It’s readable, but I got around 16% in, and I still had no idea what the heck was going on. Jasper is very unapproachable as a hero, and Prudence seems like a real mismatch for him. That could easily change, but it just felt awkward and forced.

I am floored by this book. Enemies-to-lovers, marriage of convenience, misunderstandings, and every single one of these are written to perfection. I was ho-hum about the first book in this series but I will say I liked those characters a lot more in this story. Jasper is the kind of rake that makes you want to pursue him at all costs. Fortunately, the misunderstanding is a short lived one and one of them, not saying who, decides to confront the issue right away so it is resolved. Whew. Prue’s attitude about life is what I try to live by. No f*s given, no worries, no regrets. Jasper and Prue’s journey through their lives together was so wonderful and magnetic and swoon-worthy. Have I said enough about how much I loved this story? I have to say, I did cry a bit at the climax of this story. It was beautifully written by Anna. Hand-clapping.

Prudence Thorne has been raised differently than most females of her time. Her mother died when Prue was very young and she was then raised by her father – who allowed her to pursue skills that were different than other young ladies. While fashionable young women were restricted to dance, music, embroidery, etc., Prue learned to shoot, ride like a demon, and handle a rapier. She was strong-willed and not afraid of anything or anyone – even a duke. I liked Prue and was rooting for her and her HEA.

Jasper Vincent, Duke of Montford, lost both of his parents early in his life and was raised by his grandfather – his mother’s father. Jasper has a different view of himself than his friends and family do. Jasper sees the fearless rake who is always finding some new way for excitement, while his friends see through to the caring man with a good heart. They also see the rake and troublemaker – but believe that is his way of protecting his heart. So, what is he to make of a woman who goes toe-to-toe with him and even attempts to blackmail him? Strangely, I liked him from the beginning and that usually isn’t the case. I was rooting for his redemption and HEA.

For me, this was the typical ‘daughter/sister does whatever to save father/brother, etc from ruin after gambling debt trope. It was well written and a nice read, but nothing so attention-grabbing that I’d want a second read. For me, that isn’t unusual, so you might feel entirely different. I enjoyed the sniping/banter between Prue and Jasper, and I thoroughly enjoyed the scene where she shot him in the rear with buckshot. What I didn’t enjoy was where Prue acted totally out of character and ran away sniveling. I know the author needed a scene where there was a conflict – but – this was just too unbelievable given all we’d been led to believe about Pru. What I would have preferred was for her to stand up to the antagonist, then confront Jasper, and the two of them work together to exact revenge. One of the antagonists paid a price – but that was just the lackey – I wanted the real aggressor to pay – big time. The bottom line for me – I liked the characters, I liked the story, but wouldn’t care for a second read. However, I will read the next book in the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is book 2 in the "Drop Dead Duke's" series. It can be read as a stand alone. It's an enemies to lovers trope.
I enjoyed this book as it took the time to show the relationship develop between the hero, Jasper and the heroine,Prudence.
They know each other thru friends. She dislikes him because he gambled with her father and her father lost a lot of money to him, money he didn't have.
He doesn't like her because she is too outspoken . She is a Lady but more of a tomboy. She rides hunts,fishes instead of embroidery ,music playing, shopping.
Even though they don't like each other, they bicker with we each other constantly, sparring verbally. But thru that, they somehow come to know one another.and realize that the other isn't so bad after all.
There was humor, romance and sadness in this story. I felt that Anna Bradley did a very good job of making you feel these emotions.
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.
I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

My Rating: 2.5 Stars

There was one moment in this book that really stood out in terms of being both memorable and hilarious. It was when after one very unfortunate chain of events Prue accidentally shoots Jasper in the arse. Well technically, she grazes said arse, but Jasper's running commentary on it (both mentally and to his grandfather) was some of the funniest I have read in awhile.

But sadly, even that couldn't keep this one afloat. Nor could the banter/sniping between Prue and Jasper as amusing as that could be at times. Don't get me wrong, I loved that she stood up to him (especially when he tried to dictate what she could and couldn't do), and I enjoyed the way he tried to make things right where the debt her father owed was concerned without making it look like charity.

