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Thanks to @avonbooks for an advance copy of one of my most highly anticipated reads of the year: My Inconvenient Duke by Loretta Chase, out January 21st! When I say highly anticipated, I mean it! Fans of Loretta Chase and the Difficult Dukes know that she dealt with some serious writers block when it came to the third book in this trilogy, but this one was worth the wait. Mild spoilers ahead? What happens when a bunch of stubborn, rebellious idiots set out to protect someone they love? To start with: -My best friend’s sister/she’s not for you angst -Snark as a love language -A MMC obsessed with the FMC -I can’t decide whether I want to kiss you or kill you -“NEVER WITHOUT ME” -Try and stop me (derogatory) -Try and stop me (affectionate) -THE SCENE WHERE HE SETS THINGS RIGHT -Murder or That Sort of Thing -Lots of Dis-Grace-ful shenanigans Alice and Blackwood’s story has been a long time coming and Chase delivered a conclusion (?) to the series that will appeal to newer HR readers and longtime fans alike: tell me Alice doesn’t have some Jessica Trent, Lord of Scoundrels energy! Those two would be thick as thieves. It’s clear Chase didn’t have a plan for this book when writing the series (after alluding to a marriage in crisis in previous books, that is not the focus; this book takes place chronologically *before* the first two books in the series) — it didn’t bother me, but I get that it might put some readers off. In spite of issues with the plot (how many times can the same orphan be kidnapped? Asking for a friend) Chase does this remarkable thing where each Duke is a complete disaster and you can’t see how they could possibly redeem themselves, and then she writes their story. And I fall headfirst each time. I have such a soft spot for these blockheads and I think a lot of other readers will, too. 📸: I’m holding up a kindle displaying the ebook cover of My Inconvenient Duke with one hand. via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/DEaAAoJxXKx/