I had been eagerly anticipating this conclusion to the Disgraced Dukes series. Going in, I was already aware from other reviews that this wouldn’t be the “marriage in trouble” or second-chance romance between Alice and Lockwood that many of us expected—especially since they’ve been separated throughout the first two books for reasons that remained unexplained. So I adjusted my expectations accordingly, but still came away disappointed.

The book almost reads like a prequel to the first two novels, yet oddly includes recaps from them, making the overall structure feel disjointed. It leaned more toward comedy than romance, with little actual development in the central relationship, despite clear mutual pining and the potential for a truly moving love story. Frustratingly, we never even see the couple together on the page navigating their new marriage!

While the plot is busy and the dialogue is filled with Loretta’s signature witty banter, it never really scratched the emotional surface for me, and I finished the book feeling a bit empty. That said, I did enjoy Kate Reading’s superb narration—her performances are always a delight.

My Inconvenient Duke is the third book in Loretta Chase’s Difficult Dukes series but it is the first chronologically which confused me at first. This is the story of Giles, the Duke of Blackwood and Lady Alice Ancaster, the sister of Giles’ best friend, the Duke of Ripley.
Blackwood, along with his two friends the Dukes of Ripley and Ashmont are known collectively as the 3 DisGraces on account of their larking around and generally behaving pretty badly [though actually not in any villainous or rakey manner that I could see – it seems they just don’t take life seriously and act like little boys much of the time]. Alice has watched them for years in despair. She and Blackwood have always had a connection but Blackwood made a choice when he was seventeen and Alice fifteen that he much preferred to carouse with his friends rather than settle down [which at seventeen is understandable]. After their latest drunken escapade which ends in her brother almost dead, Alice realises that if anything were to happen to him she would be at the mercy of his heir apparent who is a completely nasty piece of work. So now aged 25, she will have to find herself a husband. She declares her intentions and with the help of her Aunt sets out to do just that. This finally gives Blackwood pause and he realises that even though he is not good enough for Alice, someone should go to London and keep an eye on her.
I am finding it difficult to really explain what happens next – there are a lot of hijinks involving Alice’s involvement with charitable causes involving street children and the disappearance of her brother [which is the catalyst that finally makes Blackwood commit to Alice and brings about their marriage], a villainous cousin and past traumas to be dealt with. Alice realises that Blackwood can be relied upon and that underneath all the pranks he is a very astute and commanding man. There is no angst in their relationship really. There has always been a bond between them and Alice jumps at the chance to marry him. She never even considers the alternatives. Blackwood on his part just cannot believe his luck.
I never really felt that their marriage was under stress or that they were estranged – even though this might have been hinted at in previous books. They just did not acknowledge fully their feelings at the start and it took them a while to prioritise their own relationship above friendship and obligations.
Because this book starts earlier chronologically and ends just after the events of the previous books [I’m assuming], much of the third quarter seemed to just be a retelling of events rather than active participation which did feel slightly disconnected.
But overall, I liked the story. It took an awful long time for them to utter the words ‘I love you’ but it was almost assumed for much of the book because of their history. I really liked Blackwood and Alice – both had a capability of being annoying but both were charming and honest and just generally good people. I loved their banter and the dialogue although the ‘men are stupid’ thing got a bit irksome. I ended the book with a feeling of contentment and happy that Blackwood and Alice finally learned to prioritise themselves. I will be going back and reading the previous two books in the series with a slightly different perspective.
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the ARC opportunity and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

All three stars are for the middle 25% of this book and the brief lead-up to their wedding. Everything else really did not work for me. First, this could function as a prequel to the series, but it spends 75% of the book on a few weeks and then covers more than a year and a half in 25%, skipping large swaths of time in sentences, recapping the plots of the previous two books as subplots of this one, and then spending an inordinate amount of time both on a school plot and an orphan plot that aren't actually related to each other until we remember we ALSO have a villainous cousin plot and he has his hands in everything. The couple lean so heavily on witty banter that we lack real substance in their actual dialogue and only ever have a sense of their feelings in inner monologue, which meant these two spend more than a year and a half married before actually broaching their feelings for one another in a declarative way, and by that point, I was no longer invested. This felt meandering and was ultimately a miss for me, though I did enjoy some genuinely sweet moments in the run-up to elopement.

