I adored Alexandra and Dallin's story! It was fun watching these two find their way back to each other while trying to avoid the scandal that their family members might bring down on them.

Read this for…
- Opposites attract
- Different worlds
- Only one bed

This is not your typical historical romance. Alexandra and Dallin meet one fated summer night and they quickly fall into each other’s spell. However, they are separated due to unfortunate circumstances and when they meet again they find themselves pressured by obstacles that interfere with their love. However, fate brings them together along a journey and they find themselves in each other’s universes once more. Overall, their love story was well paced (great burn) and their chemistry amazing. I loved both of their families and got the sense they cared for one another a great deal.

I have tried to read this author’s previous works in the past and always struggled to be enraptured by her world. I found the introduction the hardest to read. This, in conjunction with the slow burn pace of the love story, made me take longer than I would have liked to finish reading. However, once the journey picked up I found myself quickly pulled into the world.

Spice: 🌶

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have been waiting for the next Christi Caldwell book for so long and I say the same about her next book as well. I previously reviewed the Heiress at Sea and fell in love with the book and that led me to read Christi’s backlist, beginning with Hearts of a Duke which was amazing. I have to be honest; this wasn’t one of my favourites. This is the third book in the McQuoid’s series, but each can be read as a standalone.
This book concentrates on a different McQuoid, Dallin, the eldest son in the family and the eldest girl next door Alexandra. On one magical evening, Alexandra broke into the McQuoid estate to curb her inquisitive mind and instead stumbles upon Dallin. The two look at the stars and it was pretty much love at first sight. One year later, she was supposed to save a dance for him and reunite with tales of mythology. For Alexandra a lot changed in that year. Her father died leaving immense debt and without any money for them to live off. Alexandra is arranged to marry Lord Wingrave, an infamous bachelor who through her uncle, has promised to provide security to her two younger sisters if they marry. She also holds a lot of responsibility for her two younger sisters, one of which has had a secret relationship with Dallin’s cousin. This is a big risk to her family’s reputation and is made worse when the pair run away to elope. Thrown together, Alexandra and Dallin are in pursuit of the couple, desperate to find them before any big decisions are made. Their chemistry is great. The only thing I wasn’t a fan of was the miscommunication. A lot of their tension and disagreement could have been resolved with a conversation.
Once again Christi Caldwell writes sexual tension and chemistry fantastically and ‘A Sure Duke’ is no exception. The only reason I haven’t rated it higher is because I didn’t feel a massive emotional connection to the characters like I did with her other characters.
I can’t wait for her next releases and I am definitely going to read the rest of her backlist!

2.5 stars

Although there were moments I thought it might turn around, I was never fully drawn into the story and characters.

This wasn’t my favorite book by Ms Caldwell, but I do look forward to future titles.



Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for the DRC

I was intrigued by the meet cute in between Alexandra and Dallin. It was charming and I couldn’t wait to see where the story went after that. But the author threw quite the curve ball after a cute and quiet beginning. After the tragedy that befalls Alexandra’s family, her whole life changes. When Alexandra and Dallin next meet there are a series of misunderstandings and then they have to work together so they can prevent scandal from befalling both the families. I really enjoyed the book and loved Alexandra and Dallin. The one and biggest complaint I have is with the title of the book. It is misleading and I wish the author and publisher would refrain from using a “Duke” in the title to just get more sales. It is a lovely story and please rely on that for the book to sell rather than using gimmicky titles with no duke as the main lead.

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this--to the tune of me reading it in 3 hours instead of going to sleep on a work night. Evenly paced with fleshed out characters (+ the eccentric McQuoid family!) makes this one of the authors best.

This review was made possible via an ARC through NetGalley

A Sure Duke by Christi Caldwell is a Regency romance where Alexandra Bradbury breaks into Dallin McQuoid’s family home and leads to the two having a romantic moment as they look at the stars. They promise to meet when Alexandra has her coming out to society and dance together, but everything is thrown into disarray when Alexandra’s father passes and it is revealed the Bradbury’s do not have any money and Alexandra is engaged to the son of a duke who has no real interest in her.

Alexandra is willing to please her mother, even at the detriment of her own happiness, in order to guarantee her sisters’ happiness. We see glimpses of her strong will throughout but duty and the perception of the ton very often force her to fall in line with what others expect of her. This extends to her mother’s perception of the McQuoid family, despite Alexandra’s attraction to Dallin.

One of the things I really liked was Alexandra and Dallin bantering quite a bit and, even when they are locked in miscommunication and frustration, they can recognize where they make mistakes. The conversation about the constellation Cassiopeia and their intimacy was very cute.

I would recommend this to Regency romance fans of the miscommunication trope and of second chance romance.

