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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
I took a break from historical romances for a while and just jumped back in with this book. Now I am bummed that my library doesn’t have the next books in AudioBooks.
I loved these characters and didn’t except the ending.
I loved these characters and didn’t except the ending.
This will definitely be an addicting series of books! These ladies are definitely spitfires that will surprise you at every turn. Arabella and Graham’s first meeting sent sparks flying, but they didn’t think their paths would cross again. Neither one is very good at following society’s rules and that just means they will surprise you with the things they do and say. I loved all their conversations and the passion between them.
I was on pins and needles when it came to the swindler and wondering what would happen when they found him. The shocking twist about who he was one I didn’t see coming at all! The ending was one of my favorites!
Arabella is nothing like you expect her to be and it’s clear from the start that she is a spitfire. She’s not shy about anything and wants to be apart of the action. I loved her right away with how she handled herself. She will shock you at times.
Graham may now by a duke, but the title hasn’t gone to his head at all. He doesn’t want to marry for money, but he desperately needs to pay off that loan. There is such a passion in him when it comes to talking about this history of his home, but the love for Arabella will force him to make hard choices.
I can’t wait for the next one in this series.
copy provided for an honest and voluntary review.
I was on pins and needles when it came to the swindler and wondering what would happen when they found him. The shocking twist about who he was one I didn’t see coming at all! The ending was one of my favorites!
Arabella is nothing like you expect her to be and it’s clear from the start that she is a spitfire. She’s not shy about anything and wants to be apart of the action. I loved her right away with how she handled herself. She will shock you at times.
Graham may now by a duke, but the title hasn’t gone to his head at all. He doesn’t want to marry for money, but he desperately needs to pay off that loan. There is such a passion in him when it comes to talking about this history of his home, but the love for Arabella will force him to make hard choices.
I can’t wait for the next one in this series.
copy provided for an honest and voluntary review.
I have been in a historical romance slump and this book brought me out of it.
A lot of historical romances have one poor character and one rich character to both create conflict but at the end have an easy HEA.
This story is different and enjoyable because both the characters do not have money and the main conflict is their attraction to each other despite both of them needing to marry for money.
There's sort of a mystery involving the circumstances of their finances and quite a few side characters in this romance universe (from both previous serieses and the next books in the series).
The main story kept me interested but the end resolution was a bit flat. Overall an ok fun read.
A lot of historical romances have one poor character and one rich character to both create conflict but at the end have an easy HEA.
This story is different and enjoyable because both the characters do not have money and the main conflict is their attraction to each other despite both of them needing to marry for money.
There's sort of a mystery involving the circumstances of their finances and quite a few side characters in this romance universe (from both previous serieses and the next books in the series).
The main story kept me interested but the end resolution was a bit flat. Overall an ok fun read.
medium-paced
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
When I requested this, I really swore I had read Darcy Burke before. Ironically, I may have dnf-ed the sort of companion book to this? But didn't get far enough to bother marking it?
Whatever the case, I'm glad I assumed otherwise and requested this.
Pros: the characterizations, hands down, and an enjoyable play against the usual the tropes (but not in the stereotypical "she's not like all the other girls" and "he's a rebel gentleman" way" you usually see). They're both pragmatic and practical about it, even if they waver between various feelings of guilt and embarrassment and acceptance about. For Arabella, marrying for wealth is the only way to rescue her family, even if she'd rather have an option for love or independence; it's the only option left. Graham's searching for another way for the money, but he knows marriage is the best way and he has to marry eventually anyway, right?
Spoiler-y pros:
Cons: A few of the motifs felt forced, or at least placed for future series set-up. The plot meandered a bit and felt a little flat, especially considering it has one of my favorite things (a con man/scheme). However... it also ended on a really good set-up that's going to make me search out the second book. (Even if I'm not sure how much I like the proposed pairing.)
tl;dr: This a was a solid, unconventionally fun 3.5 series starter that not only enticed me to look for book #2, but also convinced me I need to go look for more of Darcy Burke's stuff.
Disclaimer: Thanks Netgalley & publisher for the free ARC, with no incentive or coercion on your parts!
Whatever the case, I'm glad I assumed otherwise and requested this.
