The Duke's Disaster

Lonely Lords #14

by Grace Burrowes

Noah Winters, Duke of Anselm, exercises the pragmatism for which he’s infamous when his preferred choice of bride cries off, and her companion, Lady Thea Collins, becomes his next choice for his duchess. Lady Thea’s mature, sensible and even rather attractive—what could possibly go wrong?

As a lady fallen on hard times, Thea doesn’t expect tender sentiments from His Grace, but she does wish Noah had courted her trust, lest her past turn their hastily arranged marriage into a life of shared regrets. Is His Grace courting a convenient wife, or a beautiful disaster?

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Regency, Fiction, Marriage Of Convenience

439 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 7, 2015

About the author

Grace Burrowes started writing as an antidote to empty nest and soon found it an antidote to life in general. She is the sixth out of seven children, raised in the rural surrounds of central Pennsylvania. Early in life she spent a lot of time reading romance novels and practicing the piano. Her first career was as a technical writer and editor in the Washington, DC, area, a busy job that nonetheless left enough time to read a lot of romance novels.

It also left enough time to grab a law degree through an evening program, produce Beloved Offspring (only one, but she is a lion), and eventually move to the lovely Maryland countryside.

While reading yet still more romance novels, Grace opened her own law practice, acquired a master's degree in Conflict Transformation (she had a teenage daughter by then) and started thinking about writing.... romance novels. This aim was realized when Beloved Offspring struck out into the Big World a few years ago. ("Mom, why doesn't anybody tell you being a grown-up is hard?")

Grace eventually got up the courage to start pitching her manuscripts to agents and editors. The query letter that resulted in "the call" started out: "I am the buffoon in the bar at the RWA retreat who could not keep her heroines straight, could not look you in the eye, and could not stop blushing--and if that doesn't narrow down the possibilities, your job is even harder than I thought." (The dear lady bought the book anyway.)

To contact Grace, email her at graceburrowes@yahoo.com.

Reviews

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You are a traitor of the most shameless sort, to me, to your calling, and to your kind.” Noah lowered himself to Thea’s bed and passed a steaming cup of tea through Thea’s field of vision. “If you didn’t catch the occasional, and I do mean occasional, mouse, you would be relegated to the stables for the rest of your indolent days.”

“We’ll shear you next spring, cat,” he threatened. “You’d better perfect your bleating.”

Must. Refrain. From. Giggling.

Too late. BWAHAHAHAHAHA. How can you resist a hero who speaks sternly to a cat?

This book would have been among my top HRs for this year, if not for the fact that I almost fell asleep reading it around the midway part. Still, the pluses greatly outweigh the negatives, and this was such a wonderful read.

This may come as a shock to some, but when it comes to books, I like normal people. I like reasonable people. I like people who behave like their age. I like people who are mature, who make responsible decisions. Who do not go off into screeching hysterics, whose trains of thoughts don't go A -> D -> KJFJAOJFEIOFJA

Call me boring, if you'd like, but I like my books and my characters without histrionics thankyouverymuch.

This was such a good book. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it (except for the aforementioned chunk in the middle which nearly made me fall asleep). The main characters were so gloriously, wonderfully, fantastically normal and reasonable people. They act like adults! They don't play shitty fucking games with each other. They don't try any manipulative bullshit! They're understanding!

The hero in this book has got to be one of my favorite HR love interests of all time. He is such a nice, understanding man. His married-in-haste wife has a shameful past? So the fuck what? He understands. He's a bit sore about it (understandably) but I feel like he was never an asshole about it. He never tried to shame her intentionally. He never deliberately made her feel bad about herself. The heroine is his perfect match.

It did drag on. The "misunderstanding" and of course, there must be one, or else we got no plotz, y'all, was too drawn out, too minor to be hidden for so long. It was stretch out far more than it should have. The book could have been cut off by 100 pages without suffering from a diminishing of the plot.

Otherwise, such a good book.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Choking the Chicken Stars

I didn't realize it when I picked this book out, but I'd read another book several years ago by this author.
I'm honestly glad I didn't check beforehand, either...
So. And I have no idea if this is a running theme in her books, but from judging from my experience with these two, Burrows likes writing about dudes jerking off.
Not that there's anything wrong with that...



In all fairness, I only thought it was slightly creepy that Noah had to spank his monkey before continuing a fairly important conversation with his new bride on their wedding night. Or that she caught him secretly whacking his morning wood...while still in bed with her!
Dude! This is why God invented the term Alone Time.
And locks on doors.
Isn't that right, Pee Wee?



Ok, ok, ok!
There is a bit of a convoluted plot twist at the end, and the villain was waaay over the top. I mean, just...yeah. I'm not sure what the hell he was trying to accomplish at the end. It was all crazy, and then POOF! it fizzled into a strange nothingness.
Very odd ending to all the drama.



The actual plot was fine, by the way. Just this strangely evil for no real discernible reason bad guy. I mean, there is a reason, but it's just...not very good.
Thea rebuffed the advances of her employer's son, who was pretty rapey. Now, for some reason, this was enough for him to decide to stalk her, spread rumors about her, and then do one of the most ill-advised things I've ever seen in one of these types of novels, ever.
He kidnaps the two little girls that are the Duke's wards, holds Thea hostage after she attempts to rescue them, and then waits for Noah to show up so that he can...wait for it...rape her in front of him so that he will always know this little d-bag had fucked his wife.
Muahahahahahaha!



Wait. What?
There's no way that ends well for the bad guy. I mean, did he even think ANY of this through? And the weird (or not weird) thing was that Noah basically pointed all of that shit out to him while he was working his way out of the ropes.
And then they just kinda kicked his ass and went on with their lives.
Except for the plot twist about his uncle...but even that was somewhat anticlimactic.
shrugs



Other than that, this was quite a fluffy read.
It was a teeny bit overly long (see the above-mentioned stuff) but since the characters were extremely likable, I didn't mind. Even with all of the nonsense thrown in, both the hero and heroine's personalities were enough to overcome any bad feelings I had towards the other stuff.
Which, considering how weird some of that was, says quite a bit about how good the chemistry was between these guys. I mean, I know I bitched, but this is really not a bad story!
I'd totally recommend it to someone looking for something to snuggle up with on a rainy day.

[Angie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

The Duke's Disaster is truly a disaster. This book made me so angry in places! I was excited to read this one, since it was the Historical Romance version of a fake relationship turned real. Noah Winters needs a wife, since he needs heirs. The woman he had been courting accepted another man's proposal, so he turns to her companion. Thea is luckily in need of a husband, since she needs protection for herself and her younger sister, because their brother is useless. But Thea has a secret, which may put her marriage in jeopardy. If only Noah would let her disclose it.

I kind of figured what Thea's secret would be, since it happens a lot in Historical Romances. I think it was made into a bigger deal than it needed to be, since it is so common, but I was hoping that the author would do something different with it. Well, she does, but The Duke's Disaster was just one big, unbelievable mess! Thea tries to tell Noah before the wedding, but he's convinced she's trying to talk her way out of their agreement, and he's not going to let that happen. Then she tries again during their wedding night. She's asking him to slow down and to stop, so she can say what she needs to say, but his reaction is essentially "Spread your legs and shut up!" At least until she starts to cry, because he cannot have a crying woman in his bed! This made me sooo angry! He does not treat her right at all!

