Tormented by a dark secret, Julian LeFevre, Duke of Claridge, is a notorious and dissolute rake. His half-hearted attempt to reform his character has left him bored to death. To relieve the tedium, he wagers a friend that he can mold any pretty trollop from the London streets into a lady who’ll past muster with the ton.
But Hannah Gregory is no biddable lump of clay. She has solemn gray eyes, a … gray eyes, a rebellious streak — and is deaf from a long-ago accident. And although she conceals her real past, she can’t conceal her attraction to the scoundrel who offers her a small fortune that could pay for a new medical treatment.
The charade might heal her, but it also might break her heart — if she forgets that this dark and dangerous duke is well past the point of redemption.
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Eileen Putman’s The Dastardly Duke (Love in Disguise Book 2) might have a bit of My Fair Lady in its theme bit, as it’s blurb notes, the tale’s heroine Hannah Gregory “is no biddable lump of clay”. Instead, Julian LeFevre, Duke of Claridge, may have finally met his match in this truly sensual Regency Romance with dark tones and a true love HEA. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises. The book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, and it is easy to highly recommend. I’m definitely needing to get another book in this series.
The author tries to keep this story light, but there are many dark aspects to this story. It is also very informative on the horrible procedures used on the deaf to try and cure them. Hannah has lived with her deafness very well for three years, but yearns to hear again. The Duke of Claridge has held the hate and anguish of his past inside him and the fear he was born on the wrong side of the blanket. It’s turned him dark and ugly. I love the way the two come together and find the light that is hiding inside themselves. Soon, we find the duke isn’t so dastardly.
I really loved everything about this fun love story. I couldn’t put it down. Looking forward to reading other storys by Eileen Putman.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Julian LeFevre, Duke of Claridge, wagers with a friend that he can mold any women from the streets to be accepted by the ton so he choses Hannah and takes her out of a hospital for lightskirts under false pretenses that she would work as his sister’s companion.
I adored this book, it was a really enjoyable read that i just couldn’t put down.
I was SO happy that this book had also three love stories; Julian and Hannah, Charles and Lucy and Aunt Eleanor and Mr. Higgins, their stories were just so cute and so sweet, love really prevailed here.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a stunning story of love and romance. The change this couple undertakes as they fall for each other is marvelous. I loved it so very much. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book in exchange for a free copy.
I really liked this book as it was so well written and the characters were entertaining. Hannah and Julian’s love story was fraught with peril and indecision but in the end well worth it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a wonderful book about dealing with life’s hand, accepting that we’re good enough as-is, courage, friendship, family, prejudice, desperation, hope, and love. It had both amusing and touching moments, and it was interesting to imagine life in a world of silence. There were actually several stories woven in these pages, and I enjoyed them all individually as well. Although I’m not a fan of angst, I can see how it enriched this story, and it was kept to civilized levels imho. This was the second story I’ve read by Eileen Putman, and I can’t wait to read more of her works in the future.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect review.
Julian LeFevre, Duke of Claridge, was terribly bored as a reformed rake. Quiet evenings only made him restless. Life had lost its spice. Despite his misery, no one really believed he had changed – mothers stayed close to their daughters to protect them if he was anywhere nearby. Everyone guessed his reformed behavior would only last a month – but he doubted he would even make it to two weeks!
Sir Charles Tremaine, a Baronet, is Julian’s best friend. Charles has asked Julian’s sister, Lucy, to marry him three times and she keeps refusing, seeing him as a friend only. He needs help convincing her to accept him. Since Julian needs a distraction from his boredom, he and Charles make a bet. Julian figures that he would be able to train a lower class woman off the streets, by means of a few deportment lessons, and then pass her off as a lady of society. If he wins the bet, he’ll get his friend’s matched pair of horses. If Charles wins, Julian will help him win Lucy as his bride.
The two men agree on a woman from the hospital where prostitutes are treated. They select Miss Hannah Gregory, who is deaf due to an accident. She will be instructed by Julian, will become Lucy’s companion, and will attend the society functions of the Season to see if she is accepted by the socially elite. Will he be able to do what he said he could? Would getting to know her make any difference in his plans? Will she get what she needs – an operation to restore her hearing?
This is a well written story with several plot twists to keep things interesting. Hannah is a wonderful, likable character who I feel helps Julian develop a more caring attitude. We can definitely see the changes in him from the beginning where he was not especially likable and nothing seemed to matter to him. Things won’t always run smoothly, but can Julian and Hannah learn to find more in each other? Will her influence help him get over his boredom and poor treatment of others while he wrestles with his own demons? Grab your copy and enjoy their journey!
The Dastardly Duke by Eileen Putman. Some bets are better left alone. Thankfully this one worked out to the benefits of those involved and we got a great story out of it. I really enjoyed this book. The chemistry between the main characters is good. I found this story to be very enjoyable with a good mix of drama, personal conflicts, and strong characters and of course HEAs.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I loved the epilogue!
There is so much emotion in this book from how Hannah aunt treated her to the bet and what Julian has planed. Then you have to wonder if Lady Huffington would get a clue, but she is not the only one. There were scenes where you could feel what Hannah was experiencing it is a very good well–written. I highly recommend it. I did receive a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Julian and Hannah in their version of Pygmalion. I especially liked that although Hannah had a disability, she was a strong character. I also really appreciated the editing. I can’t tell you how much I hate misspelled words and bad grammar. I truly am not the grammar police, but it’s sooo annoying having to read through misspellings and missing words. Anyway, the story (and sub stories) kept me engaged and I’m looking forward to reading more of Ms. Putman’s books.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I really enjoyed this interpretation of the Eliza Dolittle/My Fair Lady story.
Out of sheer boredom, the Duke of Claridge makes a wager with his best friend that he can refine a low-borne street wench into a high society lady with a few lessons of speech and deportment. I loved all the characters in this book! Julien, the Duke, is a tormented soul as he has no proof of his legitimate birthright to his title. This is the source of his insecurity of his worthiness in the eyes of himself and others. Poor Hannah, the lowly street wench, considers her deafness an impediment to her HEA but I found her to be the strongest character overall. The author touches on some dark history regarding the treatment of women who resort to working the streets to live and how doctors treated handicaps such as deafness but it was all in keeping with the story. It has only a mild heat factor as any intimate scenes were only hinted at. That was a bit disappointing but not a huge drawback since I enjoyed it enough to want to read more from this author!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I fell in love with these characters. They were so real and honest. At the beginning of the story two men, best friends, Julian and Charles, made a bet. If Charles won, he would have Julian’s blessing to marry his sister Lucy. All Julian had to do was to take a woman of the streets and make her a lady that the ton would accept. This is nothing like Pygmalion. This story has so many unique attributes that make it different from any other regency story. The woman Charles chooses is Hannah and she is far from typical. Charles and Julian treat her and disparage her as a whore. But Hannah holds secrets of her own that cause her to suffer Julian’s behavior. She is fierce and fearless. She has a sharp wit and tongue. She knows how to defend herself from insufferable people’s snide remarks. She is a musician. It is one of her only pleasures to play. Now Julian has had a dark cloud hanging over his head since his father pasted away. He has spent years trying to dispel it. He never knew whether he was worthy of being the rightful heir of his father’s dukedom. But he never gave up hope trying to find the truth. Be forewarned this story does not end as one would expect. It does have a loving ending but far from predictable. I truly enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it. I received a free copy of this book via Hidden Gems and am voluntarily leaving a review.