3/5 Stars

** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!**

I have some mixed feelings about this book. While it wasn't bad at all, and I did enjoy it. I found that I just couldn't connect to the characters which hindered my enjoyment of the stroy. I also found that I couldn't stay in the story, I kept wanting to put the book down and not want to pick it back up. This may just be me and not at all the book. Overall it was enjoyable and if you are intereted I would say give it a try.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

THE DUKE UNDONE is a good Victorian romance. I liked it fine, except when I didn’t. There’s nothing particularly special about this story, but I do have higher hopes for what I suspect will be further books in the series.

Lucy Coover is an impoverished artist studying at the Royal Academy among far wealthier colleagues. She’s working hard to keep her aunt’s dress shop afloat when a chance encounter with a naked duke sets in motion events that will change her life.

I didn’t have strong feelings about Lucy. Her character never solidified for me. On the contrary, I am very interested to know whether Kate and Gwen will get their own novels. Their characters were far more engrossing than Lucy, despite how few pages they graced.

Some quick, nitpicks:
-Some of the surnames in this novel were just strange. They felt made up and not in a good way. Coover is at the top of that list.
-The alcoholism plot point was a little too fancifully resolved for those of us who have experience with alcoholics.
-I got very frustrated toward the end with the MCs lack of clear communication, especially with regard to Yardley. I feel like Lucy had him figured out, but for some reason she doesn’t explain it all to Anthony. I won’t say more, but I definitely had to put the book down and walk away for awhile. Apparently today I was not suffering fools lightly.

Overall, THE DUKE UNDONE was a fast, easy read that was only mildly frustrating. I will probably read further books in the series if they involve Kate or Gwen.

Lucy Coover has to travel through some dodgy areas to get to her painting class at the Royal Academy of Arts. She’s seem some strange and unsavory things, but this is the first time she’s come across a corpse, and a naked one, at that. Believing that the man was robbed and stripped, Lucy uses her shawl to cover a certain part of his anatomy, hoping to afford him some dignity, when she discovers that he’s still breathing. Then she discovers that he reeks of alcohol, and is sleeping off a drunken binge. Still, he is the most perfect specimen she’s ever seen, and since female students are not allowed to view nudes to paint, she studies every perfect detail of his body and commits it to memory. Later, she is compelled to paint him, little knowing that her portrait will set off a chain of events which will change the course of her life.

Due to his older brother’s death, Anthony Philby is now the Duke of Weston. Because of his difficulty reading and in school, his father considered him an idiot, and placed the entirety of the ducal holdings in trust, in the hands of his lifelong friend, Yardley, until Anthony turns thirty. There are other conditions – Anthony must stay away from all alcohol, and lead an exemplary life. Anthony chafes at his restrictions, feeling like a schoolboy with an allowance. His thirtieth birthday is rapidly approaching, and he anticipates the day he’ll finally be free of his father. Meanwhile, he does his drinking in secret, and in places he won’t be recognized. When Lucy’s scandalous nude portrait comes to his attention, he is determined to find the artist, and ensure that all preliminary drawings are destroyed.

When Lucy encounters her beautiful corpse come to life, she is all but speechless. When she learns that he’s a duke, she’s dismayed that his status is so out of her league. Still, she tries to hide the fact the she’s the artist, but Anthony, contrary to his father’s belief, is no fool, and soon puts the pieces together. Their initial, somewhat hostile meeting is fraught with undercurrents of mutual attraction, and when Lucy finds her home in danger, she doesn’t hesitate to seek the duke’s help, willing to make a bargain.

Lucy and Anthony are definitely from different worlds, as well as having problems and issues. Despite their flaws and imperfections, I couldn’t help but love both these characters. They make mistakes, and let each other down, and I still wanted so badly for them to be together. So many things are against them as a couple, that it truly seems impossible, especially when a new twist in Anthony’s father’s will comes to light. My heart was broken as it seemed that Anthony’s spirit was finally broken. THE DUKE UNDONE is brilliantly written, but not what I would call an easy read. Such things as women’s rights, institutionalization, and alcoholism play significant roles. I am always leery of reading a new, or new-to-me author, but this time I struck gold. I loved this story, which is intense, romantic, steamy, and all encompassing. I recommend it for readers who are looking to lose themselves in a complicated and well developed story with unique characters and situations.

