Difficult and defiant as a child, Bran Crowther, Earl of Knighton left England as a young man to pursue independence and adventure. He never expected to inherit the title and when duty calls him home, he still finds Society’s codes constricting and others’ expectations oppressive. Nevertheless, he needs a wife to be a mother to his young daughter, preferably a woman of intelligence and warmth who … who is, above all, immune to his idiosyncrasies—and to falling in love.
Widow Joanna Shaw isn’t interested in a second marriage, not after the loveless, passionless union she endured. She’d much rather dote on her young niece and nephew since they will likely be the only children in her life…until she meets a precocious girl, in desperate need of a mother. But her father, the so-called Duke of Defiance, is as peculiar as he is handsome, and Jo won’t take another risk with her heart. Their rules, however, are made to be broken, even when the consequences could destroy them both.
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4.5 stars
This is the story of Joanna Shaw (sister of Nora aka the Forbidden Duchess) and Bran Crowther, the Earl of Knighton aka the Duke of Defiance.
Bran has lived the last 15 years in Barbados, ever since he left England and never looked back. As the third son of an earl, he never expected to inherit and had no desire to. He never really fit into his family and was dubbed defiant by his mother. He was happy in Barbados, he married, had a daughter, became widowed, made a fortune and never planned to return to England.
Joanna Shaw is now living with her sister Nora, Duchess of Kendal. She is widowed too, but her marriage was far different than Bran’s. Jo married her husband after Nora was ruined, he husband was very unkind and it only got worse over the years when it became obvious that Jo was barren. Now that he is dead, Jo is not sure what to do with her life. She meets Bran when he comes to the house to pick up his daughter Evie. He asks Nora for help choosing a nurse for Evie and she agrees to assist him. But when the day comes for the interviews, she is unable to make it and sends Jo in her place.
Bran is a very unusual man, I suspect that he suffers (and always has) from an Anxiety disorder, he can’t stand crowds, hates wearing clothes, is particular about what he eats and needs massages to control his anxiety. Jo is fascinated by him, he is unlike any man she has ever known. They form a friendship of sorts and when they meet again at a ball, they share a dance and a kiss. Bran has feelings for Jo that he never had for his late wife and he feels comfortable with her. After their kiss, he impulsively proposes. Jo is shocked by her reaction to Bran, but knowing she is barren, she declines his proposal.
Days later, Bran is in need of help again and seeks out Joanna. This time he asks her to be Evie’s governess. Jo tells him she will consider it, but when he returns with Evie, she agrees.
Jo really is the perfect woman for Bran, and as much as she loves Evie and is coming to love Bran, she cannot marry him because he needs an heir and she cannot give him one. When Bran approaches Jo about their attraction, she finally tells him the whole truth of her marriage. Bran is outraged on her behalf and asks her to consider an affair with him. Jo is skeptical, but she does embark on a very heated affair with him and has hope for the first time in years that she may actually be able to conceive.
When her hopes are dashed, she ends their affair, knowing that he will have to marry and she can’t bear to watch that happen. As usual, Bran does not handle the news correctly and lets Jo go.
This was an interesting tale, it touched on several painful issues, anxiety disorders and infertility. I could feel Joanna’s pain and anger and Bran’s anxiety was palpable. I applaud Ms. Burke for her handling and portrayal of these very delicate subjects. The writing was spot on, the story flowed well, there were some amusing moments, great secondary characters, very steamy love scenes and a very sweet ending.
While this book is part of the Untouchables series, it could easily be read as a stand alone title. I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to the next “Untouchable”!
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC provided to me by the author for the purpose of review*
Joanna Shaw (Jo), is a widow and living with her sister Nora, Duchess of Kendal. With her year of mourning behind her, Jo doesn’t know where life will lead her. After 8 years of marriage to a verbally abusive husband, she believes she is barren and her self worth is non existent thanks to his cruelty – until she meets Bran Crowther, Earl of Knighton and his adorable daughter, Evie. Both just arrived in England to assume the title Bran never wanted or expected. The death of two older brothers (tormented him all his life) and the death of his father who never bothered with his youngest son earned his nickname, Defiant, followed him from childhood. Never the object of love and affection, Bran took the first ship away from England and settled in Barbados. There he thrived as a person and built a fortune was married and widowed. The easy relaxed lifestyle of the tropics suited Bran, but duty called and he returns to England with his daughter. When Jo meets the unconventional handsome Bran, she is attracted to him and to his obvious love for Evie. Bran sees a lovely young woman who immediately catches his daughter’s affection. But her loveless marriage and her belief in not able to have children are obstacles to her dreams of love and family. Can Bran convince Jo to take a chance and open the door to happily ever after? Charming story of life’s hurts and overcoming those adversities, to have faith in yourself, hope for the future and gaining life’s precious gift – Love!
V
A great book about an unlikely and very different Duke!
I am really enjoying a lot of this series about the “Dukes”. The plots are well-laid out, the characters are interesting, and there is enough romance, and I like it better that it is not entirely about sex. I think the characters of both the women and men are multi-faceted, and they spend some time exploring the differences in what they can do at this period in history. I’d recommend them.
I enjoyed this book so much I’ve now read several in the series. Recommend this book!
Bran Crowther is the third son and never wanted to an Earl. He made a life for himself on a sugar cane plantation in Barbados, away from the dirt, smell and constrictions of society. His young daughter, Evie makes friends with Joanna’s niece and is drawn to Jo. When she’s offered the job as Evie’s governess she knows her attraction to Bran will lead to heartache. A compelling love story between an unconventional Earl and a widow with emotional scars.
