From the delightfully debonair to the devilishly dangerous, every one of these dashing dukes can’t help but command your attention. They’re haughty, they’re naughty, and their estates are large enough to lose a spouse in. But beneath their stony aristocratic exteriors, beat hearts ready for passion… and the right touch of scandal. Fans of Merry Farmer and Scarlett Scott will devour the I LIKE BIG DUKES AND I CANNOT LIE anthology full of enemies and friends to lovers, marriages of convenience, and forced proximities.
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From the delightfully debonair to the devilishly dangerous, these dashing dukes can’t help but command your attention. And let’s not forget the real stars here—the dazzling, damsel-not-in-distress heroines who don’t need a title to rule. These are ladies of wit, grit, and not a little bit of mischief.
Every one of these novellas has a duke for its leading man. They’re haughty, they’re naughty, and they’ve got estates large enough to lose a spouse in. But beneath their stony aristocratic exteriors, beat hearts ready for passion… and the right touch of scandal.
Dive into the pages of “I Like Big Dukes and I Cannot Lie,” where the tea is strong, the dukes are stronger, and the heroines are an irresistible force of nature. After all, you know what they say— the duke-ier, the merrier!
Excerpt
Copyright 2023
Estela knew she oughtn’t to mention what had passed between Lord Rockley and herself, but the substance of his ‘problem’ was too tantalizing not to allude to.
“To be frank, it’s a bedroom matter, and the duke asked if I might have advice to offer, to aid him, so to speak—having been married so many times myself.”
Oona’s hand flew to her mouth. “He has a terrible disease! And it’s on his piddle-paddle! The poor man! Has he pustules? Are they very bad?”
Margaret looked similarly horrified. “Is it a wilting walloper? His mighty oak is more of a weeping willow?”
Estela shook her head, barely suppressing her laughter. “No pustules, and no withered wallopers—at least as far as I know. From what I gather, the…um… artifact in question is in full working order.”
“Then whatever is the problem?” Oona’s brow furrowed as she searched her mind for other possible ailments. “Don’t tell me he’s blighted with a teensy tiddler! A plunger is too puny to perform the job. A miniature maypole. A Lilliputian holy-poker. A diminutive dingle-dongle. It’s too tragic!”
“Dear me. That is disappointing.” Margaret’s shoulders slumped.
“I can assure you, that’s not the problem.” Estela bit at her lip. Of course, she hadn’t yet seen it, but she’d gained some idea of the duke’s proportions purely from the swell at the front of his trousers during their tête-à-tête.
“Then it must be his nuggins!” Oona fairly shouted the word, causing several heads to swivel in their direction. “They do vary in size, so I’ve heard, but even the most modest nutmegs are capable of spawning offspring.”
“Oh yes, that’s far less distressing, although still unfortunate, I suppose.” Margaret looked thoughtful again. “Men can be quite sensitive regarding their pibbles. He wanted you to take a look, I suppose, to hearten him that he wasn’t too much below par.”
“Not exactly. Lord Rockley is actually possessed of something…bigger than one finds in the general way. Much larger in fact. One might say, an asset of generous proportions.” Estela was enjoying this far more than she ought to. “As a result, he fears consummation will be impossible. He sought my advice but, when it came down to it, he proved too coy.”
An astounded silence ensued. Oona’s mouth dropped open slightly. Margaret’s eyes doubled in size.
The hush was broken by the arrival of the man in question, closely followed by the waiter, carrying a silver platter laden with unarguably phallic-looking cannoli.
“Awe-inspiring are they not?” Lord Rockley looked from face to face, clearly under the impression that the pastries had produced the stunned expressions worn by Oona and Margaret.
“They most certainly are.” With the aid of the tongs, Estela helped herself to the uppermost of the pile, setting it upon her plate. She then raised the cannoli and bit down upon it with a murmur of approval.
A liberal amount of filling escaped the confines of the roll so that she was obliged to lick it from the corners of her mouth.
“Most delicious, Lord Rockley.” Saucily, she dipped her tongue to the center and gave him a wink.
