Fun characters, a nice regency setting, an "enemies to lovers plot," and some unexpectedly steamy sex scenes make this a fun read. The facile geopolitics, creepy (if unfortunately mostly historically accurate) orientalism, instant maternalism, the timeline (especially in terms of the length of voyages to France, Italy, and Turkey), and honestly silly political machinations that lead to their marriage took away from this book. But it's a fun steamy beach read romance novel!

A girl has to make a living!

Well this was a five star read! A delightful spinster, Honorable Eleanor Kent, turned privateer and providing goods for the top echelons of town, a gifted interior designer and daughter of a viscount. Intelligent, charming, shrewd and determined evidenced by the way she’s turned the family’s flagging fortunes around and gained the friendship of Prinny, the Prince Regent. Ah yes! By evading taxes she’s actually saved the country from the worst of Prinnys expenses. A tortuous argument I know.
And who’s the prime villain. Why the gorgeous rake who finds himself in over his head as heart and duty conflict. The Duke of Danby has undertaken to be the leader of the Prime Minister's tax evasion (anti smuggling) task force. Of course he and the delectable Elinor will clash, in more ways than one. A super twist of various tropes by Jarecki. I’m indeed five star charmed!

An Xpresso Book Tours ARC via NetGalley
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Oh a woman who is not doing as Society expects - but has to do it in private because women can't run businesses - of course. And then the business that she runs just happens to have an illegal side to it. Smuggling!
Well Society likes its fine linens, silk, alcohol and so on, but wants it a really 'good' price. And there are, as always, taxes to pay on imports.
So if you can be a profitable importer, it pays to add a cargo without taxes!
Eleanor has managed to buy a ship - The King's Jewel - which is fast and travels into exotic locations like Japan and China and brings back artifacts from these countries for Prinny - the Prince Regent. Who likes exotica and has furnished his palace in Brighton with a marvel of artifacts that did not come in through the usual ports... If you supply the Prince, it would be difficult to accuse you of smuggling as that would implicate the Prince. But if you need income for the Crown to pay for wars etc you are in a dilemma.
The Brighton Pavilion still stands mostly how Prinny furbished it and is really wonderful to go and visit.
This is a nice story, well written, with some solid economic and political points.

Even though "privateer" was a bit of a stretch, I really enjoyed reading about how Eleanor overcame the money difficulties she would face given her circumstances.
I liked the scenario created by the author and found it very intriguing with the smuggling business. The plot was interesting and made me want to need it all at once.
There were some parts that felt a bit rushed for me, like her dad's recover process, but it didn't affect my opinions on the overall book.

I'm very interested in reading more novels by Amy Janecki!

This book was sent to me for free in exchange for a review via Netgalley, nonetheless this opinions are my own.

I liked the strong female character of this book. She is a strong but sensitive woman. Who fights the "norms* in that era. But the rest of the book was Just ok for Me. Nothing New about this book.

I really liked Eleanor as a character. She is a strong female lead with a shady job and who doesn't like that. You get a sense of the characters early on in the book and also the way they are drawn to each other.

I have not read any books of Amy Jarecki but after reading this book I can say I am looking forward to reading other book by her.

Enjoy you read!

Another enjoyable read! Eleanor Kent has been nearly destitute, her father returns home from war living in his own mind, She uses her father’s small import business as a front for her Privateering and has a very exclusive clientele list. Things have turned around for Eleanor and she is much in demand.
The Prime Minister has asked the Duke of Danby, Sher to his friends to look into the smuggling rings and head up a task force to end the smuggling and collect the dues.
At one of Prince George’s Brighton dinner party’s to unveil his new Chinoiserie gallery, Sher meets up with Eleanor, who designed and delivered the artifacts. Something isn’t right with the whole thing per Sher, George has bankrupt the country, how can he afford this? Vowing to dig deeper into the beautiful Eleanor affairs, things aren’t quite what they seem.

The Duke's Privateer is a delicious book! Sher and Eleanor are opposing forces thrown together and have no choice but to make the best of the situation. While neither want to trust, they can't help but be drawn to each other. Eleanor is a force to be reckoned with, especially when it comes to people she cares about and will do whatever it takes to survive and even thrive. On the other hand, there is Sher, he is cautious but also has an understanding heart. I am so glad I was approved to read this book!

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

A Game Of Wits And Deception
Miss Eleanor Kent is Prinny's Privateer. Whatever the Prince wants, Eleanor is able to get. With her network of business associates, the smuggling has thrived. All things must end. When the government forms a committee to stop the smuggling, Sherbourne Price, Duke of Danby, is put in charge. On opposing sides, it soon becomes apparent only Prinny has the important solution to the problem and of course retiring from the business. The solution will only be lasting when a sweet charming Duke learns how to court his wife.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Eleanor Kent is an intriguing character. She is a smuggler, not a privateer as the title says, of unique and exotic goods to royalty, peers and the rich. She is also a designer. Eleanor is intelligent and caring. Danby is a bit more of the usual rake but also a man tasked with cracking down on smugglers who aren’t paying their fair share of the duties. He’s a bit square at times. They aren’t complete opposites but different enough so that sparks fly.

