My Once and Future Duke by Caroline Linden

Mar 12, 2018 Andrea rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-romance

3.5 stars

Buddy read with Lacey, who luckily enjoyed this more than I did :)

See, the thing is, I LOVE Caroline Linden. She has written some of my favorite historical romances. But lately, I don't know why, books from my favorite authors that I have been eagerly waiting for just don't seem to work out for me- it happened three books in a row, with Julia Quinn, Lisa Kleypas, and now Linden :(

The good things first:
Because this is a Carline Linden book, the writing is solid and I was able to look 3.5 stars

Buddy read with Lacey, who luckily enjoyed this more than I did :)

See, the thing is, I LOVE Caroline Linden. She has written some of my favorite historical romances. But lately, I don't know why, books from my favorite authors that I have been eagerly waiting for just don't seem to work out for me- it happened three books in a row, with Julia Quinn, Lisa Kleypas, and now Linden :(

The good things first:
Because this is a Carline Linden book, the writing is solid and I was able to look past a premise I did not enjoy and keep reading. I liked Sophie as a character (until something stupid happened towards the end): a woman with no family connections, who has to support herself and makes a plan to do so by gambling, using the skills she has (a good head for numbers) to make sure she can gain her independence and maybe even a husband. I LOVED that for once the roles were the other way around and the woman gets to be the one who stays out late, enjoys her life, and does as she pleases, while the man is limited by his place in society and barely has a life to speak of. Which brings me to Jack, the Duke of Ware. I liked him. He was nice, and guarded (understandably so), and slow to trust, and the way Sophie brings out the best in him was wonderful to read about.

And now for the things that didn't work out for me:
- the insta-lust. I hate it. There. I said it. Jack sees Sophie in a club where he is trying to prevent his little brother from losing even more money he doesn't have and instantly decides that he wants her. In order to get her to stop "fleecing" his brother, he proposes a bet: she wins, she gets a big sum of money from Jack; he wins, he gets a week of her company. Which brings me to:
- the premise: this did not work for me. Don't ask me why. I don't know. I wish I did. But honestly, after Jack actually drags Sophie from the club, bundles her up in a carriage, and basically abducts her to his country estate where no one will disturb them for a week, I gave up a little bit and skimmed until things got better for me. Which did happen eventually (this is Caroline Linden after all), just not enough to get over my initial disappointment. I did enjoy the second half of the book, where they developed an actual relationship, much more than the first half.
- the dreaded big last-minute understanding that came out of nowhere: So after they fall in love, and eventually become engaged, I guess someone said there was a desperate need for drama. Because Sophie manning up and deciding to just tell Jack about the secrets she kept from him (which I very much appreciated btw) just wasn't enough apparently. So we get this: (view spoiler) I'm sorry, but I HATE this sort of last-minute, contrived drama. And unlike my kind and more forgiving friend Lacey (hi Lacey! thanks for putting up with grumpy me on this one!!!), the rest of the story didn't make up for this for me.

I seem to be in the minority (again) with my opinion. Pretty much every one of my friends absolutely loved this. Oh well... ...more

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Feb 27, 2018 Caz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, romance-1800-1850

4.5 stars rounded up.

Caroline Linden writes the most wonderful character-driven romances, and she’s a favourite author of mine. Whenever I want to read something I know will be beautifully and intelligently written, with a gorgeous hero and a heroine I can root for, she’s someone I know I can rely on to deliver something that will hit the spot, and a new book by her is always a cause for celebration. Her latest release, My Once and Future Duke, the first in her new Wagers of Sin series, is a 4.5 stars rounded up.

Caroline Linden writes the most wonderful character-driven romances, and she’s a favourite author of mine. Whenever I want to read something I know will be beautifully and intelligently written, with a gorgeous hero and a heroine I can root for, she’s someone I know I can rely on to deliver something that will hit the spot, and a new book by her is always a cause for celebration. Her latest release, My Once and Future Duke, the first in her new Wagers of Sin series, is a superb example of what she does best, and boasts a well-developed, sensual romance between two engaging and intriguing characters - who must find a way to bridge the (social) gulf between them if they are to make a life together.

Sophie Graham, granddaughter of Viscount Makepeace, is orphaned at the age of twelve when her parents both die from serious illness. The viscount cut off his son when he fell in love with and married a French opera singer, but Sophie’s father never regretted his choice; he loved his wife dearly, and they were a happy family, travelling around Europe to her mother's various singing engagements, returning to England only when her voice began to falter. With no other source of income, Sophie’s father supported his wife and daughter by what he could make at the gaming tables; having some talent at mathematics, probabilities and odds, he didn’t fare too badly. From him, Sophie learned many card games – and from the lads in the stables, she learned dicing, how to calculate odds, when to be cautious and when to take a risk. After her parents’ deaths, the viscount takes Sophie to a good school, making it clear that his financial support will stop the day Sophie turns eighteen. Sophie works hard and makes some good friends at school, but knows she can rely on no-one but herself to provide for her future. She has come up with a plan to ensure her financial security, but it’s risky and will mean living on the very edge of respectability.

Sophie longs for home, family and the sort of love she hasn’t experienced since her parents died. The only way to achieve that stability is for her to find a respectable gentleman to marry - but given that she is no debutante, she’s in her mid-twenties, has no family to speak of and is practically penniless, she decides she must make herself a little nest egg so that she will not go to her prospective husband empty handed. The only way Sophie knows how to make money is by gambling, and fortunately, there is a club in London which admits women as well as men, the Vega Club. She has played there a few nights a week for the past three years, and is quietly building her fortune, a little at a time.