About The Authors:
Stacy Reid – USA Today Bestselling author Stacy Reid pens evocative Historical and Paranormal Romances, boasting a portfolio of over thirty publications. Her bestselling Sinful Wallflowers series is set to grace the small screen, having been optioned for television, while her Wedded by Scandal series garners accolades as top recommendations from Night Owl Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and The Romance Reviews. Stacy’s warrior way is, “Never give up on dreams!” When not writing, she binge-watches Chinese Romance Dramas and plays video games alongside her beloved.
Social Link: Facebook
Emmanuelle de Maupassant – Em lives in a medieval tower house in the Highlands with her husband (maker of tea and fruit cake) and her snufflesnoof, Archie, her favorite hairy pudding connoisseur of squeaky toys and bacon treats.
Social Link: Website | Facebook
Amy Rose Bennett – An Australian author who has a passion for penning emotion-packed historical romances. Of course, her strong-willed heroines and rakish heroes always find their happily ever after.
Social Link: Facebook
Clair Brett – Author of 9 Historical romances, including the Improper Wives for Proper Lords series, Clair Brett lives in NH with her ever-emptying nest which includes her children when they come to visit, two cats, one willful boxer/beagle, a mean Pitbull mix that will lick you to death and run into her kennel when you speak loudly, and a red shepherd grand dog who came to visit and never left. Plus an ever harassed husband who takes it all in stride. A lover of all things Regency, Clair was hooked when she first read Jane Austen. She is a firm believer that a reader finds a piece of who they are or learns something about the world with every book they read. She wants her readers to be empowered and to have a refreshed belief in the goodness of people and the power of love after reading her work.
Social Link: Facebook
Eve Pendle – Eve lives in Britain and writes angsty, snarky, and passionate romance. Her love of reading historical romances eventually morphed into wanting to write her own.
Social Link: Facebook
Tamara Gill – AKA Tam, an Australian author of historical and time travel romance. You’ll find all the purchase links to my published books here, contests that I’m running, and links to my Hellions Street team that I share with one other amazing historical author! You can also contact me through the contact form on the website if you have any questions about my books or when more of my books will be released. I also have a newsletter that I send out bi-monthly that you can subscribe to. I always feature news and great sales or new release deals in my newsletter, so make sure you subscribe! So grab a coffee or wine, take a seat, and browse. You may find your next best read.
Social Media: Facebook
Annabelle Anders – Married to the same man for over 25 years, I am a mother to three children and two Miniature Wiener dogs. After owning a business and experiencing considerable success, my husband and I got caught in the financial crisis and lost everything in 2008; our business, our home, and even our car. At this point, I put my B.A. in Poly Sci to use and took work as a waitress and bartender (Insert irony). Unwilling to give up on a professional life, I simultaneously went back to college and obtained a degree in Energy Management. And then the energy market dropped off. And then my dog died. I can only be grateful for this series of unfortunate events, for, with nothing to lose and completely demoralized, I sat down and began to write the romance novels that had until then, existed only in my imagination. After publishing over thirty novels now, with one having been nominated for RWA’s Distinguished ™RITA Award in 2019, I am happy to tell you that I have finally found my place in life.
Social Link: Website
Carrie Lomax – Bestselling author of steamy historical & contemporary romance. She also writes angsty new adult fantasy romance under the pen name Joline Pearce. A research librarian by day, she loves to escape into rich imaginary worlds full of adventure, romance, and passion. Her novella Twelve Nights of Ruin was an InD’tale RONE Award finalist for the anthology Once Upon a Twelfth Night. Carrie lives in Maryland with her husband, two budding readers, and an adorable Boston Terrier/Beagle mix rescue pup.
Social link: Facebook
Lily Reynard is an international woman of mystery spotted in locations as wide-ranging as San Francisco, Paris, Madrid, Istanbul, and Tokyo. When friends and family inquire about her globe-trotting adventures, she smiles mysteriously and makes vague references to being an “IT professional.” While writing, Lily uses her history degree in ways that would make her professors blush, if they only knew!
