Ten years before, they were friends to lovers. Each went their own way, married others, but was disastrous for both. Meeting again brings back the memories of how good they were together. Is it love?
What a pleasure to read!
A free copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

One Night of Surrender is the second book in the Wicked Dukes Club series. This is a second chance romance story between Isabelle Cortland and Valentine Fairfax, Duke of Eastleigh. Ten years have passed since they last saw each other after a night of passion. They later both got married and each spouse has now passed away. Fate plays a hand in their lives and brings them back to each other's lives. Isabella is holding back her feelings towards Val. She never stopped loving him, even during her marriage. The same goes for Val, who also never really loved his first wife. I really liked Val and Isabella. Both were strong characters that were working towards what they believed they wanted, when in the end it was each other who they needed.
Good story and looking forwards to the next one!

ARC for One Night of Surrender by Darcy Burke

Darcy Burke has never disappointed me with her writing. One Night of Surrender is no exception. This is book 2 in the Wicked Dukes series by Erica Ridley and Darcy Burke. I received an advanced readers copy and have volunteered to review the book.

Isabelle Cortland is a widow and works as a Governess for two lovely children. She was educated at Oxford by her father who was a teacher there. She does not know the “lady things” as her employer calls them like needle point and dancing. She is a guest at the Duke of Eastleigh's home while her employer's home is being finished.

The Duke of Eastleigh is one of the Wicked Dukes, so named while at Oxford. He and Isabelle had a love affair when they were at school. They got married to other people and both became widowed. This is their second chance for love.

I don't want to give away more of the story than I have. It is a fun story to HEA. It takes our couple a push to get there but they finally do. The Dukes grandmama and sister are a delight.

Short: It's a hot story and I absolutely loved it. How can you not like it??

Isabelle Cortland works as a governess for a family after her husband and father died. Her father was teaching in Oxford and taught his daughter everything possible but she never learned how to stitch or stuff like that. She learned how to dance a little bit but only teaches languages and so on to the girls of the family. When the family moves to London they stay at a family's friend - the Duke of Eastleigh.

Now a penniless widow, married to somebody who did not make her happy at all, she has to stay in the man's house, who decades ago made her happy - Isabell and Eastleigh had spent a night together, a happy night. Now she saves all her money to open a school for girls later in her life. When she gets fired from her position because of the kids' mom she has to find a way to survive ... but she cannot become Eastleigh's mistress ...

It's a passionate story. Hot. Quick. Everything you want to read.

I received an ARC of this book to read through the author in exchange for a fair review. One Night of Surrender by Darcy Burke is the second book in the Wicked Dukes Club series. It can be read as a stand-alone. The first book in the series One Night for Seduction is by Erica Ridley. Valentine Fairfax, Duke of Eastleigh met and fell in love with Isabelle Courtland when he was a student at Oxford and her father was one of the wardens at the college. Now several years later they meet again both widowed when Isabelle becomes a guest at his house in her roll as governess to Val’s friends children. One of the things I like about this book is that Val wants Isabelle to be happy and when her employment as a governess ends he does his best to help find her a career that she will enjoy. He does however take too long in my humble opinion to even consider marriage as an option although I have to admit that Isabelle does not either. If you are looking for an enjoyable second chance at love novella I think you will find this one to be a fun read. Medium Steam. Publishing Date April 30, 2019 #OneNightofSurrender #DarcyBurke #NetGalley

One Night of Surrender is book 2 in the Wicked Dukes Club series by Darcy Burke. I liked this book, but it wasn’t as good as the first one in this series. Still Burke is one of my favorite authors and I am usually not disappointed with her stories. I felt there was as a lack of chemistry between the hero and heroine. I did enjoy the humor in the book and I liked the character of Isabelle Cortland. She is sweet and strong at the same time. One of my very favorite characters is Viola the hero’s sister. She is a hoot. Looking forward to the next book.

