The Duke

The Duke is, in all honesty, one of the best books I have read in quite some time. It contained many swoon-worthy moments, making it a truly romantic read, yet it also had enough angst and complexity to keep me on the edge of my seat, wondering how the author would pull off a happily-ever-after ending. I found the use of a courtesan, albeit a relatively innocent one, as the heroine, to be a rather unique element. I would not normally think of a "fallen woman" as heroine material, but in this case it worked for me because of the extenuating circumstances surrounding her choice of profession. I also found the details within the story about the lives of courtesans to be very interesting. I could appreciate the author's highlighting of the show more limited choices for women in that era, and it really made me think about what circumstances might lead a woman to make that kind of choice. I was quite impressed with the way Ms. Foley was able to deftly weave a number of real-life individuals, including some courtesans, into the narrative as secondary characters. I thought this added a great deal of depth and interest to the story. There were also some details of British politics of that time, but unlike a couple of other stories I read recently where I found the political element to be extremely dull, here I felt that it really added to the story in a rather profound but nuanced way.

In The Duke, Gaelen Foley has created a hero and heroine who were, in my opinion, both likable and memorable. I thought that Belinda was an incredibly strong, brave and courageous woman. Even though she had been victimized, she never allowed herself to be a victim, instead boldly facing those who had caused her harm, and in one case even showing compassion and forgiveness. Bel was a woman who had a tender heart and a deep sense of honor. Even when faced with becoming a courtesan as a matter of survival, she tried to maintain her dignity by upholding a certain moral code which I found admirable. I also loved that she would not bend that code even though it meant giving up the most important thing in her life, and ultimately, it was her resolve on this matter that led to Bel finally earning the respect that she so richly deserved. Robert was a kind, gentle and patient man with the heart of a romantic, yet he became Bel's protector not only in word but in deed as well. In fact, the level of fierceness that he reached to ensure Bel's protection, was rather surprising for this previously controlled and mild-mannered man. Robert was a man who was torn between love and duty, and as such, he could sometimes be a bit hard-headed. It was nice to see him grow and change, eventually breaking out of the mold he had been placed in by his father and the ton, allowing himself the freedom to experience his heart's desire. I absolutely loved the interactions between Robert and Bel. Their relationship was just thoroughly beautiful with each of them giving very generously, unselfishly, and in equal measure to one another, creating some very lovely and sensuous love scenes. I don't think I could have asked for a much more romantic and well-matched couple.

All in all, Gaelen Foley has an amazing writing style which contains so many wonderful nuances that make the reader feel as though they are actually experiencing the story as it happens. There were places in the narrative where I felt like she was holding something back, but after careful consideration, I think that it may have been intentional. I'm not precisely sure how Ms. Foley accomplished this, but as I read, I felt all the insecurity that I imagined Bel must have felt in her relationship with Robert, knowing that he was a duke and she a mere courtesan. There were times when I wasn't sure if I liked this, as I was expecting a grand and prefect romance, but I realized that it made me more aware of what a women in Bel's position might have really felt, making the story all the more realistic. Even though I wanted to be upset with Robert at times for his stubbornness and in one case, not seeing the obvious, I also understood his trepidation at the thought of further scandalizing his family name. When an author makes me think about and understand all the things that drive their characters to behave a certain way, I feel that they have done their job well.

I could not find much to truly criticize in this book, but one thing I thought could have been a bit stronger was the final reveal on the cause of Lucy's death. I felt that there was a bit too much justification surrounding it, and that it could have been written in such a way that this would not have been necessary. Overall though, it was a relatively minor part of the story that I was generally able to overlook. Also, the romantic in me would have liked Robert to come to his senses a little sooner or perhaps never have had to in the first place, but there were so many positive things that occurred during the time he and Bel were apart that I could hardly complain. Bel was able to regain her dignity and self-worth in full measure, while Robert was able to realize some very important things about Bel, as well as being able to reinvent himself and find freedom from his family's infamous legacy. As the end of the story approached, I was wondering how the author would redeem Robert's mistakes in a believable and forgivable way, but I needn't have worried. It ended with a grand romantic flourish and a two-for-one happily-ever-after that was absolutely breathtaking.

