They call him the Doomed Duke.Phineas Duncombe, ninth Duke of Mayne, should not be the duke. After all, he had four—count them—four older brothers! Phin never wanted the dukedom, and the suspicious circumstances of the eighth duke’s death lead Phin to question the Countess of Longstowe. The beautiful widow isn’t at all what Phin expected. He’s intrigued by her and determined to seduce her. The … seduce her. The countess is not interested in Phin romantically, but when she comes to him with another request, he can’t deny it. A few days in the country with Lady Longstowe reveal two truths to the new duke. One, he cares for the countess much more than any other woman he’s ever known. Two, Phin either has very bad luck or someone is trying to kill him.
They call her the Wanton Widow.
Annabel was barely eighteen when she was married to the elderly Earl of Longstowe. A harsh, sadistic man, the earl’s death was not something Annabel mourned. Now in her mid-forties, Annabel enjoys her widowhood and has no desire to ever be under a man’s thumb again. Not even a handsome duke like Mayne, who is far too young for her anyway. Annabel’s one desire is to find the daughter who was taken away from her. For that she needs a man with power and status. She needs the Duke of Mayne. When the two are thrust together, Annabel struggles to fight her attraction to the charming Phin. She’s losing the battle. But can she ever trust another man, especially with the one part of herself she’s never given away—her heart?
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My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Survivors #6
Publication Date: 9/3/19
Number of Pages: 249
The Survivors are the twelve remaining members of a suicide squad formed to help defeat Napoleon at any cost. Eighteen members of that squad didn’t return and those who did have vowed to assure they aren’t forgotten. They also still protect each other.
Phineas Leopold Duncombe (Phin) is, unexpectedly, the ninth Duke of Mayne. He should never have been a duke. He never wanted to be a duke. He still doesn’t want to be a duke but knows he has no choice. Although the mantle chaffs a bit, he fully intends to do his duty to the estate and his tenants. Phin had four older brothers, there was certainly no reason for him to suspect that he’d ever be a duke – but here he is. This dukedom is doomed – cursed – because each of his brothers died because of some stupid, totally preventable accident. His sisters seem to be the only safe ones – he has two of those – one who hasn’t made her come out and one who is married with two daughters and a son.
Annabel, Lady Longstowe, was married off at barely eighteen to a cold, cruel man who was old enough to be her grandfather. He abused her in every way possible until he finally did her the favor of dying. After all of those years of sexual, mental and physical abuse, she didn’t know what to do with herself and made a couple of mistakes in the friends she chose. Even though she wasn’t promiscuous or wanton, she earned the nickname – the Wanton Widow and was ostracized from society. If she goes out, women avoid her and gossip about her while the men ogle her. One of the cruelest things her husband ever did to her was taking her baby daughter away and not telling her what he’d done with her. Annabel has looked for the baby – who would now be twenty – for years and has been totally unsuccessful. She needs help – powerful help.
Phin’s brother Richard died only a few weeks ago and he’s still trying to come to grips with it. He’d spent weeks shadowing Richard trying to keep him from suffering a freak accident like his other brothers – the one night he wasn’t there – the unthinkable happened. Phin is floundering a bit and decides to go to the home of the Wanton Widow to see what happened on his brother’s last night alive. At least, that is what he told himself when he showed up at her door. She quickly put him in his place and he left with his tail between his legs assuming he’d never see or hear from her again.
Annabel quickly realizes that the powerful help she needs might have just walked out her door. She decides that she’ll approach him, offer him anything – including herself if he’ll help her find her daughter.
I loved Phin. He is one of the most honorable, loving, sweetest heroes I read in a while. I also liked Annabel and could feel her pain. As a bonus, we also get an additional romance that is lovely.
I could have easily said this was a 5-star book had it not been for the glaring inaccuracy that the villain/plot was based upon. The sad thing is – it could so easily have been fixed with just five minutes worth of research. There is absolutely no way that Phin’s title could have been inherited by the one mentioned in the story.
