When I feel like I need to travel to the regency era, I find myself repeatedly turning to a Darcy Burke novel. The Rigid Duke was just that book for a rainy weekend. Juno is a woman who has faced adversity in life and has taken charge of her own, in an age where women were better seen as a pretty flower on a shelf. Dare knows he must take a wife, but would rather do it on his own terms. He didn't see this spitfire coming. Together they are explosive. An attraction neither wanted but neither can deny. Loved it!

Juno works as a refinement tutor,k developing the young women of the ton ready for marriage. Her employer wants Juno to match her daughter with the Duke of Warrington. The Duke is notoriously anti-social, he dislikes social gatherings but he is in need of a wife. It is going to be a challenge for Juno to match her charge with the Duke.

This is a grumpy/sunshine romance between Juno and the Duke. I really liked seeing these two characters together. Juno slowly wears the Duke down and I really enjoyed the banter between these two characters. This is the first book in a new series and I am really looking forward to checking out the future books in this series.

****1/2 stars- Mrs. Juno Langton is employed by Lady Wetherby to be a companion to her daughter Lady Marina. She is to instruct and help Marina find a husband. Marina has no interest in marriage. She just wants to be left alone with her books. Juno will have a difficult time making Marina less shy and strengthening her confidence. Alexander Brett, Duke of Warrington and Marquess of Daresbury, hates social gatherings. He is invited to a house party where Marina will be attending. He needs a wife and he will go and meet Marina to see if they are have a connection and are compatible. This will be the perfect opportunity for Juno to help Marina secure a marriage proposal from the Duke.

Alexander, also known as Dare, is brusque and dour. He does not like surprises or anything that breaks his routine. Juno has nicknamed him the Rigid Duke. Juno spends time with Dare as she tries to get him to open up to Marina. As Juno and Dare spend time together Dare finds himself smiling and even laughing. This is something he has never done before. He finds Juno alluring and a temptation. The Duke is handsome and he suddenly becomes charming when in Juno’s company. He finds he is captivated by Juno and this irritates him. Juno is breaking through his rigid outer shell and tumbling down the wall that he has created around his heart. He does not understand his feelings. Juno is intrigued with the Duke but she has no desire to wed again. The Duke is always in control but with Juno he becomes unbalanced. She is the light to his darkness.

Dare is suppose to be getting to know Marina but all he can think about is Juno. I enjoyed Dare loosening up. Dare and Juno’s interactions were entertaining. I loved how Dare fell for Juno. Their unusual courtship will sweep you away. They have a sizzling passion when they are together. Their playful banter and subtle flirtations were a delight. Can he prove to Juno he is the right man for her? Will Juno follow her heart and marry Dare? Lady Cecelia Cosford was a fun supporting character. As the host of the house party she was entertaining. She befriended Juno and provided the perfect opportunities for Dare and Juno.

This was a quick and sweet novella. It was an awesome read! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It kept me interested from the first pages. It was easy to read and flowed well. The book will sweep you away! I look forward to reading the next book in the Matchmaking Chronicles. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

Juno is a companion who helps young women improve themselves so that they have a better chance at snagging a husband during the Marriage Mart season. She is with her young charge at a house party where they encounter the duke that is looking for a wife, Dare.

Dare knows that Marina is the "right" choice for a duke but he can't help but be attracted and irritated by Juno. When Dare refuses to offer for Marina, her mother fires Juno. After Marina and her mother leave the party, Dare tries to spend more time with Juno.

Great HEA, when Dare realizes that he loves Juno and that he needs to loosen up a bit for her!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really good book. I enjoyed it as much as the author's other books (I have read quite a few of them.)

Darcy Burke never disappoints! A quick and fun novella. I adore a good romance with forced proximity. In this one, a Duke has a house party to find a wife and things dont go according to plans! I highly recommend!

I received an ARC for my honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

The Rigid Duke is a new book by Darcy Burke in her Matchmaking Chronicles series. . Juno Langton is a widow who was hired to help launch a debutante and make a match with the Duke of Warrington, who appears to be rigid and dour. Mothers had schemed to bring about a house party to facilitate this match. However the debutante was determined not to make the match or really any. Marina was as distant as the Duke was grouchy. Juno however is a virtual ray of sunshine who captures the Duke’s eye, interest and imagination which was completely against his normal behavior. We are introduced to Juno who although is working for the deb’s mother is financially able to determine who she will work for and who she will take to her bed.

