Never Desire a Duke

Written by Lily Dalton

Narrated by Veida Dehmlow

Lady Sophia has long been estranged from her husband, Vane Barwick, the Duke of Claxton, whose rumored list of amorous conquests includes almost every beautiful woman of the ton. Yet a shocking encounter with him in a crowded ballroom-and a single touch-are all it takes to reawaken her furious passion for him. But how can she trust the man who crushed her dreams and took away the one thing she wanted most?

Claxton has never forgiven himself for the youthful mistake that ruined his marriage to Sophia. Now, after nearly a year abroad, the reformed rogue vows to win back the only woman he's ever truly loved. He'll do whatever it takes to prove he can be the honorable husband she deserves-and the passionate lover she desires. As the snowdrifts deepen outside their ancestral home, can they rekindle the flame that burned so bright and find a new path to forever?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Dec 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9781452688589

Reviews for Never Desire a Duke

[addictofromance · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So I didn't realize until I started reading this one, that is was a Christmas themed story. The blurb does really give that away in any way, so you don't expect it, but as I was reading, I found that the Christmas theme really added a flair to the story. This story is about Lord Claxton and Sophia, who fell in love and got married. But things went downhill very quickly, mostly judgements and miscommunication and making presumptions. Which can happen in any relationship especially in a romantic relationship. Then the book starts off after they have been estranged for almost a year. At this point the author does a bit of background information on the couple., so that you aren't at a total loss. Then they end up stuck at a manor in the country while they get snowed in, and they are forced to resolve differences. Claxton wants to reconcile with Sophia, he loves her and is willing to do anything to get her to soften toward him. Sophia is a bit stubborn like a mule, and doesn't believe there is any hope for them. All she wants is a child and then be separated for the rest of their lives. We see the ways that Claxton goes about to convince Sophia to listen to reason.What I really enjoyed about this story, was seeing Claxton and Sophia interact with each other. They tend to get very intense with each other, and boy do they tend to say hurtful things, no wonder they are estranged...you see why they have been separated for a time. But you also see the sincere feelings that they have for each other. I found that I liked the hero way more than the heroine in this story. I found Sophia to be a bit full of herself at times, as the story progresses you see how much she has gone through, but so has Claxton, they both have been hurt, but she does have some good qualities, but I didn't really like her all that much through the story. She rubbed off me the wrong way, which was a little sad since she seemed to have great potential in the beginning. Claxton, now he was so great, I adored his character. He is a fighter especially when it comes to keeping his marriage together, I loved how he refused to give up on it, no matter how Sophia could be about it.All in all though, this was a charming and romantic story that drew my attention. The writing is engaging and pulls the reader, the story line is simple yet complex at times, and the plot gives you some sexy twists and turns...a tender love story with a holiday twist.

[stephlaymon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Set in a snowy scene during the Christmas season, Never Desire a Duke, is a perfect holiday read. Unlike other holiday books that I have read, the holiday theme is nicely tied and actively present. Both the romance and conflict are realistic. Had it not been for some repetitiveness in the romance and too many subplots that were a bit distracting, this would be a five star read for me. I am looking forward to reading the next in series, Never Entice a Duke, which is expected in April of 2014 and will focus on different characters, but who are familiar from their introduction in this first installment.

[eyes92c · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

mistresses, misunderstandings and the misunderstood!'Could a man not be snowbound with his wife without half of England arriving to interfere?'And as I read along I certainly seconded the Duke of Claxton's sentiment.The plot is thick with characters. their interplay is endearing, frustrating, humorous at times, sensual and sensitive at others. I quite like the major players, indeed I had moments of sympathy for both leads, The basic story line is couple marry, couple separate through misunderstanding and tragedy, couple have a chance to reconcile, more misunderstanding, progress is made hearts repaired, more misunderstanding, reconciliation. We see these things happening through the voices of both the Duke of Claxton, Vane Barwick, and that of his Duchess, Sophia.Certainly, the descriptive prose brings alive the winter scenes, the dashing around on sledges, the crunch of ice underfoot. The charming scene in the church of trying to find the third part of the quest is indeed humorous. The pain that both Vane and Sophia are feeling, the way they keep missing each other in their understandings is poignant. Their interplay with others is well done. All is good. Maybe there were just too many bedroom scenes but, for the characters themselves perhaps not enough!The story line had interesting elements, the characters are believable and yes I did want to jump onstage and tell them both to listen to each other from time to time. There are some fine tension points throughout that maintained my interest. All the elements are here and indeed this is for you if you're in the mood for something not too taxing.I do think Dalton's 'baby' [read the forward] has a lot to recommend it despite my not being as enamoured of it as I really wanted to be.A NetGalley ARC