Headstrong Miss Daisy Morton must make a choice: play the fiancée to a duke she doesn’t love, or face ruin.Daisy’s loyalty to her friends is always getting her into awkward places. Unfortunately, those places include the bedroom of the stern young Duke of Loxwell, where she is caught hiding by one of society’s most notorious gossips.For mysterious reasons of his own, the duke saves her reputation … duke saves her reputation with a false engagement. There’s only one rule: she can’t fall in love with him.
Simple enough. What are the chances that the true love Daisy has always dreamed of should turn out to be the strict, strait-laced, surprisingly tender duke with a devastating smile reserved especially for her?
Alexander Balfour, the new Duke of Loxwell, lives for honour and duty. The dukedom weighs as heavily on his shoulders as the responsibility of setting an example for his four unruly sisters.
And that honour has sealed his fate forever. A fatal mistake in his past means he cannot fall in love without betraying those he holds dearest.
Even if Daisy turns his world upside down in a hundred different ways, she cannot save him from his lonely penance.
Or can she?
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This will sweep you up into Regency times the moment you open it. The characters were engaging and so full of life that it was hard to believe sometimes that I was reading a romance novel. The characters really do jump off the pages and straight into your heart.
Not only were Alexander and Daisy a loveable couple but so were the side characters. His sisters were a hoot, especially Edith, who had a knack for getting into scapes, and Daisy who always came to her aid.
You absolutely must read this.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I read this several months ago. I don’t remember the details, but I remember I really enjoyed reading it.
Caught under a Dukes bed because of his sisters blunder. There’s a fake engagement and a real wedding.
very entertaining, thanks
An average story. Nothing exceptional or extraordinary about the storyline. Quite unremarkable. Everything ends on a happy note. I just found it to be just ok.
An OK read for fans of Regency Romance. The writing is good, the characters well defined, the setting close enough to historical fact not to ruin the mood. Unfortunately, the plot is a bit thin. The h really doesn’t have much motive to get into trouble to start, the H doesn’t have much of a “moral case” to refuse to wed, and the villain is really rather stupid. The challenge of writing romance novels is to make your plot work within the standard restrictions of the genre. Here the impediments and incentives for true love are simply not very good.
Recommended
It was an easy read. Not a real page turner. Nice clean read.
Good read
clean
ONE ENJOYABLE ADVENTURE!!!
Crap on toast! Gemma pulled out all the stops for this drama, suspense filled, Regency Era thrills and spills. She absolutely nailed the emotions swirling through this baby, running rampant unchecked, leaving you reeling and wanting more. She spins this baby with such refreshing realism that catapults this jewel to life effortlessly. Carefully treading through the trials and tribulations, testing our characters in ways they could have never anticipated. Twixt and twined and stretched to unbelievable limits until you feel everything the characters feel. The personalities are well matched and brought together smoothly. The scenes are so graphically detailed it paints an incredible backdrop that feels as though you’re right there with them. Fantastic job Gemma, thanks for sharing this little gem with us.
I love a good Regency romance, and the romance of wonderfully loyal Daisy and Alexander, her duke, in Gemma Blackwood’s A Duke She Can’t Refuse (The Impossible Balfours, Book 1) easily qualifies as such. Well written, great characters and a great – and Regency Period appropriate – plot. Just what I asked for and totally delicious.
The Duke is a perfect gentleman, Edith and her friend Daisy are a force to reckoned with. This delightful tale of a sham engagement between Alexander and Daisy to save Daisys reputation when she is discovered in his bedchamber just an example of his willingness to protect her. A wonderful read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is my first Gemma Blackwood novel but it definitely won’t be my last! This is the wonderful story of Lord Alexander Balfour, The Duke of Loxwell and Miss Daisy Morton.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Daisy is a loyal, sweet, vibrant and a genuine heroine who finds her self in a compromising position and Alexander is complex, noble and most assuredly swoon-worthy.
Alexander and Daisy are characters you root for. This was a fun, intriguing read with a strong heroine, and a damaged hero, who overcomes his past and his fears to realize and proclaim his love for Daisy.
I loved the story, it had a great plot that kept me turning the pages until the satisfying end. The characters are very engaging and the romance is delightful.
You won’t want to miss the beginning of this new series. It’s well worth the read and I for one can’t wait for to read the love stories of Alexander’s sisters.
Thank you so much Gemma for such a charmingly delightful and well written story.
A Duke She Can;t Refuse is a sweet clean read. I would recommend it to anyone that is looking for a clean read that is still wanting romance. There is some mystery and suspense included. Overall it kept my attention and moved along. I am looking forward to reading more books by Gemma Blackwood.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Daisy Morton could only admire the beautiful room at the new home of her best friend Edith, whose brother, Alexander Balfour, the new Duke of Loxwell had just inherited. Daisy’s fascination with him had begun over a year before though. “There was something about a man with the broad shoulders of a prize-fighter and the impeccable dress of a gentleman, the tousled dark hair of a poet and the stern manners of a schoolmaster, that could not help but catch her attention.” Sigh.
Little did she know that shortly she would be in a “fake engagement” with His Grace due to being found in a compromising position in his bed chambers.
A wonderful story of two people brought together who were really different. She outgoing and honest and he more reserved, trying to hold up to the standards of his new title. Daisy only wanted to marry for love and he, due to the past, could never love. Or so he thought. A mystery ensues also which had me turning the pages to see what would happen.
Loved it and so look forward to the next in this series!!
The first book in The Impossible Balfours series and I want to read the other books in this series. This is Miss Daisy Morton and Alexander Balfour, the Duke of Loxwell’s story I found myself laughing as I read somethings. I enjoyed this story and once I started reading I was not putting it down until the book was finished. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The story is a wonderful way to relax and take a journey to another time. To follow along and see how a couple come to terms with their situation and find a solution that suits everyone. It has some twists and turns along the way, that only add to keep you turning pages.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading “A Duke She Can’t Refuse”. The story was funny with well thought out characters and a plot that had a few unexpected twists. The only problem I had was words at the end of a line that were split incorrectly on every page. For example, “were” would be we-re. One syllable words should never be split into two lines. Other types of words were also incorrectly split. This was very distracting to me and the reason I took away stars. Overall, it was a fun, totally clean read, and I did enjoy it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
When Daisy Morton is caught in Alexander Balfour, the Duke of Loxwell’s bedroom, he does what any true gentleman would. He devises a fake engagement to save Daisy from ruination.
Daisy does not want to pretend a fake engagement to Alexander, she wishes to marry for love. Besides, Alexander has never given her a second look before even though she has been in his home countless times visiting her best friend Edith, the Duke’s younger sister. Once Alexander explains to Daisy that it will be just long enough to get through the end of the Season to keep her from being ruined and to keep eager mother’s from showing their daughters at him she decides to go along with it.
However, things do not go according to plan. Daisy had always held Alexander in high regard, but as she gets to know him better, she begins to fall in love with him. And Alexander is not quite sure what he is starting to feel towards Daisy. He can’t fall in love with her, he will not allow it. Not after what he did to his sister Selina years ago.
As the Season draws near it’s end, what will become of Daisy and Alexander. Can Daisy convince Alexander that they deserve happiness or will Alexander end the fake engagement?
I really enjoyed this book. It is a sweet and clean read and does have a happily ever after.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.