Jack Lindeville, Duke of Ware, is furious with his younger brother, Philip, for yet again running up gambling debts and expecting Jack to pay them. Jack came into his title when he was just twenty-four and hadn’t really finished kicking up his heels as “the heir”, but he had to settle down and assume his responsibilities quickly, leading some of his friends and associates –and especially his brother – to dismiss him as a dull dog. But Jack’s responsibilities include not allowing his brother to beggar the dukedom, so he tells Philip he will pay his latest debt on the condition that it’s the last time he wagers such a large sum AND that he does not set foot in Vega’s again. So it’s easy to understand his ire when, having visited the club’s owner to pay the debt, Jack is on his way out when he sees Philip at the Hazard table, losing to a lovely young woman in a scarlet gown.

Jack is almost knocked sideways by the sudden stab of desire that flashes through him when the woman turns to face him. He’s never had such a visceral reaction to any woman, and the fact that she throws him off balance only adds fuel to the fire of his fury over Philip’s duplicity. In the heat of his anger he makes it clear he believes the woman has set out to fleece his brother and then, uncharacteristically rattled, Jack proposes a scandalous wager – if he loses the game, he will pay the young woman five thousand pounds. If he wins, she will spend a week with him.

By this time, Sophie is sufficiently annoyed by the insults being levelled at her by this stranger – whom she has guessed is Philip’s brother – to let her temper get the better of her, and she accepts the wager. It’s clear to her that Ware is a complete novice at the game, but Hazard is a game of chance… and Sophie’s luck is about to run out.

Ms. Linden has created a gorgeously sensual romance between two people from very different backgrounds and stations in life who are perfect for each other but whose social positions look set to keep them apart. Jack has been bought up to duty and responsibility, and knows he is expected to wed a “suitable” young woman of the ton and have the sort of comfortable and unemotional marriage conducted by most people of his station. But the few days he spends with Sophie are a revelation; she’s kind, witty and clever, and it’s not long before he realises she’s everything he wants, and the woman he can see himself spending his life with. And while Sophie at first believes Jack to be the arrogant, stuffed shirt he is reputed to be, she soon comes to see he’s nothing of the sort and falls hard and fast for the loving, warm-hearted and tenderly affectionate man beneath the ducal exterior. She and Jack spend just a few days together, but it’s long enough for both of them to realise that they have found a profound and true love – but how can a duke marry a nobody who makes her living at the gaming tables?

The romance between Jack and Sophie is incredibly well written and beautifully developed; they fall in love over a very short period of time, but Ms. Linden imbues their romance with such a strong sense of compatibility, mutual longing and sensuality that it doesn’t feel rushed or the slightest bit underdeveloped. The only reason I’ve not given the book a five star rating is due to the misunderstanding thrown in towards the end, which seems to have been injected for the sake of providing a bit of eleventh-hour drama. Sophie’s reaction is somewhat out of character, too – she’s prepared to believe the worst without any evidence, and despite the fact that she knows better. Still, things are cleared up quite quickly, and of course, all ends well.

My Once and Future Duke is a fabulous read and once again proves Caroline Linden to be at the forefront of historical romance authors writing today. I have no hesitation in recommending it heartily, and I’m eagerly looking forward to reading the next book in the series later this year.
...more

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Feb 05, 2019 Carol Cork *Young at Heart Oldie* rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recently, I have been thinking about the authors whose books first encouraged my love of Historical Romance. Regrettably some of these authors, such as Caroline Linden, seem to have fallen by the wayside as new authors came along to capture my interest. MY ONCE AND FUTURE DUKE, the first book in her new The Wagers of Sin series, provided the perfect opportunity to rediscover this talented author.

Orphaned at the age of twelve, when both her beloved parents died of consumption, Sophie Graham was l ...more

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Mar 05, 2018 Mei rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical

A lovely heroine…

… an accomplished gambler who earns her living that way! I admit I admired her! She knew what she wanted and went to get it in an unusual and inventive way! LOL

The hero was a stick-in-the-a**, but while reading I could understand why he was that way! So, when he falls for the heroine, he falls hard and all the way!

Some of my friends said that they liked the hero’s brother; me not so much! A useless and slick youngster who always did whatever he wanted and unloaded all the probl ...more

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Jan 13, 2018 Becca rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: on-my-shelf, arc-complimentary-copy, favorites

Despite my best efforts to go slow after more than a year of waiting, I gorged myself on this decadent novel and read it in two days. No regrets! In fact, I'll probably be reading it again to catch anything I missed.

My Once and Future Duke is Linden's first novel in a new series. However, it feature a very old secondary character whom readers first met in Caroline's early (perhaps first) novel, What a Woman Needs. The aloof but lonely Duke of Ware finally got his book and what a story it was. St Despite my best efforts to go slow after more than a year of waiting, I gorged myself on this decadent novel and read it in two days. No regrets! In fact, I'll probably be reading it again to catch anything I missed.

My Once and Future Duke is Linden's first novel in a new series. However, it feature a very old secondary character whom readers first met in Caroline's early (perhaps first) novel, What a Woman Needs. The aloof but lonely Duke of Ware finally got his book and what a story it was. Still waters run deep my friends...my favorite trope ever.

Anyway, Linden is one of my favorite authors writing today so this review may be a bit fan-girly. I just love her style. I find her characters easy to understand, the dialogue pops, and the sexual tension and chemistry is hands-down my favorite in the genre. So good. This story is a bit unusual, particularly with the heroine. She is a woman of sharp intelligence and a ferocious desire to be financially independent in a time where paths to achieve that goal were limited. Her plan involves slowly building a nest egg by using her skill with odds and numbers to win money at a gambling establishment. Thus far, she has built up her savings to 4,000 pounds, but believes she needs 10,000 to truly be secure. The Duke of Ware never gambles, but when he happens to be in the establishment to pull his hapless brother out of yet another debt, Ware is arrested by the sight of a beautiful woman in crimson...and temporarily loses his mind.

