The sixth steamy book in The 1797 Club from USA Today Bestseller Jess Michaels.Lucas Vincent may be the Duke of Willowby but he’s never acted as such. He’s been too busy working for the War Department as a spy. But years of dangerous work has finally caught up to him and he was involved in a violent attack that nearly killed him. Forced home, his angry, aggressive desire to get back in the field … back in the field and find out to who betrayed him is keeping him from healing.
Diana Oakford was raised by a physician who served the King’s War Department and she knows better than most the dangers that job entails. She was also trained in healing, so when she’s asked to come and assist with Lucas’s recovery she has a hard time refusing.
Once they’re alone together an unexpected connection begins to grow between these two people who have fought their emotions all their lives and more begins to heal than just Lucas’s broken body. But just when they start to believe they could find some kind of happiness, the past rears its ugly head and Lucas will have to choose between the life he once led and the woman who has changed his world.
Length: Full-length novel
Heat Level: Steamy and dreamy
This book is part of a series (The 1797 Club), but can be read as a standalone book.
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This is a wonderful story about Lucas, a duke who is recovering from an injury he received working as a spy, and Diana, the young woman tasked with helping him to heal. Both have secrets that keep them apart from others around them, which makes each rather emotionally guarded. As the tale progresses the two are pulled back into Lucas’ clandestine career and into a trail of intrigue and danger, all the while becoming more involved with each other. This is one book in a really good series that is worth reading.
I recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical romance with some mystery and some definite heat with their hea. The next in the series, as exerpted at the end of this book, looks to be every bit as interesting too.
I read this as an arc on Netgalley which affected my review in no way at all.
The Undercover Duke by Jess Michaels is book Six in The 1797 Club series. This is the story of Lucas Vincent and Diana Oakford. I have read the previous books in this series but feel this can be a standalone book.
Lucas has been gravely injured and he is not getting any better. So Diana is called in to help with Lucas to get better. Diana is George Oakford’s daughter. George was a war surgeon and was also killed at the time that Lucas was injured. Lucas feels guilt for the death of George along with his injuries are keeping him from going forward in his health. Diana doesn’t except his guilt and presses him to get better with her help.
Exciting hot read!
Jess Michaels has a way of snaring the readers attention from the first and not letting go until the end. The wounded hero trope is my very favorite because I love to seem them healed and happy in the end. This story had it in spades. Lucas Vincent, the Duke of Willowby at a very young age, has done everything he can to avoid the Dukedom and has worked as a spy for the War Department. Terribly unhappy in his life he fights like he doesn’t care if he gets killed and maybe he doesn’t. Unfortunately he was gravely wounded in the field and has been sent home to heal. His injuries were grave and he was sent Diana Oakford, whose father, a physician in the war, had died when Lucas was wounded. Two lost souls brought together seems fated and it does not take long for their mutual attraction. But nothing is ever simple when secrets and a mystery get in the way and try to pull the couple apart. This is part of a series that I have not read but I think a lot of the characters in past stories showed up in this one. This can be read as a standalone although I am anxious to read the entire series. If you love historical romance with a little steam, this one if for you and I cannot wait to read the next book by this author!
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley to read in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.
Lucas, Duke of Willowby has always lived a life that was filled with untruths. He even made it a career of it. Which unfortunately almost cost him his life. However, he is not healing from his injuries and it appears to be getting worse.
Diana was trained by her father, who was doctor, to be a Healer. She also is mourning her father’s sudden death. She is at a loss at how her father could have died so violently. When she is asked to help with the healing of Lucas, at first she was hesitate, because of the possible dangers. But when she understands that Lucas was with her father at the time of his death, she decides to help.
The closeness between Lucas and Diana develops immediately. As their connection grows so does the mystery behind how Lucas was attack and who was involved.
Jess Michaels did it again. I have been fan of her books since her series of The Notorious Flynns. This author always gets it right. She knows just how to draw the reader into the book, sometimes with a little mystery. Which is just enough to see the Happily Ever After. You never will go wrong reading her books.
