I'm a regency romance enthusiast, yet something about the story felt uninspired. It wasn't bad, if you're a fan of Lenora Bell, you'll enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

God, I love Leonora Bell! The way she writes is amazing and I get sucked in to every one of her stories!

I loved West & Viola and I really hope that we get to see more of West's sisters in future books!

I don't normally read period romances. I've also only really watched bridgerton. Therefore, while I recognised a lot of the content, I'd not experienced reading it. And while it wasn't a bad read, it didn't inspire much either. I didn't understand why Viola liked the duke at first and there was a lot of Wickeds thrown around, which made sense due to the title, but got old quite quickly.

Overall, the plot was decent but it did feel a lot wasn't developed properly. At the very least, however, I did like West's sisters a lot.

I've been waiting for Viola and West's story since they popped up in the background in the previous books in this series, and their story did not disappoint! Despite being the third book in the series, you can definitely read this one as a standalone. There are a few references to previous books, but you don't need the other couples' entire backstories to enjoy this one.

It was quite a slow-burn romance, with Viola starting out annoyed by her employer's antics and West determined to marry a rich American heiress who's looking for a title, but the yearning was strong. The story was at a risk of dragging at certain points, where I felt the pace had been slowed down a bit too much, but Viola and West's desire for each other always managed to propel the story forward.

The ending was a bit too conveniently orchestrated, which would usually have ruined the story for me. However, I had just spent 300-something pages steeped in Viola and West's desire for each other, so I was just happy to see them get their happy ending.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

For Viola Beaton, falling in love with her employee was not what she planned, but it's happened nonetheless. As a music instructor for the Duke of Westbury's siblings, she's seen the real side of the Duke, which he keeps hidden from society. But even though Westbury seems to return Viola's feelings, when he announces he's starting to find matches for his sisters, and will marry a wealthy bride himself, it's clear that he's hiding something. And his actions in the past, squandering the duchy's funds, has come back to bite him in the behind. So, Viola strikes a bargain with the duke - allow his sisters some freedom of choice, and she'll chaperone them and keep them safe during the Season. But though she has always been a paragon of virtue and modesty, it's soon obvious that she and the duke may cause the biggest scandal of them all.

We've met both Viola and Wesbury in previous books in the series, and I was always interesting in learning more about them, and why they found themselves in the situation they were in. You start of disliking Westbury for his past actions, and his announcement that he's going to marry a rich American heiress, and pair up his five sisters (Blanche, Bernadette, Belinda, Betsy, Birdie) as soon as possible. Viola is so angry at it all, that even though she loves him, she quits and returns home, but her father's money worries, and the sleazy landlord who's hovering around mean that she's in a precarious situation. Colluding with Westbury to ensure that she and her father are safe, and her sister's are looked after and chaperoned properly during the season, Viola becomes even closer to him. The second half of the book was great, and I loved the way the romance ramped up. This was the perfect read for my holiday, and definitely a great ending to the series.

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Duke most wicked by Lenora Bell  
   
       
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Duke most wicked is a music themed regency romance. We see the want and longing between the duke, a man with a very bad reputation and his sisters music teacher. This book uses very unique idea of the music, which isn't seen in many regancy romance novels.   
  
There Is enough drama in the book to keep you hooked and interested. I wish there was a tiny bit more spice scenes but that is probably only just me wishing this haha. I thought this was extremely well written as some regancy romances can be a slog to get through due to poor writing.   
   
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I have absolutely loved every book I’ve read by this author and this is no exception. I loved it and didn’t want it to end!

In my opinion, if you enjoy Regency romances, you really cannot go wrong with any of Lenora Bell’s books! Viola has opinions and a mind of her own, which she is not afraid to express. She’s fun and feisty which makes for some entertaining moments between her and Brandan, the typical jaded yet reformed rake, who is trying to do the best thing for his sisters. I loved how Viola stood up for them and was determined to ensure they had a chance to find love during their season. The dialogue is sparkling and the plot romps along until the inevitable happily ever after. I found it fun and relaxing to read and finished it in one afternoon.

