Oh! The spitfire society is back! Jane has declared herself a spinster. And then she discovers Anthony on her doorstep bruised and bleeding. Nursing him back to health they discover their interest while fighting it at the same time.  Many twists and turns on their way to a HEA! Lovely read!

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

I have enjoyed the books in the Spitfire series and this book was a decent read but not my favorite of the series.  While I enjoyed the little bit of mystery as Anthony tries to figure out who is blackmailing him and Jane tries to figure out who started the rumor that lead to her lack of marriage proposals, I really did not care for either Jane or Anthony all the much.  Also, not sure that the book title was every explained - is that title supposed to mean that Jane, as a spitfire, would never want a duke??  (Can you tell that I like things spelled out for me?!!)

Jane just seemed so pushy when she propositioned Anthony and would not take no for an answer.  Anthony had a lot of demons to overcome and from what the book states, he had problems with gambling and drinking.  It looked like guilty kept him from gambling and Jane's disapproval kept him from drinking.  Not sure that is the best way to overcome your addictions.

I did like that they were very family oriented and each cared about their family members and their friends.  There was also some character growth so you can see Jane moving from the idea that living on her own was freeing and she was independent to realizing that she might want a family and that living by herself was a lonely life.  Anthony learned that he needed to forgive himself and move on from his past and maybe he could be brave and love someone.

The future book list looks pretty good to me.  I want to know what happens with Rockbourne that he becomes a widower, another has Lady Gresham with the Bow Street runner from this story, and the last one has the Vicar - that will be interesting to see how he can be brought into a good light!  All three look interesting and will keep an eye out for their release.

After failing on the marriage market, spinster Jane Pemberton decides to live the life of a single woman. However, one afternoon, a mysterious man ends up knocked out at her front door. After nursing him to health, she finds out it's Anthony Colton, brother of a friend of Jane's. They decide to have an affair after Jane tells Anthony that she'll never have the luxury of being married, therefore will never experience physical intimacy.

 I had high hopes for this book, #3 of the Spitfire Society. I always love the leading ladies in the stories and their independence from the expectations of those around them. I was drawn to Jane right away. She was sweet, caring, independent and a leading lady that you could cheer for.  What I did not enjoy about the book was that the basis for their affair seemed so silly. I know romance novels are silly and fantasy, but this one seemed like such a stretch. Especially for how fast it moved to get them intimate. I would have enjoyed if their flirtation was drawn out a bit more and if Jane hadn't seemed so forward, especially for a lady who's never experienced intimacy. This book had some good parts, but I did not enjoy the main story line.

Jane, a self declared spinster, has resigned herself to never having a husband after several unsuccessful seasons. Until Anthony, an alcoholic Lord, turns up on her doorstep with no explanation of why in a beaten up state and requiring care. 

This is a predictable easy read and as such I read it in one sitting. It has romance, strong female characters and occasional intimacy which doesn't detract from the story itself. 

Jane is the instigator in the more graphic elements of the novel, however one thing I was quite rocky on was that despite Anthony repeatedly saying no she continues to pursue an 'affair'. 

Overall, I found it to be a reasonably good read albeit predictable and I would recommend to those looking for a romance novel in a historical setting.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book for an honest review. 
 I liked this book, and it actually made me giggle a little bit. I have never read a historical romance before. It did keep me entertained. I would recommend this book and also the author.

So once upon a Regency period, when a young girl fails to attract a suitor in the marriage mart before she become an old maid – usually around 21 years of age – she has to become an unpaid servant somewhere. To her family – her elderly parents, an ancient aunt as a companion, an extra nanny to her siblings’ children or similar.
And if you had the money yourself, which was very unusual, you could set up home with a companion yourself.
But young girls of 21 or even older women, seldom had their own money and so were dependant on others. So if you hadn’t got a husband and didn’t want to become an unpaid servant, what were you to do?
Luckily, for our young heroine, she knew someone who not only had money but also a spare house she could lend her to live in, and enough to spare her some money to maintain it and buy the necessaries and some fripperies.
So Jane refuses to marry the ‘last resort’ husband of her parents’ choice and sets up home as a spinster in the HQ of what was now he Spitfires Society. A society for women who wanted more than what was customary for themselves.
Hey wanted independence of thought and action and not necessarily an husband.
Jane is a nice young lady, nicer than her reputation appears – a scandal had been attached to her about which she had no inkling. And she takes pity on a rake because of her niceness and starts his reformation – very rockily.
 A nice story but not with quite the oomph that I expect of Darcy, and little that’s new in discussion of society and customs that

i loved Anthony and Jane. they were a fun couple. i liked reading about what the other couples from previous books are doing. i cant wait to read Harry and later Jane's Sister Anne's book.

