Ten Things I Hate about the Duke (Difficult Dukes Series #2)
- Downloads：2559
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2020-12-06 04:20:53
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Loretta Chase
- ISBN：9780062457417
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Editor Reviews
Chase’s consistent gift is to gently puncture all the genre’s conventions but one: the one that makes you care about her Regency hero and heroine and their happy ever after。” （Praise forA Duke in Shining Armor）
Reviews
essaytch
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Loretta Chase is a premiere romance novelist— she has her own distinctive writing style that no one can copy nor should they attempt to try。 Wading into Ten Things I Hate About the Duke， heroine Cassandra is a loyal human with decided thoughts and purpose in her life and she won’t allow fickle riff raff gain-say her future plans or hurt the family she loves。 If you’ve ever met a Cassie in real life， you can attest to the sassy mouth and asserted opinions， and I felt that Chase captured the pitch and sass of Cassandra perfectly。 I do feel that this book did take ideas and scenarios， side characters and mannerisms from Loretta Chase books from the past。 I found Ashmont fickle and harder to empathize with and like as he had just been left while drunk at the alter a week prior to the events of this book。 He was very immature and unlike Cassandra， seemed to not know his exact place in his society nor his reckless life。 （This book is the second in a series， and while you do not need to read the prior novel， I sometimes felt adrift in this book because I didn’t read the first one。 It would have been a bit more helpful to know some things about the main characters of this novel from the first book。） As is the case with many of the Loretta Chase books I have read， I thought the female main characters were awesome and no-nonsense， take no guff。 And the male lead was deemed unworthy。 I also find it overly convenient that the heroine happened to be in love with the main male character since she was a little girl。 That didn’t match Cassandra’s complex character and felt too spoon-fed of a romance trope。 I received an ARC from the author and publisher in exchange for an honest review。
Tween 2 Teen Book Reviews
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*swoons* This book was amazing！ Cassandra is my favorite kind of historical romance heroine。 She is feisty and won't hesitate for what she wants or deserves。 The Duke of Ashmont starts off as an obstacle， but slowly becomes something more to her。 I couldn't help but root for these characters as they slowly found their way towards being together。 Ashmont had to learn how to be a better version of himself， and Cassandra had to understand that people can change。 A great book with some great *swoons* This book was amazing！ Cassandra is my favorite kind of historical romance heroine。 She is feisty and won't hesitate for what she wants or deserves。 The Duke of Ashmont starts off as an obstacle， but slowly becomes something more to her。 I couldn't help but root for these characters as they slowly found their way towards being together。 Ashmont had to learn how to be a better version of himself， and Cassandra had to understand that people can change。 A great book with some great characters！ 。。。more
Doris Losey
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What a fun read！！ Snappy dialogue， well-developed characters， and a plot with several twists make this one of the best books of the year！！
Nicole Luiken
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Always a pleasure to read a new historical romance from Loretta Chase。 Full of humour and characters to cheer for and swoony romance and fascinating historical detail。
Saigon
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Definitely worth the three year wait。 Hopefully Alice's story doesn't take that long 💀I might have grey hair by then。
Heliga
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3。5 stars。
Jacque
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Guess who fell asleep with her contacts on bc she was up late reading 10 Things I Hate About The Duke？Me， it was me🙈 but I have no regrets bc it was incredible！ Its been a while since Ive read a Loretta Chase， and somehow i forgot how *gorgeous* the writing is！！！ Like I just wanted to luxuriate in these sentences （tbh i kinda did， there is a truly obscene number of highlights in my book lol）10 Things I Hate About The Duke is a fantastic riff on Taming of The Shrew， with several reference to my Guess who fell asleep with her contacts on bc she was up late reading 10 Things I Hate About The Duke？Me， it was me🙈 but I have no regrets bc it was incredible！ It’s been a while since I’ve read a Loretta Chase， and somehow i forgot how *gorgeous* the writing is！！！ Like I just wanted to luxuriate in these sentences （tbh i kinda did， there is a truly obscene number of highlights in my book lol）10 Things I Hate About The Duke is a fantastic riff on Taming of The Shrew， with several reference to my all time ~favorite~ romcom （Patrick Verona is a DREAM omg） peppered in to add a bit of ✨spice✨ Its a classic setup— one “shrewish” （aka: a woman with opinions and a brain） and a rogue who seeks to tame her。 Cassandra and Lucien are a fantastic duo😍 their verbal repartee is enchanting， and the chemistry is just as delicious！！ I LOVED that he read her favorite book to get to know her better， and the scene where they duel had me dyingggggg omg I also really loved the supporting cast of characters！！ My favorites were Lady Charles & Lord Frederick—their asides debiting the success of Lucious and Cassandra’s relationship were hysterical， and felt very Shakesperian to me🙏🏻I will say that it took me a while to separate this book from the characters in 10 Things I Hate About You （bc its one of my favorite movies & i know it by heart） but once I did i was able to really sink into this world & enjoy it！This book was such a treat！！ Chase is an incredible author， and her reimagining of the classic shakespearian play was an utter delight💛 this bad boy released tuesday and you definitely should get your hands on a copy！ Thanks to Netgalley and Avon for my ARC😊 。。。more