Social Link: Facebook
Cinders – author of the steamy fairy tale retellings, Dark Fairy Tales featuring Scarecrow, is a USA Today Bestselling author, and mother of two. With over fifty titles, S. Cinders writes in a myriad of genres from historical romance, fractured fairy tales, contemporary, fantasy, science fiction, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy romance.
Social Link: Facebook
Caroline Lee – As the USA Today Bestselling author of #HotHilariousHistorical, Caroline writes historical comedies, and believes it’s important for her heroines to be strong, capable, and more than a little feisty. If you love to laugh, pick up any of her stories–all of them with plenty of spice! Her medieval Scottish books are action-packed, and her Victorians (featuring the descendants of those same delicious Highlanders) are hilarious!
Social Link: Newsletter | Facebook
Alyssa Clarke – he writes steamy Regency Historical Romances featuring swoon-worthy heroes and sassy, sometimes unconventional heroines! Her debut novel—Love me, If you Dare: Wagers and Wallflowers, came to her in a dream as a hot, fun enemy-to-lovers romance where she played the leading lady who fell in love with a duke who looked remarkably like Henry Cavill. 😊 When not writing, Alyssa enjoys hiking, games/movie nights, with her husband and two beautiful children, and her Siberian Husky—Cronus. She is a lover of wine, cheesecake, and more wine.
Social Link: Instagram
Laura Trentham – I was born and raised in a small town in Northwest Tennessee. Although I loved English and reading in high school, I was convinced an English degree equated to starvation! So, I chose the next most logical major – Chemical Engineering- and worked in a hard hat and steel-toed boots for several years. Now I live in South Carolina with my husband and two children. In between school and homework and soccer practices, I love to get lost in another world, whether it’s Regency England or small town Alabama.
Social Link: Facebook
Sky Purington – is the award-winning, 4-time RONE nominee, and bestselling author of over seventy novels and novellas. A New Englander born and bred who recently moved to Virginia, Purington married her hero and has an amazing son who inspires her daily. Her wolf pack, one ultra-lovable husky shepherd mix, and two Siberian huskies, rarely leave her side. Passionate for variety, Sky’s vivid imagination spans several romance genres, including historical, time travel, paranormal, and fantasy. Expect steamy stories teeming with protective alpha heroes and strong-minded heroines.
Social Link: Amazon
Mariah Stone -Amazon Top 100 bestselling author
Mariah Stone pens historical and time travel romance featuring regency dukes, tenacious Vikings, and fierce Highlanders, all captivated by strong-willed women. In her downtime, Mariah raises two adorable kids and enjoys the romantic North Sea escapes with her husband. A multilingual Outlander and Bridgerton fan, she relishes sushi, and Thai food, and runs a local writer’s group.
Social Link: News Letter
Ellie St. Claire – Ellie has always loved reading, writing, and history. For many years she has written short stories, and non-fiction, and has worked on her true love and passion — romance novels. In every era, there is the chance for romance, and Ellie enjoys exploring many different time periods, cultures, and geographic locations. No matter when or where love can always prevail. She has a particular soft spot for the bad boys of history and loves a strong heroine in her stories. Ellie and her husband love nothing more than spending time at home with their children and Husky Cross. Ellie can typically be found at the lake in the summer, pushing the stroller all year round, and, of course, with her computer in her lap or a book in hand. She also loves corresponding with readers, so be sure to contact her!
Social Link: Website
Beverley Oakley – writes Regency, Victorian, and Georgian-set romances laced with mystery and intrigue. Under her other names – Beverley Eikli and B.G. Nettelton – she also writes Africa-set romantic suspense. Born in the mountain kingdom of Lesotho, she married the handsome bush pilot she met in Botswana while managing a safari lodge and has spent the rest of her life as a ‘trailing spouse’ doing what she loves most: writing books from sweet to steamy; and from humorous to historical romantic suspense.
