Duke with a Reputation

Wicked Dukes Society, Book 1

De: Scarlett Scott

Narrado por: Victoria Aston, Will Watt

From USA Today bestselling author Scarlett Scott comes a scorching-hot enemies-to-lovers romance between a single dad duke and the fiercely independent countess who has vowed to guard her heart at all costs…

The Duke of Brandon is London’s most infamous rake. But his world crashes to a decided halt when the sins of his past come back to haunt him in the form of one small she-devil of a child who has green eyes just like his. To make matters worse, his disapproving grandmother has decided that he must marry or forfeit his inheritance.

Now, he has no choice but to raise a daughter, find a wife, and keep his harridan grandmother from discovering his sordid secrets as the founder of the Wicked Dukes Society. So when the tempting, fiery-haired Countess of Grenfell propositions him, he offers her something else instead—a marriage of convenience.

Lottie, Countess of Grenfell, is London’s most notorious widow. Her doomed, one-sided marriage left her with a broken heart and a determination to never wed again. What she wants is simple—passion, independence, and one night in the Duke of Brandon’s bed. Or in his scandalous chair. Perhaps even against a wall. She wouldn’t marry him, however, if he were the last man on earth.

Brandon is quickly running out of time and his troublemaking daughter has decided no one else shall do as her step-mama but the maddening countess. He must persuade Lottie to become his duchess with all haste or risk losing everything. As he sets out to seduce her into marriage, he’s shocked to realize that he’s done the one thing he previously believed himself incapable of along the way—he’s fallen in love. But Lottie’s bruised and battered heart is more guarded than his, and she has vowed to never allow another man to hurt her again.

Heat level: Scorching hot! Don't say you weren't warned.

©2024 Scarlett Scott (P)2025 Dreamscape Media

Good but a bit long

The prolonged wooing of the Duke was a bit tedious. Her resistance went on too long. I like the female narrator. The male narrator was good but somewhat haughty.

The story had very different twists and turns.

This long anticipated new title by Scarlett Scott was no disappointment. The heroine is strong and independent, and our hero has to jump through quite a few interesting hoops before claiming his heart’s desire.

I don’t want to give anything away so I will merely say that conventions of the day are tested and the necessary person to tip the scales in our couple’s lives is a surprise.

Both of the narrators were perfect! They brought the story to life as if I were watching live theatre.

Bravo Ms. Scott, another brilliant success 👏

Disappointing

I’m having a difficult time finding enough of a plot to discuss. The basic premise was redemption of a Rogue, self discovery of a victimized wife now widow, and love and encouragement provided to an essentially abandoned child. The extraneous characters had hints of developing plot lines that unfortunately went nowhere. Cut the length by 50%, introduce events with greater depth to ramp up the tension between the main characters to provide a basis for personal growth, and stop using sex as a filler. Way too much sex (something I never thought I would say!). I can’t recommend this book for the reasons identified above. I can, however, recommend the narrators, who did an outstanding job.