Mini Book Review: The Duke Gets Desperate by Diana Quincy

The Duke Gets Desperate (Sirens in Silk #1)
Publisher: Avon
Pub Date: 26 September 2023
Genre: Historical Romance

Panda Rating:

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📖 SYNOPSIS

Diana Quincy returns with a steamy affair between an Arab-American woman who inherits a run-down castle in the English countryside and the duke who asserts the castle is his, in the first book in a brand-new Victorian historical romance series.

Anthony Cary, Duke of Strickland, inherits his spendthrift father’s title and can finally restore the family castle to its former glory. But at the reading of the will, Strick is stunned to learn that his father has secretly disentailed him, leaving the family manor–home to twelve generations of dukes–to Strick’s American stepmother. Everyone knows Strick detests the dowager duchess, and when she dies mysteriously, damning rumors start to surface.

When Raya Darwish unexpectedly inherits her glamorous late cousin’s castle in the English countryside, she clashes with the charismatic young duke who insists the castle is rightfully his. The estate is practically bankrupt, so she must find a way to work with the duke in order to save both of their futures.

The two cannot stand each other, but mutual disdain soon gives way to desire. When questions arise about how her cousin died, Raya cannot help wondering if Strick’s sudden unbridled passion for her is part of a scheme to get his castle back…

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Misogyny, racism, xenophobia, attempted murder

TL;DR: The Duke Gets Desperate was not what I expected in the best way! I have to admit that this got off to a bit of a rocky start for me but my feelings (thankfully) changed along the way. Raya and (eventually) Anthony were so easy to root for. I love it when an MMC falls first and this man falls hard and fast for Raya and not in an instalove way because they properly couldn’t stand each other to start. And the mouth on him was quite a surprise! 😂🥵 Overall, this was a feisty and sexy historical romance and I’m excited to read more by this author.

It was the initial barrage of unlikeable characters and their outdated views of women in society, particularly preached by Raya’s auntie and chaperone, which were trying and frustrating. 😂 BUT I loved the way Raya challenged those expectations as a smart, business-minded, strong-willed and independent woman. She was pretty easy to root for and I loved seeing her pursue actions that she knew would make the castle thrive, despite being surrounded by a village of naysayers and with one particularly loud voice of dissent in the form of His Grace, Anthony Cary. Anthony is a pretty simple man. He’s driven by his love of archaeology and Anglo-Saxon artefacts, as well as his love and duty towards his home, Castle Tremayne. He’s incensed that the castle was taken from him not once but twice and even more so knowing that it was bequeathed to Raya, an Arab-American who knows nothing about what it means to run a castle.

I loved that theirs was truly a hate-to-love romance because I wasn’t sure how these two would suit but oh my, were they great together! They drove each other to passionate fits but that fire combined with their undeniable attraction to each other created slow incendiary moments that heated things quickly. Seriously, Anthony and his mouth was something to behold, lol. 🥵 This was surprisingly angsty and although I’m not usually one for angsty reads, I ate it up! I loved the tension, the way their relationship grew, and how they learned to love and respect each other.

There were parts of the story that I wished got more time to properly unfold, especially the more “mysterious” aspect to it but I wasn’t too fussed because I was fully invested in Raya and Anthony and I wanted more of them! This was my first book by Diana Quincy but it definitely won’t be my last.