Review: All the Duke I Need by Caroline Linden

All the Duke I Need by Caroline Linden
Series: Desperately Seeking Duke, Book 3
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Historical Romance 

ISBN: 9780062913661
Release Date: April 26, 2022
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

She’s a duchess in all but name
Philippa Kirkpatrick has been raised at Carlyle Castle by her doting guardian, the Duchess of Carlyle. Preoccupied with the succession of the dukedom and the duke’s health, the duchess has left the estate in Philippa’s hands—and Philippa is determined not to let her down.

He's not a duke at all…
The arrival of a new estate steward should be a relief, but instead it threatens to upend everything. William Montclair is handsome, brash, and scandalously bold. The horrified duchess wants to sack him on sight. Philippa is just as shocked…but also, somehow, charmed.

But could he be her hero?
Carlyle cannot be her home forever, but Philippa is determined to leave it in good hands. She means to teach Will how to run the estate properly and love Carlyle as she does. The more time she spends with Will, though, the more she likes him… trusts him…even loves him. Unfortunately, she’s also more and more certain that Will is keeping secrets that could break her heart.

The mystery of who will inherit the Carlyle dukedom is solved in All the Duke I Need. I was entertained by Philippa and Will’s story from beginning to end, thanks to the excellent chemistry between the leads.

After her father married into the Duke of Carlyle’s family, Philippa Kirkpatrick was adopted by them and raised by the dowager duchess after her father and stepmother’s death. She’s had a front row seat to the search for the heir to the dukedom. Meanwhile, Carlyle estate needs a new steward, but the man hired for the job is nothing like she imagined a steward should be. William Montclair is a brash, bold American whose blunt tongue raises the dowager duchess’s hackles. But Will is also dedicated, hardworking, and determined to repair and modernize Carlyle. He and Philippa lock horns once in a while (especially as she tries to help him not get fired by her grandmother), but mostly their banter made me smile. There’s an effortless chemistry to their interactions thanks to author Caroline Linden’s writing. It was easy to become lost in their story and watch them fall in love. Both are likeable leads with good hearts, quick wit, and senses of humor – how could you not be swept away by them?

I wavered on how to rate All the Duke I Need because I adored the romance and the family dynamics at Carlyle. Philippa’s love for her adoptive family warmed my heart and the way Will just fit at the estate made me smile. However, there were some elements of the story that felt rushed and underdeveloped. Will’s relationship with his brother, Jack, and their family’s shipping business never felt fully realized. And then there’s the resolution to the missing heir storyline. I’m treading carefully to avoid spoilers and I will say that I liked where Linden took us with this plot. However, it was rushed, left me with questions, and the book ended so abruptly I thought I was missing some pages. So while I thoroughly enjoyed All the Duke I Need overall, I felt like a few more chapters would have taken this book from very entertaining to fantastic.



FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Review: A Scot to the Heart by Caroline Linden

A Scot to the Heart by Caroline Linden
Series: Desperately Seeking Duke, Book 2
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Historical Romance 

ISBN: 9780062913647
Release Date: June 29, 2021
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

An Officer and a Scotsman
Captain Andrew St. James always knew he came from a noble family, but his branch grew far from the wealth and status. Nothing shocks him more than learning that he now stands as heir presumptive to his distant cousin the Duke of Carlyle. There is much for Drew to learn and adjust to—but first he goes home to Edinburgh, to tell his mother and three sisters of their startling good fortune.

A Lady and a Temptress
Ilsa Ramsay yearns for some adventure and fun, not another husband. When she discovers the handsome soldier who sweeps her off her feet for a rollicking dance is her friend’s brother, soon to be an English duke, she tells herself he’s not for her, no matter how tempting he is. But one impulsive kiss, then another, and another… says otherwise.

An Irresistible Attraction
Drew means to marry a respectable, dignified Englishwoman—a very proper future duchess. The spirited Ilsa is none of that. Still, when she’s caught in a dangerous scandal, he leaps to her aid without hesitation. And neither family duty nor future obligation can make them ignore what’s in both their hearts.