Book Title: One Night of Surrender
Author: Darcy Burke
Pub Date: April 30, 2019

***ARC was provided to me by Net Galley and the Publisher for a fair and honest review***

Overall rating: 2.5/5 Rekindled romance story between a governess and a duke.

Heroine (Isabelle Courtland): 2/5 She has dreams of becoming a headmaster of a school and has almost saved enough money to do so. Her father worked at Oxford and taught her all she knows. She currently works as a governess for a wealthy family.

Hero (Valentine (Val) Fairfax, Duke of Eastleigh): 3/5 Val is loyal but a bit stubborn. He owns a bar with his friend.

Plot: 2/5 After ten years apart Val unknowingly invites his one time lover Isabelle into his home when his friend Lord Barkley, Barkley's kids, and their governess come to visit. Val spends that time trying to catch up with Isabelle while she tries to avoid him thinking their past would get her position terminated. She gets fired anyway due to Lady Barkley not liking how her husband looks at their governess. Val offers to help Isabelle find employment but will that be the only way he secures her future?

Personal Review: Isabelle drops her dreams of having her own school pretty quickly after seeing Val again. I’m not really a fan of dropping your own life to cater to someone else’s and that is what it feels like here. The story frames it as all she needs is Val and that’s absurd. He has his bar why can’t she have her school? Or at least get to teach at girls school in London or take the Oxford position. There is no reason why she can’t have Val and fulfill her professional dreams. She loved being a teacher but just drops it out of nowhere.

If Isabelle didn’t want there to be then there would be no conflict in the story. All her problems are solved just by agreeing to marry Val, it was just a matter of getting him to propose and her to accept. The couple didn’t really do much besides think about their past, which the reader wasn’t apart of thus had no connection to, and dread their futures as they believe they wouldn’t include the other.

Why did Val never consider marriage earlier in the story since his grandmother is hounding him on the subject each time they meet? Likewise Isabelle never even hopes for a proposal. They want each other but until outside forces tell them to neither even give marriage a thought. It was odd since it was literally the solution to the story.

This is my fair and honest review in return for this ARC. Disclaimer.....I am a huge fan of Ms Burke's. I have all of her stories. This one follows the same style and writing ability as all the previous. Such wit, awesome characters and great story! This was written as part of a collaboration of writers and frankly, I can't wait to read the rest!!

Lovely second-chance romance that takes its time re-uniting two former lovers who haven't seen each other in ten years. After disastrous marriages, neither Valentine nor Isabelle feel like trusting another person anytime soon. But when fate throws them together after ten years, they discover that neither has ever forgotten the other. But letting go of the past is not easy...

I really enjoyed this one. There was almost no drama, the romance develops gradually, and both Val and Isabelle are just lovely people who deserve their happily ever after. A perfect comfort read!

One Night of Surrender is a second chance Regency Romance. Widow Isabelle Cortland works as a governess to make ends meet. A trip to London with her charges and employer finds her at the doorstep of Valentine Fairfax, Duke of Eastleigh. A decade ago Val and Isabelle spent the night together then both moved on to have disastrous marriages. Val is widowed now with no plans to ever remarry and Isabelle wants to retain her freedom to pursue her dreams of starting a girl's school. But plans change when the second chances at HEA come back around. Sweet, predictable , and a little sexy, this novella is a feel good read with a HEA you see coming a mile away. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

Valentine Fairfax, the Duke of Eastleigh (Val) offers his friend Lord Barkley, the use of his townhouse, when Barkley’s residence is not ready for his arrival. Unbeknownst to Val, the governess to Barkley’s two daughters, is Isabelle Cortland, a young woman he fell in love with during his time at Oxford. Isabelle hopes to avoid seeing Val but on meeting again, they soon find their feelings as intense, if not more so, than when they. However, since parting ten years earlier, both have married and lost their partners, with Isabelle needing to work as her husband gambled away her dowry. Her ambition since then has been to open her own school, but events soon transpire to shatter her dreams.