The Duke is the first book in the Knight Miscellany series. It briefly introduces Robert's brother Alec who becomes the hero of book #6, One Night of Sin, as well as their sister, Jacinda, and her companion, Lizzie, who become the heroines of book #4, Lady of Desire, and book #5, Devil Takes a Bride, respectively. Book #2, Lord of Fire, and book #3, Lord of Ice, feature twins, Lucien and Damien, respectively, as the heroes, and the final book #7, His Wicked Kiss has black sheep, Jack, as the hero. These three are also Robert's siblings and are mentioned by name in The Duke, but do not actually appear as secondary characters. I found The Duke to be a thoroughly engaging and romantic read that has earned a permanent place on my keeper shelf. It was the first book by Gaelen Foley that I have read, but certainly will not be my last. I am anxiously looking forward to reading the next book in the series as well as checking out her other works.

Note: As a warning to sensitive readers, there is an incidence of rape in the first chapter. It isn't particularly graphic, but it is emotionally intense. There is also an instance of rather brutal violence when Robert takes matters into his own hands to avenge Bel.

Update: After thoroughly enjoying a re-read of this book, I've decided to upgrade my rating to 5 stars. I wasn't as bothered by the denouement of the mystery element this time around, and I was more clearly able to see how the conflicts and what I perceived as stubbornness on Robert's part were actually part of some rather impressive character development. Not to mention, I was once again blown away by the emotions I felt while reading it. This is a more-than-worthy keeper that I may yet re-read again in the future. show less

There are a lot of really great things about this romance. The hero - the Duke - and the heroine, Belinda, are both fully-fleshed characters and consistently seem like real people. It's easy to care about them, and feel like you're getting to know them over the course of the novel. They get along very well together, and their relationship develops vividly and naturally.

The plot pulls a trick that a lot of romance novels use to begin a novel: the heroine finds herself presented as extremely sexually licentious/sexually available despite the fact that she is exactly the opposite.

In this case, virtuous, well-bred, ethically conscious Belinda is driven by an endless succession of hardships to a brothel. She intends to embark on a career show more as a courtesan...and then, luckily enough, she immediately fixes on the hero of the novel (so even though she flirts with prostitution, she never has sex with more than one man) and then the hero proposes an arrangement...that doesn't require sex.

I find this sort of thing really unbelievable and it leads to a very strange psychology, especially in Foley's "The Duke" - Belinda is more or less crushed by shame, which makes her shrivel up inside no matter how happy or promising her relationship with the duke is. And the duke, for his part, is always a little bit contemptuous no matter how much he respects/admires Belinda.

The fact that Belinda isn't really a courtesan - that she doesn't really have the sexual or psychological equipment with which to defend herself - means that there is a thread of pain that runs through the whole novel and gives it a sort of melancholy tinge, even at the end.

The only actual problem with the book is that Foley uses a lot of gratingly contemporary slang. I'm not a stickler for period language, but Foley makes it hard to suspend disbelief sometimes. show less

First off this book had a rape scene. It's between Bel and a minor character and it's not very graphic, Bel kind of blacks out as it is happening. I know some people have a problem with these types of scenes in their romance books so just be forewarned.
 
Hawk is a bit of a jerkface for awhile and as the reader I was pissed off at some of the things he said to Bel. Basically comments in regards to her being a slut. (Bel is posing/trying to become a courtesan) Foley does a valiant job of setting the scene and atmosphere of London and it's slums. These lush descriptions definitely add to the feel and flow of the book.
 
When I read romance books I am usually drawn to the lead male but with this book Bel stole the show for me. As a woman show more it's hard not to cheer and cry for her. The options for Bel after she is raped in 1800's England are made blatantly and shamefully clear in this story, very moving.
Hawk clearly grows emotionally as a human-being throughout the story and man I can tell you it is a wonderful thing to read.
 
This is not an upbeat book but a beautiful, tragic, and love in all it's glory and ugliness story. Highly recommended!Oh and I can't forget to mention the chemistry between these two; HOT! Their first kiss scene over the blackjack table is not to be missed.And I almost forgot to mention the ending scene where Hawk proposes. (Insert little girl sigh here) It was so completely cheesy but jesus it was romantic. Tears and huge happy grins galore. I can't imagine anyone not being affected by this scene. Just so, so sigh worthy :) show less

I loved this book. LOVED IT. It’s a story that tackles the confused mess that was nineteenth century English society; the hypocrisy and the sexism and the discrimination and the hopelessness of a government that only serves those who can buy their ...more I loved this book. LOVED IT. It’s a story that tackles the confused mess that was nineteenth century English society; the hypocrisy and the sexism and the discrimination and the hopelessness of a government that only serves those who can buy their way into anything. The romance at the heart of it was incredible – I honestly didn’t know how it could possibly work out for them in the end. It was an amazing story that tackled many tough issues, and tested the love between the show more characters in a way most historical books do not bother to do.

