I loved this book. I’ve read a few of Darcy Burke's books and always enjoy them. Acton and Persephone (Persey) were perfect for each other. When Persephone’s sister is ruined after she is compromised by a ‘Rogue” and he refuses to do right by her, the sisters and their friends decide to create some Rogue Rules. meantime, an arranged marriage is being set up for Persephone with a Duke, who is also a member of this Rogue set. Persephone decides to go on the run only for the Duke to follow after her and insist on chaperoning her and she of course does not trust him but the story grows from there. I really enjoy Darcy’s characters, there is always a sense of humour (some genuine laugh out loud bits). A great book.

In the book, If the Duke Dares by Darcy Burke, the Duke of Wellesbourne, namely Acton Loxley, has a new mission of acquiring a wife. However, this was not his choice but his mother's, who has arranged for a meeting with the bride's family. On the other hand, the bride-to-be, Persephone Barclay, is not enthusiastic about this arrangement for several reasons. Firstly, the husband-to-be has a very bad reputation, and secondly, her parents have financial problems and she knows that they are using her for their selfish reasons so she decides to take off. However, as fate would have it they happened to meet with no other than the one person she is running away from. Her efforts to avoid him are proving to be futile since she has found herself in an awkward position and in dire need of help as well as protection and now she does not know whether to accept his help or to decline it, since there are some rules she must not break come what may. Will she accept this much-needed help? will the rules be broken with the charming duke? will there be a match? let's find out in the book If the Duke dares by Darcy Burke.

What I like about the book is that it is not only fascinating, but the author has managed to put across some life lessons, such as that, given a chance, the worst can be the best and that sometimes all people need is a little push in the right direction, and all will be well.

I rate this book, If the Duke Dares by Darcy Burke, 5 out of 5 stars.

I recommend this book to those who love positive reforms. I also recommend it to those readers who love romance books with lessons to be learned.

I've read other works by this author, since she has collaborated with my fave Erica Ridley, so this "universe" felt familiar. The two leads are not perfect, and their parents have definitely let them down, so there is some growth in addition to the love story. I often side-eye stories with a "my love can change him" theme, but this one was a bit more complex than that. I am curious to read the next book(s) in the series to see where it's headed!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

For fans of regency romance and the Bridgerton-vibe, this book will hit the spot. I found that while I enjoyed the book, Persephone's character in the second half of the book felt a bit changed over night with attraction to Acton. Fans of the Isle of Synne series by Christina Britton will enjoy this.

A super cute story where something good can come out of something bad, and sometimes parents are trash. I read this in one day and was never bored with what was going on

I love Darcy Burke’s books! I was so happy to read another one of her books and I liked this one as well. It had many twists and turns and some very unexpected twists.
Persephone is a strong-willed woman who takes issue with the way her uncaring parents try to ‘sell’ their eldest daughter to a known roguish duke to settle their financial problems. Her younger sister found herself ruined by the hands of a rogue who is friends with this duke, so she doesn’t want to get married off to another rogue. So she decides to take off and when she accidentally encounters this duke, she tells him off for his behavior. Acton, the duke of Wellesbourne, isn’t used to such a reaction and starts wondering if he really is a cad and that is the start of a change in his behavior and attitude toward others. He was actually brought up by his father who taught him to ignore and suppress all kind of emotions and just do whatever he wanted and live for his own pleasures, without considering anyone else’s. He was a duke, after all, so who would hold him accountable? Dwelling on emotions only weakened a man’s constitution, he was taught. But did it? I really liked to see Acton overthinking his past life and actions and wanting to be a better man. You see him struggle with what he was taught and those same emotions fighting to be felt and acknowledged.
Persephone knew exactly how her parents felt about her and her sister. She wasn’t having it and took matters into her own hands.
Persephone and Acton taking their relationship to the next level was a let-down for me. Persephone abandoning her principes and Acton for behaving the same way with a woman as he had done many years before and undoing all the changes he professed to have made. It just didn’t fit the story. These scenes detracted from the essence of what they stood for; were the complete opposite of how they viewed life and of who they were trying to be. In this case it would have been perfect had he stuck to being a reformed rake and show her respect by not going there, and her for proving you can be worthy of a man without a physical relationship.
I liked everything else, though. (Okay, I had to get used to their names but that is a minor detail.) The secondary characters were a good addition to the book. Acton getting to know his mother and sisters, whom he hadn’t seen in many years, and building a relationship with them was beautifully done! I loved it and it was very honest, realistic and given the proper attention. Aunt Lucinda was such a trooper! She really stood up for the sisters and I loved her every step of the way! Acton’s two friends were briefly mentioned and I was immediately curious about his friend Droxford. So happy to see the next book is about him; I can’t wait! The fate of his former friend Bane was left open, so I’m wondering if there’s a story there but maybe we’ll find out in one of the next books.
I can honestly recommend this book to anyone. The story is well developed and has depth, self-reflection, love and personal growth. I think you’ll enjoy it as much as I did!
I received and reviewed an advanced copy of this book and I am grateful for this opportunity. Thank you Darcy Burke, NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a delightful historical! Persephone's sister Pandora is ruined by a rake, so her parents put all of their hopes in Persephone to have a successful marriage. They insist she meet with a Duke as a potential match. However, Persephone has had enough of her parents' bullying, and attempts to get away. She unexpectedly runs into the Duke, and there is where the story takes off. I laughed while reading this book! I also was moved hearing the backstories of both Duke Wellsbourne and Persephone. It felt like an adventure for the first half of the book, before it moves to Bath amid societal gossip and machinations. While If the Duke Dares doesn't reinvent the wheel, its execution of a familiar regency story was excellent. I also will add that this book contains the best scene involving rats I have ever read. I will be eager to read the next installment in this book series!

Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy.

I was extremely fortunate to receive an ARC of If The Duke Dares written by the amazing Darcy Burke via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This is the first book in the Rogue Rules series and what a start. Acton Loxley, Duke of Wellesbourne has been asked by his estranged mother to visit her to meet a potential bride, that possibly being Persephone Barclay, who along with her friends has no desire to be forced into a marriage with a dastardly rogue. She runs away from the machinations of her selfish parents and inadvertently meets Acton who then decides to protect her til she reaches her intended destination. I loved this story so much because of its uniqueness, as well as its prosaic language and vivid descriptions. An absolutely wonderful story!

A delight from start to finish, and it has one of the most stunning covers in recent memory! Publishers, take note! This is how you get people to pick up historical romance novels! Stop it with the cartoony cutesy covers, I beg!

I really liked the chemistry between Persey and Acton! She was a little too stubborn at first, which got her in trouble. She refused help from Acton but eventually gave in. I loved how Acton listened to her and decided to change his roguish ways, although still keeping fun in the spicy department! Overall good story that keep me entertained.

This was such an entertaining enemies to lovers style romance! The heroine, Persephone was being compelled to marry by hair family because her younger sister was caught in a scandal. She tries to run away but a few unlucky moments has her stuck in the company of the Duke of Wellesbourne. I absolutely love both these characters, I love how Persephone is scared but still tries to seize opportunities to change her circumstances. The Duke has such an interesting journey of growth and realising how his friends aren't just jolly good fellows but are actively harming the reputation of women through their actions. A part of his journey includes building a relationship with his mother and sisters, and healing the trauma of their family. A lot of historical romances have started sounding very familiar, but this story of almost mistaken identity was so thoroughly entertaining and unique.

How Darcy Burke keeps coming up with original ideas, I'll never know, but this was one of the most original historical romances I have read. This was a fun romp through the countryside of England where the MFC was trying to be supportive of her compromised sister while still allowing herself to marry for love and navigating the "rogue rules". The "rogue rules" alone are hilariously naive and fun to read how the FMC goes against every one of the rules. The open door spice scenes were good to read and well written. An all around good read. I am looking forward to the next one!

Big thanks to NetGalley, Zealous Quills and Darcy Burke for this early release copy in exchange for my honest review..

I really enjoyed this first book in a new series. I've read several of Darcy Burke's books now, and this one had the humor and heart and heat I've come to expect from her. It started a bit slowly for me, with several female characters introduced quickly. But once we got past the introductions and got down to the two main characters it settled into a nice groove. It's a fun twist on the sunshine/grumpy trope - this time it's the man, Acton, who's sunshine and the woman, Persephone, is the grumpy one. She's sworn off rogues & rakes completely and he has quite the reputation as a rogue, despite having an innate desire to do the right thing. I enjoyed watching their relationship grow as he worked to earn her trust - as with all historical romances we know where they're headed, it's just a matter of how they'll get there. This was a journey I enjoyed, and I'll definitely be interested to see which of the rogues and friends of Persephone show up in the rest of the series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Zealous Quill Press for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