However, there was a lot of other stuff going on here that just felt.... odd. For instance, why did Prue feel like marrying would solve not only her problems (which it would), BUT also for her father's as well? It wouldn't have been her husband's responsibility to either pay her father's debt or allow him to move in with them. In fact, one of her suitors was adamantly against this and yet she still considered him a potential candidate for marriage simply because she assumed she could "bring him around" in the future?

Also, why did her friends think that Jasper was a perfectly acceptable suitor knowing his reputation? Added to that, the minute she confessed certain things to her friend (and showed her friend certain things in her possession), why wasn't her friend's husband demanding that Jasper marry Prue since according to the time she could have been considered compromised? When you add to that the fact that Jasper had no desire to marry anyone, much less Prue, why did he suddenly agree just because his grandfather said he should? I would have expected more of a fight out of him as well, but no, the next thing you know he's telling Prue they should marry. And so they do.

But of course, they do, and their marriage isn't without some trials. One being the way Jasper tried to flat out forbid Prue to do the things she enjoyed only the day after their wedding. Granted most of her hobbies (in this instance fencing in a gentleman's only club) were highly inappropriate for a woman to do, but he knew that these things were parts of her before he married her. The second (and maybe bigger) trial caused by none other than that of Jasper's ex-mistress Selina. And while I get that she was convincing in her tales, Prue had been repeatedly warned about the ton (and Selina especially), so the fact that she just immediately accepted her words as the truth without even confronting Jasper about it was wild to me.

And honestly, after the absolute havoc caused by Selina and her co-conspirators, there needed to be some sort of punishment for them. Granted, one of them got what they were coming to them, but in the grand scheme of things Selina caused the most damage, so the fact there was no "final showdown" with her and Prue (or even her and Jasper), was very disappointing. I would really have loved to see Prue come into her own and stand up to Selina. Because to be honest, after being told how much spirit and pluck Prue had throughout this entire novel, it was incredibly dissatisfying to say the least that she didn't stand up for herself when and where it mattered.

All things considered, I have read this author in the past, and even though this one didn't gel for me as well as I would have liked, I will read more from this author in the future.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Prudence Thorne is adamant in her determination to right the wrong done to her father. She is quite certain that Jasper Vincent, Duke of Montford, somehow duped her father into racking up enormous gambling debts. And when the opportunity arises for her to resolve the issue with blackmail, she is determined to take it. However, fate has dealt her another blow and that of marriage to Jasper. Jasper finally succumbs to marriage, following on from pressure by his grandfather. However, marriage between the couple is full of passion, even if both are determined not to surrender to it.
I love every book that Anna Bradley writes but I had wished that there had been a little bit more variation from a storyline well used. Irrespective, I really enjoyed these two characters, who both fight their feelings, even when they secretly know that the other person, is right for them. Jasper was a bit slow off the mark, but he did redeem himself, if not for his friends and grandfather’s advice.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Damned If I Duke is the second book in the Drop Dead Dukes series. I had no problem skipping the first book but with how much I liked this one I’m sure the first one is just as good. Although it seemed like I was 3/4 the way through before I realized Grantham was also a Duke.

I really enjoyed this book but there was a few things in it that kept it from being a five star read. I loved the way the author crafted both the MC. I found myself laughing at the arrogance of the MMC before he learns the whole situation with the FMC. He’s baffled that everyone can get along with the heroine (even his Grandfather) except for him. The FMC is in a dire situation and then finds herself making choices she normally never would. The author did a great job of showing this isn’t normal behavior for her and that the heroine is frustrated she’s made all these bad choices but has the courage to fix them on her own. The two things I wasn’t a fan of occur in the last quarter of the book so I don’t want to give spoilers away. They are though what led to a third act breakup - I didn’t mind the breakup just the reasons behind it this time. I did feel that the heart to heart between the grandfather and the hero after the breakup and the ending made up for it and left me with a warm fuzzy feeling.

There are three open door detailed encounters.

