Cassandra and Lucius. Strong females and reformed rakes make an excellent combination. Throw in a childhood crush and you are asking for something wonderful to happen.
You cant go wrong with any Loretta Chase book and this series is no exception. Highly recommend!

It’s been three years since we last had a new book from Loretta Chase, and I’m sure the burning question for historical romance fans is – was the long wait worth it?  I’m happy to say that yes, it was; Ten Things I Hate About the Duke may be one of those silly movie-reference titles that abound in historical romance these days, but the book itself is – thankfully - far from silly.  It’s classic Chase, featuring a pair of well-rounded, likeable protagonists, oodles of sexual tension and prose filled with insight, a generous helping of snark and the author’s customary razor-sharp wit.  It’s the best historical romance of the year, hands down.

Note: There are minor spoilers for the previous book, A Duke in Shining Armor, in this review.

Miss Cassandra Pomfret, eldest daughter of Lord deGriffith, is young woman who not only dares to hold opinions of her own but (even worse) dares to actually express them.  Cruelly nicknamed by the ton – Medusa and de Griffith’s Gorgon are just two of the charming epithets she’s attracted - she is continually frustrated by the restrictions imposed on her by society, the expectation that she should care more about her frocks than about working to make the world a better place.  But after she speaks out at a political meeting – and almost causes a riot - her father, a respected and influential politician, has had enough of her unconventional and ill-advised behaviour.  He has no doubt of her good intentions or her belief in the causes she espouses, but she needs to recognise that her actions reflect badly on her family, and particularly on her younger sister Hyacinth, who is having her very first London Season.  Lord deGriffith sees no point in his younger daughter moving in society if Cassandra’s actions continually undermine her position and reputation, and declares it is at an end, and that he will not give permission for Hyacinth to marry until Cassandra has done so.  For her part, Hyacinth – who has become the toast of the Season and attracted a host of beaux – isn’t particularly bothered at having her Season curtailed, but even so, Cassandra feels dreadfully guilty about it.  A couple of days later, Hyacinth urges her sister to go to visit their ailing former governess in Roehampton, and Cassandra sets out, with her maid and her groom accompanying her.

His Grace with the Angel Face the Duke of Ashmont has repaired to The Green Man on Putney Heath following the duel earlier in the morning with the Duke of Ripley.  Ashmont issued the challenge after his fiancée absconded on the morning of their wedding with Ripley in tow (perfectly innocently at first), and then, a few days later, jilted Ashmont in order to marry Ripley. Honour (and given this is Ashmont, a good deal of booze) demanded the challenge, and fortunately for all concerned, Ashmont didn’t put a bullet through Ripley.  A few hours later, Ashmont has drunk away the morning, despondent, and still shaken by the thought that he could conceivably have killed his best friend, He’s set to drink the rest of the day away when a commotion outside draws his attention.  Very much the worse for wear, he staggers outside, his one intention to stop the row that’s adding to the hammering in his head; he raises his pistol and fires into the air – causing the horses drawing an approaching carriage to bolt and the carriage to topple over.

Horrified – and still very drunk – Ashmont staggers over to the scene to find two young women lying near the carriage and a third body – a man – a short distance away.  He’s made his way over to the women and is relieved when one of them – a redhead – sits up… and not so relieved when she yells at him and smacks him with her bonnet.  As he finally faceplants, she gets up and calmly steps over him saying “Yes, you, of course… It only wanted this.”

Somehow, Cassandra thinks, she should have known Ashmont to have been the cause of all this mayhem – it’s what he does best after all.  She’s known him, on and off, all her life, and was even – as a girl – in love with him… until she realised he was never going to become the man she hoped he would.  But there’s no time to dwell on that;  her groom has been badly injured and needs help; Ashmont’s clout and money are needed which means, unfortunately, that so is he.

Still lying on the ground, Ashmont is contemplating the clouds and flashing grey eyes and dark red curls… when a bucket of cold water is dumped unceremoniously on his head and he’s exhorted to get up and make himself – and his money - useful.