When the Duke of Ware bets 5,000 pounds against a week in her company, Sophie loses her mind a bit too. Both typically careful characters throw all the rules out the window and end up on the path to love as a result of momentary madness. While some would find this plot to be unrealistic, from what I knew and understood about each character, it seemed to be the only way to begin shaking down the walls they'd each built around themselves for protection. Somehow, this dramatic event opened the gates for each of them to sneak behind the other's defenses and I reveled in every page of it. The duke is attracted to Sophie right away...but he keeps it hidden. Yes, there is insta-lust, but Linden builds the tension slowly as the characters spend time together in more innocent encounters. Oh my goodness...it was so good. I loved how Sophie got to see the true man behind the duke and how he got to see how unique and refreshing Sophie was as she let down her guard.

The beginning of this book was the strongest part of the novel. When real life begins to intrude once more, the focus shifted to other matters and the romance lost a little bit of its sparkle. At this point, there were two quibbles that I had:
1. When Sophie and the duke embark on an affair (that NO ONE can know about), neither ever thinks about the possibility of pregnancy. For such careful characters, and their resolution that the affair wouldn't last, this didn't make sense and every time they slept together, it bothered me more that the worry never came up.
2. There is a misunderstanding towards the end of the novel. While I understand how the conflict came about and I'm glad it was dealt with, it truly bothered me how Sophie handled it. It didn't fit with her character and for a chapter and a half, I was highly annoyed. Why didn't she ask the duke about it? After all they'd been through together? Why?? ARGH!! Fortunately, the duke came in and resolved the issue and Sophie gave in in such a way that my short-lived disappointment could not overpower the enormous enjoyment I had in the rest of the novel to lower my rating. You have been warned for those who also hate misunderstandings. Don't let it stop you from this book though...truly. It is still worth it.

I truly loved My Once and Future Duke. I got this as an ARC from Edelweiss, but I can tell you right now, I'll be buying the paperback the day it comes out to put on my favorites shelf. This romance with the unusual, careful characters was just so gripping. I loved the intensity of their attraction, both physically and mentally, and at times, I felt a bit like a voyeur since the chemistry was so palpable. The storyline flowed beautifully and the private love between them was so fun to read, I just couldn't put the book down.

The ending is a hook for the next book in the series and I can tell you right now, I'll be reading it as soon as I can get my hands on it. Yay for another new series I can rave about. Get excited everyone <3

As I stated before, I received a free copy from Edelweiss. This review is my own honest opinion of the story. Thank you for not making me wait another month :) ...more

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Oct 28, 2017 Esther rated it liked it

Shelves: hero-rich, arc, no-cheating, arc-edelweiss, family, some-angst

ARC provided by Edelweiss and Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Sophie was sent to an Academy for young ladies by her Viscount Uncle. She was orphaned at a young age. At eighteen she's on her own as far as her Uncle is concerned. Sophie is very good at cards and calculating numbers, thanks to her late father. She becomes a very successful gambler and pretends to be a widow.

Duke of Ware, Jack Linderville is at Vega to pay off his brother Philip's debt, which happens often. This is where ...more

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Sep 07, 2018 Jacob Proffitt rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: unfinished, audiobook

I've been listening to this for a few hours now and the pressure has been building and building and I just can't stand it any longer. A woman who has made and lost a wager to "spend a week in my company" to a man that was witnessed by at least a dozen people in the open gaming room of a gambling club has been "ruined". His dragging her out of the "gaming club", alone, into a carriage that then took them out of London only nails that coffin further shut. That is a done deal. It is inescapable. I' ...more

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Mar 05, 2018 Joanna Loves Reading rated it it was amazing

Shelves: hr, mofo-dukes, reviewed, buddy-read

Don't trust me. I'm an unapologetic Caroline Linden fangirl, as much as I can be a fangirl anyways. Having read all of her historical romances, several multiple times, the pre-ordering of this one was inevitable. Still, I had my qualms going in. Every author is bound to write a story that doesn't appeal to us at some point, and this one features a secondary character from what I believe was her first full-length novel, What a Woman Needs, which is my least favorite of hers. For 13 years, many fa Don't trust me. I'm an unapologetic Caroline Linden fangirl, as much as I can be a fangirl anyways. Having read all of her historical romances, several multiple times, the pre-ordering of this one was inevitable. Still, I had my qualms going in. Every author is bound to write a story that doesn't appeal to us at some point, and this one features a secondary character from what I believe was her first full-length novel, What a Woman Needs, which is my least favorite of hers. For 13 years, many fans have waited for the Duke of Ware to get his own story. Not really recalling his role in the novel, I had seen the question asked in her FAQs, so I was aware of the hype, regardless. Coming off an unexpectedly disappointing new release the week before, I was again a trifle nervous. I found the premise of this somewhat underwhelming. It sounded like books I had read before. It's a regency with a gambling club as a central point, and well it's one of a million (slight exageration) Duke heroes to be released within the last year. To be fair, Linden has had only four duke heroes in all of her novels and novellas (I believe...I know a true fangirl would KNOW), so I am not complaining too much about that. Plus this hero was already a Duke sitting there from a previous story. Nevertheless, was this a sign that she was being swayed too much by current trends? I digress, but I am trying to drive home the point that while I was hopeful this would be another winner, there was trepidation that it would be one of those very rare misses by Linden. When I finally was able to read it, I found my fears were in vain. Thank goodness. It was a decadent story, and I think that it be best to read while soaking in a bubble bath, wine and chocolate at the ready.

