In the Dark with the Duke

Written by Christi Caldwell

Narrated by Tim Campbell

A lady of reserve and a fierce street fighter find common ground in the second Lost Lords of London novel by USA Today bestselling author Christi Caldwell.

Eight years ago, Lady Lila March retreated to the safe shadows of her family’s estate after a devastating tragedy. Weary of being a whisper of her former self, she is determined to brave the dangers of the outside world again. No man is better equipped to train her in the art of defense than the Savage Gentleman, East London’s undefeated street fighter.

Hugh Savage reigns as king—of the underworld. Physically invulnerable, emotionally battered, he has his reasons for bare-knuckle brawling. Though Hugh longs to break free of the ring and leave behind the brutal world of violence, he’s intrigued by the challenge Lady Lila poses. A mysterious lady of the peerage willfully descending into the dangerous rookeries? That bespeaks a woman with secrets of her own.

As their unconventional pact progresses, Hugh comes to admire the resolve in Lila’s heart. And beneath his hard surface, she sees a tenderness that touches her to the quick. They’ll soon discover how much they need each other—to face their pasts together, and to fight for a future they deserve.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Jun 9, 2020
• ISBN: 9781799771388

Christi Caldwell

USA Today bestselling, RITA-nominated author Christi Caldwell believes the most perfect heroes and heroines have imperfections, and she rather enjoys torturing them before crafting them a well-deserved happily ever after! 

Reviews for In the Dark with the Duke

[UchennaEzeh · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nice book. Loved the display of courage from both Savage and Laila.

[WebEnchantressDE · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This made an entry in my top 10 favorite romance books!

[katehonig · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this book from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.In this wrong side of the tracks style regency, Lady Lila suffered a severe tragedy a number of years ago. She was badly injured and scarred both inside an out. She decides that the life she is living is not healthy and will learn how to protect herself. She searches out Hugh Savage and underground boxer to give her boxing lessons. Hugh is also scarred by his past, and in a complicated relationship with his friends where he feels he owes them more than he can possibly repay, and will allow them to use him to fight whenever they ask even though he hates fighting.While I didn't love this book, I really want to compliment the author for her depiction of how PTSD and tragedy can show for different people in different ways and for not allowing her characters to be magically "cured" of the mental health issues, but to instead understand that even though they both found love, they must keep working on themselves.I usually adore regencies, but for this book I think it's a wrong book for the wrong person situation.The setup and characters of this story were really strong, but the plot was just sort of lacking. A lot of things just sort of happened to the characters, and the way the developments happened was disjointed. With the amazing characters, character development and tragedy, I should have been unable to put the book down. Instead, I kept having to force myself to finish it.

[cathygeha · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In the Dark with the Duke by Christi CaldwellLost Lords of London #2After years of being a recluse, the idea of being unable to protect herself and those she loves leads Lady Lila March to seek out Hugh Savage for instruction in self-defense. He is less than excited about the idea, but Lila is tenacious and persists till she succeeds in wearing him down. And thus, begins a dance the two will continue throughout the story. Hugh has battle scars from fighting for his life on the streets, in the children’s bare-knuckle boxing ring and later as a soldier while Lila has scars from a horrible day that changed her life significantly. Whether or not the two can find a way to overcome their issues and forge a future together is what this book is about. What I liked: * Hugh – a big man in body and spirit – a gentle giant with a lethal punch…and the perfect man for Lila.* Lila – a woman who is ready to leave her life as a recluse, become stronger and reach out for what she wants – she is perfect for Hugh* The plot and writing AND that it had me looking up female pugilists and finding they existed in the timeframe of this story.* The look into life in the rookery and how grim it must have been. * The back story of Hugh and his friends* The mystery of what happened to Valerie* Finding out who the bad guys were and what skullduggery they had been up to.* Knowing that there is at least one more book in the seriesWhat I did not like:* Knowing that the men using children as they did in this book no doubt still use children in similar ways today* That some of the characters in the book were so amoral* Finishing the story and wondering what the future held in store for more than one character in the book. Did I enjoy this book? YesWould I read more in this series? YesThank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC – This is my honest review. 4 Stars