After Thea's secret is out, Noah will not let her explain. He just shuts her down completely, assumes the worse, and then stalks off. He also tells everyone who will listen, despite not wanting all and sundry in his business! What kind of sense does that make?! He also realizes that something is off about Thea and her secret, but he still won't let her tell him what happened and continues to ignore her for weeks. Then everything is all peachy keen and whatever. I suppose Noah's reaction is more realistic for the time, but if I wanted realism, I'd pick up a Historical Fiction and not a Romance! Noah is not the kind of hero I want to read about! How am I suppose to cheer for them to work things out when he's a complete asshole!?

The Duke's Disaster does get worse, since Noah is hiding something! Thea finds out, and of course she's upset about it, since he reacted so badly to her telling him the truth. Well, Noah is also lying about what he was hiding, for no reason, other than she's a liar so he doesn't need to explain anything to her. What the heck is your problem?! He lets this continue for the entire book, and just casually reveals the truth while talking to someone else in Thea's presence. She of course is like "wait, a minute! what?!" And he's basically like "Not now, woman!" Way to respect your wife!

The only thing I actually really liked about The Duke's Disaster was Noah trying to reform Thea's drunken, lazy brother. He's an earl, but does not take responsibility for anything. He drinks until he passes out, gambles excessively, and doesn't care for either of his sisters' well being. Noah won't stand for any of that, so he regularly stops by, forces Tim out of bed, gets him cleaned and dressed and shoves his responsibilities in his face. If only he was as concerned about Thea and her problems.

Clearly, I was not happy with The Duke's Disaster. Noah is an awful human being. Thea has no backbone whatsoever. Together, they're just not a couple I could root for. Thea was wronged, and her husband simply doesn't care until the very end. She longs after him like a lonely puppy, when she should be standing her ground against him. There's also this five page suspense plot-line thrown in at the end, which only added to my frustrations, since it was underdeveloped and didn't add anything to the story.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Caz · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, but rounded up.

In The Duke’s Disaster, Grace Burrowes paints an incredibly realistic portrait of the situation faced by two people who marry for the sake of expediency and then realise that they will have to work at it if they’re going to have any chance of making a go of things.

Noah Winters, Duke of Anselm, comes from a family in which the men are famed for their sexual promiscuity. Unlike most of his male relatives, Noah is not licentious or irresponsible – not that it makes much difference to the tarnish that exists on his family name; or the gossips, who believe him to be cut from the same cloth as every other Winters male. In order to fulfil a deathbed promise, Noah is planning to marry, and has selected himself a suitable bride from the year’s bevy of simpering debutantes. On the verge of proposing, he is put out to discover that he has been pipped to the post by someone else, and although his amour propre is somewhat wounded, he is nonetheless quite relieved, as he doesn't want to live his life shackled to a "giggling twit". But he still has to find a wife, and instead turns to his former intended’s companion, Lady Araminthea Collins, who is, most unusually, an earl’s daughter. For an earl’s daughter to be in service is almost unheard of, but Thea’s family is in straightened circumstances, and her brother, the new earl, seems determined to drink himself into an early grave, exhibiting no care for Thea or their younger sister. Thea is shocked by Noah’s proposal and determined to turn him down – but when she realises that becoming his wife will enable her to keep her sister from having to tread the same path, she accepts, and they are married three weeks later.

The thing I adore about this book is the way in which it concentrates almost exclusively on the development of the relationship between Noah and Thea. The marriage of convenience/arranged marriage is a common theme in historical romance - and one of my favourites - but even so, the story of this one manages to be something out of the ordinary. We’re shown the pitfalls of marrying someone you hardly know, and how difficult it can be to adjust to having another person to consider besides oneself. It doesn’t help that Thea is keeping a pretty big secret from Noah, something which puts their fledgling marriage on the rocks immediately and about which he is both bitter and frustrated. Yet the more he comes to know Thea and to care for her, the more he comes to see that her situation is likely not her fault and that she’s deserving of compassion and understanding rather than censure.

Then there’s the fact that Noah is keeping a secret of his own – or rather, one belonging to someone else he doesn’t feel at liberty to reveal. Doing the right thing isn’t always easy, but he is nothing if not honourable, and as the story progresses, it becomes clear that he’s a man for whom family is incredibly important, and who will do whatever he has to do in order to clear up whatever messes have been created by his less responsible relatives. As these now include Thea’s wastrel brother, Noah spends a lot of time with the young man trying to get him to mend his ways, and do his duty by his sisters. Unfortunately, the new earl isn’t especially welcoming of his brother-in-law’s efforts, and while it would have been easy to have him take Noah’s advice to heart and become suddenly reformed, Ms Burrowes doesn’t take that road, and the story is the better for it.

All the characters, from the two protagonists to the secondary ones are very well fleshed-out, and the central relationship is beautifully developed. Noah describes himself at the beginning as "not nice" - and it's true that he is somewhat autocratic and that he can say some rather cutting things - but Ms Burrowes expertly charts his progress from single man to caring husband, and it's a delight to read. Noah and Thea suddenly realise that they don’t know each other at all well, even though Thea had spent time in his company as companion to her charge. Both are so used to being self-sufficient that they don’t share easily, but I watched them gradually come to trust each other and own their vulnerabilities with immense satisfaction.

One of the things Ms Burrowes does so well in the book is to show all those little details and small intimacies that are present within long-term relationships, but which are often overlooked because they’ve become so ingrained. I loved the breakfast routine the couple quickly establishes; Thea is not a morning person, so it’s Noah who fixes her tea, then drinks half of it while also snitching her toast. Thea very quickly becomes accustomed to sleeping (as in actual sleeping!) with her husband, enjoying the warmth of his large body and the comfort of his presence, and dreading the day when they will do the same as other tonnish couples and sleep in separate beds.

As is ever the case with this author, the descriptive prose is beautiful and her ability to find the emotional heart of both characters and story never ceases to amaze me. She has a very distinctive writing style which I admit may not be to everyone’s taste, although personally, I like it very much. As an example, Noah and Thea constantly refer to each other as “Husband” and “Wife” throughout the story. In the hands of a lesser author this might seem like affectation, but Ms Burrowes turns the words into the most intimate of endearments that feel perfectly natural coming from the mouths of these characters.

The Duke’s Disaster is a truly delightful read that takes a well-used trope and – incredibly – has something new to say about it. Highly recommended.

[WhiskeyintheJar · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

Deep, deeply moving.
Heartbreaking, heart lifting.
Long.
Overly done.
Emotionally weakening, emotionally strengthening.
Sadly vulnerable, Hopeful loving.

A very adult read were the leads use their words in a very overtly hidden emotional way.

