BOOK REVIEW: THE DEVIL DUKE by TESSA BOWEN @tessabowennv #RomCom

Posted on June 10, 2019 by Nadene @ Totally Addicted to Reading in 3.5 stars, Adult Contemporary Romance, Demon Duchess, Fig Leaf Press, Kindle Unlimited, Review, Romantic Comedy, Tessa Bowen / 21 Comments

Title:  The Devil Duke
Series: The Demon Duchess #1
Author:  Tessa Bowen
Publisher: Fig Leaf Press
Published: August 1, 2015
Genres: Romantic Comedy
Pages: 376
Format: ebook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Purchase: Amazon



Devil Duke by Tessa Bowen is the first book in the Demon Duchess series.  I had fun reading this title. There was many laugh aloud moments. Despite, the story was not without its issues. I will share issues, however, before I go there I will share what I liked about the book.

What I Liked
Story
I am a fan of Cinderella type stories, so Devil Duke was right up my alley. The trope may be common, but the story itself was refreshing.  It involved a business marriage between a commoner and a Duke. The aim was to clean up the Duke’s image for the public eye and to preserve his daughter’s impression of him.
You are probably wondering what is wrong with his image. Well, for starters monogamy was not a word you would associate with him. He loves women and was not afraid to show it, hence the need to clean up his image.

Characters
Trevor is known as the devil duke, because of his habit of not sticking to one woman.  Initially, he appeared snobbish, obnoxious and arrogant. I was prepared to dislike him, however, by the end of the story, my feelings towards him changed. Despite living a privileged life, he had no clue what love felt like. Learning of his past allowed me to understand why he behaved in such a fashion. However, beneath that facade laid a generous and caring heart.

Izzy is not one would consider royalty material, however when she fainted in the arms of the devil she became the darling of Britain. This made her a likely candidate to become the future wife of the Devil Duke.

Izzy proved to be a real spitfire. I loved how she stood up to the Duke on their second encounter. That scene had me laughing so hard I teared up. The Devil Duke never knew what hit him. She brought chaos to his life, but in a good way. 

She grew up in a foster home and had to learn from an early age the meaning of survival.

I loved how she did not allow the glitz and glamour of royal life sway her. She remained true to herself. She is one of those characters you cannot help but fall in love with. She won everyone over with her effervescence.

Romance
I loved Izzy and Trevor together. They were exactly what each other needed. She brought out his protective side and made him laugh. There were several times, however, where her actions drove him crazy to the point of anger. Those scenes were the ones that had me laughing aloud. OMG, it was so funny.

What I did not like
I enjoyed the dialogue, but I was not thrilled with the usage of few phrases by Izzy. I believed it was over the top. Every time she speaks the word frigging, weirdo pervert and spazz is mentioned. I know she is young (20 years old) but it was definitely too much. I cringed every time she spoke; because I knew those words were not far behind.


Conclusion/Recommendation
Overall, Devil Duke was a fun read, which kept me entertained from start to finish.



 


A chance encounter with a tabloid playboy lands a scrappy waif a place in high society.


Fainting in the notorious nobleman’s arms is the smartest move the self-proclaimed spazz ever made. Now her picture decorates every gossip rag in Britain and the public wants to know who the Devil Duke’s new squeeze is. Offered a sizable sum, Izzy De Luca travels to England where she will pose as the Duke of Devoy’s new bride. It seems the rake’s reputation needs some rehabilitation and the fresh-faced orphan is just the girl to brighten his tarnished image.


Izzy enters a lavish world of wealth and privilege, but soon realizes her uptight employer is no laid-back lady charmer. Sparks fly between the two when the spirited American lets the impossibly handsome blue blood know she won’t be gentrified without a fight.


As they play out the carefully constructed charade, the jaded Duke finds himself drawn to Izzy’s rare brand of charm and what begins as a collision of worlds ends in a union of love.This may be a modern day Cinderella story, but this feisty commoner is no simpering sweetheart. She means to give our titled hero a run for his millions.

Nadene @ Totally Addicted to Reading
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21 responses to “BOOK REVIEW: THE DEVIL DUKE by TESSA BOWEN @tessabowennv #RomCom

  1. Debbie Haupt

    Oh I wondered by the title if it were paranormal but I see he’s just a regular devil. LOL Yeah that kind of stuff makes me climb the walls too Nadene. Great review.
    Sorry I’ve been awol but dealing with flood stuff is all consuming. I’m hoping to have a blog post about it soon
    xo

  2. Lindy Gomez

    yeah, I would have struggled with Izzy’s phraseology as well! Even if she’s young, people don’t really talk like that. Nevertheless, I’m glad you enjoyed the story overall. wonderful Review Nadene!

    Lindy@ A Bookish Escape

  3. It’s interesting seeing a modern ‘duke’ romance and how it plays out. Yeah, those words would get to me after a bit, too. But, humor in a romance and some modern class differences would hook me in, too.

  4. kindlemom1

    I don’t blame you for struggling with this at all, I think I would have done the same. Love your honest review!!

  5. Bentley Gallo

    Great review! I probably would struggle with the dialogue as well. Repeated phrases in novels end up really grating on me.

  6. Bewitched Reader

    I have a feeling I would get annoyed with the dialogue as well. Otherwise, this one sounds like a great read!