Meet the unforgettable men of London’s most notorious tavern, The Wicked Duke. Seductively handsome, with charm and wit to spare, one night with these rakes and rogues will never be enough…
Wicked Dukes Club #1: One Night for Seduction
Wicked Dukes Club #2: One Night of Surrender
Wicked Dukes Club #3: One Night of Passion
Wicked Dukes Club #4: One Night of Scandal
Wicked Dukes Club #5: One … Scandal
Wicked Dukes Club #5: One Night to Remember
Wicked Dukes Club #6: One Night of Temptation
Enjoy the brand new series brought to you by USA Today bestselling author Darcy Burke and New York Times bestselling author Erica Ridley!
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Widow Isabelle Cortland has been working as a governess for the last few years and saving to open up her own impoverished girl’s school. Valentine Fairfax, Duke of Eastleigh, never forgot Isabelle from his school days. She was the intelligent, witty and forbidden daughter of a head of college at Oxford. It was first love for both of them though neither never admitted their love to each other, but sadly it was not meant to be they both married other people. I love second chance love stories, both have been wounded and want to be loved and respected in return and when they unexpectedly meet again all those feeling come roaring to the surface threatening to consume them both. Will they give into the passion and fire they once shared, will their pasts be enough to convince them love is worth anything if only they have enough courage to not let go again and find their HEA!!! I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
What a wonderful read, this is about old friends, who meet again after never thinking to see each other again.
The Duke of Eastleigh, had a horrible marriage and vowed to never marry again or lose his heart to anyone after his wife died.
His grandmother the Dowager wants, needs him to marry again. He and his best friend the Duke of Colehaven own a tavern
called the The Wicked Duke.
Isabelle Cortland was the daughter of the head of Oxford, and as such she learned a lot more then most ladies would.
She knows languages, mathematics, and science to name a few.
She and Val ( Duke of Eastleigh) were both at Oxford at the same time, even knowing she was off limits, they not only become friends but lovers. Both leaving to marry others, she to a Husband her father picked out and him to a lady his grandmother
liked. Both marriages turned out badly. Isabelle was married for four years and when her husband died he left her penniless.
These two meet again when a former school mate Lord Barkley and his daughters have no place to stay and Val lets them stay at his townhouse not knowing that Isabelle is their governess.
Now the drama, and rest of the book starts cause many changes happen the bring the Duke and Governess together.
I will not give away anything causes it would ruin the story.
Please do give this book a try I know your love it if you like 2nd chances, and happy ending.
I was given this book by NetGalley and am giving my honest review.
A story of a long ago encounter that never was forgotten by either party. Years ago, Valentine, Duke of Eastleigh had experienced one amazing night with Isabelle Cortland, the daughter of the head of the college. Since then he had been through a terrible marraige and was determined never to get caught in that trap again. But then he literally ran into Isabelle again.
Isabelle had married after that encounter but was now a widow and left with no money, so she went to work as a governess for the two girls of Lord Barkley. Having renovations done on he townhome, they stayed at Val’s house. What are the chances? She intended to stay far away.
As fate would have it, almost after her arrival she met him unexpectedly in the corridor. “Isabelle?” She was older of course, and far more beautiful than he remembered. He blinked, closing his eyes for a moment, but when he opened them she was still there.” paraphrased but he was astonished and the spark was still there! Could their love rekindle from so long ago?
Darcy Burke always writes such wonderful stories that always pull me in quickly. Such a heartwarming second chance emotional story with characters that grab you and have you desperately want to find their way to a happy ending. The secondary characters are full of life and bring a lot to this tale and I cannot wait until the next book in this series! This series is an amazing collaberation between two brilliant authors of historical romance!!
A wonderful tale of the person you could never forget and having another chance for happiness. That is if a duke and a governess can get over their stations in life and admit they have always been in love. I received a complimentary copy and I am voluntarily reviewing.
The characters have convinced themselves they don’t want to marry but find the love for each other in the past has not changed. Must read.
