Book Review: The Naked Duke (Naked Nobility #1) by Sally MacKenzie


The Naked Duke
The Naked Duke by Sally MacKenzie

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



Summary:   The Surprise Of Her Life
Sophisticated. Scandalous. In fact, Miss Sarah Hamilton, a proper Philadelphian, finds London society altogether shocking. How can it be that she has awakened from her innocent slumber to find herself in bed next to a handsome--and exceedingly naked--man? The laughing onlookers standing in the doorway are no help whatsoever and surely this amorous lunatic cannot be a duke, as he claims. She is compromised--though she most certainly will not marry him!
The Sweetest Moment Of His


James, the Duke of Alford, is enchanted by his unexpected bedmate--and not at all afraid of her pink-cheeked fury. True, the circumstances and place of their meeting are most unusual, but the spirited American who's pummeling him with a pillow is an incomparable beauty. If Sarah will only listen to his perfectly reasonable explanation, James is sure that he can capture her heart. . .forever.


I thought this was going to be one of those lighthearted, frothy regency romance novels, with lovable mains & giggle worthy situations & perfect for a poolside read. Not so much. Once we get beyond the initial misunderstanding anchoring the plot. It honestly felt like the author couldn't decide if she wanted to go with lighthearted or something more. Richard & Phillip killed any real levity there could have been to be had in this story, so vile were they. Sarah Hamilton lost me pretty early on as a heroine & James (the Duke) was okay but I couldn't understand why he was actually taken with her. Sarah was insipid at times & it made me hard pressed to believe that she'd been a teacher. I liked Lizzie, Ladies Amanda & Gladys more but really, that's no compliment in a romance novel. Ultimately, I didn't feel enough for the characters to care or buy into their romance & that was disappointing. This is the first in a series so I won't complain too much more. Hopefully, the others find their stride & tone in other characters.

I will continue with the series as I picked this up as part of a bundle on kindle. Oh, and also, the stories are out of series order in the bundle but thanks to earlier reviews, I knew that going in & am reading them in order. Many thanks to reviewers on the bundled edition.



View all my reviews


No comments