Although this is the concluding book in the series, it definitely can be read as a stand-alone. The first half of the book takes place before the preceding two books, then parallels them, so you don’t get the sense that you are missing something.

Alice and Giles were both clever, strong-willed individuals so they seemed evenly matched. I especially admired Alice, who was strongly committed to bettering the lives of those who were not in as fortunate circumstances as herself and would never just ignore someone in need. Giles had been living a rather reckless and thoughtless life up until then, but when Alice plunged in to help someone, he didn’t hesitate to back her up.

The romance wasn’t as much of a focus in the book. Instead, it was more of a series of escapades that gave Alice and Giles a chance to grow closer and ultimately a reason to get married. Nonetheless, it was a fun romp. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Finally, I know what was going on with Giles and Alice. During the first two books in the series they were already married and estranged. No one would ask them what was wrong, and they didn't say so it was a huge mystery that drove me crazy. I waited, and waited some more for the author to finish their love story. Ms Chase takes us back to the beginning when the couple first met and follow along until their well-deserved HEA. The first two Dukes stories made me laugh at their antics, but the Blackwoods made me kind of sad. Lots of family and friend obligations mixed with longing, attraction, desire, happiness and separation, there were so many emotions in their journey. I loved every minute of it. As much as I wanted to rush through all three books to have the stories completed, I'm now sorry that it's over. I can recommend the entire series as a good read and all three can be standalone.

I received a complementary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon publishers.

#MyInconvenientDuke #DifficultDukes #NetGalley #Avon #LorettaChase #historicalromance #romance

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an eARC of My Inconvenient Duke through NetGalley, in return for my honest review.

We follow two characters who have been friends since birth but grew distant after a passionate kiss that the Duke of Blackwood walked away and didn’t com back from. He believed he wasn’t good enough for his best friends younger sister, but it all comes rushing back when she is actively finding a husband in order to protect her family’s estate and her brother’s wellbeing.

This was a fun read with cute moments between the FMC and MMC. I was waiting for their story which showed up in book 1. Going back in time to when their marriage came to be was interesting. There were a few parts where the inner monologues became redundant, but the overall story was captivating. Especially when they didn’t ride off in the sunset after getting married. They still have obstacles to overcome.

This is Very Difficult to say, but…This Very Difficult Duke and his duchesse deserved better.

The story is a hot mess. It’s less about Alice and Blackwood as a couple, and instead a repetitive series of loosely linked vignettes featuring the pair as an avenging adventuring duo righting wrongs by whatever it takes (lots of money and force, usually).

Along for the ride is a merry band of friends and frenemies, too few (or none) appearances from the friends and family we ACTUALLY love and hoped to visit with again, and a laughable villain who no one cared about in any way whatsoever.

Meanwhile sexy shenanigans are shoe horned in to ensure readers know the chemistry between our leads isn’t just limited to their do-good adventuring.

Such a bummer ending to an especially delightful series.

This was a well written siblings. Best friend to lovers romance. There were so many plot twists and turns, emotional issues, and much more of excitement that kept me engaged. The ending was very happy. I recommend reading.

A romantic tale of Lady Alice and her brother’s best friend Giles, the Duke of Blackwood. Alice and Giles had an attraction to each other but never acted on it because he, her brother, Ripley and their friend, Ashmont, all Dukes, were rakes of the highest order. After their latest drunken behavior leaves Ripley injured, Alice fears something will happen to him and she will be left at the mercy of her villainous cousin if he inherits the dukedom. Alice heads to London to find a husband and Giles follows her to protect her from any harm her cousin may attempt. Though Giles isn’t welcomed by polite society, he and Alice are thrown together often as she turns to him for help with locating a young waif she has befriended and also her brother when he goes missing. My Inconvenient Duke is a slow burn but has a HEA for the two main characters who have to work hard to get there.

My Inconvenient Duke is the third book in the Difficult Dukes series. This is the first book in the series I have read. I am not sure reading the prior books would have helped me to like this book. I found the writing to be difficult and did not flow well. The characters were not likeable to keep me engaged.

The premise interested me but did not live up to my hopes for a good story.

As always, Loretta Chase fills her books with adventure, banter, and swoon. This one isn’t what I expected it to be, but I still loved it. I think we are led to believe their marriage is in crisis by the last two books, but in fact they have a very sweet relationship and I loved seeing them get to know each other better. I recommend beginning the Difficult Dukes series with this book, THEN reading the other two. As always, Kate Reading does an amazing audio for listening fans.