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The story starts out with Sophie gambling with the Duke's brother Philip. Philip had been a bit too insistent she lavish her attention on him, and she was indulging him to pacify him with a game of Hazard. At that same moment, the Duke was paying off debts Philip could not pay himself, having extracted a promise earlier that day from Philip that he would not return to the tables for a month. Jack, the Duke, spots the two of the gambling, and he acts rather uncharacteristically and makes a scene and starts gambling with Sophie. She's winning because luck and skill are on her side, so when he wagers 5,000 pounds versus a week in her company, she accepts. Of course, luck finally favors him, and she faces the prospect of honoring the wager or losing her membership to the Vega Club. They depart, and he whisks her away to his house in the country that is not too far from the city. Can I say I was sold at this point? Not really. I still had some trepidation, but there were two things in its favor. One is that I tend to prefer a tumultuous start, especially if it gets the leads acting out of character due to a force (let's call it strong attraction) outside of their control. This was well done, but it really could have went very South from here. Their time away from London was lovely. I really, really enjoyed their time spent getting to know each other. While it was only four days, it worked, I think, because they both were able to relax and forget about their worries for a few days. They were able to let their guard down. And they had fun. Together. That is a key feature in romances. I need to know that the main characters can make the other happy, maybe even that they need the other to be happy. This was a ROMANCE, and a damn good one, and the details of the historical setting were well researched and told. I found this delightful.

There was a twist at the end that could have been handled differently, but it really didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the novel. I was rooting for them and very much believed in their HEA. It was a relationship built on honesty and trust that slowly grew over time, despite some insecurities along the way. Linden also did a good job at getting us interested in the series, without detracting from this story. August cannot come soon enough for the next story. It features one of Sophie's childhood friends, which was another part I enjoyed--the female friendships. This book did mention two other Linden heroes from her earlier book, and it featured a small but important cameo of the Duke of Exeter from What a Gentleman Wants.

I believe February 27, 2018, is the biggest HR release date I have ever experienced. This one probably getting lesser hype behind Lisa Kleypas' release and Meredith Duran's, but it is certainly well worth a read. I would definitely recomment to anyone who likes a good romance with great characters. It really was lovely and satisfying.

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Thanks to Loriidae for the Buddy Read in the HRBC -- always delightful, and Bubu for helping me figure out GIFs -- this is fun. ...more

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Mar 11, 2018 OLT rated it it was ok

(2.5 stars) I seem to be swimming against the tide again in my reaction to another new HR release. I thought to try out Linden's new series, even though her previous Scandals books did not appeal to me. But this one goes into the same file as Kleypas' and Campbell's latest novels. It's competently written but Linden and the other two are not one third the wordsmiths of a Meredith Duran, Jayne Fresina, Elizabeth Kingston, Sherry Thomas, or Courtney Milan. Linden tells stories, but the way she wri ...more

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Dec 03, 2020 SWEETY rated it liked it

Shelves: standalone-series-historical, regency, hate-to-love, funny

I really like Caroline Linden. For me Love and Other Scandals was a masterpiece, I’ve dabbled around in a few of her books since then and I’ve never not liked one of her books. However none of them have matched up to Love and other Scandals. My once and future duke was a good book, I loved the beginning but somewhere around the middle it kind of started to drag. Still a good book though and enjoyable, and I am looking forward to the rest of the series. ...more

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Apr 16, 2018 Rachel (BAVR) rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-romance

There's nothing particularly bad or unlikable about My Once and Future Duke, though I would be hard-pressed to think of more than a couple good or likable things about it. The first half of the book is a dreadful bore. Just blah. Jack and Sophie aren't charismatic on their own, let alone thrown together at his dull country house chatting about family heirlooms and thinking about how sexy the other one is. And that's fine if you want to bask in the soothing romance of two perfectly nice people, b There's nothing particularly bad or unlikable about My Once and Future Duke, though I would be hard-pressed to think of more than a couple good or likable things about it. The first half of the book is a dreadful bore. Just blah. Jack and Sophie aren't charismatic on their own, let alone thrown together at his dull country house chatting about family heirlooms and thinking about how sexy the other one is. And that's fine if you want to bask in the soothing romance of two perfectly nice people, but I'm really hard to please because I prefer to be dragged kicking and screaming through tense conflict. Like, thanks for the sweet story, but I might be the wrong person for this?

Anyway, the gist of the story is entirely character-driven, so let's dig into them.

Jack, the Duke of Ware
Jack is a duke. A perfectly competent duke with a perfectly competent work ethic and moral compass. The most imperfect thing about him is his hilarious London house, which is called Ware House. Is this an intentional thing? Did anyone in the publishing process notice? Why is this more interesting to me than anything else in the book?

So, Jack is running out of patience with his little brother, Phillip, who is running up so many gambling debts. Phillip gambles all the time, but he really, really sucks at it. Jack makes him promise to stop gambling for a month, and Phillip's like, "Yeah, sure, I can do that." But when Jack goes to a super discreet gambling club to pay off one of Phillip's debts and finds him there playing hazard with Sophie, Jack feels 2 things - 1) fury with Phillip and 2) a boner for Sophie. That motivates him to take Phillip's place at the gambling table to teach his little bro a lesson by ... creating a wager with Sophie in which he would pay her 5000 pounds or she would have to spend a week with him. You get where this is going.

Sophie, gambler extraordinaire
Orphaned Sophie isn't recognized by her humorless old grandfather, who's hated her ever since he's hated her father for running off and marrying an opera singer. Therefore, after finishing school, she's on her own. She works for a bit as a companion but then decides to take the world by the balls and make her own fortune. She's trying to save ten grand and maybe catch a husband who isn't a total lecher and is also good with money. Modest ambitions, all in all. Sophie gets caught up in so much brotherly drama during that hazard game, though, and she ends up spending several days with Jack. Alone. In his boring fucking country house. The horror.