Kaitlyn Dunnett
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I'm reading this one right after the previous one in the series and I sure hope there's a third in the pipeline。 Chase perfectly combines historical romance with humor and that's just what I needed to read right now。
Booklovinglady
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Oh man， this is so very， incredibly， funny 🤣！ I could hardly catch my breath because I couldn't stop laughing。 Miss Flower is just one of the things which made me laugh 😊。 Very， very well done！ （4。5 stars） Oh man， this is so very， incredibly， funny 🤣！ I could hardly catch my breath because I couldn't stop laughing。 ‘Miss Flower’ is just one of the things which made me laugh 😊。 Very， very well done！ （4。5 stars） 。。。more
Jess
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I missed Loretta Chase！ I enjoy her prose so much and I thought this was a good adaptation of The Taming of Shrew， and I LOVED how much work the hero had to do for the heroine。 I remembered nothing about the previous book which was a bit of an issue at the beginning but it becomes less important as the book goes on。 Would quite love a novella about the older matchmakers in this book， there's a story there。**Read for #SnowInLoveBingo square Retelling/Mythology**
Ess
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Loretta Chase is a premiere romance novelist she has her own distinctive writing style that no one can copy nor should they attempt to try。 Wading into Ten Things I Hate About the Duke， heroine Cassandra is a loyal human with decided thoughts and purpose in her life and she wont allow fickle riff raff gain-say her future plans or hurt the family she loves。 If youve ever met a Cassie in real life， you can attest to the sassy mouth and asserted opinions， and I felt that Chase captured the pitch Loretta Chase is a premiere romance novelist— she has her own distinctive writing style that no one can copy nor should they attempt to try。 Wading into Ten Things I Hate About the Duke， heroine Cassandra is a loyal human with decided thoughts and purpose in her life and she won’t allow fickle riff raff gain-say her future plans or hurt the family she loves。 tIf you’ve ever met a Cassie in real life， you can attest to the sassy mouth and asserted opinions， and I felt that Chase captured the pitch and sass of Cassandra perfectly。 I do feel that this book did take ideas and scenarios， side characters and mannerisms from Loretta Chase books from the past。 tI found Ashmont fickle and harder to empathize with and like as he had just been left while drunk at the alter a week prior to the events of this book。 He was very immature and unlike Cassandra， seemed to not know his exact place in his society nor his reckless life。 （This book is the second in a series， and while you do not need to read the prior novel， I sometimes felt adrift in this book because I didn’t read the first one。 It would have been a bit more helpful to know some things about the main characters of this novel from the first book。）tAs is the case with many of the Loretta Chase books I have read， I thought the female main characters were awesome and no-nonsense， take no guff。 And the male lead was deemed unworthy。tI also find it overly convenient that the heroine happened to be in love with the main male character since she was a little girl。 That didn’t match Cassandra’s complex character and felt too spoon-fed of a romance trope。I received an ARC from the author and publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
EmpK
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I love Loretta Chase's books。 She writes the best heroines。 Great dialogue and humor。 Interesting plots that aren't overly tedious and complicated。But。I didn't love this book。My first reaction was-- I didn't like this book at all。 I read it the day it came out。 Maybe I read it too quickly， inhaling it rather than savoring it。 After reflecting on it for a few days， I realize it's fine。。。 but among my least favorite of her books。 That said， she's such a great writer， that even an average book I love Loretta Chase's books。 She writes the best heroines。 Great dialogue and humor。 Interesting plots that aren't overly tedious and complicated。But。I didn't love this book。My first reaction was-- I didn't like this book at all。 I read it the day it came out。 Maybe I read it too quickly， inhaling it rather than savoring it。 After reflecting on it for a few days， I realize it's fine。。。 but among my least favorite of her books。 That said， she's such a great writer， that even an average book from her is better than most。OK， so the question is why。To start with， I didn't like Ashmont。 I have a real aversion to rich guys who coast on charm， debauchery and bluff。 To me it's like the anti-Darcy of character types。 I liked that he was self aware enough to realize that he got what he go by virtue of his birth-- whether it was power， women or money。 He does have an arc where he realizes he's a selfish idiot and grows。 I'm embarrassed to admit for the first quarter of the book， he reminded me of Boris Johnson， a person I don't like at all。 