Member Reviews
A Duke is Never Enough was a good book. I enjoyed the chemistry between Marcus and Phoebe and I also enjoyed the fact that Phoebe was smart, independent and unwilling to conform to Regency society. The only thing that let this novel down was the ending - it felt rushed and slightly contrived. Other than that, I was happy with the novel and would gladly pick up Darcy Burke's next novel.
A Duke is Never Enough by Darcy Burke is a funny yet mysterious historical read. It starts off with the man being intrigued and helped out by a mystery woman. She won't give Marquess Ripley her name. He is then intrigued to do everything he can to learn of her name and find her again as soon as possible. However, the Marquess has other bigger issues. One being his cousin having swindled money from a lot of people. He calls out his cousin but an audience has watched their debate. This adds to the tension of the book. Risks increase with every page. I loved the suspense. The romance was good, too.
This book was great fun, lots of humour and strong characters, more sex than I was expecting but all well written. I loved the independent female lead, and of course they fell in love at the end (not really a spoiler!). It has everything you need in an historical romance and I will certainly read more x
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I LOVE historical romance and I've never actually read a book by Darcy Burke.
There were too many inaccuracies in the speech and presentation of the era and it ruined my ability to really get involved in this story.
DNF @ 35%
i immensely enjoyed this book. Darcy Burke wove a story I was swept into with ease and happily floated down the river of. The characters were well crafted and I was impressed by the prose. The only things I can comment on were I wish the imagery had been a bit more detailed and I also wish the expiation at the end of the book tying the ducal family’s pain together would have been more intense.. . I greatly enjoyed this book and look foreword to reading more from the author.
A Duke is Never Enough by Darcy Burke was truly a delightful read. When I started reading the book the setup took several chapters to really grab my attention where all I wanted to do was fly through the pages as quick as possible.
The book starts out as Marcus (the marquess of ripley) who is fighting with his cousin. You also quickly deduce that he doesn't like to be with one girl or the thought of Marriage. You quickly meet Phoebe as well who is a self declared spinster. Both of them do not like the thought of marriage or being with one person for the rest of their lives. (you can quickly see where the story is wanting to go)
Once you start getting into their interactions and the "juiciness" of the book things really pick up and you start to develop feelings for the characters. When one of them was upset I could feel it in myself which is a wonderful characteristic of a book.
The author does a wonderful job on drawing the landscape to your imagination and you can start to picture these characters in your mind. The downfall is most of the sub-characters you can't really imagine or start to feel for because you don't spend enough time with them to get the information needed.
Towards the last 10 chapters of the book I was flying through the pages, just an insatiable hunger for more kept overcoming me. This is a rarity for me as I am pretty good and figuring out what is going to happen and when. The author threw me a curveball when a certain situation transpired and I didn't expect things to work out the way they did.
All in all this book gets 4 stars for me. The only reason why it isn't 5 stars is because it did take me a very long time to really get invested in the book. But once it grabbed my attention that is all it took and I devoured the book.
Definitely pick this book up if you are needing a great historical romance with some saucy scenes. You will absolutely fall in love with Marcus and Phoebe.
Flip flopping between 4 and 4.5 stars. This was SO good. I think I enjoyed this installment more than the first one!
The romance between Marcus and Phoebe was 🔥🔥🔥 from the beginning and I couldn’t get enough. Darcy Burke is definitely becoming a new favorite HR author of mine. I appreciate how her writing is “straight to the point” and there’s no filler paragraphs or anything like that. Definitely looking forward to reading this 3rd book in her Spitfire series soon!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher from providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
So we are back at the Ton, I so know that I could not have lived around that time I would have been gossipped about so much. Anywho so we meet Phoebe and I have to say, I liked her, she stood up for herself and left her stupid fiance not caring that the Ton would criticize or gossip or whatever it is that they would do. But luckily for her she ends up getting money from an aunt and can now return and live how she wants. Good for her! Then we have Marcus, who also did not care or would succumb to the ton, only thing that bugged me was all the time he spent in the brothels, I don't understand how these people didn't get a lot of STD's, well I guess we don't for the books we read. So these two meet, Marcus is determined to confront his cousin on swindling people, so you have to give it to him to be honorable enough to care. As they spend time together there feelings on never wanted a relationship starts changing, Marcus's way sooner than Phoebe..Who will be next?, Doesn't matter I will be reading it.
This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.
Love those Spitfire ladies! Phoebe was great and she was able to get out from her parent's home and have some freedom. While she is out riding, she meets Marcus. Their flirtation starts and they both keep moving closer and closer.
Along the way, Marcus is still trying to catch up with his no good cousin, who is swindling the upper class. There is a good drama along with their romance. Along with a hint of who we will see in the next book as we watch Anthony deal with his demons and Jane who is not happy with her life.
Marcus and Phoebe just work so well together and it is unbelievable when he tries to protect her when his cousin is murdered. Good thing his friend Harry and Phoebe know that he is not a murder and work to save him before he confesses!
I am looking forward to the next book in the series!
4.5 stars - I’m not sure why the title is a Duke is Never Enough. The heroine jilts her fiancé before the story begins, but he is referred to as a Mr. at one point, not a duke. Likewise, the hero is a Marquess, also not a duke. I may be missing something, but to me the title doesn’t fit. That aside, I loved this read and recommend it highly.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was was a great story with strong characters. The love story of self-proclaimed spinster Phoebe and the womanizing Marquess Marcus was hot, sexy and intriguing. However, I did not need the secondary plot with Marcus cousin scamming people out of money.
