DNF Quick Thoughts: The Duke Undone (Duke Undone #1) by Joanna Lowell

The Duke Undone

(Duke Undone #1)

by Joanna Lowell

April 6, 2021

Goodreads Summary:

An artist stumbles upon a naked duke and an unlikely love story begins in this captivating Victorian historical romance.

When Royal Academy painting student Lucy Coover trips over a naked man passed out in an East End alley, she does the decent thing. She covers him up and fetches help. Trouble is, she can't banish his muscular form from her dreams as easily. She finds herself compelled to put every detail down on canvas. What she doesn't know is that she's painting the infamous Duke of Weston, and that her life will never be the same.

A second son, Anthony Philby thought he could flee his brutal family legacy and become his own man. Forced back to London by his brother's death, he inherits a fortune... with strings attached. One scandal will sink his bid for independence. It's in his best interest to burn Lucy Coover's shocking painting and pretend he never met the bewitching young artist. Instead, he finds himself offering a devil's bargain. He'll save her aunt's dressmaking shop from ruin, if she'll seek out his missing sister, Effie.

As they work together, an unexpected passion ignites between them. But the hunt for Effie leads to unexpected danger, and soon they find themselves risking everything... for a love that might destroy them both.

Review

I usually enjoy myself a good historical romance but for some reason I couldn't get into The Duke Undone. Before officially calling it quits, I put the book down and picked it back up more times than I could remember.

I think my biggest issue with The Duke Undone was the story- it didn't capture my attention. Parts of the writing felt unnecessarily complicated, at times even cryptic. And with the exception of Lucy, I didn't care for any of the characters. That was a huge disappointment as I was really looking forward to meeting the love interest, Anthony (he fell flat).

I am bummed I didn't like The Duke Undone. The story had a lot of potential but sadly the execution just wasn't for me.

"The realization dawned on her without illuminating a solution." (p. 67)