If the Duke Dares – Darcy Burke – NextBookAroundTheCorner

Incorrigible flirt Acton Loxley, Duke of Wellesbourne is in need of a duchess. En route to greet a potential bride, he encounters a most intriguing and captivating widow who completely distracts him from his task. However, she disappears before he can deepen their acquaintance. Acton begrudgingly goes to meet his bride, unaware she and the widow are one and the same.

When Persephone Barclay’s younger sister is compromised, Persephone must wed before the scandal spreads. Her parents scramble to present her to the Duke of Wellesbourne; except he’s precisely the kind of rogue she has now vowed to avoid. Taking flight to avoid a match, Persephone runs straight into her would-be betrothed and pretends to be someone else. But dash it all, the duke proves to be irresistibly charming! If she remains in his company, she’ll end up in the wicked scoundrel’s clutches.

Even worse, her second attempt at escape lands her in increasingly poor circumstances. With nowhere to turn and her safety at risk, she may have to accept help from the one man who threatens her resolve—and her reputation.

My review

After the match making schemes of Darcy’s Matchmaking Chronicles, Darcy has now started a new series: Rogue Rules Series.

Contrary to the matchmaking chronicles, we now have a few ladies who are determined not to wed, since all of the men are rogues and they are not to be trusted. When Persephone’s sister falls for a rogue, she creates a scandal, because the earl is already betrothed to someone else. So, in order to save the family, Persephone now must wed an earl with an already roguish reputation.

But when she chickens out, she finds herself in a bit of a pickle, and she gets rescued by no other than the man she is supposed to wed. And of course, she will not accept help from the rogue, even if he is the last man on earth… So, a very nice enemies-to-lovers trope in this one. Cute, funny and with great banter. An excellent book for the start of this series. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.