Lady Sarah Merrington was humiliated by a prospective husband. Even though she really had behaved childishly, she doesn't accept any fault. Now our heroine is staying in a village where everyone minds their own business and the Lady who owns the castle and village encourages learning of all sorts.

Leonard Blackmore, the Duke of Vexen is a man with a passion for archeology and a patron of the arts. An invitation to an area that could be rich in Viking treasures tempts him.

A lovely historical romance with lots of secrets being revealed by our fascinating characters.

This is the first in a new series and I'm looking forward to reading more.

I loved it.

A couple of years ago Lady Sarah Merrington a young hoyden was spurned by a duke do to her immaturity and now she’s ready to show him just want he’s missed out on. She’s determined to become the perfect lady and she has the voice of an angel to show off her best assets. Her friend Lady Whitmore invites the Leonard, the Duke of Vexen to her estate where he doesn’t immediately recognize Sarah. Leonard decides he like what he see and decides she’s the one for him, but he soon realizes she is the young woman he had planned to marry a few years ago, she just needed to grow up. He’s not got his work cut out trying to convince Sarah he’s sincere in his love for her and convince her to marry him. I love this book there’s a hidden mystery surrounding Lady Whitmore that slowly unravels as the story unfolds. I have voluntarily read and reviewed these excellent story.

How to Fool a Duke by Mary Lancaster and Violetta

A number of years ago Leonard Duke of Vexen and Lady Sarah Drimmen were betrothed but as Sarah was young , very immature and mischievous. Leonard declined marriage until she became slightly more mature as befitting a future Duchess. As Sarah felt very slighted she vowed revenge at a later date.

Quite a well written book!

I felt the book was very slow and predictable unlike previous books I have read by Ms Lancaster. Quite enjoyable but I felt it dragged a bit for my personal taste.

Bent on revenge, Lady Sarah transforms herself with the help of Lady Whitmore into a woman who can grace any drawing-room in society. When the opportunity presents itself, she discovers that having achieved her objective leaves a bad taste in her mouth. This is a light-hearted romance with quirky characters that keep one entertained throughout. There is also a mystery to be solved, which makes the plot interesting. The Duke of Vexen's first meeting with Lady Sarah leaves him with the realisation that she is nowhere near ready for marriage. Two years later, he hears her before he sees her and falls in love with both her voice and the woman with a face like an angel. Unfortunately, the hoyden beneath the facade is angry with him, and it takes patience to break through her barriers. This is an enjoyable, standalone romance that comes to a sweet conclusion. I received a copy of this book as a gift through NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

How to Fool a Duke was a very pleasant, speedy read with both an enjoyable hero and heroine as well as an interesting backstory. I liked the setting, and the idea of Lady Whitmore’s estate for young women - I would be interested in continuing the series. The story was quite tidy if not predictable, but it held my attention and was overall an enjoyable read.

Book 1 to start off an enduring new series.
Setting a seaside village.
Lady Whitmore, has a castle where she helps young ladies learn a skill.
Lady Sarah, was spurned and ended up there. All she want is revenge on the Duke who spurned her.
In walks the Duke of Vexen
It is amusing watching them get to know each other again.
All characters are likeable,

This was an enjoyable book to read. The main characters were interesting and funny at times especially Sarah who wants to get revenge on the Duke. There was another story as well as Sarah's and I thought that the book was well written. I look forward to reading more books by these authors.

Authors, new to me, Mary Lancaster and Violetta Rand write an interesting story of a young woman, Sarah, that is looking to get revenge on a duke who rejected her. She now is more poised and a very accomplished singer. The duke, Leonard, wants her. When he realizes who she is, he does whatever he must to regain her trust and love. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for my honest review.

How to Fool a Duke is a sweet, revenge-turns-to-love story...Lady Sarah has spent the past two years transforming herself from hoyden into accomplished lady, all so she could rub it in the Duke of Vexen’s face. As fate brings them back together, Sarah must decide if revenge is worth letting go of a fierce attraction between the two.
This was an easy, entertaining read that is abundant with romance and tropes.

How to fool a Duke by Mary Lancaster and Violetta Rand is a historical fiction Romance novel and the story revolves around Sarah , who is a High Born girl , an earl's daughter but she left her family to transform into a new version of herself , by giving up her old boyish life by becoming a Perfect Lady of etiquette who can sing perfectly and has got manners , charms and elegance and this all for the Duke of Vexen who broke her heart two years ago , just because of her boyish,adventurous nature and now all she wants is revenge, and that too by deceiving him into loving her and also remain anonymous to him and at last, to break his heart and quench her thirst for revenge .However the Duke of Vexen is not like any other Duke and Lady Sarah is not like any other girl.

I have mixed feelings regarding this book but I can admit the fact that I actually enjoyed this book ,definitely my comfort read but this book has got several major issues but I adored writing style , however the Romance here is so and realistic and illogical and it doesn't make any sense but I adored the game of cat and mouse which our main characters, Lady Sarah and Duke leonard had ,I think it was very enjoyable and exciting .Unfortunately , I just couldn't connect to the main characters , they felt so unrealistic and shallow . And of course there was a trope of insta love in here which disappointed me , Storyline was predictable as well and the bonding , the love , the main characters shared felt so unrealistic , disatisfying and shallow . But despite all this I think this book was addicting and I actually finished this book in one sitting so, this means the book was my guilty pleasure read .
Lastly, Thank you so much Netgalley and Dragonblade Publishers for the review copy and allowing me to review this book .

