The Devil Duke (The Demon Duchess Series, #1)

by Tessa Bowen

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

Devil Duke by Tessa Bowen is the first book in the Demon Duchess series.  I had fun reading this title. There was many laugh aloud moments. Despite, the story was not without its issues. I will share issues, however, before I go there I will share what I liked about the book.

What I Like

Story

I am a fan of Cinderella type stories, so Devil Duke was right up my alley. The trope may be common, but the story itself was refreshing.  It involved a business marriage between a commoner and a Duke. The aim was to clean up the Duke’s image for the public eye and to preserve his daughter’s impression of him.

You are probably wondering what is wrong with his image. Well, for starters monogamy was not a word you would associate with him. He loves women and was not afraid to show it, hence the need to clean up his image.


Characters

Trevor is known as the devil duke, because of his habit of not sticking to one woman.  Initially, he appeared snobbish, obnoxious and arrogant. I was prepared to dislike him, however, by the end of the story, my feelings towards him changed. Despite living a privileged life, he had no clue what love felt like. Learning of his past allowed me to understand why he behaved in such a fashion. However, beneath that facade laid a generous and caring heart.


Izzy is not one would consider royalty material, however when she fainted in the arms of the devil she became the darling of Britain. This made her a likely candidate to become the future wife of the Devil Duke.


Izzy proved to be a real spitfire. I loved how she stood up to the Duke on their second encounter. That scene had me laughing so hard I teared up. The Devil Duke never knew what hit him. She brought chaos to his life, but in a good way. 


She grew up in a foster home and had to learn from an early age the meaning of survival.


I loved how she did not allow the glitz and glamour of royal life sway her. She remained true to herself. She is one of those characters you cannot help but fall in love with. She won everyone over with her effervescence.


Romance

I loved Izzy and Trevor together. They were exactly what each other needed. She brought out his protective side and made him laugh. There were several times, however, where her actions drove him crazy to the point of anger. Those scenes were the ones that had me laughing aloud. OMG, it was so funny.


What I did not like

I enjoyed the dialogue, but I was not thrilled with the usage of few phrases by Izzy. I believed it was over the top. Every time she speaks the word frigging, weirdo pervert and spazz is mentioned. I know she is young (20 years old) but it was definitely too much. I cringed every time she spoke; because I knew those words were not far behind.



Conclusion/Recommendation

Overall, Devil Duke was a fun read, which kept me entertained from start to finish.