My free opinion. Thanks
Loved, Loved, Loved it! It just goes to show that true love finds a way. This is a fantastic story of two people afraid of falling in love again but consistently thrown together. As per the usual this book is filled with a great cast of characters, a great plot and plenty of chemistry.
A lot has changed since Cole and Val became friends and earned the name the Wicked Dukes at Oxford. The friends now own Wicked Dukes, the most notorious tavern in London. One Night of Surrender by Darcy Burke is the second book in the Wicked Dukes Club series and focuses on Valentine Fairfax, Duke of Eastleigh.
Val agrees to let Lord Barkley and his family while renovations to their townhouse are completed. He gets a quite a surprise when he meets their governess, Mrs. Isabelle Cortland. Val and Isabelle had been in love, but her father had chosen a suitor for her, and they parted. After two not so happy marriages and different lives for both of them, they meet again. They still have feelings for one another, but try to fight their attraction. Will this marriage-skittish Duke and a stubbornly independent governess stay away from each other, or will they rekindled their love and find a way to be together?
This is a charming and emotional story with characters who will win your heart. Val is kind, caring and honorable. Isabelle is intelligent, well educated, and independent. They are perfect for each other and fun to watch. Grandmama and Viola are delightful, each in her own way. You do not want to miss Viola and Isabelle on their girls’ night out! I like second chance stories, and this is a good one. I happily recommend One Night of Surrender. I look forward to the story of the next handsome, charming, sigh-worthy patron of London’s most notorious tavern.
ONE NIGHT OF SURRENDER by Darcy Burke is book Two in the Wicked Dukes Club Series. This is the story of Isabelle Cortland and Valentine ‘Val’ Fairfax, Duke of Eastleigh. I have read the previous book, but feel you can make this a standalone book if you wish to do so.
Isabelle and Val meet when Val is at Oxford college where her father is the head of and sparks fly. Even though they are forbidden due the do enter into a romantic relationship. But of course due to their different levels in life they cannot be. So both go on to marry other but neither were far from the other in thoughts. Now in the their present day, Isabelle is a widower trying to earn money due to her husband’s wasting it away. Isabelle also is looking to open her own school but for now is a governess. Val to is a widower whose wife cheated on him but died in childbirth. Now he is cynical on relationships. When Val invites his friend and family to stay with him for awhile he is socked to see Isabelle. Isabelle needs to keep her name ‘clean’ if she wants to be a head mistress so she tries to avoid Val. Val tries to stand by Isabelle’s request but their feelings are just to much.
Enjoyed their story.
One Night of Surrender is a second chance Regency Romance. Widow Isabelle Cortland works as a governess to make ends meet. A trip to London with her charges and employer finds her at the doorstep of Valentine Fairfax, Duke of Eastleigh. A decade ago Val and Isabelle spent the night together then both moved on to have disastrous marriages. Val is widowed now with no plans to ever remarry and Isabelle wants to retain her freedom to pursue her dreams of starting a girl’s school. But plans change when the second chances at HEA come back around. Sweet, predictable , and a little sexy, this novella is a feel good read with a HEA you see coming a mile away. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.
One Night of Surrender by Darcy Burke, is the second offering in the new series Wicked Dukes Club, which is alternately authored by Erica Ridley and Darcy Burke. This lovely, standalone novella features Valentine Fairfax, widowed Duke of Eastleigh, who is a co-owner of The Wicked Duke Tavern with Caleb Sutton, the Duke of Colehaven, featured in the first in series, One Night for Seduction. When he was a student at Oxford years ago, Val had a passionate encounter with Isabelle, whose father was head of one of the colleges. Though there was no hope for a future between them, Val had never forgotten Isabelle. When Val invites a friend and his children as houseguests until their home is renovated, he is surprised to meet Isabelle again, who is governess to the man’s children. Both Isabelle and Val had been in unlikable marriages. Isabelle’s goal is to save enough money from her employment in order to open a school for impoverished girls. Val is being pestered by his grandmother to marry again and beget an heir.
