A Wicked Bargain for the Duke: A Hazards of Dukes Novel

A Wicked Bargain for the Duke is the third book in Megan Frampton's Hazards of Dukes series. I read Ms. Frampton's work in the past and found it immensely entertaining and amusing. I started this series here, on book three. Am I EVER going to start reading a series beginning with the first book?! Anyway, this one stood alone, and apparently characters from the first two volumes make appearances here. I had a blast reading this book; Ms. Frampton did a wonderful job blending humor, steam and love.

Thaddeus Dutton has become the Duke of Hasford; he wasn't interested in taking that role, but he's a good soldier and knows his duty. He decides his main goal should be to find a wife and make heirs. He sets his sights on Lady Jane Capel, a beautiful and demure young lady. What he was not expecting was Jane's curvaceous and outspoken sister Lavinia to always appear when he's with Jane. Lavinia knows her sister is in love with someone else, so she tries to keep the duke from proposing to Jane...but Lavinia fails. When Lavinia confronts Thaddeus at a ball to tell him Jane is not the type for him, they somehow end up entangled and Lavinia lands on top of Thaddeus when they fall. That was NOT a good time for the other guests to come across them! Thaddeus proposes to Lavinia to protect her reputation. Since this isn't a love match, they make a bargain concerning the begetting of heirs, not realizing that life doesn't always go as planned...

I totally enjoyed this fun romp with two extremely opposite leads. Lavinia has a big family and is best friends with her sister Jane and step-brother Percy. She's extremely protective of her siblings. She's outgoing, funny, speaks her mind, loves desserts, and is secretly a novelist; she uses Percy as the "author" of her books. Then we have Thaddeus. He was an officer in the army before he became duke. He was definitely not ready for his new role. He's stiff, rigid, and makes lists of what he wants and needs. He was an only child and had a very lonely childhood. He treated the search for a bride as a military campaign. Oil and water don't mix...or maybe it does! The steam between the two was off the charts; the action did not take place behind closed doors - we are privy to their sensual interludes. Their first few times together were funny - Thaddeus thought he was pleasuring his wife as well as himself...he was totally wrong. I admired Lavinia's bravery in telling him how it really is and how she expected to be pleasured. There were great supporting players here, particularly Jane, Percy, Precious the pup and Thaddeus's secretary. The book alternated back and forth between Lavinia and Thaddeus and scenes from the book Lavinia was writing which ran parallel to their own story. I sped through this book and could not put it down! I'm looking forward to the next installment, which focuses on sister Jane.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Good story with good characters. I enjoyed it.

Thaddeus Dutton, Duke of Hasford, needs to get married and produce an heir for the dukedom he has just unexpectedly inherited. He attends a book reading event to find suitable future bride candidates and meets sisters Lady Jane Capel and Lady Lavinia Capel. Lady Jane is ideal to Thaddeus on paper (he made a list), but he is inexplicably attracted to Lady Lavinia (Vinnie), who is not a conventional beauty for that time and doesn’t meet the requirements on his list. Lady Lavinia is also secretly a writer, who wrote the wildly popular and salacious book that is being read at this book event by her illegitimate half brother, Percy. Percy is pretending to be the author of these books, even though he’s a mathematician. Lady Jane wants to marry someone else, and the protective Lady Lavinia runs interference at every opportunity and ultimately lands in a compromising position that results in marriage to the duke.

The bulk of the book is about the marriage of Lavina and Thaddeus, and there is a secondary storyline about Jane and the man she wants to marry.

The reader is given a lot of insight into what the hero and heroine are thinking/feeling throughout the book which is employed so frequently that it took me out of the story and didn’t serve to make me feel connected to the characters. In Ch. 17 Thaddeus thinks of Lavinia “And she was well worth doing.” Ummmm, WHY?

There is some sex ed (“do you know even know where my clitoris is?”) which is a refreshing change from old school historical romances, and the language Thaddeus and Lavinia use evolves as their relationship evolves. It's entertaining, but it didn’t feel authentic as character development.

