Featuring the novellas Taken by the Duke and How to Steal a DukeTaken by the DukeA vexed viscount… extravagant prince’s spending, Henry juggles the prince and the difficulties of preparing the venue, Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. While touring Vauxhall, Henry encounters a gang of thugs and is taken prisoner by a disreputable criminal who calls himself the Duke of Vauxhall. The pleasure gardens are the duke’s domain, and he wants Henry gone. For good.
A woman with a secret…
When Kate Dunn sees Henry Selkirk again, she hardly dares to believe her first love will remember her. It’s been years since the two played as children together on the streets of London. She uses her influence to see him set free from the Duke of Vauxhall’s clutches, but when Henry refuses to give up his position at Vauxhall Gardens, his days are numbered. To add insult to injury, Henry warns Kate that it’s she who’s running out of time. He knows her secret, and once the gang finds out, she’s as good as dead. As the night of Kate’s greatest heist ever approaches, she must choose between failing the gang and losing her life or disappointing Henry and losing her only chance at true love.
How to Steal a Duke (in Ten Days, Give or Take a Few Days, But Definitely in Less Than a Fortnight)
Dominick Spencer, the Duke of Tremayne, is a powerful man used to having his way. When he sets out to find the lost volumes of The Duke’s Book of Knowledge to present to his favorite Oxford professor, Dominick takes his task seriously, even hiring a cat burglar to help him gain entry to a remote castle in Cornwall inhabited by a mad earl.
Rosalyn Dashner knows accepting the duke’s assignment is dangerous, but her impoverished family and sick brother need the money. The daughter of a gentleman, Rosalyn is not impressed by titles. She’s not impressed by the haughty duke until she comes to know the kind but lonely man under the gruff exterior. The duke might be looking for a manuscript, but she’s found a man she loves. When Rosalyn must risk her life to obtain the manuscript, will Dominick choose her or his quest for the Duke’s Book?
**These novellas were previously published in the anthologies The Dukes of Vauxhall and How to Find a Duke in Ten Days.**
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This book features two previously released novellas and my rating is an average of both
How to Steal a Duke – 4 stars – Dominick Spencer the Duke of Tremayne is on the hunt for a rare book, the Duke’s Book of Knowledge, it is written in 4 parts and he and some schoolmates what to present all four to their retiring professor. Dominick is unaccustomed to failure and when yet another man he hires to find the tome comes up empty-handed, he decides he will find it himself. He goes to the library at the Bibliomania Club and finds a serious lead. Small problem, the book may be in the hands of a mad Earl living in a remote, impenetrable castle in Cornwall. Failure is not an option, so when the answer to his problem basically falls at his feet in the form of a lovely young thief, he will not hesitate to exploit her.
Rosalyn Dasher never imagined she would grow up to be a thief, but when her gentleman father died and left them nearly penniless, their mother moved them from the country to London, they survived, but when medical bills for the youngest brother, drain the family’s funds, Rosalyn and her brothers supplement their income by stealing. When a job goes wrong and Rosalyn finds herself at the mercy of the Duke, she agrees to help him in exchange for the money needed to help her family.
They travel to Cornwall and try to ignore the desire simmering between them, but when the Earl refuses to see them and Rosalyn decides to take matters into her own hands, Dominick realizes that Rosalyn means more than the book, but is it too late??
I enjoyed this book, but really wish it was longer and the ending could have been drawn out a bit more with a more definitive HEA.
Taken by the Duke – 4 stars – Henry Selkirk is the Viscount Bexley, a title he never expected or wanted. His woe only get worse when he is tricked into acting as accountant for Prinny’s birthday and Waterloo celebrations, while planning the events at Vauxhall Gardens, he is ambushed and abducted. When he wakes, he finds himself face to face with the infamous Duke of Vauxhall, who also happens to be his childhood sweetheart, Kate Dunn.
Kate’s life has taken a huge turn since the days she lived next door to Henry Selkirk, they were best friends and falling in love when her family’s fortunes took a downturn and eventually led her into a life of crime. She has never forgotten Henry, but she is no longer the innocent young lady he knew, she is now the crime lord know far and wide as the Duke of Vauxhall and as much as she fondly remembers Henry’s sweet kisses and kindness, she has a business to run and his “improvements” to Vauxhall Gardens are hampering her crew from making money. She reveals herself to him and tells him to cease his changes – he can’t, but maybe they can work together to come up with a compromise…
I liked this story as well, my heart broke for Kate and I adored Henry, but again I wish this story was a bit longer and the ending was not quite so rushed.
All in all, this was an enjoyable read and I would happily recommend it!
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an e-book that was provided to me.*
Taken by the Duke – Shana Galen: Henry Selkirk, the new Viscount Bexley, has been roped into planning the Prince Regent’s birthday and Battle of Waterloo celebration at Vauxhall Gardens, all while keeping expenses within budget. As if that’s not hard enough, then he’s captured by the resident criminal group, led by the so-called Duke of Vauxhall, who object to his presence on their turf. It turns out the Duke is Henry’s childhood friend, Kate Dunn, who had disappeared into poverty after her family’s fortunes took a turn for the worse. The two work out a way for them to both get what they want from the situation, but all of his old feelings for Kate have returned and Henry wants more. I love the author’s unusual character’s, Kate is definitely not the commonplace heroine, she’s tough and smart, and she’s had to fight for her place at the top while keeping her gender from being known by her rivals. Henry is a man thrust into a role he never planned for, content in his previous life as a barrister before becoming a lord, he’d happily leave it all behind if he could. This couple needed a happily ever after, and they managed to find one.
