This audiobook took me awhile to get through; much longer than the first two books in the series. I think part of that is because in the first two books we'd heard so much about Alice and Blackwood and their rift, that I was expecting to jump into their story in 1833 with flashbacks. Instead, the majority of the book takes place before the previous two, in 1832. I want to start my review with that detail because I know I'm not the only reader of this series who was thrown by the time jump. However, once I was able to get out of my head and away from my own expectations, I was able to enjoy the book I was given instead.

I have to hand it to Chase for doing the unexpected with this book. Without spoiling anything, the trajectory of this couple was not how I thought it would go, and I really liked where they went instead. The more the book went on, the more fun I had with the characters.

My only real critiques of this book are that I still feel like we've been left hanging with the side story of Uncle Frank and Aunt Julia that went through the entire series. Also, the spice level of this installment was less than the previous two. I was hoping for a few more fireworks.

As far as the narration goes...I am not a fan of Kate Reading as a narrator. I think she talks too slowly. She's one of the only narrators that i HAVE to listen to faster than 1x. I will give it to her that she does different voices for each character. However, some of those voices really irk me. For example, I hate the way she voices Ashmont. It's a big reason his book did not reach 4 stars for me. I'm hoping as I listen to more Loretta Chase that she isn't the narrator.

Thank you too NetGalley and Harper Audio Adult for access to this ARC audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

After her reckless brother gets injured, Lady Alice Ancaster decides she needs to marry quickly, lest he die and leave her fate up to miserly relation. As one of her brother’s best friends, Giles Bouverie Lyon, the Duke of Blackwood, offers to look out for her in her search.

Even though it is the 3rd in the series, this book is sort of a prequel to the earlier two books in the series. I did not enjoy this one as much as I did the other two books in the series. The second-chance love story felt rushed, in order to move along to the parts that match up with the prior novels. They spend most of the book helping the other characters get together, while neglecting their own relationship. The dynamic between the main Alice and Giles was strange. Their banter was odd. They kept rushing off independently to do some good deed, then got offended when rumors started that their marriage was on the rocks, because they were never seen together.

Kate Reading did a great job narrating, but the book was just not written as well as I have come to expect from Loretta Chase.

This book was fun for the most part but all in all the chemistry fell flat. I don't really have any specifics to pull from but that was just the feeling I got after finishing it. I liked it but I didn't love it.

A really intriguing premise and an innovative idea! The writing was also excellent. I did not finish in time but I thoroughly enjoyed what I did read! Really looking forward to finishing this.

Listened to this after reading the first two books in the series and I'm even more confused about the timeline of events??
And I'm having a hard time believing this is the same narrator from the other two - Alice sounds uptight and snobby, Blackwood...idk,

Thank you to Avon and HarperAudio for providing me with an audio ARC 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.

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 HarperAudio for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

It was a slow start & felt a bit distant but picked up. As the book went on & wrapped up with a strong finish

In trying to get back to reading historicals, I grabbed the latest Loretta Chase novel as I’ve been told Chase is a fantastic historical author but this book didn’t win me over.

Lady Alice Ancaster needs a husband, and fast, because her reckless brother is going to get himself killed, leaving the dukedom—and her future—in their repellent cousin’s clutches. Blackwood has known Alice since childhood, since he is one of her brother’s best friends. As Alice is back to take on the Ton, Blackwood is sent to keep an eye on her but he has secretly been in love with her for years and doesn’t think any suitor is worth of Alice.

I did a hybrid audio/kindle read and the audio narrator didn’t help the book along. I felt that the plot dragged quite a bit. The villain of a cousin felt a bit insane, the politics of the day were brought up a lot for no reason but to remind you that women had little agency at this time, and the estrangement in the second act breakup felt long and unnecessary. Overall, the romance felt secondary to other plot points and this book wasn’t for me.

⭐️⭐️.5/5

Thank you to @netgalley and @avonbooks for the ALC.