Ms. Burke is a talented author and I enjoyed this book immensely. Joanna Shaw endured 8 years of marriage with a miserable man as her husband who did everything in his power to belittle and mentally abuse her. So much so, that Joanna cannot even imagine marrying again. Bran Crowther, Earl of Knighton, left England 15 years ago to get away from his abusive family. With both his brothers’ early deaths, Bran is forced to leave the Bahamas and return home bringing his 5 year old with him. He hates everything about the society oppressive England, everything, that is, until he meets Joanna Shaw.
The characters were well-defined from Joanna’s lack of confidence in herself to Bran’s quirky habits and I was routing for both of them to find the courage to form a bond together. The children in the book were adorable and added a nice touch to the plot. Fair warning: there are some explicit sex scenes in the book, but overall, I think fans of regency romance will thoroughly enjoy this story. One thing that was a little odd is that Bran is not a duke even though the moniker, Duke of Defiance, was thrown out in jest by Joanna’s sister. In my opinion, it didn’t quite fit the story.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
A 5 Star Book.
Another Wonderful & Delightful Book in the Untouchable Series. This Story kept me turning page after page until I finished reading it.
4.5 stars
Bran Crowther, now the Earl of Knighton left England as a young man to pursue independence and adventure. He never expected to inherit the title and when duty calls him home, he still finds Society’s codes constricting and others’ expectations oppressive. Difficult and defiant as a child, he was always belittled & taunted by his older brothers & mother. Nevertheless, he needs a wife to be a mother to his young daughter Evie, preferably a woman of intelligence and warmth who is, above all, immune to his idiosyncrasies which include disliking being touched & wearing an abundance of clothing.
Widow Joanna Shaw isn’t interested in a second marriage, not after being made to feel half a woman by he vicar husband. She’d much rather dote on her young niece Becky and nephew Christopher since they will likely be the only children in her life that is until she meets a precocious girl Evie, in desperate need of a mother. Bran & Jo are immediately attracted to each other & Jo agrees to become Evie’s governess, this also gives the pair a chance to explore their attraction & relationship.
A very entertaining & page turning read which I read in under a day – a true indication as to how much I’m enjoying a book. The plot is straight forward two people who are attracted to each other & ripe for love but past history means they each have bridges to cross. Jo is recovering from an abusive & unhappy marriage & thinks of herself as only half a woman as she believes herself to be barren. Bran was the third son so never expected to inherit the title, his childhood was unhappy as he was excluded from his older brothers activities & taunted by them & disapproved of by his mother. So he left, took the first ship available & found himself in Barbados where he forged a life & a fortune. The characters are well developed & it was good to catch up with characters from previous books in the series. Jo & Bran are very likeable but it’s Evie that steals the book & tries her hardest to bring the pair together. This is the fifth in the series but could be read by itself however I would recommend reading the other books in the series.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
The Duke of Defiance is the first book I read by Darcy Burke, but I have a feeling that it won’t be my last. I liked it from start ’till finish, and the author did a great job in keeping me interested. I usually either love or DNF a historical romance taking place in England, because I get bored with unnecessary information that in my opinion don’t add any value to the story. Development and the interaction between characters are what I find very important, and both Jo and Bran were a great match. There was no crazy drama thrown into the story just for the sake of it. The characters were honest and had a great open communication between them, which I really loved. I also adored Bran’s daughter Evie, and I immensely enjoyed reading about her friendship with Jo’s niece Becky. These two little girls were the best and so cute.
Both Bran and Jo feel the attraction between them, and it doesn’t take long for them to act upon it. The love making between these two was hot and I really enjoyed them. There was no long drawn out hard to get going on, these two characters were adults and acted like one. It was very refreshing and that is why I enjoyed this book so much. The writing was great and the story had a great flow, and I am now intrigued to read the previous books in The Untouchables series. I had the pleasure of meeting some of them in this book and I am intrigued to read about them. The Duke of Defiance is a great historical romance, with an awesome set of characters that really kept me engaged throughout the book.
A good book and a good series. I had to read the other books.
I always enjoy this authors’ books and this one was no exception. I loved Bran, idiosyncrasies and all:) Hey, the man can’t stand being constrained by clothes, who am I to argue? lol Jo also makes the perfect heroine and is so right for Bran, although it takes them a while to realize that! I really did love this book and am looking forward to reading the others in the Untouchables series.
Enjoyed reading this. This was my first story in this series. There are repeat characters from other books, so I didn’t have insight into those characters. I liked the children in the book. I also liked the H & h are adults. I did not care for the H hiring the h as governess and then pursuing a physical relationship. I wish there had been more chemistry building besides the physical earlier on. I liked that the author included an epilogue.
I was surprised as the story progressed to find out the Duke’s problem. The ending was unexpected but great.
It was well researched and a Fun read.
I thought it was a good book. The characters were believable and of course the happy ever after.
I have enjoyed this whole series. Although you count on the happy ending, the getting there is well written and the story-line was great. Read this one in a day and a half. Your heart really goes out for these characters, and I like that you don’t know until the very end how it all turns out
Loved the book. Interesting and fun to read. Thoroughly felt part of the action. Could hardly put it down.
I read this book first and now I am hooked on the series. I find this author amazing as a writer. I read about 3 to 4 books a week, I like finding an author that I love.