I absolutely loved this novel! If you like enemies to lovers type stories, this will be right up your alley! Excited to read the next in the series!

What a great debut novel! Lydia Lloyd’s characters were fun, likable and great to read. And the amount of spice in this HR was just perfect! I can’t sit to read more in this series!

Catherine and John had quite the roller coaster relationship. Both their families were embroiled in a huge scandal when her Aunt and his father were caught in a compromising situation. When they meet at a country ball, find themselves in a compromising situation, and their identities are revealed, they are torn apart before they can even process their feelings! But, as fate would have it, seven years later, they are brought together again when John’s father’s will forces him to find Catherine’s aunt in order to secure his dukedom. From their the story is packed with some of my favorite tropes and I especially love a good road trip! It always leads to lust-filled shenanigans!

I was very much looking forward to reading Ms. Lloyd’s debut novel as I love her bookstagram page. Overall, I was very pleased and my (unfair) hugh expectations were well met! I was expecting a bit of a spicer read and I wished for a little more angst from the beginning scene between Catherine and John. But once they reunited, I definitely saw the sparks flying! I am very much looking forward to the next in the series and more from Ms. Lloyd!

Catherine Forster and John, the Duke of Edington, are found in a compromising position but to add to the shock, both of them concealed their true identity from each other. When they are discovered, they find out that their families are sworn enemies and both depart furious. Catherine’s aunt was having an affair with John father and both of them blame the other one’s family for the scandal and ruin it has brought upon their respective families. Years later, John needs to find that same aunt so he solicits the help of Catherine to find her.
I expected a enemies-to-lovers book and that is what this is, but I was quite disappointed by the duke’s character. He insults Catherine, tells her basically that she is a whore, but HE is the one who lusts after her from day one! And Catherine is weak as well; apparently letting him use her for his own pleasure:
<i>“I had more women before I was sixteen than most men have in a lifetime.” He bit off the words and, as he was speaking, he realized that they were landing with more force than he had intended. “It’s not something I’d expect a spinster like yourself to understand.” </i>
He insults her, then later apologizes and then he wants to suck her fingers, she lets him, and they kiss?! Really no self-respect! She is swooning at his feet after him merely lifting a finger to pleasure her but rejecting her afterwards?! Very unrealistic and unbelievable. The majority of the book is about him constantly lusting after her. The story about finding the aunt and what happens next takes a back burner to him being horny all the time. You even read about him masturbation, and I do not want to red about that so I skipped that. It’s demeaning and degrading and reduces a woman to nothing more than a piece of meat, and pleasure as a selfish thing instead of sharing a loving sexual relationship where the happiness and pleasure of your spouse is key.
I missed the development of a loving relationship, the chemistry, what made them like and value about each other, which made them realize they fell in love. So that was a bit of a let-down for me.
I received and reviewed an advanced copy of this book and I am grateful for this opportunity. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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

I’ve been following Lydia Lloyd’s bookstagram for some time. In it, she does a deep dive into the Regency Romance genre, exploring the various tropes and the way similar scenes play out in different novels. It’s fascinating. So I was eager to read her debut, When the Duke Loved Me, the first book in the Rake Chronicles.

John Breminster, soon to be the Duke of Edington, and Catherine Forster are two people who are meant for each other AND who absolutely cannot be together. There is a scandal in the two families’ pasts that caused a great deal of hurt for both sides. Catherine Forster’s family was ruined and she is now destitute. John suffered a rupture in his homelife, though no financial distress or much in the way of lingering scandal – he is, after all, a duke.

However, when John’s father dies, he leaves a stipulation in his will that is going to ruin the marital prospects of John’s beloved sister, Henrietta, unless he is able to find the wronged woman (or was she a deceitful temptress?), Catherine’s aunt. His only hope of finding her is to team up with Catherine.

The difficulty is that, although they are longtime enemies, they also suffer from a bad case of instalust. The forced proximity during the search risks breaking down the barriers keeping them apart.

This is a high steam Regency Romance that plays with various well-known tropes, bringing together two damaged characters whose love can heal one another. Fans of historical romance with heat will love this new addition to the genre.

The other “rakes,” John’s closest friends, stand ready to star in their own love stories as the chronicles continue.

