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A review by triz193
A Duke Will Never Do by Darcy Burke
1.0
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.
I took a very long time to write this, because I’m aware that many people worked and gave their time; and as I finished this novel my response probably would have been a long frustrated scream followed by “this irked me so much!” so… I read three other books and used time to place those feelings into something cohesive.
So, the story follows Jane Pemberton who, after five failed seasons and cornered into marriage, decides to run from home and live in her friend’s house. After a while living there, she one day finds a hot Anthony on her doorstep, with broken ribs and unconscious – so, because she is really trusting of her months-old relationship with the members of the house-staff and the doctor they call, that NONE of this will ever be divulged, she decides to nurse him back to health for a week, while his ribs mend (girl… I don’t know if I want to shake her or just stare blankly in dumbfound pity). Anthony on the other hand is a tortured man – drinking to excess and getting in fight every night; trying to go numb to forget his doings. You see, after his father cut him off, he borrows money for gambling with a man called The Vicar; instead of fixing this by himself, his parents take the carriage and, as a warning for him to pay his debts, a man from The Vicar kills both of them. The man who murdered them is hanged. Anthony is drunk.
It is absolutely horrifying what happened to him; but there’s a point of rupture between an excuse and just plain being a bad person (I would have liked to have liked him, but I had no reason to after a while, no reason even to empathize with him, and that was very problematic). Let me explain. Jane was incredibly naïve. She left her home, her family does not speak with her, she is not accepted in high society anymore, she has no house, no money (her friend lends her both) and absolutely no plans for her life. She is by no standards independent. She has very little except for not being ruined.
The most her personality goes is that she is goodhearted (recommendable) and she does not get angry. Anger is necessary, anger is good, anger is what stands in the way of injustice. And I believe Anthony is not just. Anthony uses her.
Jane helps him, and she should not have. Jane asks him to take away her virginity, and she should not have. Anthony seems torn by this, but his actions take another turn, and he reprimands her for making him lust her, but still has sex with her, saying that she is not allowed to expect anything from him, not marriage, not love; because she asked for it. Most people wake up and get out and see other people and easily avoid having sex with MOST of other people (I mean, if you do, it’s your body your choice and it’s fine, I just need the stats), and they turn out just perfectly fine. You don’t make it so that you are not a jerk. At one point in the novel, there was a possibility he could have gotten her pregnant, he gets angry, and, after jane tells him to forget about it – HE DOES! This had SERIOUS consequences for her, and absolutely NONE for him. And still he says that the affair could be bad for his reputation and she should understand.
As for their relationship, most of it seemed like “they lust each other very much”. They had good chemistry I guess, but that does not make for a good romance. It’s painfully clear that they do not know each other. They can’t seem to meet each other without taking off their clothes, which is fine, but not deeper of a connection is made before they “realize” they’re “in love”. It felt fake. It felt breakable.
Their point of contention was weak for me – there’s
a reason for that you see – earlier on, Anthony decides to open up with his sister (the only family he has left – someone who worries about him and loves him) about what really happened, and decides to ask Jane if she agrees that’s a good idea – she says he should not do it (I did not agree with her idea but that’s not my major issue here). Later, when Anthony must choose between his sister knowing the truth or helping Jane, he is… mad… at her? (What?) And then he changes his mind with no further explanation.
I also had an issue with the villain too; in order to make him a hero in a later novel, the author minimized the pain and anger Anthony had towards the Vicar.
Anthony is made to be a suffering hero, and I understand his burden is heavy, but really, he uses Jane. If I was supposed to like him better, I wish he had better values… At some plot points, he seems mad at Jane for wanting to have sex with him. I understand from some references that, in Burke’s previous novels, Anthony was portrayed as a “good man” that turned tormented, but I saw nothing of this good in him in THIS novel. And I would have gladly welcomed it. Honestly, by 65% I was reading deeply hoping Jane would refuse him and send him to hell.
Jane’s sister’s wedding at the end was good, it was fast paced and well written, but I wished more of THAT plot had been worked from the beginning of the novel.
