Kaye's Reviews > Damned If I Duke

This follows Give the Devil His Due (July 2023) as the second in the Drop Dead Dukes series. This can be read on its own and the Dukes in both books are best friends. This follows a typical storyline in historical romances. A lovely daughter, Prudence Thomas, is offered up in marriage to settle her father’s gambling debts. In this case to Jasper, the Duke of Montford. What elevates this a bit is that Prudence is feisty and independent. She knows the Duke through her friends, the couple in the previous book. As already revealed in the blurb she tries to return some ruby earrings that she found to the Duke in exchange for him canceling her fathers debts. The Duke’s grandfather likes her brashness so much he suggests she is the future wife for Jasper.

As with the first book in this series I found the Duke too confident and too knowing. I didn’t begin to like him till the second half, again much like the previous book. And unfortunately this is the second book in a row that I read, where the woman's naiveness about her body and the wedding night comes into play. That being said there is playfulness between the pair and you can see that Prue really begins to care for her man. Thank you to Kensington Books for the ARC via NetGalley and I am leaving an honest review. (3.5 Stars)