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

I quite liked the premise of this book: Duke marries the companion of his intended fiancé because that one has fallen in love with someone else and they both decide to make things work.
I did like Noah at times. He was sweet, understanding, talks to his cat in his best stern voice, but in the end, there was a big misunderstanding (because there has to be one...) and he didn't handle that at all acceptably for me. It was nicely written, sometimes even funny (the conversations with the cat come to mind, BUT there were a number of things that were absolutely NOT okay with me personally:

1) Thea was raped. But because her marriage happens very quickly, she finds no time to tell him. He is somewhat angry at discovering his wife was not an innocent, jumps to conclusions, and only bothers to ask her what happened late in the book. When he does find out that someone stole into her room and forced himself on her in the dark, they both just brush it aside as if it had been nothing. I don't like rape as a plot devise, and it makes no sense to me at all that she would so easily trust him after her horrifying first experience.
2) The children. One day, Thea wanders around the house, finds two children she hasn't been introduced to, and immediately jumps to the conclusion that they are her husbands bastards. She, being oh so understanding, decides that at least he's taking care of his children while he happily lets her believe that they are his. Even when she directly confronts him about this! The issue is resolved by having her overhear Noah's uncle inquire about his children at the very end of the book. She is immediately okay with this and decides to continue thinking of them as her children. Seriously?
3) The villain. Yes, there's an added blackmail twist. In the last few pages, Thea discovers a note asking her to meet someone outside while everyone else is at a party, and she immediately leaves. Turns out, the brother of her former charge wants to blackmail her (I have already forgotten why). The Duke comes to the rescue, the villain asks her to tie him up, and threatens to rape her in front of her husband. Again, I don't appreciate rape as a plot device. And not when it's someone who has already experienced that. Enough is enough.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Prequel novel to the ‘True Gentlemen’ series. I enjoyed this book about Noah, conscientious and hard-working Duke of Anselm, rather lonely, and wants to get married out of duty to his title and inheritance. Noah is a likeable MC, although there were a few times when I wanted to wring his neck!

Thea is also likeable, a woman of some integrity who has tried very hard to mentally get past some unpleasant experiences from her past. Of good birth, but being the orphaned and impoverished older sister of two younger siblings, Thea has taken on paid employment as companion to other ladies. Unfortunately the harsh reality is that this makes her vulnerable prey to unpleasant men who might take advantage. And somebody does, although the full story of what happened isn’t revealed till late in the book.

Noah and Thea marry basically for convenience, quite near the start of the book, each of them for their own reasons. They’re not in love, and both of them have secrets. Things start out badly after the wedding, but Noah is a kind, patient and fair man, and in Thea he sees something good, even when the circumstances are challenging. So they both persist with their marriage, wanting it to succeed, and gradually they fall in love.

There were a few frustrating aspects of the book, mainly in relation to the lack of sufficient communication between Thea and Noah. In Thea’s case it’s understandable, as she is still traumatised by past events. But there’s no excuse for Noah. He should have told Thea about some things in his life, but kept feeling as if ‘it wasn’t the right time’. That annoyed me a bit.

But still, the story kept moving along nicely. There were some interesting secondary characters, including an unpleasant bad guy. But it was the H and h who kept my interest going in the book. I liked both of them and wanted to see them get their HEA. And they did :) So, although not a brilliant novel, it was enjoyable and entertaining.

[Lady Wesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to think about this before rating or writing a review. As much as enjoyed this book, there are a few things in it that I did not like at all. How much should that affect my overall rating? Am I being too nitpicky?

After writing the above, I decided that I was indeed being too nitpicky, and gave this book the full five stars. This is simply a lovely story of two people who marry for convenience and then have to figure out how they're going to go on for the next few decades.

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like I should like this a lot less than I did—mostly because Burrowes does such an awful job cheating by giving her characters random attitudes towards sex, virginity, and promiscuity. Seriously, both Anselm and Thea have very modern (even progressively modern) views of family and children and, to an extent, sex. And yet they also display a shameless double-standard with regards to women and wives. Burrowes has enough sense to keep these attitudes internally consistent, but I still sometimes felt I was reading a contemporary romance rather than a Regency one.

Worse, Burrowes does that coy thing where the author hides Thea's knowledge and understanding of events in her own life for more than half the book. I hate that. Especially (as is the case here) when it's something that dominates Thea's thoughts and actions. Keeping the details hidden of something that intrusive makes me frustrated where I should be emotionally engaged.

So for the ahistorical attitudes and the frustration through the first half, I was pretty sure this was heading to a solid, though maybe a little grudging, three-stars. But I have to be honest (mostly because I see these reviews being of most use to my future self), the last half won me over.

It's not just that Anselm won my heart. And it isn't just Thea's courage and faithfulness and kindness. And it isn't even that the two of them being together is just so right. By the end, I bought not just their relationship, but the family they were creating. Not only were they going to be good together, but they would elevate those around them and provide protection, safety, and security for all those in their circle of caring. That was a profound discovery and that it rose from their weaknesses as well as their strengths made it all the more delicious.

Not that the second half was without flaws of its own. We begin getting random third-party perspectives about then, for example. And the in-laws also sport ahistorical attitudes, each in their own unique way.

So my final call is a solid 3.5 with enough extra to push the rounding up. So not a clear win, but close enough for me to keep an eye out for another by this author—if only to see if the strengths balance out similar weaknesses in a consistent (but pleasing) way.

A note about Steamy: Firmly middle-range for me. There were three or four explicit scenes, though some were short for story reasons. Indeed, all served the story well as road markers of emotional developments between the two main characters and were thus welcome.

[Jilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Khanh gives a book 4 stars, you had better believe that I will read it! :) And, I am so glad I did! It was smart, funny, and enchanting. I think I love Noah. He is one of the best male leads that I have read in quite a while.
"You are not to ignore me," Noah muttered.."I am lord and master of all I survey, including your great worthless self."
"Don't be eyeing the cream pitcher, shameless wench. Your figure is showing alarming signs of your weak morals, and you do not deserve cream."
"But, Jilly," you are saying, "this guy sounds terrible. Like a verbal abuser!" And that would be true, except that he is speaking to the cat when he says these things. In that case, it is hilarious!

made of dark matter... meaning evil!!

But, don't worry, Noah also has words with his horse:
"My duchess just met you, you filthy beggar. She will think you took her into dislike, when we both know you dote shamelessly on females of any species....
No biting, unless you're my duchess, which you decidedly are not."


So, the Duke (Noah) needs a wife and the girl he was courting has accepted another man's offer of marriage. He decides to propose to her friend, a girl who was born into a good family but had fallen on hard times so she was forced to accept work as a lady's companion. She hasn't any prospects, and he promises to take care of her younger sister, so she accepts his proposal. And, so the marriage begins.

There are the usual misunderstandings that have to happen in romance novels that a long talk would easily resolve, but then there wouldn't be a book, would there? But, the best part of this book is watching these two learn about what marriage can be and fall in love. Neither of them are immature, and there is not much angst - that is so refreshing. Even though there are growing pains, both of them are willing to compromise and do what it takes to make their marriage work. They don't want a cold marriage of convenience.

