Upon first meeting Blackwood in the earlier books, I had a feeling I was going to like him. I couldn’t wait for his book. I imagined his would be a story filled with angst and pining and drama and while this storyline and backstory should have set that up, I felt it lacking in so many ways.

I love the idea, loved the general idea of the characters, what throws them in each others paths, the ways they interact with each other and the ultimate happily ever after.

What was missing for me was the romance. It almost felt like women’s fiction with a little side romance. With the backstory of Alice and Blackwood, there should have been heart pumping, heavy breathing moments of stolen looks, accidental touches, gazes from afar, painful realizations about their love and their childhood and that stolen kiss. Instead they communicated so clearly and explained and solved all the complications so effortlessly (and to be honest unrealistically) and so quickly, that there was no time for all that good stuff that makes romance novels so incredible to read.

Was the story good? Yes
Do I love Blackwood and Alice together? Absolutely
Did the story lack romance? Unfortunately Yes
Would I read more books in this series? Also Yes!

Such an absorbing story. I did not want to put it down. Alice is a strong, self assured woman. She is intelligent and logical and understands the perils she faces as a woman. Giles is the bad boy you can't help but like. Their story is full and rich and oh so believable in how they get along.

Loretta Chase’s Difficult Dukes series features a friend group of young Dukes who have lived a wild youth but might just be ready to settle down – with the right woman.
I loved the first two books in the series and had high expectations for this one. I liked it, but I felt it was the weakest of the series.

The first book, A Duke in Shining Armor, introduces us to the trio of The Dis-Graces. These are wild young men who are products of their upbringing and society. No soft heroes here, but over the course of each book they do the work to become worthy of the fantastic FMCs who they end up with.

Each of our heroines is a fantastic feminist for the time and a real delight to read about. I loved learning about about some of the social issues at the time in England and how women played a part in working for change. I also loved how fast-paced and action packed these books were. They are plot heavy, but the characters also grow and change a lot during the course of the books. There are far-fetched scenarios and wild chases and it’s a ton of fun.

The first book features a runaway bride and falling in love with the “wrong” guy. Book 2, Ten Things I Hate About the Duke, was my favorite and was a loose Taming of the Shrew retelling with the best romance in my opinion.

The final book in the trilogy, My Inconvenient Duke, was actually my least favorite of the books because it’s a second chance romance that was teased throughout the first two books. I was waiting for some really wild reveal with how exciting and brilliant the first two books were and I was let down a bit, but it was still an enjoyable read.

I wish this book had about three fewer side plots so we could have spent more time with Blackwood and Alice. It felt very scattered - what was the main conflict? Worbury? The terrible school? Alice and Blackwood being too busy to be married? Ripley not having his stuff together? Ultimately, I really liked both Alice and Blackwood and wish Chase had refined this book a little more. Even if we didn’t get marriage in crisis like we were shown in the first two books, I would have enjoyed the story of these two falling in love and making a life together. It just really felt like this book needed a strong content edit and better plot direction. All that said, it was enjoyable, in a way, and the mains were great together. The dialog is funny and Alice is a great FMC, headstrong and fierce. If you enjoy plot-forward romance with one of the MCs pining away, you will enjoy this!

In the face of her brother's reckless behavior, Lady Alice Ancaster decides to set her sights on securing a husband, because a husband will protect the dukedom from her abhorrent cousin swooping in and ruining everything. Giles, the Duke of Blackwood can make grown men cower in fear, and he feels indebted to Alice, so he returns to London to keep an eye on her quest for marriage. But Lady Alice isn't a shrinking wallflower, and is constantly causing chaos unbeknownst to the rest of the ton, and Blackwood keeps getting pulled into her schemes. There's undeniable chemistry between the two of them, which they had acted on once upon a time, but things are different and they aren't meant for each other...right?