I received an ARC for my honest review.
Phoebe Lennox is considered a spinster since she left her fiance at the alter on their wedding day. This caused a scancel and affected her reputation. However, she had a reason for not marrying him. In addition she lives by herself due to an inheritance which is another scandalous thing to do in society at that time.
Marcus Raleigh, a Marquess , is reputed to be a rake and a womanizer but much of his reputation is built on gossip.
Marcus also has a cousin swindling ton members with various investments so he is on a mission to protect people from such scams. He meets Phoebe when he confronts his cousin, is bleeding and is cared for by Phoebe. Thus a relationship begins and things evolve where Marcus is suspected of murder so the mystery unfolds through the book.
It was an enjoyable book but the chemistry does not seem that evident between the two and Phoebe's actions seem shockingly outside the normal behavior of that time. It was a good read and I enjoy Darcy Burkes books, I wish there was more build up in the relationship.
Action packed, emotionally thrilling and engaging adventure filled with exciting charters, witty banter, heart racing twists and undeniable passion. Was a great read from beginning to end and so hard to put down. Really enjoyed this exciting journey!
The writing style was dull and the storyline wasn't gripping enough. The book felt rushed and I skimmed quite a bit. The blurb was attractive enough to request it but the sadly the story wasn't.
Marcus Raleigh, Marquess of Ripley, is rich, titled and a rake. He has just found out that his cousin has been swindling people through a crooked investment scheme, when he confronts Drobbit, he gets involved in a brawl in the park, and Phoebe Lennox, independent heiress, comes to his aid.
He is drawn to her immediately and when she rejects his flirtatious advances, and even refuses to give him her name he is intrigued.
Phoebe has jolted her philandering fiancée and has suffered censure from the ton, now independently wealthy due to a bequest from an aunt, she is happily living an independent life, despite the attitude of the ton.
Marcus quickly tracks her down, and they start a friendship which quickly leads to a relationship of sorts. When Phoebes father is embroiled in Drobbit’s schemes, and people start to be killed, Marcus is accused of murder, and tries to protect Phoebe’s father by taking the blame.
As phoebe tries to clear Marcus’s name, they get closer to the real mastermind behind their swindle. Can they succeed and get to their HEA.
This was a pleasant light read with a likeable hero and heroine, although Marcus was a little bit too promiscuous IMO.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own.
Also posted on Goodreads
After Never Have I Ever with a Duke, I was very happy to see the next book in the Spitfire Society series: A Duke is Never Enough. After it appears that Marcus' own cousin is behind the swindling of Graham and Arabella's father, Marcus is determined to confront his cousin and have him punished for his deeds. But when he gets wounded during their altercation, it is a mysterious lady who tends to his wounds.
Phoebe Lennox has left her future husband at the altar, after he has threatened her. Ever since, her parents have disowned her. Luckily she has received a large heritage from her aunt. That's why she can afford to be a spinster. So, together with her Spitfire society of spinsters, she enjoys life.
Marcus is intrigued by the mysterious lady and tracks Phoebe down. Their chemistry is off the charts, but both Phoebe as Marcus only want to enjoy a one night stand (or two, or three...). However, when Marcus' cousin is murdered, only one person can provide Marcus with an alibi: Phoebe. But then they would have to confess to be in an amorous affair...
What will they do? Find out for yourself in this wonderful read. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.
This book focussed on Phoebe Lennox, self confirmed spinster of independent means. Having abandoned her husband to be at the alter for being horrible she has been rejected by society. She meets Lord Ripley after he's had a dispute with his cousin. The pair find they have far more in common than just an instant attraction to each other. Their stories become intertwined as a consequence of financial matters and criminal activity.
There is quite a bit if sexual activity in this book. Phoebe wants Lord Ripley to show her how to enjoy sex - which he does with great enthusiasm! Of course, this isn't going to be what all readers are looking for. Despite being set in London, the language has an Anericam feel at times with done American expression. This is a book that is very predictable... which is fine but I think we lose the sense of difficulty Phoebe has as a spinster which is supposed to be a central theme of this book. This author has also clearly done some research about the contraception of the time and let's us know this by telling us the same thing about sponges and French letters over and over again!Annoying!
This is a good, easy read. Its predictable, it's not perfect but it's good fun and an enjoyable read.
I love a good regency romance and I love women who make their own way. It is the second in a trilogy and I found that reading the first book is actually really important to the over all story. I started A Duke is Never Enough as a stand alone, but went back and read the first book and am so glad that I did. It added so much depth to the story and really makes me excited for the third book. This Duke series is great for readers who love Sarah MacLean.
I'd rate this book somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars. I've read other Darcy Burke novels and have come to really like her as an author. With A Duke is Never Enough she has created wonderful characters in Phoebe and Marcus. Although their relationship was a little outside the realm of believability at times (mostly just in how easily she becomes so sexually adventurous), but I still enjoyed seeing them grow and change together. The only part of the story I would change would be the murder mystery events - it would have been more interesting for there to have been a it to have been a little more of a drawn out plot point (it all happens rather quickly) and for there have been some sort of showdown between Marcus, Phoebe, and Sainsbury. The whole thing was dealt with rather quickly and, in the end, of kind of anti-climatic.
Thank you netgalley for gifting me a copy of this book.
Did I devour this book in one night? Yes.
I am a sucker for historical, steamy, romances and this one was no different.
I love the characters, loved the drama, I loved the build up in romance.