Overview: After it becomes clear that her brother’s reckless behavior may result in a wretched cousin inheriting the dukedom, Lady Alice decides that marriage is the only option to ensure a secure future. However, her quest for a husband must be put on hold while she and her brother’s best friend, the Duke of Blackwood, search for her brother after he goes missing…

Thoughts: Being the third of a series, I had a bit of trouble getting into the book at the beginning, especially with all the references to other characters. Additionally, the separate adventures made the story feel a bit disjointed. BUT the best part about the book by far was the affinity that Alice and Blackwood felt towards each other and their shared history. I also loved that Blackwood recognized and accepted Alice for who she was (costumes and accents and all!). I definitely plan on reading the first two books in the series!

Take home message: My Inconvenient Duke is a surprisingly action-packed historical romcom featuring a passionate and headstrong female character. Tropes include: road trips, brother’s best friend, and second chance romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, steamy, action-packed and kept me reading. I enjoyed this book and will continue look for new books by this author.

I was actually so for the relationship between Alice and Blackwood from the beginning. I love the way it turned out.

Alice is the sister of a Duke. A Duke who, with his two besties, is one of the dis-graces. In other words, they are bad boys. Blackwood is one of them. Alice decides she needs to get married because if her brother gets himself killed, she will be at the mercy of his evil heir. Blackwood decides to stay in london to watch over her while she’s husband hunting. Evil heir causes problems and her brother goes missing and her and Blackwood end up together for longer than is proper so they decide to get married BUT THE CHAOS IS NOT OVER.

Alice is super into social reform and helping the poor. Blackwood is super into drinking with the boys and causing chaos but it works. They are PINING. You can feel it. I loved it. I was behind them 100%. He was actually so sweet to her. They had arguments but you just knew it would work out.

I loved them as a couple!

1832

Lady Alice Ancaster has awakened to yet another sound of drunken men outside her window. The three dukes nicknamed Their Dis-Graces, are being way too loud. Her brother, Hugh, the Duke of Ripley, along with Giles, the Duke of Blackwood, and the Duke of Ashmont are up to their shenanigans once again.

As she is about to turn 25, Alice has decided to journey to London and stay with her chaperone, Lady Kempton, and search for a husband. She has told the dukes to stay away from her in London so they and their antics do not impede her finding a suitable husband.

The Duke of Doveridge, 42, appears to be enamored by Alice as he has danced with her numerous times. He is thought to be a confirmed bachelor but she may win him.

When Alice gets involved with another woman in helping rescue some young boys who are orphans running in gangs of pickpockets, she enlists Giles to help her find and rescue a young boy. But it’s when Ripley goes missing, Alice enlists Giles’s help to find him sending them on a life changing journey.

I felt that the three dukes were quite immature and rather unworthy of their titles. Dukes should be strong men with the wherewithal to keep track of their wealth and properties, but these men were too busy drinking and acting like fools. Since there is a lot of humor in this book it helped save it for me. I thought it ridiculous that Giles is so busy trying to keep his friends out of trouble that he isn't nurturing his own marriage. That’s sad and rather weird. I wish the book had been shortened somewhat as things seemed to drag out. I did not read the first two books in this series so I had a bit of a struggle to keep up, but things fell into place fairly well although it was a bit tedious.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

dnf at 16%

So I have learned that I do not enjoy when the male love interest is inconsiderate or immature. Blackwood is both of these, and while he's already made some subconscious attempts at the inconsiderate part, he still feels like a teenage when he is truly in his 30s while Alice is leagues ahead of him when it comes to maturity (plus she is a very considerate person to those around her).

All of that isn't truly enough to dnf a book, but the way this was written was so confusing. It would randomly switch POVs in the middle of a chapter or a different character would show up and I'd have reread the same section multiple times in an attempt to understand what is happening. By reading other reviews I have learned this is not just a me issue, so I'm left here dumbfounded wishing I actually knew what I just read.

