TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT THE DUKE is book two in the Difficult Dukes series by the wonderful Loretta Chase. This book is loosely based on Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, although Cassandra Pomfret is not as off-putting as Shakespeare’s Kate. Cassandra, otherwise tagged as Medusa or de Griffiths Gorgon or Cassandra Prophet of Doom, is an intelligent woman who is fighting against the misogynist strictures of her time. But wait, don't pull out your pitchfork yet. While many historical romances these days have modern ideals awkwardly prevalent in the past, Chase manages to give us a heroine who fits the timeframe but also provides someone we can cheer for as the liberated and enlightened women we are now. Brava!  

Lucian, the Duke of Ashmont, really grows into an admirable man by the end of the book. In the beginning, he is a dissolute drunk and a haughty calamity magnet. Just jilted at the altar, he is fresh off the field from a sunrise duel with one of his best friends. He stumbles out of the coaching inn where he is blazingly inebriated and causes a carriage accident that leaves Cassandra Pomfret stranded with her injured groom (and erstwhile friend). Because she has to stay the night in the coaching inn without a chaperone, Cassandra is now compromised so Lucian proposes marriage to save her.

Even though Cassandra has loved Lucian from afar for years, she recognizes that he would not be good for her and her bluestocking sensibilities. She has a good life with her charity work to support other women, her beloved sister, and travel. She’s a big fan of Mary Wollstonecraft and wants to live her life less constrained by the ridiculous boundaries that men have penned her in with. I do adore how Lucian, as he becomes ‘woke,' reads Wollstonecraft‘s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman and recognizes how women’s autonomy is taken from them and changes his own behavior. Such a lovely plot point for him!

There are a lot of characters from previous books who make appearances here, so if you're a diehard Loretta Chase fan, there are a bunch of Easter eggs for you to find.  You can refer to the Author's Note at the end to see if you caught all the prior characters. I have to admit, a few escaped me on first reading, but it’s fun to recognize earlier characters!  It's like seeing old friends at a reunion.

The romance between Lucian and Cassandra blooms slowly and believably. Cassandra continues to be awesome and authentically herself throughout the book, and Lucian becomes a great well-rounded character, so I found myself so happy with their eventual rapprochement. The setting feels historically authentic and there are plenty of well fleshed-out supporting characters who also brought me joy. Chase’s TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT THE DUKE is a true delight from start to finish!