From the USA Today bestselling author of The Untouchables series comes your next Regency obsession: The Spitfire Society… Meet the smart, independent women who’ve decided they don’t need Society’s rules, their families’ expectations, or, most importantly, a husband. But just because they don’t need a man doesn’t mean they might not want one.
After failing on the Marriage Mart, Jane Pemberton … Pemberton has two choices: submit to her parents’ edict to marry their boring neighbor or become a self-declared spinster and take up residence in the official headquarters of the Spitfire Society. It’s really no choice at all, and Jane is eager to embrace her newfound independence. She soon finds an unconscious viscount on her doorstep and nurses him back to health. When he offers to compensate her, she requests payment in the form of private instruction of a scandalous and intimate kind.
Having spiraled into a self-destructive abyss following the murder of his parents, Anthony, Viscount Colton, physically recovers under the care of an alluring spitfire. But it is her charm and flirtatiousness that soothes his soul and arouses his desire—until an extortion scheme forces him to face the sins of his past. Now, to save the woman who’s given him everything he lost and more, he’ll have to pay the ultimate price: his heart.
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He’s wallowing in pity (and alcohol and brothels).
Anthony is a mess, visits every room in his brothel of choice and ends up beaten up on Jane Pemberton’s doorstep.
I liked the spitfire Jane, who’s determined to be a rather unconventional spinster (with um, lessons from Anthony).
I had a harder time with Anthony, who needed a lot of growth to do and he never quite measured up.
Overall, a solid historical from a proven author.
Recommend.
This book opens up with a handsome man unconscious on Jane Pemberton’s doorstep. From there, you know it has to be good. Jane quickly comes to realize she recognizes him as her friend, Sarah’s, brother Anthony. Anthony has had a difficult year after the death of his parents and some other personal issues. Jane, herself, has not had it easy having recently declared herself a spinster and moving out of her parents house to live out her days on her own. The two come together and find they have more in common than they might think.
Burke writes a fun, sexy tale about two people who are feeling lost and alone. It is a joy to see them come together and reconcile their pasts in their own ways. While this book is part of a larger series, it reads well as a standalone. I would definitely recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions here are my own.
What joy Darcy Burke has brought to this reader with her engaging series The Spitfire Society. In this third installment in the series, spinster Jane Pemberton has moved out of her parent’s home into the residence of the Spitfire Society. She has failed on the marriage mart and doesn’t want to marry the neighbor her parents are pushing her to. When she finds on her doorstep an unconscious viscount, she shelters and nurses him back to health. Anthony, Viscount Colton wants to reimburse Jane but she won’t accept monetary payment but instead proposes a scandalous kind.
Anthony and Jane both have issues they individually need to resolve as well as how to handle their growing attachment to one another. I loved the chemistry between these two characters and their emotional tale Ms. Burke has written. It was nice to see again familiar secondary characters from previous works, and it was heartwarming to meet two scene-stealing, adorable kittens. I was fortunate to receive an ARC of this work which has in no way influenced this voluntary review. All opinions stated are my own.
I love a redeemed rake!
Jane has just declared herself a spinster by moving out of her household and spurning her boring neighbor’s proposal. Her parents are furious and are excluding her from their lives which includes her sister’s upcoming wedding. Jane is another member of the Spitfire Society ready to live her life as she sees fit. Until a very drunk, beaten, and battered Lord Colton is found on her doorstep. So she takes him in and nurses him back to health. Lord Colton, Anthony, has gotten himself into another scrape but this one lays him up pretty good. So how can he repay Jane for taking such good care of him? Maybe some steamy lessons in the bedroom or wherever…..but will he agree to do it? Both main characters have pasts that they have to come to terms with so that they can move on. But can they get over these obstacles? This book has a smoldering naughty hero, an independent innocent heroine, some adorable kittens, heart ache, despair, and a sizzling affair that leads to a love of a lifetime. I really enjoyed Jane and Anthony’s chemistry and the setbacks that they overcame in order for them to get their HEA. I received an ARC of this book and chose to post my review.