Between each chapter is an Interstitial that tells an entirely separate romantic story in one page increments. It served to take me more out of the main story rather than contributing to the story or the experience of reading this book.

I’m an old school historical romance reader and an avid romance reader in general. This is my first time reading a book by Megan Frampton and there were elements about the book that didn’t work for me in regards to character development and behaviors that didn’t fit that time period. I wanted so much to like it because the premise is fun and Lavinia is a great female character.

The most staid and responsible Duke is looking to meet all requirements of the title. He’s on the hunt for a picture perfect obedient wife, but he’s in for a surprise.

A romance writing, outgoing woman needs to support her shy sister and ends up in a compromising position.

This leads to a bargain that seems great at first, but it’s amazing how things change as feelings come into play.

I loved both main characters and the story is fantastic. There’s family drama, steamy scenes and sweet moments. What makes it even greater is the sex...and how it is not good at first. And even better - Lavinia asks for what she wants and he listens!!! I don’t think I’ve ever read this in a historical romance novel before and I about squealed in excitement.

For full disclosure, NetGalley and Avonbook provided me an ARC copy of “A Wicked Bargain for the Duke” to read and provide my unbiased feedback on prior to publication on 4/27/2021.

As a new to Megan Frampton reader, and because this book was the 3rd entry in her ‘A Hazards of Dukes Novel’ series, I proactively sought out copies of the first 2 books in the series and read them first. While “A Wicked Bargain for the Duke” could be read as a standalone novel, I will say it is greatly enhanced by being read as part of the series, as the heroes’ relationships with one another provide a great deal of background into their motivations and behaviors.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book. That had a couple of very unique things happening in it that will have it being put on my shelf to be used as a example of female positive literature (sorry having to look for wording here that will still let me be able to post on reseller sites). First, the heroine asks for improvement in the bedroom, so she gets her O, too, versus just letting the clueless hero think everything is all good and he is a stud in the sack. Second, the hero actually takes this feedback and improves with minimal drama. Third, this book really is a testimony to open communication and adapting and changing expectations (and shockingly it is the guy who learns to be a more flexible person). “A Wicked Bargain...” really is a grumpy/sunshine novel, for those who love the trope.

The one thing that was really quirky in the book and I am not really sure if I liked and if it actually added to the book was the use of ‘Interstitials’ between each chapter. I have seen it once before in a newer book, so I am kind of hoping it isn’t going to become a trend, because while the idea was kind of cute, it takes the reader out of the action of the real storyline constantly. Also, the pages could have been used to tie up the storylines of some of the side characters arcs that were heavily built throughout the book and just left dangling in the mist.

For me this one is a 3.5 star read, that gets rounded up to 4.

A Wicked Bargain for the Duke
Book 3 in the Hazards of Dukes Series
Rating: 4 stars
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

A Wicked Bargain for the Duke was a delightful read! I enjoyed the witty banter and hot chemistry between Thaddeus and Lavinia. Though they didn't like each other that much at the beginning, since she was not what he was looking for in a wife. She never thought to be married. Her sacrifice for her sister was very admirable.
They fought their feelings for each other because the bargain they agreed to at the beginning of their marriage did not turn out to be what they both wanted.
I liked how Lavinia was upfront with Thad about what she wanted in the marriage bed. This was a fun scene to read, since he never expected for her to be so blatant about her desires and expectations.
They both complimented each other very well, the reason it is not a 5 star is that I would of liked to have seen them more time together out of the bedroom. That is why when she takes him to a concert and dance was one of my favorite scenes.

I highly recommend this series and I look forwards to Jane's, Lavinia's sister, story.