Pros: the characterizations, hands down, and an enjoyable play against the usual the tropes (but not in the stereotypical "she's not like all the other girls" and "he's a rebel gentleman" way" you usually see). They're both pragmatic and practical about it, even if they waver between various feelings of guilt and embarrassment and acceptance about. For Arabella, marrying for wealth is the only way to rescue her family, even if she'd rather have an option for love or independence; it's the only option left. Graham's searching for another way for the money, but he knows marriage is the best way and he has to marry eventually anyway, right?
Spoiler-y pros:
Spoiler
{Spoiler} I really appreciated that Arabella had been in love before and had no regrets or apologies about it, only a wistful remembrance about what might've been (and I was super surprised that he never did a surprise return for a conflict during the book considering he left England to make his fortune. Maybe he'll eventually be a character in a sequel?) and that Graham struggled with ~emotions and feelings~ before Arabella ever did. Also, I'm so happy that Arabella gave zero cares about St. Ives and had no bitterness, even when Graham felt awkward about his bff's role in her life. {/spoilers}Cons: A few of the motifs felt forced, or at least placed for future series set-up. The plot meandered a bit and felt a little flat, especially considering it has one of my favorite things (a con man/scheme). However... it also ended on a really good set-up that's going to make me search out the second book. (Even if I'm not sure how much I like the proposed pairing.)
tl;dr: This a was a solid, unconventionally fun 3.5 series starter that not only enticed me to look for book #2, but also convinced me I need to go look for more of Darcy Burke's stuff.
Disclaimer: Thanks Netgalley & publisher for the free ARC, with no incentive or coercion on your parts!
I quite enjoyed the book because I really liked the protagonist Arabella because she liked sex and she went and got her man without being shy about it. I can respect that.
The ending bothered me a bit because it was very convenient...
There were parts in the book where i felt the phrasing and the plot were repetitive but after the midpoint that stopped so thank God.
I wished the meeting between Graham and Tibbord was more climactic but i suppose it isnt meant for this book
Overall i quite enjoyed the book just the ending was a bit meh
The ending bothered me a bit because it was very convenient...
There were parts in the book where i felt the phrasing and the plot were repetitive but after the midpoint that stopped so thank God.
I wished the meeting between Graham and Tibbord was more climactic but i suppose it isnt meant for this book
Overall i quite enjoyed the book just the ending was a bit meh
Many thanks for a free copy of this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.
Never Have I Ever With A Duke, first of all, that title just got me laughing out loud, the kind of connotations that I could imagine with it, giggly, giggly…...
This book came at a very opportune moment, the covid crisis in our country has kind of zapped all the energy and positivity in our hearts leaving everyone scampering and worrying to death about AIR to breathe. Tensions and stress levels are rocket-high so the only escape is thru books and this one provided a much-needed break from the constant anxiety-riddled state that I have been in.
Darcy Burke begins a new series, The Spitfire Society with Never Have I Ever With A Duke and the beginning couldn’t have been any better. The protagonists of the story Arabella and Graham are both destitute and desperate to marry for the sake of financial status, Arabella to save her parents, and Graham to save the mansion that has been the pride of their family for ages.
Graham is an accidental duke and it shows in every single action of his, he’s kind and caring towards everyone and is still learning the ropes of the debt-ridden dukedom he has inherited. The interactions between Arabella and Graham had some fun moments especially the ones in the park where Graham takes it upon himself to be Arabella’s fencing tutor. Love that blossoms between the two of them could have been more in action, most of the realization occurs thru the monologues that Arabella and Graham seem to be having and it is in fact the desire that spurs the relationship forward. I loved Arabella’s characterization as someone who has no qualms about taking risks and who is willing to go the extra mile to be happy for the moment.
There are other characters in the story like Ripley and Colton and Arabella’s friends like Jane and Phoebe, the series continues with their adventures and I am looking forward to reading them soon.
Fun and light-hearted historical romance that makes one feel good, exactly what I wanted right now and for that, A Huge THANK YOU to Darcy Burke and Erica Ridley!
This review is published in my blog https://rainnbooks.com/, Goodreads, Amazon India, Facebook, and Twitter.
