This is an absolutely amazing and wonderful story. Phillip is not the main character but he totally steals the show. I am in awe of his characterization. Jess is a feisty young woman. She is determined to bring the Duke of Crewe to heal. Lucian is a Duke who is hiding his true self. As you read through the story it will become how much research the author has put into make this great for the reader. The plot is very interesting and will hold the readers attention from start to finish. The author has created some excellent characters that will stay with the readers long after they have closed the covers of the book. This is a book you will want to own and also get one for a friend.

The Duke of Deceit is the second book in The Dukes of Darkness historical romance series by Anna Harrington. It is a stand-alone read.

Jess learns her sister is carrying the Duke of Crewes child and leaves for Ireland to carry the baby to term abroad and away from scandal. Jess is determined to ruin his cultivated reputation of a despicable rake to a do gooder. She has tried to get him to marry her sister, but he refuses and feels she has no choice but to get to him by pronouncing his good works. The chemistry sparks between them taking them both by surprise. Lucien does have secrets that Jess is determined to uncover. But will she be shocked to find Lucien is not at all the person he pretends to be.

This is a wonderful story that takes twists and turns as it reveals everyone's secrets. I thoroughly enjoyed this and am looking forward to the next one in the series.

There are several of Anna’s books that are my top favorites and I am adding this one to the list. I figured out both of the main characters’ secrets but that did not take away the fun of reading how they figure it out. I did find Jessamyn a little too harsh with her machinations but I understand why she did it, family is everything. The standout character is Lucien. His love and commitment to his brother is what a brother’s should be (I was tearing up). The witty banter and tension really steamed up the pages.

I thoroughly enjoyed "The Duke of Deceit" and am now an Anna Harrington fan. Although dukes and the Regency have been done a LOT in historical romance, Harrington still delivers a compelling mix of intrigue, romance, and banter that feels fresh. The duke in question, Lucien, cultivates a rakish persona to hide his charitable deeds and protect deeply personal secrets, while bluestocking artist Jessamyn initially seeks revenge for her sister's apparent ruin at Lucien’s hands. It's a fun ride as they learn more about one another--and themselves. There are some steamy scenes, but they are balanced with emotional connection. There is also a depiction of a person with Down syndrome that is thoughtfully written.

Bottom line: If you enjoy witty banter, a swoon-worthy rake with hidden depths, and a dash of Regency intrigue, "The Duke of Deceit" is sure to charm you.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

One alpha male and one strong-willed damsel and that is the gist of Anna Harrington's Regency romance The Duke of Deceit, the second installment in her The Dukes of Darkness series. Harrington's study of the alpha male is grist for crafting a dreamy soul mate to partner with her maiden. The details of her hero's backstory and his family secrets, effectively pulling on the heartstrings, are endearing, holding the reader engaged. In fact, what keeps the reader turning the pages is the multi-dimensional hero, Lucien Grenier, Duke of Crewe.

Grenier has honed a bad boy image for himself, frequenting London's dark side of gambling halls, brothels and illegal fights curated by bookies inside Wapping, London's warehouses. The flip side of his character has him schmoozing with the upper crust of society at fashionable opera houses, ballrooms, and Whitehall Street's houses of government.

Harrington provides detailed demonstrations of Grenier's rakish activities, and how they are designed to conceal his philanthropic endeavors. Duellingly, designed to conceal his disowned brother Phillip from society, whom he quietly looks after in Ealing on the outskirts of London. Harrington shows these aspects in Grenier's character, rather than relying on explaining him to the reader.

Effectively, Harrington smartly shows how Lucien Grenier isn't the duplicitous male that one would expect, being both playboy duke and good-willed benefactor. One of them is false. Though, it takes patience and perseverance on the part of the reader to reach that point in the story whem Grenier actually becomes likable.

To his great misfortune, or perhaps not, Grenier bucks horns with Jessamyn St Claire, who means to coax him into marrying her sister Amanda after finding the two in a compromising position inside a private garden. The situation becomes messy as he refuses to marry Amanda, arguing that Amanda forced him into an arousing kiss and nothing more. Amanda is with child, leading St. Clare to believe Grenier is the father. Only that is not possible.

St. Clare's scheme to ruin Grenier, by paying to make him appear like a model of the English realm, displays him helping abused women and children, funding charities and reform movements that benefit the underserved. All contrary to his public image, which has an irritating effect on the reader. The manipulations become grating on the reader after a long stretch of time, especially since St. Clare must work hard to earn money as an illustrator, and here she is spending her earnings foolishly on manipulating Grenier.

The tide shifts as Grenier gets back at St. Clare by announcing in the London papers that they are engaged. That adds a satifying twist to the tale. It is at this juncture in the story that Grenier becomes very interesting. Slowly, his secrets begin to be unraveled. His older brother is truly the Duke of Crewe, handicapped by a not-yet-named illness, Downs Syndrome. Phillip is shown by Harrington to be unable to take care of himself. Least of all, hold his own in the House of Lords.

