Flaherty is a member of the Duke’s Guard. He was recently shot twice and is still recovering. He doesn’t understand why Mary Kate hasn’t visited him since he woke up from being shot. Mary Kate is Lady Calliope’s lady maid and helps to take care of Lady Calliope’s son. She feels like Flaherty would have come to her or sent for her as he was healing if he wants to see her. They have to talk to figure out their future together but there are things keeping them apart.

This story is different from others in the series because the main focus isn't the bad guy. It is more about the men of the Duke’s Guard. Flaherty and Mary Kate haven’t spoken in a while due to a misunderstanding. As they find their way back to each other, a bad guy becomes dangerous. Once the bad guy makes his move, Flaherty has to decide what matters to him the most. The men of the Duke’s Guard are totally committed to protecting the people they are assigned to protect even though the job is very dangerous. The men are also starting families of their own and their world views are changing. I really enjoyed how the author showed the conflict and how the world is changing.

This was a good addition to this series. It changes the dynamics in the series and I look forward to reading how the changes will play out.

This was my first book by C. H. Admirand and I very much enjoyed both the story and the writing. It is very refreshing to read a story about ordinary people and not only nobility. Seamus and Mary Kate were both very likeable characters, who overcame quite a few trials and had to dig for their inner strength to stay together. Mary Kate is a wonderful balance of sweet and strong personality, and Seamus is a perfect hero. I loved the family interplay here and the strong support the characters got from them. Even though I started the series on book 13, it is well written such that it can be read as a standalone.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for an advance copy of this book!

Starting a series at #13 wasn’t going to be easy, given the character name-dropping. As a result, it should be no surprise that it took a few more chapters than usual to get invested in the story, and what a story it turned out to be! I look forward to exploring the back inventory of C. H. Admirand’s Irish band of brothers and cousins who protect the extended family if an English duke. This tale provided lots of satisfying action, drama and passion as the men took a stand, showing their employers that their own families were deserving of first place in the hearts and honour, love before duty.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the free ARC. Opinions stated here are wholly my own.

I always look forward to another great read from CH Admirand! Seamus Flaherty felt the Viscount he worked for needed to be aware his wife was just as important and needed protection as much as his wife and family. I like that the women in their lives have a say in events and when apologies were needed, they were given! It was fun to catch up with the Duke's Guard and their growing families!!

Thank you NetGalley. Now it is the Flaherty brothers who will find their mates. Mary Kate is thanking Garahan's the one who saved her and Seamus is jealous. They are suppose to be courting. He finds out to farrier thinks Mary Kate likes him and he is going to kidnap her. he and his cousin get her back and send the man to the constable. They decide to marry right away to stop the man from thinking she is available. That doesn't help. Then Seamus and the Viscount get into it about which wife a guard would think of first to protect. This brings about all of the married cousins getting involved. I don't want to ruin the story but you must follow it for yourself.

this historical romance our heroine is the poor relation. She has been lovingly taken into her cousin's household to be a chaperone and companion for her debut season. Unfortunately the trouble starts at the first event.
Our hero is the target of a young lady with lots of ideas, and only sees one way of getting what she wants.
This is a very amusing story with wonderful characters. Everybody means well even when they do something silly. Is there any way they can all be happy? Read it and see.
I loved it.

Another outstanding story about members of the Duke's Guard. Seamus and Mary Kate have been secondary characters in several earlier stories, with their on-again-off-again relationship simmering in the background. I've looked forward to seeing them get their act together.

Mary Kate's sunny personality is a result of feeling safe after her recent trials and tribulations. Her habit of bestowing her smiles on everyone (including other men) stirs up Seamus's jealousy. His quick temper, combined with his jealousy, causes him to doubt Mary Kate's feelings for him. Their relationship, complicated by something he said under the influence of fever-related delirium, drives her away from him.

Both Mary Kate and Seamus suffer from their separation, each doubting the other's feelings. I laughed a bit at Seamus's moping and the hard time he gets from his cousins. His shock when they revealed what he had said to her was genuine, and I loved his realization that he needed to make amends. Meanwhile, Mary Kate's self-doubts intensified after the incident. I loved the support she received from her friends and how they helped reunite the couple.

