REVIEW: Dare to Love a Duke by Eva Leigh

In Dare to Love a Duke (The London Underground #3) by Eva Leigh, Thomas Powell has been groomed since birth to one day take his father’s place as the Duke of Northfield. Knowing that he will have to settle down once that day arrives, living his life by society’s standards and upholding his father’s strict moral code, Tom has sowed his wild oats while he has the chance. Doing so has led him to the Orchid Club. A private club where anything goes and the masked members can indulge in their baser needs. But one look at the woman in charge, a lovely lady named Amina, and Tom doesn’t care about the wild scene taking place around him. Just the woman behind the mask.

‘That was why he was here, to briefly escape the heavy weight of a responsibility that made him do things he didn’t want to do.
For all his wealth and power, he wasn’t free.’

Lucia has become accustomed to the debauchery that takes place at the Orchid Club and never thought she would see the day when one of the secret members would catch her eye. But even she can’t deny the smoldering attraction between herself and the gentleman who has spent the better part of a year trying to entice her into one night of passion. Lucia knows it’s a gamble. But surely one night can’t hurt anyone, right? If only she had known that she would grow attached to Tom so quickly. Or that their relationship would forever change when their true identities were revealed. Lucia might have saved herself from the tough decisions she’ll have to make.

‘The future was a morass of uncertainty. But tonight, just this once, she’d permit herself selfish pleasure.’

Dare to Love a Duke was not your typical historical romance. Centered around a scandalous club run by a woman who hides a troubled past, and the newly titled duke who falls for her, Eva Leigh didn’t hold back on the emotions or the passion, which made for a combustible story.

“Know this–when I’m apart from you, you occupy my every thought.”
“I think you mean to destroy me.” She blinked hard, but he saw how her eyes turned liquid.
“No, love.” Ferocity ebbed, leaving tenderness in its wake, and he kissed her. “I mean to build you up. Higher and higher until you can look down at the stars.”

I will start by saying you can read the books in this series individually with no worries but I think they’ve all been interesting enough to check them all out. Also, this particular story dealt with the seedier side of London so there were a lot of F-bombs being dropped. A LOT. I thought it did match what I imagine the characters’ dialogue would consist of but it might be a bit jarring to some readers at first. That having been said, I loved that Eva Leigh just went for it with the setup for this romance and let Lucia and Tom do whatever it took to accomplish what they believed in and to stand up for their loved ones.

I absolutely adored Tom and Lucia, as well as many of the secondary characters we met. Eva Leigh always does such a great job of creating strong personalities that mesh so well together, as she did with our duke and proprietress pairing here. Tom was, to me, the ultimate hero–in any genre, not just a historical: he was loyal, caring, a bit of a rascal, sexy and exceedingly smart. He wanted to do right by his family and his father’s legacy but had to fight against old ideals. It was those old-fashioned notions that interfered the greatest with Tom’s genuine feelings for Lucia and where their conflict threatened to separate them for good.

Lucia was Tom’s perfect match. She was also fiercely loyal and tough as nails, but she had such a gentle heart and only wanted to give back to her community. Learning of her background as well as how Lucia (and Tom) wanted to create a school to educate girls, pulling them from a life on the streets will surely bring a tear or two to your eyes. And the way she treated her employees–who all became her family of the heart–was inspiring and just absolutely lovely to see. Their scenes together at the Orchid Club were oftentimes funny as well as being poignant and heartwarming.

Swoon-worthy and scintillating, Dare to Love a Duke took my breath away with the intriguing storyline, the depth of passion between our main characters, and the challenges they faced down as a team. Highly recommended.

Book Info:

Publication: Published December 24th 2018 | Avon | The London Underground #3

For a dashing duke and the proprietress of a secret, sensual club in the London Underground, passion could lead to love… if they dare

Thomas Powell, the new Duke of Northfield, knows he should be proper and principled, like his father. No more dueling, or carousing, or frequenting masked parties where Londoners indulge their wildest desires. But he’s not ready to give up his freedom just yet. The club is an escape, a place where he can forget about society and the weight of his title… and see her, the woman he’s wanted forever.

Lucia—known as Amina—manages the Orchid Club, a secret society where fantasies become reality. But for Lucia, it’s strictly business, profitable enough to finance her dream: a home for the lost girls of the streets. Surrounded by lovers, she only observes, unwilling risk her future for any man. No member has ever intrigued her…until him, the masked stranger whose heated looks sear her skin. After months of suppressed longing, they dare to give in to temptation…

But the late duke’s legacy comes with a shocking secret, and the scandal threatens to destroy everything Tom loves… his family, the Orchid Club, and even Lucia.