My Dangerous Duke (Inferno Club Series #2)

Total enjoyment from the first word to the last - must read for everyone!

Loneliness is a strange bedfellow and has so many degrees to its nature. It can make you feel unwanted even in a crowded room or untrusting of your best friend. But the worst part of loneliness is trying to break free of the fear it causes and all the second guessing of every decision you make.

Kate Madsen knows about being alone as she was shielded in a small cottage away from society by her guardian who cared for her after her parent's death. She enjoyed a nice cup of tea and her beloved books but often wondered what was going on outside her little piece of earth. Rohan Kilburn, The Duke of Warrington and ruler of Kilburn Castle also knew about being lonely as he was trained to be a top assassin in the secretive army of The Inferno Club and deal with an enemy so cunning and ruthless that world domination was a reasonable goal to this ancient organization. But the night Kate is delivered to him as a gift the world stopped being lonely and started being chaotic and out of control something Rohan did not think he wanted but suddenly craved and ancient curses and evil empires seemed less important than having this beautiful woman in his arms.

However, Kate is not the trollop that Rohan has been led to believe; she is a naïve, and studious woman, who was kidnapped, drugged and dumped on Rohan without her consent. As these facts start to unfold Rohan begins to believe she may be a spy sent by his enemies to destroy the righteous cause he protects and when he learns that she is in fact a direct descendent of the society that has cursed his family, everything comes to a crashing head. But in reality Kate knows nothing of her past and learns that Rohan does know quite a bit and is keeping secrets from her. Slowly over time Rohan learns to trust in what Kate say and understand her innocence then begins to tell her about her bloodline and where everything began with their individual families. Kate realizes he is not a beast but a lovely man in need of someone to love him and she is the one to take on this cause.

When both Rohan and Kate discover that the dead have come back from the grave and that Kate is in danger they become a united front to battle the demons that chase them both and discover critical information to unlock any number of curses is in one of Kate's beloved books and this books holds the key to taking down the enemy. The adventure these two take would make Indiana Jones cry with envy as they go deep into the bowels of the enemy's domain and come out realizing that together they are everything and apart they are empty shells.

I am a shameless fan of Gaelen Foley and every word she writes is magic and I can never use enough adjectives to describe how fascinating the characters are, spell binding the story and heart melting the romance. This book shows again what a great writer can produce and no one will be disappointed with the read or able to stop reading once you start. This is the 2nd book in the series and while you do not have to read the 1st book seriously why would you not want to?

Reviewed by Mary Gramlich (www.marygramlich.com) "The Reading Reviewer

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

enjoyable historical

In 1816 Cornwell, the smugglers drug Kate Madsen so they can abduct her and hand her over to the Duke of Warrington, known as the Beast; in order to appease his wrath. Kate refuses to cooperate with either the kidnappers of the beast.

Believing he is cursed just like all his family males, Rohan Kilburn works for the Crown as an assassin. He conceals his activity by being a card carrying member of the Inferno Club, just like the other so called wastrels who belong. He returns to his family castle in Cornwall where he is known as the Beast and where allegedly the ghosts of the murdered wives of his cursed ancestors linger. His job is to end the smuggling, but even he is taken aback when the latest stolen merchandise is kissable Kate. She may end the curse and he may help her understand her heritage as they fall in love, but he fears he will have to kill his beloved as he thinks she may be an enemy agent instead of a "gift". However, neither is aware someone evil waits their entering a deadly maze.

The second Inferno Club Regency romance us enjoyable historical filled with action starting with the kidnapping of the heroine for several weeks and never slowing down especially once the smugglers present beauty to the beast. Fully engrossing with plenty of action, readers will enjoy the adventures of Rohan and Kate as he falls in love with his "gift" and his "gift" falls in love with him.

Harriet Klausner

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Outstanding Regency Romantic Adventure!

Historical romance fans will delight in the Gaelen Foley's next thrilling Regency, MY DANGEROUS DUKE, Book II in her Inferno Club series for Avon (July 2010). In 1816 Cornwall England, Rohan Kilburn, the Duke of Warrington has finally returned to his family's ancestral castle to take care of his troublesome smuggler tenants. His cold Gothic castle is reportedly haunted by the ghosts of the past duke's wives, who have been murdered by their husbands! Rohan is affiliated with the infamous Inferno Club whose members are known as notorious rakes of the ton. However, Rohan is really the expert assassin for the club that protects not only England but Europe from the power hungry, occult driven Promethean Council. Upon Rohan's return home his head tenant gifts him for his pleasure with the beautiful but drunk, Kate Madsen in hopes of showing mercy for their smuggling. Kate, who is not drunk but drugged by the smugglers, is sent directly to Rohan's bed chamber and promptly falls asleep. When Rohan, whose reputation is known as "the Beast" goes to seduce her he decides to wait until she's fully awake. The following day the virginal, bookish Kate tries to escape. However, Rohan runs after her and saves her life. Rohan and Kate have a frank discussion over dinner and when he discovers she was kidnapped and held captive for weeks he vows to punish those responsible. He also realizes that her family background of an aristocratic French mother and sea captain father is not all that it seems and she could very well be the daughter of a sworn enemy in the Promethean Council and wonders if Kate is really one of them. Trying to unmask her true motives, he makes an indecent proposal offering her his protection. But does she dare accept? And what will she do when she finds out Rohan is a skilled killer for the Inferno Club and will they triumph over the evil Promethean Council? In MY DANGEROUS DUKE Gaelen Foley is at the top of her game with this outstanding Regency romantic adventure offering readers a complex intriguing plot, rich historical details and her own uniquely passionate "Beauty and the Beast" tale!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fun, Satisfying Read