This was my first book by these authors. It was a sweet, easy ready with predictable characters and storyline. The heroine, Sarah, is a gifted singer who goes to stay with Lady Whitmore after being jilted by the Duke of Vexen two years earlier. Their marriage was to be an arranged marriage.. Lady Whitmore's role is that of fairy godmother as she brings these two back together. This is the first book in a series and it does have a lot of potential This book felt like an introduction of the characters to follow.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and thank them and Dragonblade Publishing for allowing me to review the book. This is my honest book and the opinions are my own.

Revenge can be sweet, but Love is Forever!
Lady Sarah was spurned by Duke Vexen, she is planning the perfect revenge so she thinks. He is unaware of her shenanigans, but his hostess is hiding a secret!

Who’s going to have the ultimate unveiling? We all want to believe that love can fix everything!

The authors have given just enough to keep you turning the pages. This book is a lighthearted read that fill up your spirits!

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

How to Fool a Duke by Mary Lancaster and Violetta Rand was a wonderful Regency story.

From hatred to love, Leonard the Duke of Vexen was betrothed to Lady Sarah a young 16year old girl that was wild and untamed.
He left the Earls house without a marriage planned.

Miss Sarah has been living in Whitmore for two years, learning to sing. Lady Whitmore loves the arts and supports everybody that wants to come to her land and learn. No titles or gossip allowed.
She wants to help Sarah get revenge on a certain Duke, but Lady Whitmore has her own secrets that she wants to keep under lock and key and inviting the Duke of Vexen might jeopardize that.

I enjoyed this book very much! I can’t wait for more in this new series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ebook arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by this so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I liked the premise of the story but for me the execution fell short. It was kinda predictable and the characters were very one dimensional. There wasn’t any depth to the characters and the story.

It was a short, not complicated read, perfect for a vacation

I feel like I was expecting something different from this book than what it was. The romance wasn't great and I feel like the book could have benefited from being longer. The moment the two characters finally came together was not satisfying as it was over in about one page.

An enjoyable, if not predictable, book. The perfect vacation book to read to destress and declutter the mind.
A good story line filled with all the clichés we love.
I enjoyed reading it, but would not go so far as to say that it is memorable.
I'm so glad to have had the chance to read it and enjoyed the experience.

4 stars

An enjoyable read, only kisses until near the end. Sarah has felt ignored by her mother and her would be fiance. Leo turned up to meet her and then realising how young she was went away without declaring himself. Sarah saw this as rejection The duke was keen to give her time to mature so miscommunication of motives. Sarah decides to hone her singing arts to try and entice Leo into falling in love with her with the aim of rejecting him. Luckily there's a benefactoress that is watching our couple and leading them onto a HEA. This is the first book in a series and does have a lot of potential. There's an over the top ex lover who tries to make things difficult and lots of characters for further books.

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

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

How to Fool a Duke (The Husband Dilemma, Book 1) by Mary Lancaster and Violetta Rand is a short and sweet Regency Romance.

Lady Sarah Drimmen is a guest at the hideaway castle/estate of Lady Whitmore, a mysterious older woman of great wealth and aristocratic bearing who has established a community of artistic young women who, for one reason or another, need to withdraw from society for a while. Sarah’s reason is, on the surface, straightforward. Two years earlier, a betrothal arranged by her parents fell through when the young duke rejected her after their first meeting. She was only sixteen at the time, but severely hurt. Her parents’ reaction to her failure stung as much as the duke’s rejection.

Sarah is a talented singer. Very talented. So she retreated to the Whitmore estate to concentrate on developing her voice under the direction of a master teacher. Her parents believe she’s attending something more along the lines of a finishing school, to pick up the polish she so sorely needs if she’s ever going to attract a suitable husband.

In fact, Sarah’s plans are more complex. She wants the polish and musical skill to make an impression upon the ton, but primarily in order to capture the heart of the duke so that she can reject him this time.

The duke of Vexen (Leonard) is a patron of the arts, so he is more than happy to be summoned to the Whitmore estate for an art show as its guest of honor, even though he has never heard of the place before. From the moment he arrives, and happens upon the loveliest girl he has ever seen singing with the voice of an angel, he is hooked. He thinks he has seen her somewhere before, but can’t quite place the memory. Made aware that she is a lady of gentle birth, he understands that he can’t trifle with her, but he pursues her nevertheless. The second time he hears her sing, he remembers where they met. She was the rambunctious child throwing apples at him from a tree when he went to meet the woman he was supposed to marry. He climbed up next to her, threw a few apples himself, and was charmed. But he could not, in good conscience, marry a child. He had no idea she would be devastated by the rejection he thought was honorable. And he had no clue that her mother had thrown it in her face that he had rejected her as an unsuitable hoyden.

He can’t figure out why she doesn’t remember him. Not until he kisses her and she rejects his attentions, winning her revenge.

Fortunately, Lady Whitmore is following the progress of the relationship and sets him back on track. Sarah is already regretting her plot.

The relationship should be in for smooth sailing, except that one of the duke’s ex-mistresses has arrived for the art show. A widow, she wants to be a duchess, and will stop at nothing to snare Vexen. Also, Lady Whitmore is hiding a rather significant secret herself.

This pleasant Romance with likable protagonists, a sweet omniscient “guardian angel,” and a nasty antagonist is a fine addition to the genre.