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Blame It on the Duke (The Disgraceful Dukes) Paperback – 1 Jun. 2017
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'Georgette Heyer with a sexy twist' - Eloisa James
Have you heard? The future Duke of Barrington has just been gambled away by his father. To an heiress!
The delicious details thus far . . . Nicolas, Lord Hatherly, never intended to marry - nor add to the 'mad' Hatherly line - but now he must honor his father's debt to a social-climbing merchant or lose the family estate.
A notoriously wild marquess, won by her father at a game of cards, is the very last thing Miss Alice Tombs wants. She's spent the last three seasons repelling suitors in spectacular fashion so she'd be at liberty to explore the world. She'll just have to drive this one away as well.
Until Nick proposes an utterly tempting arrangement: one summer together to prove the legitimacy of their union, then Alice is free to travel while Nick revels in the time he has left before the Hatherly "madness" takes hold.
It will be easy to walk away after a few months of make-believe wedded bliss - won't it? Alice and Nick are about to find out . . . one sultry night at a time.
This ought to be fun . . .
Praise for Lenora Bell:
'How the Duke was Won is exciting and emotional - evocative of the best of the genre. If you've been looking for a bold, new voice in historical romance, the search ends here. Lenora Bell is it!' Sarah MacLean
'Fresh, flirty, and fabulous! The new Belle of Historical Romance!' Kerrelyn Sparks
- Print length384 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPiatkus
- Publication date1 Jun. 2017
- Dimensions26 x 20 x 13.4 cm
- ISBN-100349417636
- ISBN-13978-0349417639
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Review
How The Duke Was Won hooked me from page one with its humor, emotion, and captivating characters. Lenora Bell is a true delight to read -- Lorraine Heath
How the Duke was Won is everything that made me first fall in love with historical romances while still being new and different. Trust me...you've been waiting for Lenora Bell -- Sophie Jordan
A marvellous variation on the traditional marriage-of-convenience story . . . satisfying and intelligent romance ― Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Book Description
From the Back Cover
Have you heard? The future Duke of Barrington has just been gambled away by his father. To an heiress!
The delicious details thus far . . . Nicolas, Lord Hatherly, never intended to marry - nor add to the 'mad' Hatherly line - but now he must honor his father's debt to a social-climbing merchant or lose the family estate.
A notoriously wild marquess, won by her father at a game of cards, is the very last thing Miss Alice Tombs wants. She's spent the last three seasons repelling suitors in spectacular fashion so she'd be at liberty to explore the world. She'll just have to drive this one away as well.
Until Nick proposes an utterly tempting arrangement: one summer together to prove the legitimacy of their union, then Alice is free to travel while Nick revels in the time he has left before the Hatherly 'madness' takes hold.
It will be easy to walk away after a few months of make-believe wedded bliss - won't it? Alice and Nick are about to find out . . . one sultry night at a time.
This ought to be fun . . .
Praise for Lenora Bell:
'If you've been looking for a bold, new voice in historical romance, the search ends here. Lenora Bell is it!' Sarah MacLean
About the Author
Lenora Bell grew up in a tiny town in Alaska with no streetlights, no movie theater, but a very well-endowed library.
A graduate of Portland State University's MFA in Creative Writing program, she has lived and taught English on five continents. Lenora currently shares a cabin in Switzerland with her husband and two naughty tiger-striped kitties.
Product details
- Publisher : Piatkus (1 Jun. 2017)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 384 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0349417636
- ISBN-13 : 978-0349417639
- Dimensions : 26 x 20 x 13.4 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: 915,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 15,640 in Regency Historical Romance (Books)
- 72,611 in Historical Fiction (Books)
- Customer reviews:
About the author
Lenora Bell is a USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of historical romances with Avon Books. A teacher with an MFA in Creative Writing, Lenora has lived and worked on five continents. She's currently fixing up a big old building in small town Alaska with her carpenter husband and two tiger-striped rescue kitties. She loves hearing from readers! Join her Facebook Reader Group for exclusive excerpts, giveaways and news: www.facebook.com/groups/LenorasBookishBelles
Learn more at www.LenoraBell.com
Customer reviews
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 June 2017Another fabulous historical romp from Lenora Bell - although book 2 in this series was my favourite they have all been so much fun and such a delight to read.
Like the other Disgraceful Dukes books we have a devilishly handsome rake, unlikely to take a wife, an unconventional Regency woman - this time one who is ludicrously intelligent and not at all keen on marriage or rakes or men in general if she's honest - and a story loosely based on a children's classic, this time Alice in Wonderland.
Our rake's father looses him in a bet and our heroine must marry him - and so begins a marriage of convenience, a dastardly plot, a rollicking adventure and...could that even be love on the horizon??