2.5 Stars

“He was not in the least prepared for the smile, and for a moment the world went away. He’d known her since she was a ten-year-old hoyden. He’d seen her up close, her face mere inches from his only a month ago. But that morning drifted in a haze that the passing days and riotous living had only thickened. Before that, when? Two years earlier? Had it been so long as that since Lord Charles Ancaster’s funeral. He, Ashmont, and Ripley had drowned their grief in drink that day and in the days following, a process that had turned her into a dim, elusive figure in the clouded landscape of his mind. And so the reality of Alice, here and now and smiling up at him, struck him very much like a hard punch in the head.”

Loretta Chase wrote one of my favorite historical romance books of all time, Lord of Scoundrels, and so I went into this expecting greatness, but it fell flat for me. I read the previous two books, but the last book was published in 2020, so my memories of it are fuzzy. However, the timeline of this book runs concurrently with book one, so it was difficult to follow.

I think needed to reread the previous two books before this one, maybe I wouldn’t have gotten so lost. I was definitely curious about the Duke of Blackwood from the previous books, and I do love when the hero has been pining for the heroine for years, but there was negative chemistry between these two. Which is shocking to me if he has loved her from afar for years. Their conversations were so forced, and they went in circles, never getting to the point. The focus was not on their romance, but the side plots in the story, and that definitely caused their relationship to suffer.

The first half had promise, but by the second half, the pacing had gotten completely off track, and add in that unnecessary third act breakup, the end could not come quickly enough for me. Unfortunately, this one just was not my cup of tea.

If you’re a fan of Loretta Chase’s earlier books or Ella Quinn, then give this a try. It may work better for you than for me, but I would suggest rereading books one and two before diving in.

~ Michelle

All the aspects of a Loretta Chase historical romance, the great writing, fascinating characters, and witty banter were all there, but something about this book fell flat for me. There was so much going on, and the book might have worked better without the multiple storylines. If the focus had been more on Alice and Blackwood figuring out their marriage, I think it would have been more successful.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I always appreciate authors' notes, and it was a pleasant surprise to see some background info on research and terms at the end of this historical romance.

I really wanted more of this couple and their romance slowly building, but it didn’t seem much of this book was dedicated to the couple being together. They married and almost separated immediately and were off on their own separate errands/missions that didn’t seem that important to me.

3.5 rounded up

I've read and enjoyed a few books by Loretta Chase in the past, so I was thrilled NetGalley approved me for an ARC of My Inconvenient Duke! I hadn't read any of the others in this series, and actually didn't know it was partially a prequel showing how a couple that is estranged in those books got together originally (and how they eventually reunite).

Alice is terrified that her brother's wild antics will wind up with him in a coffin and her penniless with nowhere to go. She's desperate for a husband, while trying to steer clear of her cruel cousin's machinations and also save some orphans. Blackwood, her brother's equally-dissolute best friend, follows her to London to keep an eye on her. He ends up coming to Alice's rescue more than a few times.

The couple has good chemistry, and I loved their banter. Each is pining for the other against their own best interests! The scenes between Alice and Blackwood are by far this book's strength. Chase can certainly write a fantastic pairing!!

Unfortunately, I thought the plot felt really disjointed. The external conflict felt almost episodic, like once one crazy situation was dealt with another one would pop up. Events just didn't seem to flow. And not having read the previous books, I didn't understand the "marriage in trouble" part towards the end. I wish we had less of the pre-marriage capers and more of the post-marriage emotional drama.

Overall, would recommend, but probably read the others in the series first!

Sometimes a historical romance just hits. And this one starts out so strong but kind of crumbles towards the end. It starts out as a really fun brother's best friend romance with a growly, protective hero, but then it tries to be a marriage in trouble when really it just seems to re-litigate the relationships that happen in the first two books in this series. I really liked all of the characters and I am motivated to go back and read books 1-2 but I do feel like the first 2/3 of this book outshines the ending. Drink this book: Enjoy with a really lean, crispy chardonnay like Chablis.

