Allie overhears a plot to steal the Crown Jewels. She reports this to DI Drake, and together, they become caught up in sorting out the plot. And the thieves are coming for them.

I enjoyed this- while the title would have you inferring there is a Duke, there is not. They call Benedict Duke, but he doesn't even know who his father is. I liked that this a bit closer to the turn of the century than most historicals. It made it more interesting due to the technological and manufacturing advances. I also liked that this did not include members of the peerage. Normal people.

I also like both Ben and Allie. I liked their chemistry and their overall personalities. They worked well together and were interesting.

Karen Cass narrates the audiobook.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I’ve read by this prolific writer and I loved it! Now I need to start at the beginning and read her back catalogue!!! This was a first in a new series (The Prince's) and I thought it was pretty great. I loved the hard-headed female main character and her determination to do as she liked and not just stand by when things seemed amiss. The male main character was a man who thought he’d never marry or fall in love, until she came along. The reluctant love story for both characters was fun for a Victorian era novel and I’m sure not common in that time. I enjoyed the book the whole way through and definitely be reading more in the future by Ms. Carlyle.

Thank you for the ARC.

Overall, I found the story enjoyable. I would’ve preferred more tension, but it was a fun listen.

The narrator was decent.

Princes of London #1
The Duke and Lady Scandl
Christy Carlyle
This is the first book in the new series, A Princes of London Romance. The setting is Victorian London. The main female character, Alexandra Prince, is from a bluestocking family of treasure hunters; the lead male character, Detective Inspector Benedict Drake, is a member of Scotland Yard.
The Prince family, all except Alexandra, are off on another adventure. Alexandra has always lived in her sibling’s shadow. While they are searching the world for a treasure, she is left at home to manage the antique shop. She wants her own adventure. One day a group of people come into the shop whispering. Alexandra couldn’t help but eavesdrop on their conversation, they were planning to steal the Crown Jewels. How exciting! Alexandra knows this is her time for an adventure.
Alexandra rushed into the office of Benedict Drake, Detective Inspector. She attempts to tell him about the plan to steal the Crown Jewels. The usually serious DI does not take the beautiful woman seriously. He quickly sends her on her way; but it’s not that easy. She seems to be everywhere he goes. She could be determined to cause a scandal, or she could be trying to get his attention. Something happens that causes him to rethink her story; he is going to need her assistance if he is going to prevent the theft of the Crown Jewels.
I love this tale even if the term duke was just a nickname and the Princes is a last name. The main characters are well done. Allie is a strong, impetuous, messy person with a heart for others. Ben described himself as “not a people person.” “I don’t like people but somehow I like you”. The romance between Allie and Ben was sweet and slow. It would have been nice if the romance had been a little hotter and a little faster. The book itself is a fun and fast-paced read. The narrator, Karen Cass was great; she added depth to the characters through the tone of her voice. All in all this is a great read!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. My reviews are my personal opinions.

I really enjoyed the narration of this book—it brought the story to life and made for a fun, escapist read. The characters are well-developed and easy to root for. The mystery and cat-and-mouse detective plot provided a great backdrop for the central romance.

Interestingly, based on the cover, I expected the story to be a bit steamier. I’d rate it about a 3 out of 5 on the spice scale. That said, it’s still an excellent book overall, and I highly recommend it!

I must admit, I'm a bit of a sucker for a Bow Street/Met Police, etc., detective or law enforcement hero and Ben delivered all the elements that make me like this type of hero. I loved that he was a little bit tortured, very driven, extremely protective, but also very lonely. Alexandra exhibited that same loneliness and I loved seeing her shake up his regimented life and challenge his ideas of what he wanted for his life. I loved that we had a hero and heroine who worked for a living, no titles in sight. I loved how Allie and Ben came together and established a true relationship without shying away from their feelings. Even when Ben was afraid of their closeness causing harm to Allie, she remained steadfast and refused to allow herself to be left out of anything ever again, even a potentially dangerous situation. I loved the chemistry between these two, the mystery element of the story and especially how sweet tough guy Ben was with Alexandera. My only complaint is a wish that Ben's superior got an on page telling off. I look forward to more installments in this series and this is a book I'd read again.

I both read and listened to this book. The narrator was one I've never heard before, but I really liked her and hope to see her doing more narrations in the future.

I voluntarily read and listened to an advanced/audio advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Overall this book was fine and I enjoyed it. I wish it had a bit more tension/yearning. The cover felt a bit misleading in that respect. But I don't regret reading it, it was a good distraction and entertaining. Def recommend for anyone needing a fun weekend read.