It is definitely a good read – lighthearted, romantic, exciting – I enjoyed the story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is the sixth in her Survivors series about a group of “suicide squad” soldiers who returned from fighting Napoleon.
This one is a May-December romance (Annabel is almost 15 years older than Phin) which is rather rare in this genre. Sometimes I have a little problem with believability in these types of stories, but this one is well done and also adds in love-at-first-sight to the mix. I think it also helps here that Phin is a reluctant duke and does not seem to fret much over giving up having children/heirs when it means having the love of his life.
I enjoyed the banter between them, how he helped her overcome trust issues from a former abusive relationship and how she saw him as the man (and not the title). Phin is especially kind and compassionate (almost too perfect) as he helps Annabel through an emotional and heart wrenching period.
As they were both older, experienced characters (32, 46), the love scenes were especially . Good chemistry.
I received an ARC from the author for early review. The opinions are strictly my own.
3.5 stars rounded up
After losing his four older brothers in rapid succession, Phineas Duncombe is now the Duke of Mayne. Unhappy with this turn of events, Phin wants answers and decides to interrogate one of the last people who spoke to his brother before he died, the widowed Countess of Longstowe, aka the Wanton Widow.
Annabel, Countess of Longstowe, is far from wanton and has no desire to take Phin as a lover, he is much too young for her and she doesn’t want a lover, what Annabel does want is her daughter and asks Phin for help.
Phin quickly falls for Annabel, but she is not willing to share her heart with him. He helps her find her daughter and while doing so, it becomes clear that someone is trying to kill him.
The book is well written and Annabel’s story is both heartbreaking and touching, but there are just things that don’t work in this book for me. First and foremost is the villain’s motivation, his reasons are not legitimate or feasible, as that is not how the inheritance would work, unless he planned on killing at least one more person. Second the age difference between Phin and Annabel, 15 years was too much for me, especially when her daughter is closer to Phin’s age than Annabel is – I don’t mind older women/younger men, but that was a touch too creepy for me and I would have felt the same with an older man/younger woman. Overall, it was a sweet love story and if the villain’s motivation had been different and the age gap between Phin and Annabel hadn’t been so wide, I would have loved the story.
I was fortunate enough to get an ARC copy of this book. I couldn’t put it down. I wanted to know what was next. Spent a few late nights telling myself one more chapter. Shana never fails to produce a fantastic entertaining book.
A not so expendable Survivor
Phineas Duncombe was supposed to be expendable, the fifth son, but now as the Duke of Mayne, he wasn’t. Still, he wanted to speak with one of the last people to see his brother Richard alive: the Wanton Widow, Lady Annabel Longstowe. He thought her ravishing, and if he were honest, he hoped to seduce the Wanton Widow. Phin did not accomplish anything he set out to do. However, when she asked for his help in finding her daughter, she left him utterly flummoxed. And probably no more than I was, because my first impression of Annabel was not a good one. Although the reasons for her behaviour became clearer later on, her nickname seemed a little too fitting for a little while at the beginning, and I couldn’t fathom why she couldn’t wait and see how he would react first. Phin is almost delirious with lust, but thankfully an honourable man. She is far from immune to his considerable charms, but she will not succumb. She deems him too young, and there is are fifteen years between them.
As much as I enjoy a younger man-older woman romance, I too perceived that chasm. He seemed in some ways rather immature in spite of being thirty-two, and she did act older. “Perfect Phineas” was precisely just that; he’s awfully sweet, but she is one frustrating woman. To be honest, I thought Annabel’s housekeeper Mrs. Slightley and Reynolds, Phin’s valet, just about stole the show; what fabulous characters! Not a scene with them was superfluous. I also very much appreciated how Ms. Galen chose to show us the plight of those with mental and physical challenges in eras gone by, and Theadosia – Annabel’s daughter – was another highlight of A DUKE A DOZEN. It’s a very moving part of the story.
I will again differ from the norm, I suppose, but I would have wished fewer lustful musings and sex scenes and more on the subject of the Doomed Duke. However the few action sequences were fabulous, and I loved the teasers for what will be next for The Survivors, namely The Bachelors of Bond Street, with Thomas Gaines, a minor character in a previous book whom I loved to bits.