Social Link: Facebook
Ebony Oaten – loves reading and writing about the Regency and other historical eras. She has always loved history but hates living through it. Ebony also writes Young Adult novels as Ebony McKenna.
Social Link: Website
Amy Quinton – writes humorous historicals with heat, often from her back porch in Summerville, South Carolina but sometimes with her BFF at the kitchen table. And only when her dog and three cats allow. She’s susceptible to shiny things, soft things, leather, trips to the thrift store, Whisky, tattoos, witchy things, Bunco with her Bitches, and men in kilts (particularly her husband)-but not necessarily in that order. She adores her children (most of the time), finds a lot of humor being married to a Brit (usually), cusses (probably more than she should), and loves to read and write romance (always). When she finds the time, she loves to crochet, knit, and make jewelry. And longs to travel to the UK every chance she gets.
Social Link: Facebook
Tracy’s Review:
I Like Big Dukes and I Cannot Lie by Various Authors
Tracy’s rating: (Overall Average) 4 of 5 stars
Series: Several novellas tie into the individual author’s ongoing series
Release Date: September 12, 2023
From the delightfully debonair to the devilishly dangerous, every one of these dashing dukes can’t help but command your attention. They’re haughty, they’re naughty, and their estates are large enough to lose a spouse in. But beneath their stony aristocratic exteriors, beat hearts ready for passion… and the right touch of scandal. The I LIKE BIG DUKES AND I CANNOT LIE anthology is full of some of the best tropes; enemies and friends to lovers, marriages of convenience, and forced proximities. This collection features 19 Historical Romance novellas by some of the best and brightest Historical Romance authors of today. I don’t have room to review each novella in this post so I will just post a sampling:
An Improper Duke by Amy Rose Bennett, 5 stars: Celia Wyndham, the widowed Viscountess Ashdown has a secret, she has been harboring lustful thoughts about her step-son’s best friend Hugo Dehavilland, the Duke of Tremayne for years, but has never acted on it or even imagined that anything will come of it, especially since he is 8 years her junior, yet even that doesn’t stop her fantasies, fantasies she has been writing in her journal. When Hugo begins flirting with her, she is mortified to realize he has read her journal, and then shocked when he suggests they explore her fantasies. Hugo has wanted Celia for years and there is no way he is going to let her go once she agrees to be his… Very steamy, Age-Gap, Older Woman/Younger Man & HEA.
The Duke Experiment by Eve Pendle, 5 stars: Widow Emma Hanover has spent the last year working on her doctorate in botany at Banton University and sharing a lab with her nemesis, Doctor Matthew Calder, the Duke of Eastfield. The man has been a thorn in her side since the day they met and he destroyed her new gown. Matthew fell in love with Emma at first sight but hasn’t acted on it, for several reasons, the biggest being their age difference, he is almost 10 years her senior. But when he learns that she will be leaving the university, he knows he must make his move or lose her forever. Very Steamy, Age-Gap, Sunshine/Grumpy & HEA.
The Duke Deception by Laura Trentham, 3.5 stars: American James “Duke” Barnes is in England to find out what happened to his sister, Madeline, who was supposed to marry the Duke of Ralston’s heir, but ended up married to a well-known gambler and rake by the name of Damien Northcutt. Upon learning that they had fled to France, Duke decides to follow but will spend his last night in London at a masquerade in Vauxhall Gardens. It is there that he sees a lovely woman and adopting an English accent, engages with her, posing as the Duke of Barnes. Prudence Courtright can’t believe that Duke doesn’t recognize her! She has known him for years and has loved him for almost as long. Since she had no offers in America, she came to England to try and make a match but snuck out to indulge in a bit of fun before she has to settle for a loveless marriage. When she realizes Duke clearly doesn’t know who she is, she pretends to be a widow. When he suggests they get better acquainted, and invites her back to his rooms, she jumps at the chance. But will one night of passion be enough for them? Steamy, Mistaken Identity, Childhood Acquaintances & the possiblity of HEA.
Overall this is an excellent collection of novellas and should not be missed!
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*
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