The Duke and Lady Scandal is a new book from a respected and beloved author I've somehow never read before, but I found it delightful, and I now have an entire backlist to happily explore. The "Duke" is actually the nickname for a hard-working detective whose unknown father is rumored to be of the nobility. But that's of little importance to Benedict as his commitment lies in ferreting out the lowlife scum of London in the 1890s and not obsessing over his paternity. And Alexandra Prince is not scandalous; she's a hard-working, earnest, antique shop proprietress, intent on keeping her family business prosperous while her older siblings pursue adventure. Once she overhears a plot to steal the crown jewels, however, her attention shifts to crime prevention, and thus the "duke" and the "lady" are thrown together by cupid's fated arrow. The author instantly captured my attention and immersed me in the dark, foggy allies and let me hear the tinkling bell on the door of Alexandra's shop. The plot was believable, the dialog witty and intelligent, and the love story that grew between Ben and Allie was endearing. Karen Cass provided excellent narration. What a wonderful literary discovery for me!

I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

The mystery. The drama. The romance. I REALLY loved the non Bridgerton vibes that so many books are giving now. It's hard for me to read books that are written around this timeframe because I feel like SO much is influnced by the B'ton series/books/movies but this one stood on it's own. It gave me all the feels I was looking for from this era. The audio was *chefs kiss*.

I do wish there was a smidge more tension between the two MC's.

4.5 stars rounded up

I loved this. Christy Carlyle is a new author for me and she took a trope I’m getting pretty annoyed with lately— one professional, usually the MMC, plus an FMC who insists they can help with the mystery/adventure/intrigue despite having no applicable skills— and she still made it work for me. I’ve been running into this storyline so often, usually compiled with a hefty dose of misogyny, it makes me want to cry into Susan Lazarus’ skirts. But here, not only is Allie not overly insistent/doesn’t constantly insert herself when real danger is involved, but when she can help, Ben listens. Even when she’s being impulsive, she makes smart decisions. These two reach a lovely balance of partnership and it makes the story work all the better. Plus Allie is wonderfully autistic-coded, and we love the representation. Karen Cass does a solid job with the narration, giving the right inflections.

Oh and ps, for a book with the word Duke in the title and Prince in the series, there are no dukes or princes directly involved. (He’s nicknamed Duke, her last name is Prince.) Oh and she’s not a lady and isn’t terribly scandalous either. I wish HR marketing didn’t think titles are all histrom readers care about— honestly I’m so over dukes, so I was glad it was a misdirect.

Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins/Avon and HarperAudio for the ARC and ALC of this book to review.

I enjoyed the lead characters in this and as always carlyle creates lead characters with depth and nuance especially in those times. I listened to the audio book which was good to bring the characters alive.

This is a beautifully written story. The history and backstory was wonderfully done. I love the depth is the characters. All of the characters really leap off of the page. The plot was a wonderful thing to behold. I love how intricately balances the romance and the mystery were balanced. I highly recommend this book.

This was such a good story. It's a slow burn, mystery. The fact that Benedict allows and trusts Alexandra to help in his investigation is so awesome. I love how he is with her and that while he is worried he learns from his lessons and allows her to help him. Alexandra is an amazing character that doesn't allow doubts and fears to stop her. She reacts to what she is thinking about without letting what is appropriate stop her. Over all a very good investigation with a slow burn and happy ending.

The Duke and Lady Scandal by Christy Carlyle**
**Rating: 3.5⭐ (Story) | 4⭐ (Audiobook Narration)**

Alexandra Prince unexpectedly finds herself tangled in a plot to steal the crown jewels. Determined to do the right thing, she reports what she overheard—leading her straight to the intriguing Detective Inspector Benedict Drake.

While the premise had strong potential, the story unfortunately falls short of fully delivering on it. There are glimpses of intrigue and charm, but the plot and character development feel undercooked. It’s a light, easy read that works well as a palate cleanser, but if you're looking for richer writing and more layered storytelling, this might not hit the mark.

That said, the audiobook narration was a highlight, bringing the characters to life and helping to smooth over some of the weaker elements of the plot.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the ARC.**

3.8 stars! ⭐️ Huge thanks to HarperAudio for the ALC via NetGalley 💌

Okayyy so I have a confession: when I first saw this, I deadass requested it just for the cover. It gave vintage scandal, flirty danger, maybe a sexy Duke?? The title literally had “duke” in it so I thought the mmc was gonna be some brooding nobleman or whatever. Then I opened the ALC, read the blurb, and… plot twist—he’s not a duke. He just gets called Duke as a joke at work. I felt bamboozled but intrigued.