I've heard of Loretta Chase and I can't believe that this is the first time I've read one of her books! The book was long and many things were going on. Nonetheless, my interest held and I made it to the ending. The author had a quirky and humorous writing style--I often found myself rereading the funny parts.
One unusual thing was that the story kept on going even after what could have been the happy ending. The FMC was busy with her many activities while the MMC was basically trying to fill his time. This must have been where the "inconvenient" thing came into play. Like many a modern couple, they had to struggle to find time for each other. It was also noteworthy that the duke's two friends found their wives (off page) in the same timeframe as this story. These last chapters of the book could be considered a super-extended epilogue. The little tidbits that were dropped about the other dukes sounded interesting and I was pleasantly surprised to see that their books have already been written!
I received a free ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

First, I liked the story and the plot. It had humor and a bit of adventure. Secondly, I liked the characters who needed to mature and be responsible. Here's what I didn't care for: this book should have been the first not the third book in the series as these two people are featured as married in the first two books, so being out of order is disrupting. The other thing, I personally don't care for is repetition. This is a talented author with good story telling skills, there's absolutely no need to fill pages and pages with repetition when you have great skills. I will continue to read her work as I'm a fan, hopefully workout being disappointed.

The angst and heartbreaking decision made when Giles Blackwood chose the hijinks and camaraderie of his two friends over his feelings for Alice who is the younger sister of his friend.
Giles wants Alice and is especially torn when she goes on the Marriage Mart.
Lots of fun and action as their relationship develops despite her brother and his decision.
Highly recommend as the story moves quickly to the HEA.

Intelligent, no nonsense, quick thinking heroines are my favorite type of characters so I was charmed by Lady Alice Ancaster. She was a perfect combination of lady and tomboy. How she gets into and out of predicaments was written with finesse and keeps the reader engaged.

Her bother and two friends really are a mess and how author Loretta Chase weaves their madcaps adventures into the storyline made me laugh as well as feel frustrated for Alice. So many times I wanted to stomp my foot and cry for her.

I thought that the Duke of Blackwell was a great mix of being a messup and being helpful. Readers will enjoy his character and his interactions with Lady Alice.

This storyline is fast paced, includes danger, drama and not a moment of boredom for the reader. I really loved the unpredectable ending, I hope you do as well.

Rating: 2/5 stars
Steam level: Open-door

Thoughts:
There is a lot to like about this book. The suspenseful plot is riveting, friendship is depicted authentically, and the main character interactions felt endearing. The author describes her characters and their backstories in such a way that truly brings them to life. Additionally, that she wrote an entire series based on flakey, gorgeous, and difficult dukes is so creative and inherently funny.

Alice is such a strong female lead. I love how she doesn’t back down from a fight and is unafraid to call Giles out on his mistakes. Her past shows that she’s been let down one too many times, and Giles represents the opposite of what she craves, which is stability. This makes their relationship journey hard-won, especially given their tumultuous youthful history. The author wrote the romantic and steamy scenes with such care and dedication to the characters. Everything felt so blissful between them during these moments, and it felt reminiscent of the sweet, innocent, and unspoken love that they shared years ago.

Although there was so much to like about this book, I felt that Giles and Alice’s romance deserved more on-page attention. A lot of their romance seemed to occur off-page, whether it be in the past or individually in the present. Additionally, at times, the non-romantic subplots felt like they held more of a spotlight than the romance, which distracted from the brewing tension between the main characters and impacted its overall effect. The true impact of the subplots is shown in the final chapters of the book, which provide glimpses into Giles and Alice’s marriage and marriage-in-trouble experiences. These chapters depicted subtle and romantic moments between both main characters that made their marriage feel authentic. However, the weight of their actions and marriage seemed to be dulled by the history that felt missing between them.

Overall, I would say that I just could not completely connect with this book. There was so much to love about it, but I felt that more of the romance needed to happen on-page.

DNF at 20%

At this point in the story, I don't really have a connection with either the FMC or MMC. The plot is a little too slow for me to truly enjoy and immerse myself in, so sadly I'm moving on to another story.

I really enjoyed reading this book by one of my favorite authors. Ms Chase writes romance like nobody's business. The series is about three dukes who are difficult but are redeemed by women who fall in love with them. The characters were fully developed with thoughts and feelings of their own.
This one is about Alice and Blackwood who are married but are estranged. You find out that Alice is one tough cookie who takes matters into her own hands in trying to get her husband on the right track. It takes a while within the story line to find a compromise and being truthful with each other.
Of course, there is a happy ending that find Alice and Blackwood a forever love.
I appreciate Net Galley for this ARC title in which I gave an honest review.