Noah is a great husband, always thinking about how he can make his new wife happy. He isn't perfect, and makes a few mistakes at the beginning, but he realizes that his wish to have a happy marriage means that he needs to keep redefining what his previous thoughts on marriage were. I love how flexible and mature he is in this. He keeps trying - and that is what marriage is. (Very happily married for over 20 years here.)

"Nothing is wrong except my duchess is beset with worries. I've told you those belong to me now, haven't I?...I'll trade you a worry for a worry. You go first..."

He wants her to pour out her troubles to him and wants to help her through. And, when she (finally) discloses her deepest, darkest memory to him and cries her eyes out, he dries her tears, and then, after she falls asleep:
Carefully, he extracted the white linen from her grip and dabbed at his own cheeks.



A man who feels real empathy, but is still strong and protective (without being an asswipe alpha).


(hmm, someone went to a lot of trouble to make this gif. They must really really like JD! But, this is the song in my head for Noah.;))

[Jultri · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5. This author has always shown such potential in her wonderful prose, but from past experiences with her books, she often does not back it up with a solid plot and likeable characters. Well, she has hit the jackpot this time with endearing characters you just want to hug and crush on and a heartfelt plot told in beautiful prose - the kind to evoke laughter and tears.

Noah Winters is the Duke of Anselm, outwardly in control, intimidating and authoritative as a duke ought to be. In reality, he turns to mush around little girls, he is known to rant lengthily to his animals, he is fiercely protective of his younger siblings, and he is a habitual pilferer of food and drinks. Noah is in need of a bride after missing out on his first choice to another gentleman. He thus proposes to Lady Thea Collins, the daughter of an earl and the companion of his erstwhile first choice. Thea had fallen on hard times after losing her parents and was forced to go into service to help her younger siblings out, all the while her irresponsible younger brother, the current earl, drinks and frolics his way around town. Ever pragmatic, Thea agrees to the business proposition of a marriage of convenience as a means to get herself and her sister out if their current dire situation. He warns her, he is not a nice person. He turns out to be a huge fat liar, at least when it comes to that self-assessment.

The man is a sweetheart. He is a compulsively affectionate man, whose hands caress involuntarily, even when he wills himself to keep his distance from her. He is incessantly cheerful in the mornings, happily attending to his sleepy, grouchy wife's breakfast needs though he casually downs half the tea he had served her or devours most of the bread he had buttered for her. He remains kind, charming and respectful even after their disappointing wedding night, when he finds out, that she has not exactly been forthcoming about certain facts. Even his little "vengeful" strikes at her for not being quite what he expected, they're not spiteful and angry but more cute, like strutting around naked in front of her to punish her. Goodness, he can get angry at me any time! *fans self* And if he, in his frustrations, self-administers to his own needs on more than one occasion, well my love-struck heart forgives him readily. He is just so in tune with her needs, so understanding, and when he gifts Thea a lethal knife...sigh... I just want to cut out my own heart and hand it to him on a platter.

I've gushed on about Noah, but Thea is a great character also, strong and determined and not willing to paint herself as a victim. She is perceptive and supportive, not too bashful to tell him that she enjoys and wants his presence around.

The humour is frequent and very spot on. GB does a great job in giving us both main characters' point of views, all the doubts, the little joys, the perplexities they experience. She pays such lovely attention to little details in their daily interactions, the easy comfort they find with one another. But don't be fooled, because despite the many witticisms and light-hearted moments, this story has plenty of heart. There is the tentative friendship and emotional connection the couple makes in the weeks following their expeditious marriage, the insecurities by both, the traumatic back story. My only criticism is that they both stubbornly held onto their respective non-disclosures for a tad too long.

There are a lot of great lines, but frustratingly, the library's e-reader program doesn't allow for copying of quotes.

[Nabilah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm dithering between 3 and 4 stars. I thought the whole love-after-marriage plotline was wonderful, but I'm afraid the execution could be more exciting. The book is overlong, with plenty of repetition (the breakfast in the bedroom scene, the emphasize on ducal, duchess, duke, oy - I get it, Noah is the duke and Thea is the duchess). I also feel that Thea's sexual assault could have been handled a little more delicately. The dialogues sounded unnatural at times (this is my biggest problem with Ms Burrowes writing - I think it's more of a matter of preference). And the cast of characters is vast; so many siblings, uncles, and illegitimate offspring. Despite all these negatives, the story kept me reading until the end. So, 3.5 stars from me.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Duke's Disaster by Grace Burrowes is a 2015 Sourcebooks Casablanca publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


How nice, as always, to pick up a novel by Grace Burrowes. This is a such a wonderful story, with snappy dialogue, wit, mystery, and a clever reminder about double standards and drawing conclusions without all the facts, and learning to trust. but of course it was the slow, sensual, sweet, sexy love story between Thea and Noah that will absolutely melt your heart.


Thea is the daughter of an aristocrat, but after her parent's death, her lazy, drunken brother horribly neglects his sisters, forcing Thea to take a position as a lady's companion.

Noah Winters has decided to marry in order to preserve the family line. After finally choosing a prospective bride, the lady up and accepts another man's proposal instead. But, the lady's companion, Thea, just might be the perfect wife. So, Noah makes Thea an offer she can't refuse.

Noah is not a charming man, by any means. In fact, by his own admission, he isn't very nice. But, his actions belie his words, especially when he discovers his new bride has been less than honest with him and it immediately puts the tenuous marriage in trouble.

Not only that, it would appear Noah has been harboring a couple of secrets of his own, causing the chasm between them to widen.

But, through it all, Noah is the nicest person he can be, when he could have been perfectly horrible to Thea. Instead he is determined to see the marriage work, even though they got off to a pretty rocky start. But, the issue of trust sits heavily on Noah and he can't seem to let go of his insecurities and move forward in the marriage until he learns all the sordid details of Thea's past. By the same token, Thea can't seem to trust Noah with her story which would surely put things in an entirely different light.

While double standards still rule the day in many situations today, back in this era of time it was much, much worse. What is good for goose and all that. It's infuriating, but that was the way of things. It is also true we might find ourselves judging someone by the reputation of their family members, believing them to be of the same ilk, when in fact they are not.

So, Noah and Thea make mistakes by not being honest with one another from the beginning. But, their journey was an absolute delight as they soldier through some pretty rough times and come out on the other side of it totally in love with one another and with a rock solid marriage.

If two people were ever meant to be married it was these two. Right from the start the two had spectacular marital tug of wars, especially while eating breakfast. Noah is so tender and sweet, such a gentleman, and an honorable man, bearing the weight of his family's rather tarnished reputation. Thea is a strong woman who has endured so much and paid such a high price for something that was not her fault. As a woman she bore an internal shame she should never have had to feel, but didn't let it keep her from trying to make the best of things. The secondary characters were also delightful and I rather enjoyed James' marital advice to Noah on the few occasions Noah sought his advice.