Finally we get Anthony’s story! Young Viscount Colton has been wallowing in his grief and guilt for way too long. Darcy has given us a heroine up to the task of dragging Anthony back to the world once again. Such a well crafted story of redemption and strength of character.
Anthony inherited his title when his parents were murdered on a trip he was supposed to take. He was too selfish and self indulgent to take any responsibilities of his family. He also managed to gamble himself into a debt his father refused to pay. He borrowed from an underworld lender who threatened those he loves if he didn’t pay the extraordinary interest. Now his parents are dead because of him. Refusing to face his grief or the disaster he’s made his life he drowned himself in wenching and drink. No one can reach him.
Miss Jane Pemberton is the sole member residing in Phoebe Lennox’s house, the last of the unmarried Spitfires. She left her parents home when they were pressuring her to marry someone she detested after 5 failed seasons on the marriage market. Jane decided she would follow her friend Phoebe’s example and go it alone. She finds Anthony beaten into unconsciousness on her doorstep one day and takes him in to nurse him back to health. Under her care he’s sober for the first time in quite a while. While with Jane he wants to be sober but when he goes home it’s back to the bottle, not dealing with emotional pain. These two venture on a journey to find answers. Jane finds there was a rumor of her being not being chase in her first season that wasn’t true. She needs Anthony’s help to track down the source of that rumor. Anthony is being blackmailed about his parent’s death and his gambling debts that needs to stop. Along the way Anthony discovers he is worthy of love and Jane finds a man who will love her for the strong woman that she is.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I love Darcy Burke. She’s one author who knows no fear when it comes to emotion. At it’s strongest, love puts us at our most vulnerable. Jane and Anthony are proof that despite the odds, the adventure is worth the risk. A Duke Will Never Do finds beauty in exposing the fragility of life and love. It’s unpredictability makes for a hauntingly, raw yet always captivating journey of the heart.
I never tire of reading what Darcy Burke writes. Her ladies are always saucy and her gentlemen are always like mellowed whisky. Jane is asserting her independence as a spitfire. She is living on her own and wants to get the full experience as an independent woman. Anthony has been living the life of a rogue and a wastrel for almost a year. Finding himself drunk, and badly hurt on Jane’s doorstep is about to change his life. These two are not strangers to each other but being forced in close proximity makes for changes in how they see each other. It is another great story filled with passion and heat. The rogue and the spitfire find that what they think they wanted in life may not at all be true. You will also enjoy the kittens, daffodil and fern.
This is the 3rd book in the series Spitfire Society, and it was just as good as the first two books. You do not have to read the first books to enjoy this book, but why would you not want to, they are all good. This story is about Jane who is a self-declared spinster who leaves her parents house to live alone. Anthony is a Viscount who has a darkness in him because of his parent’s death. Jane finds Anthony drunk, beat up and unconscious on her doorstep and she helps him recover. While recovering they form a bond and Jane wants a favor from Anthony – to teach her intimacy. Anthony wants to say no, but Jane seduces Anthony (these scenes were hot and lovely). What I liked about this couple was Anthony was an anguished tortured man, but not evil he felt undeserved, but his dealings with Jane was always in a loveable, fun flirtatious way. Jane wants what she wants, and she goes for it, but the most important thing she wants from Anthony is to heal him emotionally. While I was reading this book, I kept asking myself – Is there ever a Darcy Burke book I read I did not like? The answer is no. I love them all.
I love this series! Jane and Anthony’s story is fantastic. I think it might be my favorite of the series. I find Jane so delightful and the perfect spitfire. She is determined to overcome her parent’s perception of her and create a life of her own. Anthony on the other hand is losing his battle with self-loathing over the death of his parents. I so enjoyed the unconventional path they took to find each other. I found this book to be riveting with an interesting cast and great twists to the plot.
