This just wasn't right for me right now. It could have been me. It could have been the book. I just know that 8 chapters in, they had gotten coffee and had some surface convos and I needed more plot.

This was a cute read. I like both Alex and Drake. Alex is the sibling that never gets to do anything fun, and when she least expects it she finds herself involved in some sort of vendetta against Drake. Drake is an investigator trying to do his best so he can finally get the promotion he yearns for, but little does he know Alex will be the one to help him find the man that’s been terrorizing the crown. Alex has the time of his life her life while her oldest siblings are on an expedition, and wants to be on her own but that doesn’t work with Drake. He doesn’t want to own her but he does. I kept hoping that Drake turned out to be a real Duke lol. I also liked one of the latter characters in their bicycle club, her sarcasm about marriage had me laughing.

When Allie overhears a plot to steal the crown jewels, she runs to tell the police. Detective Inspector Ben Drake believes she is an intelligent and pretty young woman whom he can trust to tell the truth. They eventually learn that this is connected to the same person Ben has been investigating for other crimes. Spending time together, they feel a mutual attraction. Ben, however, is a workaholic who is determined to solve the case and tries to deny his feelings for Allie. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Avon for my honest review.

Thoroughly enjoyed the first book in Carlyle's new Princes Of London series. Detective Inspector Benedict Drake is aka "Duke" and store owner Alexandra Prince have great chemistry together. They are both over-looked; Duke by his boss and Alexandra by her siblings, but when they see each other, nothing is over-looked. They both have an affect on the other in unexpected ways, and when they finally give in, it's life changing. He truly 'sees' her and she sees his potential, no judgements by either one. Looking forward to more in this series. Carlyle writes

I enjoyed the nod to Miss Scarlet and the Duke with fellow detective "Fitzroy."

Favorite quote "Love is not measured in length of acquaintance."

DNF 40%

This book is moving too slow for to me to continue. I’m trying not to force myself to read books I don’t want to and I was really pushing myself to finish this one. Somehow for me the romance and mystery aspects don’t blend well. The romance lacks depth and seems a little sudden as Allie and Benedict haven’t know each other long. Then the mystery is a little interesting but not moving the story along. I’m surprised the Inspector, who is so meticulous, would be so agreeing in looking into the possible jewelry heist from a non-reliable source like Allie. Sadly, it’s a no for me.

Alexandra ‘Allie’ Prince was a sickly child, so while her siblings were off exploring with their father she was left at home. Now she is the one who is managing the family’s antique shop and wishing she could join her siblings on their adventures.

Benedict Drake is a detective inspector at Scotland Yard and known as ‘Duke’ to the other inspectors. He takes his job very serious and is working just as hard to get his promotion.

Allie and Drake’s path cross when she goes to Scotland Yard after hearing of a possible attempt on the Crown Jewels. Allie is directed to Drake’s office to file her report and he is immediately skeptical of what she is telling him since she can’t identify any of the people involved. Let the romance and possible crime solving adventure begin!!

I really enjoy reading Christi Carlyle books and this one definitely did not disappoint!! I like that there was a good mixture of both romance and crime solving with both Drake and Allie helping each other along the way. I instantly fell in love with both Drake and Allie’s characters and loved reading their love story and how they find their path forward together!! This is a great start to the series and I can’t wait to read the next one!! I highly recommend this book!!

National treasure meets late Victorian romance? Sign me up.

Some of the introspection and exposition slowed the pace. I often found myself wishing Allie or Drake would stop thinking about doing something and just go do it. But once the action got moving, the story progresses well and the development of their attraction and relationship is very believable. Allie’s fear of being left behind due to childhood illness was underdeveloped. The mystery was good even though the ending was rushed, but I wish the hint of a National Treasure-esque heist in the description hadn’t been used because this story was nothing like that.
Some historical and title errors and homonym errors distracted me. Still, I liked this author’s voice and I’ll read the next in the series.

This was a miss for me. It was a book that seemed as though it couldn't decide if it wanted to be a romance or a mystery & so both parts suffered because of it.
The romance was far too insta-love for my tastes. Lots of the romances I read have the couples fall in love very quickly but the heroine's suggestion to the hero seemed very out of character & his instant acquiescence also seemed out of character. There had to be another way to get these two people together without the machinations the author used.
The mystery (when finally solved at the end of the book) left so many things unanswered as to how things had been accomplished. It was all just too implausible.
The writing was fine, but the concept didn't work.
What a shame.
If it sounds like I'm being vague in this review I am as I don't wish to give away any spoilers. The things I had problems with may not bother another reader.

Thanks to netgalley & the publisher for an advance copy of this title.

"The Duke and Lady Scandal" by Christy Carlyle
I really enjoyed the romance that bloomed in this first of a new series, but the mystery was even more entertaining to uncover.
A great choice!

The Duke and Lady Scandal by Christy Carlyle is a captivating return to everything that makes historical romance so enchanting. Amid the growing shift to sci-fi love stories, this novel holds fast to the sweeping themes of passion, honor, and vulnerability that define the genre. Carlyle masterfully weaves scandal and intrigue with a tender love story that will resonate with readers who adore the timelessness of historical romance. This is undoubtedly one of the best books of 2025, a true testament to enduring love stories.

Sweet Allie seems to have been left behind by her siblings. She wants adventure and fun but instead she is the one who stays home to take care of the family’s shop while her siblings travel. Allie is at the right place at the right time to overhear a possible plot to steal the crown jewels. Adventure finds her. Sharing this information with Scotland Yard detective Benedict Drake, is a fantastic beginning.

