Joanna Lowell

Includes readers guide discussion questions.

The Duke Undone

taylor alyse pisanie

"Women's lives are never easy. In love, out of love, married, unmarried - there's no formula that guarantees happiness." 

I don't really have anything to say except that was cute.

Mary Skinner

This was a bland reading experience. The book is set in 19th century England, when a young female painter who studies at the Royal Academy happens across a passed out (drunk) naked man in an alley. She paints him, he sees the painting later, he’s angry, and he comes to find her. Turns out he’s a duke with daddy issues & an alcohol problem & she’s itching to fix him. 

It could have been a good book if the author had just gone harder with it. There are sex scenes, but not enough to be a thoroughly spicy book. There are discussions of substance abuse, but not enough to be meaningful. There’s themes of class and poverty, but again, they’re discussed in shallow ways. 

The overall book was just...bland. It was a decent way to spend an hour and a half, but I would never read it again or recommend it to anyone.

Linda Quintanilla

Oh my goodness. I have to say it: I absolutely love The Duke Undone. The best historical romance story I have read so far. And that’s saying something. I don’t know how but The Duke Undone grabbed my attention from the start and kept on going. It’s the perfect pace that does not drag too long or rush too fast. Steady yet steamy to read. For a historical romance story, it gets pretty steamy between Lucy and Anthony. And their chemistry between each other is off the charts. They just click with each other especially when they are arguing with each other. You can just feel their sexual tension. You won’t regret reading The Duke Undone. It made my day so much better.

Alexis 

3/5 Stars

** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!** 

I have some mixed feelings about this book. While it wasn't bad at all, and I did enjoy it. I found that I just couldn't connect to the characters which hindered my enjoyment of the stroy. I also found that I couldn't stay in the story, I kept wanting to put the book down and not want to pick it back up. This may just be me and not at all the book. Overall it was enjoyable and if you are intereted I would say give it a try.

An artist stumbles upon a naked duke and an unlikely love story begins in this captivating Victorian historical romance. When Royal Academy painting student Lucy Coover trips over a naked man passed out in an East End alley, she does the decent thing. She covers him up and fetches help. Trouble is, she can't banish his muscular form from her dreams as easily. Compelled to capture every detail, she creates a stunning portrait but is forced to sell it when the rent comes due. What could be worse than surrendering the very picture of your desire? Meeting the man himself. Anthony Philby, Duke of Weston, is nobody's muse. Upon discovering the scandalous likeness, he springs into action. His infamous family has been torn apart by shame and secrets, and he can't afford more gossip. Even a whisper may jeopardize his inheritance and his chance at independence. His plan is simple: burn the painting, confront the artist. Or rather, it's simple until he meets Lucy and decides to offer the bewitching young artist a devil's bargain. He'll help save her foreclosed home, if she'll help repair his family’s brutal legacy. An irresistible passion ignites between them, but when danger strikes, Lucy and Anthony must risk everything... for a love that might destroy them both.

Annie Beth

I felt like this story had a lot of potential but didn't quite hit the mark. I loved the two MCs but felt like how the plot unfolded was disjointed and at times there was too much going on. 

Heather Harrington

While on her way to class at the Royal Academy, painter Lucy Coover stumbles upon a drunken man passed out naked in an alleyway. Not wanting to leave this poor man, Lucy covers him up and gets help before rushing off. Unable to get the vision of the man's naked form out of her mind, Lucy paints him in very vivid detail. When it's discovered that the man was the Duke of Weston, Lucy's life is turned upside down. As a second son, Anthony Philby was looking forward to getting away from his family's sordid history and striking out on his own. But when his brother dies, Anthony is left to inherit everything...with a few stipulations. If Anthony falls into any scandal, he can kiss his independence goodbye. Needless to say, Anthony does not need a naked painting of him circulating high society. When Anthony confronts Lucy, the pair agree: Anthony will help Lucy save her home, if she helps him find his sister, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances. As the pair work together, neither can deny the feelings brewing but with mysteries swirling around them, is it worth the risk?

This was not at all how I expected it to be. I went in thinking it'd be a fun historical romp about a woman accidentally painting a nude duke, and while that was a sliver of the overall plot, it was more of a family drama/mystery. There were so many things happening at once: from Lucy trying to save her building from being condemned to Anthony trying to gain his inheritance and find his missing sister that it made the story feel muddled. I think if Lowell had just picked one plot point to focus on it would've made this much more enjoyable and less of a mess. The writing itself was also bland, and the banter and chemistry between the pair felt very forced. There were a few moments that I thought were sweet, but overall, this just didn't do it for me.

Celia Adams

I don't know of if this is a pro or a con regarding the book, but I was way more invested in the plot than the romance?? I was practically skipping over some of the mushy or sexy scenes, like yes forming a deep emotional bond is great but 'will you save the tenants? Can we find the sister already? I swear to God if you don't go get justice soon because your too busy making out in a carriage I'm gonna die.'

The Duke Undone

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