The Duke of Daring

An impoverished debutante long overdue for a match, already considered a spinster, decides her life to go in an unexpected direction. Her two best friends are there to help and support. She has to earn money to secure a future nest egg for her and her grandmother. She creates and takes a bold and gutsy move. She dresses as a man so she can use the gambling skills her father taught her to win money at the gambling hells. Somehow, she is discovered by the Duke of Daring, an untouchable, Andrew Wentworth, the fourth Earl of Dartford. Together they embark on an adventure of a lifetime for Lucy Parnell. She now has a protector in Andrew and he helps her by accompanying her to different hells and games. Immersed with Andrew’s friends she is ecstatic to be immersed and take part of a man’s world. She gets to go to a shooting gallery and shows off her impeccable aim. Andrew on the other hand, is enjoying her company a little too much and he gets close then backs away over and over. He is afraid to get too close to anyone. He is afraid of developing deep feelings for anyone including Lucy. He has suffered through a terrible tragedy in his youth and still is tormented by nightmares and panic attacks. Both Andrew and Lucy have renounced marriage and feel safe with each other until they don’t. The more they spend time together and get to know each other, the more attracted they are to each other. Andrew feels that Lucy ought to take some time off from her endeavor in order to lessen the risk of discovery. Unfortunately, it is too late and dangerous and serious problems arise. Also, their relationship becomes more intimate and throws a monkey wrench into what they used to believe they wanted. Lucy is definitely not like other women and that appeals to Andrew. They encounter their ups and downs, starts and stops and sometimes feel incredibly stupid for assuming there are mutual feelings when there is not. So, they think. Andrew and Lucy are two exciting and dynamic characters full of life, feelings and emotions. This is an adventurous story of life and its struggles, of friendship, of overcoming obstacles and finding happiness. A very enjoyable read.

‘Miss Lucinda Parnell is out of money, a dismal failure at the Marriage Mart, and she’d just as soon leave Society far behind. Desperate to earn funds to retire with her grandmother to the country, Lucy disguises herself as a man to gamble in London’s hells. But the Earl of Dartford, an Untouchable she never imagined speaking to let alone spending time with, is onto her in a trice. When he insists on joining her, Lucy fears her desire to remain an independent woman is destined to go up on flames.

As a boy, Andrew Wentworth, Earl of Dartford lost his family to illness, leaving him a hollow shell. Obsessed with conquering one adventure after another to fill the bitter holes inside of him, Andrew has set his sights on parachuting. Nothing will stop him from trying to achieve his goal—not the hazard of death and certainly not a woman who’s gotten far too close. Love is the one risk he doesn’t have the heart to dare.’
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The Duke of Daring is the second book in Darcy Burke’s The Untouchables series and is a historical romance.

Going into this book, I was a little weary about Lucy disguising herself as a man and going into gaming hells to gamble. I wasn’t sure if it as going to feel cheesy or contrived, but it was just the right amount of ridiculous and I loved it. I found Lucy and Andrew to be engaging characters and a good pairing that I enjoyed reading about.

I respected Lucy for doing all she can to try to chart her own future and establish her own financial independence. She frustrated me a bit when she seemed to become a bit noncommunicative when conflict arose between her and Andrew. This doesn’t last terrbly long, but things would have been easier had she expressed her feelings more.

Andrew has demons from his past and in typical male hero fashion he keeps eveyone around him at arms length as a result to ensure that he’ll never be abandoned and hurt again. But what I really loved is that the conflict between him and Lucy resulting from this doesn’t get unnecessarily drawn out and exacerbate the issue. He fairly quickly comes to his senses, even if he does require some prompting to get there.

I felt that the writing was really excellent through the book and the pacing felt right. I will admit though that at times, things felt a bit modern for the regency era and seemed a tad out of place, but not so much as to ruin my enjoyment of the book.

I really liked The Duke of Daring and I believe that I enjoyed it more than the first in the series. I recommend The Duke of Daring and The Untouchable series from what I’ve read so far.

I enjoyed most of this historical romance. This is part of a collection of books I won. Both the hero and the heroine say that they do not want to get married. This is not for the under 18 readers. I did give this a 4.5* rating, partly because it had some interesting twists. The main concept was funny but not funny at the same time. On to the next in this collection of historical stories.

Miss Lucinda Parnell is a wallflower & now out of money. Desperate to earn funds to retire with her grandmother to Bath, Lucy disguises herself as a man to gamble in London’s hells. However the Earl of Dartford, an Untouchable is onto her in a trice. When he insists on acting as her protector, Lucy fears her chance to remain an independent woman is destined to go up in flames.

After losing his entire family, Andrew Wentworth, Earl of Dartford built a wall to keep attachments at bay. Lucinda is unlike any other woman he’s met, she wants to take part in a curricle race & can shoot better than most men. ‘Smitty’ enjoys her time following pursuits not available to women. Only Andrew saw through her disguise

I enjoyed the chemistry between the two of them & how their relationship grew into love. Andrew’s defences being worn away brick by brick. I look forward to the rest of the series. A very enjoyable easy read

I have only given this book 3 stars even though I found myself putting off doing jobs to read it. I enjoyed the fun and strength of the heroine and the respect of the hero, but was disappointed that the “mystery man” was discovered so early in the book. It would have added a bit more to the story if the mystery had gone on until the end of the first chapter and also the blackmail was sorted to early. I also found the first sexual experience for an innocent a little far fetched although I will be admit I don’t particulary like the sex scenes and would be happy if they were omitted or atleast toned down, having always felt they detract from the story. Over all it was fun to read, waiting to see what next would happen. A good way to escape for a few hours.