So that。。。 didn't help。At any rate， this could have been saved by Cassandra， our heroine。 Unfortunately， she's a pale imitation of previous Chase heroines。 You want a better version of blue-blood who hates the gilded cage aristocratic women lived in？ Read Dukes Prefer Blondes。 You want a woman who slaps the duke around （albeit in a funny way）？ Read Last Hellion。 You want a feminist who hates how many women suffer due to unjust laws？ Well， Chase doesn't have a good one there-- but Evie Dunmore does: A Rogue of One's Own。 Cassandra was a worse version of all of these， combined with her rage that Ashmont， a man she adored since childhood， turned into a selfish， lazy adult who wasted all the privileges of his life。 The rage and fear she faces is real， and fair。 How many women fear that the charmer they love is really a shapeshifting creep？ Valid concern and I became more sympathetic to her plight halfway into the book。Most of the secondary characters are excellent-- Cassandra's parents and sister， Ashmont's friend Humphrey and uncle Frederick。 Even the villains are well written， although I felt for one of the villains-- he's a competent politician albeit a bit of dry stick。 I wish Chase wrote more dry stick heroes rather than rogues。 I'm very anti-rogue。 We overrate charming jerks over the serious， reliable men。 We need more Darcys and fewer Wickhams！ The trademark Chase humor is here。 The lack of secrets （a Chase feature I love！） is here。 The couple working as a unit toward end of book is excellent。But， the first third sort of ruined it for me。I'm rating this 3。5 and going back to reading the Chase books I love， like Dukes Prefer Blondes。 Maybe I'll re-read this in a year and feel more positively。 。。。more
Jill
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So good。 Delightful dialogue。 Two challenging and very different people who were made for each other。 Kind of s Taming of the Biggest Dis-grace。 Nobody does a better job of dialogue that says more with very few words。 Hilarious and lovely。 Loved almost every character in this book。 Except for Mrs。 Bertham。 Loretta is one of my top 5 romance writers。 Please bring us Alices story soon。 So good。 Delightful dialogue。 Two challenging and very different people who were made for each other。 Kind of s Taming of the Biggest Dis-grace。 Nobody does a better job of dialogue that says more with very few words。 Hilarious and lovely。 Loved almost every character in this book。 Except for Mrs。 Bertham。 Loretta is one of my top 5 romance writers。 Please bring us Alice’s story soon。 。。。more
Kelly
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Like many times before， I dove into a new historical romance without reading the previous books in the series。 Historical Romance allows you to do that most of the time without punishing you for not reading everything in order。 I don't often mind not knowing side characters's stories and I'm glad to say I wasn't lost here either。 Ten things I hate about the duke intrigued me with its title， promising an hate to love romance。 I was excited to read their arguments and banter and I wasn't Like many times before， I dove into a new historical romance without reading the previous books in the series。 Historical Romance allows you to do that most of the time without punishing you for not reading everything in order。 I don't often mind not knowing side characters's stories and I'm glad to say I wasn't lost here either。 Ten things I hate about the duke intrigued me with its title， promising an hate to love romance。 I was excited to read their arguments and banter and I wasn't disappointed as the FMC woke him up at the beginning with cold water ahah。 However， it wasn't their first meeting as they met when they were younger。 I loved that Cassandra had a strong mind and didn't hesitate to speak and act （even though her father disapproved）。 The problem is that her father will not let her younger sister do all the things young girls do at that time until Cassandra is wed。 Comes in the Duke of Ashmont who almost killed his best friend after he stole his bride-to-be。。。Overall， this was a pretty entertaining read and I'm curious to see what Loretta Chase has in her backlog！ I'm happy to say I enjoyed this historical romance as I didn't really like the last one or the one before that if my memory is correct。 （Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley） 。。。more
Lulu
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At last - a heroine of the calibre of Jessica Trent and Lydia Grenville！ And a hero who isn't nearly as resistant to consulting as most of his ilk。 Fun read！
Pj Wright
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I was so happyTurning each page widen my smile。 Just about the best compliment I could give an author this 2020 is acknowledging the delight。 The Duke needed a wake up call， and his， I'm happy to report， was perfect。 Loretta Chase， gosh， she is a treasure。 Romance with a wide smile。
Gata Leitora / Cat reader
