Barbara’s rating: 3.6 out of 5
Series: The Dukes of Darkness #2
Publication Date: 12/19/24
Period: Regency London
Number of Pages: 325

What’s a fellow to do when a determined miss steadily turns his blackened reputation as pure as the driven snow? Declare all-out war!

Lucien Grenier, Duke of Crewe has spent years assuring his reputation was so dark no amount of light could penetrate its depths. He HAS to keep it that way for the sake of his brother and the title. If he’s vile enough, people will stay away and won’t dig into the depths of his family. It doesn’t matter that his reputation is all built upon illusion and role-playing and he’s not the vile creature everyone thinks he is. Everyone must view him as vile, despicable, wicked, and selfish. So, he is aghast to learn that a lady is attributing many good deeds to him and rehabilitating his reputation.

Jessamyn (Jess) St Claire has never had a positive male role model in her life and therefore has a general distrust of them. Therefore, it is easy for her to believe that he ruined her younger sister and refused to marry her. Well! She’ll make him pay and she’ll make him marry her sister. Nothing will get in her way.

Thus, the games begin. Jessamyn against Lucien is a match made in . . . where? Jessamin doesn’t have much money, but she’s willing to spend all of it to see that Lucien is rehabilitated so he can marry her sister. Every day Lucien wakes up to some new ‘good deed’ credited to him. Oh!

I liked both Jess and Lucien but failed to follow their logic – especially Jess’s. If this man’s reputation was so black – as a debaucher of women, gambling, etc. – why would she want to tie her poor sister to him for life? Yes, she was ruined – but nobody knew – and yes, she was going to have to give up the child – but – I fail to see why Jess would campaign to put her sister and the baby in the hands of someone who could be so dangerous to them. Even if she turned his reputation to the good side, that wouldn’t mean she had turned the man to the good side. Jess is too manipulative for my taste, but I did love her relationship with her aunt.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and I am glad to have met Jess and Lucien. Now, I am curious to see the story between Shay (another Dark Duke) and Sophie. There were plenty of ‘hints’ of things in this book to whet my appetite for that story and I assume it will be the next one.

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