The inevitable collision and occurs and we are off to the second part of the book that is a marriage of convenience storyline. Things don’t go well at first, as it shouldn’t. There are feeling of betrayal and deception. Not exactly the best beginnings of a marriage. It takes time to get over and for the couple to really get to know each other.

For all the Regency romances out there, few actually have the Regent appear on their pages. This is one of the rare ones and is the better for it. The book is rich in historical detail, particularly about the Regent’s decorating style and his beloved Brighton Pavilion, which gives the story a feeling of time and place. Jarecki has put an unusual twist on the Regent, but still seems to work with his real personality, which plays a small, but important, role in the plot.

I felt the end of Eleanor’s smuggling business was vague and rushed. One shipment was stopped at border and the leader was arrested of suspected smuggling. Then she’s about to be arrested. It is not even stated that that the government had definite proof there was smuggling, much less that she was involved in it. I understand for the sake of the flow of the storyline some things are shortened but this feels like there were steps left out completely. Just a few sentences could probably provide a concrete connection from one to the other without feeling that the author was just done with it and wanted to move on to the next part. It jarred me out of the story for a bit.

Overall, a captivating book with good characters, a nice romance and an entertaining story. There were a couple of subplots that make this book more nuanced that many romances without the subplots overtaking the main storyline. It is a very good story, not just a good romance.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of the ARC in return for an honest review.

The Duke's Privateer is a bit of a misnomer, or perhaps it's just an overly ambitious title. Yes, Eleanor Kent is a privateer (sort of, though I'm not sure if it's true by definition since only the prince and not the prime minister has sanctioned her work) and Sher is a duke. However, very little of the story has to do with illegal activities, and there is virtually no danger in spite of the promising title. This story felt to me like it has way too many loose threads, and the only storyline that continues throughout the book is the enemies-to-lovers trope. Or maybe marriage-of-convenience would be a more accurate description as there's not all that much love-hate tension between them.

Eleanor has the potential for being a solid heroine. She's resourceful and strong, as well as compassionate and kind. Sher is a little boring (the narrative tells us he's a rake, but there's no evidence of it in this particular tale), but he has his endearing moments. I just don't think either of them live up to their full potential. In short, I was bored by this book, and I kept checking the "percentage read" statistic to see how much more I had to endure. I did finish it though, which says something, I guess.

I gratefully received an ARC of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks!

This book is the story of Eleanor Kent, a “spinster” who turned to smuggling to aid her family, and Sherborn Price, the Duke of Danby who has also been tasked with unmasking said smugglers by the Prime Minister. The two are eventually forced into marriage.

I liked the character of Eleanor but had difficulty connecting with Sher. He came across as entitled and selfish, and a little flat. This read very much as a bodice ripper of past decades to me where there were some lines blurred with the lines of consent.

The tropes are friends to enemies and forced marriage. I would consider this a low steam book with a slow burn.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

Ridding the kingdom of smugglers is what the Duke of Danby wants more than life. Eleanor Kent is a smuggler beyond belief. A forced marriage between the two is unbelievable.
Can the two people in this scenario come to love each other.
Amy Jarecki has done a remarkable job with this tale.
I received a complimentary copy of this title from Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This tells the story of Eleanor Kent, a very enterprising young woman / “spinster” who turned to smuggling to bolster her family’s fortunes, and Sherborn Price, the Duke of Danby who has also been tasked with unmasking said smugglers by the Prime Minister. A a chance meeting at a feast organized by the Prince and sparks fly. Sherborn is instantly intrigued by her and slightly suspicious of her activities and therefore plots to get closer to her. In the process he gets to discover that she is one of the people he pursues, things come to a head and an unusual arrangement gets made.

I enjoyed Eleanor a lot in this book. I liked her resourcefulness and warmth. I loved the addition of Maggie and adored how she cared for her dad and servants. Sher on the other hand took a while to warm up to. He came across initially as someone very judgmental and although I couldn’t quite shake off that feeling throughout the book, he had at least unbent a lot by the end.

I enjoyed the book a lot up till the pivotal moment and then I felt it got slow from there till the end. Maybe if there had been more issues with the privateering? That might have added some urgency to the plotline. Here, once they retired to the countryside, everything just slowed to a crawl including the romance.