4.5 Stars - Top Pick

I absolutely enjoyed this book from beginning to end. This the first time Joanna Lowell and I look forward to reading more from her. The time she took to research this historical romance shows in the writing. I did have to look up a few words to understand the meaning but the use of those words made to book even more authentic in my opinion. Both characters had the dynamic that I enjoy reading in a romance book. The push and pull of trying to deny the feelings that they both have for each other and the heartbreak that they both experience I felt it too. This book gave me some serious feels. There were some really good heat in this book. It wasn’t overly graphic but it wasn’t a fade to black that left you wondering either. There was conflict throughout this book that had me turning the pages to see what would happen next.

First we meet Lucy Coover a passionate artist that attended the Royal Academy. I loved how she was quick witted and educated even during this time period where women were considered such fragile beings. She stood her ground and stood up for what she believed in. I really enjoyed how she didn’t succumb to her limitations in what she wanted out of life. She focused on what she wanted and went for it. She had discovered a stranger in the alleyway and gained inspiration from him. She painted and sold this painting to help out her aunt. The stranger in this painting happened to be a Duke who came to find her and confront her to not paint him anymore and to get any copies she might have had. I could feel her heart breaking as she had to give up the sketches or face ruination at the Royal Academy. I also felt the hate that she had for this Duke and loved how she stood up to him.

Then we meet Anthony Philby, the seventh Duke of Weston. I felt like he was a scoundrel and a lush. We actually met him in the prologue when Lucy finds him passed out and she thinks he is dead. As the book continued he grew and changed especially when he is around Lucy. She makes him a better person. I also learned a lot about his family and his horrible father and how him and his siblings grew up. I then understood why he was the way he was. Why he drank himself to oblivion to escape the pain he felt. He was also taken advantage of by people close to him. I just wanted to scream at him to open his eyes and stand up to these people. Thank goodness he had enough sense to have a friend outside of his fathers “faithful” friends.

If you are a fan of historical romance with a dash of mystery then you will love this book. I will be looking forward to reading more from this author.

~ Brooke

This book had a little twist of mystery that kept me wanting to read it. I really enjoyed reading about Anthony and Lucy. While I wish the book was a little faster pace, the issues with Anthony's inheritance kept me wanting to read it. Really enjoyed it and I cant wait to read the next book in the series.

I am always on the lookout for Victorian romances and The Duke Undone fit the bill perfectly. I loved the gender reversal of genius artist and beguiling muse and I related to both Lucy and Anthony and their struggles to break free of societal and familial expectations and come fully into their own. I loved Lucy and her determination and the way she stayed true to herself and her principles even when that meant giving up love. I also loved Anthony and his journey - his struggles and redemption felt authentic to me and by the end I really believed these were two people who could take on the world together.

I was lucky to be gifted an eARC of this book to review. This is a great rom-com story, with crazy shenanigans and the steamy tension one looks for in a historical romance. This is the second in a compassion series, and I LOVED the first book so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one.

This follows the best friends of our main couple from the first book, as they strike up a bargain to help each other out with something they are struggling with. It is truly your perfect hate to love regency England romance, and I loved it. Waters can write tension like nobody else. And the banter! Absolutely amazing! This is definitely more of a sarcastic look at Regency England, which I love reading about. Once you get past the fact that this story is not going to be historically accurate, it is such a fun ride!

I will say that this is not very historically accurate. I found modern words and ideas used throughout the novel, which took me out of the experience a little bit. If I had known that before going in, I think this would have gotten full stars. But because I was taken out of the story, I couldn’t.

Overall, all the normal things that one would expect from a historical romance were there and I loved every second of it. Waters is definitely going to become a favorite author for me.

