The Worst Duke in the World by Lisa Berne | ARC Review

Series: The Penhallow Dynasty, #5
Tropes & Traits: single father; titled hero; slow burn
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; Somerset County, England, 1817
Publication Date: 01.12.20
Heat Level: 1
Rating: 3/5

Anthony Farr, the Duke of Radcliffe, is well aware of the duties that come along with the title he was never meant to inherit. He has a son already but is under immense pressure since his wife’s death to remarry and produce a spare. His meddlesome sister persists in inviting various unwed misses to his country home, but all Anthony wants is to be a good father to his son and never marry again, even if that makes him a terrible duke.

A lost relation of the esteemed Penhallow family, Jane Kent arrives in the neighborhood and her new family sets about preparing her for society. She befriends the duke’s son during their shared mathematics lessons and soon has Anthony charmed as well. But no matter that he enjoys Jane’s company and finds her desirable, Anthony refuses to go back on his word to himself that he’d never again be bound by marriage, even if his heart wants something more.

This was a sweet story with some lovely, light-hearted humor and I enjoyed the descriptions of the simple sensuality to be found in minor contact with another human. Unfortunately, it really didn’t hold my attention and I couldn’t get through much of it in one sitting. I appreciate a low angst story with a good beta hero, but while Anthony’s shyness was charming, his refusal to stand up for himself, his son, or Jane against his hateful sister was frustrating and just made him seem weak. Of course, Anthony eventually came into his own but even then, it took so long for him and Jane to come together that I lost interest all over again. I did find Mrs. Penhallow’s disdain for Anthony to be a bit far-fetched since his title, no matter how ill-suited he was to it, put him miles above Jane in social standing and he had done nothing to deserve such censure. The lightness of this story and the humor was nice but the pace was too slow to keep me interested and both main characters were too immature to compel me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3399297232

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