The Inferno Club series is really enjoyable. I especially liked this entry and Kate, its heroine. A truly fun, light read.

So Disappointed

Okay, so here it goes. Let me preface this entire review with the fact that I have been following Gaelen Foley since I was a teenager (I'm 22 now) and she has been my FAVORITE Historial Romance novelist EVER, so it paaaains me to say this. Her writing has become stilted and hackney. When I first started reading G.F. her stuff was so original. The characters were deep, the plot was exciting, the imagery was amazing and it was so new and beautiful. I was seriously taken away. It was unlike any of the other stuff I had ever read. Her Ascension Trilogy. Wow. The Knight Miscellany. Amazing. But I started to notice towards the end of the Miscellany that she seemed to be grasping at straws. I read through the Spice Trilogy and said "Well, perhaps she's going in a new direction." I loved her so much I just COULDN'T bring myself to say that it was losing the nuance and vigor it once had. I was so disappointed with the last Night Miscellany book I was pretty beside myself. This Inferno series could be so much more than it is. Let's just be real, it's disappointing. You can't read the Ascension Trilogy and the first 4-5 books of the Knight Miscellany and be happy with any of these. Those characters had STORIES, they had STRUGGLES, they had HEART. These books' characters are just one interchangeable character with another. There is so much missing from this entire book that, honestly, I just couldn't finish it. I'm about 50 pages from the end and I'm like "BLEHHH." I love the adventurous stuff; make it MORE Indiana Jones if you WOULD. I'd love that! I mean, we can't say "The F word just doesn't belong here" and "It just seemed TOO adventurous for my taste." We have to be real, we're ladies reading HISTORICAL ROMANCE NOVELS. Seriously. None of these books display real romance in the correct light anyway because none of us are going to go off and find ourselves dukes to marry who happen to be spies. These are entertainment. I miss the old Gaelen Foley. I miss her stories and her groundbreaking characters, her nuances and her love scenes, because we all know that's why we read these things. Where's the fire? Where's the passion? Where's the VIGOR? I'm willing to stick it out if she's going in a different direction, but it seems to me she's become too comfortable with being a writer and is perhaps consumed with popping out a new book rather than making sure that it is immaculate. I realize there is research involved in these things and time and money and emotions, but no one wants to read novels where they are just one interchangeable character after another! Each of these women are strong, yet not too strong. They're dainty, but not too dainty. They're beautiful, but not too beautiful. They're the same and it's boring. Each of us here are entirely different people and I want to see that in a novel. I want to recognize people by their differences and say "That is who that person is and I can tell you what she's about. I can picture her in my head and I can distinguish her from others." The same with the men. Make them about more. Make them more than mystery and glistening abs. Give them a purpose. Give them a strength. Give them a backstory. Give them weakness. Give them weakness other than "I'll never love again because I lost someone and I don't know how to love." Give us a story that's not about: This man sews his seeds, but she'll teach him how to LOVE BY GOLLY. I miss the old Gaelen

A Solid read, but not ground breaking.

My Dangerous Duke is the second book in Gaelen Foley's Inferno Club series. Kate Madsen is abducted from her home by a band of thieves and offered up to Rohan Kilburn as a gift. Rohan is known by most as "The Beast". Those who look upon his ferocious countenance fear his wrath. Kate is taken to his estate, drugged and against her will as a peace offering of sorts. Fortunately for Kate, Rohan might be a Beast, but he also is intelligent and easily realizes that Kate is much more complicated than she seems. Her mysterious origins, once discovered, lead Rohan to make a tough decision when it comes to their future.

I have always enjoyed Gaelen Foley's writing. One of my favorite historical romance books is The Duke which was written about ten years ago. I read the first book in this series and I wasn't too crazy about it. However, I enjoyed My Dangerous Duke more than I did My Wicked Marquess. First of all, I enjoyed the setting and characters. The book sets a very gothic feel to the mood by residing in the gloomy winter time off the cliffs of Cornwall. Kate is taken to a dark and dismal castle complete with dungeons. Rohan is a Beast of a man with a surly disposition and plenty of scars, both mental and physical.

