HOW THE DUKE WAS WON is Book 1 in Lenora Blake's Disgraceful Dukes series. Somehow Lenora Blake manages to tell a stirring story with a particularly vile villain, and still inject a little humor at appropriate moments to lighten the mood. Due to some scheming on the part of a countess, and some delightfully convoluted circumstances, courtesan's daughter Charlene Beckett is playing the part of Lady Dorothea. The goal is to catch a duke and get him to marry the real Lady Dorothea with him being none the wiser. What starts as a kind of historical romance version of the show "The Bachelor" becomes something much more real for Charlene and her sought after Duke of Harland.

Charlene and James are wonderfully multifaceted characters and they often surprised me as I read HOW THE DUKE WAS WON. Given Charlene's illegitimacy and unfortunate circumstances, living in the brothel her ailing mother owns, you'd think that she'd have very little in common with a duke. However, there are numerous instances in HOW THE DUKE WAS WON that point to just how similar Charlene and James really are. Although he has the ignoble moniker of "His Disgrace", James is less the dissolute rake and more of a hard-working man who has chosen to live life on his own terms. When he unexpectedly inherits a title, he feels just as caged as Charlene does in her life. From James' experiences overseas and Charlene's experience at home of seeing the dark side of life, they both form progressive ideals and goals. I loved seeing how James was able to admire Charlene's true personality that showed through her façade. Both hero and heroine are deeply passionate, sympathetic, and fascinating to read about.

Other than the obvious obstacles to Charlene and James being together, like the difference in their station and the ruse that Charlene is a part of, there are some characters standing in the way as well. Lord Grant is filthy swine of a bad guy and you hunger for him to get his comeuppance. However, Lord Grant is not the only person trying to get between James and Charlene. As much as I love the campy humor involved with the debutantes vying for the role of James' duchess, those ladies get pretty cutthroat at times. The one silver lining for Charlene in the duchess competition is Alice Tombs. Alice is a great character who is obviously more than meets the eye. I love the tentative friendship that Alice and Charlene strike up and I'm eager to hear more about her.

HOW THE DUKE WAS WON is a story with substance and sensuality to warm the heart of any romance fan. James and Charlene are a perfectly mated pair and the smoldering looks and steamy love scenes are sensational. The scenes between Charlene and James' daughter Flor are poignant -- especially because Charlene is able to relate so well because of her similar experience. I look forward to reading future books about intriguing characters like the Marquess of Dalton and the quirky Alice Tombs.