The Duke of Deception

Started with a lady named Aquilla. Need I say more? Just the fact that you name your main regency character something other than Charlotte, Elizabeth, or Jane immediately reels me in. Of course, like with so many romance novels, it starts with an incredibly contrived meeting. From there, it gets better, and we have a very adorable romance between a lady who wants to be an unmarried, independent woman and a marriage minded man. Add a gothic element of a duke with secret and you have a fun novel. Look forward to reading more from Ms. Burke.

This was my first read of Darcy Burke's work. What a wonderful read it was! Heartbreaking and exhilarating, romantic and sexy! It had everything I love in a period romance!

Aquilla has been throwing her potential courtships in the Ton of London by acting ditzy. After watching how her father and brother treat the women in their lives, she wants nothing to do with marriage. She didn't think she'd catch the eye of Edward Bishop. The Earl she end her friends named The Duke of Deception, due to the fact he courts women and lets them loose right when they expect a proposal. The two are thrown together and help each other out of their binds. Their attraction and chemistry leap off the pages. I love how protective Edward is. I was shocked when I learned more of Aquilla how much she was hiding especially her intelligence in the previous stories.\ Once again, Darcy Burke swept me away in this wonderful story she wove in her Regency romance! I highly recommend checking out the Duke of Deception and the rest of the Untouchables Series.

I won this book in a contest and am writing a fair and honest review. Although this book is the third in a series, it is definitely a stand alone story. Miss Aquilla Knox is trying to avoid marriage because of the abuse she sees her mother suffer. Edward Bishop, Earl of Sutton, is actively seeking a wife but has to choose wisely to conceal a family secret. A chance meeting in the rain leads to Aquilla and Ned meeting. They begin spending time together but when Aquilla's abusive father deems she is to marry another, Ned proposes because Aquilla is perfect for his family. They both have their secrets that may destroy the love they feel for each other. This is a truly engaging story that will keep you engrossed until the very end.

The Duke of Deception was an interesting read. Aquilla Knox is an intelligent girl who is too smart to get caught in the marriage trap. Behind her scatterbrained facade, she hides the pain and fear of a shameful family secret. She's close to the freedom she desperately desires when her domineering father makes a decision regarding her future that she cannot abide. Fortunately for her, a chance meeting with Edward Bishop, Earl of Sutton, provides an acceptable solution with a possible escape. Though her wallflower friends dubbed him the Duke of Deception, the moniker is closer to the truth than they realize. He is in search of a bride who will be discreet and accepting of a family secret. Will Aquilla and Edward admit that they are perfect for each other? Or will they let their past and secrets tear them apart? I have loved the Untouchables thus far. This book is no exception. It does touch on some topics that many historical romances do not discuss, but this is what makes this story unique. Darcy Burke handles the topics well and narrates a compelling story. I look forward with what surprises she has in store for The Duke of Desire. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

The Duke of Deception A wonderfully written book filled with passion, love, dedication, compassion, and deceptions. These characters jump off the pages and you just can not help but fall in love with them. Aquilla is going through another seasons to find a husband even though she does not intend to marry. She has her families marriages as examples and she is not interested. On a chance encounter she meets The duke of Deception and he helps her from an embarrassing situation. Edward Bishop, The ninth Earl of Sutton also known as the Duke of Deception for the way he courts young ladies. The deception he is doing no one can ever find out because he needs to protect the ones he loves. Ned helps Aquilla from an embarrassing situation and finds her intriguing. As Ned spends more time with Aquilla the more he thinks she might be what he is looking for in a wife. When his secret puts a strain between himself and Aquilla can he choose between her and his deception? I received an ARC from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I was provided a free copy of this book by Net Galley for a fair and honest review. I enjoyed this well-written book and liked the twist of the hero's secret. I actually would have liked more development along those lines toward the end of the book (I cannot say more without divulging the secrets). Nevertheless, I think Regency lovers will like this offering.