This is one of the rare Avons where the sex is actually the best part. Possibly because they're moving something other than their damn mouths? Whatever it is, Linden writes a competent love scene. The plot picks up in the second half a little bit, with Phillip jealously trailing Sophie around the gambling club and Jack and Sophie pretending that nothing at all happened when they both disappeared for a few days. The power of innuendo and the hint of scandal is played with competently, but I think it's a little too cleanly wrapped up with a shiny bow at the end.

Three stars for you, Jack and Sophie. I want nothing more to do with you, but the memories aren't all that bad. BAVR's growing soft with age. ...more

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Aug 29, 2018 Caz rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-1800-1850, audiobook, audiogals

I've given this an A- for both content and narration at AudioGals, so 4.5 stars rounded up

Better late than never, so they say, and I’m pleased to agree with that when it comes to the release of this first book in Caroline Linden’s Wagers of Sin series. My Once and Future Duke was released in print at the end of February and I’m happy to report that the audio version – narrated by the ever-reliable Beverley A. Crick – was worth the wait.

In the prologue, we’re introduced to the three heroines ...more

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Mar 04, 2018 Gio Listmaker rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Those Who Liked "It Happened One Autumn" by Lisa Kleypas

"Sophie was discovering that she could ignore her own attraction as long as she didn’t like him, but when he smiled and let down his guard . . . That flicker of humor and humanity turned him from a cold, haughty duke into an irresistibly attractive man."

This ^^^ Is Why I Love To Read Caroline Linden

Jack Lindeville, Duke Of Ware Does Not Understand His Attraction To The Heroine

Blue velvet banyan, fur lined and with upturned fur cuffs; oyster silk waistcoat; shirt unbuttoned at the throat (two buttons) and no stock suggests the gentleman is

Blue velvet banyan, fur lined and with upturned fur cuffs; oyster silk waistcoat; shirt unbuttoned at the throat (two buttons) and no stock suggests the gentleman is

Our Heroine Sophie Campbell Is A Sharp Clever Gambler Who Knows How To Play The Odds

warpaintpeggy: “ INCREDIBLE DRESSES IN ART (54/∞) Isabelle Antoinette, Baroness Sloet van Toutenburg by Nicaise de Keyser, 1852 ”

warpaintpeggy: “ INCREDIBLE DRESSES IN ART (54/∞) Isabelle Antoinette, Baroness Sloet van Toutenburg by Nicaise de Keyser, 1852 ”

The Witty Dialogue Between These Two ...more

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Aug 26, 2018 Story_girl rated it really liked it

Shelves: happy-endings, page-turner, light-reads, spirited-female-leads, historical-fiction-or-romance, read-in-2018

4.5 stars

My first book by this author and wow am I impressed! Eagerly looking forward to book 2 of the series.

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Feb 19, 2018 Barbara Rogers rated it really liked it

Shelves: edelweiss, iblog

Series: The Wagers of Sin #1
Publication Date: 2/27/18

Sophie Graham had a wonderful life – two loving parents, travel, meeting varied and interesting people – until those parents died of consumption when she was twelve years old. Her grandfather was an awful person who had disowned his son (Sophie’s father) because he married the woman he loved rather than marry as his father wanted. That cold and unfeeling man became Sophie’s guardian. He certainly didn’t want her or anything to do with her so h Series: The Wagers of Sin #1
Publication Date: 2/27/18

Sophie Graham had a wonderful life – two loving parents, travel, meeting varied and interesting people – until those parents died of consumption when she was twelve years old. Her grandfather was an awful person who had disowned his son (Sophie’s father) because he married the woman he loved rather than marry as his father wanted. That cold and unfeeling man became Sophie’s guardian. He certainly didn’t want her or anything to do with her so he took her to Miss Upton’s Academy For Young Ladies and left her. He made sure that she understood she was not welcome in his home and would not be coming there for holidays nor would he pay her tuition past the age of eighteen – after eighteen, she would be totally on her own. Sophie made two wonderful friends (Miss Eliza Cross and Lady Georgiana Lucas) at that school and they remained her staunch supporters. Lovely, accomplished and intelligent, Sophie understood quite quickly that the only person she could depend upon to take care of her was herself and she set out to make her fortune and hopefully find a nice decent man with whom to make a family.

You have to admire Sophie because she managed to take care of herself from the time she was twelve. She became strong and independent – and she had a plan. She was going to London as the widow Mrs. Sophie Campbell, and she was going to use her greatest skill to make her fortune. That skill was playing cards and she had learned it at her father’s knee, learning to figure the odds, game rules, etc. She rarely lost. Her goal was to gain a fortune of ten-thousand pounds because that should be enough to help her attract an upstanding gentleman as her suitor. Then, she’d marry and start a family. That plan was going well – she already had four-thousand pounds in her account – but then she lost the biggest bet of her young life!

Jack Lindeville, Duke of Ware, is weighed down by his responsibilities – to the dukedom, his mother, his brother and even the daughter and widow of his father’s best friend. Once upon a time, he had been a fun-loving and happy young man who laughed and enjoyed his life. Then, his father died after a boating accident and duty called with its stifling weight. Now, all Jack does is work and try to control his brother, Phillip, to keep him from running up massive gambling debts. Jack has become cold and hard as granite – and he has no idea how lonely he is. ** Note here -- Jack's mother is a piece of work. If he controlled her, he wouldn't have too much trouble in controlling Philip. -- Just sayin' **

Phillip’s favorite place to gamble is the Vega Club because of the ambiance and the presence of the lovely Mrs. Campbell. He loses regularly to Mrs. Campbell, but he also loses to many others at the club. One large loss of Phillip's is the last straw for Jack. His temper is flaring when he arrives at the Vega Club to pay off Phillip’s debt and finds said brother at the tables when he had just promised to stay away from gambling for a month. Jack is incensed and decides he’ll teach Philip a lesson – then he really loses that temper and wagers himself. He certainly doesn’t expect to win the wager and is aghast when he wins – because he has won the company of the lovely Mrs. Campbell for a week. What in the world is he going to do? Why – he’s going to abscond with her to Alwyn, his favorite home – where they are stranded by a rainstorm. He can’t take her back to London because the roads are impassable and the coach has a broken axle.