Lucas Vincent, Duke of Willowby is the youngest of the 1797 Club dukes and the most reclusive. He has not been a character in the previous books and has only been mentioned in passing by the other dukes. This book opens with Lucas being gravely injured along and his dear friend and surgeon for the war department, George Oakford being killed.
Six months later, Spymaster, Lord Stalwood comes to see Diana Oakford, George’s daughter. He needs her help, Lucas is still alive, but his wounds have not healed and none of the doctors who have treated him have been able to help him. Stalwood is hoping that Diana can work a miracle. Diana has lost so much, but she knows that her father cared for Lucas and agrees to help him.
Lucas is not the easiest patient, and when he learns who she is, he apologizes, he blames himself for her father’s death. Diana refuses to let him take the blame and tells him they will begin his treatment, she asks for a month and he agrees and gives into the temptation, and kisses her.
In short order, these two become lovers and the love scenes fairly scorched my kindle! But soon they are sharing more than their bodies, secrets are exchanged and plans are made to find her father’s killer. Lucas reconnects with the dukes and hopes to draw out the traitor, but he has suspicions that he will not share and when Diana learns of them – the truth may rip them apart before they ever really came together.
This book is well written, flows well, has smoking hot love scenes, several appearances by the other dukes and their wives, lots of secrets, some betrayal and a twist that changes everything! I liked this book, but for me, I didn’t feel the connection between Lucas and Diana like I did for the previous characters and the ending left me with more questions than answers, but I still enjoyed the story and would be happy to recommend the book.
This is the sixth book in the series, but it could easily be read as a stand alone title without any problem.
Another winning read in Jess Michael’s 1797 Club series. This one is slightly different simply because we have never met this particular member of the club before and the members of the club don’t show up at all until we’re about half-way through the book. That was kind of nice because we got the opportunity to know the main characters before we started interacting with the other members of the club. That said, I think I would have enjoyed a bit more active participation from the club rather than them playing a pretty passive role.
Lucas Vincent, Duke of Willowby, had a very unhappy life. Both of his parents hated him and he had no idea why until he was about sixteen. Then, everything blew apart. Luckily for him, he had made friends with a number of other future dukes when he started school. Almost all of them have horrible parents and they banded together to help each other through life. When Lucas was eighteen, his father died and Lucas became the duke. Lucas wanted no part of the duchy and he started to work for the Crown as a spy. He had determined that it was his destiny to die in the field and he cut all ties with his friends in order to protect them – from enemies who wanted to harm him and from any grief they might suffer on his demise.
Diana Oakford lost her mother when she was very young and had only her father left in her life. He was a gifted physician who was tasked with taking care of her country’s spies. When her father dies on a mission, she is heartbroken beyond belief. She is a gorgeous woman with dark hair and full lips and the most spectacular jade colored eyes and she is also a healer like her father
Lucas was on a very, very secret mission trying to capture a traitor who had caused the deaths of several spies and had also stolen secrets and sold them to the enemy. The worst part – that traitor is one of their very own spies. When Lucas sees George Oakford (Diana’s father) peeking from behind some shrubbery, he is surprised, but pleased to have some aid. Then, as Lucas is beginning to climb up the trellis to enter the house and capture the spy, shots ring out. Lucas is hit in the leg, loses his balance and falls, then another shot – and another. Lucas stirs to consciousness for a second and sees the dead body of George Oakford beside him. Grief! Then blackness.
Lucas’ injuries were grave and he wasn’t recovering well after six months. His wounds were not healing up as they should and his pain was almost unbearable. The Earl of Stalwood, Lucas’ boss, and head spymaster, needed Lucas back in action and he wanted to help his friend, so he approached Diana Oakford to take over Lucas’ treatment. Stalwood seemed to think that it might give both of them a chance to heal – Lucas from his injuries and guilt over the death of George and Diana from the loss of her father.