The author keeps the pace steady, but had me itching to read ahead in hopes of discovering the secrets of Thea's past. While, I had some inkling of what may have transpired, I could never have guessed the way it would all be explained. The truth was stunning and left me feeling shocked and outraged. But, like Thea, there was also a sense of relief as the pent up pressure is finally released and the door was opened to start over with a fresh start. I giggled a few times , felt sad and angry, sat on the edge of my seat a time or two, but by the end of the story I was so proud of these characters and the progress they made and the lessons they learned. After turning the final page I felt warmed from head to toe and had a big smile on my face. This is a charming, delightful, and heartwarming tale I highly recommend. 4.5 rounded to 5

[Sometime · Rating 4 out of 5]

2/2023 I decided to revisit this book and I'm just not sure how to review it. Grace Burrows can write a book that makes me laugh, swoon, and grumble. There are usually things that are mildly problematic for me but by the end of the book I've forgotten why I was frustrated in the first place. She knows how to create a believable conflict, make the reader feel all the feels, and tie things up nicely. I'm keeping it at 4 stars because, despite everything, it is a lovely story.

Some of my problems with the story: The H is a duke and so he's had plenty of experience with mistresses and the occasional prostitute. He has only just dismissed his latest mistress 3 months before the book starts because he's going to begin courting a wife. I approve of his actions. The problem is that we have to hear about Henny over and over and over again in the book. He even goes to visit her to get advice. We have to hear about how he was so fond of her and he's comparing the h to his interactions with Henny. She even tells him that her favorite part of their time together was spending time after sex just talking about their days. And now I can't enjoy the after-sex banter and easy conversations of the H/h because now this is all I can think about Ugh!

The H allows the h to misunderstand the parentage of his wards for the majority of the book. Because setting the record straight would've been too hard? Seriously?

The h comes to the marriage no virgin and the H is furious that she isn't "pure". I know this is how a man of this time would have thought of things but he was certainly no innocent. He doesn't take even a moment to ask her about what happened. He immediately judges her and acts like a baby. The author handles this well because she has several characters set him straight on his thinking and he does slowly come to understand and finally gets answers and he feels ashamed of himself for the way he acted. But he ticked me off.

The book is certainly an examination of the sexual politics of the era; how men are allowed to behave versus women, and the consequences of their actions. The saving grace of the book was the character growth of the H/h as they spent time together and learned to listen to and love each other.

ORIGINAL REVIEW

This was such a good book! I love a marriage of convenience story. Noah and Thea were so good together. I loved watching them learn to trust and love each other. And they were both new to this marriage business so they had a lot to figure out. When they had a disagreement they talked it out like normal people instead of all the crazy plot devices you usually see thrown into a romance.

Noah starts out with some very 18th century male ideas that proved to me that I'd make a terrible Recency heroine. He doesn't overreact when he heard Thea's secret and he keeps his cool. We see him change and grow over the course of the book and it's a beautiful sight.

The only complaint I have is that the "misunderstanding" just went on too long and their reasons for not being honest about it were flimsy and only there to extend the plot. But we wouldn't have a book without it so, what can you do?

I loved the very ordinary-ness about this relationship and the romance that grew between our MCs. I definitely recommend this book.

Safety The h was raped at a house party but doesn't tell the H that she's not a virgin until after the marriage. The H is experienced and he's angry that she didn't tell him until it was too late to back out. The rape is described in memory and isn't explicit but is descriptive.

Mild OW drama as the h knows the H has had mistresses in the past so she never knows when he goes to town if he is visiting her. The H lets the h believe for the entire book that his wards are his daughters when they are actually his cousins.

No cheating, both are faithful.

[Mei · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't hate it, but I didn't loved it either...

I really don't know why... It could be that there was something about the writing style and the dialogues that didn't sit weel with me...

The story is actually cute: first marriage then love and the characters were nice too, so it could be just me! *shrug*

[Kathie (katmom) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy Release Day!!!

This was wonderful. I started it, thinking I'd read just a couple pages...yeah, right. I finished it in two days. While Ms. Burrowes has written a huge stack of books, they are all different. I don't start reading and thinking, "Gosh, she's done THIS before." Nope...all different.

This one starts right off with Noah having been set aside by the giddy, young thing he's been wooing, and, since he needs a wife, he immediately asks her companion, Lady Thea, to wed him. A week later, the deed is done. Neither has a strong love for the other, although they find each other to be attractive, and while he says he's not "nice", she thinks he just may be. At least the kiss she asked for was more than nice! What pushed her into agreeing to wed him was the marriage contract. Her young sister will be safe and will have Thea's backing as a duchess to see her through life. Safety was her first concern.

Their wedding night is stopped in its tracks by a confession. While we know things will eventually be smoothed over (otherwise, why would we read these books, you know?) it's the getting there that kept me reading (when I should have been editing!).

There are plenty of "bad guys" here, and I was kept wondering who had really done the "baddest thing".

There are also plenty of "good guys". Noah's brother, brothers-in-law, his ex-mistress, his sisters, his horticulturist! And Thea. Well, she has a backbone of steel, and determination to rise above. I liked her very much. He did buy the precious little girls ponies, and large ones at that. Thankfully, Harlan steered him that way. I'm actually thinking that Darius might have to share his spot on my favorites list with Noah. And that's saying something!

You see I mentioned an ex-mistress? No worries. She does not cavort with married men. And Noah, well, he just wouldn't do that to his wife. No cheating here!

While I have recently enjoyed this author's new contemporary series, I truly loved revisiting her historical voice. Well done!




*Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebooks, for the opportunity to read this book.

[Aoi · Rating 1 out of 5]

My god, the hero was a world class jerk! His behaviour is probably realistic for his era and station in life; but this isn't what I look forward to from my historical romances..

The Duke's Disaster started off wonderfully- both Noah and Thea entering into their marriage of convenience with pragmatism and a modicum of respect for one another. It all went downhill on their wedding night.

Thea tries again and again to come clean about her past, but Noah is all "Shut up! Spread your legs! We can talk about this later". I can understand his feeling of hurt and betrayal, for a virgin wife was one of the 'expectations' in that era. What I can't forgive is him repeatedly referring to her as "used" or "damaged goods".

After which, he proceeds to show his gentlemanly side by masturbating and caressing her while she is asleep in her bed. On one such encounter, he gets permission to hump her, and after he's finished- he purposefully leaves her high and dry.

While he castigates and makes her absolutely miserable for keeping secrets from him- he's got two illegitimate kids of his own

This book is saved from disaster by Thea- as practical, fearless and honest she is. While I couldn't stand the hypocrite, two-faced hero, I do like Grace Burrowes' writing style. Might give another of her works a try, with a nicer protagonist.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another of Grace Burrowes’ historical romances that promises to feel a little different, but filled with her signature enchanting and warm with a few drops of humor here and there that bring her characters to life. The Duke’s Disaster is about learning to trust, looking for the positive and living life for yourself as much as for anyone else.

