ARC Review of Can't Get Enough of the Duke by Lenora Bell
Rating: 3.75/5 Heat Level: 3.75/5 Pub Date: April 7th
Premise:
Deckard , Duke of Warburton, made a battlefield promise to a fellow soldier that he would take care of his daughter after he died... except it takes him several years to track her down, and now she's 18, about to be trafficked into prostitution, has dreams of being an author, and does not want to be his ward.
My review:
This is my first Lenora Bell book and I was charmed by this *forbidden* age-gap romance between this STERN scarred duke and his adorably fiery ward. This is very much a ballroom historical in sensibilities, despite the darker plot aspects that only seem to linger on the fringes.
Y'all, Analise is an old-timey romantasy author, and I'm 99% sure we read the rest of her novel, there would be dragonfucking (said dragon who begins to behave a lot... like the duke). Which is great! Her sense of whimsy and adventure are the perfect foil for the gruff, grumpy Dex, wants to bring her out into society and marry her off with a generous dowry because he feels guilty for not saving her from her terrible circumstances sooner. Meanwhile, Ana would rather sneak into gentlemen's clubs and ask for kissing lessons.... for writing purposes, of course. Nothing else! Never mind Dex's biiiiig JACKED bod and thiiiiick thighs.......
I thought the story really shined when it was focused on the push and pull between Dex and Ana. My issue with the rest of the sideplots is that none of them.... seem to go as hard as they should, or there wasn't as much focus as there should have been, minus Ana's persistent efforts to write her novels, and a publisher's attempts to thwart her. There is a very real threat from the brothel madam who Dex rescues Ana from, but that is pushed aside for most of the story in favor of society shenanigans and Dex's *tragic backstory* which also feels fairly low-stakes.
The sex:
Dex definitely has some daddy dom vibes— he's very into praise, very into correction, some bondage, and he also edges Ana over the course of several days by not... sticking it in her even after they're married. I also can confirm there is an excellent "it ain't much but it's honest work" handie. Ana is equally down-bad, ready and WILLING, despite Dex's attempts to keep distance between them.
Thank you to Avon for the advanced copy.
