Difficult Dukes, Book 3
From the publisher:
USA Today bestselling author Loretta Chase continues her Difficult Dukes series with this charming brother’s best friend second-chance historical romance.
Of all the dukes in all the world, why does it have to be him?
Lady Alice Ancaster needs a husband, and fast, because her reckless brother is going to get himself killed, leaving the dukedom—and her future—in their repellent cousin’s clutches.
The Duke of Blackwood has known Alice since childhood, and they’ve always had a special connection. But years ago he broke it, when he chose a riotous life with his two best friends instead of a reasonable one with her.
The trouble is, the tall, dark, sardonic rogue keeps turning up exactly when needed, and ready—though he sometimes needs a push—to play the hero, if only for as long as it takes.
Being irresistibly drawn to the Wrong Man is not convenient, but when events come to a crisis, Alice has to make a choice. The question is, can she live with it?
A Captivating Historical Romance with a Rebellious Hero, Perfect for Winter 2025, Fall in Love All Over Again
“With the latest dazzling addition to her Difficult Dukes series, readers will again revel in Chase’s buoyant yet deliciously sharp sense of wit and her ability to craft radiantly romantic love stories rendered with the meticulous attention to detail she pays to everything, from nuanced characterization to an expertly evoked historical setting.” — Booklist (starred review)
I usually love Loretta Chase books, and while I enjoyed this one, I also found it a bit odd, for lack of a better word. Lady Alice’s brother, Ripley, has two best friends, Blackwood and Ashmont. They have been friends since she was a child, and they’ve been getting into trouble ever since. But Alice has decided it is time for her to marry, after spending several years traveling on the Continent. She’s back in London, and has set her sights on a Duke with a previous aversion to marriage, but he seems fairly smitten with her.
Alice had a very bad experience as a child when her father, a man who was not in his right mind, sent her to an awful school where she was severely mistreated. A few months after her arrival, her aunt and uncle rescued her, and she’s been safe with them ever since. Her aunt drew her into helping create good schools for impoverished children, and that has become her mission in life. And being a Duchess would be helpful in that regard.
One thing leads to another, and Alice finds herself in a compromising position, having spent the night out of town with Blackwood. He attempts to help her find a missing boy and, in doing so, compromises her, so he offers her marriage. She accepts, and it seems like little more than halfway through, they are married. Then some problems arise. Meanwhile, her brother marries and eventually Ashmont does as well, but both are merely mentioned in passing. Eventually, Blackwood helps Alice with the schools and some other family issues, and they live happily ever after. I’m not sure why but the story felt rushed in getting everything squared away and all loose ends tied up.
The characters were interesting, and while Blackwood didn’t have much backstory, Alice certainly did. The secondary characters were all just slotted in to make the story work, with little emphasis on their character development. Even Blackwood remained pretty much an enigma. The first book in this series, A Duke in Shining Armor, was one of my favorite reads that year. I loved the second book, Ten Things I Hate About the Duke. This one was a disappointment.
1/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
MY INCONVENIENT DUKE by Loretta Chase. Avon (January 21, 2025). ISBN: 978-0063094550. 336p.
Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™ 
I agree. This book was disappointing. I think it should have been the second book in the series, thus eliminating all the interruptions about what transpired in the second book. The chronology was convoluted and distracted from the main plot.
Thank you, Julie, for posting! I usually love her books so that matter it even more disappointing. Hopefully, the next book will be better.