Decent story that kept my interest but Derek's jealousy got old fast and the miscommunication between him and Lucy was tiring. Lucy was strong willed but not ridiculously so. She made a mess of things when trying to compromise herself but fortunately Derek was a gentleman or things could have been really awful. A couple of plot twists that were explained toward the end added a little intrigue. Readers might want to know there is quite a bit of detail with the bedroom scenes. I'll probably check out the others in the series. When I was reading this book, I stayed up a little bit too late at night because I didn't want to put it down, and I opened it up again as soon as I woke in the morning. The author does a great job of writing non-stop tension that shifts seamlessly between the mystery and the relationship drama. I like romances that have a mystery to them; with only few exceptions, I get bored when it's all about the relationship. The trick (I imagine) is to weave together the mystery and the relationship, and Smith did that beautifully. It was riveting! All romances are predictable, because you know what's going to happen in the end, but you don't know how they're going to get there. Duke of Deception leaned toward the less predictable end of the romance spectrum, because I really had no idea how things were going to play out. A lot of the plot twists surprised me, and I kept changing my mind about what I thought of several of the characters. I didn't figure out who the 'bad guy' was until about three-quarters of the way through, and even the villain wasn't two-dimensional.I look forward to the next instalment of the Wentworth trilogy. It's exciting to discover an up-and-coming historical romance author, and I have a feeling that Smith is a rising star in the genre.
What do You think about Duke Of Deception (2012)?
a duke, disguised as a privateer pursues smugglers and finds traitors and spies...and a wife....
—JadedReader
Oh the trouble people cause when they don't tell the whole truth! (Or when they eavesdrop!)
—reza
quick book to read on a mini break...gun fight and deception by all..
—andrewsconnection