DNF at 10%

Loretta Chase can clearly write - that is not my issue with the book. Unfortunately, this book is handling the love story using some of my least favorite plot structures and is majorly taking for granted that I remember the first two books in the series. In looking at reviews of this book to see if things get better, I found that the story I'm looking for ends up being only about 25% of the book at the end. I will satisfy my Loretta Chase craving on some of her other works, thank you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Had anyone told me even a month ago that I'd be skimming a Loretta Chase book, I'd have told them to shut their lying mouth. Alas it's 2025 and everything sucks and I guess we can't have nice things.

I'm not saying the book is bad because Chase is a talented author who is a master at her craft. The dialogue is as always immaculate, the story was engaging enough I guess but the romance bored me and I found the whole thing pretty confusing.

My main problem was with the set up. This is the third book in the series but chronologically it's book one since most of it takes place before the events in the first two books. Events in those books are referenced with little explanation which left me and my goldfish memory scratching my head. Do I recall anything about the first book which I read years ago? Listen, I can barely recall what I read last week. The second book I read last year so I recalled bits and pieces but not enough. So a lot of the external plots in this one was as clear as mud. And yes I said external plots as there are so many things going on here and the MCs spend the entire book doing everything but falling in love. First, they go looking for a missing street urchin. Then, they go after Alice's lost brother (hero from book one) and after that the hero from book 2 has to be rescued from something (himself maybe?) and then street urchin disappears AGAIN! And off they are to find him. It was a LOT.

In between all of these kerfuffles the reader is told a lot about their past relationship when they met as teens in flashbacks. I wish the second chance aspect had been explored more because those flashbacks were the only truly romantic parts of the book. Even though Giles could not act on his attraction because of the Bro Code, he pines for Alice. Too bad we don't really get to see any of it ::sobs:::

So because this book takes place before the other two, Alice and Giles appear as troubled married couple in the other books. I'm not a fan of marriage in trouble tropes but I would have loved that here because it had so much potential for angst but nope they just argue and get mad for a little bit.Giles leaves his wife for his numbskull friends and she's super cool with it and welcomes him back with open arms 😐 We get one love scene and a few kisses but because the chemistry was never built up, it all falls flat. By the time the street urchin disappeared a second time, I had checked out. I'd recommend it if you've read the first two books and are curious about the fate of Alice and Giles. If not please do not start here, you'll be confused AF. I think reading all the books at once would probably improve this one but ain't nobody got time for that lol. The Author's note at the end was better reading than the whole book TBH. Still love Loretta. She's a queen but this book goes down as my least favorite.

⭐⭐⭐/5
🔥/5

Tropes:.
MOC
Marriage in trouble (kind of)
Best Friends Sister

I received an ARC for review. All opinions are my own.

Giles, Duke of Blackwood, carries a rogue reputation with his friends, the Duke of Ashmont and the Duke of Ripley, known as Their Dis-Graces. Lady Alice Ancaster is Lord Ripley's sister and has grown up around the three dukes. Of course, they are too busy in their carousing to think about marriage. That's way off, or not. Blackwood seems to finds himself in the right places to rescue Alice. It's on a search for her missing brother, that they realize traveling together is not good for her reputation. He surprises himself by asking her to choose between marrying him, continue to search for her brother, or returning right away to London to save her reputation. Of course she says yes to his proposal, after all she still remembers that explosive kiss from years ago.
Alice has a mind of her own and spends a lot of time on her projects. Saving as many children as possible living on the streets. This leads to a contention her Duke doesn't fully comprehend. Some humor, angst and frustration, as a duke and his duchess work their way through to a happy ending. This story goes off the pace, towards the end of the book, skipping around to tie-up loose ends. Mild descriptive sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

I unfortunately DNF'd this book. While I love the style of Loretta Chase's writing, I just didn't find the plot and dynamic between our two main characters compelling enough to keep going. I'm sure people that are into more plot-centered dual POV historical romance would love this.

