Reviews for Never Deceive a Duke: The Never Series: Book 2

The average rating for Never Deceive a Duke: The Never Series: Book 2 based on 2 reviews is 1 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-01-02 00:00:00 Andrew Crilley Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book as much as everyone else did. This was my first from Carlyle, and I don't think I care for this author's style very much. She writes like a modern American writing a Regency novel, e.g. the hero Gareth keeps reiterating over and over the value of working and that life is meaningless without work, etc. This just would not have been present in England at that time. Likewise the heroine's many reflections on the situation of her fellow women, even as she explains to her servant that "she must behave appropriately" in a very June Cleaver fashion. These moments kept jarring me from the storytelling, and the duchess came off as nothing more than an archetype, shallowly developed. We know she's resistant to her lot in life because this is conveyed not-so-subtly when she keeps becoming flustered and "flushing" or otherwise lapsing in the ladylike composure that is so obviously important to her. Needless to say, this cannot power a character through three or four hundred pages. We need a little more, a heartbeat perhaps, and I got the impression her flustered routine continued a long while. As anothe reviewer wrote, she's just needy (that's the entirety of her character). I liked Gareth, but he's misplaced here for the reasons I mentioned before. I also thought if the author took the time to establish in flashbacks that Gareth comes from a partly Jewish heritage and that his childhood suffered because of it that the flashbacks should have been connected to the present at one point, perhaps mentioning his difficulties in the present, or else they seem somewhat aimless. It would have been more useful for the flashbacks to center around his ship experiences in that case, which seem to have affected him strongly (and to tell from his repeated mentions of it, continue to affect him). The dialogue and some of the secondary characters felt as if the writer had done her research watching Disney's adaptation of the times. I can suspend disbelief, and I can read less faithful reimaginings of the period. I don't mind-- but it's a little difficult when a novel takes itself so seriously while an anachronism entirely powers a character's motivations. It's a little hard to ignore. Most likely, I wouldn't have caught onto this if the romance were less limp (or just the heroine), if there were heat, tension, whatever you call it. Gareth was too strong to credibly fall for this kind of heroine. But there you have it. Sorry, folks, I know a lot of people read her. ((Note: If you'd like to read an author who's done her research and, whether from exposure or from education and an open mind, can write British and French characters believably without them becoming caricatures, I recommend Joanne Bourne's The Spymaster's Lady. I'm reading it now and I love it.))

Review # 2 was written on 2019-04-23 00:00:00 Russell Palatianos (Rating has been modified -it used to be 2.5 stars.) Just as a note (I didn't have time to write a more detailed review)... As a general comment, here is a link to a more general complaint of mine regarding romance novels (this novel was cited as an example of the problems I discuss in my complaint). The following does discuss some adult topics... And I'm also rather shocked that I'm the only reviewer who has mentioned this -did I miss something or did I read a different book from everyone else??? * * * * * * * * * * * All right. Something which really made me RAGE against this book: the 'hero' has sex with the main female character despite having a strong suspicion that she is not in her right mind at the time. But HE CAN'T HELP HIMSELF OFC. Don't believe me? Have some quotes from the book! (From chapter 5) "She was sleepwalking. Or a little mad, perhaps? Certainly she did not know where she was. Damn it, he had to get her off this bloody wall. A bolt of lightning was apt to strike them both dead. "Come inside, Antonia," he said, tugging on her arm. "I insist." ...Then about 3 pages later, while he is still trying to get her inside because she seems to have sleepwalked outside in a storm... "It's all right, my dear." He tightened his grip around her waist and shoulders and felt her lush, womanly curves press enticingly along his body. She felt wonderfully warm despite the rain and the chilling remnants of what had been blind terror. Good God, what a pig he was! But her head was on his shoulder again, and she was still sobbing as if her heart might break." ...And two pages after that, this scene continues with the following. He knew, of course, that it was wrong; that he was taking advantage of an emotionally vulnerable woman. And yet he was unable to stop himself. How could he? Antonia was kissing him back with a heated urgency, coming onto her toes, and allowing her breasts to press flat against him. She smelled of soap and rain, and of gardenia. The sodden nightgown clung to her every curve, lush and tempting, leaving nothing to the imagination. At that, he closed his eyes, and set one hand over the swell of her hip, telling himself it was what she desired. ...He actually goes on to have full intercourse with her at this point.