The attraction between Lucas and Diana is instant and it doesn’t take them long to get down to business – like rabbits. I thought that all happened a bit too quickly but I liked them as a couple. They complimented each other very well. Once they shared their deepest and darkest secrets they became even more invested in each other. Diana doesn’t trust men though and when she feels Lucas has betrayed secrets, she leaves him.
For me personally, I would have liked for the book to be just a bit longer and to include more action by the club members. The addition of an epilogue would have been good – maybe to be six months or so after the wedding and maybe show some development between Lucas and his mother. Another thing I would have liked to have seen is what happened to the family of Boyd Caldwell. I know what happened to George and would have liked to know if a similar fate befell Boyd’s family since it befell Diana.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the series is wonderful. I can highly recommend it.
The other books in the series are:
The Daring Duke #1
Her Favorite Duke #2
The Broken Duke #3
The Silent Duke #4
The Duke of Nothing #5
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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”
Though titled the Duke of Willowby, Lucas Vincent has eschewed his duties and position in favor of his work as a spy for the War Department. He’s devoted years to his dangerous work, separating himself from his friends for their own safety. Now it seems his luck is running out as his latest mission nearly killed him. After six months he’s no closer to a full recovery, angry to be homebound, and his preoccupation with catching the traitor who nearly killed him is further impeding his healing.
Diana Oakford’s father was a highly skilled physician who worked for the War Department, so she’s family with the dealings of spies. She learned healing under her father’s tutelage so when a dear family friend asks her to help Lucas, she finds herself agreeing.
Left alone in a small cottage on the outskirts of London, the palpable connection between Lucas and Diana only grows. They’re both fighting painful emotions they’ve hidden for years and it’s soon apparent that Lucas needs healing in more than just his body and maybe Diana does too. Just as their relationship begins to solidify and edge toward more permanence, the case comes between them, leaving Lucas to decide between his duty and his commitment to protecting the woman who has come to mean everything to him.
I love this one. The forced proximity here was excellent and we really see Lucas and Diana’s relationship develop on the page, both in and out of the bedroom. Lucas had to learn how to express and accept a sort of unconditional love he’d never before experienced. There was also action, suspense and the right amount of drama for me. The conflict between Lucas and Diana stemmed from his attempts to protect her and wasn’t excessively drawn out so I really appreciated that minimal angst. It was nice to see a couple actually communicating and developing that level of trust to the point that they could confide in each other. I also loved that they were both vulnerable and both in need of healing and that was something they were able to find together. This is my favorite book of the series so far and quite possibly my favorite couple as well.
Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-undercover-duke-by-jess-michaels.html
Enjoyable
I enjoyed this book overall with its interesting plot and characters, though I didn’t like Lucas as much as Diana. In the beginning, I thought he took advantage of Diana’s loneliness and desperation, putting his physical desires ahead of her grief and vulnerability. She was the daughter of a man he admired, yet he couldn’t reign himself in. A show of platonic emotional support, despite his attraction to her, would have made him a more romantic figure.
Lucas Vincent may be the Duke of Willowby but he’s never acted as such. He’s been too busy working for the War Department as a spy. But years of dangerous work has finally caught up to him and he was involved in a violent attack that nearly killed him. Six months later & Lucas is still in tremendous pain so his superior Stalford takes him to Diana Oakford daughter of George Oakford a physician who was killed when Lucas was injured. She’s been trained in healing so agrees to help Lucas & they agree to try for a month.
Another engrossing page turning read in the 1797 club series. This is the sixth book & is as good as the previous five. It could be read on its own but seriously why would you when the whole series is so very good & as each new novel appears the whole fraternity of the dukes grows & draws you further in. Lucas & Diana both have their secrets which they’ve kept to themselves but as well as healing Lucas’ wounds Diana also helps him & herself heal from the heartache of their pasts. The characters are very well portrayed & their attraction is immediate & only grows as they get to know each other. However things aren’t straightforward & their trust of each other is strongly put to the test. I so look forward to the next book in the series. This whole series is a keeper for me & I relish the days when I can binge re read the whole series.
