Give the Devil His Duke by Anna Bradley
Drop Dead Dukes #1

Who knew that pink could become the favorite color of a duke? Or that a woman who said no instead of yes would intrigue him? Or that his plans to redeem the family name would happen…but not quite as he planned?

What I liked:
* Lady Francesca “Franny” Stanhope: only child of a mother ruined under questionable circumstances and father who was a duke till killed in a duel to avenge his wife, loving daughter, abandoned by relatives, living poorly in the country, offered a season by Mrs. Crump, has a plan to save her mother
* Giles Drew, duke of Basingstoke: hedonist, well thought of, rather full of himself, good friend, loves his mother and three sisters, a bit clueless, surprised more than once by Franny, grew a great deal in the story, liked him more at the end than beginning of the story
* Mrs. Crump and the pink dresses
* The plot, pacing, setting, and conclusion
* Meeting Dukes Montford and Gratham who will probably star in the next two books of the series
* Franny’s spirited personality, strength, and willingness to achieve her goals…would love to have her as a friend
* Watching the relationship develop between Giles and Franny
* Giles mother and sisters
* Knowing that there will be two more books to look forward to

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to
* Knowing that sometimes relatives can be as evil as Giles father and Franny’s uncle and aunt

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Zebra for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars ( )

Pink outfits, red hair, and a London season!

Lady Francesca Stanhope has come to London to save her mother. Her mother had been embroiled a scandal years before. Consequently Franny’s father had been killed in a duel. Her father’s viscous brother, her uncle, Lord Edward Stanhope became the Earl, and had promptly thrown them out of the family home, giving them no assistance, and they’d had to make their way in a damp, cramped, country cottage.
Her mother’s health is failing and Franny consents to a season with the kindly Lady Crump who lives a step away from her uncle. Franny sees this as an opportunity to throw herself on her uncle’s mercy and ask for assistance for her mother. BTW Lady Crump has a wardrobe of pink ball dresses recently made but never worn because her niece Dorothea married and not had her London season. So the dresses will be used by Francesca. Francesca of the red hair will endure the pink dresses if it gives her a chance to approach her uncle.
Of course nothing goes to plan, including a run in with the deplorable yet blindingly handsome Giles, Duke of Basingstoke, whose father was the engineer of all the Stanhope family woes. Oh, and who it seems is becoming engaged to Fanny’s cousin Susannah.
Then there’s interesting factor of Giles discovering a Peeping Thom, sorry Peeping Thomasina in his garden. Mmm!
A rapidly moving and lively story with wit, rancour and romance.

A Kensington Books ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher. ( )

Barbara’s rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Drop Dead Dukes #1
Publication Date: 7/25/23
Period: Regency - 1817
Number of Pages: 320

Hang onto your hats because this review is going to look like an Etch-A-Sketch drawing. Sorry about that. However, that is how I feel about the book – I’m all over the place – I love parts of it, I like parts of it, I dislike parts of it, and I disliked one part of it almost enough to put it down and not read the rest. Through all of those likes and dislikes though, the writing was excellent, the timing and delivery were well done, and there was a lovely epilogue. So, if you don’t object to any of the things I objected to, you’ll probably think this is a 5-star read.

Through what was dropped throughout the story you will learn; the Drews and the Stanhopes have a history. The previous Duke of Basingstoke was a villain of the first order and it sounds to me like he assaulted Francesca’s mother. The word that is used in the book is seduced, but it didn’t sound to me as if she had any choice. Then, when Francesca’s father challenged the duke to a duel – the duke killed him. Now, I don’t believe the father's sins should be visited upon the child – but I do believe it would take more than a cursory glance at the son to forgive and forget all of the pain and suffering caused by the previous duke. Especially when you don’t really know whether the current duke is a chip off the old block or not.

Lady Francesca Stanhope was a happy child, living in a happy home with a father who doted on her and a mother who loved her – until she wasn’t. Ten years ago, her father, an earl, was killed in a duel and her cruel uncle banished Franny and her mother to a dilapidated Herefordshire cottage where they had to grub in the dirt to grow enough to eat. Her mother’s health is deteriorating rapidly and Franny knows she has to find funds somewhere to get her mother away from the damp and cold. Perhaps if she could just meet with her uncle – reason with him – maybe he’d fund them. *** and pigs can fly ***

Giles Drew, the Duke of Basingstoke, has been doing his very best to rehabilitate his family name from all of the damage caused by his father. Although he isn’t a saint behind closed doors, the ton believes he is the golden child and can do no wrong. With his sisters soon making their debuts, he has to continue rehabilitating the family's reputation. One way to do that is to marry the new earl’s daughter, Susannah.

I did finally come to like Giles, but it wasn’t until the latter portion of the book. Before that, I spent my time trying to figure out if Giles suffered from hubris, arrogance, or obliviousness – or all three. I will say, that part did lend a bit of humor to the tale because Giles had no clue that anyone could or would ever say ‘no’ to him. Nobody ever had. Everyone always wanted to do whatever he asked – they always wanted to listen when he spoke – everyone always liked him – until Franny gave him his first tongue-lashing and told him no. Then, he was totally perplexed.

I liked Franny from the beginning. She wanted to help her mother and was willing to endure a trip to London and confront her Uncle Edward to do it. Whatever it took, she was willing to do. Just when she thinks she has managed to pull it all off, disaster strikes.

I did enjoy the read, and I think you probably will as well. The writing is excellent as is the delivery, but the ménage à 'however-many' in the third chapter could have been left out as it added nothing to the story and portrayed Giles in a very poor light. It would have also been nice to know why Francesca’s father didn’t provide for them in his will – or from the marriage settlements.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ( )