My Inconvenient Duke by Loretta Chase

My Inconvenient Duke by Loretta Chase
Series: Difficult Dukes book #3
on January 21, 2025
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Historical / General, Fiction / Romance / Historical / Regency
Pages: 341
Goodreads

USA Today bestselling author Loretta Chase crafts a smart, steamy, brother's best friend, second-chance historical romance, a bold new entry in her Difficult Dukes series.
Trouble ahead...
Her reckless brother is on the road to ruin — or worse — leaving the ducal title and estate in the clutches of their spiteful, vengeful cousin — and Lady Alice Ancaster's future in peril. She needs to find a worthy husband, and fast!
Anyone but him!
Trust the Duke of Blackwood, her brother's equally disreputable best friend, to mess up her careful plans. Right now, he's acting like a hero (reluctantly), but she knows better; not only is he a force of chaos, he's the man who stole— then broke — her heart.
Simply Irresistible...
Blackwood knows he's not husband and marriage material; in fact, he promised her brother to give Lady Alice up, for her own good. The problem is, she needs his help, and he can't resist...he certainly can't resist HER!

My Inconvenient Duke was book three in the Difficult Dukes series by Loretta Chase. I struggled with this story. Lady Alice Ancaster and the notorious Duke of Blackwood were frequently mentioned in the previous books. Over and over, there was a deliberate building mystery about the relationship between these two. So I was excited to read this third installment in the series. It began prior to book one. So being the stickler that I am for chronological details, I tracked the plot line. Though the timeline stayed consistent, I felt like this book fell far short of the previous two. This author missed a real opportunity to grab my attention and hold it. Alice and the Duke had an “affinity” for each other. Ho hum. Half the time I felt confused by their dialogue. There was no real adversary to their feelings for each other, only a troublesome relation who got dealt with rather well. There were a few steamy scenes but I found myself skimming those. I wished for some rival or past mistress of Blackwood’s to cause a disruption. Instead life’s busy schedule kept them apart. Really? That was the source of tension and angst? Definitely not my favorite Chase book. Only three flowers from me on this one.