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I confess that I took this book because of the inspiration in Shakespeare's comedy and I didn't regret it。Cassandra after frighten any man who had the intention of marrying her with her stubborn， defiant and fearless way ends up being forced by her father to choose a suitor， otherwise her younger sister will not be able to continue her Season or find a fiance。Chaos seems to be the lady's companion and wherever she goes she make a fuss， but this time her path will cross with another even greater I confess that I took this book because of the inspiration in Shakespeare's comedy and I didn't regret it。Cassandra after frighten any man who had the intention of marrying her with her stubborn， defiant and fearless way ends up being forced by her father to choose a suitor， otherwise her younger sister will not be able to continue her Season or find a fiance。Chaos seems to be the lady's companion and wherever she goes she make a fuss， but this time her path will cross with another even greater confusion driver， the Duke of Ashmont， one of the fearsome Dis-Graces。 He is devastated after losing his bride to his best friend， facing him in a duel and after drinking a lot ends up worsening a fight that appears in the bar where he is drowning his sorrows。Behold， on his way Cassandra appears， he knows that he knows her from somewhere but does not remember where， but little by little he remembers the situations he lived with this crazy woman。 Deciding to have a family， he ends up choosing Cassandra who is not at all willing to be the duke's second option。 Ah but our anti hero does not give up easily and will do anything to win the heart of this sweet Vixen。At first， the acid dialogues and the situations in which they both got involved yielded a lot of laughs， but with the progress of the story and with the participation of other characters， the plot followed a more romantic rather than funny path。 I really enjoyed seeing the changes taking place in Lucius' behavior and seeing both him and Cassandra having their hearts soften。4，5/5 stars 。。。more
MrsMascara
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Gorgeously written romance between the Dis-Graceful Duke of Ashmont， and the blue stocking Valkyrie Miss Cassandra Pomfret。 Nobody can write the deliciousness of falling in love like Loretta Chase。 Her heroes get poleaxed by their feelings and it is always such a delight to read。The Duke of Ashmont is drunk， reeling from The duel he has just had with one of his best friends， the Duke of Ripley。 Ripley is in love with and now betrothed to Olympia who jilted Ashmont a few days ago。 Honour demands Gorgeously written romance between the ‘Dis-Grace’ful Duke of Ashmont， and the blue stocking Valkyrie Miss Cassandra Pomfret。 Nobody can write the deliciousness of falling in love like Loretta Chase。 Her heroes get poleaxed by their feelings and it is always such a delight to read。The Duke of Ashmont is drunk， reeling from The duel he has just had with one of his best friends， the Duke of Ripley。 Ripley is in love with and now betrothed to Olympia who jilted Ashmont a few days ago。 Honour demands he duel his best friend， and his other best friend the Duke of Blackwood refused to be his second， so they have fallen out。 Ashmont is exhausted， drunk and getting fed up of the noise in the inn he is staying in。 His friend Humphrey Morris has wagered Lucius on a shooting challenge， and has left him with a pistol。Cassandra is driving by in her carriage with her trusted groom Keeffe and her maid Gosney， when Lucius fires his pistol to shut every one up， He spooks Cassandra’s horses， the reins snap and she and both her servants flung out of the carriage。 The servants are badly injured， and the carriage smashed up。 Cassandra picks herself up and proceeds to give him a dressing down he won’t forget。 Ashmont thinks Cassandra is magnificent， falls instantly， even before he knows it， and tries to make her comfortable。 He realises she is ruined and offers marriage， and gets hung off a bannister for his trouble。 What follows is a loveLy romp of a falling in love and admitting it to themselves and each other， coupled with an awakening of a social conscience in the Duke， and an understanding of the plight of women in society， as well as the privations endured by the poor and a political conscience。 However it is done with a light touch， and is seamlessly integrated into the story。 Cassandra is a great heroine， he is a charming and reformed disgrace， and the grovelling is perfection。 Throw in an over the top vindictive matron， with a silly sidekick， a sweet yet determined sister and some excellent side characters， including Cassandra’s parents Lord and Lady deGriffith， and it adds up to a great bit of fun。 I loved the flirtatious banter between Lady Charles Ancaster， Lord deGriffiths’s sister， and Ashmont’s uncle Lord Frederick Beckingham。 I am also desperate to hear more about Blackwood and Alice， which I hope is book 3。Very highly recommended I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own 。。。more
OLT
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（4。5 stars） I went into the reading of this with few expectations。 There's something about immature， bad boy， entitled rich jerks that does not sit well with me。 I did not enjoy Chase's first book in this series very much for that reason and thought I'd enjoy this one even less because it's about the most immature of this immature trio called the Dis-Graces。 But Chase managed to make me like this guy and I enjoyed seeing him grow up and work to make himself worthy of our heroine。As you can tell （4。5 stars） I went into the reading of this with few expectations。 There's something about immature， bad boy， entitled rich jerks that does not sit well with me。 I did not enjoy Chase's first book in this series very much for that reason and thought I'd enjoy this one even less because it's about the most immature of this immature trio called the Dis-Graces。 But Chase managed to make me like this guy and I enjoyed seeing him grow up and work to make himself worthy of our heroine。As you can tell from the title， this is inspired by that movie Ten Things I Hate About You， which in turn was inspired by Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew。 This story， however， is a bit of a 180 on Shakespeare's play， since the character who is actually "tamed" turns out to be Lucius， Duke of Ashton， the second of the Dis-Graces to have his story told to us。