soooooo good! ( )

The Way to A Duke's Heart
3.5 Stars

In the aftermath of his father's death and the revelation of a shocking family secret, the new Duke of Durham, Charles de Lacey, is forced to renounce his rakish ways and take responsibility for discovering the identity of the blackmailer threatening his birthright. Upon encountering Tessa Neville, Charles is convinced the beautiful yet sharp-tongued miss is involved in the scandal, but finds himself irresistibly drawn to her. Charles will have to decide if she is a deceitful liar or the one woman who can love him despite his faults.

Unfortunately, the final installment in the series lacks both the cohesiveness of plot and intimacy of romance that characterized the first two books.

The blackmail plot fizzles not only because the red herring and culprit are underdeveloped, but also due to the fact that the hero is presented in a particularly negative light.

The romance has potential, especially as Tessa is lovely heroine, and her banter with Charles is entertaining. Nevertheless, there is something missing in the chemistry between them. Although their feelings for one another are described, the actual emotion and connection behind them seem very nebulous.

All in all, a good if somewhat disappointing conclusion to the series. I highly recommend the first two books though. ( )

Just barely 3 stars. I really thought for quite a while it was going to be 2, but the ending appeased me somewhat I suppose. (And I really don't enjoy giving below 3 stars). The mystery aspect in this one annoyed me in a way it didn't in the first two. The hero held onto an assumption, despite the paltry reason it was based on, and despite all new evidence to the contrary, for entirely too long. He started to just appear dim witted. And the heroine resisted him perhaps a little too well, I didn't feel building yearning for him, so it felt like a slight crush on someone she'd rather avoid to suddenly she was in love. I felt the hero's feelings a bit better, but thought there was a bit too much emphasis on interest in someone because of the novelty of being rebuffed (so it could have just been anyone who didn't welcome his interest? That's all it took?) and his interest in gaining her business acumen... though I do like that he appreciated her skill for that. Not one huge crazy thing, but just lots of small things that were all a little off for me. ( )

Caroline Linden's `One Night in London: The Truth About the Duke' started the journey which is known to all of us as the Durham Dilemma. This series has a very unique premise that Ms. Linden came up with. All three stories are designed to reveal one big secret and tell us the truth about the old Duke of Durham's secret marriage that was never annulled, before he married his Duchess and the mother of his three sons, his heir Charles, Lord Gresham, Edward de Lacey, the spare and Captain Gerard de Lacey, the hero.

All three were shocked to learn that some sixty years ago the Duke had been married and then parted ways with the woman never bothering to get a divorce, an annulment or even make sure that that woman is still living or dead, before he marries again.

As the brothers start the search for answers to their future, they are destined to meet women that will make their life interesting, exciting and ultimately very happy to enter that state that all men at one time or another think of `mouse trap'.

Edward's story is first, followed by `Blame it on Bath' with Gerard's and now we come to the end of the series and Charles' story. From the previous two books we get the feeling that Charlie is one of those men that really doesn't give a damn for anyone but his own self. He never answered his late father's summons to his death bed and outwardly shows no concern about finding out who is behind the `illegitimacy' claim and blackmail. All Charlie seems to want to do is `party'.

However, in this book, we meet the man that's not so easy to define; man who for the past decade did everything in his power to distance himself from his father, from the responsibility of taking over not just the title, but all that it stands for, all that he's been thought it entails to be the next Duke of Durham; man who hides behind the persona of the most debauched rake of the ton, yet deep down...and for the rest of my review, please visit me at [...] Thanks so much.

Melanie for Romantic Crush Junkies Reviews eZine ( )

Five plus stars! Caroline Linden has pulled off a hat trick – all three volumes of The Truth About the Duke series are first rate.

The series revolves around the de Lacey brothers – Charlie, the indolent, rakish heir; Edward, the dutiful, serious-minded son; and Gerard, the devil-may-care veteran of the Napoleonic wars. Their father, the Duke of Durham, has left a death-bed confession detailing his youthful marriage to an actress, which means that the duke’s marriage to the brothers’ mother may have been bigamous and that the brothers are in fact penniless bastards. A blackmailer was plaguing the duke with anonymous letters in the year before his death, and the mystery running through the series involves their efforts to find out the truth about the duke. Edward first takes charge, as he always has, and hires lawyers to investigate the facts and fight it out before Parliament ([b:One Night in London|11315200|One Night in London (The Truth About the Duke #1)|Caroline Linden|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327928210s/11315200.jpg|16243181]). Gerard ([b:Blame It on Bath|11785877|Blame It on Bath (The Truth About the Duke, #2)|Caroline Linden|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1321941455s/11785877.jpg|16737939]) gallops off to find and kill the blackmailer. Along the way, they meet and marry their wives, settling down in domestic bliss and leaving Charlie to finally solve the mystery and claim his title.

I must pause here to compliment the author on her masterful first chapter of this book. She tells the entire backstory, as well as the moving story of Charlie’s growing up, in this chapter, and it is brilliantly done. Too often, a series author starts out with an info dump designed to catch up the reader who may not have read the earlier volumes. At the other extreme, there is a paucity of information, which leaves the frustrated reader wondering “who?” or “what?” Ms. Linden avoids both extremes here, and by the end of the first chapter the reader is fully engaged in the story. (As a result, this book works very well as a stand alone, but the entire series is so delightful that I recommend reading it in order.)

Left with no other option, Charlie sobers up and reluctantly sets out to find and confront the blackmailer. He’s not too optimistic, though, as he’s never really accomplished anything worthwhile. Mainly he’s devoted himself to living up to his father’s opinion of him as a worthless fribble.

Charlie’s pursuit takes him to the York Hotel in Bath, where he accidentally learns that Tessa Neville, a fellow guest, is somehow connected to Hiram Scott, the suspected blackmailer. A suspicious Charlie uses his considerable charm to inveigle Tessa’s elderly companion and thereby meet Tessa. Tessa has no use for Charlie; she views him as just another arrogant, useless, pampered aristocrat. Tessa, a widow in her late twenties, is an unusual woman, who applies her common sense and business acumen to managing her viscount brother’s affairs. She has come to Bath to investigate a proposed canal, run by Hiram Scott, in which her brother is considering investing, and she has no time or inclination to become captivated by Charlie. He, on the other hand, becomes captivated by her, even as he remains wary that she may somehow be involved in the blackmail scheme.

Charlie follows Tessa to the village of Frome, where he feigns an interest in the canal in order to meet Hiram Scott. Gradually, Charlie and Tessa become friends, then allies, and finally lovers. But all does not go smoothly, and both Charlie and Tessa must weather some rough patches before finding their HEA. Charlie learns that he needs a woman like Tessa, who will stand by him and bring out the best in him, and Tessa needs a confident man like Charlie who will respect her intelligence and let her make the most of her talents. Theirs is a wonderful, romantic partnership.

Does Charlie find the answers he needs to retain his title? I won’t spoil the ending, but I will say that Ms. Linden devises a clever, believable series of twists that satisfactorily resolve the mystery.

I have only two criticisms. The first third or so of this book drags on a bit too long. I became quite impatient for something to happen by the time Charlie and Tessa got to Frome. Second, after a few days in Frome, Tessa does something so unexpected and shocking that my jaw literally dropped. There is simply no explanation for her behavior, no interior monologue that would have explained her motivation for such a rash and uncharacteristic act. These are mere bumps along the way, however, and I still give this book a five-star rating.

Heartfelt thanks to Avon and Edleweiss for the chance to read an ARC of this book. ( )