I love this series by Shana Galen!
I love Shana’s Survivors! This one is Phineas Duncombe’s story, Draven’s Negotiator. I really like the way Shana gives us entertaining and engaging conversations between her characters. She interjects such a great sense of humor to her stories even while dealing with difficult subjects like sexual abuse and in this case Down’s syndrome. I can’t wait for the next Survivors story.
Phineas horrified to find himself the Duke of Mayne after his FOUR older brothers all died in accidents. He finds this hard to believe and decides to meet with the last woman his idiot brother Richard spent time with, Countess Annabel Longstowe, dubbed by society as The Wanton Widow.
Annabel is still beautiful in her late 40’s and rarely receives gentlemen. When newly widowed she has several lovers to explore her curiosity but as she was horribly abused by the former duke she cannot experience climax. He made sure she stayed loyal to him by conditioning her to associate pain with pleasure. When she meets Phin she realizes the man before her with wealth and power can help her attain her heart’s desire, to find her long lost daughter. They strike a deal and begin their search for Theodosia, Annabel’s defective daughter the Earl sent away when she was two years old. Along the journey, Phin tests and stretches Annabel’s desires while Phin keeps experiencing “accidents” along the way. Is someone trying to kill Phineas? Can Phin’s power as a duke help them in finding Theodosia? Will Annabel be healed from the abuse of her former husband? All these questions are answered in this lively adventure.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I’ve been a huge fan of this series from the very beginning, and I have to say it just keeps getting better with every book. In this story, we learn about Phineas – the reluctant new Duke of Mayne – and Annabel – the misunderstood Wanton Widow. Together they search for her long-lost daughter, and along the way learn many new truths about themselves – both good and bad. In the end, they overcome society’s prejudices, and find their way to a very happy ending.
I recommend this book – and the series overall – for anyone looking for a fun, sexy romance filled with humor and characters that feel like friends.
The great character and storyline development kept me totally engaged as I turned each and every page until the very end!
This has been an excellent series so far. Although we don’t see Draven and the previous survivors in this book, we follow Phin, the newly minted ninth Duke of Mayne. Phin was the negotiator in the group and was recently elevated to the Dukedom after the deaths of his five brothers. Phin does not want to be the Duke but he does want the Wanton Widow. Annabelle, Countess of Longstowe is 15 years older than Phin and has quite the reputation. After a rough start Phin agrees to help her find her daughter. Annabelle’s horrible dead husband sent her daughter to a home when she was two years old because she had been born mentally handicapped. Along the way it seems that someone might be trying to kill Phin and Phin has to battle the demons of Annabelle’s past to find their way to happily ever after.
This was missing two things from this book. This was an ARC so I don’t if they will be in the finished product. First the prologue. I had read a prologue at the end of the last book or one of the emails the author sent out and I remembered what happened so that was fine. Without it , especially if someone hasn’t read the whole series, I think people will be a little lost. It felt like being dropped into the middle the story. The second thing missing was an epilogue. This book definitely has need of an epilogue. What happens after they marry? Do they have a child together? I was left feeling a little unsatisfied.
I loved the story though. I love an older experienced heroine in general and it’s even better when the hero is younger than the heroine. I thought 15 years was a lot, but I don’t like that much age difference when the hero is older either. I loved Phin, he’s a a kind hero and I just adored him. And Annabelle is a broken heroine. Her husband was a cruel and abusive. Together they were perfect. I did like the little hint that the next book will be about Colin.
And the Survivors series rolls on!
A Duke a Dozen is book 6.
The story of the doomed duke and
the wanton widow.
Goodness, what a story!
Phineas had 4 older brothers. He never dreamed he
would be Duke. He never wanted to be Duke! But,
the key word is HAD. He had four older brothers.
And now, its up to Phineas marry right and keep
the Ducal line going on.
