Never Kiss a Duke: A Hazards of Dukes Novel

Written by Megan Frampton

Narrated by Jilly Bond

A disinherited duke and a former lady are courting much more than business in the first novel in Megan Frampton’s newest titillating series, Hazards of Dukes.

Everything he had ever known was a lie…

Sebastian, Duke of Hasford, has a title, wealth, privilege, and plenty of rakish charm. Until he discovers the only thing that truly belongs to him is his charm. An accident of birth has turned him into plain Mr. de Silva. Now, Sebastian is flummoxed as to what to do with his life—until he stumbles into a gambling den owned by Miss Ivy, a most fascinating young lady, who hires him on the spot. Working with a boss has never seemed so enticing.

Everything tells her he’s a risk she has to take…

Two years ago, Ivy gambled everything that was precious to her—and won. Now the owner of London’s most intriguing gambling house, Ivy is competent, assured, and measured. Until she meets Mr. de Silva, who stirs feelings she didn’t realize she had. Can she keep her composure around her newest employee?

They vow to keep their partnership strictly business, but just one kiss makes them realize that with each passing day—and night—there’s nothing as tempting as what is forbidden…

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Jan 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9780062998514

Megan Frampton

Megan Frampton writes historical romance under her own name and romantic women’s fiction as Megan Caldwell. She likes the color black, gin, dark-haired British men, and huge earrings, not in that order. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and kid.

Reviews for Never Kiss a Duke

[Sean Fleming · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story was okay. The narrator was horrible. I don't want to listen to a love scene read by my great aunt with badly-fitted dentures. I was aware of her every single sentence. They're supposed to fade into the background so you can be immersed in the story. Her accent is so pretentious and the "s" is so weird with this old-fashioned film accent thing going, and the male lead sounded like a mournful ghost on valium, when he wasn't sounding wheezy and old (for example, when he wheezed in an old-man voice," you look beautiful when you are c*ming." Not exactly romantic. Every single character voice was grating and/or annoying. I could barely get through it. I'm SO disappointed to see that the same narrator is doing the rest of the books. I love Frampton. What a complete waste. There are so many good narrators out there that would be wonderful. This woman trashed it.

[LM Rader · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

If I wanted to know what it is like to be poor and ordinary and still find the wherewithal to survive I would just look at my life... I read to escape from my reality and immerse myself in a different world.... hopefully a better one. This book was okay it ended on a HEA just to sad and depressing until the end.

[UchennaEzeh · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Meghan is a witty and entertaining author and this story about Ivy and Sebastian did not disappoint at all. Awesome book

[thewestwing-864351 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pretty sure this is the first book by Frampton I’ve read. Really enjoyed it. So looking forward to getting stuck into the series.

[akbouterse · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.75 stars but I did really like this.

After reading this, I definitely want to read more from Frampton. This is my first book from her and I really liked it. the writing was really good and I absolutely fell into the story. I gave this book only 3.75 stars because this book barely had a plot. Normally I that would bother me a lot more but because I liked the writing and characters so much, I could ignore the plotlessness more. I really liked the gambling den stuff and the fact that this book focused more on working people rather than just being about nobility like a lot of historical romances are. I would have liked to have seen a more central external plot but it didn't stop me from enjoying the book.

The real highlight of this book for me was the relationship. When this book started I wasn't sure I was going to like Sebastian. He initially came off as really abrasive to me. I think this ended up really helping the story because we really got to see Sebastian grow as a person and transform with the help of Ivy and it really helped me believe their relationship. I think Ivy goes through less personal development but she does get to figure out what she wants and I liked reading about that. She started as a character I already liked and wanted to see a story about. I actually would have loved to see more scenes with them working but I think the balance of working scenes vs other scenes was pretty good.

As I said, I definitely want to read more from this author. I have the ARC for book four in this series and I'm trying to read the first three before I read it so I will be picking up more books in this series pretty soon but I would also love to branch out to different series. I get why this book has a lower rating but I was happy that I was able to enjoy it.

