The Duke Who Ravished Me

by Diana Quincy

[chymerra]

I had looked forward to reading The Duke Who Ravished Me. I had become enamored with Sunny when he first showed up in A License to Wed. My infatuation with him grew in From London with Love. He was the definition of a rake. The glimpses of his lifestyle that I got in both books intrigued me. So, yes, I was excited when I saw that The Duke Who Ravished Me was about Sunny.

I liked that Sunny had a very untraditional lifestyle. The first paragraph of the book was him and two opera singers having a threesome. That set the tone for the entire book. But, as the book went on, the reasons why he was acting the way he acted came out. I actually felt bad for him. That was his way of saying “Eff you” to his father’s ridiculous standards.

Speaking of Sunny’s parties, there was a scene where Isabel goes to Sunny’s playroom to find him and she ends up seeing a man in assless chaps. I didn’t fault her for her shock. If I walked into an orgy type situation and saw that, I would have had the same reaction. And the swing. Again, another situation that was funny. I was as skeeved out as Isabel was when one of the twins got on it and started swinging on it. It wasn’t that type of swing. I laughed so hard that I had tears both times.

I liked Isabel but I thought she was uptight at first. But, considering Sunny’s reputation, I don’t blame her for being wary of the girls living with him. He was living a morally corrupt lifestyle and she was afraid that the girls would accidentally stumble upon it. I like that even though she was a lower class than him, she wasn’t afraid to let him know what he was doing wrong. She dressed him down for his lifestyle, for his playroom, and for his reluctance to be the girls’ guardian.

I didn’t see any chemistry until Sunny took the Isabel and the girls’ swimming. Up until that, he was intrigued by Isabel. She was the one female that didn’t’ fall for his charms. After that swim, the chemistry between them was strong. I was glad when the author decided to amp things up. I was beginning to think that this romance was going to be one that had no zing to it.

When Sunny and Isabel had sex, it was through the roof hot. I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did. But I was wrong. They burned up the sheets and my Kindle. What I loved was that the author kept that sizzle going so when they had sex again, it was as good as the first time.

I loved reading Sunny’s growth as a person during the book. He learned to care about things other than his carnal pleasures. He learned that true beauty resides underneath the skin. He learned that he was not his father and he will never be his father. That he was better than him. It was wonderful to read that.

I was not expecting the book to go in the direction it did at the end of the book. While I was not surprised at the trial, I was surprised at who was there and the huge secret that was disclosed. The author did a fantastic job of keeping that under wraps. I did not believe it when that secret was revealed. I had to reread the entire chapter in order for it to sink in. The only fault I had was how it was accepted by the two people who it affected the most. Other than that, I enjoyed the ending and the huge secret revealed.

What I liked about The Duke Who Ravished Me:

A) Sunny. Bad boy to the extreme

B) Isabel’s devotion to the girls

C) Sunny’s growth during the book

What I disliked about The Duke Who Ravished Me:

A) No chemistry between Sunny and Isabel until later in the book

B) Sunny’s refusal to grow up until later on in the book

C) The secret that was revealed at the end of the book and how two of the characters dealt with it.

I would give The Duke Who Ravished Me an Adult rating. There are explicit sex and sexual situations. There is some mild violence. There is no language.

There are no trigger warnings in The Duke Who Ravished Me.

I would reread The Duke Who Ravished Me. I would recommend it to family and friends.

I would like to thank Loveswept, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Duke Who Ravished Me.

All opinions stated in this review of The Duke Who Ravished Me are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**