Anything But a Duke

Our Review

ANYTHING BUT A DUKE by Christy Carlyle is the second book in The Duke’s Den series.

Raised as an orphan, Aiden Iverson has managed to rise up from poverty to extreme wealth. He left a sister in the orphanage when he ran away. His search for her and their birth parents is a mystery throughout the story.

Aiden often backs entrepreneurs. He finds that money can’t buy respect from the ton. He belongs to the Duke’s Den men’s club, and through his friends from the club he decides to resort to pursuing an aristocrat for marriage. Thus gaining respect and acceptance into society.

Lady Diana Ashby is an inventor. She has a brilliant mind. Because of the time period she is not taken seriously and has no one to back her inventions. She enters a contest and her demonstration fails. One of the judges, Aiden, offers her the opportunity to fix her invention and bring it to his office.

When they meet up, he strikes a deal with Diana. He will back her invention and help find a buyer for it. In return, she will help him find the perfect lady to marry. She agrees as long as it isn’t her. She wants nothing to do with marriage as it will distract from her work as an inventor.

Diana and Aidan start the hunt to find him an aristocratic match. And Aidan finds a buyer for her invention, an early model prototype vacuum cleaner.

Along the way they fall in love, with some extremely heated scenes. There are many chuckles in this story. Some of the gadgets Diana invents are useful and some are not. This makes the story more interesting. The dialogue is witty and refreshing.

I enjoyed this friendship to romance story. It starts off with a dramatic rescue, then a bargain, ending with acceptance and love.

I would recommend this book for a refreshing take on a Regency novel.