Jane Pemberton as failed on the marriage mart and now she must either bow to her parents’ wishes and marry a totally unacceptable man or move out and declare herself a spinster. One evening she finds a man on her doot step beaten to a bloody pulp and recognizing him as Viscount Anthony Colton one of her friend’s brother. She nurses him back to health forcing him to stay at her house for a week. Wow what a week it is as she slowly tries seducing him, asking him the unthinkable. Anthony the rogue is tempted but she’s a virgin and a lady who deserves better than he can offer her. Jane is ready to embrace her newfound freedom and live life to the fullest. Jane discovers Anthony has a sad past that has a hold on him, he can’t forgive himself for his parent’s death and move on. He feels so undeserving of happiness that he lives recklessly and pushes everyone away. A great story with passions aflame, a slow building love, a smoldering seduction where woman in love falls for a rogue who confessing he’ll never marry or fall in love. They discovering love and acceptance can make a difference and love can conquer all obstacles and find true happiness. An excellent story I loved and I voluntarily wrote a review.
Anthony, Viscount Colton has been busy drowning himself in drink and getting into fights because he feels responsible for the murder of his parents. Numbness is better than feeling.
Miss Jane Pemberton has declared herself a spinster and has left her parents home. She’s lucky enough to have a friend’s house to live in. One morning a badly beaten man who is barely recognizable is on her doorstep.
Our independent heroine has a core of steel that she will need, to sort out our self-destructive hero. Maybe with the help of two little kittens.
A very emotional story with sexy characters. You might have met some of the characters in previous books in this series. Eack book can be read alone.
I loved it.
Duke will Never do was lovely, entertaining, and steaming hot story. Jane Pemberton was due to false rumors about her purity denied to get courted and a marriage proposal. She decides to have her own freedom and becomes a spinster. She wants to do great things for commons. When she finds Anthony Colton beaten on her doorstep she helps him to get better. They became friends and the attraction between both of them is undeniable. When she makes him scandalous proposal he is thorn….he could never ruin a lady. He never was marriage material but the feelings for Jane were getting stronger day by day. If he wouldn’t be in so much trouble himself maybe then…
I loved every second of this entertaining tale and can’t wait for the next book in these series
What a delight this book was. I was pull in from the start by Anthony and Jane’s relationship. I loved that she was determined to help him make peace with his past. The fire between them was believable and hot. My heart was hurting everytime he broke his promise about not drinking to numb the pain.
But her persistence and love helped him in a way he didn’t expect and was able to love her as much she love him.
I’m a fan of Darcy Burke; her stories never stop to entertain me and they always leave me with a huge smile on my face.
***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A Duke will Never Do, by Darcy Burke, will be available at booksellers on May 19th, 2020. This is book 3 in Ms Burkes Spitfire Society series. A group of ladies, spinsters, gather together to support and advance each other. With the help of friends and society members they take their lives in hand and vow to make good lives for themselves. With no one to tell them no or society judging their actions these ladies set about to make things around them better. Besides helping each other they take up charity work, some a little controversial, but mostly women and children. I admire and commend them.
A Duke Will Never Do gives us Miss Jane Pemberton, avowed spinster. Her seasons were a flop, her parents pushing her to marry, well anyone really. She’s tougher than her family thinks & moves out. I like that she’s sweet and kind, not jaded by ton judgement. She’s content now but realizes she may never have a family. That makes her sad but resigned. I like her just get on with it attitude.
Anthony, Viscount Colton, is a mess left over from series book 2, A Duke Is Never Enough. He’s twisted himself into a thousand knots. He’s a nice guy at heart, was a typical young man around town. A little selfish and oblivious but mostly harmless. He comes to realize how much Jane is changing his life for the better. He’s becoming a better man and I like that guy. He’s got a lot of baggage but has the good sense to finally work through it.
