Dare to Love a Duke by Eva Leigh

For a dashing duke and the proprietress of a secret, sensual club, passion could lead to love…
Thomas Powell, the new Duke of Northfield, knows he should be proper and principled, like his father. No more duelling, or carousing, or frequenting masked balls. But he’s not ready to give up his freedom just yet.

Lucia—known as Amina—manages the Orchid Club, a secret society where fantasies become reality. Yet no member of the club has ever intrigued her…until him, the masked stranger whose heated looks sear her skin. After months of suppressed longing, do they dare to give in to temptation… ?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33259027-the-duchess-deal

Title: Dare to Love a Duke
Author: Eva Leigh
Series: London Underground / Scandalous Ladies of London
Pages: 384
Genre(s): Historical, Regency, England
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This is the third book in the Scandalous Ladies of London series (also known as the London Underground series). While the couples from the first two books (From Duke Til(l) Dawn and Counting on a Countess respectively) pop up in this tale - this can be read entirely as a standalone.

I enjoyed the first two books in the series - giving them both 4 stars - but this one just didn’t hit the mark for me. I think that might partly have been because both Tom and Amina/Lucia have appeared throughout the series with little glimpses that set out to tempt readers into wanting to know the couple’s story. Instead, I always thought they were a mismatched pair which definitely had me going into this book waiting to be convinced.

And I was not convinced.

I normally like a couple who are hugely different in some way and have to find a way to overcome their situation/temprement/ideals etc to be together. In this story, I found Lucia and Tom were so similar - jaded, world wise characters - that even their difference in stations hardly seemed insurmountable.

I also very much enjoy sex in a story - in fact I prefer a story with some graphic shenanigans going on and if there’s graphic language it’s all the better. So I was very much surprised that I found the sex, and the descriptions of the Orchid Club’s goings on, to be vulgar, gratuitous and a little gross. And the use of all the f-words in a Regency tale…well, it didn’t feel right, somehow.

Despite the writing being good, I found myself massively struggling to finish this book. I understand that much of this might have been due to my preconceived notions about the book and its characters - which is why I feel it’s only fair that I up my grading to 3 stars instead of my initial thoughts of 2.

Not a book for me, but if you like the idea of a worldly woman who manages a sex club matching with a worldly duke who frequents said sex club - then this very well could be tale for you. But just 3 stars from me.