At the beginning of this novel， we find our "hero" Ashton drunk as a lord after dueling with fellow Dis-Grace Ripley， who had managed to run off with Ashton's wife-to-be on the day of the wedding。 （That can all be found out about in Book One of this series。） So， yeah， he's drunk and as irresponsible as always and he manages to cause an accident to the carriage of Miss Cassandra Pomfret， who is passing by on her way to visit her aunt。The accident causes an unfortunate injury to Cassandra's manservant Keefe。 When Ashton passes out in a drunken stupor soon after， she throws a bucket of water on him and says， "You must collect yourself and try， for once in your misbegotten life， to make yourself useful。" Well， there you have it， actually。 He takes her words to heart。 He also takes her to heart， quite taken by her take-charge， strong， opinionated personality。Yes， Cassandra is our "shrew" of this story。 But not really。 She's just a woman who wants more from life than the subservient "I have no thoughts in my head that haven't been put there by a man" role that women are expected to play in 1800s England。 She isn't demure enough to attract suitors， she involves herself in politics and social concerns through the Andromeda Society， and she tools around town， driving her own carriage。Well， her father， well-respected politician Lord deGriffith， has had enough of this and has set down an ultimatum that she must make herself agreeable to the opposite sex and marry before her lovely and sweet younger sister Hyacinth will be allowed out and about in society。This love story is actually quite delicious。 There's a bit of the Lord of Scoundrels Dain/Jessica feel to the relationship of this H and h。 You know， the maturity and smarts and thoughtfulness of the woman and the immaturity and bad behavior of the man。 "'I'm very glad one of us has a large brain，' he said。 'Yours is perfectly functional，' she said。 'The trouble is lack of exercise。'"There's also a lovely slow-burn development to the romance and some really warm， romantic scenes that are actually quite innocent on the surface。 Remember the swoon-worthy LoS moment with Dain unbuttoning Jessica's glove while murmuring to her in Italian？ In this story we have some swoony moments involving just hand holding。 "Though the theater was well lit， their joined hands lay in the shadows， invisible to the audience。 A delicious secret。。。"And there's his sensual reaction to her dressed for the theater， in sight， sound， and smell， almost in taste。 "Tonight she was deliciously undressed， or at least less covered than usual。 Only a few strategically placed bows adorned the blue silk dress。 One fluttered at each naked shoulder。 The one of the center of her neckline moved in time with her bosom's rise and fall。。。When he leant over her， the scent of rosemary， lavender and Cassandra Pomfret rose to his nostrils。。。Even when he couldn't smell her， he could hear the faint rustle of silk when she moved。 Breathed。"I really thought that Chase got the romance almost perfect here。 We didn't get immediate sex even though there was almost immediate attraction。 That had to wait until Ashton proved himself worthy of Cassandra。 And he worked very hard to do this。 He stopped drinking and acting like a juvenile。 He started listening and thinking of others。 He even read A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Wollstonecraft。 "。。he saw her now， truly saw her， as no other man did or probably ever would。 He'd taken pains to see her truly。"I loved the love in this。 I enjoyed the hero's growth。 I think this fictional couple has a chance for happiness in their fictional life。 。。。more
Maureen Lubitz
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Originally posted on You Have Your Hands FullTen Things I Hate About the Duke is the second book in the Dangerous Dukes series， and it begins immediately after the events of A Duke in Shining Armor。 The Duke of AshmontHis Grace with the Angel Facewhom readers last saw [redacted spoiler] has retired to a pub， where he encounters the headstrong Cassandra。 Through a series of unfortunate events due entirely to his carelessness， Ashmont puts Cassandras already-shaky reputation into even greater Originally posted on You Have Your Hands FullTen Things I Hate About the Duke is the second book in the Dangerous Dukes series， and it begins immediately after the events of A Duke in Shining Armor。 The Duke of Ashmont—His Grace with the Angel Face—whom readers last saw [redacted spoiler] has retired to a pub， where he encounters the headstrong Cassandra。 Through a series of unfortunate events due entirely to his carelessness， Ashmont puts Cassandra’s already-shaky reputation into even greater peril。 This leads to what is known in modern vernacular to a “come to Jesus” moment for Ashmont， who after being left at the altar in the previous book， has begun to realize that he is a hot mess。 He wants to make amends， but Cassandra wants nothing to do with this disastrous duke。 Ashmont is persistent—but not in an invasive way—and he’s determined to prove to her that he is more than a party boy scandal-maker。 Loretta Chase is a legend in the genre， and I have adored every single one of her books that I’ve had the pleasure to read。 This one is no exception。 Everything about Ten Things is almost perfect: plot， characterization， little details—and it would have been enough to have all of those important factors， but what puts Ten Things over the top is Chase’s hilarious authorial voice。 I found myself smiling throughout the reading experience， especially the banter between Ashmont and Cassandra。 