Loretta Chase's MY INCONVENIENT DUKE was a much-needed historical romance read to get me out of my recent book slump. I was a little worried at first as this book is part of a series, and I hadn't read the previous books, but Ms. Chase does a wonderful job of getting the reader situated and invested in her characters. Fans of historical romance will enjoy this one!

It breaks my heart to give any Loretta Chase three stars but this book is middling. It's part of a series but takes place before the series starts and then zooms forward to being present in the series timeline. I just felt the couple placed side characters in their own book.

I was waiting for Lorainne Heath’s book for a long time, and it’s but these newer books don’t hit the same as the old ones. Classic trope, MMC is secretly in love with his best friend’s sister which he doesn’t realize until she’s on the marriage mart. However after the FMC and MMC get together in the middle of the book, all the angst and drama disappears and the rest of the book is not as interesting and a little difficult to follow. The FMC and MMC complement each other and make a good team, but as the book progressed you realize that the FMC is actually more of a mess in all her righteous intentions compared to the MMC who actually has things together. This is ironic given that the books starts off with the FMC unloading on the MMC and his friends for being irresponsible, which gives in to the dramatic female stereotype — no bueno. Love this author but overall this book was average. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book pulled me out of my reading slump! I enjoyed the characters and the action and especially the romance. Blackwood and Alice were perfect for each other, they just needed the right circumstances for it to happen. Now I need to reread the first two books in the series.

DNF - 80%

Loretta Chase has been writing historical romance for decades, and she crafts an intricate plot and full world. I would recommend this series to readers who want a lot of plot, and who like to know what’s going on in the whole world of the story.

I read the first book in this series a few years ago, but hadn’t read the second yet. I think there were parts that I would have enjoyed more if I knew the other couples a little better.

I am a chatty person and my taste in books tends to lean chatty as well. The way Chase jumped between POVs was popular in older historicals, but isn’t something that I’m used to. I felt like there wasn’t enough time spent on the emotions of the characters, so the whole book felt like it was written at a distance. Again, readers who enjoy lots of action and plot might enjoy this style, but it was not for me.

While I was intrigued in the beginning by the couple’s set-up, the slow burn was missing the “burn” for me. And when it finally did burn, I didn’t feel the emotion, it felt like just another plot point that happened.

I would recommend you start with the first book, A Duke in Shining Armor, and see if the high plot style is for you!

I really enjoyed Alice and Giles story. It was so much fun to watch these two find their way to their HEA.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advanced copy of #MyInconvenientDuke by Loretta Chase in exchange for an honest review.

I found it a very interesting choice to end this series with the 1st couple to get married but within the book it makes complete sense and really it needed to be the last book. I still need to read Ridley's book (book 2) to complete the series and then I'd like to re-read Ashmont's story. Ms. Chase has a way to crafting a story that just sucks me in and has me rooting for the MCs, hoping that the villains get what they deserve, and swooning at the romance. Definitely worth the read.

I loved this story!

My Inconvenient Duke is the third installment in The Difficult Dukes series. I will admit to not reading the previous two books but I got along well enough that I don’t believe you HAVE to read the previous two books to enjoy this one.

I really enjoyed a few things about this book. This book has that “brother’s best friend” trope. I’ve read this trope in other books and you don’t really get a view of the guy friendship throughout the book. Not a good one anyway. And seeing as I picked this up without reading the previous two books I really appreciated the insight into the friendship, and even backstory. Alice was refreshing in this book. I loved her ‘no nonsense’ attitude. She was looking for security because she realized her brother wouldn’t always be around since he is so reckless and careless. Also, I enjoyed that Alice didn’t just fall into Blackwood’s arms after he chose her brother over her. She was realistic about her situation as a woman and decided to marry to secure her future.

I didn’t like the time jump. I prefer my stories to be a continuous time frame. And this book seems to take place both before and after the other two books. I did like how the author created this sphere in which you could lose yourself in the story though. Loretta Chad NEVER disappoints.

All in all I enjoyed this story and I look forward to reading many more from this author!