Deckard Payne, Duke of Warburton, barely survived the
Napoleonic Wars and came home to recover. He took time to
get over his injuries, but was determined to carry out a
promise to his late friend to act as guardian to the
manβs now-orphaned daughter. CANβT GET ENOUGH OF
THE DUKE picks up with young Analise Crewe, only eighteen
and never presented in court, whose dream is to be a
published authoress. The last thing she wants is a ducal
guardian, but it turns out heβs exactly what she
needs. Whether he needs her is a different matter.
If you like fairytale retellings, you could be tempted to
think of Beauty and the Beast. Deckard, or Dex, has scars
from his time in the army, he lives alone but for staff, and
he has quarrelled with his remaining family. Analise,
shortened to Ana, is a breath of fresh air in the London
townhouse and later, the damp castle. The romantic girl has
half-written a fantasy tale but canβt find a
publisher, and sheβs living in a mean boarding house
while fending off the interests of the madam down the road.
Dex, when he eventually finds Ana, can provide her with a
safe home, a lady chaperone and a dowry.
The chapters start with a few lines from the
creativeΒ girlβs fairytale, but itβs not
necessary to read them as the plot keeps moving along fine.
I really could not see why Ana didnβt wish to be a
debutante, as it would give her so much material and
respectability. What she actually doesnβt want is to
be married off. Eighteen does seem very young, as she would
not come of age until twenty-one. Of course, even in
Georgette Heyer books, girls were married early to titled
men who needed heirs. Β
I wonβt go into the later part of the story, but
suffice to say itβs an adult read which seems
completely at variance with the schoolgirl behaviour of Ana
in the first half. I mean that literally, as sheβd
walked out of finishing school when the fees werenβt
being paid. But a Heyer novel would hardly have mentioned
the brothel down the road, though a Barbara Cartland
might.
Lenora Bell has made a habit of writing about dukes,
probably covering more dukedoms than actually exist, and
CANβT GET ENOUGH OF THE DUKE is second in a series
called The Thunderbolt Club. I love that she goes strongly
into the damage to society from the wars which raged across
Europe for twenty years. Dex may be scarred, but heβs
not the only one, and potential brides had fewer
marriageable men. This is a historical romance worthy of
that title.
War hero Deckard Payne, Duke of Warburton, made a battlefield promise to become guardian to orphan Analise Crewe. He certainly didn’t agree to marry the girl! But that’s exactly what happens when he’s forced to wed her to save her honor.
The last thing Analise wants is a loveless marriage to a broodingly handsome duke who lives in a gloomy castle and keeps his doors—and his heart—tightly locked. He’s determined to keep her at arm’s length—but she’s not easily deterred when there’s a tough case to crack.
Warburton never wanted a wife. Especially an inquisitive and far-too-pretty whirlwind who upends his regimented life. Her sunny, winning ways charm everyone she meets and soon she’s unearthing buried secrets, plotting love matches, and shining light into even the darkest of hearts…his own.
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