It’s hard not to root for Ashmont， who was left at the altar in the first book。 This was an inevitability because—as I mentioned—he was a hot mess。 The incident served as a catalyst for prioritizing Ashmont’s reformation， and Cassandra is the perfect candidate to tame him into respectability。 The best thing about Cassandra is that she doesn’t put up with Ashmont’s sh—nonsense， and she doesn’t let the little fact that he’s a duke get in the way of expressing her displeasure。 Her trust is not freely given; she makes him earn every last bit of it。 I would absolutely recommend Ten Things I Hate About the Duke。 This is a most excellent sequel， featuring an array of original characters。 The book is light in tone， with very little in the way of angst or melodramatics—so it was perfect escape from a most melodramatic year。 I received an ARC of this book from Avon/NetGalley。 。。。more
PlotTrysts
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Loretta Chase always writes amusing， sympathetic， complex main characters。 In Ten Things I Hate About the Duke， we meet Cassandra Pomfret， and we are reacquainted with Luscious Lucius， the Duke of Ashmont （whose fiancee ran away with his best friend in the previous book in the series， A Duke in Shining Armor）。 As the title suggests， there are quite a few riffs on The Taming of the Shrew in addition to many more Shakespearean references。 Cassandra is a notoriously outspoken young noblewoman who Loretta Chase always writes amusing， sympathetic， complex main characters。 In Ten Things I Hate About the Duke， we meet Cassandra Pomfret， and we are reacquainted with Luscious Lucius， the Duke of Ashmont （whose fiancee ran away with his best friend in the previous book in the series， A Duke in Shining Armor）。 As the title suggests， there are quite a few riffs on The Taming of the Shrew in addition to many more Shakespearean references。 Cassandra is a notoriously outspoken young noblewoman who has recently returned to London from abroad。 Her sister Hyacinth is the Season's most popular debutante。 When Cassandra makes a splash at a political speech， her father lays down the law: Hyacinth's Season is over unless and until Cassandra will also take part。 The book opens for Lucius immediately after the duel in A Duke in Shining Armor。 On what he sees as the worst day of his life， he continues his downward spiral by causing a carriage accident。 And whose carriage is it？ Cassandra's。 After their meet-cute （she basically tells him to sober up and take responsibility for his actions）， they part ways。。。 until Ashmont decides that Cassandra would make the perfect wife。 As a cover for his attentions， he helps his friend with his own courtship of Hyacinth。Luckily， the similarities between Shrew pretty much end there。 Ashmont does not try to "tame" Cassandra， nor does he make a bet or take any cash from his friend to get Cassandra out of the way so that Hyacinth can return to Society。 Instead， he learns about what's important to her （！）， reads her favorite books （！！）， and then listens when she talks （！！！）。 As in the best romance novels， the character growth （both individually and in a relationship） is given the most weight， and when our couple finally ends up together， we can see how what they've learned makes them perfect for each other。Highly recommended！37-Word Summaries:Laine: Cassandra's given up on Ashmont just in time for his reformation， so of course they're compromised。 Lucious Lucius is determined to earn her trust and give her sister a season， but they keep being witnessed in 。。。 situations。Meg: Ever wonder what you’re doing wrong with women？ They all turn you down despite your wealth and pulchritude？ PlotTrysts can help！ 1。 Figure out her favorite book。 2。 Read it。 3。 Talk about it。 4。 Wedding bells！www。linktr。ee/plottrystsThis objective review is based on a complimentary advanced readers copy。 。。。more
Sarandah Princess
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A fun send-up of 10 Things I Hate About You， which is of course a send-up of The Taming of the Shrew。 Although in this story， the heroine is called a Gorgon， which tickled my fancy。 In the previous book， i worried about Ashmont- for his devil-may-care outlook and his unchecked drinking。 I was interested to see how that would be approached and dealt with here。 Ms。 Chase did not disappoint， for here， we have （gasp） character development。 We have a man who grew up lonely and has never been told no， A fun send-up of 10 Things I Hate About You， which is of course a send-up of The Taming of the Shrew。 Although in this story， the heroine is called a Gorgon， which tickled my fancy。 In the previous book， i worried about Ashmont- for his devil-may-care outlook and his unchecked drinking。 I was interested to see how that would be approached and dealt with here。 Ms。 Chase did not disappoint， for here， we have （gasp） character development。 We have a man who grew up lonely and has never been told no， a man who has lived in privilege and generosity， but lives in a sort of aristocratic bubble， unfamiliar with the true plight of others around him。 We have a man who is beautiful in form， knows it but isn’t arrogant， simply exists for himself because he’s never known another way。 As the jilted groom in the previous novel， he’s been handed a reality check and is struggling with it through the first half of the book。 We also have ourselves a bit of a himbo - and it was adorable。 He loves pranks， jokes， self effacement and mischief。 He happily sleeps around but does not debauch virgins。 He even had the self restraint and respect to wait until marriage for the final act， which is something I haven’t been finding in a lot of historicals。 