I received an advance ecopy of this book from Kensington Books via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I've been really excited for Damned if I Duke, since reading the previous book in the Drop Dead Dukes series and loving it! In Damned if I Duke, we come back to Prudence, who was a friend of Francesca's from the previous book. Prudence had left town unexpectedly in Francesca's book. In Damned if I Duke, she is visiting Francesca, now the Duchess of Basingstoke and Francesca's husband. Francesca wants to get Prudence back out there to meet a husband. Francesca had to leave town last season because her father made a drunken, ill-advised bet, and lost Prudence's dowry an all their money to last for the season and beyond.
While visiting the Basingstokes, Prudence meets Jasper, the Duke of Montford. It is the last person she wants to ever see again. Montford was the man who Prudence's father lost his money to, and Prudence blames and hates Montford for their losses. Through a series of squabbles between the two, a drunken loss of jewelry, and light blackmail attempts, the two end up having to marry. Montford realizes that he is drawn to Prudence, but Prudence is not so sure.
Anna Bradley's best writing is when the MMC breaks, and I love every word of it!!! The dialogue is snappy, entertaining and full of spark. The chemistry between Montford and Prudence is fantastic, and I love how Prudence really stands up for herself. This is a great read and I highly recommend to HR readers!!!

An incredibly good read from one of my favorite authors, with a good blend of wit and steam. She is unusual, smart and independent. He is an honorable man of pure heart in a scoundrel's clothing. A gambling debt and a viper tries to set them apart but their hearts meant for them to be together. A supporting cast of friends/family make for good sounding board for the couple as well.

I received an ARC of this book and leaving my review voluntarily.

Damned If I Duke was a fantastic read and a great follow up to Give the Devil His Duke. I look forward to reading more in this series!!

Jasper St. Vincent, Duke of Montford, has no desire to marry. He has enough problems trying to discourage his former mistress. Prudence Thorne is angry at Jasper for taking advantage of her father in a game of piquet. She has an opportunity to blackmail him to forgive the debt. Jasper is intrigued. His grandfather is, too. She's the woman he thinks is perfect for Jasper's duchess. An independent woman who wants to keep her freedom, won't change to be a conventional duchess. Jasper must decide if he can accept his independent wife. An enemies to lovers romance. Mild descriptive sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Tropes: rake/spinster; house party; marriage of convenience
Steam level: 3ish
Part of a series, but works as a standalone.

3.75 stars rounded up. This is a smoothly written book, with nice doses of humor and steam, and I enjoyed it overall, but didn't feel it quite lived up to expectations. While the MFC, Prue, is laudably strong-willed and unafraid to be herself, the MMC, Jasper, is consistently patriarchal and highhanded, the standard over-imbibing duke who doesn't know how to love, making it hard to believe his sudden character arc toward the end. Even though his gruff behavior is obviously supposed to hide that he cares for Prue, he's too overbearing and dismissive at key moments. While most of the scenes in the first half, set at the house party, work well--particularly a slow-burn billiards competition between the MC's--I didn't like the way Jasper cornered Prue into marrying him and how he tried to control her as soon as they were married.

There's also the "I'm going to abandon my wife the morning after our first night together" scene, which always makes me cringe. Prue deserved more grovel from Jasper than she got, and I didn't really felt the connection between them that they could have had. I wanted to see more support from him and I wanted her to have more of a chance to confront the nasty ex-mistress and the general nastiness of the Ton in the final chapters.

Secondary characters, such as Jasper's grandfather and the MC's from the previous book, do bring a lot to the storyline, mostly in the first half.

Bottom line: while this is fun, I had really hoped that there would be more chemistry between the MC's and less reliance on tropes. If you have a soft spot for old-school, overbearing dukes, you might like this more than I did.

I read an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my voluntary review. Thanks to th publisher, author, and Net Galley.