What sets this novel apart from others with a similar story, is that the feelings that Val and Isabelle had, is still evident. Neither tries to hide their regard for the other but Isabelle realises that their social standing is quite different and does not believe anything can transpire from their relationship. Val is such a likeable and honourable character, that you find yourself cheering for this romance to work, in order to bring some light into his life, after a difficult first marriage. Whilst this book is part of a series, characters from the first book, including Cole, the Duke of Colehaven and Val’s business partner, are seamlessly interwoven. In many ways, this only serves to make you want to read, the earlier book. I look forward to seeing the next instalment in what is proving to be a delightful and entertaining series.
I received an advanced review copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

After ten years of not seeing each other the Duke of Eastleigh finds himself in front of Isabelle again and the old feelings are still there. She has married and lost a husband. Val has married and lost a wife. Isabelle is now the governess for a Baron who has asked Eastleigh to taken them in while his place is being readied for them. Isabelle has been replaced as governess because the children's mother was jealous of her relationship with them. al feels he must help her to find a new position. Can they realize their love for each other is the most important thing in their life? Great read! I look forward to the next book in the series.

One Night of Surrender was a great continuation of the Wicked Dukes Club series featuring a delightful second chance at love romance.

Valentine Fairfax the Duke of Eastleigh never forgot Isabelle, the daughter of a head of college at Oxford and Valentine’s first brush with forbidden love. But after ten years Valentine discovers Isabelle is the governess for his friend’s daughters, the same friend he just gave permission to stay with him while their townhouse is being renovated. Encountering Isabelle after all these years has Valentine questioning everything as he longs to pick up where they left off.

Valentine is the co-owner of the Wicked Dukes tavern with the Duke of Colehaven, the subject of the first book in the series. The duo have a fantastic friendship and I enjoyed their scenes together. After a terrible first marriage, Valentine has no desire to remarry despite knowing he will need to eventually due to his title. Upon learning what Valentine went through in his first marriage, I completely understood why he would be averse to doing it again as the man was put through the ringer.

Isabelle is an incredibly intelligent woman having been tutored in all manner of subjects by her father. I loved that Isabelle taught the two girls she looked after subjects that aren’t typically reserved for women rather than sticking to the traditional ones. I thought Isabelle’s dream of opening a school for girls was an admirable one and something that seemed perfectly suited to her character.

When Isabelle and Valentine meet again, Isabelle is determined to avoid Valentine as much as possible while he is thrilled at the prospect of having Isabelle in his life again. There are several scenes where they’re alone where you can feel the sexual tension as they fight the attraction that’s obviously still there. The chemistry between them truly was phenomenal and when their relationship progresses, it’s quite steamy and very well done. One of my favorite aspects of their relationship was how much Valentine respected Isabelle’s wishes and that he never pushed for more than she was willing to give. Isabelle is the one who initiates most of what happens between them which I loved. The way the pair finally find their way forward was well done and fit well for them as a couple.

One Night of Surrender was the first book I’ve read by Darcy Burke and I’m looking forward to reading more from her in the future. I highly recommend this series if you’re looking for some short, fantastic historical romances.

This is the second book in the Wicked Dukes Club and even though it's written by a different author, I enjoyed it as much as the first one. These two authors really are in sync with these stories. It's a great partnership of like-minded writers.

Valentine Fairfax, Duke of Eastleigh, has suffered through a terrible first marriage and though his wife is dead, he has vowed never to marry again. He's never forgotten his first love and often wonders what happened to Isabelle. When she turns up at his townhouse as a governess 10 years later, Val cannot believe it's really her. He's puzzled why she's a governess now and hopes to find out more about her. Isabelle never forgot her first time ten years ago with Val. A widow herself now she resists every turn at a chance to renew their relationship.