This book was funny, and I liked that Alice was a fairly modern-seeming woman. Giles was absolutely besotted with her, and we love a man that's a simp for his woman. I had a good time reading this book - it's a fun historical book with witty banter and fun characters. It's part of a series, and while I didn't read the first two, I wasn't completely lost. It's possible I missed out on some interesting connections between books, but it wasn't necessary to read them to understand the action in this one.

Second chance Historical
Even as a child Blackwood is attracted to Alice, but is wise enough to know he's not good enough for her. He's wild and a prankster, part of a trio always in trouble, one of whom is Alice's brother. Ms. Chase's Alice is a smart and strong individual, also drawn to Blackwood until circumstances conspire and they are married, becoming a formidable pair. This historical has second chance romance, intrigue, revenge and redemption. I highly recommend.

To save her family’s dukedom, Lady Alice needs a husband—and her childhood friend, the roguish Duke of Blackwood, keeps unexpectedly appearing to help. Their undeniable connection complicates her choice, forcing her to decide between duty and desire.

This book is hilarious! Alice is brilliant, and I love the dynamic between her and Blackwood. What a great way to wrap up the series!

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Lady Alice finds herself in need of a husband to save her from the possibility of becoming under her awful cousin’s thumb. Giles, the Duke of Blackwood, has been secretly in love with Alice for years but his bad reputation and a promise he made to her brother keeps him from acting on his feelings. When Alice enters the marriage mart Giles too returns to London to keep an eye on Alice and make sure she doesn’t pick the wrong man.

I am baffled by this book. This is the third book in the series and Alice and Giles are somewhat unhappily married before the first book starts, so I was expecting this to be a marriage-in-trouble book but they don’t even get married until after 70% and the timeframe of the story doesn’t jump to past the second book until 85%ish. I could see doing this if it was the first book in the series, but not as the third book. The first half of the book is very densely written with a lot of side plot that doesn’t always move the story forward. It very much felt like a historical written in the 80s or 90s in that regard (I don’t hate it, but it felt dated). I had to fight the impulse to skim so that I would not geet list. And then after their marriage, the writing style changed entirely to brief snippets of what was going on. The book honestly would have been a 4 star book had it just been the first 75% as a standalone or first in a series, but it’s placement in the Difficult Dukes series is just perplexing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to @avonbooks for an advance copy of one of my most highly anticipated reads of the year: My Inconvenient Duke by Loretta Chase, out January 21st!

When I say highly anticipated, I mean it! Fans of Loretta Chase and the Difficult Dukes know that she dealt with some serious writers block when it came to the third book in this trilogy, but this one was worth the wait. Mild spoilers ahead?

What happens when a bunch of stubborn, rebellious idiots set out to protect someone they love? To start with:

-My best friend’s sister/she’s not for you angst
-Snark as a love language
-A MMC obsessed with the FMC
-I can’t decide whether I want to kiss you or kill you
-“NEVER WITHOUT ME”
-Try and stop me (derogatory)
-Try and stop me (affectionate)
-THE SCENE WHERE HE SETS THINGS RIGHT
-Murder or That Sort of Thing
-Lots of Dis-Grace-ful shenanigans

Alice and Blackwood’s story has been a long time coming and Chase delivered a conclusion (?) to the series that will appeal to newer HR readers and longtime fans alike: tell me Alice doesn’t have some Jessica Trent, Lord of Scoundrels energy! Those two would be thick as thieves.

It’s clear Chase didn’t have a plan for this book when writing the series (after alluding to a marriage in crisis in previous books, that is not the focus; this book takes place chronologically *before* the first two books in the series) — it didn’t bother me, but I get that it might put some readers off.

In spite of issues with the plot (how many times can the same orphan be kidnapped? Asking for a friend) Chase does this remarkable thing where each Duke is a complete disaster and you can’t see how they could possibly redeem themselves, and then she writes their story. And I fall headfirst each time. I have such a soft spot for these blockheads and I think a lot of other readers will, too.