Belinda Hamilton’s life has been destroyed by a man who’s determined to marry her. He’s had everything taken away from her and her father put in prison to try and force her to turn to him. However, when Belinda is raped by a gaoler, she’s ‘ruined’ and gives up on struggling in poverty and decides to become a courtesan. She meets the Duke of Hawkscliffe, Robert Knight, who would never usually seek out such a woman, but both of them want revenge on the same man. So they come to an arrangement that quickly turns to love. However, Belinda still has her dignity, and she refuses to become the whore of a man who is married. So when Robert makes plans to marry, she walks away.

Their situation is impossible. Because of his social position, Robert cannot marry his mistress - he has too many obligations, and too many lives of people close to him would be destroyed by such a scandal. For Belinda's part, she will not give up the last thread of her dignity for anything - will not lower herself to being the mistress of a married man. The hypocrisy of the difference between what's acceptable for a man and what is for a woman in the time is illustrated so well - it's frustrating and infuriating and upsetting, and while you want to smack the hero over the head, you can also see exactly why he's stuck in such a difficult situation.

The romance was so passionate and emotional, and I didn’t want the story to end. Robert has been raised to be so straight-laced and moral, and he struggles to reconcile his prejudices with what he feels for Belinda. He goes on, blindly hoping he can keep her forever and everything will be fine, even as he has to keep her hidden from respectable society, and while he has a wife. Belinda is certain this is the best situation she will ever have for herself, and yet she was not such an immoral person before meeting Robert, and she refuses to become one because of him.

This author does an incredible job of setting up an entire series without you even realising it’s happening. If only all ‘first books’ for series could be this incredible. We meet future heroes and heroines without even realising that’s what’s happening. They are integral to the story, and part of the world Belinda and Robert live in.

May I just say how cool it is to begin a book and when you meet the heroine she’s standing at the very intersection that was your first home in London? I’m sure I’m the only person who cares, but I thought it was great to know exactly where she was and how things were!

I have a few complaints. Firstly, the book is set only a few years after the first white people settled in Australia. Yet the author talks about a character’s ‘Australian twang’, and uses (well, incorrectly uses) Australian slang. I highly doubt that some time between 1788 and the beginning of the nineteenth century a character would have moved to Australia (and the name ‘Australia’ wasn’t widely used back then anyway!), lived there for some time, developed a brand new – never heard before – accent, picked up some brand new – never heard before – slang, and moved back to London and worked for a few years. You couldn’t just get on an aeroplane like you can now!
Secondly, the author doesn't realise that American 'first floor' = everybody else's 'ground floor'. The first floor is the first floor up from ground level, and the mistake was made at the point in the book where it was important to get it right.

However, other than that this book was excellent from a historical point of view. The author created the world of their time so well, making you feel like you were really there. London really came to life, and the book took us across such a cross-section of society. It was fantastically done.

This emotional, passionate, exciting, excellent book interrupted me one day when I was reading something else, and I couldn’t stop until I’d finished. It was a combination of everything – the history and the romance and the social commentary – and especially the impossibility of the situation – that made this so special for me. show less

This book was an unexpected suprise. The only book of Gaelen Foley's that I'd read to this point was "Her Only Desire" - which unfortunately I found to be a rather bad read. But I found this one at a bargain bookstore and picked up - and was pleasantly suprised. While imperfect, this book is well written and entertaining. Bel's story of her fall from from genteel poor to courtesan is sad but not overly melodramatic, and her relationship with Hawkscliffe builds well, and is not dropped on the reader out of nowhere. Hawkscliffe's revelations about his lady-love at the end of the book turn upside down his well-ordered conceptions of morality, and add an interesting twist to his character. While not a deep or particularly spectacular book, show more this book is an enjoyable read and I'm glad I picked it up. show less

Highly implausible, with a lady who verges on Mary Sue-ness and a dude who just barely groveled enough to make up for how poorly he treated her, but it pushed the wtf to just the right level. If the next book in the series shows everything sunshine and roses, I'll be rating down, but for now, it was enjoyable enough to read, even with all the eye rolling I did.

Gaelen Foley displays a considerable talent for writing heroes, and for giving this jaded Regency romance fan a new perspective into that period. Gaelen's voice, although not quintessentially Regency, is wicked intelligent. Her descriptions are thorough but fast-paced. After years of reading good, but not riveting, historical romance, this one, finally, kept me up all night.