Oh I really enjoyed this historical romance debut from Lydia Lloyd. It has scandals, enemies to lovers, I need your help, rakes/bluestocking, and a few other tropes. I just think some could have been taken a step back with them. John's father had an affair with Catherine's aunt in which they didn't know upon their first meeting...which had a major snowball effect with both families. The writing was good in which Lydia intwined a story that will keep the reader engaged. Pretty steamy scenes between Catherine and John, I think I would've like a bit more buildup between them. I think this also has a great cast of side characters too. I look forward to reading more. I think this is a great new to you author to take a chance on.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I really enjoyed this story, and thought it got us through the enemies to lovers with real work on both sides. looking forwrad to next in the series!

I really had high hopes for this book mainly because
a) it's a debut
b) I absolutely love this author's Instagram page and their dedication to all things weird and historical and bookish and trope-y etc. You get the picture.
But to sum up: I've struggled with this book, unfortunately.
From the very beginning, I just felt like everything was extremely superficial. I was, for example, reading a sex scene and I just didn't feel the giddiness, the happiness I usually feel reading historical romance. I wasn't invested in the scene and for me, this isn't a good sign as you can see in my time reading this book - 8 days. If I really loved it, this could be read in 2-3 days max.
The plot was weird - his father had an affair with the heroine's aunt and after he died John, our hero, had to find this aunt and he asked Catherine, our heroine. They embark on a journey across England and fall in love along the way. They also were found together in an embrace years ago but since it was his friend, nothing happened and they just went their separate ways.
Like I said, I didn't feel the connection between the characters. It was like it was a written scene but not felt. No emotions.
This really disappointed me since I had high hopes because I really liked this author's IG page and have saved almost every post she makes.
I hope since this is a debut author that she will improve through the books. After all, the first pancake isn't always the best, right?

When the Duke Loved me by Lydia Lloyd

Setting:
Hampshire, England 1815

Characters:
John Breminster
Catherine Forster
Henrietta
Ariel

Tropes:
Compromised Heroine (Mild)
Rake Hero
F Boy turned Husband Material

Goodreads:
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟. 5 rounded to 5 🌟

Spice:
🌶 🌶

Review:
This was a lovely debut novel. I enjoyed that the storyline was a little chaotic because it gave me bodice ripper energy, but with a modern sensibility. John and Catherine was enjoyable leads, but I honestly was more connected to Henrietta and hope she gets her own book soon.

Content Warnings:
Rakeish behavior/ dubious intentions
Mild Slüt Shaming

It’s 1am and I just finished this book.
It was everything I wanted. I was in a really bad reading slump but Lydia Llyod got me out of it. I discoverd Lydia on Instagram and followed the making of the When the Duke loved me. I knew I will read it and love it.
The story line was so crazy. I loved it. Normally I don’t really like stories about family intrigue. But Lydia made me love this book.
The characters were perfect for the story.
Catherine was a strong female lead. I really liked her. Seh was headstrong and it was so wholesome to watch her interact with her found family. She and John were perfect for each other. I really liked the John friends. I hope each of them becomes a book.
The writing Style was soo pleasant. I read it in one sitting.
All in one: I won‘t shut up about this book and my friends will probably hate me but this book is a complete 5 Star read.
I recomend it to everyone who loves historical romance.
I will definitely buy this book as paperback. Just to have it on my shelf.

John Breminister and Caroline Foster are considered enemies. Not from anything they did, but a scandal attached to his father and her aunt years ago. On his father's death, John, now the Duke of Edington, must carry out the last request of his father's will. He needs Caroline's help. The two that were suppose to be enemies become lovers and more, but a secret still stands between them. Very hot!
I voluntarily read and reviewed advanced copy of this book.

You know how sometimes you can just tell from the beginning that a book is going to be great? Well that's how I felt about this book. What a debut! I cannot wait to see what Lloyd does with the rest of this series.

The book starts with our two main characters immediately drawn to one another. Now I know not everyone is a fan of instalust but I feel that this is a completely normal emotion/feeling for us to have. Why else would we go up to a stranger and start talking to them? We have to have that initial spark. Not every relationship starts from friendship or being introduced by a friend or co-worker. So to me, this is a completely normal reaction. Ha.

However, things quickly go south and the two become instant enemies--and now spend the next seven years unable to forget the one moment they have. When John needs Catherine's help, they are forced to work together and ROAD TRIP !! Who doesn't love a road trip in romance? Non-romance readers, that's who. We get a road trip, only one bed, it's a smorgasbord of tropy goodness. The two hold secrets from one another but most of the time act maturely and talk through their issues and secrets. There is a lot of secrecy and intrigue outside of Catherine and John that drives this book. Other people's actions and selfishness work to keep the two apart. I enjoyed Catherine and John, especially when they are together on page.

