Sophie's marriage to the Duke of Malvern has been arranged for years, but in the lead up to the wedding, it's clear that the one she wants is not Malvern, but instead his younger brother, Shay. The feelings are far from unrequited, and while both of them have no way of breaking the contract that binds Sophie to his brother, Shay makes it clear to Malvern that he will not tolerate Malvern hurting Sophie. The day before the wedding, the brothers fight and it ends in a fire that kills Malvern, and leaves Shay horribly scarred and reeling from the guilt of his brother's death (granted, his brother was no peach). Five years later, Sophie is newly engaged when Shay arrives to tell her that the contract signed years ago didn't specify which Duke of Malvern, and he now holds the title. Once the two are married, they face plotting family members, self-loathing, and a barrage of other issues, but the love they had for each other years ago still burns bright.

This was so much fun, and deserves so many cheers for avoiding defaulting to silly misunderstandings that separate Sophie and Shay. Their problems are very real but once on the same page, they work together to find solutions. I'm a big fan of romances that let the couples actually take on their external issues together rather than being forced apart by the narrative. Shay is such a good hero because while he is troubled from the fire, he is never cruel to Sophie or the people around him. It's easy to understand why Sophie fell for him and continued to love him despite his disappearance from her life for so long.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lady Sophie Winter was betrothal to John Douglass who was the heir to the Dukedom of Malvern. When he dies in a tragic fire she believes the contract is no longer valid.

Shay Douglass is the second son of the Duke of Malvern and brother of John Douglass. He is secretly in love with Sophie and blames himself for the death of his brother.

When Sophie is about to make a big mistake by marrying a fortune hunter, Shay enforces the marriage contract stating that she is to marry the Duke of Malvern which is him. Sophie is not happy that Shay has come back into her life since she believes he abandoned her after the fire. Shay does not feel that he deserves to have a happy marriage but is determined to save Sophie. Will they both be able to move from the past to embrace a future together?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!! It was such an emotional roller coaster with all the twists and turns before Sophie and Shay got to their happily ever after. I liked both Sophie and Shay’s characters and really felt what they were going through in their journey together. The secondary characters were absolutely wonderful and really added to the story. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait for the next book in the series!!

Sophie from the age of 12 was meant to marry the heir of the Duke of Malvern . But when she met the heir John and his younger brother Shay the younger brother was the one who was polite and friendly to her . After a terrible accident and the Duke's death now Shay is the Duke of Malvern and because he is covered with burn scars he has no desire to marry Sophie , When Sophie is getting engaged he appears and demand they marry or he will have to bankrupt her father . Even though he loves her he blames himshelf for the death of his brother so their marriage will be only in name . Sophie at first is angry with him but she realises that he loves her and will do everything to heals his scars that run into his soul and together they will fight his enemies .
I received this book from netgalley , the author and the publicer as an ARC . Thank you . All thoughts and opinions are my own .

I loved "The Duke's Only Desire"! Sophie and Shay are such dynamic characters and you are rooting for them the entire time. I read this in one sitting and could not devour it fast enough. Fans of Mary Balogh who want a faster pace and more spice will love this book. 10/10!

Lady Sophie Winter and Shay Douglass had a connection from the moment they met. But she was already contracted for marriage to his older brother...until a terrible accident changed everything. Years later, Shay returns to enforce the old marriage contract that weds her to the Duke of Malvern...now him.

This is the third book in The Dukes of Darkness series. The previous heroes show up briefly, but this story can stand alone.

This was another interesting book from Harrington! At only twelve years old, Sophie is contracted into a betrothal to the future Duke of Malvern, to occur when she turned 18. Shay's older brother, John, was a mean-spirited drunk who was angry about the marriage and planned on treating Sophie badly just because he could. But Shay showed Sophie kindness and the two struck up a friendship, writing letters back and forth for years. After John's accidental death, Shay retreated into solitude, blaming himself. But when Sophie is about to become engaged to a scoundrel, Shay steps in with the original contract.

Even though the leads very much wanted to be together, Shay spent a lot of time punishing himself and trying to stay away. Just when I had about had it with his moping, the book took an interesting turn. I was glad to see "something else" bring the couple together instead of pushing them farther apart.

Tropes: Sibling's Suitor, Arranged Marriage, Beauty & Beast/Scarred Hero

Steam: 4

* I received an ARC and this is my honest review

This book was a mix of highs and lows for me. On one hand, the romance between Sophie and Shay had some really tender moments, and I enjoyed the exploration of guilt, redemption, and fighting for happiness. The characters had depth, and their journey felt genuine in many ways.

However, the story leaned heavily into drama—almost too much for my taste. Every time things seemed to settle, another crisis appeared, which made the pacing feel a bit uneven. While I appreciate emotional intensity, it sometimes felt like the characters were drowning in conflict without much room to breathe.

The writing itself was solid, and the romantic tension was well done, but the overload of dramatic twists made it hard for me to fully immerse myself in the story. It’s not a bad book by any means—it has some great moments—but it didn’t completely win me over. Decent, but not unforgettable. I'm giving it 3 ⭐.

If you are as fond of a scarred hero and a second chances love story as much as I am, this is an amazing book for you. The story is about Sophie and Shay, who find their way to happiness, despite inner and outer turmoil in their lives. The writing is fantastic and very engaging and there is just the right spiciness to the novel. It kept my attention from start to finish and was very original, with no tried and true or tired angles to it.

Sophie meets Shay the second son of a Duke when she was a child and her grandmother betrothed her to the next Duke.
She grows up dreading her marriage.but she continues to write to Shay in the Army and their friendship happens easily.
A tragic event on the eve of her wedding leads to guilt and recrimations.
As Shay later attempts to save her from a horrible engagement and wedding, the two of them must come to grips with their feelings and new circumstances.
Emotional and wonderful, absolutely loved it.
Series has been easy to read and become engrossed in the lives and loves of the Dukes.

This was a great book. Well written with lots of character depth. I went through a bunch of emotions reading this book, I was sad, I was excited, I was happy with the ending. The hero Shay is just so guilt ridden and I loved his valets spunk. The heroine deserved her happiness and boy did she fight for it. She was a terrific firebrand. Great read.

#netgalley #TheDukesOnlyDesire

Sophie and Shay have always liked each other. Sophie is determined to honor the marriage contract that her grandmother made with the family to marry his older brother John. John dies on the night before the wedding in a fire that also scars Shay. Shay, feeling guilty over his brother's death, pushes Sophie away from him. When Shay hears she is about to marry a cruel fortune hunter, he steps back into her life to protect her. Always protective of her, but not feeling good enough for her, Shay must overcome these issues if he and Sophie are to be happy. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for my honest review.

Amazing work the writer did an excellent work on this project I can’t wait for the next chapter and to the characters I love how they made it look so real I really wish they can make it into a movie for people to watch because this book is extraordinarily good and I really love it