#DarcyBurke #Netgalley #ADukeWillNeverDo #SpitfireSociety #DarcyBurkePublishing #historicalromance
‘After failing on the Marriage Mart, Jane Pemberton has two choices: submit to her parents’ edict to marry their boring neighbor or become a self-declared spinster and take up residence in the official headquarters of the Spitfire Society. It’s really no choice at all, and Jane is eager to embrace her newfound independence. She soon finds an unconscious viscount on her doorstep and nurses him back to health. When he offers to compensate her, she requests payment in the form of private instruction of a scandalous and intimate kind.
Having spiraled into a self-destructive abyss following the murder of his parents, Anthony, Viscount Colton, physically recovers under the care of an alluring spitfire. But it is her charm and flirtatiousness that soothes his soul and arouses his desire—until an extortion scheme forces him to face the sins of his past. Now, to save the woman who’s given him everything he lost and more, he’ll have to pay the ultimate price: his heart.’
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4,5 stars, rounded up to 5 stars.
A Duke Will Never Do is the third book in Darcy Burke’s The Spitfire Society series and is a romance with the lovely addition of a bit of mystery in the form of extortion. We met both Anthony and Jane as the close friends of two main characters from a previous book.
We know from A Duke is Never Enough that Anthony is haunted by the recent death of his parents and is not handling the guilt and grief in the healthiest manner. Despite understanding his reasoning for distracting himself from his emotional wounds, the manner in which he distracts himself does not make him the easiest character to like and respect in the beginning. But despite the less than ideal manner in which he has been living his life over the last year, he is a good man and his true nature becomes more apparent as the book progresses. I enjoyed following his character as he put himself back together and right the course of his life.
Jane is great, such a sweet and compassionate character. She’s also forthright and brave, not afraid to set out on the path she wants in life. A loyal character that refusies to let go when she feels that someone is in need of help. Overall, I loved reading about her she’s a great character. Despite the feelings of hurt and occasional loneliness that Jane felt after choosing to establish a life living independently and the resulting estrangement from her family, I think she was better off without them. Her sister didn’t keep distance by choice, but I was disappointed when she choose staying loyal to her parents to avoid angering them in regards to her wedding. But Jane parents were just terrible to her and it was disgusting how they put marriage connections over the happiness and safety of their daughters. Jane was better living without their influence over her actions.
And those kittens! I loved them, talk about stealing the show. Too cute, they were a lovely addition to the book.
I was very happy with the how things turned out, everything come together over the last several pages, which made the suspense of it all the better because it felt as those things wouldn’t have time to come together before the end of the book.
Great read. I really enjoy Darcy Burke’s writing style and I have loved each book in this series. I would recommend this book, as well as the previous books. You don’t need to read them in order, but I think doing so makes them more enjoyable when you see the characters again. I hope to see more from this seires.
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I would like to thank NetGalley and Darcy Burke Publishing for sharing an eARC of A Duke Will Never Do by Darcy Burke. This is my honest review.
After failing on the Marriage Mart, Jane Pemberton has two choices: submit to her parents’ edict to marry their boring neighbour or become a self-declared spinster and take up residence in the official headquarters of the Spitfire Society. It’s really no choice at all, and Jane is eager to embrace her newfound independence. Then she finds an unconscious viscount on her doorstep and nurses him back to health. When he offers to compensate her, she requests payment in the form of private instruction of a scandalous and intimate kind. Having spiraled into a self-destructive abyss following the murder of his parents, Anthony, Viscount Colton, physically recovers under the care of an alluring spitfire. But it is her charm and flirtatiousness that soothes his soul and arouses his desire—until an extortion scheme forces him to face the sins of his past.