Overall, this was an okay read. A final note is the hero’s name was shortened to “Sher” and there were many occasions I read it as “she” and that caused some very funny double takes. LOL.
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for the ARC

The Duke’s Privateer was… misleading. To read only the book’s title, a reader would postulate that this book would be teeming with adventure, and led by a female protagonist who is a pirate! Alas, the lass was not on an adventure, nor was she a true pirate. Eleanor Kent is a daughter of a viscount— and for all intents and purposes a middling interior decorator to her wealthy patrons— who has a backdoor method of obtaining Chinoiserie which is “the imitation or evocation of Chinese motifs and techniques in Western art, furniture, and architecture, especially in the 18th century” (Oxford Languages).
Sherwood, the Duke of Danby is the man to put an end to the ladies underhanded furnishing dealings by leading her directly into his boudoir— to redecorate it. “Sher” was gross: entitled, unsexy, and oh yeah, kind of a rapist. Every time Eleanor would tell him to “stop” he would immediately kiss her harder, and every time she came up for air to shout “stop” again, he’d continually “seduce” her in this non-consensual rape method regardless of her fear and obvious No. This writing style is too dated and reminiscent of 1980s romance novels where the author’s would have rape scenes between their main characters and term it “seduction”. It is currently 2021, and with this enhancement in years, the romance genre, I think, has developed in a way for the better in terms of consent and drawing visible lines in the sand when it comes to saying No and people accepting that No Means No. These non-consensual sexual moments in The Duke’s Privateer felt like going back in time, and not for the better. It’s not okay to confuse new readers to the genre that even though you’re saying “stop” or “no” when you don’t like or want sexual attention, it’s actually okay for that other person to continue forcing themselves upon you. Rape is not sexy, nor is it romantic.
Moreover, the dialogue and language used in this book that was based in 1819 England was excessively stereotyped with the author using words such as “chap”, “indubitably” and “stupendous” an overwhelming amount of times to be considered natural.


I received an ARC from the author and publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A fun historical romance with an enemies to lovers vibe, but where the enemies aspect could have been a lot more contentious. I enjoyed continuing the story of Eleanor who was introduced in the last book. I would have loved a bit more with the Eversham’s because I think it’s nice to not just read a romance. But also read about friendships.

While I really enjoyed Eleanor’s character. I think the Duke could have been developed a bit more. His character was just a bit flat, his anger entitled and ... I don’t know. Just a bit lacking. Even in his development of feelings.

That being said. If you like historical romances. You will enjoy this.

Spinster Eleanor Kent is one of England’s most sought after smugglers, her work for the Prince Regent has placed her in the path of the Duke of Danby the audacious rake and head of the smuggling task force. Danby becomes quite intrigued by Eleanor, he’s gets her to renovate his bedroom, he starts reading to her invalid father and the chase is on. Eleanor knows he’s up to something and decides to keep her enemy close to her and see where this friendship leads. I love these two they are perfect together as they try to outwit each other, an attraction grows, but then the walls are closing in on the smuggling ring and Eleanor has choices to make to save her life and her company. I have voluntarily read and reviewed these excellent story.

3.5 stars
We have Eleanor, daughter of a Viscount and privateer and Sher, the Duke leading the charge to apprehend smugglers. They meet at the Prince's dinner and Sher decides that he wants Eleanor to redecorate a room for him using chinoiserie as she's done for the Prince. He doesn't really need it done, but he suspects that she's part of the smuggling scheme.
The more time they spend together the more they find themselves attracted to each other. Eleanor knows he's trying to trap her but can't seem to resist him. Sher realizes what's going to happen to her as a result of his meddling and he doesn't know what to do to save the woman he can't stop thinking about.
This has a marriage of convenience, a surprise baby(didn't love this but totally understand why it's present in the story), recovering war vet with PTSD(her father). I loved that she was the pirate in this story, we don't see that enough as far as I'm concerned.
This is also extremely slow burn with low steam content.

A wonderfully written plot filled with exciting twists and turns, as well as excellent characters. Eleanor Kent is a gently bred young woman who has been dealt a sorrowful lot in life. Her mother died when she was young, and her father, Viscount Lisle, is a Naval Admiral deep in inherited debt, but also a war invalid. So, to survive, she mingles amongst the Ton as a spinster but in reality has become a successful Privateer. Meanwhile, the rakish Duke of Danby is working with the Prime Minister to rid England of smugglers. Their acquaintance has always been minimal, until a fateful Royal dinner given by the Prince Regent brings them closer than ever. No more spoilers, just enjoy the adventure as it unfolds. Ms Jarecki never fails to delight her readers.

I really liked this book, right up until the dubious consent. In the first sexual interaction, she repeatedly tells him no, and he repeatedly ignores her: This book is not for me. DNF.