NOT that I don’t mind a good premarital sex scene or three， i just love that he grew up enough to draw the line。 It wasn’t because he considered her of less value that way， it was because he knew her eventual position as duchess would afford her the sort of influence that could further her work， and he wanted to ensure that she had as much respect as possible。 And our heroine。。。 what fun！ While no Jessica （my favorite Chase heroine so far） Cassandra is still a force of nature。 She devotes her time to several worthy causes without being smug about it。 She is as much of a feminist as the time and her position in society could allow。 She’s a hoyden- and the story laments the very term as something thrown at women for wanting the same activity and movement that men have。 It was refreshing to see that term called out rather than simply bandied about。 She accepts absolutely zero shit from Lucius and sets an example for him， inspiring him to do better and be better。 And when the final moment of “would i be better off not trusting my heart to a rake and a libertine？” well。。。 she chooses her own strength and independence of spirit to rely on for any future troubles， therefore choosing THEM rather than discarding him。 She didn’t settle and she didn’t push him away， she sallied forth in courage and devotion。 Love that。 The plot stays fairly true to the famous movie- the odious rival for Cassandra’s affection， her actions causing her father to unfairly crack down on her sister， the scrapes that the MCs get themselves into。 I laughed aloud at several parts， particularly the charity fair when Ashmont showed up with a malodorous street urchin as a prank， only to be bested by Cassandra。 I am an absolute sucker for characters who fall in love with strength， wit， and humor。 This book wasn’t terribly steamy and i barely noticed the lack of it。 Their sparring and tenderness kept me up past my bedtime two nights in a row 。。。more
Sadia
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A heroine worth reading about， a hero worth reforming。 A rollicking， delightful story。
Delirious Disquisitions
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4。5 stars。 So so so good！！ Never thought reading about a himbo love interest who gets into feminist literature and starts reading to be a smarter， better man so he can woo his strong， intelligent， fiercely independent heroine could be something so personal。 And yet here we are。 I'm so completely enamored with this book and these characters。 RTC when I stop fangirling over this and get my thoughts straight。
Viper Spaulding
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Lots of fun in this intelligent， witty romance！As one can guess from the title， this book freely borrows from Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew with a good bit of Austen's Bennet family as well。 I adore Cassandra， a woman born too soon， who knows her own mind and isn't the least bit shy about demonstrating that fact。 A few days after losing his fiancée to his best friend （Book 1）， Lucius is deep in his cups when he unwittingly causes an accident with serious consequences for Cassandra and her Lots of fun in this intelligent， witty romance！As one can guess from the title， this book freely borrows from Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew with a good bit of Austen's Bennet family as well。 I adore Cassandra， a woman born too soon， who knows her own mind and isn't the least bit shy about demonstrating that fact。 A few days after losing his fiancée to his best friend （Book 1）， Lucius is deep in his cups when he unwittingly causes an accident with serious consequences for Cassandra and her staff。 In a moment of clarity and responsibility， he offers to marry her to fix most of the damage he has caused。 It's more complicated than I can convey without spoilers， but suffice it to say that a marriage to the duke would also solve Cassandra's problem with her father。 Ah， but nothing worthwhile is ever going to be that easy。Lucius and Cassandra have everything going for them and everything stacked against them all at the same time。 They find their way to a truce of sorts， but when hearts start getting involved it all becomes increasingly complicated。 I loved every deliciously witty interaction between these two， especially the way they challenged each other and -- eventually -- brought out the best in each other。 Their HEA was very sweet and satisfying， and the scene with her mother and the woman she's known for forty years was brilliantly satisfying in its own way。 I highly recommend this romance to anyone who enjoys historical rom-coms。 I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book。 。。。more
Sarah
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This was glorious， and I loved every bit of it。 Heres hoping we dont need to wait three years for the next book in the series！ This was glorious， and I loved every bit of it。 Here’s hoping we don’t need to wait three years for the next book in the series！ 。。。more
Claire Hill
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This Taming of the Shrew/10 Things I Hate About You retelling still managed to surprise me， even though it followed familiar beats！！ As always Loretta Chase is HILARIOUS and very heartfelt。 I did like Ashmont from the first book even though he was the obstacle in that one， so it was fantastic to see him turn himself around。 Cassandra was AMAZING， a take no shit， in charge heroine that still had a full range of deep emotion。 It was a delight to see Ashmont fall at her feet （literally！！！ ） truly This Taming of the Shrew/10 Things I Hate About You retelling still managed to surprise me， even though it followed familiar beats！！ As always Loretta Chase is HILARIOUS and very heartfelt。 I did like Ashmont from the first book even though he was the obstacle in that one， so it was fantastic to see him turn himself around。 Cassandra was AMAZING， a take no shit， in charge heroine that still had a full range of deep emotion。 It was a delight to see Ashmont fall at her feet （literally！！！ 🥰） truly wonderful， and I’m so looking forward to Alice and Blackwood for book 3！！ 。。。more