3.5⭐

First of all, if I'm to rate this purely on enjoyment, it would be an easy 4 stars. I really like the plot, the different class trope, the banter & chemistry between the characters, the friendships. But I have some mild hesitation in giving this a full 4 star rating because I felt like a certain aspect wasn't... handled the best. S0 -

1. The stakes felt real. This is one of those rare cases where despite knowing the HEA was imminent, I still felt a sense of unease about how the characters could possibly reach one. Not only were the odds stacked against them, but Anthony's own personal happy ending felt so out of reach. This was definitely not a case of self-imposed barriers, these stakes were real and they were high.

2. The friendships were fantastic. I don't believe Kate is planned to have her own book, but I desperately want one. Her dedication and friendship with Lucy was absolutely wonderful. I loved how fiercely the two of them supported and accepted each other.

3. This had so many important discussions surrounding the rights women, mental health, learning disabilities, and addiction. It really didn't shy away from the darker side of Victorian London. I often find that historicals romanticize the era a little too much, and this definitely did not fall into that category. It criticized England's wars & colonization, it criticized the treatment of the lower class, and it criticized the way that women were treated - specifically in the way they were deemed "mad" for having opinions and desires.

4. However - despite loving all of that. I'm not entirely comfortable with the way Anthony's alcoholism was addressed and handled. It is a massive portion of the book and the wrap up left me feeling slightly uncomfortable. Anthony is clearly an alcoholic. He relies on drink to get him through the day, to temper his emotions, and he even describes the things around him through it (he often describes the color of things in relation to alcohol). But in the end it felt a little like "love cured all".. While it's passingly acknowledged that it's something he's working through, it wasn't as explicit as I would have liked. Especially considering the massive misgivings Lucy had about being involved with an alcoholic as her father was one. It was almost like Anthony did one good thing and it was all swept under the rug. I just wish given it's prevalence throughout the rest of the story, that it had been addressed further in the HEA.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I was nervous about how long this book was, but I was fully invested from start to finish. I definitely plan to pick up the next books in this series and think Joanna Lowell will become a new staple in historical romances.

This review is live on Goodreads and will be posted to my blog on 4/16 at 9am

I absolutely love historical romances and they are usually about the stuffy older brother Duke who is rigid and knows all the rules.

But what about the younger brother who unfortunately suffers from, possibly, dyslexia and has been called an idiot his whole life because of it. The one that has had to overcome in other ways but has been horribly taken advantage of because he can't read like others can or process the same. He falls back on his good looks and acts like a fool to distract. Don't we all.

This book was so fun! An independent artist attending the Royal Academy happens upon a corpse in an alley as she is walking home. But finds it is actually just a very drunk man. A beautifully proportioned naked man, and at the time she wasn't allowed to paint male nudes. Soooo... she goes for help but when she returns he's gone and she decides to paint him not knowing who he is.

The fun part is when he goes to find her after she sells this painting. She is so delightfully curious. But he is stuck under his dead fathers thumb in a codicil being treated as a child so he drowns himself in oblivion. There's mysteries behind his mothers, fathers and brother's deaths and his sister's disappearance. It is all blamed on their temperament and that is used to control him. Ugh condescension will forever be my least favorite form of attack. It's so revolting and it's always used to humiliate and set people in their place.

Also, as always I find fascinating and appalling the list of reasons women can be admitted into an asylum - I mean novel reading and imaginary female trouble.... we would all be in an asylum.

And the surgeries they did, stuff of nightmares! Luckily they didn't talk about what they did (that's not this kind of book) just that they did. 

👏 Definitely cheered for Lucy and Anthony!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥

Thank you @netgalley and @berkleypub for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Oh my word this book was so much more than I expected. I thought it was just going to be a Victorian romance about a Duke and painter... but I’m so glad I was wrong. There was an element of mystery that was running through the plot that, while I got confused at times, was crazy in the best way possible. I was absolutely charmed by The Duke Undone. I’m really hoping we get books about Kate and Gwen (and Effie too please)! I just want to be back in this world already.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5 stars

2021 has definitely been the year I fell in love with historical romances. The Duke Undone is another swoonworthy read, but has much more emotional depth than I was expecting.