Annabel has found herself with all the freedom in the
world. But for some reason, society has decided
she must suffer more. Now, a widow after a horrible
marriage, all she wants is her quiet life and her
daughter. Annabels cruel husband took their
daughter away. But she had no idea where he
had put the child.
Phineas is taken with Annabel at first sight. He
realizes pretty quickly that she has no trust in men.
But he is determined to use his power to help
Annabel find her daughter. Annabel cannot understand
why he wants to help her so much.
Can she ever learn to trust? Will they find her
daughter? Will Phineas survive the Dukedom
when so many others could not?
This is the sixth book in The Survivors Series and it was great just as I expected! I love this series and it has been so hard waiting for this book. Phineas Duncombe has lost all four of his older brothers and has inherited the unwanted title of the ninth Duke of Mayne. Some people think the title is cursed, but Phin suspicions about his last brother’s death lead him to questioning Annabel, the Countess of Longstowe (also known as the Wanton Widow). As Phin is questioning Annabel, he realizes she has nothing to do with his brother’s death. Annabel has been trying to locate her daughter since she was taken away from her years ago. She request Phin’s help, hoping his title and status will help her to locate her daughter. As they travel to the country, Phin realizes he cares for Annabel but she is not interested in marriage especially one with a man who is younger than her. Phin is determined to win her over, if he can stay alive that is. I loved all the characters, but Phin was my favorite. He was so charismatic and so understanding of Annabel’s feelings. I loved his humor and the side characters witty banter was great. I wished we had got to read a little more about their future together. The story ends well, leading the reader into the next book in the series. I can’t wait to read Colin’s story next. I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I loved the pairing of Phineas Duncombe, the ninth Duke of Mayne and Lady Annabel Longstowe; it’s a fabulous twist on the May-December romance! Annabel is 15 years older than Phin and her reputation as The Wanton Widow is the talk of the town. Loved the scene when Phin asks Annabel about the nature of her relationship with his late brother. This conversation between the characters sets the tone for the novel. A jealous Phin tries to determine if his brother and Annabel were lovers. Loved that Annabel remained cool, calm and collected and then challenged Phin as to the real reason for their meeting!
Annabel has a secret and she needs a powerful ally to help her. She knows that Phin is sexually attracted to her. Annabel uses this knowledge to her advantage when she asks him to help her locate her daughter. Loved that Phin struggled with his attraction towards Annabel when she started to disrobe-he was very, very distracted- but, agreed to help Annabel. I loved the sexual chemistry between Phin and Annabel and that he truly wanted to help her.
Annabel and Phin begin their adventure by travelling to Ceald House. Annabel believes that her late husband’s papers may hold clues to her daughter’s whereabouts. Loved that the author employed a double romance-Annabel and Phin and Meg and Reynolds. This choice added so much to my enjoyment of the novel! Loved that Phin cared for Annabel and that she began to trust him during their adventure while their servants were falling in love below stairs!
A Duke A Dozen is a fabulous story – the characters are relatable and their journey is poignant. The author weaves in lots of social commentary and a bit of intrigue. Shana Galen has a gift for writing smart, witty conversations infused with humor for her characters; the conversations between Phin and Annabel are marvelous. The conclusion to the novel is superbly written and I loved the ending which surprised me!
Book six in The Survivors series a well written story that I enjoyed reading. This is Phineas Duncombe, ninth Duke of Mayne and Annabel the Countess of Longstowe’s story which is a a younger man-older woman romance.We also get to see Annabel’s housekeeper Mrs. Slightley and Reynolds, Phineas’ valet and her daughter. I will be looking for more books in this series. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Two people have never gotten off to such a bad start, but that spark between them can’t be denied. That heat is constantly between them building and waiting to burst into one of the strongest love stories. Between them and wondering who is after him I couldn’t put it down and flew through the book. I loved the switch with her being older than him and how open with each other they were.
When it came to who was trying to kill Phin I didn’t see it coming at all and almost dropped my Kindle. I was on pins and needles during that scene. It just sealed their love even more and there was no denying it. Let the scandal sheets and gossips scream it from the rooftop because the doomed duke and wanton widow are never letting go of each other.