A Scot to the Heart is a delight to read from beginning to end, thanks to the utterly endearing characters Caroline Linden has created. I was so charmed by Isla and Drew that I hated to put their book down.

Drew is an appealing mix of roguish charm and honorable soldier. He’s been providing for his family ever since the death of his father and being the heir to a dukedom gives him a chance to give his mother and three sisters the lives they deserve. The real Drew is a far cry from the stiff, subservient captain we briefly met in the first Desperately Seeking Duke book and his actions make sense once you get in his head. Drew is fun with a wicked sense of humor that comes out when he’s around his family and friends. He’s honorable to the core and has a good heart.

Isla has lived much of her life lonely and restricted, first from the oppressive rules of her aunt after the death of her mother and then under her husband who essentially imprisoned her. As a widow she has freedom even if her family tries to curtail it. She’s boisterous and fun when there’s no one judging her and I loved seeing her joy when she was free and uninhibited. She and Drew are instantly attracted to one another and had such good chemistry I was delighted to be along for the ride. Their romance is a lot of fun and Linden blends humor, heart, and heat extremely well. As this book shows, Isla and Drew are a couple who will be able to stand together and take on whatever life throws at them and that makes their romance incredibly satisfying.

A Scot to the Heart is the second book in the Desperately Seeking Duke series but you do not have to have read About a Rogue in order to follow along (although it is just as charming). I loved Drew’s family and friends and hope to see them all get stories of their own. I cannot wait to see what’s to come in the next Desperately Seeking Duke book for the meager hints that have been dropped have me intrigued.



FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Review: About a Rogue by Caroline Linden

About a Rogue by Caroline Linden
Series: Desperately Seeking Duke, Book 1
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Historical Romance

ISBN: 9780062913623
Release Date: June 30, 2020
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

It’s no love match…
Bianca Tate is horrified when her sister Cathy is obliged to accept an offer of marriage from Maximilian St. James, notorious rake. Defiantly she helps Cathy elope with her true love, and takes her sister’s place at the altar.

It’s not even the match that was made…
Perched on the lowest branch of his family tree, Max has relied on charm and cunning to survive. But an unexpected stroke of luck gives him an outside chance at a dukedom—and which Tate sister he weds hardly seems to matter.

But could it be the perfect match?
Married or not, Bianca is determined to protect her family’s prosperous ceramics business, even when Max shows an affinity for it—not to mention a dangerous ability to intrigue and tempt Bianca herself. And when Max realizes how beautiful and intelligent and desirable Bianca is, he’ll have to prove he’s no rogue, but the passionately devoted husband she craves…

Bianca Tate loves two things: her family and Perusia, her family’s ceramics business. When her father agrees to let a rogue with some paper-thin connection to a duke marry Bianca’s sister, Cathy, and have a quarter share in Perusia, Bianca is furious. Not only is Cathy in love with another, how dare her father give away a piece of her inheritance to a stranger known for his gambling? In a fury, Bianca helps Cathy elope with her beloved…only to find that she herself has to take Cathy’s place at the altar. She may have to marry Maximilian St. James, but she’s determined he won’t interfere in her life or her family’s business. Only Max turns out to be quite different than she imagined. Slowly Bianca finds herself thawing to the stranger she married as she learns that perhaps there may be more to the charming rogue than she first thought.

About a Rogue is so much fun to read! Max and Bianca have excellent chemistry and I loved watching Bianca in particular go from loathing her husband and all she believes him to be to falling for the real man beneath the rogue.

Max grabbed my heart from the first. He’s got a good heart, sharp business sense, and has had a difficult life. Learning that he’s possibly in line for a dukedom is the first stroke of luck he’s had in a long time. It’s not the possibility of a title, but rather the money promised if he becomes respectable that gives Max the leg up he needs to find the security he so craves. Perusia isn’t just a means to an end for him and I loved watching Max’s business acumen at work as he comes up with new ideas. He’s the perfect addition to the Tate family, whether Bianca wants to admit it or not. As for Bianca, there are a few Taming of the Shrew elements in the beginning of About a Rogue as she resists her father’s plans and Max’s charms. I understood why she was so angry, though because I had more insight to Max than she, I felt sorry for him. However, Max stays one step ahead of Bianca in often funny ways and I loved the sparks that flew between them. Bianca is fiercely loving in addition to incredibly talented and once she begins to see the true Max the story really takes flight. They are a dynamite pair and I loved watching their relationship develop.