Darcy Burke has written an engaging second chance at love tale with delightful main and secondary characters. I hope we see the Duke’s sister, Viola, and his grandmother in another in the series. The banter and wit are great with some humor thrown in. It is so interesting to read works like this one, because of the “rules” that have been set down for this period and how all the participants must abide or somehow circumvent them. As was true of the first in series, there are no dastardly villains in this work, and just the right amount of steamy to make it an enjoyable, lighthearted Regency romance.
I was gifted an advance reader copy and voluntarily provide this review and look forward to the others in the series.
This pair nearly broke my heart. Ten years ago, Val and Isabelle should have stayed together but neither was prepared to bridge their different worlds to make it happen. A disastrous marriage for each of them later and the widow and widower are accidentally thrust into each other’s orbit again. Will history repeat itself, have these two learned from their past mistakes, or have they been too badly hurt to risk anything now? I loved how very independent Isabelle is, even when she’s being too independent for her own good. I adore Val. He’s so sweet and charming, and that alpha protective streak is utterly swoon-worthy. The supporting cast are larger than life and I can’t wait to read more in this series.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book through NetGalley.
Beautiful second-chance romance!
Is it really a second chance if their first chance had no chance at all? Even when Val and Isabelle were young, love was complicated enough that they knew they could never be together beyond their immediate situation. Ten years later, a chance meeting has each of them wondering if stolen moments are enough, knowing that it’s still impossible for them to be together.
Both have carefully guarded their hearts in the ensuing years, and neither one is willing to risk their social future on the chance of love. With the help of a well-rounded supporting cast, these two find a way to work together to make Isabelle’s dream of teaching come true, and surprisingly find their HEA along the way. It’s a beautiful romance with two characters who really should have been together all along, society be damned. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
One Night of Surrender (Wicked Dukes Club #2) by Darcy Burke .. I am thoroughly enjoying this series and thanks to the authors and publisher for letting me preview this series. This book is the second chance romance of Val(The Duke of Eastleigh/widower) and Anabelle Cortland(governess/widow) they meet again and there are laughs, tears, many old friends, angst and steamy sex all getting us to a very HEA. I couldn’t put this down and can’t wait for the next book. One Night of Passion by Erica Ridley on May 14.
Two souls that have loved and lost rekindle a stolen moment. This 6 book series between Darcy Burke & Erica Ridley revolves around a bar in London called The Wicked Duke that is reminiscent of the TV series bar Cheers. It’s owned by two Oxford friends, both Dukes and dubbed in school “The Wicked Dukes” because of the adventurous escapades in school. I love the feel of acceptance and the feel that all are welcome no matter their class status.
This story is about co-owner Valentine Fairfax, Duke of Eastleigh who is now a widower and very turned off to marriage. His wife was unfaithful and died pregnant with someone else’s child. While at Oxford he and Isabelle Cortland, daughter of the warden of neighboring Merton College, shared a passionate night ten years ago. Isabelle was married to a merchant, known to her father who has now died 3 months after her father did. Her husband left her with his gambling debts that had to be settled with what her father left her. Now she has to provide for herself, becoming a governess since she was so highly educated. She has dreams of becoming the headmistress of her own school someday when she saved enough. Now she’s a governess for Lord Barkley, a friend of Val’s, who’s rented townhouse isn’t quite ready for habitation yet. Val invites his friend’s family to stay with him for 2 weeks. When she discovered who’s house they’d be lodging in for 2 weeks she tried to be invisible to avoid Val. Like that was possible. This story shows Val’s kind and helpful character to others and Isabelle’s strength and determination to not depend on others. They desperately try to deny their chemistry as he has no wish to marry and she knows she’s not cut out to be a Duchess as she wasn’t raised in society. I loved watching Darcy craft their love story with Val trying to help Isabelle and she scrambling to support herself when Lady Barkley unexpectedly hires another governess.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A thoroughly enjoyable historical romance, this book hit all the right notes for me. Valentine, Duke of Eastleigh is one of the founders of The Wicked Duke, a pub that caters to everyone regardless of status or background. As such he isn’t a snob and doesn’t have an attitude of entitlement. Thus, when he finds the one woman in his home that he has never been able to forget, employed as a governess to a friend’s children, he sees no reason not to spend time with Isabelle Cortland, catching up with the decade of life that has passed them by. Both have had unhappy marriages and neither of them has forgotten their brief liaison in Oxford, where Val was a student and Isabelle’s father the head of the college. Isabelle is more than aware of the gulf in status between them but doesn’t take into account Val’s determination to bridge the gap. It takes some strategic manipulation on the part of Val’s sister to bring them to a place where they will talk to each other. The story is well written, gentle and warmly romantic. Although it is part of a series, it is nevertheless a standalone and comes to a successful close. I received a copy of this book as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.