Ashmont does indeed make himself (and his money) useful and he tries hard to fix the humungous mess he’s made – especially after Cassandra’s maid decides to return home, leaving her mistress completely unchaperoned.  Once word gets out about his involvement, Cassandra will be ruined – but luckily for all concerned, Ashmont’s uncle Frederick (Lord Frederick Beckingham, whom we met in the previous book) has a cooler, wiser head and advises Ashmont to leave as soon as possible after buying the silence of the staff at the inn, and thus protect Cassandra’s reputation.

Ashmont is sensible enough to take good advice, and disaster is averted. But… clever, challenging, imperturbable, waspish Cassandra Pomfret has completely captivated him, and he decides to pursue her.  The trouble is, she clearly isn’t impressed by his looks, his money or his rank – which are the things that usually get him what he wants – and he’s going to have to work harder than he’s ever worked at anything (which, let’s face it, he’s never done) if he wants to win her.

What follows is a sprightly and absolutely delightful dance as Ashmont, who is far from the idiot he allows the world believe him to be, slowly but surely works out how to prove to Cassandra that he’s serious about her.  He listens to her, he values her opinion, he finds out about things that are important to her and in the process, he starts to take stock of his own life, and to realise how little he’s made of it – which makes Ten Things as much a story of a man discovering the person he’s truly meant to be as it is a romance.  Ashmont isn’t a man redeemed by love, or a rake reformed due to the love of a good woman; he’s a man redeeming himself, a man coming to realise that he’s wasting the many gifts he’s been given and that he wants to be a better man than he’s been hitherto.  Yes, Cassandra provides the impetus by making him want to change, and by opening his eyes to the reality and frequent unpleasantness of the world around him – but no change of this sort is effective if the person concerned isn’t determined to do it, and Ashmont is prepared to work at turning his life around.

Ashmont and Cassandra are superbly drawn characters who simply light up the pages when they’re together, and the author has done a splendid job of making Ashmont – who could have been hard to like – an endearing character, even when he’s making bad decisions.  Cassandra is intelligent, independent, outspoken, and deeply compassionate, and I was impressed with the way she’s shown to be a woman pushing at the boundaries of the conventions that constrain her and trying to make a difference in the world, while still being very much a woman of her time.  The author’s subtle but pertinent commentary on the position of women in society is beautifully observed and quite low-key but no less scathing for that.

There’s an excellently-drawn secondary cast; I really liked the dynamic between Cassandra’s parents, and appreciated that Lord deGriffith isn’t an ogre, but a loving father driven to the extremes of exasperation.   I can’t wait to find out what’s going on between Blackwood and Alice, and there’s definitely a story to be told about Lord Frederick and Lady Charles.  But for now, Ten Things I Hate About the Duke is a terrific read and a fabulous example of historical romance done right.  Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait three years for the next instalment!

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If looking for any regency period romance to just consume then by all means add “Ten Things I hate About the Duke” to the list of devoured brain candy. I advise you look elsewhere if you are looking for something that is different than the many retellings of the same regency story. This book is full of stereotypes and characters that have no true attraction to even make those stereotypes for that time period worth enduring. The plot is the same thing told in the thousands of other regency romances but will less romance due to the characters lack of chemistry. It pains me that I felt I couldn't even add this title to my numbing book candy list that is there just for pure indulgence.

3.5 stars

Well, I can definitely say I will never overlook a Taming of the Shrew retelling because this one was fun.

I really liked Cassandra and Ashmont. They're both stubborn and tend to act first, think later. I loved their childhood history and how the relationship evolved: from strong irritation to love for her and from utter cluelessness to obsessively smitten for him. There aren't a lot of characters; however, there are a lot a lot a lot of time/location shifts (all with headings) and more POVs than I was expecting.

Plot wise, it was amusing. I really enjoyed the constant trying on Ashmont's part and how Cassandra just wasn't having it...until she was. I will say that I would have liked more of their HEA. It seemed that the entire book was them getting to their love and then the book ended. Cassandra and Ashmont are most delightful (and trouble) when they're together and I could have easily read 100 more pages of them plotting and being adorable.

Overall, it was a fun and quick read with characters I really liked. I'm definitely going to go back to read the first book and I can't wait to see if there will be another story in the series.

**Huge thanks to Avon for providing the arc free of charge**