Fallen hero,spirited heroine and a slight twist on a fairly familiar story. Way too much sexual content for me!

A huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this title.

A delightful frolic that unites two very unlikely lovers, this story will bring you an afternoon of light, reading and steamy intimacy.

Jane Pemberton wants a marriage based on love. She had two unfruitful Seasons with no appropriate candidates. Her parents are intent on an arranged marriage and Jane is determined to escape that fate. She prevails upon her best friend to live in her vacated townhouse, and leave her parents' home. All is well. Jane finds a measure of peace hosting Spitfire Society meetings.

That peace is abruptly torn apart when a battered man appears on her doorstep. Jane knows him, but still must conceal his presence. She tends to him. When Lord Colton has recovered enough to thank his rescuer, he vows to repay her. Jane makes a daring proposal - in exchange for tending to his wounds and giving him shelter, he will become her instructor in the art of lovemaking. Anthony is reluctant to sully the sister of his friend, but Jane will brook no argument and lays a siege he cannot resist.

Anthony has a secret he cannot share with Jane. Someone is trying to blackmail him for his part in the death of his parents. He is already wracked by guilt and convinced of his own worthlessness - and therefore an easy target. He works to unveil the identity of his blackmailer, and fights his growing attachment to Jane.

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale!

This book started a little slow, but momentum picked up. It had all the essentials, a duke, the duke’s scandalous brother, a woman raised with many restrictions on her, and spies!!! Darcy Burke weaved a tale in this book that was interesting and suspenseful as well as mysterious. Also brought in characters from the series which made it entertaining. A great read!

Let me get straight to the point, I hate reading a lovely romantic story with such coarse words as the f bomb and the vulgar p item in it. To me, they detract from the story. Outside of that, it was a great read. I love Jane's forwardness in asking for what she wanted. Colton battles were indeed hard but his rewards far outway the pain he endured. I would say this has been an exciting and sexy read or better yet sexciting, yes, I like that definitely sexciting.

**An excellent 4.5 star read**

This is a thoroughly enjoyable, and absorbing read. If you enjoy a regency story, then I can definitely recommend this book.

Jane and Anthony come together in an unusual and unexpected manner, but their mutual admiration and attraction, despite general proprietary, soon takes over.

Anthony, a somewhat damaged and lost soul, finds his match with Jane. There's also some mystery and intrigue running through the course of this book, with everything coming to a satisfying conclusion by the end.

This book has many excellent ingredients that make it a perfect historical read, believable chemistry between the main characters, lots of heat, other characters who add depth and charm, good attention to historical detail and lighter as well as more serious moments.

What happens when two scandalous people meet? They fall in love, of course. Jane is a scandalous, self-proclaimed spinster. Anthony is a tortured Rake. Together their chemistry is explosive. I really enjoyed reading this story. I will definitely recommend this book.
Thank you Darcy Burke, Darcy Burke Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

If you found a man badly beaten on your doorstep, what would you do? Bring him in, nurse him back to health, and fall in love with him. Jane Pemberton, self-proclaimed spinster and member of the Spitfire Society did just that. Anthony, Viscount Colton, doesn’t remember why he was beaten so badly or who did it. He didn’t remember how he got to Jane’s front door. As he recovers, they become friends, very good friends. From the start, this couple looks perfect. Their attraction is strong and the chemistry sizzles. Anthony has dark secrets from his past and is overwhelmed with grief and guilt, not to mention being blackmailed. Jane is determined to help him through his pain. There are friends, familiar from previous books, more than willing to help. I loved the appearance of Lady Satterfield. She has a knack of steering people in the right direction. There are also two absolutely adorable kittens, Daffodil and Fern, who steal the show and love Anthony with all their little kitty hearts. There are a few surprises in the story. In finding keys to his past and blackmailer, Anthony helps Jane discover the truth about his disastrous first season. A lot of drama and a lot of humor, a cast of wonderful characters, and new characters and hints of what’s to come make a most satisfying conclusion for this enjoyable series. Another winner for Darcy Burke. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

This is a story about Jane, a woman who has failed seasons and resigns herself to be an independent spinster. Anthony, a known rake, is left at her door unconscious and, in recuperating at her house, they discover they have much in common. Can’t wait to read the next in the series! I received an ARC from NetGalley and Darcy Burke Publishing for my honest review.