Noah is a young man with the weight of being the protector of his family on his shoulders, being practical and rather cold, he narrows his list of prospective brides down and decides he has found the woman to help him with his responsibilities. Too bad she didn’t see things the same way. Why not ask her lady friend, who seems to have a level head? Thea has her own reasons for saying yes to the dour young man, but that is her secret to keep. Both assuming they have entered into a sound business merger, life is not more than they expected, until gradually, their relationship changes. What stands between them? Family or secrets? Will they learn to trust and share? Will they find happiness in the closeness they have developed? Is it possible for two individuals from such different backgrounds, with such different agendas find they are not so different after all?

Once again, Grace Burrowes take us back in her time machine of romance and gives us likeable characters, an enchanting plot and scenes that come alive with her descriptions. Her additions of humor and sensual tension only magnify her talents as an author to read!

I received an ARC edition from Sourcebooks Casablanca in exchange for my honest review.

Publication Date: April 7, 2015
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN 9781492605300
Genre: Historical Romance
Print Length: 448 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Ilze · Rating 2 out of 5]

If the book had stayed true to its beginning as a character-driven marriage of convenience story, I would have given it 4 stars, and I would have accepted the rather improbable setup for the rape of the heroine (which happened before this book starts) without any comments. But as it is - the book was ruined for me by the gross, badly-plotted and ridiculous blackmail plot, which uses the heroine's rape as its pretext.
 
One example of the crappy plotting: it's the final night of the hero and heroine's first big party at their home, and with him being a duke, the party is a big deal indeed. Just as she is heading downstairs to greet the guests, the heroine notices a note on her dressing table and reads it. Turns out the writer is threatening kidnapping and worse on 2 little girls who are the wards of the hero, and demands the heroine present herself at a gamekeeper's cottage in the woods not far from the house, right away. So what does the heroine do? Does she go to her husband (the duke) and show him the note, so they can get something organized and foil the dastardly plot? No, of course not. She just scampers off into the woods to the cottage without telling anyone where she's going or why! Blech. Why did the author have to do it?
 
One other problem with the book is the author's tendency to verbosity - why use one word when you can use three or more to say the same thing? Used sparingly, this can add flavour and variety to a story, but used often, as this author tends to do, it bogs down the story with unnecessary verbiage. I almost put the book away in a few places where the characters were spouting things like "You will partake of sustenance while we plan our day."  

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read for 2020 Challenge
I pulled this one out a week ago, and thought this looks good to put on my challenge.
Not realizing I had read it and wrote a review!
Well, was over 5 years ago..that's my excuse..( lucky if I can remember whats-what from last week! )
Anyways, I enjoyed it more this time (according to the review)
Still a 4 star read though.

Setting: England 1800s

The young woman that Noah Winters, Earl of Anselm has been courting, accepts another mans proposal..so now what is he to do?
He quickly turns his attention to her companion, Lady Thea Collins.
Noah believes Thea will make a nice biddable wife, but Thea has a secret that could destroy her marriage.
First, Thea is not the innocent Noah believes her to be, and so when she reveals the truth, he then refuses to consummate their marriage until he can be sure any child would be his.
Thea of course is hurt by his reaction, but she was also prepared for the consequences.
But as it turns out, Thea realizes this will give them time to build their relationship.
Their time together becomes magical, allowing love and passion to grow.
However...Thea's past comes back to haunt them.
Will they allow.. particularly Noah himself, to let the past ruin their future together?
The Duke's Disaster was a good story exploring the importance of trust in a relationship, which certainly brought depth of emotion to this romance and love and passion.
While I did enjoy Noah and Thea's story I also found it a much slower pace book than her others that I have just read.
That aside, it was still worth the wait to reach it's wonderful ending.

[Erica Chilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF: automatic 3 stars because I won't penalize the author because the story/writing style/ and/or author's voice wasn't for me. I received a copy of this book for reviewing purposes. As a DNF, I don't feel it necessary to state which blog.

In all fairness, I do believe I should explain why it was a DNF. First, I will state that I am not new to Historical Romance. Second, as an author of 16 published works, I should hope I'm literate and proficient enough in my own craft to read a book.

I feel as if I'm setting myself up for ridicule with this honest review (as it is about my experience while trying to read this novel). "How could you not understand it? How can you give a negative review because you're illiterate?" "You're an author who can't read?"

I felt as if the book was over-written. As if several words per sentence were replaced with their equivalent in the thesaurus in order to make it sound of the era. While I could comprehend what the author was trying to tell, the words just felt like a jumbled up mess of confusion.

Basically, it was a flow issue for me, where I was drawn from the story in order to comprehend words I knew the very definition of but couldn't order without working through them.

Not the youdomegreathonorbut speech, which Noah had been prepared for- he did her a very significant honor indeed-but not a meek capitulation either. She managed to reprove without being rude, for which Noah admired her, of course.

I know what every word means. But strung together in those disjointed sentences, it took a lot of work on my part to comprehend what the author was trying to say. Simple doesn't mean stupid, nor does it mean that it's not historically accurate. Sometimes over-complicating something that is simple doesn't show intelligence, but rather a need to prove you are intelligent.

I feel as if I am not explaining myself properly. With the paragraph I quoted, each phrase yanked me from the story with its jarring nature. This was my first attempt at reading Grace Burrowes. She is very popular and well-loved, but obviously not for me. I don't know if the entire book read like this or not, as I had to stop after the third chapter. I don't know if all of her works are written as such, either. For me, I want to read a story, fall into my imagination for a few hours to escape life. As a writer, I don't want to comprehend each word in order to create a story, because that is what I do by profession. I just want to read a book that doesn't feel like work.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this review on Got fiction? book blog

Noah Winters, Duke of Anselm is in need of a bride. It's very briefly mentioned that he has to marry before a certain year or something (it really wasn't detailed). Noah spends the Season courting a young debutante, who then becomes engaged to another man. Noah switches his attentions to her companion Thea. Being that Thea is the daughter of an earl, it's quite a good match. But this is never really mentioned as such.

The beginning starts of well, it's engaging and interesting, and I really liked that Thea was set on not accepting Noah's proposal, yet he convinced her. I liked how they interacted.

They get married, and...the book drags.

At first, they took it slowly. Thea isn't a virgin. After she became a companion (I guess to pay the bills? Until about 85% in, I thought she became a companion after she was ruined, not before? I feel like this book went in circles about the same topic many many times but never actually told us what was going on). Noah is angry, disappointed, feels betrayed, etc. He tells her they'll wait until her period before any more sexy times, just to ensure she didn't marry him because she was already pregnant and he was convenient. O-kay.

So for a couple weeks he ignores her sometimes, is sweet sometimes, leaves on lots of trips, and all manner of ways to avoid her. In London he visits his old mistress. She must be heroine to a book farther down the road or something, because otherwise I see no reason for that visit unless to set her up as a sympathetic character. I'm really glad everyone called Noah on it. He has a wife of a week, and is caught in Town visiting his old mistress? Gag. (note: I don't see any familiar names on the future books of the series, so how is this a prequel? And unless more books are coming, his mistress isn't a future heroine).

