Anything but a Duke is anything but a common romance novel

With a heroine and a hero who are partners first and foremost, Christy Carlyle’s Anything but a Duke is a sweet addition to the Duke’s Den series.

For all that Christy Carlyle’s latest sounds like it might be about a duke in the title, Anything but a Duke (as in, our heroine wants anything but a duke, and yet her true love is a duke), it’s surprisingly … not. After all, not all of the owners of the Duke’s Den are nobility.

But they want to be — or at least Aidan Iverson does. He’s our hero in this novel, and despite striking a deal with Diana Ashby for her to find him a noble bride in exchange for funding one of her inventions, he is still particularly class-conscious. So is Diana, in fact. She needs her invention to make some money, and it doesn’t just make money and then get abandoned for the rest of the book.

No, there’s actual work involved in it, and it’s in the space of work and business that these two build their relationship. Oh, yes, there’s still a happily-ever-after, and Aidan has money to spare anyway, but they don’t get to rest on their laurels — either of them.

This isn’t just a habit for Diana; it’s a passion. For Aidan, it’s the desire to not go hungry, as he’s worked his way up from a workhouse and abandonment as a child. Carlyle doesn’t forget that through the entire story, and so readers don’t, either. Though this is a romance novel, it doesn’t forget that these two characters are people outside of their relationship to each other, and they can help each other with those goals just as much as they can find emotional fulfillment together. In that way, it reminds me a bit of Duchess by Design or Wicked and the Wallflower.

But this is a romance novel, too, and they have a chance encounter (though not quite a Meet Cute) prior to the events of the novel that quickly establishes their chemistry as well as setting some important character beats in place. It doesn’t fade once Diana and Aidan meet properly, either, and there are moments of escalation between the two that should have romance enthusiasts pleased with their reading choice.

Everything from the noble sacrifices they try to make for the other to the simple acknowledgement of and assistance with issues (like hammering metal into shape — yes, really) resonates deeply. Carlyle creates more than a fairy tale here; there are some true emotions being hit at, and practical concerns come into play with the Victorian setting.

Romance is entering into one of its peak yearly periods as the spring and summer truly take off, and Anything but a Duke is a great way to bring April to a close and get May started. It’s truly lovely to read, and here’s hoping that the third book in the series matches it.

Anything but a Duke is on sale now.