The Duke Who Ravished Me (Rebellious Brides: Book 4) by Diana Quincy

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept, Loveswept

Date of publication: April 17th, 2018

Genre: Historical Romance

Series: Rebellious Brides

Spy Fall – Book 1

A License to Wed – Book 2 (review here)

From London with Love – Book 3 (review here)

The Duke Who Ravished Me – Book 4

Where you can find The Duke Who Ravished Me: Amazon | Barnes, and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

An impulsive kiss between a libertine duke and a mysterious governess sparks a blaze of desire—and intrigue—in this breathtaking Regency romance from the award-winning author of Spy Fall.

Adam Fairfax, the Duke of Sunderford, happily enjoys a different woman (or two) every night—or he did until his wards landed on his doorstep. Ever since Sunny took in the seven-year-old twin girls and their prim and proper governess, Isabel Finch, his love life has been a shambles. But, as time goes by, Sunny catches himself getting lost in Isabel’s haughty blue eyes, or following the curves beneath her unbecoming dress. An unexpected kiss ignites a passion that shocks him into realizing how thin the line between love and hate can be.

If Isabel’s hidden past were revealed, she could lose everything. Oddly enough, only when “Sinful Sunny” is near does she feel safe—or safe enough to speak up in defense of the girls. The duke’s decadent lifestyle is a disgrace, and clearly, he considers Isabel a nuisance. Still, she can’t help admiring his sculpted cheekbones, strong-cut jaw, and tousled chestnut hair. When their lips meet, it’s almost as if he could kiss the secrets right out of her. Worse, she’s tempted to let him. . . .

My review:

I had looked forward to reading The Duke Who Ravished Me. I had become enamored with Sunny when he first showed up in A License to Wed. My infatuation with him grew in From London with Love. He was the definition of a rake. The glimpses of his lifestyle that I got in both books intrigued me. So, yes, I was excited when I saw that The Duke Who Ravished Me was about Sunny.

I liked that Sunny had a very untraditional lifestyle. The first paragraph of the book was him and two opera singers having a threesome. That set the tone for the entire book. But, as the book went on, the reasons why he was acting the way he acted came out. I actually felt bad for him. That was his way of saying “Eff you” to his father’s ridiculous standards.

Speaking of Sunny’s parties, there was a scene where Isabel goes to Sunny’s playroom to find him and she ends up seeing a man in assless chaps. I didn’t fault her for her shock. If I walked into an orgy type situation and saw that, I would have had the same reaction. And the swing. Again, another situation that was funny. I was as skeeved out as Isabel was when one of the twins got on it and started swinging on it. It wasn’t that type of swing. I laughed so hard that I had tears both times.

I liked Isabel but I thought she was uptight at first. But, considering Sunny’s reputation, I don’t blame her for being wary of the girls living with him. He was living a morally corrupt lifestyle and she was afraid that the girls would accidentally stumble upon it. I like that even though she was a lower class than him, she wasn’t afraid to let him know what he was doing wrong. She dressed him down for his lifestyle, for his playroom, and for his reluctance to be the girls’ guardian.

I didn’t see any chemistry until Sunny took the Isabel and the girls’ swimming. Up until that, he was intrigued by Isabel. She was the one female that didn’t’ fall for his charms. After that swim, the chemistry between them was strong. I was glad when the author decided to amp things up. I was beginning to think that this romance was going to be one that had no zing to it.

When Sunny and Isabel had sex, it was through the roof hot. I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did. But I was wrong. They burned up the sheets and my Kindle. What I loved was that the author kept that sizzle going so when they had sex again, it was as good as the first time.

I loved reading Sunny’s growth as a person during the book. He learned to care about things other than his carnal pleasures. He learned that true beauty resides underneath the skin. He learned that he was not his father and he will never be his father. That he was better than him. It was wonderful to read that.

I was not expecting the book to go in the direction it did at the end of the book. While I was not surprised at the trial, I was surprised at who was there and the huge secret that was disclosed. The author did a fantastic job of keeping that under wraps. I did not believe it when that secret was revealed. I had to reread the entire chapter in order for it to sink in. The only fault I had was how it was accepted by the two people who it affected the most. Other than that, I enjoyed the ending and the huge secret revealed.

What I liked about The Duke Who Ravished Me:

A) Sunny. Bad boy to the extreme

B) Isabel’s devotion to the girls

C) Sunny’s growth during the book

What I disliked about The Duke Who Ravished Me:

A) No chemistry between Sunny and Isabel until later in the book

B) Sunny’s refusal to grow up until later on in the book

C) The secret that was revealed at the end of the book and how two of the characters dealt with it.

I would give The Duke Who Ravished Me an Adult rating. There are explicit sex and sexual situations. There is some mild violence. There is no language.

There are no trigger warnings in The Duke Who Ravished Me.

I would reread The Duke Who Ravished Me. I would recommend it to family and friends.

I would like to thank Loveswept, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Duke Who Ravished Me.

All opinions stated in this review of The Duke Who Ravished Me are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**