I took a very long time to write this, because I’m aware that many people worked and gave their time; and as I finished this novel my response probably would have been a long frustrated scream followed by “this irked me so much!” so… I read three other books and used time to place those feelings into something cohesive.
So, the story follows Jane Pemberton who, after five failed seasons and cornered into marriage, decides to run from home and live in her friend’s house. After a while living there, she one day finds a hot Anthony on her doorstep, with broken ribs and unconscious – so, because she is really trusting of her months-old relationship with the members of the house-staff and the doctor they call, that NONE of this will ever be divulged, she decides to nurse him back to health for a week, while his ribs mend (girl… I don’t know if I want to shake her or just stare blankly in dumbfound pity). Anthony on the other hand is a tortured man – drinking to excess and getting in fight every night; trying to go numb to forget his doings. You see, after his father cut him off, he borrows money for gambling with a man called The Vicar; instead of fixing this by himself, his parents take the carriage and, as a warning for him to pay his debts, a man from The Vicar kills both of them. The man who murdered them is hanged. Anthony is drunk.
It is absolutely horrifying what happened to him; but there’s a point of rupture between an excuse and just plain being a bad person (I would have liked to have liked him, but I had no reason to after a while, no reason even to empathize with him, and that was very problematic). Let me explain. Jane was incredibly naïve. She left her home, her family does not speak with her, she is not accepted in high society anymore, she has no house, no money (her friend lends her both) and absolutely no plans for her life. She is by no standards independent. She has very little except for not being ruined.
The most her personality goes is that she is goodhearted (recommendable) and she does not get angry. Anger is necessary, anger is good, anger is what stands in the way of injustice. And I believe Anthony is not just. Anthony uses her.
Jane helps him, and she should not have. Jane asks him to take away her virginity, and she should not have. Anthony seems torn by this, but his actions take another turn, and he reprimands her for making him lust her, but still has sex with her, saying that she is not allowed to expect anything from him, not marriage, not love; because she asked for it. Most people wake up and get out and see other people and easily avoid having sex with MOST of other people (I mean, if you do, it’s your body your choice and it’s fine, I just need the stats), and they turn out just perfectly fine. You don’t make it so that you are not a jerk. At one point in the novel, there was a possibility he could have gotten her pregnant, he gets angry, and, after jane tells him to forget about it – HE DOES! This had SERIOUS consequences for her, and absolutely NONE for him. And still he says that the affair could be bad for his reputation and she should understand.
As for their relationship, most of it seemed like “they lust each other very much”. They had good chemistry I guess, but that does not make for a good romance. It’s painfully clear that they do not know each other. They can’t seem to meet each other without taking off their clothes, which is fine, but not deeper of a connection is made before they “realize” they’re “in love”. It felt fake. It felt breakable.
Their point of contention was weak for me – there’s
a reason for that you see – earlier on, Anthony decides to open up with his sister (the only family he has left – someone who worries about him and loves him) about what really happened, and decides to ask Jane if she agrees that’s a good idea – she says he should not do it (I did not agree with her idea but that’s not my major issue here). Later, when Anthony must choose between his sister knowing the truth or helping Jane, he is… mad… at her? (What?) And then he changes his mind with no further explanation.
I also had an issue with the villain too; in order to make him a hero in a later novel, the author minimized the pain and anger Anthony had towards the Vicar.
Anthony is made to be a suffering hero, and I understand his burden is heavy, but really, he uses Jane. If I was supposed to like him better, I wish he had better values… At some plot points, he seems mad at Jane for wanting to have sex with him. I understand from some references that, in Burke’s previous novels, Anthony was portrayed as a “good man” that turned tormented, but I saw nothing of this good in him in THIS novel. And I would have gladly welcomed it. Honestly, by 65% I was reading deeply hoping Jane would refuse him and send him to hell.
Jane’s sister’s wedding at the end was good, it was fast paced and well written, but I wished more of THAT plot had been worked from the beginning of the novel.