[joana_v_v · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Review originally published at Romancing Romances.2.5*I received an eARC at no cost from the publisher, and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review. Thank you.First of all, don’t do like me. I read two historical romances all about gambling places/casinos in a row, and it did not help.I believe this was my first book by Megan Frampton, but having heard good things, I expected a great book. And I almost got. Almost.This book is… soft. Not in an “oh no, there’s no sexy times” way (on the contrary), but it just didn’t deliver.I cared more about the side characters, than the main ones.Ivy had a great premise, a lady who had a gambling house, who wagered to save herself and her sister, she seemed like she had all that was required for a great character. And that is true for the first half of the book. After that her character just changed in a way that didn’t make sense to me. Yes, we can be confident and still have times when we have self-doubt, and our self-love isn’t as high as it normally is, but is just felt like she Ivy was a completely different person.For our former duke, Sebastian de Silva, everything seemed to simple. He lost all he had ever known, yet, he gets a job immediately and that pretty much makes the story flow in a way that does not allow him to discover himself, and when at the end he decides to actually do that we get, what? Two pages where nothing happens even if he spent two months thinking and getting to actually know himself and his feelings? It lacked depth.Ana Maria (Sebastian’s sister), Nash (Sebastian’s best friend), and Octavia (Ivy’s sister) seemed way more interesting than our hero and heroine.The writing was good, it just wasn’t compelling to me. But I am curious about the next couple in the series so, I might have better luck with the next book.

[carolesrandomlife · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I like to read the occasional historical romance and this one looked like it would be worth a try. This is the first book in the Hazards of Dukes series and I thought that it kicked off the new series quite well. I was hooked by this story in the first few pages and found the book to be a very pleasant read. I am so glad that I decided to pick up this book.Sebastian, Duke of Hasford, finds his life changed through no fault of his own. Because of a lie his mother told, he is no longer a Duke. He had his life figured out before but now he must find a new path. He has to learn how to do a lot of things for himself that have always been done for him. He is up to the task and doesn't want help from his cousin who is the new Duke or his friend who happens to be a Duke. Ivy runs a gaming club, Miss Ivy's. Her club is a little different in that she expects debts to be settled right away and anyone who can pay is allowed to play. Ivy was once considered a Lady but she decided to gamble to win back her future which was lost by her father. Ivy's won that card game and her freedom but it changed how others looked at her. She is very competent to run the club and is surrounded by a very dedicated staff but she decided to take a chance and offer a job to Sebastian.I really liked Ivy and Sebastian. They have both had to deal with some pretty big changes in their lives and are doing what they can to move forward. They are both very invested in making sure that their loved ones get the best in life. I loved the chemistry that they shared and I really liked the way they were able to work as a pair. These two just seemed to fit with each other perfectly.I thought that the premise of the story was rather unique and very well done. I really enjoyed being with Sebastian as he learned to navigate his new life. He really had a lot to deal with and I think he made the best of things. There was some excitement in the story to keep things interesting. The secondary characters in this book were wonderful and I hope to see more of them in future books.I would recommend this book to fans of historical romances. I thought that this was a well-done romance with wonderful characters. I can't wait to read more of this wonderful series!I received an advanced review copy of this book from HarperCollins - Avon.

[nelispelusa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So the book was entertaining but the title should have been something else because Ivy one of the main characters didn't kiss a duke. Let me explain. So Sebastian- Duke of Hastings is at his solicitors office along with his cousin, come to find out that his mother was a scheming liar and cheated the system so he Sebastian is no longer a Duke but a lowly Mr. On a drunken night out along with his other bestie Nash they go to a new club in town where Ivy is the proprietor. Now Ivy is no longer considered a lady because she did not go along with her fathers plan of marrying her off to a old gentleman which had won Ivy in cards to. Ivy was a really good person not only did she save herself, but she took care of the people who worked for her father, and her sister and in her club she welcomed all regardless of gender and color, so yes I respected her. Sebastian starts working for Ivy and both of them are attracted to each other, and after of hot night together (which I really did not think they talked this way at that era) but regardless had a hot night and she was beside herself and in love. While out at a party for Sebastian's sister she overhears a young lady mention that she was to marry Sebastian..What??! In confronting him since he thought he wanted that life he didn't really think when talking and made it sound like he was doing her a favor, and got rid of him and luckily he woke up and realized she was the best thing that happened to him.Rcvd and ARC at no cost to author..(netgalley) Voluntarily reviewed with my own thoughts and opinions.