This is book 3 in the "Difficult Dukes" series. This story is about Giles and Alice. It's a brother's best friend, second chance trope.
Alice and Giles have no each other since they were children. They've been dancing around each other since she was 17 and he 19.
Alice is now 25 and she has decided she must wed. He brother is a wastrel and his reckless conduct can get him killed at any time. She needs to protect herself. So she puts herself on the marriage mart for the second time and this time is an instant success.
Giles has led a reckless life along with Alice's brother. But when Alice is being courted seriously by a duke, he has to stop and take stock of his life. Is he willing to give it all up for Alice?
I liked the banter that went back and forth between the two. I liked Giles being her hero on more than one occasion.
What I didn't like was that there could have been more chemistry. I just didn't feel it between these two.
But all in all I liked the book.
I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

I have been waiting for book 3 of the Difficult Duke series forever! I have multiple times put this book on my wishlist, and finally Loretta Chase has given it to us! Alice and Giles were teased and teased and teased again and again in the last two books and it is finally their time to shine! There is a lot going on in this book - brothers best friend, long suffering, love, meant to be, lots of miscommunication. But there is also a strong depth of character and humor. I have to admit that I did need to go back and reference the first two books because they were sometimes I was a tiny bit confused by some things, but for people who are reading this series together currently that won’t be a problem at all. Loretta Chase is one of the best historical romance authors in the game and she consistently lives up to the hype

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, so I hate to give Loretta a lower rating but the last two books in this series were just not for me. I absolutely loved the first book in this series and even mentioned I was anxious to get Alice and Blackwood’s story. Second chance, yes; banter, double yes. Unfortunately, that is all that is going for this story. I did not know it was the “don’t touch my sister book”, at least I don’t remember it from the other books but it went on too long. There are lots of Loretta’s books that are amazing, just not these last two for me.

Alice's brother and his two Duke friends are extremely immature twenty-seven-year-olds. They want no responsibility, only horse races, boxing, brawls, gaming, and pranks. When the three drunks eventually misfire a gun, slightly injuring her brother, Alice realizes her brother will probably die young so she better marry to protect herself. She'll lose her home when her vile male cousin inherits. She goes to London and successfully joins the marriage mart. A jealous Blackwood, one of the immature friends, follows. This sounds promising but things just get strange. <spoiler>Alice and Blackwood marry about halfway through the book. The couple is mostly apart. He feels his friend Ashmont, can't deal with his friends being married so he goes off with him for a few months leaving her with her charities and work at court.</spoiler> Most of the story is set before the happenings of the first two books. Suddenly, in about two paragraphs, those books are summarized. What we mostly get is a series of escapades involving a street urchin who keeps getting kidnapped, the odious cousin up to no good, and her missing brother. I was disappointed after enjoying the second book of the series so much.

This is the third book in the series. I would recommend reading the others first, since the characters from those play a part in this one.
I have always been a Loretta Chase fan, but this book seemed off from her others.
Alice and Giles have known each other forever, since he is one of her brother's friends. Alice is a strong character, and there was good chemistry between her and Giles.
Most of their marriage is spent apart with each working on their own agendas.
There are some great scenes and some humor in the story.
All in all, it was an entertaining story.

There's a lot going on in My Inconvenient Duke. A young lady who needs to be married ASAP. A trio of scoundrel dukes who need to grow up. A missing brother. A scheming cousin. Other chaos that doesn't even happen on-page (and takes place in other books). Buried in under that is a solid second-chance romance with strong banter and a sweet tumble into love (after swearing it off altogether). Alice and Blackwood are classic romance characters, and when they have a chance to interact away from the mess, they're a delight.

But for me, the main takeaway of this book is simply how much was going on. Arguably too much, but at least the chaos was fun!