3.5, rounded up to 4.

I loved the idea of this book. I hadn't read the previous two, but the Spitfire Society sounded interesting and like a new take on a pretty well saturated genre. I absolutely adored the male character in this book. He was fully developed and really kept the arc of the story running. I was a bit disappointed with Jane, however, and given the circumstances I wish we had gotten to know her a bit more! I wanted to know more about her season and about her decision to join the Spitfire Society.

The story itself was really well played. I enjoyed the plot of potential scandal and the mystery of how the Duke ended up on her door step. If you're looking for a quick, attention grabbing novel that is as steamy as it is intriguing, this is the book for you.

I thank NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

'After failing on the Marriage Mart, Jane Pemberton has two choices: submit to her parents’ edict to marry their boring neighbor or become a self-declared spinster and take up residence in the official headquarters of the Spitfire Society. It’s really no choice at all, and Jane is eager to embrace her newfound independence. She soon finds an unconscious viscount on her doorstep and nurses him back to health. When he offers to compensate her, she requests payment in the form of private instruction of a scandalous and intimate kind.

Having spiraled into a self-destructive abyss following the murder of his parents, Anthony, Viscount Colton, physically recovers under the care of an alluring spitfire. But it is her charm and flirtatiousness that soothes his soul and arouses his desire—until an extortion scheme forces him to face the sins of his past. Now, to save the woman who’s given him everything he lost and more, he’ll have to pay the ultimate price: his heart.'
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4,5 stars, rounded up to 5 stars.

A Duke Will Never Do is the third book in Darcy Burke's The Spitfire Society series and is a romance with the lovely addition of a bit of mystery in the form of extortion. We met both Anthony and Jane as the close friends of two main characters from a previous book.

We know from A Duke is Never Enough that Anthony is haunted by the recent death of his parents and is not handling the guilt and grief in the healthiest manner. Despite understanding his reasoning for distracting himself from his emotional wounds, the manner in which he distracts himself does not make him the easiest character to like and respect in the beginning. But despite the less than ideal manner in which he has been living his life over the last year, he is a good man and his true nature becomes more apparent as the book progresses. I enjoyed following his character as he put himself back together and right the course of his life.

Jane is great, such a sweet and compassionate character. She's also forthright and brave, not afraid to set out on the path she wants in life. A loyal character that refusies to let go when she feels that someone is in need of help. Overall, I loved reading about her she's a great character. Despite the feelings of hurt and occasional loneliness that Jane felt after choosing to establish a life living independently and the resulting estrangement from her family, I think she was better off without them. Her sister didn't keep distance by choice, but I was disappointed when she choose staying loyal to her parents to avoid angering them in regards to her wedding. But Jane parents were just terrible to her and it was disgusting how they put marriage connections over the happiness and safety of their daughters. Jane was better living without their influence over her actions.

And those kittens! I loved them, talk about stealing the show. Too cute, they were a lovely addition to the book.

I was very happy with the how things turned out, everything come together over the last several pages, which made the suspense of it all the better because it felt as those things wouldn't have time to come together before the end of the book. 

Great read. I really enjoy Darcy Burke's writing style and I have loved each book in this series. I would recommend this book, as well as the previous books. You don't need to read them in order, but I think doing so makes them more enjoyable when you see the characters again. I hope to see more from this series.
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I would like to thank NetGalley and Darcy Burke Publishing for sharing an eARC of A Duke Will Never Do by Darcy Burke. This is my honest review.