Dallin McQuoid is the eldest son of the rambunctious McQuoid family, whose reputation among the ton leaves much to be desired. Alexandra Bradbury, the oldest daughter of the Marquess of Queensbury, has always been curious about the goings-on on the rooftop of the McQuoid mansion just across the street from her home. One evening she sneaks into the mansion to access the rooftop and encounters Dallin, who is delighted by her interest in the telescope he has installed on the rooftop. They promise to dance with each other at the next ball they attend.
Unfortunately, Alexandra's future changed that evening when the death of her father sends her family into penury. Her family moves away, and she loses touch with Dallin. Her circumstances require her to accept the courtship of the Marquess of Wingrave in order to save her family from the workhouse.
When Dallin and Alexandra meet again a year later, she is betrothed to Wingrave and he overhears a conversation that convinces him that she was not sincere in her promise to him. In addition, her younger sister Cora has developed affection for Dallin's cousin, Brone, which causes both Dallin and Alexandra to be concerned that their families will be ruined by the association. Together, they join forces to keep Cora and Brone from making a mistake that would make them both miserable. This causes them to examine their own situation and the reasons why they also should not be together.

This is a light hearted and easy read. The characters are easy to love and the story moves fast. Almost a bit too fast, but who doesn’t love a quick love story? The writing is engaging and the characters develop throughout the story in a way that makes you root for them.

This is my first reading a book by this author and this won’t be last time I will read her books. I really like this story. I’m such a “girl” who loves historical romance books. I grew apart with them. I was sure that I was going to love this book and I did it. I really loved this book. It is such a wonderful book. I love Alexandra character. I enjoyed every scene she appeared with her family. I understood her worries, her pain. And about Dallin, what a great male character. I felt bad about him.

Them as couple were perfect. I love their chemistry. It also has one of my favourites tropes known as “one bed”/“one room. Their tension was everything. I felt butterflies in my body while I was reading their scenes 🫣.

I can’t wait to read more of her stories. Thank you for giving this arc in exchange for a honest review

I did not realize that I was reading book 3 in the series until after I started it, and although there are appearances by the couples in the first two books, I didn’t feel as though I was missing anything I needed to know to be able to read this one, so it works as a standalone.

I have read and enjoyed other books by Caldwell, but have mixed feelings about this one. The main trope is miscommunication, as in the FMC, Alexandra, has a secret that she will not share with the MMC, Dallin, and he spends almost the entire book berating her over her choice to marry a marquess who almost doesn’t appear in the book.

See, Alexandra’s mother and sisters are left without money after her father dies, and the Marquess of Wingrave offers to marry her and support her mother and sisters. This marquess is absolutely a one note character, who is only described as being cold and having no interest in Alexandra. A brief counterpoint is offered very late in the book, but at the end of the day, Wingrave makes very little sense in the book. Maybe Caldwell is setting him up for redemption in a future book?

All Dallin knows is that Alexandra is marrying future duke instead of him. That must mean she is title hungry and not the charming girl he had met a year earlier and can’t forget.

When Alexandra’s younger sister elopes with Dallin’s cousin, both of them chase after the couple and end up traveling together to try to stop the elopement. The majority of the book is about their trip north to Gretna Green. They each pine for the other, but Alexandra is resolute about saving her family by marrying Wingrave, and Dallin constantly condemns her as a title hungry chit. So even in close quarters, neither seems to realize that they both care for each other. This road trip business goes on for a lot of pages. I honestly think half of it could have been cut without hurting the story.

Then, suddenly, it’s resolved, but without any real HEA. The book just ends. I’m really not sure what happened there. I won’t spoil it by saying what happens, but it was abrupt and not particularly satisfying.

There is one intimate scene, almost at the end of the book, so I would say it’s not really “clean” but it’s not very spicy either.

Do I recommend it? As a standalone, probably not, but if you are reading the series, you’ll want to know what happens in this one, since I’m sure it will come up in future installments.

This was such a fun, sweet read! A sure duke is a short historical romance following the eldest daughter to a wealthy upper class noble family and the heir to a less-prestigiously regarded, but just as important, family.

When Alexandra’s family suddenly loses their fortune, she must enter an arranged marriage with a duke despite yearning for the heir to the less “dignified” McQuoid family following a brief childhood encounter. Enter in a sprinkle of misunderstandings, and their chemistry turns sour, which sets the scene for a hate to love-esque storyline. a sort of hate to love.

I loved this book!

Alexandra’s struggles were so relatable to me, and I found myself rooting for her every step of the way. Seeing her relationships with her sisters and her mother was absolutely gut wrenching to read about — it was soo well done.

As for Dallin, he was alright I guess. I mean I loved their banter together, and could see why they had formed such a deep connection despite the majority of the book happening over the course of a few days.

I’ll admit though that the chemistry felt a little bit awkward and stilted at certain points. Especially in that overly drawn out scene in the beginning. Thankfully, this got easier as the book went on and I eventually loved reading about their interactions. Though the misunderstanding was not everyone’s cup of tea, I loved it. I think it’s because I didn’t read any of the other novels in the series, so just assumed the characters to both be dumb and fun and in their early twenties.

This is my first 3.5 of the year, just because I had a lot of fun with it, but think that it’s still very flawed in some aspects.

Still, I enjoyed it and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for the authors future work.