London - 1816 Edward (Ned) Bishop, ninth Earl of Sutton, is working with his aunt, Mrs. Susannah Greville, in a test of sorts to find the perfect young lady suitable for Ned to marry and make her the next Countess of Sutton. Currently, Miss Forth-Hodges is leading even though her impatience occasionally shows through her demeanor. Having just danced with the young lady, Ned is preparing to leave for his club when a young woman who has been caught in the rain on the balcony, whispers to him to open a door further along the balcony. She says she has torn her dress and does not want anyone to see it. Now, they are alone in their host’s office as she warms herself before the fire. She introduces herself as Miss Aquilla Knox. Of course, she knows who he is. Doesn’t everyone? He thinks her ploy is just a ruse to put he two of them in a room alone together. As they talk, she confesses that she and her friends call him the Duke of Deception. It appears that while he is not a Duke, he is someone who courts women then discards them if they do not measure up to his standards of a wife. Taken aback by her name for him, he realizes the people with whom she is connected makes her quite eligible to be considered as a possible woman he could court. As they chat, he finds she doesn’t think she will marry. Ned feels that she is just expressing a low opinion of herself. The next day, Ned heads to his home, Sutton Park outside London, to check on his brother, George, who suffers from mental instability. Ned loves his brother who became ill some years back. His parents had put him in a mental hospital but Ned was finally able to get his out and bring him home after his parents passed away. Sadly, during his time in the hospital, he was badly mistreated which has worsened his symptoms. George requires constant supervision and Ned is searching for a wife who would be able to accept George in their lives and to give Ned an heir. On his journey, he can’t stop thinking about Miss Aquilla Knox. Lord and Lady Satterfield, Aquilla’s sponsors, have been so kind in presenting her for the Season. However, after five years and no marriage offers, Aquilla is quite happy because she simply does not want to get married. Even her two best friends don’t know the truth. Having witnessed her parents’ miserable marriage, she wants no part of it for herself. As Aquilla and Ned meet at soirees, he realizes she is quite intriguing even though she tries to hide her true personality to throw him off. He soon realizes she is the one for him. However, her evil father is determined to marry her off to another man in exchange for a plot of land. Is there some way, Aquilla and Ned can open up to one another and share the truth about their backgrounds and their fears in life? This is an interesting story. I enjoyed the first part of the book but the plot seemed to drag somewhat as it went along. However, I’m sure readers will enjoy this book. Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley and the blog, Author’s Pal, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I loved The Duke of Deception by Darcy Burke! It is the third book in her The Untouchables series and in my opinion they get better with each new book. Ned is Edward Bishop the ninth Earl of Sutton and for everyone looking, he looks like he goes in to relationships with women with only deception in mind, but that is far from the truth. He has a family secret that he must keep hidden and that includes the woman that he plans to court until he knows he can fully trust her. The whole charade is getting tedious and he longs for the time when he can finally stop with all of these games. Aquilla Knox is in London for her fifth season and while she's going through the motions the furthest thing from her mind is finding a husband. Aquilla doesn't want to marry or have anything to do with marriage since she discovered the horrific secret involving her parents' and brother's marriage three years ago. Ned and Aquilla soon develop a friendship that might become something more and circumstances push them together sooner than they wanted, but they soon realize that their attraction for one another is quite promising in making their marriage grow. I was given an ARC from the author/publisher. All conclusions are mine and mine alone.

The Duke of Deception by Darcy Burke.....Another great book in this series, Darcy Burke's writing style makes you feel like you are in the story. I really enjoyed the storyline and characters. I loved watching the story unfold between Ned and Aquilla. I am pretty new to historical romance and Darcy Burke has made me love these books. I highly recommend this book. I voluntarily reviewed an advance readers copy of this book.

'The Duke of Deception' by Darcy Burke is the third book in "The Untouchables" series. I have read and loved all the book in this series but I do feel this can be a standalone book. This is the story of Miss Aquilla Knox and Edward Bishop, Earl of Sutton. This might just be my favorite book in the series. Ned & Aquilla both have things that have happened in their lives that make them who they are today...and what they both are trying to to. Ned does want to get married but is finding the wife he needs is not so easy when he puts them to the test. Aquilla doesn't want to be married due to her history and thinks this can be the last time she has to go through 'The Marriage Mart'. But things end up changing for both of them...and they find that maybe their is someone for them. "My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."