[eyes92c · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Stolen lives redeemed!I am so caught up in the Lost Lord series. I love it. This latest novel is another winner. Here we have Hugh Savage, the Savage Gentleman, a ferocious bare knuckled fighter involved in these vicious matches from childhood, starting on the road to salvation. Not through being a reinstated kidnapped child of the peerage, but through the actions of a woman, Lady Lila March, a recluse of eight years, an agraphobic, living in the shadows of night, who turns to him to help free herself from her fears. Her's has been a stolen lifeI love this trope, the flawed hero, and the damaged heroine, coming together and in the process, despite setbacks, being the agent of healing for each other. And Caldwell has so upend the dramatic ante! Sigh!That both harbour secrets their ashamed of, that both have crossed paths (even here I'm unsure if this is at a distance, or is there a hint here of something closer--maybe that becomes the reader's privilege) and both are now at a confluence, an intersection that if they allow, will change their lives. Hugh has survivor's guilt and punishes himself for circumstances that happened during his childhood that were outside of his ability to control. Nevertheless he's trapped in that guilt. His co-owners of the fight club have their own agenda, one that in the end will destroy Hugh unless he breaks free. First however, he has to want to. Lila becomes the light that will guide him out of that dark place, if he can but follow.Tracking this group of stolen children stories is becoming a must read for me.A tartly, bitter sweet read!A Montlake Romance ARC via NetGalley (Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

[barbararogers-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Series: Lost Lords of London #2Publication Date: 6/9/20Number of Pages: 365Lady Lila March and Hugh Savage have more in common than either of them realizes and it was fun to watch them figure that out. The book is well-written and I liked the story, but it did leave me scratching my head about a few things. I liked both Lila and Hugh, but some of the other characters just seemed to be space fillers. I also think this is one of those books that just begged for an epilogue. I would have dearly loved to see how Lila’s family reacted and maybe learn a bit about the wedding, etc. – but definitely, I would like to see things maybe a year out into their future.For the last nine years, Lady Lila March has lived the life of a recluse. She goes nowhere and she sees no one. A couple of years ago, she realized she needed to get some of her life back, so she sought out someone to help her return to her love of music. That helped, but with all of the news in the scandal rags about children of the ton being kidnapped, she is terrified for her small nephew. Nine years ago, she was helpless and couldn’t protect herself – and now she is determined that won’t happen again. She’s going to learn to fight – to defend herself and those she loves – and she’s going to find the very best person to teach her. He’s undefeated, he’s even killed in the ring – she just has to convince him to show her how it is done.Hugh Savage was forced to fight from the time he was a young boy. Luckily, he was very good at it and that is the only reason he survived his childhood. Each bare-knuckle match became bloodier and bloodier until it was the expectation that one opponent would die. All of that terror, degradation, blood, and slaughter just for the jeering entertainment of the toffs. When Hugh escaped his prison, he joined the army – only to find himself begging on the streets after returning from the horrors of the Napoleonic wars. He abhors violence and wants no part of it, but when two former fight-mates rescue him from the street, he returns to the fight clubs. Though he rarely has to enter the ring, he still wants out of it altogether.When Hugh is approached by a slip of a girl who wanted him to teach her to fight, his reaction was to send her away. No way would he teach anyone – especially someone like her – how to fight. Then, he saw the fear and despair in her eyes. Hugh and Lila were attracted to each other from the moment they saw each other. The aristocracy sickens Hugh and he refuses to have any dealings with them – but something about Lila tells him there is more to her than meets the eye.I loved how Lila just kept mowing down all of Hugh’s defenses and I loved that Hugh was really a gentle giant who hated the life he’d had to live in order to survive.I was puzzled throughout the entire book though. Hugh was stolen and sold to a crime lord when he was very, very young. He had no memories of his parents at all – yet he spoke perfect aristocratic English. Also, he had all kinds of knowledge about things he just ‘knew’, but didn’t know how he knew it. Thus my conundrum – if he were old enough to have learned about battle strategies and to speak perfect English – why wouldn’t he have some memories of his parents. But, if he were stolen very young (as the story implies), how would he speak perfect English and where would his knowledge have come from? Also, he was basically locked in a cage until he was at least 15 years old. Then he went into the army – so where did he learn how to plan and run a business?The puzzles didn’t keep me from enjoying the story, but they did keep me scratching my head trying to figure out what happened. I hope you’ll enjoy the story – I did.I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[nelispelusa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

OMG I loved it, it was different and something that I would not have expected so way to go Christi, I had just finished one of your books about a day ago and this one came bout so I requested and so happy I did. I loved Lila that girl went thru hell but got the gumption of learning how to fight to defend herself and survive, and she is a survivor actually everyone in this book pretty was, from her widowed sister, her brother and her besti however they all had different way to cope. And then we have Hugh, hhhh Hugh (a duke) but you wouldn't know it and neither did anyone one else since he was ripped from his life so long ago and this guy suffered to but he ended up learning to not only live his life but to start enjoying it when Lila comes in with a crazy request. Grab my friends and Enjoy!rcvd an ARC at no cost to author..(netgalley) voluntarily reviewed with my own thoughts and opinion