dukefn99's review against another edition
4.0
Read my review at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3010294120
b_nour's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
bananatricky's review against another edition
3.0
And the reading meh continues.
Nicholas Bateman, Duke of Kilve, is known as the Duke of Ice because he is cold and distant. His only friend, Simon Duke of Romsey, known as the Duke of Ruin, persuades Nick to accompany him to a house party thrown by the Linfords. Simon has been ostracised from society because of his wife's mysterious death and hopes that this party might help him to find a new bride, but the invite clearly expects him to bring the Duke of Kilve. With bad grace Nick agrees to accompany Simon only to find that the hostess' best friend is none other that Violet Caulfield, Lady Pendleton, the woman with whom he had a brief but passionate fling when they were much younger, the woman he fully intended to marry until she threw him over for a man with a title.
I thought this book could have been over a lot earlier than it was. Nick spent most of the book metaphorically wringing his hands and bemoaning the fact that he was cursed because everyone he had ever loved, except Violet, was dead. To love is to feel and then when they die it is devastating so wall off your emotions and don't have any friends! Good plan. I was bored of him and his rinse and repeat 'get close to Violet then push her away' behaviour. In contrast, Violet started off as a great character and then at one point became a complete doormat.
Overall, meh. I am so tired of not enjoying books and I'm hoping that February will herald a new joy of reading.
Nicholas Bateman, Duke of Kilve, is known as the Duke of Ice because he is cold and distant. His only friend, Simon Duke of Romsey, known as the Duke of Ruin, persuades Nick to accompany him to a house party thrown by the Linfords. Simon has been ostracised from society because of his wife's mysterious death and hopes that this party might help him to find a new bride, but the invite clearly expects him to bring the Duke of Kilve. With bad grace Nick agrees to accompany Simon only to find that the hostess' best friend is none other that Violet Caulfield, Lady Pendleton, the woman with whom he had a brief but passionate fling when they were much younger, the woman he fully intended to marry until she threw him over for a man with a title.
I thought this book could have been over a lot earlier than it was. Nick spent most of the book metaphorically wringing his hands and bemoaning the fact that he was cursed because everyone he had ever loved, except Violet, was dead. To love is to feel and then when they die it is devastating so wall off your emotions and don't have any friends! Good plan. I was bored of him and his rinse and repeat 'get close to Violet then push her away' behaviour. In contrast, Violet started off as a great character and then at one point became a complete doormat.
Overall, meh. I am so tired of not enjoying books and I'm hoping that February will herald a new joy of reading.
readingwithmerb's review
3.0
In the seventh Untouchles book, we have a second chance romance between former lovers Violet and Nicholas. Violet's parents refuse to let her be with Nicholas due to his low place in society, and forces her to marry another cruel and uncaring man. Several years later, the two meet again at a party, both now widows and very different. Nick is now known as The Duke of Ice, for being cold, distant and rude, and Violet slowly starts to realise that the old Nick is still there behind the exterior, and swears to help him through his trauma and get back to his true self.
This wasn't a favourite of mine in the series, but it was still better than some of the others. Nick was a little frustrating towards the end, just because his rude behaviour was so prolonged and got old pretty quickly. Violet was such a patient and caring woman, and thus the pair fit together perfectly, and the angst was off the charts. A good edition to the series. I am super excited for the next book, because Simon was one of my favourite parts of this book!
The Untouchables rating order:
The Duke of Deception ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
The Duke of Desire ✯ ✯ ✯.5
The Duke of Daring ✯ ✯ ✯.5
The Duke of Defiance ✯ ✯ ✯
The Duke of Ice ✯ ✯ ✯
The Forbidden Duke ✯ ✯ ✯
The Duke of Danger ✯ ✯.5
This wasn't a favourite of mine in the series, but it was still better than some of the others. Nick was a little frustrating towards the end, just because his rude behaviour was so prolonged and got old pretty quickly. Violet was such a patient and caring woman, and thus the pair fit together perfectly, and the angst was off the charts. A good edition to the series. I am super excited for the next book, because Simon was one of my favourite parts of this book!
The Untouchables rating order:
The Duke of Deception ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
The Duke of Desire ✯ ✯ ✯.5
The Duke of Daring ✯ ✯ ✯.5
The Duke of Defiance ✯ ✯ ✯
The Duke of Ice ✯ ✯ ✯
The Forbidden Duke ✯ ✯ ✯
The Duke of Danger ✯ ✯.5
alana_reads's review
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
beckymmoe's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, goodness.
I was torn throughout this book with wanting to hug Nick (which of course he wouldn't allow anyway) and wanting to hit him upside the head. He is tortured and gloomy and all that one could hope for in an angsty hero, but ohmygosh man, it's not all about you! The whole "I'm cursed, therefore everyone I live will die" attitude seemed a bit immature for someone of his age and experience. And then when he almost does what he decides to do toward the end? Even knowing this is a romance and he couldn't possibly do that I was almost in tears. Poor Violet! Fortunately he has a true friend in Simon ([b:The Duke of Ruin|37759534|The Duke of Ruin (The Untouchables Book 8)|Darcy Burke|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1514480310s/37759534.jpg|59386660]) who manages to pull his head out of his arse in time. Even more fortunately, Nick does a fantastic grovel.
As he should!