How to Steal a Duke – Dominick Spencer, Duke of Tremayne, is determined to find the Dukes, so he enlists the help of a young lady he finds in the middle being caught as a thief. Rosalyn Dashner comes from a good family, but she and her two brothers have turned to stealing to pay for medical treatment for their ill youngest brother. She’s a very good cat burglar, which is just what Dominick needs to recover the manuscript he believes is held by a mad earl in wilds of Cornwall. Although this mission might put her life in danger, Rosalyn is determined to give Dominick what he’s paid her for. He realizes, however, that there might be more important things in life than musty old manuscripts, such as the brave, resourceful young woman he’s come to care for. This author is great at bringing together couples that have very different backgrounds, it’s always fun to see how it all comes about.
How to Steal a Duke (in Ten Days, Give or Take a Few Days, But Definitely in Less Than a Fortnight)
Dominick Spencer, the Duke of Tremayne, is a powerful man used to having his way. When he sets out to find one of the lost volumes of The Duke’s Book of Knowledge to present to his favourite Oxford professor, Dominick takes his task seriously. Fortune is with him when cat burglar Rosalyn Dashner literally falls in his arms so they set off to Cornwall to seek the tome at the home of the mad earl. Rosalyn knows accepting the duke’s assignment is dangerous, but her impoverished family and sick brother need the money.
A delightful read that I read in a sitting. I loved how the dour haughty duke first smiled & then laughed, Rosalyn was feisty & stood up to Dominick at every turn. A charming novella that was well written & very well paced with a mix of romance, mystery & a nail biting climb
Taken by the Duke
When Henry Selkirk, the new Viscount Bexley, is proclaimed the Prince Regent’s Master of Ceremonies for His Highness’s birthday celebration, Henry wonders what he ever did to deserve such punishment, curbing the extravagant prince’s spending, preparing the venue, Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. While touring Vauxhall, Henry encounters a gang of thugs and is taken prisoner by a disreputable criminal who calls himself the Duke of Vauxhall. When Kate Dunn sees Henry Selkirk again, she hardly dares to believe her first love will remember her. It’s been years since the two played as children together on the streets of London. She uses her influence to see him set free from the Duke of Vauxhall’s clutches, but when Henry refuses to give up his position at Vauxhall Gardens, are his days are numbered?
I loved this very well written novella which I read in a sitting, the pace was very good & the strong characters had a depth not often found in a short story. The whole story was deftly handled by the author, I did wonder how the HEA would be handled or even if there would actually be a HEA , to find out you’ll have to read it
Both of these novellas were released in other anthologies but mesh well together
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
Two beautiful novellas. Shana Galen shines again.
STEALING THE DUKE’S HEART is a compilation of two novellas by the fabulous Shana Galen. Whether you have read these stories or not, just one look at that amazing cover will convince you to read them, or reread them; do judge this book by the cover!
HOW TO STEAL A DUKE (in Ten Days, Give or Take a Few Days, but Definitely in Less than a Fortnight) first appeared in the HOW TO FIND A DUKE IN TEN DAYS anthology.
This novella features the very comme il faut Dominick Spencer, Duke of Tremayne, who will do anything to acquire the volume on medical knowledge in the Duke’s Book of Knowledge, also known as the Liber Ducis de Scientia. Dominick has heard that the tome is in the library of the Temples, the estate of the mad Earl of Verney. He needs someone to gain entry to the building, as he was not able to meet said mad Earl. As luck would have it, while sitting in his coach, he spies someone climbing down a wall: Roslyn Dashner, who became a cat burglar by necessity.
You would not expect Shana Galen to write a sedate little tale, now would you? This novella is filled with action, very unexpected twists, and clever little surprises. Dominick is a staid and very proper duke, who displays unusual personality traits I found endearing, and Roslyn and bubbly and very ingenious. This is a riveting story with a bit of a Gothic vibe, and Ms. Galen’s writing is as smooth and polished as ever. I really wanted more of this story!
TAKEN BY THE DUKE
The story takes place at celebrations commissioned by the Prince Regent to celebrate his birthday as well as the Victory at Waterloo, and was first featured in the DUKES OF VAUXHALL anthology.
Henry Selkirk is the new Viscount Bexley, something he never wanted, but circumstances made it so that Henry would not become a barrister, so here he is. The Prince Regent tasked him with the preparation of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens for Prinny’s birthday and in celebration of the victory at Waterloo. But worse, Henry must do this economically, and given the Prince’s propensity to extravagance, it won’t be an easy task indeed. While touring Vauxhall, Henry is grabbed by a gang of thugs, whose leader is “the Duke of Vauxhall”. But Henry certainly didn’t expect to meet his childhood friend Kate Dunn. Kate has a huge secret, and while Kate rescues Henry, her life is now in danger.
Shana Galen does not waste one paragraph, we’re thrown in the thick of things right from the start. Ms. Galen is in spectacular form, her writing has never been better, and her dialogues are a marvel, and more eloquent than ever; she had me enthralled and guessing from the start at why all this was happening. TAKEN BY THE DUKE certainly does not qualify as fluff! Kate has had a rough life, and while Henry and she came from the streets of London, Henry has moved up in the world. They were once in love, but things have changed too much to rekindle their romance; or have they? I knew Shana Galen would not fail me, but I had no idea how Henry and Kate would ever get their happily ever after together, too many things seem to draw them apart, and yet it all worked out, but at quite a bit of cost to both Kate and Henry.
TAKEN BY THE DUKE might be a novella, but there is a lot of substance in there, impressive character development, a lot of action, and much heartache caused by class differences. At one point, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like where the story was going, what choices the characters would make, and I feared someone was going to do something I wouldn’t like, and I would have considered a huge mistake, and well, Ms. Galen handled that prickly situation with extraordinary finesse and intelligence! TAKEN BY THE DUKE is a marvellous story, and I would not have expected any less from one of my favourite authors!