A marriage of convenience trope that is honestly one of my favorite romance tropes basis of this book. Lavinia and Thaddeus are forced into a marriage when they are caught into a compromising position after a comedy of errors. It makes you smile and feel bad for both of them. I adored the way their romance developed and how open and willing Thad was to Lavinia's suggestions. This was such a refreshing change from a lot of the historical romances where the main protagonists just don't communicate. This is the third book in the Hazards of Dukes series and I would recommending reading it as part of the series.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

I love our main character Lavinia.. She is strong, knows what she wants, and is really loyal to her sister Jane and her half brother Percy.. She will do anything to help her family including making sure Jane gets to marry the man she wants. However their mother has a different idea, and is pushing Jane towards Thaddeus who is a duke..
Jane only has eyes for one man, but she knows that if asked she wont be able to help herself and she will agree to whatever the Duke wants.. So she asks for Lavinias help..

Its Lavinias job to make sure Jane and Thaddeus are never alone long enough for him to propose.. When her plan goes wrong and she ends up having to marry him instead.. While they do have some chemistry, they really had no plans to marry each other and are just hoping to make the best of their current circumstances. However on the bright side now that Lavinia has married a Duke there is an even better chance that Jane will get to marry the man she wants.. as long as his family agrees.
.
I loved how Lavinia isn't afraid to ask for what she wants, including what they do in the bedroom.. When she finds herself unsatisfied after their first couple encounters, she decides to make a list for what she wants.. This definitely works in her favor..

Throughout the story Lavinia and Thadd find themselves growing feelings for each other, but neither one willing to admit it to themselves.. When the time comes that they are both wanting to tell each other how they feel..... of course something gets in the way.. When they both get some great advise from their family they realize that they want to be with each other, so they both leave at once, and happen to meet each other on the road, in the pouring rain, and end up pouring their hearts out to each other..

This was a sweet romance that left me with all the feels, and I can't wait to read more of Megan Framptons books.

I think I was in the exact perfect mood for this book. I started reading it as soon as I got my hands on it and could not put it down. I found it a humorous all around delight. This is the third in a series. I read the first book in the series earlier this year but the second one only came out this week and I’ve not had the opportunity to read it. This book absolutely works as a standalone but a few plot points from first two will be spoiled if read out of order.

I loved both Lavinia and Thaddeus. They gave me Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth vibes with their whole I’m strangely attracted to this person I’m not really supposed to like thing. Both characters were well written and humorous in their own way. I loved that while the pair had opposite personalities, they had similarities, like their list making, that made it clear to me as a reader that these were two compatible people.

In addition to the main couple, I really liked the side characters. Each person we were introduced to was fully developed. It was clear that as she was writing Megan knew exactly who each person was from the servants to the family members to the servants’ family members. I really really really want a queer romance novella for Lavinia’s brother Percy.

My only complaint is that the book kept me up way too late on a work night. But that is a minor thing compared to the overall amusement and joy I had while reading.

A Wicked Bargain for the Duke is possibly my favorite Megan Frampton book. Thad, or the Duke, is everything that a military man should be. Then, he becomes ‘the Duke.’ But he cannot change who he is overnight. A man of strategies and lists meets secret writer of sensual novels. Lavinia is vivacious, curvaceous, scandalous and loyal to a fault. Definitely not the woman comprising his list of wifely character traits.

I love the way Lavinia gets under Thad’s skin about everything! He seems to think her responses to him are like indulging a child. Ms. Frampton has a special way of sharing Thad’s thoughts and self-talk that give him an endearing personality as you see him realize what he really needs is not at all what he planned.

Lavinia, too, is a person of the written word and uses it to get what she needs from Thad, until her written words cause problems in their marriage. I loved these two together. They have a special ability to communicate without speaking even before they are married. It gets even better after the wedding.

This third in the Hazards of Dukes series is a stand-alone, though probably better if read in sequence. There is a lot of sex, yet that is the purpose for the marriage as you will see when reading. You will love Lavinia’s brother and sister as they play an important part in Thad and Lavinia’s HEA. This series is definitely worth your time! Thank you, Net Galley for sharing this book in exchange for an honest review.