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lauraanne9's review
3.0
3.5 Stars
Historical romances are difficult. You have to not only build a believable romance, but you have to do it in such a way that the reader remains interested in the story and the characters, while not being bogged down by the historical portion or left bored due to the lack of sexual encounters...yes, they happen, but it is more often a slow burn for the historical romance trope.
Nicholas and Violet had a past, and a relationship that was broken up by things out of their control. So, seeing one another again after years was both painful and enjoyable in the way that seeing those people you thought were totally gone from your life can be...joyous and heart-wrenching.
I loved the emotion of the book, the push and pull with Nick and Violet, the idea that both of them had reasons not to think that they should be together, but that they wanted to be with one another and figuring out how to make that work.
I loved the house party and the Bath setting, as so often books in England are set in London, so this was a refreshing change.
At the end, events that seem maybe a little far-fetched are what leads them to admitting that they want to be together and I was hoping for more of a character driven rather than plot driven reconciliation, but it worked for me overall.
I enjoyed this title.
***This and other reviews featured on our blog Booked All Night http://bookedallnightblog.com/ ***
Historical romances are difficult. You have to not only build a believable romance, but you have to do it in such a way that the reader remains interested in the story and the characters, while not being bogged down by the historical portion or left bored due to the lack of sexual encounters...yes, they happen, but it is more often a slow burn for the historical romance trope.
Nicholas and Violet had a past, and a relationship that was broken up by things out of their control. So, seeing one another again after years was both painful and enjoyable in the way that seeing those people you thought were totally gone from your life can be...joyous and heart-wrenching.
I loved the emotion of the book, the push and pull with Nick and Violet, the idea that both of them had reasons not to think that they should be together, but that they wanted to be with one another and figuring out how to make that work.
I loved the house party and the Bath setting, as so often books in England are set in London, so this was a refreshing change.
At the end, events that seem maybe a little far-fetched are what leads them to admitting that they want to be together and I was hoping for more of a character driven rather than plot driven reconciliation, but it worked for me overall.
I enjoyed this title.
***This and other reviews featured on our blog Booked All Night http://bookedallnightblog.com/ ***
choirlady76's review
5.0
Wow, this book just sucked me in from the first sentence! I couldn't put it down! Burke is truly one of the best authors out there, her writing style is impeccable and very unique. She draws the reader into the characters’ lives right from the get-go and we can't help but fall in love with them, care for them, and root for them!
Our H of this tale, Nicholas Bateman is a torn soul who has become so cold, stern, and isolated, nobody would want to be in his presence. However, he does open up his home and takes a wife, but she must keep to what he desires and that is absolutely no emotional attachment whatsoever. Well, the lady who becomes his wife isn't so sure she can do that; Lady Violet has always loved Nicholas but can she accept his terms and keep herself aloof and not allow her love to pour out? Will Nicholas begin to melt and allow his heart to warm and love once again?
A truly fantastic read that I would highly suggest to any historical romance lover! I highly recommend this book as well as the whole series! Dynamite, just dynamite!
Our H of this tale, Nicholas Bateman is a torn soul who has become so cold, stern, and isolated, nobody would want to be in his presence. However, he does open up his home and takes a wife, but she must keep to what he desires and that is absolutely no emotional attachment whatsoever. Well, the lady who becomes his wife isn't so sure she can do that; Lady Violet has always loved Nicholas but can she accept his terms and keep herself aloof and not allow her love to pour out? Will Nicholas begin to melt and allow his heart to warm and love once again?
A truly fantastic read that I would highly suggest to any historical romance lover! I highly recommend this book as well as the whole series! Dynamite, just dynamite!
laffingkat's review
3.0
The Duke of Ice is the seventh book in [a:Darcy Burke|5823441|Darcy Burke|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1507321163p2/5823441.jpg]'s The Untouchables series, which starts with [b:The Forbidden Duke|29417844|The Forbidden Duke (The Untouchables, #1)|Darcy Burke|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1457114337s/29417844.jpg|49675978]. It is perfectly enjoyable on its own, although I do recommend the entire series to fans of historical romance who don't mind sexually explicit content, including sex outside of wedlock.
I love a good second chance love story, and this story is well-written and generally a fun diversion, though not one of the more swoon-worthy entries in the series. The pacing was good and the story held my interest. Both of the main characters were developed well enough that it was easy to understand why they reacted the way they did, and quite a few of the secondary characters were developed well enough to take on a life of their own as well. In fact, our hero Nick's best friend Simon rather stole the show at times, and I really enjoyed reading about all of the young people's games and flirtations at the house party.
My biggest complaint with this book is that although I could understand the main characters, I still found their behavior frustrating at times. I'm not a fan of self-sacrifice, and both main characters were, in their own way, prone to try to sacrifice themselves at times. The hero spent much of the book determined to wallow in loneliness and pain rather than seizing a chance at happiness. I understand how past trauma can cause a person to act like that, but I read for pleasure, not to be frustrated. Still, all turns out well in the end, although that ending seemed a bit sudden.
Overall, this was not one of my favorites of this series, but I would still recommend it to fans of historical romance because I think the entire series is quite good. And I really want to know what happens to Simon, so I am anxiously awaiting the next book, [b:The Duke of Ruin|37759534|The Duke of Ruin (The Untouchables Book 8)|Darcy Burke|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1514480310s/37759534.jpg|59386660], which is expected in March 2018.
I volunteered to review an advanced reader copy of this book.
I love a good second chance love story, and this story is well-written and generally a fun diversion, though not one of the more swoon-worthy entries in the series. The pacing was good and the story held my interest. Both of the main characters were developed well enough that it was easy to understand why they reacted the way they did, and quite a few of the secondary characters were developed well enough to take on a life of their own as well. In fact, our hero Nick's best friend Simon rather stole the show at times, and I really enjoyed reading about all of the young people's games and flirtations at the house party.
My biggest complaint with this book is that although I could understand the main characters, I still found their behavior frustrating at times. I'm not a fan of self-sacrifice, and both main characters were, in their own way, prone to try to sacrifice themselves at times. The hero spent much of the book determined to wallow in loneliness and pain rather than seizing a chance at happiness. I understand how past trauma can cause a person to act like that, but I read for pleasure, not to be frustrated. Still, all turns out well in the end, although that ending seemed a bit sudden.
Overall, this was not one of my favorites of this series, but I would still recommend it to fans of historical romance because I think the entire series is quite good. And I really want to know what happens to Simon, so I am anxiously awaiting the next book, [b:The Duke of Ruin|37759534|The Duke of Ruin (The Untouchables Book 8)|Darcy Burke|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1514480310s/37759534.jpg|59386660], which is expected in March 2018.
I volunteered to review an advanced reader copy of this book.
melissadeemcdaniel's review
3.0
If it wasn’t for the hard fact that romance novels must end with a happily ever after, I would have seriously doubted whether Violet and Nick could make it. They have drifted far from their young selves who rashly fell in love and planned to elope. Both have been married, widowed, and endured disappointments in the years they’ve been apart. Nick’s reaction has been to retreat into himself and become the “Duke of Ice”. Violet has resigned herself to a lonely life as a widow. When they meet again, those resolutions are challenged.
Darcy Burke writes a satisfying page-turner of a novel!
Darcy Burke writes a satisfying page-turner of a novel!
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