Jack and Sophie are in for an emotional ride. Watching two determined, smart and independent people work their way through their budding feelings, trying to stay away from each other and coming to terms with their feelings is nerve-wracking. Can they overcome Jack’s mother and her plotting? Can they curb Phillip's gambling and his animosity toward Jack? Can they really find their HEA? You’ll just have to read this lovely book to find all of the answers.

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"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."
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Feb 25, 2018 Sissy's Romance Book Review rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star, first-book-in-a-series, 2018-read, arc-edelweiss, series, trt

My Once And Future Duke is the first book in "The Wagers of Sin" series. This is the story of Sophie Campbell and Jack Lindeville, Duke of Ware.
Sophie life was wonderful up until her parents died of consumption when she was about twelve years old. Sophie's grandfather became her guardian but he was a bitter mean man who had disowned her father earlier for marrying her mother. The grandfather dropped her off at Miss Upton’s Academy For Young Ladies and told her that he would pay for her schoolin ...more

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Dec 27, 2018 ashleigh marked it as to-read

Lol apparently this is the first one oops

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Oct 21, 2019 Lu rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-e-book-kindle, cross-class, enemies-to-lovers, disappointed-with, silly-plot, wager

The plot was so nonsensical. Couldn’t care for either main characters.

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Dec 31, 2020 Joanna Loves Reading rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: hr, mofo-dukes, audiobook, available-on-hoopla

Audiobook - still loved it :-)

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Feb 02, 2018 nick (the infinite limits of love) rated it liked it

Shelves: arc, adult, historical

I usually really love Caroline Linden's historical romances, but I was quite disappointed by My Once and Future Duke. Let me get to the positive aspects first. I really loved the idea of the heroine being a gambling queen. Sophie is a pro at cards, and is absolutely unapologetic about it. It was refreshing to have a heroine who wasn't part of London high society. She's fiery, independent, and does not let people walk all over her. I admired her absolute tenacity and strength throughout the book. ...more

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Feb 25, 2021 Luana rated it really liked it

This was nice except for a misunderstanding in the end that made no sense she beliving other people's word without speaking with him first but okay.

The other two books of this series are much better though. ...more

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Feb 28, 2018 Susan Gorman rated it it was amazing

Sophie Campbell is a smart, beautiful woman who supports herself by gambling. Her ability to calculate the odds combined with her ability to know when walk away from a game or a challenge has served her well. Jack Lindeville, the Duke of Ware, arrives at the Vega Club to pay his brother Philip’s substantial marker. He is captivated when he sees a woman in a crimson dress playing cards with his brother’s friends. Jack doesn’t see her face but, he acknowledges that something about her intrigues hi Sophie Campbell is a smart, beautiful woman who supports herself by gambling. Her ability to calculate the odds combined with her ability to know when walk away from a game or a challenge has served her well. Jack Lindeville, the Duke of Ware, arrives at the Vega Club to pay his brother Philip’s substantial marker. He is captivated when he sees a woman in a crimson dress playing cards with his brother’s friends. Jack doesn’t see her face but, he acknowledges that something about her intrigues him.

Philip returns to the Vega club and insists that Sophie gamble with him. Sophie chooses the complicated game of hazard. She was trouncing Philip until the Duke of Ware entered the room and stopped the game. Jack and Philip almost come to blows over Philip’s refusal to stop gambling. Sophie throws caution to the wind and accepts the Duke’s challenge to play hazard with him. Sophie’s reckless choice pushes the story line in a new direction. Even though she knows she should walk away, Sophie accepts a final round of hazard with a 5,000 pound payout. Jack tells Sophie he desires a week of her time if he wins---which he does. Jack orders his coachman to take them to Alwyn, his country home.

At first, Caroline Linden’s decision to have Jack challenge Sophie to gamble with him seems out of character for him. Was he trying to teach Philip a lesson?Has his desire for Sophie overruled his common sense? The challenge and its outcome drew me into the story and I read it in one sitting.

Caroline Linden’s descriptive writing style and the dialogue between the characters shines during Sophie and Jack’s stay at Alwyn. The author does a fabulous job creating sexual tension between the characters as they explore the country house. I loved the scene when Jack asks Sophie to play the piano for him. As Jack listens and watches Sophie play, he observes that the music piece means something to her. When Sophie leaves the room in tears, Jack realizes he has upset her. The banter between Sophie and Jack as they explore the attics is well done; they get into a detailed discussion of love and marriage. Jack’s desire for Sophie is apparent as the couple rummage through the attic—will he act upon it?

I have been waiting for the Duke of Ware’s story as he has appeared in several of the author’s novels. I had pictured him as a serious man. I was surprised when Jack made the bet with Sophie, it seemed so out of character. I enjoyed getting to know Jack and seeing him fall head over heels for Sophie. Love brought out the best in Jack. Setting the story at a gambling club provides a unique storyline opportunity; it allows the couple to meet and enables Jack to make a decision based on desire, not facts and figures. I adore Caroline Linden’s writing style. Jack and Sophie’s sensuous love scenes are perfectly written—filled with desire, passion and emotion. My Once and Future Duke has all the feels—it’s an exquisitely told deeply passionate story with fabulous characters and their journey proves that love is worth the gamble!