Never Have I Ever With A Duke, first of all, that title just got me laughing out loud, the kind of connotations that I could imagine with it, giggly, giggly…...
This book came at a very opportune moment, the covid crisis in our country has kind of zapped all the energy and positivity in our hearts leaving everyone scampering and worrying to death about AIR to breathe. Tensions and stress levels are rocket-high so the only escape is thru books and this one provided a much-needed break from the constant anxiety-riddled state that I have been in.
Darcy Burke begins a new series, The Spitfire Society with Never Have I Ever With A Duke and the beginning couldn’t have been any better. The protagonists of the story Arabella and Graham are both destitute and desperate to marry for the sake of financial status, Arabella to save her parents, and Graham to save the mansion that has been the pride of their family for ages.
Graham is an accidental duke and it shows in every single action of his, he’s kind and caring towards everyone and is still learning the ropes of the debt-ridden dukedom he has inherited. The interactions between Arabella and Graham had some fun moments especially the ones in the park where Graham takes it upon himself to be Arabella’s fencing tutor. Love that blossoms between the two of them could have been more in action, most of the realization occurs thru the monologues that Arabella and Graham seem to be having and it is in fact the desire that spurs the relationship forward. I loved Arabella’s characterization as someone who has no qualms about taking risks and who is willing to go the extra mile to be happy for the moment.
There are other characters in the story like Ripley and Colton and Arabella’s friends like Jane and Phoebe, the series continues with their adventures and I am looking forward to reading them soon.
Fun and light-hearted historical romance that makes one feel good, exactly what I wanted right now and for that, A Huge THANK YOU to Darcy Burke and Erica Ridley!
This review is published in my blog https://rainnbooks.com/, Goodreads, Amazon India, Facebook, and Twitter.
Reviewed on my blog, Becky on Books, on 8/28/19.
Never Have I Ever With a Duke is the first in Ms. Burke's Spitfire Society series, a spinoff of her Untouchables books. It will work fine as a standalone as it nicely sets up a new group of characters for readers to love; for those who have read the original series, several favorite characters will make guest appearances here to make you smile.
I really liked both Arabella and Graham; Ms. Burke made them both very likable. She gave them as good a reason that they couldn't be together (poverty and impending ruin in society if it is discovered) as she did a compelling one that they should (solid chemistry, helped along with fencing lessons...and an excellent recipe for butter biscuits.) Even as I wanted them to be together, I despaired that they would find a way to be able to.
I loved how Ms. Burke had the two of them working together to try to bring the swindler who caused their mutual financial distress to task; it made for some fun reading. I hate to admit, though, that though I was thrilled that they did find an HEA (of course they did! It is romance, after all...) the way that they achieved it just didn't have the impact that I had been hoping for--it felt a bit flat. Still, an HEA is an HEA--and apparently, the secret to a happy life is "love, butter biscuits, and a dog" so--mission accomplished.
I am eagerly anticipating the next book in the series, Ripley and Pheobe's story. Is it February yet? ;)
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Never Have I Ever With a Duke is the first in Ms. Burke's Spitfire Society series, a spinoff of her Untouchables books. It will work fine as a standalone as it nicely sets up a new group of characters for readers to love; for those who have read the original series, several favorite characters will make guest appearances here to make you smile.
I really liked both Arabella and Graham; Ms. Burke made them both very likable. She gave them as good a reason that they couldn't be together (poverty and impending ruin in society if it is discovered) as she did a compelling one that they should (solid chemistry, helped along with fencing lessons...and an excellent recipe for butter biscuits.) Even as I wanted them to be together, I despaired that they would find a way to be able to.
I loved how Ms. Burke had the two of them working together to try to bring the swindler who caused their mutual financial distress to task; it made for some fun reading. I hate to admit, though, that though I was thrilled that they did find an HEA (of course they did! It is romance, after all...) the way that they achieved it just didn't have the impact that I had been hoping for--it felt a bit flat. Still, an HEA is an HEA--and apparently, the secret to a happy life is "love, butter biscuits, and a dog" so--mission accomplished.
I am eagerly anticipating the next book in the series, Ripley and Pheobe's story. Is it February yet? ;)
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.