3.5/5

I regret to write that this is an unusual miss for me from one of my favorite romance authors. This book has at times the author's trademark banter between the main couple that is entertaining and reminiscent of Chase's former books, which is really the only reason I am generously giving it three stars. That is, however, nearly the only redeeming aspect of a book that I found a slog to get through as well as a confusing plot to follow. The book reads more like a series of outlines with clumsy starts and stops, as one story awkwardly transitions into another story bearing only tangential connection. I have a difficult time trying to clarify what this book is about, even setting aside the well known backstory of Chase's difficulty completing it. Forget the previous two books in the Difficult Dukes series where Alice and Blackwood are introduced as a troubled married couple. That plot has very little to do with this book, even though that theme is awkwardly introduced in the second half.

So what is this book about? Alice Ancaster is the long-suffering sister of the notorious Ripley, a dissolute and irresponsible rake who she fears will die an early death and leave her without a safety net. A cad in the family, nicknamed The Worm, is readying to pounce and threatens Alice for much of the book, leading her to seek the security of marriage in society. For a short period of time, the book seems to be about Alice's adventures in finding a mate, putting Blackwood in the insecure position of trying to protect her while coping with his feelings for the one who got away. But that plot dissipates almost entirely into thin air as new characters are introduced, including a wayward pickpocket boy straight out of a Dickens novel who Alice strangely frets over, Ripley's mysterious disappearance and Alice and Blackwood's sudden urgent road trip to rescue him. Along the way, themes of Alice's unrequited love for Blackwood, a sudden marriage, the burden Blackwood faces for having to care for the other two difficult dukes, Blackwood's unhappiness with life as a married man, Alice's sudden devotion to her charity work that causes tension in an already inexplicable marriage, a late introduction of Alice's abuse as a child and a need to rectify boarding school victimization of young girls, etc. I kept a list of every new plot introduced until I grew tired of trying to figure out where this book was going and what conflicts it is trying to explore. I ultimately ended up not really caring much.

I think in a different and better written book, Alice and Blackwood would have been fine characters in this author's canon, though perhaps not really creating new opportunities for her. Chase has written both of these prototypes before and with much better development.

Giles, Duke of Blackwood, is something of a drunken wastrel - like his two best friends, the dukes of Ashmont and Ripley. Ripley's sister Alice is fed up with all of them, and decides to go to London to find a husband before her worthless brother gets himself killed and leaves her at the mercy of his evil heir, their cousin Worbury. Giles has cared for Alice for years but knows he isn't good enough for her. So when he hears Worbury may make trouble for Alice, he decides to go to London to look out for her. Alice is a pretty self sufficient type, who can generally look after herself. But due to Worbury's bahavior, Giles' help is needed. He is forced to be not only responsible, but uncommonly sober and Alice regains some earlier feelings of attraction to him. The characters have depth and plenty of humor, so what might have been a formulaic retread becomes a moving, funny and involving story. A keeper.

I love Loretta Chase. She's not why I didn't vibe with this book. It was the scoundrel brother trope that I loathe. I read historical romances so I escape from women having to do it all! I should have double checked before reading this. Overall, the book was okay -- i feel like others would enjoy it more than I, because I am a bit biased.

I thought I would love this book, but I feel like I only liked it. Maybe if I had read the other books in the series I would have felt connected to the characters. It was an okay book; I just wanted more detail to these characters. The writing was well done, and quite detailed making me want to read more from this author. The romance just wasn't doing it for me with it constantly feeling like it takes a back seat to the rest of the story.

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a Loretta Chase book and after reading My Inconvenient Duke I remember why she’s a favorite! This book was funny, heartfelt and just very entertaining. You hear a lot about how everyone loves a bad boy, well put a bad boy and a bad girl together and it’s perfection! Giles and Alice are two people that strain under the rules of society and have different levels of success meeting them. I especially enjoyed reading their story through their marriage. So many books stop once our main characters are married. This demonstrates the trouble and issues that arise even after the “HEA”. I didn’t realize this was the last book in a series of 3 and although it didn’t diminish my enjoyment, I did feel like I missed something important because it was referenced and 2 very important people to the story were suddenly married. I’ll definitely be reading their first two in the series to see what I missed.