I'm thrilled to present Megan Frampton's The Duke's Guide to Correct Behavior. This historical romance really got under my skin with its sensuality and sense of humour. It's the first book in the Dukes Behaving Badly series, and I suspect I'll be be back for the second. This one was released on November 25th by Avon. Check out more information about the book, an excerpt, my review, an author bio and a giveaway below!
For the rest of the stops on the tour, check out Tasty Book Tours.
The Book
All of London
knows the Duke of Rutherford has position and wealth. They also
whisper that he’s dissolute, devilish, and determinedly unwed. So
why, everyone is asking, has he hired a governess?
When Miss Lily
Russell crosses the threshold of the Duke of Rutherford’s stylish
townhouse, she knows she has come face to face with sensual danger.
For this is no doting papa. Rather, his behavior is scandalous, and
his reputation rightly earned. And his pursuit of her is nearly
irresistible—but resist she must for the sake of her pupil.
As for the
duke himself, it was bad enough when his unknown child landed on his
doorstep. Now Lily, with her unassuming beauty, has aroused his most
wicked fantasies—and, shockingly, his desire to change his wanton
ways. He’s determined to become worthy of her, and so he asks for
her help in correcting his behavior.
But Lily has a
secret, one that, if it becomes known, could change everything . . .
The Duke's Guide to Correct Behavior is available now!
Amazon | Barnes | iTunes | Kobo | Goodreads
(Be sure to check all the tour stops as the excerpts give you the first chapters of the book if you read them in order!)
My ReviewThe Excerpt
After emitting one last
little yelp, of course.
Her excitement about the opportunity dimmed somewhat as she mounted the stairs
to the sizable front door. A duke’s house--his mansion--was larger than any
private residence she’d ever seen, much less been inside.
She was already intimidated, and she hadn’t spoken to anyone yet.
She took a deep breath and banged the knocker. She heard it echo within and
felt herself tremble at making such a noise at such an impressive door.
Yes. She had to admit it. She was impressed by a door.
The door in question swung open, and an older gentleman, his head placed at the
properly dismissive attitude, looked at her. Noting, likely within seconds, her
very worn cloak, barely a whisper of protection against the raw temperature,
and the not-so-skillfully darned gloves she had on.
“I am here...” she began, only to have him interrupt.
“I know, and you should have come around to the back entrance. But since you’re
here, please do come in.”
Was every person the duke employed entirely too full of themselves? Or perhaps
it was just the two servants she’d met thus far. Still, it was worth keeping in
mind when she spoke to the man in question.
She followed the full-of-himself butler inside, trying not to stare at all the
grandeur inside.
“Wait here, I’ll let the duke know you have arrived.” The butler walked into
one of the rooms to the side of the foyer, leaving Lily alone to get more
intimidated by the foyer.
Imagine how she would feel when she actually saw one of the rooms.
She counted no fewer than ten doors leading off the entryway. It was hard to
fathom just what purpose each room had; perhaps the duke allotted separate
rooms for each one of his digits? “Oh, no, Mr. Thumb, it’s not your turn. We’ll
be in the ring finger’s room today.” Or did he spend one day a week in each
room, with the balance of the three left for holidays, birthdays, and--incredible,
she couldn’t even dream up what purpose so many rooms could serve. It must be
very hard work to be a duke, given everything one had to do.
The Duke's Guide to Correct Behavior was a very entertaining read! There were some really big pluses, which I'm now going to list off:
- Marcus. Though Dukes and other members of the aristocracy have long been favourite fodder for historical romances, Marcus breaks the mold by being both the long shot inheritor of the title and by being rather... well... uncertain even whilst being completely, and somehow endearingly, arrogant. I adored his efforts to reform for his daughter, as well as his frustration with being both above and yet somehow bound by the rules of society. I appreciated having his perspective quite a bit.
- Sense of humour. The Duke's Guide had me at "Yes. She had to admit it. She was impressed by a door." I knew then that Lily and I were going to get along. I liked the chapter epigraphs that were excerpts with some editing from "The Duke's Guide." I liked that there were some moments that made me smile, such the idea of dancing with a cat in a corset or Marcus being stuck in a room with marriage-minded women. Or his drawing of a cat. Or the names that Marcus' daughter gave the cats.
- Quirky heroine. Lily's got an active imagination, one that lets her fantasize about things she really shouldn't be thinking about. She's also got a colourful past (including the secret alluded to in the blurb). She's done what she's had to in order to survive, and she still manages to put the needs of others ahead of her own happiness. This is a heroine with whom I would be happy to spend more time.
- Lots of foreplay. This book does a delightful dance with the reader and the characters, giving us fantasies from both heroine and hero, as well as having them very gradually build towards a more physical connection. I also really liked, and was amused, by Marcus' attitudes towards sex. I won't spoil the details here other than to say that I was entertained and maybe even slightly charmed.
There weren't really many downsides to this book other than that I felt that the way that Lily's friends were written gave me the feeling that there was a book in the series before this one. I kept thinking that I should already know them, have a sense of their individual quirks and such. Maybe I just wanted a little bit more background for the agency?
I absolutely recommend The Duke's Guide to Correct Behavior. It was funny, sweet and sexy - really, everything you could want in a historical romance, I think.
5 stars
For fans of historical romance, governess-employer romances, arrogant Dukes.
About the Author
Megan Frampton writes historical romance under her own name and romantic women’s fiction as Megan Caldwell. She likes the color black, gin, dark-haired British men, and huge earrings, not in that order. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband and son.
Thank you for hosting today! Great Review!
ReplyDeleteOh goody! I liked this review. I'm even more excited by the prospect of owning this book now. I do like humor in my historical romances, and the "foreplay" alluded to by the reviewer between the hero and heroine. I think sensuality in a romance is so much more captivating than the graphic or erotic. I am determined to have this story for one of my holiday reads. Thanks for the post. jdh2690@gmail.com
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