I wouldn't necessarily say My Dangerous Duke is breaking any new ground with this story. Yet, I found the characters enjoyable and the writing entertaining and fast paced. There were a few times I was annoyed with Rohan and his tendency to jump to conclusions where Kate was concerned. Fortunately, he quickly comes to his senses and realizes Kate is not hiding anything from him. What you see is what you get with Kate. She really is a sweet and likable heroine. I also enjoyed how Kate and Rohan work together at the end of the book to solve the mystery pertaining to Kate's heritage. I found My Dangerous Duke to be a fine historical romance, one certainly worth giving a try if you haven't ever tried Ms. Foley before.

Too Vulgar for an historical romance

I had a really hard time with the use of the "F' word in an historical romance. It seems so out of place. The story line was very typical and I would have been alright with that because I do enjoy a humorous historical romance when I'm in the mood for light reading, but this one was too vulgar. Took away from the romance. The charachters lacked depth. I enjoyed Foley's books in the past. I really hope this isn't going to be the norm for her.

This book is so great once again

Outsatnading Mrs Foley has did it again. I dont really say what the book is about but this one part is so funny I was in tears just laughing over it. Rohan is up in his bedchamber with kate and when he undresses and go th the bed and starts kissing her and she smile on everything he is doing and then when he says he is going to take off his pants and when he turns around to her this what happens but first he thinks she is a drunk from the start when he saw her down stairs. ok he turns and walks over to the bed and looks down at her and her eyes are closed he tried to wake her but he could not. So this is what he said this is funny so much for his personal charms and he is a rake lol and then he thinks she is still 3 sheets to the wind, but he dose not know that the smugglers drug her and she is out like a light again.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

It's a hit and a miss all in one book

Kate Marsden is a heroine who has been secreted away in the English countryside and has grown up secluded from the world around her but surrounded by her beloved books. She lives a solitary and self sufficient life. That is until she was kidnapped by dangerous men who believe her to be someone else.someone worthy of holding for ransom.

Rohan Kilburn descends from a long line of fierce warriors who have sworn to protect against the evil Prometheans whose goal is power and world domination. He is an assassin and has spent his entire adult life ruthlessly killing his enemies and fulfilling what he believes is his destiny. And while he loves women he feels that his soul is too black to be worthy of love.throw in a family curse that dooms any woman he might come to love and Rohan has resigned himself never to love or be loved. He's a brooding, brutal beast of a man. Yet at his core he is honorable with a heart of gold.

Unlike My Wicked Marquess, which I felt focused too much on the setup of the series to the detriment of the love story, My Dangerous Duke spends a large portion of the story on the hero and the heroine and their unlikely pairing. In fact the moments when this story was at its best was when it focused on Kate and Rohan's discovery of each other. From the very first page I was captivated by who these two characters were, what their motivations were, and their personal histories. And it kept getting better.that is until the conclusion. Unfortunately, towards the end of the book I felt that the story was carried away by an Indiana Jones/National Treasure type of adventure that seemed too fantastical to be believable. It's not that is was poorly written, it just seemed too over the top to suspend belief even for a fiction novel.

There's quite a bit of the book that I don't want to divulge in the review because it would reveal important parts of the plot that should be left to the enjoyment of the reader to discover, but I can say that instead of the adventure we were given at the end I wished that there would have been more of the meaningful moments between Rohan and Kate because that is where the brilliance of this story was for me. I also wanted more of the story to focus on the superstitions surrounding the castle and the Rohan's curse, especially since Kate is an avid reader of the Gothic novels that were so popular in this time period. This was briefly touched upon, but I would have liked it to have been explored further. I wished that the battle between good and evil in this story would have been more personal, especially considering Kate's ancestry and Rohan's role in the Inferno Club (for Rohan to fight an actual person to protect his love instead of a legend).

The first half of the book reminded me of what I loved about Gaelen Foley's earlier novels (which I absolutely love), the last part of the book unfortunately distracted from that. Regrettably, since the adventure is at the end of the book it is what leaves you with a lasting impression.



Ratings:


Overall: 3.50 stars (The majority of the book where we are gifted with the story of Kate and Rohan I would give 4.0 stars, the last half consisting of the adventure I would give 2.5 stars...which leaves me with a book that receives 3.5 stars. Since more of the book focuses on the story that I liked, I think it deserves a better rating than just an average between the two)

Sensuality level: 2.5 (pretty much what you would e

Better than the 1st book

Definitely more exciting that the first book. Quite enjoyed the characters and the plot of this book ... more actions. My only critic is that the love scenes do need a little improvement, like the first book I loose the excitement with the writer's over descriptiveness and the scenes being interrupted with too much outside thoughts by the characters.

But all in all was good. I will read the next in the series.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.