So what’s it about?
Allie Prince runs her family’s antique shop while her siblings are off treasure-hunting across the world. She’s tired of being the one stuck behind, tired of waiting for her own adventure. Cue eavesdropping on some shady convo at a café about stealing the Crown Jewels. Naturally, she storms into Scotland Yard and demands to speak to someone. That someone is Ben “Duke” Drake, the straight-laced, rules-are-my-religion detective who thinks Allie’s wild theory is nonsense…until it’s not.

This book is basically:
National Treasure (but British) + Victorian London + girlboss antiquarian with main character energy + serious detective boy who learns to loosen up + just enough heisty chaos to keep you turning the page.

Tropes:
🕰️ Opposites Attract
🔍 Grumpy/Sunshine
🕰️ Heist/Adventure
🔍 Amateur Sleuth
🕰️ Mystery Solving Couple
🔍 Girlboss Heroine
🕰️ Detective Romance

Things I liked:
✧ Allie! She’s not a perfect heroine she’s impulsive, a lil chaotic, and occasionally does too much but she’s got heart.
✧ Ben/Duke was giving strong “I don’t like people but somehow I like you” vibes, and honestly I live for that.
✧ Karen Cass crushed the narration. She gave Allie so much personality and Ben such quiet depth.
✧ Loved that it wasn’t about rich nobility and ballrooms for once. A shopkeeper and a detective?? We’re eating.

But also...
✧ The romance? Cute. Sweet. But it was kind of instalovey and I wanted more tension. Like…give me a hallway stare. A "we almost touched hands" moment. Something!
✧ And listen…the cover gave spice, but the book? More like a light simmer. I’m not mad, just misled lol.

This was a fun & fast-paced read. Definitely not a flawless gem, but worth the read if you're into adventurous romances with strong leads and a dash of heist-y energy. I’ll check out the next book for sure—hoping we get deeper plots and maybe a sprinkle more heat.

Final verdict:
Unexpectedly sweet, mildly chaotic, and sprinkled with mystery. Allie and Ben had potential—they just needed a few more stolen glances and one less unresolved subplot.

I truly enjoyed the narration of this one! I felt like the voices for the different characters was distinct and also I loved the fact that the story maintained its clarity when listening at varying speeds. This was my first audiobook by Karen Cass and I truly enjoyed her narration she really highlighted Christy Carlyle's writing.

I love the strength and determination of Alexandra's character. How her childhood illnesses kept her from going with her family on their expeditions and how she was left to run the shop, which she did with a talent no one truly understood. I loved her energy and her need to do what she felt was right even if it put her in harms way. I also truly loved how she took control of her life in any way that she could especially when it came to showing Benedict Drake what she truly wanted.

I was instantly smitten with Detective Inspector Benedict Drake. He could protect me all day long. Place me under house arrest inspector... I truly enjoyed seeing his character adapt to the challenges that Alexandra presented. How he still went to investigate her claim even though he was sure it wasn't going to pan out. And how he enlisted the private detective Fitzroy to keep an eye on the coffee house. I also loved how Alexandra came to his rescue and saved the day in more than one instance.

The Duke and Lady Scandal Honest ARC Review:

4 stars
Alexandra Prince is a strong FMC who works at her family Antique shop and longs for adventure. Being sick as a child, Alexandra was not able to travel as her siblings had.

After overhearing a conversation where men plotted to steal the Crown Jewels. One of the men stopped in her family’s shop to ask about cutting a gem. Her family’s shop was broken into and left in disarray. Trouble seemed to be mounting and Alexandra felt it was time she intervened.

Benedict Drake, also known as the Duke is a police inspector who tirelessly works to gain a promotion. While he doesn’t seem to take Alexandra seriously at first, the two soon have opportunity to join forces.

Join forces they do!! This steamy novel is paced well, interesting and full of the adventure that Alexandra craves. Ben’s superior at work questions his relationship with Alexandra and calls his relationship a distraction. Ben must prove himself to Alexandra as well as his colleagues.

This is the first novel I have read from this Author and I really enjoyed it! I look forward to reading more from her.

Thank you so much for sharing this ARC with me.

An independent, excitable lady meets a hard, beautiful constable and the story ensues. I really enjoyed that there was a fast paced storyline to go along with the list and yearning. I’d say 2 🌶️ with a 4 for the story. I read it all in a little over a day was loved it. I can’t wait for the next story in the series and I am really hoping it’s of the FMC’s bff.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio Adult for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

The Duke and Lady Scandal is more historical mystery than historical romance. The main characters are likable and the story is fast paced. The narrator does a nice job voicing a wide cast of characters.

This was a lovely start to a series, I loved both of the main characters, and their romance was so sweet. I was a tiny bit confused about the jewel thief, the reasoning, and some of the how's, but overall, it was thoroughly enjoyable. Her two siblings will be amazing to follow as well.