Darcy Burke has never disappointed me with her writing. One Night of Surrender is no exception. This is book 2 in the Wicked Dukes series by Erica Ridley and Darcy Burke. I received an advanced readers copy and have volunteered to review the book.
Isabelle Cortland is a widow and works as a Governess for two lovely children. She was educated at Oxford by her father who was a teacher there. She does not know the “lady things” as her employer calls them like needle point and dancing. She is a guest at the Duke of Eastleigh’s home while her employer’s home is being finished.
The Duke of Eastleigh is one of the Wicked Dukes, so named while at Oxford. He and Isabelle had a love affair when they were at school. They got married to other people and both became widowed. This is their second chance for love.
I don’t want to give away more of the story than I have. It is a fun story to HEA. It takes our couple a push to get there but they finally do. The Dukes grandmama and sister are a delight.
I received an advanced readers copy from #NetGalley and have volunteered to review.
Out of the two Wicked Dukes so far, One Night of Surrender is my favorite which truly is surprising as I don’t normally care for the second-chance romance trope. Admittedly, this was just one encounter and then they moved on to live their lives and it didn’t seem like there was heartbreak on either side. Just bittersweet memories and a little torch for Isabelle and Val to carry.
I am a sucker for strong, independent women in the books I read and Isabelle was the perfect combination of capable and damsel in distress. Intelligent, attractive and cool-headed, Isabelle was a joy to read about. I adored Val. His banter with his sister, friends, and the thoughtful gestures he makes just to see Isabelle happy made him a perfect candidate for book boyfriend.
Once again, I found myself completely charmed by the surrounding characters and anxious to hear their stories. Val’s sister and her tendency to masquerade as a man in order to write her column will make a fabulous story and I can hardly wait to read it! Together, Burke and Ridley have crafted a delightful “world” with swoon-worthy men, whip-smart ladies, and the perfect amount of steam for this romance reader.
**I received an advanced review copy from the author; all opinions are my own.
This is the second book in the Wicked Dukes club. These are written by two of my favourite authors and they haven’t disappointed yet. I don’t usually gush over the hero’s but this one is wonderful. He is kind, warm hearted, loving and just so sweet. He had my heart melting. He is just so lovely and perfect. I do like adventure and suspense in my books, but this one is just plain beautiful to read. It was so heart warming and the characters where perfect for each other. A true second chance love story. There was some sex in this book and as usual this reviewer skipped it and it didn’t affect my enjoyment of this book. If you are looking for a beautiful love story that you won’t want to put down then this is the book for you. I received this book as an ARC and was very happy to leave this review.
A fantastic reading that will kept you entrainment until the end.
Wonderful characters… a strong and witty woman… and a duke…
An old friendship and love…
A surprising plot for a second chance to love…
I recommend this story to all that love Regency…
I received an ARC book and this is my honest and voluntary review
Oh my historical romance god…I fricking loved this book. I can’t believe this is my first Darcy Burke book. Where have you been hiding?!?
This story was amazing. Though both MC’s have had a difficult life since they last seen each other,when fate intervened and they cross paths again it was as they never left each others sides. I love the side characters especially Viola. The pace of the story was well written, banter funny and steamy moments I was blushingly like a little girl and I was sad to read the words THE END because I just wanted this story to go on and on… PERFECTION
***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***