Anything But a Duke by Christy Carlyle - #2 of The Duke's Den series

In Anything But a Duke by Christy Carlyle, Diana is an inventor who hopes to sell her (very practical) inventions to keep her family afloat. She has little interest in marriage but promises her mother that she'll look for a suitor if she fails to sell her latest invention. Her family has fallen on hard times and she's determined to help out. Aidan grew up in poverty but has become wealthy through part ownership in a gambling establishment (which was described in more detail in the first Duke's Den book, A Duke Changes Everything). However, without a title, he is forbidden entry to certain establishments and events. He needs a bride with titled connections in order to obtain access. What will he do when he falls for a stubborn inventor without the title or connections required?

Diana and Aidan meet in the opening scene when he's robbed and she happens across the robbery-in-progress while on her way to a meeting. But, then they don't see each other for over a year. When they do, Diana is searching for a patron to help her fund her latest invention, which is a primitive vacuum cleaner that uses suction created through a manual pump. The opening scene nicely establishes Diana's determination and courage.

I had a little trouble letting go of skepticism about the concept of a female inventor who created the vacuum cleaner, since that's a real invention that is credited to not one but two men on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, but I liked the story, anyway. I just didn't fall massively in love with it because of that slight dissonance between fiction and reality. If I were the author, I have no idea how I'd resolve that issue -- an inventor seeking funding during a time period in a past whose inventors are known in the present? Tricky. But, I liked the characters and decided to try to shove my disbelief aside and just enjoy the story.

Recommended but not a favorite - An unremarkable story but it was the likability of the characters that made this book work for me. I cared enough to eagerly await their happy ending. Aidan's upward mobility is a little hard to buy into, and yet it makes him a sympathetic character. Diana's invention is a stretch as well, but again . . . she's an interesting character and her motivation worked for me. Yes, you have to work a little to suspend disbelief but it's worth the effort, in my humble opinion. I particularly liked the ending, which was very satisfying.


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A Duke Changes Everything by Christy Carlyle (The Duke's Den #1)

When Nicholas Lyon's father rejected him, he did so in an extraordinarily painful way. Now, years later, Nick is the owner of a successful gambling establishment and happy to strip the wealthy of their holdings when they lose at his tables. But, then disaster strikes. His brother is killed in an accident and Nick inherits his family's ducal holdings. Nick has never planned to return to his childhood home; it only holds terrible memories for him. But, as the Duke of Tremayne, Nick is responsible for his family's estate, Enderley Castle, the home he and his mother escaped many years ago.

When Nick arrives at Enderley, he intends to only remain at the castle long enough to sell off many of the valuables in preparation for leasing it out while he returns to his London home. He's not expecting to find that the steward of the estate is a trouser-wearing woman with a similar need for order. As he gets to know his steward, Mina Thorne, Nick is surprised to find himself dragging his feet and even enjoying his ability to improve the lives of his tenants. But, Nick was traumatized by his father's abuse. Will he be able to overcome the pain of his past?

Recommended to a specific audience - I read A Duke Changes Everything for the change of pace (thanks to a slumpy couple of months) and I was not disappointed. I thought it was surprising how quickly the duke softened, but the author managed to characterize him as a man with a softening heart and yet still retain the challenge of dealing with his childhood trauma while he was slowly falling in love with his steward. And, there were plenty of little surprises. There was one scene in particular that I felt was more authentic to what I'd expect of the time period than what you often find in historical romance. There were a couple historical anachronisms, but that scene helped to balance things out a bit and, anyway, I just enjoyed the reading. Mina is a likable character and the way Nick's heart is softened by doing good makes sense to me. And, the ending is incredibly satisfying.

My thanks to Avon Books for this unexpected gift. The next in the series is going to be the story of one of Nick's gambling business partners and I found him very appealing so I hope to read the next in the series, as well.

©2018 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.