I loved both these characters. Val was a honorable gentleman who was kind and considerate. Isabelle was a strong young woman who had learned the hard way not to trust anyone to take care of her. Suffering through a bad marriage herself, she has scrimped and saved to hopefully open a girl's school. It takes them both quite a while to realize they have always loved each other. This is a short and easy read and I read it in one sitting. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Isabelle Cortland cannot believe she is going to be staying in the home of Valentine Fairfax, the Duke of Eastleigh. As governess to two young girls, Isabelle must not let on that she knows Val, and intimately at that. Isabelle plans to avoid him at all costs or at least pray that he will not recognize her after ten years apart. Unfortunately, fate is not on her side.

Val is shocked to see Isabelle again, and saddened that Isabelle has had to become a governess. Once upon a time, they were close as could be and shared a very memorable night together, but life went on and they both married other people. Val has never forgotten Isabelle and it appears she still has feelings for him as well. Is it possible that this is their second chance?

I really liked both of the main characters, Val and Isabelle. They were perfect for one another. The problem for me was that they both fought it so hard, and it took forever to come to the realization that they could actually be together. The HEA, however, was very worth it. ONE NIGHT OF SURRENDER by author Darcy Burke is the second novel in the delectable WICKED DUKES CLUB series co-authored by Ms. Burke and Erica Ridley. I give ONE NIGHT OF SURRENDER a 3.5 star rating. It can be read as a standalone, but I recommend starting with ONE NIGHT FOR SEDUCTION by author Erica Ridley.

This was a wonderful book about second chances. The second in this new series by Darcy Burke and Erica Ridley.

Val and Isabelle get a second chance when fate brings them together ten years after they had spent a wonderful night together. Although both still have feelings for the other, they should not act upon them; it could cost Isabelle her position and Val is still nursing his bruised heart after his wife died.

It was a pleasure to follow these two main characters through their struggle and to the happy ending. A wonderful cast of secondary characters - the dowager duchess and the duke's sister, to mention just two - made this a truly enjoyable read.

The Wicked Dukes Club series is a collaboration by Erica Ridley and Darcy Burke and you get the best of both writers. Each book is a standalone with an HEA but I would recommend reading them in order to get the very best out of them.

One Night of Surrender centres on the Duke of Eastleigh, Valentine Fairfax, co-owner of the Wicked Duke pub. Val is really kind hearted and offers his residence to Lord Barclay and his family as their London residence is being refurbished. As they move in Val meets his long time acquaintance from his days at Oxford, Isabelle Cortland, who is now the governess to Barclay’s daughters.

Isabelle is a widow and has been left penniless by her gambling husband. Val is also a widow and has always held strong feelings for Isabelle. Together they learn to love and trust again.

It is a great story with well-developed characters, great banter and plenty of romance.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. All views are my own.

The Wicked Dukes Club collaboration series by Erica Ridley and Darcy Burke is a great idea with two amazing writers! As second in the series, but the first for Ms. Burke, One Night of Surrender is the other half of co-owner of the Club, The Duke of Eastleigh, Valentine Fairfax. Val has a generous hearts and offers his bachelor residence to a friend, Lord Barclay, and his family to share while their own London home is being prepared. Almost immediately, Val re-meets a former friend and lover, Isabelle Cortland, who is now governess to Barclay’s daughters.

Isabelle and Val had been close while he was a student at Oxford and she lived with her father there. They both tried not to let others know of their previous connection, but they still had such strong feelings for each other, it was more than just a little difficult. Through the course of the story, Isabelle, is dismissed from service to the Barclay children. Val takes her to his grandmother and sister’s home to stay while she is deciding what to do.

I love the way he bungled his marriage proposal and walked away alone. So like a guy to not get it. Both of them had married during the ten years apart. Both had determined never to marry again. But, the best laid plans . . .

I already love this series and the way Ridley and Burke had each put their distinctive styles together to keep us entertained.

What a sweet story! I love this series "The Wicked Dukes" it's like being there during the regency amongst the genteel peerage. I sometimes wish I was born during the Victorian era, reading these books somehow feels like I'm actually there, interacting with characters. I'm looking forward to the next series.

Isabelle and Val’s story of a love that lasted through the years. The characters were strong, I especially liked the independence of the women in the story. Can’t wait to read the next in the series! I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.