Five Dukes down the aisle! Five Dukes to go!
Jess Michaels gives us another Duke to fall in love with in The Undercover Duke. Lucas Vincent, Duke of Willowy, has been absent from the previous five books, so going into this book the readers have little information about the mysterious man. Turns out Lucas is not only a Duke, but one of the War Office’s most valuable spies. When Lucas tries to ferret out a double agent, he is severely injured and his close friend and father figure, Dr. Oakford, is killed.
Daughter to the doctor and a healer in her own right, Diana, is convinced to come to London to care for the Undercover Duke six months after his injury. She agrees once she learns Lucas was with her father when he died. They start their adventure in Diana’s modest London cottage where the spark of desire becomes even more powerful than the pain.
Working through his pain, his inability to investigate, and his burgeoning feeling for Diana, Lucas is a mess of male pride. Diana has her feminine flame stoked by the devilishly handsome duke, but has been burned when a previous spy her father worked with took something he had no right to ask for. Wary of each other but still widely attracted, the pair begin an affair with a promised end date while Diana helps Lucas recuperate. As Diana has a little experience with the male sex, Michaels doesn’t hold back when it comes to the scenes that could steam the words from the pages. She creates the perfect mix of desire, tenderness, and even love for the couple who believe an end is in sight.
With more twists and turns as their affair turns down the road of true love, Lucas begins to investigate again. With the help of Simon Greene, Duke of Crestwood, Lucas is launched back into society and Meg, the Duchess of Crestwood, takes Diana under her wing. But the double agent has plans for both Lucas and Diana, plans that could tear them apart.
You won’t want to stop reading once you’ve started. So grab your drink, your snacks, and your tissues and settle in for another five star adventurous romance with The Undercover Duke!
I received this book for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Jess Michaels is a smooth operator. She tempts with romance and delivers so much more. The Undercover Duke begins with a mystery. Lucas has many secrets that just might get him killed. When his double life leaves him at his most vulnerable, he finds an angel in Diana. Diana is a fearless woman with a healing hand and her own baggage to bear. Diana and Lucas walk a fine line between love and lust as they try to stay a step ahead of the danger that stalks them. Ms. Michaels stories are alluring tales of courage that never get old.
The Undercover Duke by Jess Michaels
1797 Club #6
Ten teens at boarding school form a club to assist one another as they grow into their positions of being dukes one day – The 1797 Club – this series is already plotted out to have ten volumes starring the ten original members of the club. Over the years a bond stronger and closer, in some ways, than that of blood brothers is formed. In each book of the series we find out what has become of the members of the club and who they will find their HEA with.
In book six we meet Lucas Vincent, Duke of Willowby, the youngest member of the 1797 club. After learning something that rocked his world he left for the military, became a spy and avoided family and friends for around a decade. As the story begins he is spying, wounded and is not healing as he should so is sent to Diana Oakford, daughter of the recently deceased Spymaster’s main surgeon, to see if she can work some magic and make him well.
Lucas is in pain and not the nicest person to be around but in spite of that he is a gentleman, wants to get better so he agrees to let Diana treat his wounds for a month. Of course Lucas and Diana are attracted to one another and feel some sizzle so with eyes open wide they agree to engage in a tryst. As is so often true, trysts can engender feelings, sharing and caring. Eventually they begin to work together to uncover who the traitor in the midst of the spies might be and in so doing expose…more than they might have wished to.
So many secrets! So many twists and turns! So much fun to read! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. It is not your common garden variety of historical romance but instead has interesting and intriguing main characters that really made an impact on me. I am eager to read what comes next and have to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed this series and am glad there are several more books to read before it finishes.
Thank you to the author who bequeathed me an ARC through NetGalley – This is my honest review.
4 – 5 Stars