Scarred by a dark secret, Brandan Delamar, Duke of Westbury, must concede his misdeeds have finally caught up with him. With five younger sisters to support, he must marry for money. Sunny and steadfast, Viola Beaton is no heiress. As music instructor to the duke's sisters, she's developed a genuine affection for the bright young ladies. Unfortunately, she's also developed a forbidden passion for her wildly attractive employer. When Westbury decrees that he'll choose not only a bride, but grooms for his sisters, Viola can't allow him to curtail their freedom. She strikes a bargain: if he allows his sisters to attend the Season, Viola will chaperone them and keep them safe from scandal.
The third book in the series but it’s easily read on its own. A well written entertaining read, I was drawn in from the prologue & held until the last page, I really liked both Brandan & Viola& I loved their journey to a HEA, the banter is a delight & the chemistry just grows & grows. The five sisters are wonderful & I loved Viola’s relationship with them.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

A lively witty Regency romance with really well written characters and an interesting plot. A light read and I would recommend if you enjoy Regency novels. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this book.

Fun, lively Regency romp. This is a pacey and easy read. Nothing particularly original but all the old tropes done well. Perfect read for a rainy afternoon

I really enjoyed the first half. The second half wasn't as engaging to me and I did find myself picking this up less often so I am a bit disappointed. I liked Viola's character and the romance had potential but something was missing for me. I also wish we got more of the society and the sisters.

Also, I'm not too fussed about this but sometimes Bell's word choices feel a bit too modern which I don't really mind but it does take me out of the story a little. I noticed this in The Devil's Own Duke and now here too. Again, not the worst thing in the world but it was more annoying in the second half.

I did like this more than The Devil's Own Duke and I probably will pick up more from Bell because I did like this. I just think that the ending felt a bit too easy and I wanted more from the story. The first half was really good though! So, take this review as you will - I have mixed feelings about this.

This was an enjoyable regency romance with a strong female protagonist - I particularly enjoyed Viola's relationship with West's five sisters (who all had strong personalities, and seemed passionate about their education and their desire for improvements for women's positions in society). I also really enjoyed the music link, which was always described beautifully and poetically.
However, I found a lot of the tropes (reformed rake, 'wicked' male protagonist with an abusive father, needing to marry for money, falling in love with a poor girl, wallflowers etc.) were very similar with the Bridgerton series, which definitely impacted my reading experience.

I really enjoyed this! Lenora Bell creates such wonderful and whimsical stories.

For me this didn't quite have the humour of the first book, but it was still great. I really enjoyed Viola as a character more than anything. I really sympathized with her and her struggles - Wanting to take care of those around her and feeling like a bit player in her own life. It really made sense.

West, the hero, had a lot of work to do. I wasn't sure about him in the beginning as he's the typical debauched hero (who are ALWAYS mad at their dad) and he makes some decisions that are quite annoying. But he comes through in the end. I ended up enjoying the romance a lot. I'm excited to see who the next book might be about.

I do have two very minor gripes:
One, they kept making the point that West had to marry for money which I totally understand. He couldn't cross any lines with Viola because of this. And yet...He kept doing it. Like what did he think was going to happen?

Second, I don't love the message that you have to 'forgive' your abuser in order to be happy. I get what the author was trying to say but I just think it was possibly the wrong choice of words.

If you’re a fan of regency romance then you will love this. It’s a wonderfully fun read with really great comedic moments. It’s everything a romance of the period should be. If you’re a Bridgeton fan you will enjoy this charming read!

Hmm, so I'm conflicted about this one. I had gone into this expecting something spectacular. Don't get me wrong, it was good and I did enjoy it for the most part, but I struggled to maintain interest on a few different occasions. As always the writing was impeccable, and the character development was also very well done, but something about this just failed to hook me in and maintain my continued interest.

I've read some pretty spectacular historical romances this year and unfortunately, this just didn't rise to the impossibly high standard that they've set. I'm still looking forward to reading more by Lenora Bell and can't wait to see what she's got planned next!

Thank you to the publisher for kindly providing me with an ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book is for you. If you enjoy historical romance. However I really did not click with this one for some reason. I would still recommend reading this if you are a fan of Lenora Bell,