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Apr 14, 2018 Pamela Shropshire rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, need-to-buy, historical-romance

This was the BOTM for April 2018 for the OSRBC. I was rather surprised to learn this was my first book by Caroline Linden - I’ve heard of her forever and I thought SURELY I owned and had read some of her books, but nope.

Sophie was left an orphan when both parents died when she was twelve. Her father was the son of a viscount, but his father disowned him for marrying an opera singer. Sophie’s father named his father as Sophie’s guardian, so she is duly shipped to her grandfather after their death This was the BOTM for April 2018 for the OSRBC. I was rather surprised to learn this was my first book by Caroline Linden - I’ve heard of her forever and I thought SURELY I owned and had read some of her books, but nope.

Sophie was left an orphan when both parents died when she was twelve. Her father was the son of a viscount, but his father disowned him for marrying an opera singer. Sophie’s father named his father as Sophie’s guardian, so she is duly shipped to her grandfather after their deaths. The Viscount is a horrid old man who wants nothing to do with her, and he immediately takes her to a girls’ boarding school and leaves her, agreeing to pay her way until she turns 18. She makes 2 best friends for life, Eliza and Georgiana. At 18, she takes a job as companion to a somewhat unconventional elderly lady; when that lady dies, she leaves Sophie £300 and an independent spirit. Sophie’s father had taught her all kinds of games of chance and Sophie decides to go to London as a widow and support herself as so many 2nd and 3rd sons do, by gambling.

She’s fairly successful, working at her Grand Plan where she hopes to eventually save at least £10,000 to live on the rest of her life or find a comfortable husband. Sophie walks a very fine line as regarding her reputation - she flirts with the men at the club, but at the same time, has to keep them at a distance. Then Phillip Lindeville starts paying her too much attention and acting too possessive and causing problems for her. He is also losing too much money at the tables which draws the attention and ire of his older brother, the Duke of Ware, who hates gambling anyway and pays the bills. The Duke shows up at the Vega club and blames Sophie for gambling with Phillip; he challenges her to a wager: £5000 against spending a week with him exclusively.

Of course Sophie loses, quite improbably, because the Duke is a piss-poor gambler. He whisks Sophie out of the club and off to his country estate. Fate (the weather) keeps them stranded and of course it’s predictable what happens afterward.

So, I enjoyed the book and she’s a nice writer. I really like Sophie and I liked the premise of an impoverished lady supporting herself by gambling. Unfortunately, I thought the book fell a bit flat.

I liked Jack - he’s a normal, ordinary guy who just happened to be a Duke and I actually don’t mean that facetiously. I thought their relationship felt rushed; also, the conflict was of the BIG MISUNDERSTANDING type and was silly and moreover, resolved too easily. But, for a quick entertaining read, it was ok. I might read more of the author but won’t necessarily seek out her books. 3.5 stars. ...more

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Aug 31, 2018 Edwina " I LoveBooks" "Deb" rated it did not like it

I am returning this book back to amazon. The story reads more like a Contemporary Modern Romance then Historical Romance. The characters would not do the things they are during 1819. I couldn't get past 30% read. The character Sophie Campbell is poorly written for the era.

Sorry!! ...more

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Aug 28, 2018 HR-ML rated it it was ok

London 1819.

This featured Jack (a Duke) & Sophie (an excellent
card-player). Jack paid off his brother Phillip's
loss at cards, one last time, at the Vega Club. And
made this crystal clear to the owner. (Phil was over-
indulged by his mother.) Jack lectured gambling
addicted (?) Phil to moderate his card-playing. Huh?
Phil considered Sophie as his "Lady Luck"@ Vega.
Vega included male & female members. Later in
the story, Phil stalked the h.

I did not buy the premise of this story. Sophie was
smar ...more

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Feb 26, 2018 Tracy Emro rated it it was amazing

Shelves: edelweiss, bur-reviews

4.5 stars

The book opens with a 12 year old Sophie Graham, orphan and granddaughter of Viscount Makepeace being dropped at school. Her grandfather had disowned his son for marrying an opera singer and makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with Sophie, he will pay her tuition until she is of age and then he wants nothing to do with her. Sophie is glad to see him go and intends to excel just to spite him and formulates her “Grand Plan”. She meets her new roommates, Lady Georgiana and Miss Eliz ...more

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Jan 31, 2018 Monique rated it liked it

When twelve-year old Sophie Graham was orphaned, her grandfather Viscount Makepeace unceremoniously shipped her off to school, and at eighteen she was on her own. At twenty four, now Sophie Campbell, she is a professional card player, halfway to the ten thousand pounds she needs to be independent, and hopefully marry a nice man. Jack Linderville, Duke of Ware, is at Vega’s to pay his brother Philip’s debts, again. It happens that the beautiful woman Jack has been ogling is partly responsible for When twelve-year old Sophie Graham was orphaned, her grandfather Viscount Makepeace unceremoniously shipped her off to school, and at eighteen she was on her own. At twenty four, now Sophie Campbell, she is a professional card player, halfway to the ten thousand pounds she needs to be independent, and hopefully marry a nice man. Jack Linderville, Duke of Ware, is at Vega’s to pay his brother Philip’s debts, again. It happens that the beautiful woman Jack has been ogling is partly responsible for Philip’s debts, and Jack is immediately smitten with Sophie; he is fixated on her bosom, he wants her. So Jack, who doesn’t gamble anymore, proposes a wager: five thousand pounds if she wins, if she loses, Sophie has to spend a whole week with Jack.