The only thing I didn't really care for is the timeline of events and the convoluted family history. I don't know if I was tired when I read it or if it was presented too early on, but I found myself semi-confused regarding how the families were related or not related and how Catherine's family became destitute. I also didn't quite understand the timing around some of the other events that are around one of the bigger twists/spoilers in the book so I won't get into it. THAT ASIDE, I enjoyed this book. Lloyd knows what historical romance readers want to read and delivers. She definitely has a bright future ahead of her.

I was kinda intrigued by the idea of a family feud/scandal keeping the protagonists apart. Thankfully it wasn't as angsty as I'd thought it'd be 😂

Catherine Foster and John Breminster meet each other for the first time in an unexpected way as they'd both been hiding their identities while seeking some freedom. But their moment of passion is abruptly cut short when they discover each other's actual identities, as both of them have been deeply affected by the family scandal that changed their lives. After many years John, now the Duke of Edington, has no other option but to seek her out again as he needs to find her aunt to fulfill a part of his father's will. So they work out an agreement and team up to find her aunt. And this puts them in close quarters as they also re-discover some past events while fighting their attraction to each other.

As much as I enjoyed watching John and Catherine pining for each other, I think I'd have liked it a bit more if there had been some emotional development in the past too. It starts off with insta-attraction here and kinda revolves around it. On the other hand, I did like how they communicated with each other. Even when John runs hot and cold, Catherine calls him out on it. And I think most of the hurt sentiments were resolved within a few chapters(even when John is being an ass).

I liked most of the other characters except for Catherine's aunt Mary and John's dead father. They were quite selfish and uncaring about the others. The twist towards the end surprised me though! And I do think it worked out well in the end. I guess the next one might be Henrietta's story 'cause I think that'd be interesting!
Overall this was a solid debut with a good mix of tropes and enjoyable writing!

4.5 ⭐️/5
3.0 🌶️/5

“Circumstances” have forced Catherine and John to work together on a top secret quest of sorts, even though they are from opposing families who cannot stand each other. We’re going on a historical romance road trip fully equipped with fake marriage, one bed, and forced proximity!

I loved this story; it’s full of yearning and drama and passion and scandal with a twist I did not see coming. It was a page turner and a nice setup to a new series. I’m looking forward to reading about the rest of the Rank Rakes (John’s titled besties that are complete f-boys).

This book is steamy and hot and hot and steamy. Catherine and John are just hot for each other and I loved how they could barely keep it in their pants when they’re together. I loved the friendship and teamwork that also developed between the two.

There were a couple of miscommunication moments that thankfully did not last too long. Definitely recommend if you are looking for a steamy historical romance with a mystery to solve.

Thank you to Tule Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy. Thoughts and opinions are my own and voluntarily provided.

This is a new to me author but I can assure you that I will be reading more of her books. When the Duke Loved Me is the first in the series, The Rake Chronicles, and keeps you involved from the very beginning. Catherine can't help being drawn to John but he turns his back on her after finding out he is heir to the man who ruined her family. Lynda Lloyd and has given readers a book that is well-written, brims with tension building twist and turns, filled it with great cast of characters that come off the pages and pull you into this emotional ride that keeps you involved until the very end, danger and a mystery to solve. With setting descriptions and action sequences that are wonderfully vivid that brings the story to life and as the uncertainties escalates the suspense builds and questions abound which brings this read together perfectly.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Thanks #NetGalley for the advanced copy of #WhentheDukeLovedMe by Lydia Lloyd in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this debut novel by Ms. Lloyd. It is chock full of all my favorite tropes like road trip, bluestocking/rake, so much pining, a scandalous past keeping them apart, and a group of rakish male friends. If you like those tropes, I think you will enjoy this book as much as I did. John and Catherine struggle throughout this book with their attraction and feeling guilty for being attracted to the enemy and I ate it up (remember I said so much pining). This book really sets up the rest of the series because I am already chomping at the bit for the stories of the other Rank Rakes. There was also a twist or 2 that I wasn't expecting at all so that always makes for a more exciting read. My final comment is that it might just be me but I was getting some vibes from Tremberly and Henrietta and I do love me a brother's best friend trope so fingers crossed that I was picking up on actual vibes from the author and not something I just wanted to see in the text!

When the son and niece of two warring families meet at a party under aliases, sparks fly until the masks come off and they recognize their sworn enemies!