Bravo Lenora for another glorious book - now hurry up with that next series please ;)
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 June 2017Lenora Bell is fast becoming an auto buy author for me, likeable characters, charming wit and an easy read.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 September 2022Love this author. Good writing, story and splashes of humour. You won’t be disappointed.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 July 2024A steamy story. The story started off and was alright, I liked how Alice disposed of men after her hand. And then it seemed a little odd when we got to Nick’s house with the lioness. However, I thought it picked up and became very interesting with the arrival of Jane - who, what, when, where and why. This interest continued up to Nick getting poisoned, and for me it went off again, and the ending was just too tame and there were loose ends. Who was Jane and her powerful husband. It would have been nice to know. The Yellow House being handed to Coleman’s son just seemed a bit too pat. Shame overall it just did not quite click for me.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 August 2019This year I’ve been taking time out to go through my shelves. I’m much more organised these days! This was sent to me by the publishers LittleBrown books back in 2017 unsolicited.
I fancied reading something different. And.....I’ve found my review notepad which I’d lost! So I can now do “catchup Reviews’
Onto the book
Although this is book 3 in a series I didn’t feel like I’d missed out on anything by jumping right in.
It seems that the heroines father has lost a bet and up for grabs is his headstrong, not the typical woman of that age. There’s no room for marriage, children etc in her life.....
But does the handsome man win her heart or does she remain single.
Great fluffy romp of an historical read.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 January 2022A real page turner.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 May 2017A Marquess whose father gambles him away . A lady who dreams of travel . An unlikely pairing but sparks fly when they get together. Last in the trio Really enjoyed this series & look forward to reading more from this Author
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 May 2017Her books remind me of a mixture of Julia Quinn and Eloisa James. Easily likeable characters, interesting plots and punchy dialogue.
Top reviews from other countries
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on 1 September 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
excellent charming heroes the series was entertaining Jacqueline
- Sheila MReviewed in the United States on 19 April 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars Quirky and Heartbreaking
"She's insulted him, lied to him, and done everything in her power to repel him...and somehow ended up completely charming him."
FINAL DECISION: Loved, loved, loved this one. Quirky and funny with incredibly serious and heartbreaking turns, this book ended up being my favorite of the series.
THE STORY: Nicholas, the future of Duke of Barrington intended to never marry but rather enjoy his debauched life until the madness that runs in his family claimed him as well. When his father gambles him away in marriage to the daughter of a rich merchant, Nicholas eventually ends up making a deal with his "fiance" Miss Alice Tombs. Alice doesn't want to marry either...she has spent three years avoiding that outcome by scaring off suitors. But Nicholas's proposal tempts her. The two will marry and spend one month together and then she will be free to pursue her interests in travel and scholarly pursuits and Nicholas will be free to pursue his scandalous life.
OPINION: I absolutely loved this book -- and not how I expected to. From the first book in the series, I fell in love with Alice -- a woman willing to use her intelligence to avoid an unwanted marriage. She was incredibly funny with her incessant chattering about strange subjects that manage to repel unwanted suitors. From the moment she discovers that her father has won her a fiance, Alice goes to work to try the same tactics on Nicholas. But he sees her in a way that she never expected.
And what can be more attractive than a hero who actually wants to know the heroine's dreams? Nicholas is a man who knows that he has no future and so he is only living for today. With a family history of madness, Nicholas plans never to marry, never to have children, but rather lead as big and scandalous life he can until the family madness claims him as well. I adored Nick. In the same way that Alice begins to learn more about Nick, the readers also discover that there is far more to him than she or we expect when we meet the man putting on scandalous shows. Despite his despair about his own life, Nick is determined to launch Alice into a wonderful future. And the truth is that Nick's life hides a great deal of pain and fear and desperation.
The book deals in a wonderfully thoughtful and realistic way the pain of mental illness. Nick suffers both as a son and because of his own fear of descending into mental illness. Mental illness is not usually a topic in romance books -- especially not when it might effect the main characters. Here, Nick is living with it every day. The isolation, the fears, the anger, the pain are all depicted here. I don't want to give away more of the book but I loved how the events played out in this book. It was beautifully constructed and is immediately on my keeper shelf.
WORTH MENTIONING: Yes, there is an Alice in Wonderland theme going in this book.
CONNECTED BOOKS: BLAME IT ON THE DUKE is the third book in The Disgraceful Dukes series. While the characters appear in other books in the series, this book can be read on its own.
STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.
- Alison ThompsonReviewed in Australia on 12 October 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of twists and turns
Really good story with lots of twists and turns and interesting characters. A good read. I wonder if there is a book that follows Janes story?
- Peg ReavisReviewed in the United States on 18 August 2024
4.0 out of 5 stars Strong heroine and a really enjoyable read
I loved this book. I enjoyed both of the H & H characters. The growth of their relationship seemed honest. Once I reached the 50% mark, I couldn't put the book down.
- RosewoodReviewed in Canada on 25 June 2017
4.0 out of 5 stars Not a light read
I liked this novel but the story might not be to everyone's taste - Alice is the daughter of a rich baron's daughter who wins a card game with the mad Duke and demands payment of their townhouse or the Marquess to marry Alice - Alice wants to travel to India and has no interest in marriage - Nick believes madness is hereditary in his family so a wife traveling the world would be fine as long as there are no children - the novel is filled with characters with lunacy as it was called in that era and is a little overwhelming at times with the events and torture of the inflicted - very well written but morose at times