Scan barcode
camrelind's review against another edition
3.0
It was cute, but I found myself skipping over parts, after the halfway mark. We love a brooding man, but still, sometimes I had to roll my eyes at Dalton's refusal to let Thea love him.
Also I did NOT enjoy the twist at the end. It was too left field.
Also I did NOT enjoy the twist at the end. It was too left field.
jcmbank's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lilyelement's review against another edition
4.0
If I Only Had a Duke is book two in The Disgraceful Dukes series. I adored LBell's debut book and had to get my hands on this one before book three came out. I actually managed to snag this on sale for $1.99 via Amazon and strongly recommend you grab this series if you enjoy Historical Romance. It's a lovely mix of romance with a dash of humor tossed in.
Lady Dorothea Beaumont is spending some time in her Aunt's Irish estate after two unsuccessful and embarrassing seasons. After seeing a lovely painting hiding away at the Duke of Osborne's estate, she writes him a letter asking if he'd be willing to let her catalog his collection. With several playful letters back and forth Dorothea is called back to London for another attempt at finding a husband. What she didn't count on was the Dalton the Duke of Osborne being there. He's convinced she's trying to lure him into marriage when she really wants nothing of the sort. He decides to dance the first waltz with Dorothea in attempts to make her popular with the gentlemen again. It surprisingly was very successful much to Dorthea's horror, and she wants to head back to her aunt's Ireland estate to avoid being married off to someone she doesn't love. Her escort is none other than Dalton and you just know entertaining scenes will ensue along their journey.
If you've read book one, you've already been introduced to Lady Dorothea. Her half sister Charlene impersonated Lady Dorothea and landed herself a Duke in book one. So we have a tiny bit of knowledge about her beforehand but not too much. I was glad to see more details on Dorothea and rather enjoyed how independent her character was. I really enjoyed this novel, though was a tiny bit sad there wasn't as many laugh out loud scenes as there was in book one. That honestly is the only complaint that I can think of. All in all, this was a wonderful sequel and I cannot wait to read book three. If you're a fan of Historical Romance, do yourself a favor and grab this series immediately.
Lady Dorothea Beaumont is spending some time in her Aunt's Irish estate after two unsuccessful and embarrassing seasons. After seeing a lovely painting hiding away at the Duke of Osborne's estate, she writes him a letter asking if he'd be willing to let her catalog his collection. With several playful letters back and forth Dorothea is called back to London for another attempt at finding a husband. What she didn't count on was the Dalton the Duke of Osborne being there. He's convinced she's trying to lure him into marriage when she really wants nothing of the sort. He decides to dance the first waltz with Dorothea in attempts to make her popular with the gentlemen again. It surprisingly was very successful much to Dorthea's horror, and she wants to head back to her aunt's Ireland estate to avoid being married off to someone she doesn't love. Her escort is none other than Dalton and you just know entertaining scenes will ensue along their journey.
If you've read book one, you've already been introduced to Lady Dorothea. Her half sister Charlene impersonated Lady Dorothea and landed herself a Duke in book one. So we have a tiny bit of knowledge about her beforehand but not too much. I was glad to see more details on Dorothea and rather enjoyed how independent her character was. I really enjoyed this novel, though was a tiny bit sad there wasn't as many laugh out loud scenes as there was in book one. That honestly is the only complaint that I can think of. All in all, this was a wonderful sequel and I cannot wait to read book three. If you're a fan of Historical Romance, do yourself a favor and grab this series immediately.
cdb393's review against another edition
2.0
This book just didn't work for me. I didn't feel a connection to the characters, except at the very I end I started feeling one with the hero. I just never bought into their romance or the circumstances they find themselves in. I enjoyed the first book in the series and plan to check out the next, but I can't recommend this one.
hollish's review against another edition
4.0
I'm really enjoying Lenora Bell! this one wasn't quite as strong for me as How the Duke Was Won, but I still cheered for Dalton and Thea. I swooned, I laughed, I ended satisfied.
samantha_reads_more's review against another edition
3.0
Ok, well this was an amusing story to me. The strong, independent wallflower and all that... But I literally think I've read almost this exact same book from another author. The disgraced Duke with his overly familiar (but lovable) manservant.... Meh. Maybe I just need to jump out of the genre for a bit.
Also, I'm aware this is book 2. I am not going to read book 1, it was OVER THE TOP RIDICULOUS. I'm also not going to be reading book 3 either. Too many negative reviews.....
Also, I'm aware this is book 2. I am not going to read book 1, it was OVER THE TOP RIDICULOUS. I'm also not going to be reading book 3 either. Too many negative reviews.....
booksnarks's review against another edition
4.0
"Fate had been very clear about one thing - whether lingering or in one agonizing blow, love died.
Brothers drowned. Mother faded into wraiths.
And melting blue-grey eyes couldn't dull his pain any better than a bottle of brandy."
This was really sweet! There are several things that I really enjoyed about this.
First, it starts of great, with several correspondences send between Thea and Dalton, and you can just tell by those letters, that they would eventually be really good together.
That's another aspect that I really liked about the book - Thea and Dalton's romance. They were just so good for each other and always in each other's corners, and trusting one another (for the most part). If I have one tiny complain is that Thea forgave Dalton way too fast after she screwed up towards the end of the book. I kinda wanted him to suffer more for making her suffer. Because Thea was and awesome heroine! She wasn't a Mary Sue, she was accomplished and beautiful and insecure yet strong at the same time.
The overall story didn't exactly hold my interest, and I thought the end was wrapped up too fast, but hey, we read historical romances for their romances after all!
hopevollm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Thea and Dalton were great characters and I was so invested. They were so into each other and I was dying for someone to make a move. I love how Thea learned to stand up for herself. I was also super into the revenge plot. And great side characters.
phoenixinthecity's review against another edition
5.0
My first Lenora Bell and I loved it - first for the epistolary prologue and the witty wordplay.
Thea was the perfect, accomplished daughter who was sequestered away from other children and when she was finally out in society to catch a husband with her perfect lady-ness, she failed utterly because she had no idea how to socialize.
She comes into her own when she meets her duke and she’s an absolute delight. I loved that in her made up cover story on the run, the 3 kids she and “Mr. Jones” have are named Melisande, Mirabelle and Michaelmas, who is a girl because “she was born on the holy day, poor thing.”
Further shenanigans ensue as they make their way to Ireland and long story short, Dalton the duke messes up, pushes her away, but he manages to pull his head out of his ass and they loved HEA.
Great side characters in Con the bodyguard/manservant who conspired against Dalton to get him and Thea together. It was reather tidy that the sweetheart Con had left behind ended up being Molly’s mother. Molly was a delight as well, with her enthusiasm to be a cabin boy on one of Dalton’s ships and her voracious reading habits.
Thea was the perfect, accomplished daughter who was sequestered away from other children and when she was finally out in society to catch a husband with her perfect lady-ness, she failed utterly because she had no idea how to socialize.
She comes into her own when she meets her duke and she’s an absolute delight. I loved that in her made up cover story on the run, the 3 kids she and “Mr. Jones” have are named Melisande, Mirabelle and Michaelmas, who is a girl because “she was born on the holy day, poor thing.”
Further shenanigans ensue as they make their way to Ireland and long story short, Dalton the duke messes up, pushes her away, but he manages to pull his head out of his ass and they loved HEA.
Great side characters in Con the bodyguard/manservant who conspired against Dalton to get him and Thea together. It was reather tidy that the sweetheart Con had left behind ended up being Molly’s mother. Molly was a delight as well, with her enthusiasm to be a cabin boy on one of Dalton’s ships and her voracious reading habits.