Years after that disastrous meet, cute and the Duke of Edington needs to solicit Catharine’s assistance to enact the last wishes, and his father’s will in order to save his sister’s inheritance.

Brought low by the family scandal, Catharine excepts this proposal from the Duke and embarks on a wild road trip to find her long lost aunt, 1/2 of the scandal that broke her family!

This book was an absolute delight with these two characters fighting against so much chemistry, attraction, admiration and interest in each other as they travel across country for their mission. Lydia Lloyd brings out all the best classic historical romance tropes (one bed, roadtrip, enemies to lovers) in a fun and fresh way. Her love and knowledge of history and historical romance really adds another dimension to this story.

The Rake Chronicles series is based around a male friend group, with three other friends of the Duke still in need of an HEA and I can’t wait to read their escapades into love! This was an excellent debut, and I will definitely be adding Lydia Lloyd to my must read others list!

Thanks to NetGalley and Tule Publishing for my e-book review copy. Opinions are my own.

#WhenTheDukeLovedMe #LydiaLloyd

This was a little too heavy on the tropes for me it led the story too much and didn't spend enough time on the relationship and character growth side of things. This made it feel a bit messy to read. Room for improvement but a good solid starter novel. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

When the Duke Loved Me is the first book in The Rake Chronicles series.

The story begins with John Breminster, the Duke of Edington pretending to be a vicar. He wants to find someone that is interested in him and not his title that brings immediate fawning in hopes to secure a good match. He is introduced to Miss Musgrave, who unbeknownst to him is also masquerading as someone else. She is in truth, Catherine Forster, the niece of his family's sworn enemy.

Catherine Forster asks the handsome vicar to show her the ancient ruins in the gardens. But Catherine and her the vicar are discovered in a scandalous embrace, John leaves Catherine abruptly when he learns that he is with the one person he has detested is from the family that ruined his.

Years later, John is forced to reach out to Catherine when an entry in his fathers will requires him to find Catherine's aunt, Mary Forster or lose the money left in trust for his sister's dowry. Catherine will agree for a price in order to help save those that have helped to care for her since the scandal. On the journey these two will have to discover more about the other in order to find a true and lasting love.

This was a fun romance. I didn't find it hard to believe that these two characters were enamored of one another since they had longed for one another since childhood. Catherine due to the hardships she encountered growing up was a strong but kind woman. John on the other hand was a rake but longed for someone to care about him and not his title. I enjoyed their endeavors to find Catherine's aunt as they began to know each other better.

I was so excited to see that one of my favorite historical romance bookstagramers had a book releasing soon. Lydia Lloyd is the Queen of compiling research on historical romances and the history aspect of them. So I was pleased to read that her heroine, Catherine is a bit of a history buff herself. Our book has a promising opening with John and Catherine each secretly seeking something outside of their normal lives (John pretends to be a vicar to break from his duties as a Duke, Catherine too conceals her identity). Amidst their instant attraction and beginning of a make out session, their identities are revealed and they are none other than family rivals. Why rivals? John’s married father had an affair with Catherine’s aunt and was caught in flagrante. This destroyed John’s parents’ marriage and also the reputation of Mary Forster, Catherine’s aunt who by association destroyed her family’s name. Seem a little confusing? It was at first for me too.

The story then book then jumps to 7 years in the future. Both John and Catherine have secretly been lusting over one another (which I found to be a LOOOOONG time for feelings of lust without interaction to exist) and they must pair up due to a stipulation in the late Duke’s will. For me this is where the chemistry really started to take off. If you take enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity, spiciness is bound to happen, right? There seemed to be many plot points driving this novel and I think it confused me initially, but I really enjoyed the time John and Catherine had to spend together. There is a scene where Catherine is at the modiste that is 🔥🔥🔥, and several hot intimate scenes between them—you always want what you can’t have right?
I appreciated Catherine as a heroine who has had to do a LOT on her own to live past her family’s tainted scandal. She is still generous and thoughtful even though if anyone deserves a break, it’s her. As a hero, John ran hot and cold to me. He seemed a bit like a man unsure of himself which translates into him not being my favorite type of hero. There are so many tropes and I loved coming across recognizable ones, but maybe they distracted from the story just a bit. I think this is an enjoyable debut and know there is bound to be more interesting stories from amongst John’s friends, The Rank Rakes. I look forward to reading more from Lydia Lloyd.
I received this Advanced Copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.