I picked up Ten Things I Hate about the Duke by Loretta Chase because a review referred to The Taming of the Shrew. I didn’t really care that it was book two in A Difficult Dukes series. It really doesn’t matter. Although my understanding is that a couple characters overlap, I read it for the two main characters.

Just back from staying with her grandparents in Paris, Cassandra Pomfret once again causes a sensation in London. She speaks up about a bill in Parliament that will limit the ability for the ordinary person to live their lives on Sundays. However, she addresses the Sabbath bill to the man who introduced it, Mr. Titus Owsley. Cassandra’s father is not happy with her, and tells her that her beloved sister’s Season is over. Cassandra has ruined Hyacinth’s debut season by making a spectacle of herself and the family.

Hyacinth isn’t upset. In fact, she’s the one who urges Cassandra to drive to visit her ailing former governess. Taking her bodyguard and mentor, a former jockey named Keeffe, along with her maid, Cassandra sets out, only to meet with disaster when a drunken Lucius Wilmot Beckingham, the sixth Duke of Ashmont, shoots off a gun, scares her horses, and causes Keeffe to be severely injured. Ashmont does his best to make amends, but Cassandra is unforgiving when it comes to Keeffe’s injuries. Somehow, though, even in his drunken state, Cassandra’s strength and spirit gets through to him. He finds her fascinating, and orders her to marry him to quell all rumors and scandal about their time together at the inn where Keeffe’s life is in danger.

I love some of today’s historical romances for the spirited, independent women and the strong men who back them up. Because of the time period, 1833, women are often only allowed that independence because of the support of men. Both of these characters change in the course of the book. Cassandra realizes she can have her own life while also loving a man, and the Duke learns how important Cassandra’s life and spirit is to her happiness, and, eventually his own. The mishaps that occur in this book are not because this couple ever tries to deceive anyone. When they get in trouble, Cassandra confesses everything to her parents.

Fortunately, this isn’t a typical The Taming of the Shrew trope. While Cassandra calls herself a shrew, Ashmont never sees her that way, and has no intention of taming her. Instead, their relationship becomes a partnership between two spirited people. Ten Things I Hate about the Duke is a fun, funny historical romance featuring a likable, honest couple.

Loretta Chase’s website is http://LorettaChase.com

Ten Things I Hate about the Duke by Loretta Chase. Avon Books, 2020. ISBN 9780062952639 (hardcover), 324p.

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