Thank you to NETGalley and the author for providing me with a free eArc copy of this book.

A sure duke is a flirty and entertaining book that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy. With its charming characters, unique premise, and swoon worthy romance, it’s definitely a must-read for any and all romance lovers.

Viscount Crichton, Lord Dallin McQuoid and the future Earl of Abingdon and Lady Alexandra Bradbury, the eldest daughter of the Marquess of Queensbury are neighbours and members of the Ton. Alexandra’s family is very prim and proper whereas Dallin’s family is more laid back, boisterous and charming. Alexandra in her boredom, constantly finds herself watching her neighbour’s house, fascinated by the goings on there.

She decides to climb their roof and find out more about the family when they leave town. Unfortunately, not every family member has left; Dallin is still around and on the roof when she gets there. When Dallin finally realises she is not a thief, the two strike up a conversation and get to know each other and enjoy an easy banter. Very much attracted to each other, she manages to extract a promise from Dallin to dance with her at her come out ball.

This situation changes when Alexandra’s father dies unexpectedly, and she must save her mother and two younger sisters from financial ruin by accepting a betrothal from a heartless duke. Added to this is the elopement of her younger sister to Dallin’s cousin!

The pair team up to stop the elopement and journey together to stop this from happening. Along the way, they reconnect with each other and rediscover the attraction they had when they first met all those years ago.

Another wonderfully written story from Christy Caldwell that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I received an ARC from the publishers and NetGalley with thanks and submit my honest review.

Regency romance, forced proximity, enemies to lovers. And competently written.

But also, just average. I didn't dislike anything about this book, and if you're looking for any of the above tropes, it should scratch that itch. It was just missing a little bit of sparkle for me. Something ineffable that would have made it a 5 star read.

A Sure Duke by Christi Caldwell is book Three in The McQuoids of Mayfair Series. This is the story of Alexandra Bradbury and Dallin McQuoid. A Sure Duke was a wonderful read. This author can bring you right into the story. I highly recommend Ms. Caldwell's writing!

BOOK: A SURE DUKE
AUTHOR: CHRISTI CALDWELL
PUB DATE: JANUARY 2024
REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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I've read and liked Christi Caldwell's book and this was not different. A well written storyline and characters. I read it in a day!
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I really loved Alexandra and Dallin's relationship, from the time they net on the roof and through the course of the book. I loved seeing them really know each other and fall in love. It's an opened door Romance, but I love that it didn't take the focus away from their love.
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I also liked the Mcquiod family. They were hilarious, loving and everything a family should be. I liked how they stood with themselves regardless, it was beautiful to see. I also liked Alexandra's sisters; Cora and Daphne. They were good sisters too
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This book was amazing and I'm pretty sure you'd like it.
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I have followed Ms. Caldwell since her debute as an author. She has never disappointed her readers and continues to bring deep, rich, powerful and angsty characters to us. This story has it all...

I admire Alexandra for her loyalty, love and willingness to sacrofice herself for her sisters, but come up short on admiration for her mother. A mothet's job is to love, nurture and PROTECT her children. Alexandra's mother threw her to the wolves without a fight. Yes, women of the time only had the perceived value of being brood mares, but to make it her daughters job to save the family....saddened and angered me. To not even consider any other alternatives or try to stand up to the new Marquess of Queensbury, and demand even a small dowry and to be helped....ugh!

While the reason for their being thrown together was potentially filled with scandal, accidents and discovery of secrets, I enjoyed their sparring. I enjoyed their dancing around the truth of their attraction to each other. I enjoyed the way they weren't afraid to assume and be a bit catty with each other. The ale scene had me laughing and cheering for what could be.

The short encounter with Alexandra's bethrothed had me wanting to give him a smack down. He is not a nice man and in the end, I believe he got what was coming to him...maybe the third time will be the charm for him. That being said, I think he will need to not only learn some humility, but actually find some charm and try to be nice. Good luck with that.

The grand gesture was one of the best I have read!!! It was required, but still demanded a leap of faith and incredible courage on Dallin's part. He wasn't just asking for her to join him, he was placing both of their families firmly in the cross hairs of a powerful and vengeful Duke. That man also needs a smack down and I am hoping his Duchess can take him down and perhaps bundle him off to the country for a spell.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through NetGalley from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are solely my own.

Despite being from feuding families, Alexandra and Dallin meet over a telescope and agree to a waltz at her coming out but after the death of her father and the pitiful state he leaves her family in, she is promised in marriage to another to restore her families standing and make good matches for her sisters. Dutifully she agrees and tries to put Dallin out of her mind, but fate has another future in store for them as they are thrown together to embark on a dramatic trip to prevent his cousin and her sister from their elopement. A race across England, a highway robbery and a lovely interaction with innkeeper Gus and his daughters help this budding romance. A well written story to immerse oneself in, as the reader cheers on this couple and their families, who finally realise that they each need to be reunited.

This was not that strong for me, the characters had some good foundation and personality, but the story didn't draw me in