How Grenier and St. Clare work to unravel each other's family secrets, and cease allowing their secrets to keep them fearful of being together in front of the society, is very rewarding for the reader. This is one romantic fiction that will enlighten reader's perspective about secrets, and the control they have over one's life.

The Duke of Deceit
Tropes: enemies to lovers; fake rake; Big Secret
Steam level: 3
2nd in the series, works as a standalone. 3 stars

What I liked: the MMC, Lucien, who is a fake rake with a decent sense of humor and a good heart. I appreciated the storyline involving his brother Philip and their relationship, and the relationship the MFC, Jessamyn, has with her aunt. Also, the steam is quite steamy. The author does a nice job with the physical chemistry between the MC’s.

What I’m on the fence about: the premise of Lucian “stealing” the dukedom is pretty flimsy. If his dad had gone to Parliament right after Philip was born Lucien would have legally been named duke on the grounds that Philip was unfit. If at any time Lucian had gone to Parliament as an adult he could have been named duke for this reason. The implication of treason is far-fetched, but so is the idea of Lucian being a “mercenary”as the second son of a duke.

What I didn’t like: Jessamyn. She has a tendency to be TSTL, make baseless/snotty comments, and is generally sanctimonious and self-centered. Once she keeps going back and forth on whether Lucien is a good guy or not despite the evidence she’s amassed (she seems to be basing her judgement on whether he has turned down her advances lately), I was done. And so many times I had to wonder at her motivation in the first half. Why did she want to ensure that her sister marry the "blackhearted” Lucien, who’s supposedly bedded all of the women in the Ton? Why would you want your sister to be trapped in marriage to someone you thought was that terrible and deal with his expected philandering, especially when you and your sister had a despicable father that you had demanded leave when you were kids?

Her sister rightly points out that Jessamyn is manipulative. But her sister wasn’t much better as a character, considering what she did.

In the end, I was only able to finish due to my liking for Lucien and my hope that he got his HEA. But I honestly think he deserved better than Jessamyn.

I've really enjoyed Anna Harrington's books and this is no exception. I liked the twist of trying to make the hero seem like a do-gooder when he was secretly doing so anyway.

Plot was fun - characters were engaging and I read this one in a day!

Thanks for the opportunity to read this early!

I found it a good solid book but quite a slow read. Enjoyable and i love when it was set. Not something I would usually read but glad I did.

The Duke of Deceit is the second book in Anna Harrington’s The Dukes of Darkness series. It follows four friends but each story is stand alone. I have not read book one but did not feel that I missed anything.
Lucien Grenier, Duke of Crewe has deliberately cultivated his reputation as a black hearted selfish rake. He is more than happy to repel society because it is an ideal way to keep anyone from getting close to discovering his secrets. So when rumours start circulating about his good deeds, Lucien must put a stop to them before his reputation is repaired in the eyes of the ton. Jessamyn St. Claire is seeking revenge for her sister's ruin at Lucien's hands. The only way to get the blackguard to do the decent thing is to threaten to rehabilitate his character unless he marries her sister. As she works to reform him, Jess uncovers the truth behind Lucien's facade and realises that he truly has a good heart. But will Lucien’s secrets tear them apart.
I did enjoy this story. Lucien is actually far from the reckless rake he is portrayed. He is genuinely a good man and at first I struggled to understand why he would want to cultivate such a black reputation. When we discover his true reasons why then it is understandable. I did like Jess but I did think she was a bit unrealistic when she gave Lucien the ultimatum at the end (things really could have gone very wrong for him) but luckily this is a romance so it all turned out very well.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in return for my honest opinion. I loved Lucien and Jess so I'd definitely recommend reading this and am looking forward to the next in the series.

Witty, full of delightful twists between Lucien Grenier, Duke of Crewe, and Jessamyn St Claire. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and the interactions between the characters.

The only two drawbacks that negatively reflect on the novel are -
- God’s name is used in vain.
- Jess gave in too easily to Lucien’s seduction, and I felt that the explicit sex description took away from the intrigue and plot.

I would rate The Duke of Deceit by Anna Harrington 4 out of 5.

I hadn't read a concept like this for a Regency/Victorian-era romance yet! The idea of trying to make someone look good who's very much trying to hide behind a black reputation...? Perfection. It's exactly what I needed to break up the Regency romance slump! There are only a few authors that I've found that can break up the minutia of highway men is fine by me!!

An easy read if you're walking into an airport, need a coffee break or just love bodice rippers!

Duke of Deceit by Anna Harrington is a historical fiction book in which Lucien Grenier, Duke of Crewe, is quite happy with his bad reputation, which according to him helps him keep people at bay so they won't discover his dark secrets. Jessamyn St. Claire is proving to be a pain in the neck since she is determined to make people believe otherwise with the aim of forcing the duke into marrying her sister, who is in hiding, so as to protect her reputation after finding out that she's expecting a baby. But there's one problem: after meeting with the duke face-to-face Jess doesn't know for sure whether she wants the duke for herself or for her sister, but she has to continue with her mission no matter what. Lucien, on the other hand, cannot understand how Jess is neither intimidated by his bad reputation nor is she keeping off, and that's what makes him very attracted to her, although he knows that he can never marry anyone.

