Tag: Darcy Burke

Lord of Fortune by Darcy Burke

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

Lord of Fortune (Legendary Rogues Book 3)Lord of Fortune by Darcy Burke

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Legendary Rogues #3
Publication Date: 4/24/18

I don’t think I know enough superlatives to describe this book! It is wonderfully, magically delicious. It sucked me in from the very first sentence and didn’t turn me loose – not even at the end because now I am so anxiously awaiting Gideon’s book. I’d like to thank the author for taking a three-year break in the series. No, I’m serious. I don’t know why she did it, but I’m glad she did – otherwise, I might not have found this outstanding series. It would have driven me insane if I had already read the first two books and had to wait this long for the next book in the series – but since I didn’t read those, I wouldn’t have found the series without the new release. I was only two chapters into the book before I knew I had to get the first two books and read them as well.

This wonderfully written, excellently plotted book is filled with fully developed and completely relatable characters. It is Indiana Jones meets Romancing the Stone. It is filled with excitement and you just never know what will happen next. I still want to know what is going to happen next – who is going to be the earl? Will Gideon use the stone to make someone fall in love with him? Will he collect all thirteen of the treasures? There is just so much still to learn! That next book is going to have to be a doozie as well if it is going to manage to wrap up all the loose ends!

Penn Bowen is an adventurer, a scholar, an antiquarian and maybe an earl. Well, scratch that last part because he certainly doesn’t want to be an earl. He absolutely loves his life of freedom and adventure. His life couldn’t be more perfect – he loves his parents, he loves his sister, he loves his job as assistant to Carlton Burgess who is the keeper of the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford – he just loves every part of his life. There is an item in the museum that Penn is sure is a fake and he fully intends to find the real one. The Heart of Llanllwch was found several years ago by Jonathan Gardiner and donated to the museum. Did Mr. Gardiner know it was a fake and wished to perpetrate a hoax or did he genuinely believe the Heart was authentic? He was a renowned scholar, translator, and antiquarian, so why would he wish to perpetrate a hoax on the museum. There is a dagger hidden somewhere and that dagger should have a clue to finding the Heart. Penn is determined to find that dagger and to then find the authentic Heart – wherever it is hidden!

Mrs. Amelia Gardiner Forrester is the granddaughter of Jonathon Gardiner. She adored her grandfather and she wants to do anything she can to fulfill one of the last promises she made to him. Find the dagger and keep it safe. He was incoherent at that point and she couldn’t get all of the details from him, but she had enough to point her in the right direction. Imagine her dismay when she arrives at a cave to search for the dagger only to find two men already there – and they have just retrieved the dagger. Well – what would any well-bred, demure lady of good breeding do in such a situation? She pulled a pistol on them and took the dagger back! Only to have a group of brigands take it from all of them. Now what?

That sets off a chase to all parts of England with Mrs. Forrester and Mr. Bowen having to work together to find the dagger and maybe even the real Heart. They are in London and Oxford and they spend time at the home of Penn’s parents – all researching.

Then – there is an exciting end – which I won’t tell you about – but be prepared to hold your breath and cross your fingers!

Penn’s dad is named Rhys Bowen – I just wondered if Ms. Burke was giving a nod to mystery author Rhys Bowen. Just something that caught my attention 

Great read! I loved it!

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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.”

Duke of Ruin by Darcy Burke #BlogTour

On By TracyIn Blog Tour, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

DUKERUIN_RB_BANNERThe Duke of Ruin, an all-new historical standalone from USA Today bestselling author Darcy Burke, is LIVE!

Burke, Darcy- The Duke of Ruin (final) 800 px @ 72 dpi low res

With her betrothal to a duke in tatters and scandal imminent, Diana Kingman has two choices: live in certain ignominy or flee into obscurity. Diana wants solitude. She never wished to wed in the first place. However, her father will stop at nothing to betroth her to one of the finest titles in the realm…no matter how loathsome the bearer. Escape is Diana’s only option, and she’ll pay any price to achieve freedom.

Universally blamed for the death of his wife and unborn child, Simon Hastings doesn’t dispute his guilt over an accident he cannot even remember. He hasn’t had a drink since, nor a moment’s peace. Determined to be a better man, Simon rescues a young woman in need—only to be accused of kidnapping. They must marry to save him from prison. But how can a man haunted by the love he lost and a woman afraid to get too close find happiness together?

Tracy’s Review

The Duke of Ruin (The Untouchables, #8)The Duke of Ruin by Darcy Burke
Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Untouchables, #8

Release Date: March 27, 2018

Simon Hastings, Duke of Romsey (aka Duke of Ruin) is probably one of the most wonderful heroes to ever grace the pages of a romance book. A man with a heart of gold, but overcome with grief, guilt and shame. Two years ago his beloved wife Miriam died along with their unborn child. Most assume that Simon killed her and he makes no move to clear his name, he was drunk at the time and doesn’t remember anything other than holding his love in his arms as she died. Unable to move past the heartbreak and the memories, he avoids the home he shared with his wife and instead travels extensively, never touches alcohol and is very much alone. Simon offers to help his friend Nick (aka the Duke of Ice) break his poorly conceived betrothal to Diana Kingman, so he can marry the woman he loves.

Simon meets with Diana and tells her that Nick is gone and asks her to break the betrothal. Diana can’t do that, her father is a cruel, overbearing man who expects complete obedience from her, he will never let her cry off. Simon offers to take her away, anywhere she wants and help her establish herself anew. Diana is terrified of her father, but longs to be free, she didn’t really want to marry Nick, he was just the means to escape.

As Diana and Simon set off, I was surprised to find myself really liking Diana, she was so cold and aloof in the previous book, that I didn’t know if I would be able to warm up to her, but beneath the cool façade, is a delightful young woman. Diana decides that she will go to her cousin Verity’s home in Lancaster, it is a long trip and gives our lovers plenty of time to get to know each other. They travel incognito as Mr. & Mrs. Byrd and are having a great adventure until they are recognized by a notorious gossip. They continue to her cousin’s home, where Verity convinces them, marriage is the only logical option.

Simon, wants Diana, but he is consumed with guilt, he can’t seem to let go of his past or believe that he can love Diana while Miriam is still in his heart and he vowed to love her (Miriam) for all time. They travel to his home and Diana knows that she loves him, but doesn’t believe that he can love her and she doesn’t want to compete with his lost love. She instead turns her attention to finding out the truth of the night Miriam died.

This is a lovely story of forgiveness, friendship and the power of love, both old and new. There are steamy love scenes, moments of heartbreak, more than one shocking secret, forgiveness, acceptance, snowball fights, awful relatives and an epilogue with a great reunion.

I thought the writing was superb, the story was great and the characters memorable. What I had a hard time with was Simon’s love for his first wife – logically, I know humans have a great capacity for love and can romantically love more than one person, but in my books, I long for the “soulmate” or “love of a lifetime” type of love – I like that he was so steadfast in his affections, but the constant reminders of his previous love grated at me and made me feel like while I believed he loved Diana, Miriam was his soulmate and Diana is and always will be, second best.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by the author*

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About Darcy

Darcy BurkeDarcy Burke is the USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy, emotional historical and contemporary romance. Darcy wrote her first book at age 11, a happily ever after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations.

Join her reader club at http://www.darcyburke.com/readerclub. A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming husband, their two hilarious kids who seem to have inherited the writing gene, two Bengal cats and a third cat named after a fruit.

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