I loved their romance and journey of self-discovery. Drake enjoys and appreciates Allie’s forthrightness and love of life. He does not tire of her and how she stays involved in the investigation until it becomes dangerous. This book does seem to have some of what I think of as modern-day conveniences. For example, from the issue of the family shop being next door to a Starbucks-like coffee shop to let’s go to dinner and talk. Regardless, this is a great read and beginning to A Prince’s of London series.

This book was nuts. Christy I apologize, I was unfamiliar with your game. Alexandra and Drake were such a fun couple to read about. Their chemistry was CHEMISTRY-ING; by the time they got together I was gnawing at the bit waiting for one of them to make a move. I love a historical with a ~mystery~, so reading about why Alexandra was being targeted (and how Drake was protecting her, swoon) added a great element to the novel. It added a level of stakes that I love in these kinds of books, and the threat of violence was real! I was so invested in every character's safety! The scene at the end where Alexandra is like "oh yeah this hot man is my betrothed" to her family was hysterical. The bluestocking x catch of a man trope works for me every time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

Refreshing to read a historical romance with middle class characters at the center, loved that!
Fast paced and fun romp, would like to read more from this author.

Christy Carlyle is one of my favorite historical romance authors and I'm so excited she's back with a new series! This first book introduces us to the Prince family and getting to read Alexandria's story was such a pleasure. Alexandria is daring and intrepid and speaks without giving much thought first and that's what makes her so lovable. I loved Ben and his story as a working class hero; we don't get too many of those in historical romance, Overall a very sweet romance -though I wish we had held out the tension just a little. The couple is pretty much together by the 50% mark but Christy Carlyle's writing is so good you still can't put the book down!

This was a fast paced and interesting story. The characters were relatable and had a lot of heart. I would definitely look forward to more books by this author.

Victorian times! Middle class characters! This was a fun one.

Allie (Alexandra) Pierce comes from a family of adventurous antique dealers. She was sick as a child and never traveled the way her siblings got to. Ashley an adult, she runs the family shop while her older brother and sister hunt for antiquities. For once, though, she’s going to have an adventure of her own.

Benedict Drake (jokingly called Duke at work) is a police inspector who has been working exhaustively to get a promotion that never seems to get closer.

Allie and Ben come together when she reports overhearing men plotting to steal the Crown Jewels while at a coffee shop. One of the men also visited her family’s antique shop to ask about having a gem cut. Her shop had a break in as well.

Allie and Ben grow closer as he investigates the jewel theft and its connection to another case. She confesses that she isn’t sure about getting married, but would like to have an affair with Ben.

I love it when there’s a bit of a mystery in a romance! The pace was fast, the characters appealing, and the setting was a nice departure from the regency, which seems to dominate this genre. It’s also refreshing that we have a shopkeeper and a detective (though there are hints that Ben is the illegitimate son of someone important).

Thank you Netgalley and Avon for letting me read the e-arc of The Duke and Lady Scandal! I haven’t read an Christy Carlyle book before and I’m so happy I got the chance to read this! I have really high standards for historical romance novels, my introduction to the genre was Lisa Kleypas and her books are still my gold-standard, and I’m thrilled to say this book was charming, delightful, and cozy! Good sunshine vs grumpy dynamic, enough intrigue to maintain interest in the overall plot, and overall a really cute love story. I’m definitely gonna look into Christy Carlyle’s backlist and I’m interested in following this series as it continues.

Oh, this was a fun time! A masterclass in balancing the Romance with a mystery sub-plot, two well-developed and interesting MCs outside of their romance, and a fantastic start to a new series.

<i>The Duke and Lady Scandal</i> opens up with the hero, Detective Inspector Benedict Drake, trailing a lead in his latest case. From his first appearance on page, I knew Drake was a man driven by his goals above all else. And then he rescued a dog!!! Me = sold.

Our heroine, Alexander Price, has always wished for the adventure her family gallivants off to find, but a childhood sickness and her sex has left her at home and minding the family’s antiques shop more often than not. Allie is another character that I loved upon first glance. When she overhears a plot to steal the crown jewels, there is nothing for her to do but rush to Scotland Yard and report said plot! Which is where she meets Benedict.

When I tell you these two had chemistry from that first interaction, I’m saying it was on from the word go. And blessing upon blessing, we didn’t have to suffer through the hero only being attracted to Allie’s beauty for pages upon pages. No, Benedict was into all of Allie and his inner monologue reflected that.

I really enjoyed watching Allie and Benedict cross paths as the possible jewel heist and their separate needs to prevent it brought them together again and again. Their mutual fight against their mutual attraction felt believable, not drawn out, and worth the little bit of will-they-won’t-they Carlyle gave the reader.

I <i>did</i> feel that the mystery with the jewel heist was wrapped up a bit too neatly and some questions were left unanswered. Also, the villain was the mustache-twirling type. With the tagline <i>inspired by National Treasure</i> I was expecting something a bit more nefarious, I suppose. But when your hero is a detective, one can’t expect him to go off stealing the jewels he swore to protect.

All that to say, I had a really good time with this book. Having never read from Christy Carlyle before, I had no expectations and now I cannot wait to check out her back-list!

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC!

Benedict and Alexandra come together to solve a crime. Alexandra has wanted to live a life full of. adventures all her life. Benedict has goals that he wants to accomplish. They work together and start falling in love. They both learn things about themselves that surprise them. The only aspect that I’m not convinced about is the crime they are trying to solve. I feel like it’s not completely laid out and not too convincing why. Overall, I enjoyed their HEA.

It's a romance novel inspired by National Treasure. Can I make it any more obvious?

What a ride this book was! I'm absolutely delighted by this romp, and would happily recommend it to any of my readerly friends.