You do need to read this book if you are a Bridgerton fan!!!!!
Damned If I Duke by Anna Bradley is novel set in the Regency backdrop of London and is the second book in the Drop Dead Dukes series. In this story, Jasper, a duke and a known Rake and Prudence a simple girl is bonded together in a marriage of convenience. A complicated situation because Prudence hates him as her father lost lot of wealth to the Duke in gambling and she then tries to blackmail him for getting out of the debt. Jasper’s grandad though is impressed by her and feels she will be the perfect duchess.
As someone who is a regency era fan, I absolutely loved reading this novel. This book gave me so much of Bridgerton vibes. The highly sensual banter between the couple, the swoon worthy moments, each tormented by the feeling they do not wish to posses kept me engaged in the book completely. Plus, it had something I love in regency dramas, a highly emotional rain scene.
Towards the end I felt certain parts were rushed which could have been a bit more dramatic and some other parts got more attention. Overall, I enjoyed it and would love to read more books in this series. I love that the whole vibe of that era was created in the story. I loved the bold and different Prudence who would never be chained by what is expected of her.

I love a good enemies-to-lovers story, and Ms. Bradley delivers with this book. I really enjoyed the banter between Prue and Jasper. She was wild and exasperating, and he was arrogant—a match made in heaven. Can these two overcome their animosity and get what they both want?

Ms. Bradley weaves a good story of what love can do to a person, from denying one's feelings to resisting the one person who can make your life better. When they are forced to marry, it's the last thing either of them wants, but as more time goes by, their feelings for each other change. Before they could acknowledge their feelings, in marches a vindictive ex-mistress to try and break them apart. And she nearly succeeds when Prue retreats to the country. Can Jasper convince her that his love his true or has he lost his spirited wife forever?

This was such a fun rom com read. It had me laughing out loud throughout the book.
Prue and Jaspers story had a bit of everything, witty banter, physical comedy, misunderstandings, supportive friends and a vindictive ex-mistress.
I loved the interaction between all the characters and the satisfying conclusion to the story.
I received the ARC from Netgalley and these are my honest opinions.

I thought that this had a good premise and I liked the banter between the main characters. I wished that the characters were more fleshed out and that they had more development throughout. I thought that because there was so much happening too, it was hard to get a grasp on who Jasper was and what he was going through.

*Goodreads review posted 3/1/24, see link below

4.25✨, 1.5🌶️

Elements/Tropes:
📖~360 pages
📖Historical romance/romcom
📖FMC early/mid 20s x MMC 28 years old
📖A free-spirited FMC who doesn’t conform to society’s expectations
📖Former rake ‘what is this painful feeling in my chest it CANNOT be love’ MMC
📖Marriage of convenience
📖Loathe-to-love
📖Mutual pining
📖Fun banter between MCs
📖LOVE CONFESSION IN THE RAIN
📖Book 2 of an interconnected series with standalone romances (for full reference, I haven’t read Book 1)

Damned If I Duke is a historical romance by Anna Bradley and Book 2 in the Drop Dead Dukes series. It follows FMC Prudence Thorne, who’s been put in the immediate circumstance of having to find a husband and fast in order to contend with the extraordinary debt her father got them into with one unfortunate wager.

The person her father owes is none other than our MMC Jasper Vincent, the Duke of Monford, who happened to be having foul night and took a bet he usually wouldn’t have taken, one that put a man and his family out of their entire life’s earnings.

Fifteen hundred pounds later, there’s only about 500 pounds left, but to get them, Prue and her father must sell their last remaining place of residence.

Due to the circumstances, there is obviously no love lost between Prue and Jasper, however, sometimes the brightest of love can come from the deepest of loathing. Plus, their mutual denied physical attraction doesn’t simplify matters.

Prue and Jasper and their relationship absolutely make this story. Their banter was fun, their chemistry undeniable, and I loved how their dynamic slowly progressed through all the situations and wagers they found themselves in. There were times when the story wasn’t even intentionally trying to be funny, but Prue and Jasper’s personalities oozed off the page so much you couldn’t help but be pleased as anything while reading. Jasper in particular was just effortlessly entertaining. He has high maintenance drama king vibes that I’ve never seen work so well before in a historical MMC, and still be so extremely likeable. He had his jerk moments for sure, but Jasper is just simply and utterly a delight to read about.

