Anthology: Duke I’d Like to F…

He’s got big duke energy…

The Chasing of Eleanor Vane – Sierra Simone
Ajax Dartham, the Duke of Jarrell, has a problem. And that problem is his future niece-in-law. When the clever and capable Lady Eleanor Vane—understandably—runs off into the night rather than marry his horrible nephew, the Duke has a choice. Should he catch Eleanor and return her to her fate—or make Eleanor his own instead?

Duke For Hire – Nicola Davidson
As her fiery clergyman father chases away all suitors, Miss Ada Blair is resigned to spinsterhood. Yet while she can’t wed, bedding might be another matter. One man meets all her requirements for a discreet and expert pleasure tutor—Jasper Muir, Duke of Gilroy—but he insists on a very wicked contract…

An Education In Pleasure – Eva Leigh
As a governess to the Duke of Tarrington, Cecilia Holme resigns herself to a passionless life. Except now the old duke is dead and Owen, the new duke, is very tempting—and much younger. Is the chance to give Owen an education in pleasure too enticing to refuse?

The Duke Makes Me Feel… – Adriana Herrera
Dukes and their demands are nothing new for Marena Baine-Torres. Her newfound success has her little apothecary teeming with ill-mannered aristocrats. But as tiresome as they are, she needs the business. When the unflappable Duke of Linley storms into her shop and makes her an offer she’d be a fool to refuse, Marena soon finds herself on the adventure of a lifetime with a man who is as infuriating as he is intriguing.

My Dirty Duke – Joanna Shupe
Violet knows that her father’s best friend, the Duke of Ravensthorpe, is the most powerful man in all of London with a reputation for sin. But nothing can stop Violet from wanting to shed her wallflower ways and fulfill her darkest, most forbidden desires…even if it means seducing a man twice her age.

With a mix of Georgian, Regency, and Victorian era stories, this anthology brings the heat with content to satisfy a variety of tropes/interests including age gap, sex lessons, forbidden affairs (father’s best friend), and swinging (I realize this may be an outdated term, but I don’t want to confuse readers by saying polyamorous when that’s not the exact set up, so feel free to holler at me with corrections).

I have re-arranged the back copy so the synopses are listed in order they appear in the book to make them a bit easier to review.

I have read a few of Sierra Simone’s contemporary novels and thoroughly enjoyed them, so I wasn’t surprised when I found her contribution not only hot and delicious, but also a real tug on the heart strings. Its just absolutely beautifully written. How she gives you a novel worth of feels in short order is amazing, and this was one of my favorite contributions to the anthology. This is one of several of the anthology’s age gap romances, and also features the aforementioned swinging with an elaborate world called the Second Kingdom where a community gets together at various places for intimate connections. Both characters are bisexual, but the on page intimate content (albeit very hot) was vanilla to slightly spicy. I would definitely read more in the series, and am looking forward to exploring more of Simone’s historical romances. (I think this one was Georgian) CW: alcoholism, some mentions of grief

I have read a couple of Nicola Davidson’s books and follow her on Twitter, so know she is very sex positive and works to eliminate ill informed beliefs that all the kink and varied sexual experiences are a 21st century invention. Davidson’s story was one of the sex lessons books, also with an age gap (about a decade), between a silver haired fox of a Duke and clergymen’s (of the fire and brimstone variety) daughter whose father is keeping her close to home for her free labor. The heroine is supported by an older couple of ladies who are helping her to assert herself and explore her sensual interests, leading to a proposition of the Duke. The result are several passionate encounters that lead to a love that triumphs some obstacles. There is a bit of drama with the father, but this hit many of the right notes for me (and the intimate scenes were hot, if mostly vanilla). (Regency) CW: emotional abuse (father), some fat shamey language

Eva Leigh’s story also features an age gap (the governess is about ten years older, or so) and the sex lessons type of set up between a newly minted Duke and his sister’s governess. He has been away at University, so the squick factor for me was minimal, and I enjoyed their connection. My biggest gripe was I felt there was enough here for a full length, and I would’ve actually liked to have read it, especially because of some of the governesses’ back story that makes an appearance. I did have the feels for parts of this book, and even if the end was a little too clean for me (also why a longer book with a second chance romance would’ve worked better for me) I enjoyed it overall. CW: descriptions of sexual harassments and one scene where she has to be around her harasser, grief (recent father death). (Regency)

Adriana Herrera gives us a Victorian era WOC herbalist and a unintended Duke who is a suffragette on the hunt for a lost sister as they travel to Paris. Despite the class difference (at least, perceived differences), these two can’t resist their attraction and exploring the sensual delights while relatively anonymous in Paris. This is a very sex positive book, which I enjoyed, and there are no major kink tropes…so it was fairly vanilla but with several scenes. The MCs were well matched and believable in their quickly developed (almost insta-love) love. (Victorian). CW: abandonment, family secrets, racism/microagressions, sexual harassments mentions

The final story by Joanna Shupe was probably the most difficult for me, but I see from my GoodReads review that lots of other readers loved it best. This was another age gap (over 20 years) and the Duke in question was best friend’s with the heroine’s father. With lots of mentions of him seeing her as a baby, etc, it got squicky for me, but I also realize this may be the secret sauce for other readers. I did finish it, but I also skimmed. I had some other problems with the dialogue being stilted or a bit too on the nose exposition wise, and while I thought the general concept was interesting it ultimately did not work for me as a reader. (Victorian). CW: childbirth death, grief, infidelity, STDs/STD shaming, sexism

Overall, this was a fun, sexy anthology that plays with some tropes. There is a LOT of age gap in it, which I wasn’t prepared for (I knew about Davidson’s from her Tweets) and normally isn’t my thing, but if it is your thing you are going to be happy. I liked the mix up of eras, the sex positivity, that we had some diversity in the characters (eg they weren’t all alphahole Dukes), and that several of the stories hit me in my feels.

I rated it a bit spicy on the scale just for the sheer volume of sexual content, but the title should clearly indicate to readers that this is an anthology that is sex positive and sex forward. I also tried to summarize some potentially harmful content, so please see content warnings.

I love reading anthologies this time of year, and this was honestly one of the better ones I have read in a long time. I think the authors were very thoughtful in the stories they told and how they worked together, and my favorite part was it was three eras so if Dukes are your jam, you can explore some new historical timelines to see what else is out there in historical romance.

I would recommend this for readers short on time who need a little spice in their life and are not afraid of a bit of kink.

5 Stars 5 out of 6 A mix of Georgian, Regency, and Victorian Dukes get down and dirty with some spicy ladies