The Duke Undone is about painting student, Lucy, who trips over a naked man she finds passed out in an alley. She quickly covers him up, but is unable to get the picture out of her mind. She then paints the man, who ends up being the infamous Duke of Weston. This painting brings the two together and they strike a bargain - he will save Lucy’s aunt’s dressmaking shop in exchange for her help finding his sister. Of course, as they work together, THE TWO FIND ROMANCE.

Lucy and Anthony are two likable (and complex) characters who you instantly root for. Although I’m used to more lighthearted historical romances, I appreciated the more emotional drama of this one. I can’t wait for more installments in this series as I love the world that Joanna Lowell has created. Fans of Bringing Down the Duke will love this one!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is certainly a unique premise for a book and not the kind of introduction I've ever come across in the bulk of my historical romance reads. I enjoyed the featuring of an artistic main female character and the development of their relationship, overcoming the differences between the two characters made for an interesting and enjoyable read. Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this arc!

I love a good historical romance. It's my new favorite sub genre and I cannot get enough of it. The Duke Undone was my first foray into Joanna Lowell's writing and it did not disappoint. I would love to read more of her work and this series in general. Some of the characters in this book deserve to have stories of their own and I hope the publisher and author continue to expand upon this series. It is definitely one of my favorite historical romance reads so far this year. The book is full of ambiance, delightful characters, and witty prose. It truly encapsulates the time period and the tension between the two main characters. It was ambitious in its tackling of some of the darker aspects of the time period and flaws within the characters. We read about sexism in the arts and for once we have a flawed romantic lead that struggles with alcoholism and is not the perfect leading man. Which makes this book all the more complex and intriguing. I am really starting to enjoy seeing flawed protagonists in my reads as they feel more real and authentic.

The romance is superb and swoon worthy and this book certainly worth picking up. Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

This book certainly started off strong with a memorable meet cute and seemingly had all the ingredients for a romance I would adore. Based on the illustrated cover and fun blurb, I went into the book thinking I was getting a light-hearted historical romcom, but the story quickly turned serious with far too much going on. Most importantly, I did not buy the love story between Lucy and Anthony and I spent most of the book thinking they shouldn't be together. Sadly, the book just didn't work for me.

CW: PTSD, alcoholism, grief, emotional abuse, suicide, being trapped in a mental institution

Lucy Coover is a painting student at the Royal Academy. When walking home one night late at night, she stumbles upon a naked man.....a very fine looking naked man. Never having seen a man unclothed before, she is intrigued, but she ends up covering his body with her shawl, getting help and going home. Lucy is not able to get this man's body out of her mind so she ends up painting a picture of his naked torso in very fine detail. When Lucy and her aunt end up needing money for rent, she ends up selling her painting to a woman of the ton.

Five months later Anthony Philby, the Duke of Weston is shocked when Perry Forbes confronts him with a picture his wife bought of him naked! Weston is suppose to be keeping out of trouble until he turns thirty and gets his inheritance so he is determined to find out who painted this picture of him. When Weston meets Lucy he is captivated. Too bad Lucy wants nothing to do with him.

When Weston realizes that Lucy could use his help regarding her home being demolished, they spark a bargain. Of course the more time these two spend together, they more feelings they start to have for each other until they realize that they are meant for each other. Too bad someone else has a different plan and blackmails Weston. Just when it looks like these two lovers will never be together, a huge discovery is made and they can finally have their happy ending.

I really enjoyed this story. Lucy was such a fun, spirited girl. It was fun seeing the things she would do that really was usually frowned upon by most people. Overall, this was an enjoyable story with interesting characters.

This was a great start to a new series following characters from the Royal Academy of arts!

I’m a sucker for historicals featuring artist and this art school crew harkened me back to my own college days…

Lucy Coover is trying to find a subject for a painting to make her mark on the Royal Academy, but this is hard to do when the female students are prohibited from attending the life drawing classes. Lucky for her, she walks right into… or should I saw on to, the perfect male form as she is on her way to classes. This nude body, passes out in the streets soon becomes the inspiration for one of her greatest works!

Too bad the node form is actually the Duke of Weston (Anthony), and he can’t afford to have a scandal attached to his name… so scandalous picture of him nude must be stopped!