Two people. Two secrets. Both desperately trying to keep their own secret hidden. Can a relationship work with these secrets between them? Edward Bishop’s, Earl of Sutton, life is built on a secret; a secret that he must learn to share when he takes a wife; which makes his wife hunt a carefully planned hunt. The stages of this hunt have him courting young women but they all have ultimately failed at some stage where Edward dumps them, earning him a reputation as a deceiver. Until he meets the one woman who may be his ideal wife. As per his usual plan he sets about the stages of getting to know this woman when circumstances change and he needs to speed things along will he make the worst mistake of his life or will it be the best thing that ever happened? Miss Aquilla Knox is a fraud. After several seasons she has decided she’d rather remain a spinster; of course her family situation plays a huge part in that decision. Both these facts she has kept hidden even from her closest friends. When an unfortunate encounter brings her into the sight of The Duke of Deception will her ruse of running suitors off work on him? Or, even knowing that men are not what they present, will she fall under his spell? Can she overlook the atmosphere of her upbringing and learn to trust? A heartbreaking tale, written by the very talented Darcy Burke, of two people who have to basically make their own way while harboring secrets. One whose secret could destroy everything he’s worked to accomplish and one who is ashamed of hers. Ms. Burke’s tale had my heartbreaking for both Edward (for the heart wrenching secret he’s had to carry for most of his life) and Aquilla (for the hard lessons she’s learned and how it has shaped her outlook on love). This story is one of those that will stick with you long after you have finished reading.

With a stroke of the pen Darcy Burke sets the stage for an intricate tale of duplicity. Everyone has an agenda, the lure of the story is figuring them out. Aquilla is her own woman, or so she hopes to be. Wanting a chance to be more than someone's wife or mother, she sets in motion plans that will forever ruin her chances at finding a suitable match. Too bad doing so is proving more complicated than she thought. Aquilla has more personality than previous heroines I have come across in historical romances. She tries to hide her true self but has trouble extinguishing the spark. Complex characters are what I live for, so the contradictions that Edward and Aquilla presented made for an intriguing past time. Duke of Deception reads like a puzzle waiting to be solved. The pieces are all there waiting to reveal the big picture. You just have to know how to put them together.

Another fantastic read in The Untouchables series! In the first two books The Forbidden Duke and The Duke of Daring, I was happy to read a Regency Era Romance where the heroine wasn’t a vapid woman, constantly falling in and out of love with the same man. And Darcy Burke has written yet another romance without an insipid heroine. When Aquilla first meets Edward, she is very frank with him, and even tells him that she and her friends call him the Duke of Deception. While this make him a little leary, since he really does have a big secret he is hiding, he also finds her refreshing and intriguing. While Aquilla also enjoyed the exchange, she doesn’t want to get married because of the horrible relationship her parents have, so she puts Edward out of her mind. But they keep running into each other. Although their courtship is very brief, and Aquilla had not wanted to get married, she readily accepts her new life, including his love for her, and sex for the first time. This is one of the reasons I really enjoy this series. There is no constant wishy-washy, does he love me/do I love him, that can get very tedious if played out too long. As I have come to expect from Burke’s books, the sex scenes are very hot. And their first time together was very sweet, with a wonderful touch of humor. As for the secret that Edward is keeping, it’s a good one, that I don’t want to spoil here. But I will say that it shows a part of Regency life that was very real, and that I haven’t often seen in other romance books. I highly recommend this one, and while it can be read as a stand alone, you really should start with the first book since the same characters appear across the books. And make sure to check out Burke’s other series; Secrets and Scandals, The Ribbon Ridge Series, and the shoot off of that series, Love on the Vine.

I can't wait for the next book in the series.