After Thea's period, they get back to the ducal baby making, and you can see they start to fall in love. This is still only around 30% in. This is a looooooonnnnnggggg book. I hated how Noah kept bringing up Thea's past, but then would be think that she's obviously upset, let's take a nap, or go on a picnic, or get naked...he wanted to know so much about her past, but then he'd randomly stop when she'd tell him about it. For the record, she was raped while she was a companion. This seems like it should have been said in one of their million conversations that they have. Seriously. This book was one giant conversation. And it was always the same conversation!

Then to top it off, Noah has two little girls he's been hiding upstairs. He never tells his new duchess this. She finds them, or rather they find her, and she assumes that they're his. He knows this and never tells her differently. They are his cousins. He has taken responsibility for them, and the girls tell her this, but she doesn't believe them, and he never tells her differently until about 95% in, and it's mentioned so off-handedly by someone else. Noah's answer? They'll talk about it later. Jerk.

The worst part is, that Noah is actually a very patient, loving, and kind man. But a couple of stupid choices make him look like an ass. Thea isn't much better. One conversation. Just one, would have fixed much of this. That and cutting about 30% of this book. There was no need for it to drag on like that.

Okay, now that you have an idea of what's going on, I'd like to say that I really enjoyed the plot, and to an extent the characters. What I can't seem to like is the fact that over and over and over again, these two have the same conversation ten different ways, and nothing is ever resolved. Ever.

At the end, the villain of the piece is given "a fast horse and sufficient funds to get to France" courtesy of the Duke's brother. I mean seriously? Seriously? That's how he's dealt with? He's given an escape plan and money? That's awful. The author built him up as the kind of person who of course will come back and try for revenge, so why let him go?

I also think that maybe this author isn't for me. I know I've read Burrowes before, and I don't want this to be my last. I have a couple of her books at home, but still...I'm not all that excited to continue on.

The good-this may be a prequel to her new series, but it's a full-length novel! And a loooong one at that. So if you're a Burrowes fan, you'll be in heaven!

If you don't mind taking the long way round, you'll probably enjoy this as well.

***ARC courtesy of Sourcebooks Casablanca

[TinaNoir · Rating 4 out of 5]

***2020 update ***

Can't seem to stick with anything new. So in desperation I am trolling through stuff way back i my kindle that looks like I rated it well but don't remember much about. This one holds up really well. I now remember why I liked it so much. Such fun dialogue and I enjoyed the marriage of This Duke and His Duchess.

***************
ORIGINAL 2015 REVIEW

I was attracted t this book because it was a 'married couple' romance. Not a MOC, but an actual couple who got married because that is what couples did at that time. Yeah, not true love, but it isn't a sexless marriage either. Emma Wildes does this trope really well and I wish she would get to writing another one. But I digress....

This book hit me rather oddly. It contains one of the things that really bothers me... a lack of simple communication. But that lack of communication is offset by a really rather good story. In some places it made me smile a lot. So that is a plus.

Noah Winters, the Duke of Anselm decides he wants to marry the rather pretty and eminently suitable Lady Thea Collins. Thea's family is on the decline. A steep decline. Her parents passed away leaving her with her younger brother (who became the Earl) and her younger sister. Her brother is on the fast track to becoming a drunken, gambling, useless thing. As such he is not really looking out for his sisters. Thea becomes a paid companion because, well, she needs to eat.

With these practical matters in mind, she accepts the Duke's proposal. They get married and that is when the troubles start.

Right out the gate they have An Issue. Now, I can see where he is coming from. He is a man of his time and he has a right to his opinion. And I rather liked how she responded to his response (..being deliberately obtuse here...). Ok, but here is my thing. A whole of of assumptions happen within a small period of time that did not need to happen if 1) they had just talked to each other and 2) Noah had used his brain for a minute. I mean, before they got married there was a scene that occurred that he should have flashed back upon and said 'Ah ha!'

So yeah, it was a bit frustrating for them to have this ...I won't say Grand Mis.... because it wasn't really that.. but rather a clear lack of common sense talking that would have cleared up some hurt feelings.

But like I said, I was able to reach past that because both Noah and Thea (but especially Noah) were so damned charming. Even in the midst of their disagreement, they both felt like they wanted to to really like each other an couldn't help themselves. I loved how Noah called her 'Wife' and 'Duchess' very proudly. And despite the fact that he was described as 'Not Nice' or given other very dour personality traits, his behavior didn't bear that out. At All. He was, like I said above, charming. And actually rather funny. The scenes of him harassing Thea's brother were quite amusing.

As the book progresses, the thing that was very evident to the reader becomes more and more evident to Noah and he gets A Clue. I do like how he and Thea built a solid base of trust in each other and that came through in a critical moment in the end.

So even though this book employed a trope I tend to dislike, I enjoyed this in spite of it.

[Sharon L · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of Noah and Thea. Noah is a duke in need of a wife; Thea is a lady's companion and the daughter of an earl. Her parents died some years ago and hard times and the need to support her family forced Thea out to work.

At the end of the season Noah finds himself with no fiancée and so he decides to offer for Thea, the two marry soon after and this is where something goes mildly wrong.

You see, Thea did not make it to the wedding night virginal. Ooops.

Being married slowly Thea and Noah come to terms, getting other her lack of virginity, her troubled family, his challenging cousins, his family history and one man they both managed to annoy plenty.

Slowly their match that had nothing to do with love and everything to do with mind becomes a match of two friends and even lovers. Like most regency novels the two fall in love in the end.

Thea and Noah were good together and I liked how their relationship developed even though I did not like the fact that some things seemed to drag for far too long. Also, the writing was fairly done but sometimes I felt as if I was reading something and I didn’t understand what the conversation was about. This made me a tiny bit annoyed- sorry but I could care less if the farmers managed to grow their whatever or not.

The passing of time was also not very fluid. But what annoyed me the most was the way Thea's past was handled. You see- quite early you learn of the possibility that Thea lost her virginity unwillingly. However, it is hardly ever addressed. She doesn't seem to have a problem having sex with her husband, her husband is too afraid to know the truth and when the truth comes out in two pages everything is resolved and that's it. Which also means the ending felt too rushed for me.

This was a good regency book, and I liked the characters. I especially liked the development of the relationship between Thea and Noah and how they both grew into their roles- she the one of a duchess, he the one of a husband.

So nice story and well worth the read. It just fell a little short compared to my expectations.

An ARC was kindly provided by Sourcebook Casablanca. Thank You

Pre-review:
My first read by Grace Burrowes that was supposed to have everything I love in a book.

I do have some minor issues with it, so I'm still contemplation my rating.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not really happy right now. Shame on me really. I should have read more reviews on this book. Had I know that this story would have featured an unrepentant rake, I would have left it at the library. The amount of page space given to his musings about his most recent ex-mistress irked me. The statement that he'd had 34 mistresses (or was it merely two dozen? The matter is never clarified.) disgusted me and the fact that he had no realization that women didn't dream about becoming courtesans made me heartily dislike him. I'm honestly a little disgusted right now. And I haven't even started on the double standards in this book.