This chance encounter of Lucy stumbling across Anthony in a moment of weakness alights the spark and a relationship between the two of them when he finds the mysterious artist painting his likeness and they strike a deal to help each other out.

Lately, I have been finding historical romances featuring dukes falling for unsuitable matches unbelievable and repetitive- but in The Duke Undone, Lowell has found a good balance with her second son who has been told his whole life that he stupid and bound to fail, unexpectedly inherits and the artist fighting to make a name for herself in a work where being female automatically limits you. These two have a lot in common and bring out the best in each other. I loved how their relationship and trust is tested and grows throughout this book. Yes, they are from different spectrums of society, but the threads that connected them made their relationship more believable. I think being written in the Victorian age also helps create a bigger spear of possibilities in their relationship prospects.

This was an excellent read, and I highly recommend it. Please note the following triggers: alcoholism, historical perspective on mental health (negative), verbal abuse from a parent.

The Duke Undone by Joanna Lowell is scheduled to release April 6th, 2021.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#TheDukeUndone #JoannaLowell #Netgalley #pinkcowlandreads

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

2021 has already been a year full of historical romance books for me. I love them, I read them often, and I’ve really been leaning into them this year and trying new authors. For the remainder of the year, this book and the characters Joanna Lowell created will stick with me. I guarantee it.

One of the many things that really stood out for me was the fact that there was a very real barrier to the main characters having a relationship. They were kept apart by something that felt much more tangible than pride or lack of communication. It really added to the tension of the plot as I could see no way out for them. Truly, there were points at which I could not for the life of me imagine a HEA for this book.

I also was really drawn to the presence of real life issues such as alcoholism and PTSD. These main characters have histories that have shaped them in ways that made them both tragic and relatable. Their story wasn’t easy and was continually complicated by outside factors in addition to the ghosts of their respective pasts.

There were parts that dragged a bit, as I wanted the characters to be in more scenes together and found myself flipping pages seeking more of their verbal sparring. That being said, I really loved the character self-reflection and development. While I loved seeing Anthony and Lucy interact (their tension was palpable), I did end up really enjoying their individual stories as people. Lucy was everything I look for in a female protagonist – strong and fully capable of being her own hero. She’s definitely a new favorite historical romance lead for me.

I hope that this series continues as there are definitely characters that I would like to see get their own happy endings. I also just really want to learn more about some characters in particular. Joanna, if you’re reading this, it is my polite way of begging for MORE KATE PLEASE. I would also like more Effie. And more Gwen. Just please write each of them books.

This book took me by surprise. I thought by the look of the cover that I’d be reading something lighter and more predictable - but as we all know, you can’t judge a book by its cover. The Duke Undone is a captivating story about a deeply flawed hero and the woman who recognizes the ‘hero’ in him. There’s a satisfying romance, an almost overwhelming obstacle to true love, and a mystery to be solved.

By day, Lucy Coover is an art student at the Royal Academy. By night she lives in the slums of Shoreditch helping her aunt with her failing seamstress business. One morning on the way to the Academy, Lucy stumbles over a corpse - a naked, male corpse. She is upset but also fascinated, because female students in this Victorian time period, are not permitted to attend classes where artists study the human body. She takes a good, long look - only then noticing that this is not a corpse, only a very drunk man. She covers him with her cloak, pays a street urchin to watch over him, and rushes off to class.

Lucy can't forget the ‘corpse’ and paints a portrait of it, having no idea the body is that of  Anthony Philby, the new Duke of Weston. When she and her aunt are desperate for money, she sells the painting to Adelaide Forbes, whose husband discovers it and confronts Anthony (thinking he must be having an affair with his wife). Anthony has no idea how this painting came to be or who the artist is, but he is determined to uncover these secrets. This is a scandal he can’t afford.

