Nothing Compares to the Duke

The Duke's Den, Book 3

By: Christy Carlyle

Narrated by: Karen Cass

Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Christy Carlyle concludes her Duke’s Den series with this sparkling romance about two reluctant allies intent on following the rules and breaking every single one.

His only regret...

Rhys Forester, the new duke of Claremont, lives his life by four words: Enjoy all, regret nothing. He’s devoted to the pleasure of his wild soirees, reckless behavior, and shocking the ton with his interests in trade. The debts that come with his title don’t fit the carefree lifestyle he’s created, and when he’s forced to return to his family’s estate, he’s also forced to confront his one and only regret: the beautiful girl he left behind.

...may be falling in love....

Arabella Prescott has been the belle of more balls than she cares to remember. After three seasons and five rejected proposals, she’s done with the marriage mart. Bella’s hopes to live a comfortable life alone come crashing down when her parents demand she marry. But her salvation may come in the form of the man she hates the most.

Bella has never forgiven Rhys for what he did to her, but desperate times call for fake engagements. With a few dozen rules, their scheme begins, but it’s not long before the former enemies find themselves breaking every single rule, including the most important of them all: Don’t fall in love....

©2020 Christy Carlyle (P)20202 HarperCollins Publishers

Such fun!

Definitely not a serious book, no political intrigues or murder plots, although there is a mystery to unravel. Mostly just a romance, as requested! And the narrative is superb!

Credit worthiness: 5* yes!

Heat factor: basically a warm sizzle with a couple truly steamy moments. But no ‘for the sake of making the book longer’ drawn out sex scenes whatsoever!

Shameless manipulation

I was looking forward to this third book to end the series in style. This is a huge disappointment.
the heroine is described as brilliant, but runs into all the usual cliches. He looks at her and she becomes an idiot, he touches her hand and she becomes a moron, he smiles at her and she becomes an imbecile. And, of course, with all her smarts, has the magical thinking that sex DOESN'T make you pregnant. She says no kissing, but 1 day later..no touching, but 7 days later..they're in bed. Her inner thoughts keeps telling the reader "No, I won't ", but everything she does says "Yes, I'll do anything you want"Stupidity is not the same as quirky, it's just confusing. This book also confuses sex with love. How can you truly love someone when you ruin them for a future marriage / child out of wedlock.
This is a very modern story, cloaked in the regency
atmospherics (I don't know why this is necessary. It's Regency Porn...modern relationships that allows for the word gown/carriage/ball and tea to be used!
Even the end is confusing. The heroine says "no" to the hero's proposal...then a few weeks later she walks from a ball (of course) to the hero's house and says "yes". Nothing happens/changes that would cause a change of mind, just more manipulation. Stupid!!
A good novel should make the reader feel something, but not SHAME. I am ashamed of how I am manipulated into believing the female character is smart & strong, when in fact she is stupid and weak. The only reason to buy this book is for the closure on the series and the great narration. For these 2 reasons, I don't hate myself for buying it.