Oh how I love the storytelling from Darcy Burke. She never disappoints. It’s why she is one of my absolute favorite authors. In this fun adventure when Persephone Barclay’s younger sister finds herself compromised her parents decide she will save the family name and force her to marry. While they are pushing her to marry she runs away. Determined to save herself she finds nothing but trouble and after a run in with a charming man she must depend on him to get her safely home. Turns out mister charming is Acton Loxley, the very Duke she was running from. Turns out who she thought was a rake is a gentleman she can’t resist.
You are going to love this story. Burke always creates wonderful characters that you will fall in love with. Persephone is a strong willed lady who thinks she can resist the temptation of Acton. The fun wit, adventure and the passion creates a great story that you won’t be able to put down. Her stories always keep you on the edge of your seat with her attention to detail and creating a story you get lost in. This will be added to my collection of Darcy Burke books and you’ll want to add this adventure too.

Persephone Barclay needs to wed. Her parents are overbearing and determined that their daughters marry money, so the parents can get the money from their daughter’s marriage. Persephone was always treated as a second class citizen because she was not as beautiful as her sister. Now because her sister, Pandora has been compromised, she is expected to marry a person she has never met and knows nothing about.

Persephone ran away and pretended to be a widow. It was while she was trying to escape that she ran into Acton Loxley. He was a rake and flirted madly with the beautiful widow. It is only later that he realized that she was the woman his mother wanted him to meet and marry. Persephone is less than pleased with the flirty Duke.

With all that was happening, Persephone discovered that it is harder to run away successfully than she thought. Acton found out that it was not easy to help someone who doesn’t trust him. Acton also realized that he didn’t want to be a rake anymore.

I liked the characters of the sisters and their aunt. I like how Acton grew from the experience and learned to be a better person. I did not like the parents of Peresphone and Pandora. If the Duke Dares by Darcy Burke is a good read.

Stories set in the Regency era have been one of my favourite subgenres since picking up my first Jane Austen novel at 10. And Darcy Burke's If the Duke Dares was another lovely delve into Regency romance. Following the flow of a Georgette Heyer novel, Burke's first in her series, Rogue Rules, was a fun and interesting story. Burke's teeth-rotting romance will have some squealing at how adorable Acton and Persephone are together. If you love romance, the thrill of a Regency Romance and are looking for a story this Valentine's, then this is the book for you.

Thank you, NetGalley and Zealous Quill Press for sending me an ERC in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, I didn't like it. It felt like we were starting in the middle even though this is the first book in the series. I had to double check the fact and I was honestly surprised to see it was indeed the first book. Like many reviewers before me, I did feel like we were overwhelmed with info when the book started which was probably the reason why it felt like that. Didn't feel any connection between our characters and couldn't get into the book much.

Another delightful story by Darcy Burke. It grabbed my attention from the start and I didn't want to put it down until I finished. Interesting characters, humor, love, and of course romance. Don't miss this one.

If The Duke Dares is the first book in Darcy Burke's Rogue Rules series. Burke has been an auto-buy for the past few years and this book confirms that.

Acton is en route to meet the woman his mother is trying to set him up with. He stops at an inn and meets the most delectable widow who intrigues (and insults) him. He begrudging moves on in his journey only to find that the widow and his potential bride may be one in the same. He flees back to the inn to try and find her. Persephone is being forced to wed quickly before the news of her sister's scandal ruins the family. Her father is in need of a financial boost and will use Persephone's marriage as a way to bolster his coffers. While escaping from her parents clutches, she runs straight into the man she's supposed to be entertaining a marriage to. It's hard to flee from the Duke when she needs his help. She also can't resist his charming roguish ways.

I love a road trip romance and Acton was so charming and thoughtful. I loved that he called her Persey. Darcy always writes the most fantastic heroes. I'm excited to continue on in the series.

Tropes included: road trip, nicknamed by the hero, ruined family member, terrible parents, runaway heroine, hidden identity, arranged marriage, forced proximity

Thank you to NetGalley, Darcy Burke, and Zealous Quill Press for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own. #netgalley #IfTheDukeDares #DarcyBurke #ZealousQuillPress #RogueRules

I adored this book, I could not put it down. The relationship between Persephone and Acton was addictive. A wonderful historical romance with everything just right.