However, another man wants Mary Kate for himself and refuses to accept her rejection. His actions put Mary Kate in life-threatening situations that kept me glued to the pages until they were resolved. But the aftermath of this event creates a strain between Seamus and his employer, the viscount, that leads to Seamus making a drastic decision. I loved the support he received from his cousins and brothers. I loved seeing the efforts made to resolve the situation. As usual, it seems that the ladies play a significant role in resolving thorny issues.

The epilogue was fantastic. It's always fun to get a peek into the futures of these fantastic characters.

Mary Kate and Seamus story is wonderful as we see Mary Kate's super sunny personality cause Seamus mountains of angst. Seamus is part of the Duke's Champions and has a wealth of relatives that are brought back into the story. It's delightful to spend time with old friends from the other 12 stories in this series. From one of the top authors, this is a fantastic series that you won't want to put down.

The Duke’s Champion by C H Admirand is another in her Duke’s Guard series and features Seamus Flaherty and his lady love, Mary Kate. Seamus has been shot, twice, and when he finally comes around he believes he had been dreaming when he had seen Mary Kate. As it turns out she had been by his side for five days and nights, until he told her to leave. She did. When he discovered what he had done he was disconsolate and wondered how to fix it. Groveling. Things were difficult as the pair didn’t live at the same property, but he would find a way. Then, when he went to see her he noticed her flirting with the blacksmith. As it turns out she smiled at everyone but both he and the blacksmith were too involved to notice that fact. Things got serious when the blacksmith decided to take Mary Kate and make her his own. Seamus was on that immediately.

Lots of cousins worked for the Duke and his family, so Seamus always had backup. These men are terrific characters and their lady loves are as unique as they are numerous. Guarding the duke is no easy thing, but they manage it handily. As are the others, Seamus is as loyal as the day is long and honorable as well. All he wants is to marry Mary Kate and start his own family. Things keep getting in the way. He decides to resign after a set-to and things get serious. They are terrific characters living in a dangerous time. The romance is fairly simple and ends happily. The plot is entertaining and the pacing is good. All the characters are well-known to Admirand’s readers. We keep coming back so obviously we love them.

I was invited to read The Duke’s Champion by Dragonblade. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #CHAdmirand #TheDukesChampion

Mary Kate Donovan has had Flaherty tied up in knots from the moment he pulled her free from the duke’s overturned carriage. But the lass hasn’t been saving her smiles only for Flaherty—and worse, she seems to have forgotten his rescuing her, telling everyone of Garahan’s earlier rescue when she was kicked to the curb by Lady Kittrick’s cook. A suitor who cannot take no for an answer, despite Mary Kate’s insistence that she and Flaherty are courting, causes a rift between the two, leaving Flaherty to doubt Mary Kate’s feelings, until he regains consciousness bound hand and foot next to her…in a burning barn!
The thirteenth book in the engrossing series. I was expecting another tale of the Duke’s Guard protecting the Duke & his family but this book was different as Seamus & Mary Kate were very much centre stage. The couple had been courting before Seamus was shot twice, he develops a fever & it’s whilst he’s starting to recover when things go pear shaped. I loved both Seamus & Mary Kate & thoroughly enjoyed their story, the chemistry sizzled but it was how Seamus stood up to William, which was justified but also gained Seamus a lot of support, that showed how vital the Guard were. A very well written captivating book
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

A rather different story from this series. Normally they are protecting the Duke and the extended family. This time Seamus and Mary Kate have to fight not only a villain, but an “enemy within.” I read half way through the book before I realized how different this one was and it is a gem. Seamus’s fiery temper gets in the way, but not before he uses it for the good of his family. I adored Mary Kate’s ferociousness, even in the face of real danger. We get to revisit with some of the others in this series and it was great to see them. I never realized how important each member of the guard truly was until the “house of cards” began to fall. Interesting bent on our lovely Irishmen and worth the read. At least the author “disguised” the f-bomb -but still there was a lot of it (Thus the 4 stars)

I received this story for free and these are my own views

Absolutely loved the storyline and especially the two main characters Mary Kate and Seamus. I loved Seamus as he is a force to be reckoned with and Mary Kate is the only one to tame him. The story is well written and very entertaining. There is action and danger throughout the story but things work out. It’s alsogreat to see characters from previous stories make appearances throughout this one. I love that the story shows the inner strength that Mary Kate and the other wives possessed. It’s a great story that is worth your time to read.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and are voluntarily leaving a review.