I like the way the theme of the book came out perfectly all through the book. The author managed to express deceit in many forms within the book, which makes the story very intriguing. The characters are great, with the duke protraying humor and Jess showing so much courage. That combination has made the book very fascinating.

Although the main characters are enemies at first, their enmity has not been brought out well; sometimes they seem like old friends.

I rate this book, Duke of Deceit by Anna Harrington, 5 out of 5 stars.

I recommend it to those readers who love historical fiction books. I also recommend it to those who have loved ones with disabilities; it will help them remember that having them is a blessing and loving them is not in vain.

anna harrington is slowly becoming one of my favorite authors. i feel as if a few of her books snuck their way onto my kindle just because they knew id love them, and the duke of deceit is no different. a well executed story with a romance worth writing home about

The Duke of Deceit is the second instalment in The Dukes of Darkness series by Anna Harrington, but can be read as a standalone. The story follows Lucien, a bad boy rake, and Jess, the innocent heroine.

The book was fast-paced, with great dialogue and passionate moments. Lucien was a very loveable hero, especially when you find out his reasons for wanting to keep his blackguard reputation. Jess was pretty naive, she would do anything for her family.

I very much enjoyed reading Lucien and Jess' story. If you're looking for a lighthearted read with banter and some spice, this book might be for you.

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

Lucien Grenier, Duke of Crewe, prides himself on his black reputation. Miss Jessamyn St Claire believes Lucien ruined her sister, and she is determined to hit Lucien where it hurts most. When rumors arise about Lucien doing good deeds, he must put a stop to it in order to protect his secrets.

This is the second book in the Dukes of Darkness series. This story stand up well alone, but Lucien played a role in the first book where information about his family is brought to light.

From the blurb, I wasn't quite sure how to feel about this plot...but, as usual, Harrington delivers with intrigue and interesting characters. There was snark and spice, and it worked for me. I did think Jessamyn's protests in the "third act" were a little weak, but necessary to roll into the eventual conclusion. 4.5 stars rounded to five.

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Ruined, Revenge, Sibling's Suitor (sort of), Villainous Hero (sort of)

Steam: 3

* I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

Their first interaction had Lucien kiss an angry Jessamyn as a warning and she liked it. This scenario repeated and it’s not what I expect from rivals to lovers. Too much instalust for me.
If Lucien cared so much for Philip and justice for him, why couldn’t he just be his heir and manage the affairs? The dukedom would go to Lucien’s heirs anyway, so what’s the problem? Still, Jessamyn’s ultimatum felt a little unfair and Lucien proves himself but it made me wonder if she did enough work to deserve him.
The insistent use of gel for girl was grating. I started counting.

The book is cute I guess in the way all romance novels are but the plot was kind of farfetched and Jessamyn was too forceful for my taste. Like who could do something like make a duke give up on his title and benefits on a whim? I disliked her for it and I don’t think someone could have done something similar at the time. Overall it was a nice read.

A wonderful tale of lies, secrets, dark past and a battle of wills between two characters. Exciting read with witty exchanges and steamy encounters. He fears his darkness will engulf her but she is the light and the peace to his soul so love and friendship found a way.

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

I had a fun time reading The Duke of Deceit. I really enjoyed book one so I was so excited to be able to jump into this one.

This time around we have the two MMCs trying to one-up each other, uncover secrets and fall in love. I enjoyed the snarky banter between these two and they had a ton of chemistry. The romance is fun and the sex scenes spicy. The heroine could be a little annoying at times due to her naivety and her willingness to believe anything her sister tells her. Lucien was a great bad boy with a heart of gold. Loved these two together.

Can't wait for the next one (fingers crossed).

The Duke of Deceit is the second book in The Dukes of Darkness historical romance series by Anna Harrington, and it’s a wonderful addition to the series. With compelling characters, a unique story, and a few secrets that unravel over the course of the story, it’s an entertaining and romantic read.

Lucien and Jess have so much chemistry, and for the most part, I enjoyed their swoon-worthy love story. Lucien is a dreamboat, and his friends are amazing too. Jess is also great, though I didn’t love the ultimatum she kind of pushed with Lucien. It made me question the depth of her love, though I think by the end, my opinions about this changed, and I could tell she was as devoted as him. Lucien, however, totally proved his love for Jess, and that was super satisfying and pretty swoon-worthy. The way he put everything on the line for her and risked it all to do what was right made me love him even more.

Overall, I enjoyed this historical romance. It’s an interesting addition to the series, and I’m really curious to find out what happened between Lucien’s friend Shay and Sophie in a future story in the series. They keep hinting at something, and I can’t wait to see how their story plays out. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.