Ltlmer2's Reviews > How to Catch a Devilish Duke

Very entertaining! Charlie is daring, unconventional, full-figured, secretly a bit unsure of herself, but not afraid to speak up. I had really been looking forward to her story and she's just fabulous. Pair her with Max, who is a devilishly charming rake with some issues from his past, but always supportive, loyal and non-hyprocritical and you have my favorite pairing of the series. I loved how Max, even though he couldn't acknowledge it as love, was always doing things for Charlie and how he kept telling her that nothing would lower her in his esteem. Charlie did bounce a bit between seeming young and a little naive to smart, mature and forward thinking. She might not charm every reader because of this. I found her utterly adorable and really empathized with her ups and downs and how she was basically bullied by society. The pace is quick and witty, though there are some real issues that are dealt with in a subtle but interesting way. There were a few odd moments where I felt the characters were having long conversations in situations where that didn't make sense, and I didn't like how the antagonists were dealt with so that dropped the rating just a touch.

Good example of both brother's best friend and friends to lovers tropes, as well as fake engagement("ish"---I liked how Max presented the deal). Can absolutely be read as a standalone (and I almost did as this was the story that grabbed my attention originally), though I'm glad I read all the DD's stories as it is beneficial to have the whole story arc, the characters are featured throughout, and it is just a good series.

Bennett's writing is rich and enjoyable. This is my first series of hers and I liked it a lot overall. I will continue to read this author. She incorporates places and things of the period in a realistic and seamless way, really immersing you in the world. I do find her steam level a bit difficult to decide on. She usually gets in 2 or 3 good hot scenes, but they seem to come in the latter part of the books.

I wish for maybe a novella for Diana, as I had also been hoping for a story for that fellow.

A positive side note: The covers in this series are just gorgeous. I really love it when they are so true to the details of the book, even down to the dresses (and glasses for Arabella's story).

A negative side note: Something I noticed all the way through the series that bothered me a bit is the author's/characters' use of people's full names a large portion of the time---or if the main group of friends is thought of or mentioned, their names are listed out anyway, sometimes even with titles. It was most notable with Maximillian Deveraux, Duke of Exmoor as almost every time, except when someone is speaking directly to him, he is referenced in that way (and not because he was being introduced or something). It felt excessive and unnecessary. Sometimes one character would talk about someone (with full name) and then someone else would also-in the same conversation-use their full name again. We knew who those people were (even if you hadn't read the whole series), the characters knew the people, often very well, and it just grew sort of irksome.