This is the third book in the series, I’m thrilled that Anthony has had his HEA, we met him in the Duke of Distraction. Another well written, page turning read that I read in two sittings. I loved Jane who was a worthy Spitfire, I liked Anthony from the start & loved him by the end, he was a rake ripe to be redeemed. The road to their HEA whilst strewn with obstacles & denial was hugely entertaining & I loved it. There was also the added mystery of who was blackmailing Anthony, also new characters were introduced who I hope have their HEAs. I was drawn in from the first page & finished the book with a smile on my face.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
From the USA Today bestselling author of The Untouchables series comes your next Regency obsession: The Spitfire Society… Meet the smart, independent women who’ve decided they don’t need Society’s rules, their families’ expectations, or, most importantly, a husband. But just because they don’t need a man doesn’t mean they might not want one.
After failing on the Marriage Mart, Jane Pemberton has two choices: submit to her parents’ edict to marry their boring neighbor or become a self-declared spinster and take up residence in the official headquarters of the Spitfire Society. It’s really no choice at all, and Jane is eager to embrace her newfound independence. She soon finds an unconscious viscount on her doorstep and nurses him back to health. When he offers to compensate her, she requests payment in the form of private instruction of a scandalous and intimate kind.
Having spiraled into a self-destructive abyss following the murder of his parents, Anthony, Viscount Colton, physically recovers under the care of an alluring spitfire. But it is her charm and flirtatiousness that soothes his soul and arouses his desire—until an extortion scheme forces him to face the sins of his past. Now, to save the woman who’s given him everything he lost and more, he’ll have to pay the ultimate price: his heart.
Tired of her parents machinations and their insistence that she marry their neighbor after her failure on the marriage mart, Jane Pemberton has declared herself a spinster and moved into her friend’s townhouse on her own. Jane is thrilled with her new independence, but her world is rather upended when she finds an unconscious, injured viscount on her doorstep and works to restore him good health. When he asks how he can repay her kindness, Jane decides on payment of an intimate and scandalous nature.
Since his parents were murdered, Anthony, Viscount Colton, has spiraled into a pit of self-loathing and destruction. He recovers physically under Jane’s care, but her pure flirtatious charm stirs unwanted desires in him. When his past catches up to him in the form of extortion, Anthony is forced to face his demons head on and must decide if he can bear the utter ruin of his reputation or risk losing the woman he has come to love.
This was a lovely, emotional book. Anthony was utterly broken, full of self-loathing and in desperate need of help and someone to believe in him. Jane was the bright light that helped him heal. I loved that they both actively chose to be together and acknowledged each other’s flaws and their need to continue to grow together. I enjoyed Jane’s fight for independence, no matter that her situation was unlikely given this time period. I loved the closeness that developed between Jane and Anthony as well as the pace at which their relationship progressed. The pacing kept me engaged and both the romance and steam levels were high. This was a delightful wrap up to this series and I can’t wait for more stories featuring the secondary characters.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Jane Pemberton is independent and living alone in her best friend’s house, until she practically trips over the man laying at her front door. Badly beaten and drunk, he turns out to be Lord Colton. Nothing will do but Jane take him in and take care of him. Haunted by the death of his parents, he drinks in excess to numb the pain and despair. Meeting Jane brings life and light back into his world, if he can only reach out and take it. Jane is one determined lady that won’t give up. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.
Such a beautiful story about the redemptive power of love!
What good is a good reputation if it denies you freedom? What good is a bad reputation if people refuse to be disappointed in you? Anthony has been drinking his grief and guilt away for almost a year since the death of his parents. Jane is adjusting to her newly-declared spinsterhood, relishing her freedom but still wondering just how much it’s going to cost her in the end. When a badly-beaten and thoroughly sloshed Anthony lands on her doorstep, she is determined to nurse him back to health and exact a very specific payment for her services in return.
I loved this slow-burn romance very much. Anthony is in so much pain, both physical and emotional, and I was charmed by Jane’s patient attention to him and her willingness to stand up to him and force him to confront the harsh truths he’s been hiding from. The story is complex and layered, with surprising connections, extortion, ruinous rumors, and even a couple adorable kittens. Every bit of it works brilliantly together to create an enchanting story that captivated me from the very start. The HEA was so heartwarming I nearly cried. I highly recommend this for all fans of regency romances. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.