Anthony is trapped by his father’s will. His late duke was a sanctimonious ass and his elder brother was a rake of the worst variety. They are both dead but Anthony’s father has managed to put the dukedom in the hands of his best friend Robert Yardley in trusteeship until Anthony turns thirty. And then, if Anthony has stayed sober and not caused any scandals, the dukedom will transfer to him; otherwise the trusteeship will continue. Anthony is stuck in a desperate situation - a duke in name only, unable to control his finances or aid his tenants who are begging him for help. Worst of all, his beloved sister Effie has disappeared and Anthony suspects Yardley knows where she is.

Anthony searches for the portrait artist and eventually finds “L. Coover” at the Academy. He confronts her and they strike a bargain. He won’t tell the Academy about what she’s done and she will help him search for his sister in the slums of London. A lovely friendship and riveting mystery follows.

The Duke Undone starts out light but quickly deepens. The first thing I loved about it was the evocative writing - Ms. Lowell can pen a beautiful sentence. Soon I was captivated by the struggles of Lucy and Anthony and the high stakes involved in Anthony’s plight. The underlying mystery of what happened to Effy (and to Anthony’s mother) is very well-written and leads to a perfectly plotted conclusion.

I was fully drawn to Lucy and Anthony. Anthony is an unusual hero and I was completely fascinated by him. His whole life, he has been told he is a disappointment and not worthy of his name. He is dyslexic and so, at this time period, assumed to be slow. He was sent off to Afghanistan with the Army, but his heroism there was rewritten by his father as more proof of his hedonism. And the lesson Anthony came away with is that even when he gets it right, he’s still not enough, still degraded and punished. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t. And Yardley is a master at gaslighting Anthony. When Lucy meets Anthony, his power has been stripped, his will destroyed, and he is trapped by a plague of inertia.

He didn’t know how to be himself; it was painfully obvious. He was trying to break out of molds made by other men. His father. His brother. What would it look like, a portrait of his inner self? Black and red, brown and amber, no figures, its essence in shades, modulation, sensation. She could barely imagine such a painting.

Lucy recognizes Anthony’s inertia for what it is - not laziness but despair and fear, and she sees Anthony more clearly than he sees himself. She is afraid to get too close to Anthony whose failings now include liquor. Lucy’s father was an alcoholic and she has no desire to tie herself to another of them. But she’s a tough cookie - if she can help the Duke and get something she needs from him, she’s going to do it (and protect herself along the way).

This book drew me in and kept my attention all the way to the end. Sometimes I raced through the pages; other times I savored them, not reading more than a chapter at a time, needing an emotional break. I despaired alongside Lucy for Anthony’s future and my heart broke for Anthony whenever he tried and failed to get his power back. It was a tumultuous ride!

I confess I did wonder if the inheritance parameters suffered by Anthony were legal in Victorian England. I have my doubts, but the author states in her Author’s Note that she consulted "Victorian estate law" so that "nothing I wrote was strictly impossible". If you are a stickler for 100% accuracy, you have been warned.

I’m not sure all readers will be as sympathetic to Anthony’s plight as I was; it’s hard to love a hero who has been so beaten down and who struggles with alcoholism. But lately I’ve been trying to reframe my ‘judgments’ of heroes/heroines by switching their roles. If Anthony’s plight was the heroine’s plight, I think we would all be more impressed with his eventual redemption. We readers can be hard on our heroes! At the end of The Duke Undone, we hope but don’t know that Anthony’s struggle with alcohol is over. For me, this was true to life and not sugar-coated. It’s an HEA knowing that there are still challenges ahead.

Ms. Lowell does a fabulous job developing her secondary characters and word on the street is that there will be more books to come featuring these characters. I’m looking forward to reading them. In the meantime, I highly recommend The Duke Undone!

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The beginning of this was a little slow, but the middle to end was truly interesting. I loved the reversal of a man’s body being ogled by the heroine instead of a woman’s body. I really liked the fact that this duke had to grow into the title and mindset of being a badass, instead of just starting out that way. I would encourage someone not new to romance but already a fan of historical fiction to read this, as it’s a great segway into the genre.

The Duke Undone by Joanna Lowell is a captivating historical romance that is sure to take your breath away. The story is well-written with intriguing characters. It is a lovely meet-cute romance with some great banter and instant chemistry.