#historicalromance #bookrecs #bookreview #bookstagram #novelsandneedlework #elc #netgalley #netgalleyreads #netgalleyreview

This was not the best of Chase's books for me, I wasn't engaged in the two lead characters or the conflict they were engaged in

I was extremely disappointed with this story. This book was not nearly as good as the first two in the series. While the first two were more fast-paced and had an interesting plot and characters, this book was just tedious in comparison. It was slow, and I honestly struggled to finish it. By the end of the book, I was listening to it at 2.5x speed just to get through it.

Let me start off by saying, I thought this historical romance was fantastic! I loved Lady Slices,Alice's character, the storyline and the romance with the Duke. Well done! The narrator was also top-notch. 5 stars!

Many thanks to Net Galley and HarperAudio Adult for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loooooove a good historical romance and this one tickled all the right spots in my brain.

Alice is an absolute gem. Maybe she gets herself in a little bit of trouble but she is doing what she can and what is important to her and I love a strong woman in the lead.

Our Duke, sweet Dis-Grace Blackwood. He’s in for it now! I understand now that this is book 3 in the Dis-Graces series, but I was able to follow along just fine not having read the previous two. Those have been added to mr TBR though!

Kate Reading, my favorite female narrator, did the book and I can’t say enough good things!

My Inconvenient Duke by Loretta Chase is the long-awaited addition to Chase's Difficult Dukes series. In this story, we get to see into the lives of the enigmatic Duke of Blackwood who was married in the prior novels but seemingly estranged from his wife, Alice

The story starts as a bit of a prequel to the previous novels with Alice, who also happens to be the Duke of Ripley's sister of one the Dukes featured previously in Chase's novel. Duke in Shining Armor, entering into the London season to seek a husband. Blackwood, who has history with Alice that is slowly revealed throughout the novel, comes to London ostensibly to keep an eye on Alice and becomes more embroiled with her as seeks to protect a young London pickpocket.

Alice and Blackwood's romance is a slow burn and is more introspective than Chase's previous, slightly mad-cap novels in the series. The elements that make this series so popular are still here but the witty banter is a bit more toned down.

Chase admits in her author's note that she struggled with writer's block while writing this novel. I think despite those struggles she produced a novel that examines Alice and Blackwood and helps them come to a mutual understanding. I would highly recommend this to any fans of the Difficult Dukes series and also would recommend that everyone read the first two books before reading this. While you can read it without them, the story is richer when you read this as part of the series.

Note: I received a complementary copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book reminds me of all the reasons I adore #historicalromance. It never gets old! I absolutely loved these characters and the #secondchance and #hefallsfirst tropes. This one had a little bit of everything in it. The reader is given a MFC that is independent and takes charge of her destiny when she sees clearly that the men in her life are destructive. We also get a MMC who thought he had more time to be a rogue and brush off responsibility, but has a harsh wake up call when the only woman who ever truly caught his eye decides she is going to marry and sets off to find herself a hand-picked husband. In the mix is a bit of mystery and goodwill storylines.I enjoyed the audio production of this book and will get myself a hard copy to re-read because there is so much to the storyline that I found it a bit harder to make sure I was tracking correctly with the audio version. Plus, this is one I'd like to add to my on shelf collection.

The combination of Loretta Chase's writing and Kate Reading's performance is perfection! Just a note that this series is best read in order (I have been so intrigued by what was going on with Alice and Blackwood's marriage since the first book) even though much of this book takes place before book 1. It is second chance and marriage in trouble and the incredibly classic Loretta Chase can this man get his act together to be worthy of this incredible woman. Highly recommend!!!

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!

🎧The narration was fantastic, but I needed a little more help to differentiate the POVs.

I didn't love this book or the narrator, but you know I'm always going to give my girl Loretta Chase five stars.

I always love a Loretta Chase book, however I had a hard time paying attention to the narrator. Her voice is so calm and even that I found myself losing large chunks of the story because I had not been able to focus on her voice. The parts of the story that I did hear were great and I purchased the book so I could finish the narrative.