BOTM 2 - March 2022 - Never Say Duke

[Joanna Loves Reading, Bluestocking of HR novels]

Discussion thread for the Second BOTM of March 2022. Please remember to use the spoiler tags when necessary! (Please see 'some html is ok' for instructions.)

Happy Reading!


Never Say Duke by Erica Ridley

Synopsis:

Miss Virginia Underwood cannot resist rescuing a stray. Her latest find turns out to be a surly, reclusive war hero trying to recover from his wounds in peace. He doesn't want her help—and Virginia definitely doesn't want to fall in love. Not when a future with him would mean returning to the the same haut ton who laughed her out of Town during her very first Season.

Theodore O'Hanlon, Viscount Ormondton, sequestered himself far from London to heal in anonymity. For now, he can be himself. As soon as he returns, he's meant to wed the woman his father selected years before. But when Miss Underwood turns his carefully mapped life upside-down, Theo must decide which battles are truly worth fighting for.

[Mamacita aka MawMaw]

I'm in.

[lorii (Loriidae)]

I read book #2 Kiss of a Duke and quite enjoyed it so seeing as I have already skipped book #1, I might as well skip #3. as well. I quite like Erica Ridley.

[Lauren]

is this a standalone?

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Not sure, I don't remember having any problems with #2

[Oleander]

This book could be read as a stand alone although there are characters from the previous books.

[Kitkat12]

You know one can never read to many books so I’m in. 😊

[Sandra]

Oleander wrote: "This book could be read as a stand alone although there are characters from the previous books."

Oleander, do you think we should read the previous ones?

[Oleander]

It would give continuity but isn't necessary. You could read book 1 to get the feel of the town of Christmas if you wanted. This story takes place mostly in the spring, but the town does have a lot of bearing on the activities. You will also find that there is a thread of the 12 days of Christmas song that shows up in each book. Never Say Duke is book 4 of the series so you can guess what will make an appearance. It's kind of an Easter egg to look out for.

[Sandra]

Oleander wrote: "It would give continuity but isn't necessary. You could read book 1 to get the feel of the town of Christmas if you wanted. This story takes place mostly in the spring, but the town does have a lot..."

Thanks! I think I will read the serie, if I don´t like it I will pass to book 4 :)

[Susan]

This is a very short book - at 212 pages. I read it a sitting on a plane and will likely forget it quite soon. It was what I would call 'very lightweight and sweet'.

I think that perhaps I may have liked it more if I had read the previous books in the series and become invested more in the heroine. She was an interesting character with a good back story, but I just don't think I had time to really care about her or the romance. I found the romance very lacklustre.

The book gets 4.27 on Goodreads so obviously I am an outlier.... do not let my review deter you. I gave it 2 stars (but it is probably more a 2.5). I will not be reading the rest of the series.

[Lauren]

I'm going to try reading book1 first. Fingers crossed that I'll make it to book4. This book looks good

[Mamacita aka MawMaw]

Lauren wrote: "I'm going to try reading book1 first. Fingers crossed that I'll make it to book4. This book looks good"

Sam here

[Sandra]

I've reached book 4!!! The books are very short, so it's a fast reading.

I just LOVE this Xmas' music, it's my favourite! Finally I'm going to learn all the lyrics, eheh!

About book 4, I do like a brooding hero and the female character as been one of my favourites in the books because of the birds, another favourite of mine!!

One thing I didn't like in the books is that the previous main couples of the previous books tend to vanish and if they're so closed at least should appear a reference to them :-/. I hate on this happens!!

[Leena]

I'm not very keen on reading this one, I hate it when people are termed strays. and in this case he's a war beaten soldier isn't it a little distasteful ?

[Maureen]

I loved this story. It is heartwarming and simple with delightful characters from the village of Christmas. If you love cats you will like this one.

[Peaktopeak]

I enjoyed this one and agree it was light and sweet. The length made me think of it more as a novella. I thought the development of their relationship was nice - in some ways I thought her particular manner might have been one of the only ways to get through to him. I haven't read any of the others in the series, but may yet seek them out. Agree the "colly" bird reference was great!

[Sandra]

I think this book it's my favourite of the serie!

[Sandra]

Definitely, my favorite from the series so far. I love Virginia and Theo dialogues and the bond between the two of them. I also enjoyed that her best friends didn't disappeared. I really hope the next story isn't so similar about the female role on the story as the previous ones.

(view spoiler)[Loved the scene with the sisters! (hide spoiler)]

[Oleander]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Sandra. I thought it was really good. I'm going to reread when I get home at the end of the month. I agree it was the best of series so far too. I also liked the servants role in the book. It added some humor along with the cats.

[Oleander]

I've started my reread finally. I really like Virginia's sayings and the fact that Mr. T's glare is ignored by everyone. The best part of this story was the terrific character development. I think the author nailed it.