I received an ARC of "A Duke will Never Do," from the fabulous Darcy Burke. Jane Pemberton, a declared spinster, finds her friend's brother, Anthony Colton, unconscious and beaten badly on her doorstep. In this story, we learn about some of the inner demons we all struggle with and how there's always that one person out there for us who understands what we are going through and can help guide us out of our troubled self. Fantastic story bu Darcy Burke. I have yet to read a story of hers that I don't register with and fall in love with.

This book caught my attention and pulled me in, having read the rest of the books in the series I really wanted to see Jane and Anthony’s story
Jane finds and injured man on her doorstep and takes him in. It seems he is Anthony, Lord Colton, notorious throughout London society
I liked Jane as a character, she was willing to see past Anthony’s facade and see the person beneath it. She is loyal and would also do anything to protect those she cares about including Anthony
Anthony as a character is harder to warm to but once I realised that his facade of drinking and putting on a brave face is because he is hiding a painful secret which is overwhelming him. Learning more about him made him more endearing and by the end I did quite like him
This is another fantastic book with the ladies from the Spitfire Society starring and showing that not every lady has to conform and that sometimes being bad can be so good!
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a historical romance with drama but also spice, this is not your traditional historical romance, but with characters who you will love

A heartwarming romance about a spirited independent woman who finds the courage to stand on her own and find love in the most unexpected way. It was a delight to read how the heroine obercomes all these obstacles and still finds a way to be optimistic and open to finding love and happiness. I also enjoyed the hero's self deprecating humor and charm. His deep dark history and guilt over his own actions and behaviour and how he thinks he can not be redeemed is the perfect setup for the heroine to come and save him from himself. It is a sweet romance between two people who find love in the most unexpected manner. I would definitely reccomend this book to people who enjoy a good romantic tale with a happy ending ❤

I'm a big fan of historical romance, but this was my first book by Darcy Burke and I have to say that I wasn't disappointed. I was engrossed into this story right from the start and particularly liked how the plot started pretty much immediately and therefore kept my attention the whole way through. I hadn't read the other books in this series but didn't feel like I was missing anything crucial and could pick up the setting and character dynamics between established characters pretty easily. Jane and Anthony had great chemistry and I loved how their romance developed, and even more so liked the feminist undertones in this book. Overall this was a fun read that I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend.

Darcy Burke seemed to step away from her typical romance and it worked for the third installment of the Spitfire Society series. Jane and Anthony both have a bit of baggage in their past; Jane the self-proclaimed spinster and Anthony the drunk. And, of course, add in two adorable kittens, Daffodil and Fern.

Anthony, beaten and drunk, ends up on Jane’s doorstep. He is an acquaintance and brother of her friend Sarah. Jane and her staff keep/let Anthony stay hidden in her borrowed home so he can heal and not have to explain ‘getting beaten up’ by goats. Loved it!

As their acquaintanceship and friendship grow, Jane’s request to assist in making rumors more than real leads to Anthony staying off the bottle and helps him to reassess his own life. These two are opposites who fit perfectly together as both heal and deal with family issues. I loved Anne and her support of Jane.

You will love Jane’s approach to her spinsterhood and rumor, as well as, finding out why Anthony drinks to excess.

2.5 stars

First off, I would like to say that I loved all of the characters except for Jane, our heroine. She was just so, dare I say it, plain. That's right you heard it here first. She was a plain Jane. There was just no substance to her character and I thought her backstory was a little half assed. We uncover all the secrets about who spread the horrid rumors about her within one paragraph and it was all very rushed. However, I loved the hero, Anthony. He was charming and sweet even though he had quite a dark past. I also loved Anne and the Vicar and I was so excited when I heard that their story would be coming out soon.

The beginning of the book was very slow to me, and things didn't start to pick up until the 60 percent mark of the book. The last half of the book seemed very rushed to me as well. So, I just thought that the beginning could have definitely been condensed and the end a little stretched out. There's a scene in the book where Anthony tells Jane that he is going to save his reputation instead of helping out with her sister. However on the next page, we see him change his mind and help out Jane instead. He was so adamant on saving his reputation on the pages before that the quick change of thought really confused me.