This is the story of Jane, a self declared spinster who has committed the unforgivable sin of leaving her parents' home and living on her own. It is also the story of Anthony, a man who is driven by guilt and self loathing due to the circumstances of his parents' deaths. Anthony gets beaten very badly, and somehow lands on Jane's front steps. Jane nurses him back to health, bot physically and gets him on the right road emotionally. 
At times, I really found Anthony's guilt and self loathing to be a little irritating and self indulgent. His parents wanted him to be more, he made stupid decisions which he thinks contributed to their deaths, so he responds by making many, many more stupid decisions?
Jane attempted to help Anthony wade through his drinking issues and his self loathing. However, at one point in the book, she basically takes advantage of him. If a male character did what Jane did, I think a lot of the physical action between them was gratuitous, and took the place of conversation and soul searching. That really bugged me. 
The story was ok, some parts seemed a little rushed, and I would have liked more of an emotional connection between Anthony and Jane, and less jumping into bed just because they couldn't resist and didn't want to actually talk.

I actually was surprised by this book! Jane Pemberton just declared herself a spinster and moved into her friend's empty house, which was empty because she got married in the previous book in the series. Jane is happy with her decision to take herself off the marriage mart, but at the same time, is dealing with her parents rejecting her due to her choosing to live alone. She finds Viscount Colton (Anthony) on her doorstep, beaten within an inch of his life. As he recovers, they find themselves attracted to one another and she asks Anthony to help her lose her virginity, as she figures she will never marry. There are some *very* hot sex scenes in this book, which, thank you Ms. Burke! However, I was kind of over Anthony blaming himself for his parents' murder. He didn't literally *murder* his parents. I can understand being upset about their deaths, but the punishment made me roll his eyes. He could be a rake and have sex with prostitutes, but he would never marry or fall in love? Sure, sounds like an awful punishment. I will say that the twist at the end surprised me a bit, in that I thought he was the one who started the rumor about Jane being loose, which is where I felt we were being led the whole time. Anyway, I enjoyed it and I cannot wait to read the Vicar's story! 

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for a ARC for a fair review.

Jane, the heroine of this book, has declared herself a spinster after many unsuccessful seasons and has moved out from the family home when she finds a man on her doorstep. She offers assistance to the man and when she finds out it is Anthony, the friend of her best friends husband, she insists he stay at her house for a week in order to recuperate. Both have demons and struggles in their lives but they connect and ultimately help each other overcome their hurts.
I think it was a lovely book with a little bit of suspense in it. They both are held back by what has happened with their families and found comfort in each other. I think Anthony was a great character and his struggles with alcohol were realistic. I do think that you have to make the decision to stop yourself and a loved one telling you to stop is not always what helps a person. However, Jane was lovely and very patient with Anthony but she wasn't a really feisty character. If that's what her belonging to the Spitfire Society was supposed to show us, it definitely was not executed well. I also found it strange how sexually confident she was especially considering how she was shamed and the time period. 
The ending came rather abruptly and everything was settled, but I do wish we would have been able to see more of Jane's relationship with her parents because that would have added more depth to the book. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third book in The Spitfire Society series. You do not need to read the other two books to enjoy this book but I would recommend reading A Duke is Never Enough, it is my favorite in the series. For me, this book was OK. Anthony was the highlight of this book. He had a lot of guilt and self destructive behavior but he was an honorable man that needed some help getting out of the hole of despair. Jane was not very memorable. She was manipulative and boring.

“A Duke Will Never Do” by Darcy Burke was a well-written romance. 

I can’t help but feel as though I’ve read a similar story scenario before? 

Regardless...it was a fun read. 
Anthony was an interesting character and Jane had just the right amount of spitfire - although rather demanding on Anthony to repay his debt to her.

I enjoy Darcy Burke’s historical romances and look forward to her other books.

Well written, engaging, romantic, suspenseful, with a HEA: I am a happy reader! I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

I did genuinely enjoy the majority of this book, but found it very weird that Jane spent so much of the book lying to the people that were meant to be her friends. I didn't really see what the elements of the 'Spitfire' that Jane really attributed, other than not having found a husband yet, which was disappointing. I was hoping she would be more, as the book summary suggested.