Annabel has to be one of the strongest women alive. She survived a cruel man that forced her to shut down parts of herself and left her fearing she could never get those parts back. I absolutely loved her from the start with how she could put someone in their place. She found just who and what she needed after all those years.
Phin never wanted to be the duke, but he was made to be the duke because he was nothing like his brothers. He saw in her what she tried to hide and was determined to help her find her daughter and show her she could get those parts of herself back. I love him and his skills for getting information and how he would give up control to her.
The stories in this series just keep getting better.
Copy provided for an honest and voluntary review
The “Wanton Widow” what a glorious title.
The “Wanton Widow” what a glorious title she not only has one hell of a reputation she is older than the Duke. The Duke really puts himself out there and goes on a mission that has some rather dangerous element to it. It was a bit different from most historical I have read but I found it very entertaining and a refreshing twist. I highly recommend you check this amazing piece out. I did receive a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.
I love the writing in this book. I love the character building and the interaction between Phinn and Annabelle. I love the secondary characters and can’t wait for Colin’s story. A truly fun read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book intrigued me because I always appreciate a romance that features an older heroine. Why should only younger women have all the fun! I was surprised, though, that the hero was younger and not by just a small amount. They had a 15-year age difference between them. So I was interested to see how this book would go.
The first part of the book seemed a little bit too insta lust to me. Right in the first chapter, the duke is already mentally expressing his “admiration” of her and her assets from when he’d seen her at a ball the night before his older brother’s death. I’m not usually a fan of those kinds of stories. Also, I didn’t like how at times it felt like the characters weren’t really true Regency, or at least not the way we think of Regency romance. They were both more forward than I would have thought them to be, especially on early acquaintance. At times, they seemed more modern in their sensibilities.
But I’m glad that I stuck with it. I found the banter between the duke and the countess to be most amusing, starting when she came over to ask for a big favor and they then played billiards. That scene was a lot of fun, and that delightfulness carried on to different parts of the book, though not all. The book did have a serious subplot about Anabel’s missing daughter. The duke is actually a swoon-worthy hero, despite the insta lust, because once he realized what was really going on, he tried very hard to be the proper gentleman, and always acted in her best interest even if she didn’t want him to. The Wanton Widow has more than a few secrets, and I really enjoyed how the duke helped her put the ghosts of the past at rest. All in all, I found this to be a very different, but rather enjoyable read.
An intriguing addition to this series with the hero, Phineas (love that name), the new Duke of Mayne one of the soldiers who survived the war. Unfortunately as the title he now held was going, he may not live long enough to do anything. After all, his four brothers had all met their demise and he was left. He had to find out what happened to his last brother and retrace his steps.
Was that what he really wanted when he went to visit the “Wanton Widow”, Annabel, Countess of Longstowe? He had seen her and his brother together and thought she might have been one of the last people to talk to him. But is that really why he wanted to visit her? Oh yes his knees almost buckled when she came into the room.
Annabel hardley remembers how she earned that moniker, but after being married to a cruel man for years, she is not about to give her heart to any man. She just wants to find her daughter and she asks him for his help.
Such a truly wonderful story of second chances at happiness no matter their age differences and a journey to find answers and true love.
The most emotional Survivor yet!
Phin has survived the war as part of Draven’s Dozen as well as the deaths of his four older brothers…but he’s not likely to survive without his Wanton Widow. Annabel wants only to heal from her past wounds but can’t decide if Phin’s attentions will accomplish that feat or create new wounds.
For Phin it’s instant love and instant foot in mouth syndrome but he knows Annabel is it for him, so when she asks for his help he doesn’t hesitate. Watching Phin go above and beyond to support Annabel in every way was so poignant. Annabel’s strength and love was also a wonderful element of the story as was the secondary love story! And it wouldn’t be a Shana Galen book if there wasn’t at least a smidge of danger and intrigue!
I loved that A Duke a Dozen introduced us to new Survivors of Draven’s Dozen and hinted at some fun stories to come!
I received a complimentary review copy of this book but all opinions are my own.