Juno takes the Duke to task, she even gives him the nickname of the “Rigid Duke”. Dare, the Duke, and Juno really started off their relationship with Juno attempting to get the Duke to loosen up and take an interest in Marina. Quickly Alexander decided that Juno was who he wanted and it was really enjoyable watching him loosen up and try to woo/seduce Juno. Juno was reluctant to give in to her desires as she didn’t wasn’t to interfere with Marina’s opportunity to become a Duchess. It was quite apparent that wasn’t going to happen and that Dare had found his sunshine even while he fought against it.

I really enjoyed this story and the building of the character’s friendship and subsequent courtship. What I liked about Juno and Alexander was how they blended really well, they recognized what made each other tick and they respected that. Now there was a bit steam too as they realized that their attraction was mutual. There is always something to be said about carriage rides and back stairways that lead to bedrooms. If you like couples who sizzle, converse and cavort, then I highly recommend the Rigid Duke. You won’t be sorry and will enjoy every page.

I received an ARC of the Rigid Duke by Darcy Burke from NetGalley and read the book voluntarily.

This was a short, somewhat steamy read. Maybe it was because it was a nouvella but I found the story lacked depth. Why was the Duke a grumpy, set-in-his-ways curmudgeon? There wasn’t much information about Dare’s background. There was a fairly decent back story to Juno. I liked how Juno was portrayed as a sexually aware widow which is unusual for this genre. Unfortunately, I felt the insta-love trope was not credible in this instance. This whole life changing event happened during a house party that maybe lasted one week. This just did not fit with the intractable personality of Dare.

Darcy Burke knows how to write great historical romance. Juno has taken a position as a match maker to help secure an advantageous marriage for her charge. But what happens when the Duke she is trying to secure, is more interested in her than her charge.

The Duke of Warrington hates ton life and just wants to live simply with a wife by his side. The key is to convince Juno she is the one.

𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆-𝒂𝒓𝒄.


Engaging, compelling and hilarious read. That’s what I would say about this book that really had me gripping not just for the story to come but also for banter and the characters.

I think this is probably the 1st historical romance I read with such trope; SunshineXGrumpy and I would say I was impressed.

The writing was definitely beautiful, the same goes with the pacing that I was so thankful for. I just enjoyed how consistent it was that the vibe I had when this started was still the same when I finished this book.

Aside from the writing, pacing, trope and execution, I enjoyed the characters so much. They are definitely striking in their own ways that one cannot really fault for how they were but admired their for their very own characters.

The romance was fun, steamy, and with oozing chemistry but I just think that the burn wasn’t enough to have me swooning for them to be honest.

I did also hope that the ending wasn’t kind of rushed and let the Duke grovel over perhaps? I was definitely hoping for the groveling part but it wasn’t there so that kind of saddened me.

Overall, I find this historical romance a commendable read an almost a favorite ✨

Mrs. Juno Langton works with young ladies to help them develop the skills needed to secure an advantageous match. Her current charge is very shy and would rather read then go to a house party. When a house party provides the opportunity to match her charge with a duke Juno does her best to make a match between her charge and the duke. Alexander, the Duke of Warrington is like juno langton's charge hates house partys. he is a little bit of a grouch but Juno gets under his skin which makes him fall in love with her instead of her charge. I loved this but could have been a bit longer but still good I just reviewed The Rigid Duke by Darcy Burke. #TheRigidDuke #NetGalley
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Loved reading the engaging and enthralling romance story. Mrs. Juno Langston's job is to lead, direct, and secure her charge to become the future Duchess of Warrington, Dare, but the rigid Dare's interests and attraction is toward someone else, the widow, Mrs. Langston. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read love story.
I just reviewed The Rigid Duke by Darcy Burke. #TheRigidDuke #NetGalley
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A Darcy Burke book is always a yes to me. Her female characters do not subscribe to the script of the time, they are strong, with firm minds while navigating society.
The dukes and earls are attractive and passionate but one stays with the protagonists always
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Juno Langston had to find a way to get by after being pushed aside by her aristocratic family. As a governess to young ladies who go out in society, helping them to be social, smile and dance gracefully to attract a husband
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Her job is put in jeopardy when her last student and the duke her family chose cannot exchange more than a few brief words, forced to be in the middle, the duke begins to take an interest in the wrong lady and begins to challenge the calm and structured life that she had put together for her
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Strong characters, incredible chemistry and spicy romance are the ingredients of this amazt book
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Thanks to Zealous Quill Press and Darcy Burke for give me this great book in exchange for my honest opinion

Love a Darcy Burke book! I expected this to be a usual story about the duke falling for the tutor, but it was much more than that. This author excels at showing the character changes without being boring or systematic. This was a lovely, light hearted read when the reader understands what is going on and feels like a member of the house party. I enjoyed this as if I had taken a weekend trip into the English countryside. Recommend you grab yourself a copy of this great book!