Another success for Darcy Burke with A Duke Will Never Do.   I do not retell the story as so many reviewers do as it ruins it and if I need a synopsis of it the publisher provides that.  I would definitely recommend this book.

I tend to like Darcy's books this one not so much. We have Anthony a tortured soul and when we read his background it is totally understandable. Then we have Jane and he knows her because this one of his sisters friend. Now I liked that Jane was taking care of Anthony and he felt that he owed her for that, and Jane jumps at the chance she wants to lose her virginity. Now with Anthony's life he still has morals and he doesn't want to ruin her, and this is what makes me dislike the book or shall I say Jane, she wouldn't take no for an answer she repeatedly bothered him with this request and I hated that, first get some integrity, second he said no how many times does he have to say it, had it been the other way it would have been crazy, everyone would have been pissed yet it is supposed to be acceptable well to me it wasn't and so for that this book does not make my to be read again..

This was a really good finale to the Spitfire Society trilogy. I've been looking forward to getting Anthony's story since the first book, and Darcy Burke definitely didn't disappoint. I will say that I found Jane's character to be a bit bland, but Anthony's character was so interesting that I didn't mind all that much. 

I always recommend Burke's historical romances for people that are just getting into the genre because her writing style is so easy/accessible and her stories are simple (but in a good way). I'm really looking forward to The Pretenders trilogy that she'll be releasing in a few months as we've already been introduced to those characters in this book. 

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing in e-arc in exchange for an honest review**

Decently fun, but nothing I haven't read many times before. 

The characters weren't particularly compelling, although I did appreciate the male lead having actual alcohol problems. It's so often brushed aside in other historical romances, where they can easily quit the drink when they fall in love or their vast intake of spirits is never really commented on. I didn't appreciate the female lead's persistence when faced with a lack of sexual consent, though. She continuously cornered Anthony and pressured him into sex, despite his many refusals. It made me dislike her.

The plot was rather weak, in my opinion, and the climax was a little too dramatic for my taste. I also found it disappointing that the two culprits turned out to be characters we never met before, except for the one being mentioned a few times throughout the story.

I hadn't read the other books in the series or any other books from Burke, and although not necessary to do so in order to read A Duke Will Never Do, I think it might add to the experience if you have. There were so many references to characters I imagine have appeared in Burke's other novels, and because I didn't know them, it felt like they were just there as filler. They had very little influence on the actual story.

*** WARNING: spoilers ahead.  You have been warned. ***

In A Duke Will Never Do, we get the story of Jane Pemberton and Anthony, Viscount Colton.  If you have read the two preceding books in the series, you are already familiar with our heroine and hero.  In short, Jane wishes to avoid an arranged marriage, so she declares herself a spinster and moves out from her family’s home.  Anthony ends up bloody and battered at her doorstep.  Jane takes him in and nurses him back to physical health while also trying to help with his demons (his parents were murdered, and he feels / is somewhat responsible.
I enjoyed the story, but felt there were a few things that I would have liked to see answered, such as why is the title about a Duke, when Anthony is a Viscount?  Did I miss something?  Also, how did Anthony end up on Jane’s doorstep?  It seems an important event in the story, but we never discover what happened to him that he ended up at her door.  Some of the plot points also felt a little too neat to me, but maybe its building up to something in another story, as Ms. Burke likes to have her characters flow from one story to another (which I adore).  An example is the Vicar (who is anything but a vicar) who easily tells Anthony who is exploiting him.  This guy is a loan shark, and a nasty one at that, but he just takes his word for it.  And, Anthony had to promise a future favor, which has yet to be cashed in (what does he want?!).
There is plenty of steam between the two characters and even with Anthony’s misery over his parents’ murder, he is still quite likeable.  There was a little more angst than I would have preferred between the two of them, but that is a personal preference.  Also, in at least a handful of instances Anthony “waggles” his eyebrows at Jane.  I get it, but it felt a little over done and cheesy (maybe that was the point?).
I enjoyed this story and am glad to have received a copy to review.  I did receive a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion; all opinions stated above are my own.  I give this story 4-stars and recommend it, especially if you have read the preceding books in this series.

Typical Regency romance novel. It had a decent  storyline and likable characters.  I will read more of her books.