About a Rogue is the first book in the Desperately Seeking Duke series and I cannot wait to see what Caroline Linden has in store for the other Carlyle heirs. Each story promises to be quite different and in this one I loved the backdrop of the ceramics business. From the artistry of it to Max’s ideas for expanding the business to Bianca’s gift for glazes and knowledge of chemistry, the Perusia part of the story not only added depth to the world and story, it was fascinating in its own right. I truly adored About a Rogue and will happily revisit Max and Bianca again and again.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Review: What a Gentleman Wants by Caroline Linden

What a Gentleman Wants by Caroline Linden
Series: Reece Family Trilogy, Book 1
Publisher: Zebra
Genre: Historical Romance

ISBN: 9781420137538
Re-issue Date: January 26, 2016
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N

Marcus Reece, Duke of Exeter, has spent most of his life pulling his twin brother out of trouble. An occasional thank you would suffice; instead, his resentful sibling forges his name to a marriage license and presents him with an unwanted wife. She's a vicar’s widow with a mind of her own who may be the first person in Marcus’s well-ordered life to make him feel…completely out of control.

Hannah can't help but curse her own idiocy. Dire straits have led her to the altar with a gentleman she hardly knows. Played for a fool, she’s embarrassed, furious, and worse, married to an equally outraged stranger—an exasperating man who unleashes all manner of emotions in Hannah, not to mention unwanted desire. Reluctantly she agrees to play the wife until he can sort out the mess. But the nearness of the undeniably attractive duke and the passion in his black eyes unsettles her well-guarded heart—making her want to do so much more than 'act' the role of blissful bride…

Marcus Reece, Duke of Exeter, likes his life orderly, which is no surprise since his twin, David, seems to cause as much chaos as he can. But David’s latest act – marrying a vicar’s widow and signing Marcus’s name in the register – goes above and beyond. Marcus doesn’t want a wife, particularly not one he didn’t marry himself. Yet there’s something about Hannah Preston that Marcus can’t resist. And as the two of them try to untangle David’s mess without causing a scandal, it becomes clear that the duke’s errant twin may have done them the greatest favor of all.

What a Gentleman Wants charmed me with its refreshingly different characters. Marcus has his world turned upside down when he finds out he’s married to Hannah, but unlike many a historical romance hero, he doesn’t blame the heroine for the mess someone else created. That doesn’t mean he’s instantly taken with Hannah, either. For her part, Hannah is a widow with a young child who took David up on his offer of a marriage of convenience in order to secure her daughter’s future so that she would never be caught in a situation like Hannah’s. And though Hannah is horrified to learn she’s been played, her spine of steel and common sense enable her to stand up to her cold, aristocratic husband. Though there’s a simmering attraction between them, neither Hannah nor Marcus give in to it. Instead, though they do their best to avoid one another, they slowly begin to learn more about one another. It’s interesting to see Hannah and Marcus peel back the layers of each other’s characters. Hannah is nothing like the ladies of the ton, but she makes Marcus come alive, breaking through the layers of ice and humanizing him. What I liked best about What a Gentleman Wants is that there isn’t heavy drama. Both Marcus and Hannah act like adults, talk when things are wrong, and slowly, sweetly fall in love. It’s a wonderful change of pace from the norm and I absolutely adored their quiet romance.

A subplot involving a counterfeiting ring adds suspense to the tale, but what appealed to me most about this book were the characters. Marcus’s sister and stepmother endeared themselves to me immediately, and even the rapscallion David managed to win me over. Marcus and Hannah’s romance is the first book in the Reece Family trilogy and I cannot wait to see what author Caroline Linden has in store for David and Celia Reece!


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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