I will say that the banter between Jane and Anthony was very cute and I even laughed out loud in during some scenes. I will definitely be reading from Darcy Burke again because I did have a fun time with this book.

GREAT MALE LEAD, BUT SADLY LACKING FEMALE LEAD

When I was first introduced to the Spitfire Society, I was intrigued by the mission, these women had of making their own futures and controlling their own lives. However, I didn't feel like that mission or the Society was given the credit it was due in this book. It fell short of the intended goal, I think. Still, this was not a bad book, it had some great, steamy scenes as well as a great male lead.

"The purpose of the Spitfire Society is to celebrate womanhood and whatever independence we can claim."
- Jane


👍 WHAT I LIKED 👍

Anthony: Anthony has been cropping up from time to time throughout this series and whenever she popped up, he was always silly drunk. The mystery of why he felt the need to be drunk at all times got under my skin and in this book I was happy to finally get the answers. I liked seeing another more vulnerable side to Anthony, than what I had seen in previous books. I liked seeing how kind and upright he was. He was a very nice romantic hero.

"I won't marry, and I won't fall in love with you."
- Anthony


Spitfire Society: I still very much enjoyed the idea of the Spitfire Society, of these women taking control for themselves. I wanted a lot more of the Spitfire Society!

👎 WHAT I DISLIKED 👎

Plot: The plot line felt somewhat trivial, I was missing something new and original. It failed to completely draw me in or surprise me in any way. I felt like I had read this story before in other historical romance novels, which saddened me. I wanted something new and fresh, not old and used.

Jane: Our heroine Jane did nothing to please me. I couldn't really feel her as a character at first. She felt bland and flat. But then I started to realise how manipulative she was. She took advantage of Anthony in some dicey situations when he was drunk and even (I think) pressured him to be intimate even when he had said he didn't want to. Once that character trait became obvious to me, I just couldn't like Jane at all. She didn't deserve Anthony.

This book was a lot of fun to read as Darcy Burke never disappoints.
A well crafted plot, an excellent cast of characters and a vivid historical background are the elements I loved in this story.
I can't wait for the next instalment.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

After a disastrous attempt on the marriage mart and wanting to avoid the match her parents were pushing on her, Jane declared herself a spinster. With the aid of her BFF, she has moved out and is embarking on her life as an independent spinster no longer under the thumb of her family. Instead of balls and functions, she is now concentrating her attention to humanitarian endeavors of the Spitfire Society. All is going well until she finds a man unceremoniously dumped, beaten and unconscious on her doorstep. Oh, the scandalous shenanigans.

I honestly can't get enough of the Spitfire Society! Historical romances with feminist leanings and radical ideas of bucking society's social rules and morays- just makes me a happy girl. I'm a rebel, I know. There is also something so intriguing about a tortured hero overcoming his traumas. Gah! I know, I'm such a gushy girl sometimes. But I'm just a goner for personal growth and a 'we're in this together' mentality.

Darcy Burke always manages to write fun, saucy, and entertaining historicals with light-fluffy feel-good endings. It's always a pleasure to read her books.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

This is intense, emotional and romantic. When Jane finds Anthony on her doorstep, beaten almost beyond recognition, she insists on nursing him herself. Anthony wants to leave, because he's attracted to her, but hasn't felt as good as he feels with her in a long time. Jane doesn't make it any easier for him to stay by propositioning him, something he inexplicably wants, but knows he shouldn't. Anthony is a mess, drinking himself into oblivion, because of the circumstances surrounding his parents deaths. Jane vows to help him overcome the past, while she tries to overcome her failure if not securing a husband. Both are surprised about the things they discover about the past, and how it's affected them. Jane is a sweet, outgoing and determined. Anthony is charming, vulnerable and stubborn. Theirs is a steamy and emotional relationship that tugs at the heart. I've loved every book in this series, and each one is better than the last.