There isn’t much I would change in this story. I think everything worked fairly well and came full circle story wise, with great character development for both MCs. I personally think this also could’ve worked as a shorter story with just the debt between the MCs as the main plot foil, versus also including the slight former mistress revenge ploy towards the end. I didn’t absolutely hate it because we got an amazing love confession in the rain scene and additional emotional developments out of it, but I just could’ve also done without it if it wasn’t there. I also think the MMC could’ve fought harder to avoid this third-act separation, but again, I accept it for the resolution we got. I’m just glad that there was no question about the MMC’s romantic feelings on the former mistress. He was wholly and completely done with her, even before the FMC happened, and then only had eyes for the FMC.

Loved the grandpa and grandchild relationship highlight with the MMC and his grandpa. Anyone who knows me knows how much those mean to me!

I would recommend this book to readers looking for a fun historical romcom that’s a great length, not too long or too short, with vibrant and dynamic characters and a solid romance.

Editorial notes for this pre-release arc copy:

Page 103, paragraph 3. Last dialogue in paragraph is missing an end sentence. It should be: "... from your unfortunate misadventure this morning."

Page 214, paragraph 6. Should be: "She was wearing a ruby and diamond necklace. She said,,,"

I had fun reading this book. It is the second of a series but I did not feel I missed anything in not having read the first. I really liked that Prue had great strength in character yet was warm and loving to her family and friends. I was really cheering her on! Jasper, for all his brash posturing, was really a marshmallow! There were hilarious shenanigans, sexy times (although a bit vague and bland given Jasper’s reputation), angsty moments and a HEA. I would have liked to see more repercussions to the villainess. I’m looking forward to seeing what the author has in store for Grantham, Jasper’s friend.

Overall:4.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Intimate Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: Very soon in, about 4% (after a brief set up for the hero’s mistress situation)
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, 7 months later

Should I read in order?
I picked this one up alone and thought it was very readable alone. The characters from book 1, Basingstoke and Francesca are characters in this one and do have some page time so ideally for all character background reading in order would be pleasant. (much of the first half of the story takes place at Basingtoke’s house so there is frequent interaction)

Basic plot:
Prue takes the opportunity to blackmail the Duke of Montford when it falls into her lap. He did scheme to take over a thousand pounds from her father and cut her season short after all..

Give this a try if you want:
- Regency (1818)
- house party-ish setting for much of the book (in Kent)
- close proximity
- heroine blackmails the hero
- enemies to lovers – the hero won a large wager against the heroine’s father
- hero is a bit possessive/jealous
- medium steam – 3 full scenes

Ages:
- hero is 28, didn’t see heroine mentioned but would guess early 20s?

First line:
Jasper St. Vincent, the Duke of Montford, had a talent for sin.

My thoughts:
I have read quite a few Anna Bradley books and have loved a lot of them. I wasn’t a big fan of her mystery series because I just prefer character driven romance and I was so very excited that she came back to that with this book.

I adore Bradley’s writing. She just wraps me up in swoony lines and her characters can get all angsty and emotional and pull at my heart and I found that with this novel. So many scenes I just loved, and thought there was some great humor here too.

I do think there’s some things going on in this plot that some others might find tiring – the evil mistress plot for one (which, thankfully, is not a huge part). And the hero borders on a bit of a jerk in some scenes.

I have such a soft spot for the name Jasper. I was already in love with him when I heard his name! I loved Jasper – I loved how he fell for Prue and just started acting a fool for her. I eat that UP! And I was so engaged with his heartbreak towards the end. Jasper has my heart!

Prue was a great heroine too. I liked how spunky she was and how she was raised to be fairly independent. But there’s so much she doesn’t know, especially about love and passion and the way she falls for Jasper was lovely.

I love Bradley’s steam. She’s usually on the lower end (and here the scenes are super long) but there’s something there, emotionally, that just makes her scenes feel so much stronger to me. I have missed reading her books and now I want to go back and read all that I’ve missed! (Like book 1 of this series)

And I do have a shelf for ‘feisty older lady’ for those interfering matchmaking grandmotherly figures, but I found that in a grandfather here and just loved it! I really enjoy when the grandparents are trying to hook up the grandkids 😂

Anna Bradley makes historical fiction so much fun! I absolutely loved Jasper and Prue's story. Ms. Bradley does such a wonderful job of immersing the reader into her books and this one is no different. Readers will be delighted with this book and won't want to put it down until the last page is turned.