So the h hides from the H that she wasn't a virgin. Restated: she tries to find time to tell him, but in their short non-courtship of a couple of days, they're never alone long enough to broach such a sensitive topic. He gets mad on their wedding night when she tells him, even though he isn't a virgin either. Not by a long shot. Reference the number of mistresses in the above paragraph. He harps on it, mentions it, alludes to it, can't get over it, etc. And while I know that his being a duke and simply a man, he could have taken her admission as a right to beat her, throw her out on the street, or annul the marriage, he doesn't. And for this the h is grateful. Seriously? The premise of this story is raising my blood pressure and not in a good way.

Of course we find out that the h did not give away her virginity willingly and all of a sudden, the H realizes what an unmitigated ass he’s been. Seriously? As if behaving like that under any circumstances is ok? Did the h throw all of his previous mistresses in his face? Nope. Because men are to be allowed their sexual releases but women aren’t. The duke is a stud while the h is a harlot. And the fact that the younger version of the H was so shamed by the reputation of the men in his family and yet turned out to be exactly like them is something I didn’t understand.

I didn’t like this story, I didn’t like the MCs, and I didn’t understand the love they had for each other. The only reason I’m giving this two stars is because it was well written. The story itself would get zero stars. :(

[Laura (Kyahgirl) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was in the mood for some romance and a guaranteed HEA and that is what I got. I enjoy Grace Burrowes writing and appreciate that her characters have conversations and manage to develop some kind of friendship on the way to their HEA. My only real nit with this book was Noah’s rather protracted angst over a missing hymen. It seemed excessive and out of character to be so unfair as to judge without having any facts.

[Cheesecake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Noah the blind fool and Thea.
Not that I didn't like Noah. He has a nice growth arc throughout the story. Mostly because everyone he knows tells him he's being blind.
Noah meets Thea when she is a companion to a girl he is courting. He doesn't particularly care about the girl and when that all falls through, he decides to strong-arm Thea into marriage.
But Thea has something she needs to tell him and never seems to get a chance...
It's pretty obvious, and yet it runs through most of the story. But strangely it didn't ruin the story for me and I did understand both their thought processes.
She was raped when she was 17, in her first job as a companion. But feels guilty about it as she hadn't locked her door and had taken laudanum for a headache. The truth doesn't come out til the last 25% of the story. In the meantime, he thinks she had a lover before him and is jealous. Of course, he has had many mistresses over the years and thinks nothing of it... But he isn't a manho.
When the truth comes out, Noah was wonderful and it was already clear that he loved her to pieces.

There's a villain who fortunately isn't too bright. There's two little girls that further muck up the waters in their 'newly wed' stage. But it's all good.

So overall I quite enjoyed it but still felt I needed to skim a bit in the second half.

It was kinda odd how he would deal with the abstinence he forces on them both and may bother some people, but I didn't think it was a big deal except maybe a wee bit selfish? ; )
he wanks off while in bed with her.

[Angie Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS and Netgalley for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I fell in love with Grace Burrowes’ writing last year when I read her Captive Hearts series. Her books hit the spot for me with the way her characters evolve and the amount of emotion she delivers in every word. The Duke’s Disaster fell right in line. It’s the stunning love story of Noah, Duke of Anselm, and Thea, the Lady’s companion he decides to wed. Noah and Thea are in the same boat, as they each carry the burden of protecting their family names and reputations.

This story was a reflection of the time period – both Noah and Thea marry for practical reasons they think will benefit them. As they both have more pressing matters to worry about, love doesn’t enter the equation. I was drawn to both characters immediately. They were sensible and compassionate; it was obvious how much each of them loved their family. When Noah took Thea as his wife, he didn’t merely brush her aside. Just the way he had been doing with his own loved ones, he was quick to guide and, if need be, strong arm them into doing what needed to be done. I really liked the secondary characters in this one as well – most of them, anyway. Glimpses into how Thea and Noah treat their families only confirm how caring they are.

The pacing of this story was wonderful. Noah and Thea learned about each other slowly, and their love was something that developed over time. The consistent back and forth between them was entertaining. They each had secrets, and I must admit, while Thea’s motivation was credible for me, Noah’s wasn’t. It didn’t fall in line with his character. His secret felt much like it was ‘tit for tat’ because of what she hadn’t revealed to him, and it just wasn’t the Noah I’d come to know over the course of the story. I do love how his priorities changed as their relationship progressed. While he’d been so concerned about his own reputation, it wasn’t until his bride’s was on the line that he realized there were more important things taking place.

I did have an issue with one part of the story, but I am going to hide it, as it is a major spoiler.

I felt like Thea’s reaction to the details of what actually transpired with her assault was very tame. Having it in the open with her husband and having been wrong about the man who’d violated seems like something that would rock her world. It was too quickly and tidily wrapped up for me. A more dramatic reaction would have rung true.

I also felt like her reaction to finding out the truth about the girls she’d assumed were Noah’s warranted a greater reaction, as well. I felt like these events were glossed over in an effort to wrap up the story.

The love story between Noah and Thea was beautiful; the characters were so charming in their simplicity. If you’re a Grace Burrowes fan, this one is not to be missed!

This review was originally posted at Badass Book Reviews.

[Inna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars - this book was good but there were a few things that bothered me.

Thea is an Earl’s daughter who has to go into service when both of her parents die and the family is down on their luck. She is ladies companion to a young woman and the duke (Noah) was courting this other lady. When the other woman engages herself to someone other than Noah, he decides that he doesn’t want to wait any longer for a wife and offers for Thea instead. She hesitantly accepts him (mostly so she can help her sister) and becomes his duchess. Unfortunately, Thea couldn’t find a minute alone with him to tell him about her prior experiences. Thus begins their marriage with one after another misunderstanding and confusion.

First, let me start by saying that I did like this book, it was an easy read and an interesting story. I liked the writing and both of the MCs quite a bit. I think that the good in this book greatly outnumbered the bad.

What I didn’t like was that the plot was based almost entirely from a lack of communication. Even though I understand why this wasn’t communicated and how hard it would have been for the heroine to speak her piece, it is still a frustrating trope for me. Added to that was Noah’s inability to reveal certain truths. I personally prefer books that don’t keep the MCs apart simply because they can communicate. It’s just a personal pet peeve of mine, although this one wasn’t badly done. Then there’s an incident at the end that felt overly dramatic and it felt very out of place in this otherwise fairly subdued story.


Probably safe for most, but this story does contain rape (off page).

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I love about Burrowes is that she can elicit a full-on case of dread in me, even when I know there will be a happily ever after and that nothing truly terrible is going to happen. It's a quality that makes her books un-put-downable: I have to keep going to find out what happens next and how it all works out. It's that quality which isn't so evident in the earlier books and the lack makes them less compelling for me. There's also a fair amount of humor and charm which nicely offsets the whiff of old-school gothic horror.

I have a minor argument with an aspect of the backstory, not because I think it wrong from an historical or plot angle, but only from an authorial choice sort of thing. And in an utterly unrelated thought I wish more writers would explore the freeze response among the fight/flight/freeze paradigm. Not that I don't enjoy the others: I love a good fight scene and a good chase scene too. Freeze doesn't get much literary work because, I suppose, it seems to lack action or agency, but I would love to see different takes on it.

Library copy