The Duke of Ice definitely had me turning the pages, anxious to find out how Nick and Violet would get to their HEA--even when I was frustrated with what they were doing, I couldn't stop reading. Ms. Burke sets up the next book nicely (just what are Diana and Simon doing???) and it seems that the other two debutantes Violet encounters at the house party are also being set up for future series heroines, which gives us much to look forward to. Though this one is the seventh in the series, it would work just fine as a standalone since there is very little (if any?) past series characters or stories here.
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
I was torn throughout this book with wanting to hug Nick (which of course he wouldn't allow anyway) and wanting to hit him upside the head. He is tortured and gloomy and all that one could hope for in an angsty hero, but ohmygosh man, it's not all about you! The whole "I'm cursed, therefore everyone I live will die" attitude seemed a bit immature for someone of his age and experience. And then when he almost does what he decides to do toward the end? Even knowing this is a romance and he couldn't possibly do that I was almost in tears. Poor Violet! Fortunately he has a true friend in Simon ([b:The Duke of Ruin|37759534|The Duke of Ruin (The Untouchables Book 8)|Darcy Burke|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1514480310s/37759534.jpg|59386660]) who manages to pull his head out of his arse in time. Even more fortunately, Nick does a fantastic grovel.
As he should!
The Duke of Ice definitely had me turning the pages, anxious to find out how Nick and Violet would get to their HEA--even when I was frustrated with what they were doing, I couldn't stop reading. Ms. Burke sets up the next book nicely (just what are Diana and Simon doing???) and it seems that the other two debutantes Violet encounters at the house party are also being set up for future series heroines, which gives us much to look forward to. Though this one is the seventh in the series, it would work just fine as a standalone since there is very little (if any?) past series characters or stories here.
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
kwcook's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
lauraanne9's review
3.0
3.5 Stars
Historical romances are difficult. You have to not only build a believable romance, but you have to do it in such a way that the reader remains interested in the story and the characters, while not being bogged down by the historical portion or left bored due to the lack of sexual encounters...yes, they happen, but it is more often a slow burn for the historical romance trope.
Nicholas and Violet had a past, and a relationship that was broken up by things out of their control. So, seeing one another again after years was both painful and enjoyable in the way that seeing those people you thought were totally gone from your life can be...joyous and heart-wrenching.
I loved the emotion of the book, the push and pull with Nick and Violet, the idea that both of them had reasons not to think that they should be together, but that they wanted to be with one another and figuring out how to make that work.
I loved the house party and the Bath setting, as so often books in England are set in London, so this was a refreshing change.
At the end, events that seem maybe a little far-fetched are what leads them to admitting that they want to be together and I was hoping for more of a character driven rather than plot driven reconciliation, but it worked for me overall.
I enjoyed this title.
***This and other reviews featured on our blog Booked All Night http://bookedallnightblog.com/ ***
Historical romances are difficult. You have to not only build a believable romance, but you have to do it in such a way that the reader remains interested in the story and the characters, while not being bogged down by the historical portion or left bored due to the lack of sexual encounters...yes, they happen, but it is more often a slow burn for the historical romance trope.
Nicholas and Violet had a past, and a relationship that was broken up by things out of their control. So, seeing one another again after years was both painful and enjoyable in the way that seeing those people you thought were totally gone from your life can be...joyous and heart-wrenching.
I loved the emotion of the book, the push and pull with Nick and Violet, the idea that both of them had reasons not to think that they should be together, but that they wanted to be with one another and figuring out how to make that work.
I loved the house party and the Bath setting, as so often books in England are set in London, so this was a refreshing change.
At the end, events that seem maybe a little far-fetched are what leads them to admitting that they want to be together and I was hoping for more of a character driven rather than plot driven reconciliation, but it worked for me overall.
I enjoyed this title.
***This and other reviews featured on our blog Booked All Night http://bookedallnightblog.com/ ***
choirlady76's review
5.0
Wow, this book just sucked me in from the first sentence! I couldn't put it down! Burke is truly one of the best authors out there, her writing style is impeccable and very unique. She draws the reader into the characters’ lives right from the get-go and we can't help but fall in love with them, care for them, and root for them!
Our H of this tale, Nicholas Bateman is a torn soul who has become so cold, stern, and isolated, nobody would want to be in his presence. However, he does open up his home and takes a wife, but she must keep to what he desires and that is absolutely no emotional attachment whatsoever. Well, the lady who becomes his wife isn't so sure she can do that; Lady Violet has always loved Nicholas but can she accept his terms and keep herself aloof and not allow her love to pour out? Will Nicholas begin to melt and allow his heart to warm and love once again?
A truly fantastic read that I would highly suggest to any historical romance lover! I highly recommend this book as well as the whole series! Dynamite, just dynamite!
Our H of this tale, Nicholas Bateman is a torn soul who has become so cold, stern, and isolated, nobody would want to be in his presence. However, he does open up his home and takes a wife, but she must keep to what he desires and that is absolutely no emotional attachment whatsoever. Well, the lady who becomes his wife isn't so sure she can do that; Lady Violet has always loved Nicholas but can she accept his terms and keep herself aloof and not allow her love to pour out? Will Nicholas begin to melt and allow his heart to warm and love once again?
A truly fantastic read that I would highly suggest to any historical romance lover! I highly recommend this book as well as the whole series! Dynamite, just dynamite!