~*ARC REVIEW ~ Let Sleeping Dukes Lie, (Rules of the Rogue Book 2), by Emily Windsor ~*

#sensual #historical #regency #romance

Book Blurb

“Strait-laced. Ruthless. Arrogant.”
Alexander Westhide, the Duke of Rakecombe has no quarrel with such faint praise as he has forever shunned marriage, women and anything remotely resembling love. Indeed, the damning words merely serve to enhance his haughty façade. But beneath the controlled demeanour lies a duke beset by tragedy, a man turbulent and restless.

“Forthright. Impudent… Capricious saucebox.”
Miss Aideen Quinlan can’t quite express why she feels the need to taunt, tease and generally annoy the Duke of Rakecombe. Maybe it was for the heart-racing spar of words that always ensued, or maybe it was to see the duke’s broad fist clench on his ebony cane, green eyes glittering.
Or maybe it was because she was unable to erase the memory of his vehement kiss…

An unlikely couple.
Torn between his world of espionage and this unquenchable passion, the duke still refuses to lower his fierce defences.
If Aideen is to capture her resistant duke’s troubled heart, it is she who must follow the Rules of the Rogue.
Resistance is futile…

A sensual Regency Romance with warmth and wit, this story also includes unpalatable chefs, a darling of the Season with a secondary love story, deadly walking canes and sheep…

My Review – 5 stars

A troubled Duke meets his match…

I loved this, the second in Emily Windsor’s Rules of the Rogue series. This delightful Regency romp pairs the dark and forbidding Alexander Westhide, Duke of Rakecombe, with Miss Aideen Quinlan, a lively and unconventional Irish miss who proves to be both his match and his undoing! It features some characters from the first book in the series, An Earl in Wolf’s Clothing, but can easily be read as a standalone.

Aideen and Alexander first encounter each other after he rescues her from a kidnapping. Since that fateful meeting, the pair have been circling each other on the rare occasions their paths cross at society functions. Aideen cannot resist baiting the Duke, rather than being repelled by his dour and standoffish behaviour, she finds herself drawn to him. Alexander is all alpha male: dominant, in control at all time and sinfully sexy – what woman could resist the challenge? Not Miss Aideen Quinlan for sure!

For his part the Duke recognises how this woman threatens his ordered existence – his work as a spy for the Crown is most definitely not conducive to forming close bonds with significant others. To ensure her continued safety and his own sanity he knows he needs to avoid becoming entangled with her at all costs – if only Miss Quinlan wasn’t so meddlesome (not to mention so damned attractive to him)!

Fate continually throws them together… Can the Duke protect this wild creature who is slowly, against his better judgement, becoming to mean everything to him, whilst still discharging his duties to the Crown? Can he safeguard her from harm? Can Aideen break through his hard exterior and charm the most inflexible of men, when he guards his secrets so well? Can she penetrate the darkness he is hiding before she loses her heart in the process?

I so enjoyed the battle royal that ensues between this couple and the games they play. Aideen is a fantastic heroine and she really is the Dukes undoing – he has never encountered an adversary quite like her. The dialogue and the push and pull between them make for a hugely entertaining read, full of witty dialogue, sensual scenes, sexual tension, danger and suspense. There is a scene at the end of the book which had me in tears (in a good way), I was so invested I their story- the characters and their relationship had become so real to me.

Recommended for lovers of sensual Regency Romances who enjoy dark, brooding and tortured heroes and spunky heroines who challenge them at every turn.

Reviewed by Tina Williams

Please note that an ARC of this book was given to me by the author for the purpose of a fair and honest review.