Special thanks to Zealous Quill Press for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 3 stars!

I've come to really enjoy Darcy Burke's books ever since discovering her historical romances last year and this one was no different. It was an enjoyable and very quick read that delivers a sweet HEA, but I also felt that nothing about it stood out to me that would make it particularly memorable in the long term.

I have to admit that I was initially a little worried that this would end up being a bit of a "love triangle" situation as Juno, as Lady Marina's refinement tutor, is playing matchmaker to her and the Duke at the house party because they both don't like parties or people so everyone thought they'd make a perfect match. Thankfully, there was none of that mess here because it was clear from the beginning that the Duke was basically besotted by Juno and Marina had zero interest in him. I appreciated that this was a low drama and low angst romance and although there was still the "third act conflict" that sees them go their separate ways, they also very quickly come to their senses so it's resolved almost immediately.

I really liked Juno's character and her openness about searching out and having multiple lovers as a widow, and her boldness in (eventually) making the first move! It's not often we see heroines in HR be so sexually open, and not in a negative way either, and I found it refreshing. She was an extremely loyal ray of sunshine and it was easy to like her character. In contrast, the Rigid Duke or Dare, as he's known to be people he likes, was the epitome of a grumpy H. He's surly, intimidating, and hardly ever smiled—except in the presence of Juno, of course. Though he eventually cracks around Juno, there's very little depth to his character and I found that a pity because usually the grumpy ones have some kind of painful backstory where we learn what made them that way, but Dare doesn't get that and that's just the way he is? They do have great chemistry though and could hardly keep their hands off each other; plus this Duke liked it a little dirty, which led to some pretty steamy scenes 🥵 This definitely ended up being more sex than plot and y'know, that's totally okay—so if you're looking for a historical romance that's fast-moving and steamy, you'll probably want to check this out! That said, this was a little too insta-love for me. Bearing in mind that the whole house party took place over the course of several days totalling (I think) one week, this surely was more insta-lust than love? But if you're looking for a HEA, have no fear because you get one here!

Other than Juno and Dare, there are a few supporting characters who make several appearances but I particularly liked the house party's host, Lady Cosford, who also had a similarly sunny disposition to Juno and who became a good friend to her. I honestly would've loved to get to know her more but the supporting characters were all very flat! Overall though, this was a fun and easy read that I finished in one sitting but certainly not my favourite of Burke's books.

The Rigid Duke is hot!!

I definitely enjoyed this book, another Darcy Burke fave!

I love a good opposites attract story with plenty of spicy interludes!

I honestly couldn’t get into the book. It felt really rushed. I love a historical romances but I didn’t love this one. Thankful for the ARC though

I don't know what I was expecting from this book but it definitely wasn't this. I went in thinking this would be a cute fluffy *period* romance. But, it was not. I should have known from the cover. The way the characters act and the things they say are way too modern. And there was so much unnecessary spice. I feel bad for giving it one star because it was really not my kind of book.

3/5 stars -- Thank you netgalley for this arc.

This was a solid, quick read for me. I think there was something missing to it, but maybe that was because it was more of a novella length? Regardless, I liked the premise of this story, but the developing love story between the two main characters was rushed and didn't seem entirely believable considering the pacing. Also, it didn't seem as if the duke was really rigid in his ways at all, but again I think it's because of the length of the novel there wasn't time to explore that... I think the writing itself was what brought this up for me. I would be interested to see where the rest of this story goes, if it is a series.

I love this grumpy/sunshine historical romance!

Juno is determined to be the best refinement tutor there is. Sure, her newest charge isn’t exactly making it easy by looking down 99 % of the time. Juno is just not really sure Duke of Warrington is the right match for her charge, even though she’s trying to get them together.

But the more she spends time in Warrington’s company, the more she realizes the duke is completely different than he is with other people. And soon, they realize, maybe they are the perfect match for each other…

A delightful romance that you can’t put down! Ms. Burke did it again!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.