Sarah Pie
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I very much enjoyed Ten Things I Hate About the Duke by Loretta Chase。 The writing was excellent， the story line was unique and enjoyable， and the characters were well written。 I'm looking forward to the next book in the series。 ARC received in exchange for an honest review。
Anne Morgan
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London's Society considers Cassandra Pomfret a shrew， a hoyden， a virago， and a gorgon。 In other words， she's intelligent and not willing to pretend otherwise for the sake of delicate male sensibilities。 She stands up for others， is interested in political reforms that will help the poor， and doesn't suffer fools- at all。 This includes the man she once had a childhood crush on， the Duke of Ashmont。 She thought he would grow up to be a hero， a man who could accomplish great things to help others。 London's Society considers Cassandra Pomfret a shrew， a hoyden， a virago， and a gorgon。 In other words， she's intelligent and not willing to pretend otherwise for the sake of delicate male sensibilities。 She stands up for others， is interested in political reforms that will help the poor， and doesn't suffer fools- at all。 This includes the man she once had a childhood crush on， the Duke of Ashmont。 She thought he would grow up to be a hero， a man who could accomplish great things to help others。 Instead， he doesn't seem to have grown up at all。 He and his friends are known for outrageous pranks， drinking， fighting， and doing nothing useful with their lives。 When these two meet as adults， will the stars align or things explode？Cassandra is a great character- a woman who is unapologetically intelligent， fearless， and believes in helping others。 She doesn't play Society's games and so Society shuns her， and she's alright with that。 She helps the poor， fights with umbrellas （as weapons， not opponents）， and is loyal to those she loves。 And while she has no use for useless degenerates， she's fair enough to see when someone has potential- like the Duke of Ashmont。 He unknowingly broke her heart as a young lady， now she isn't going to just hand it over because he says so。 She's confident enough in herself and her worth to make him earn it。I had trouble warming up to Ashmont， who definitely doesn't come across very well in the beginning。 A drunk， a fighter， a man who seems to drown any intellect he has。 He doesn't cause trouble maliciously， but he doesn't generally think of others as he goes through life。 At first glance， not much of a hero。 But he does what so few others are willing to do- he tries to become worthy of the woman he's decided to marry。 Leave off the drinking so he can actually think。 Try to behave around the Royal family no matter how boring that makes things。 And actually listen to the lady he's falling in love with， think about what she says and what is important to her， and discover that it is also important to him。 Ashmont doesn't change to become someone he isn't for the sake of a woman， he becomes who he was always meant to be。 Full of humor， lively dialogue， and sparkling wit， Ten Things I Hate About the Duke is a satisfying and fulfilling story and a lovely romance。 I will definitely be reading Loretta Chase's other books while waiting for the next book in this series！ I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
Candy Briggs
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Cassandra Pomfret had just arrived from France。 She and her father got into an argument and her sister suggested she go see their former governess。 She drove her phaeton toward Putney Heath accompanied by her maid Gosney and Keeffe， her tiger， Keeffe was a famous Champion Jockey and everyone knew of him and his awful accident。 He almost died。 Lucius Wilmot Beckingham， Sixth Duke of Ashmont， he that very morning， had been in a duel with his best friend。 He was one of three dukes who caused chaos Cassandra Pomfret had just arrived from France。 She and her father got into an argument and her sister suggested she go see their former governess。 She drove her phaeton toward Putney Heath accompanied by her maid Gosney and Keeffe， her tiger， Keeffe was a famous Champion Jockey and everyone knew of him and his awful accident。 He almost died。 Lucius Wilmot Beckingham， Sixth Duke of Ashmont， he that very morning， had been in a duel with his best friend。 He was one of three dukes who caused chaos where ever they went。 I think they acted as little boys。 They wanted what they wanted and could get it because of their rank and money。Boy， these three dukes were something else， they played pranks and all kinds of mischief。 Cassandra had been in love with Ashmont since she was ten。 I loved the story an it was thought out。 It was easy to read and very funny in places。 The characters were great， they showed all kinds of emotion， so much was going on。 They fell into one mess after another。 She had gone to her ladies meeting and the duke helped with a demonstration with an umbrella。 It was a very entertaining book and I could read it again。 I do recommend this funny but sad tale of some very interesting characters。I received this ARC from Net Gally and was very happy to review it。 。。。more
Landra Graf
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