MY ONCE AND FUTURE DUKE started off so well; the prologue is enchanting, and I loved Sophie until she behaved stupidly. She’s a professional gambler, she has been successful for years; Jack had lost all their games until his scandalous offer. I ask you, what are the odds that he would lose again? That Sophie accepts went against everything I had been told about her: the logical woman suddenly became entirely irrational, greedy, and risked her reputation; the Sophie I had encountered before would not have behaved so foolishly. This was not going to go well. I disliked Jack’s attitude: he’s arrogant, and basically buying her, although mentally he is not. He is teaching his brother a lesson … Okay, then. And I hated Jack. Sophie accepts the wager, and when she loses, she has the nerve to be offended! I mean, woman, acknowledge your loss and your idiocy, and be done with it; she had basically agreed to prostitute herself for a week, at least that’s the way I would have seen it. But Jack is so handsome. Hmmm. I thought they deserved each other and that was the purpose of the exercise, wasn’t it?

The forced proximity situation had to be reinforced in another way to make matters more palatable, I suppose. Jack and Sophie talk and get to know each other, which was lovely and charming, and I don’t think it was deliberate from the author, but Sophie came off a little bit like a fortune hunter because of how she gushed over Jack’s country home. So, they talk and chat, but God forbid they should tell each other everything, or ask the questions that beg asking, to avoid misunderstandings later on. Had I been able to forget Sophie behaving so out of character at the beginning, the romance might have worked for me, but I simply could not. Especially when Sophie agrees to something later on that irked me and went against her lifelong ambition. Instead of the sordid wager, Sophie and Jack could have been made to work together to stop Philip’s gambling; my problem was that Sophie acted in greed, and not like the professional she had been, and it all felt it was only for storyline purposes.

I really liked Philip, as a character in spite of his many shortcomings; he was foolish but interesting. And the poor Mr. Carter. Then there was the whole Lucinda episode that was entirely superfluous and needlessly upsetting, and one of Sophie’s school friends, Eliza’s escapades, which I suspect is to set up the next book in the series. I also hope in the final edition “vingt-un” will have been corrected to “vingt-et-un”; I can’t recall having seen that mistake before.

If you like your Regency romance with steamy sex and you have no problem with the premise, you will love MY ONCE AND FUTURE DUKE, because the writing is gorgeous, the descriptions visions of loveliness, and the dialogues inspired.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ...more

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Mar 02, 2018 Penny Black rated it liked it · review of another edition

Yet another first book in a series with a bare minimum of superficial intrinsic conflict. Not much of a love story, and not much of a story, period.

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Apr 07, 2018 Tracy DeNeal rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Sophie and Jack

I loved this story so much. I didn't want it to end. How do you hook me into waiting for the next book like the book fiend that I am? Leave me with a mystery to contemplate. Well done, Linden, well done.

I enjoyed the writing, the characters, the pacing of the story - everything came together for a most enjoyable evening and morning of reading. I am an avid reader of Caroline Linden's books and will continue to be as long as the quality continues in this vein. Top notch! ...more

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Feb 24, 2018 Bambi Unbridled rated it really liked it

Shelves: million-page-challenge, read-2018, romance-historical, avon-addicts, arc

My Once and Future Duke kicks off a new series by Caroline Linden, Wagers of Sin. I believe this series will revolve around gambling at the exclusive Vega Club. Our heroines will be girls with similarly-situated childhoods who met and bonded at their boarding school, dubbed Ms. Upton's Academy of the Unwanted. This was a good start to the series with an independent heroine who was the perfect person to thaw out our stuffy and proper duke.

Sophie Campbell started life with an idyllic childhood wit description

My Once and Future Duke kicks off a new series by Caroline Linden, Wagers of Sin. I believe this series will revolve around gambling at the exclusive Vega Club. Our heroines will be girls with similarly-situated childhoods who met and bonded at their boarding school, dubbed Ms. Upton's Academy of the Unwanted. This was a good start to the series with an independent heroine who was the perfect person to thaw out our stuffy and proper duke.

Sophie Campbell started life with an idyllic childhood with loving parents and the adventure of traveling with them to support her mother's opera career. But when she lost both parents at a young age, Sophie had to learn some hard lessons when her guardianship was given to an uncaring curmudgeon who did the bare minimum to provide for her. Luckily, Sophie's friendship with Georgiana and Eliza provided her a small amount of support and friendly ears when needed. But without a form of support past her 18th birthday, Sophie became an independent young woman willing to do what was necessary to provide for herself. I was impressed with Sophie's ability to maintain marginal respectability when she was supporting herself by gambling. I also admired her willingness to stand up for herself and not be cowed by the men, particularly our duke. She was a good heroine, though she does have one lapse that had me questioning her involving her willingness to believe a rumor without first communicating with our hero.

Jack Lindeville, Duke of Ware, is at his wit's end with his reckless and spendthrift brother, Philip. But his latest rescue of his brother's indebtedness brings him to the Vega Club, a secretive gaming society frequented by our heroine, Sophie. When Jack attempts to teach Philip a lesson, he finds himself stuck at his country estate with a woman who intrigues him at every turn. That being said, I thought Jack was very respectable and honorable. He didn't press unwanted attentions on Sophie and made the most of their time together. I really liked Jack as a hero... his character probably eclipsed the heroine for me. I sympathized with the responsibility he felt for his family and others, but I wished he would have stood up more to his mother who seemed to be overly managing of his person.

There weren't really any secondary storylines in this story, so you really got to focus on the romance and relationship building. The relationship between Jack and Sophie was somewhere between a slow burn and instalove. Their attraction grew while they were at the estate and away from the world, and then it became stolen moments and sneaking around. I liked how the relationship unfolded and was glad that they didn't have too much back and forth about ending things. I felt like Jack was more invested at times than Sophie, or maybe he was just more willing to trust the outcome than she was. But that was likely a product of their class and status in society.

I would have liked to know a little more about Georgiana and Eliza, as the epilogue makes it clear who the next heroine will be. But I suppose we will learn more about their characters as the series progresses.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Avon. ...more

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