Lucian has gone from being a common man to the brand new Duke of Penning. Because he has younger sisters he would like to see married well, he must have a scandal-free life and marry the perfect aristocratic wife. That’s all well and good, except Lucian can’t seem to stop thinking about his housekeeper turned valet, Susanna. Susanna has learned from her past that romance is not for her and is determined to resist the duke until she can’t anymore.
I am normally a big fan of Sophie Jordan’s books, but THE DUKE STARTS A SCANDAL didn’t work for me. The servant/lord trope is inherently tricky and I usually enjoy them but I felt this one fell flat. A large part of that was the plot and some of it was also the characters themselves.
There is a lot of telling and not showing in this story. With pages of descriptions showing the internal struggles of the characters, there was not much dialogue between them and I missed the witty banter Sophie Jordan is great at writing. The plot point of Susanna becoming Lucian’s valet seemed rather contrived, especially given the fact he was planning to fire her just before this happened. I did find Lucian and his mother’s backstory to be heartbreaking and uniquely original in a historical romance. I’ve certainly never read about a duke engaging in such work before and found it to be an interesting backstory.
I had trouble deeply connecting with either main character, and I found Susanna kind of bland and couldn’t figure out what Lucian found interesting about her. Aside from his backstory, I wasn’t a huge fan of Lucian’s, either. He seemed to be a jerk just to be a jerk, so I wasn’t exactly rooting for his HEA.
I normally love Ms. Jordan’s books so while THE DUKE STARTS A SCANDAL was a miss, I will continue reading her titles in the future.
A gentleman never dallies with the help, but the new Duke of Penning is no gentleman in this steamy fourth and final book in The Duke Hunt series by New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan.
A duke with secrets.
Lucian, the newly minted Duke of Penning, has much to prove— to himself, his family and the ton. Craving spotless respectability, he must find an aristocratic wife. Unfortunately, he can’t keep his eyes—and thoughts—off his deliciously distracting housekeeper. Such a dalliance can only mar the facade he's constructed to protect his sisters' future from the demons of his past...but this fiery passion is a temptation he cannot resist. While Susanna may not the bride he needs, she is everything he desires.
A woman with a past.
As the housekeeper to one of the grandest estates in England, Susanna Lockhart has worked determinedly to become all that is proper and efficient, and she never steps over the line. Romance is an indulgence for the upper class, not for her—and most especially not with her employer. But every smoldering glance from the surly, handsome duke calls to the long- buried reckless wanton inside Susanna. A love between them can never be, but will Lucian and Susanna risk being together…
Even if it starts a scandal...
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