Hamish MacHugh relishes his new title of Duke of Murdoch as much as facing Napoleon's army again, probably even less. For his beloved sisters, he will make the sacrifice and endure a bit of the Season in London, but he will not be going back to Scotland soon enough. He inadvertently meets Miss Megan Windham as a persistent suitor threatens to drop Megan's spectacles, and Hamish with lightning speed averts the disaster, for Megan suffers from very poor eyesight indeed. Hamish knows Megan's handsome scoundrel who bothers Megan from his war years, and he seethes at the idea of the blonde miscreant getting his paws on Megan. Which is also how Megan feels, but she has a secret that she doesn't want revealed. Hamish is stuck in London for a while, and the kind Miss Windham suggests she teaches him how to waltz, as well as some of the finer points of etiquette, which completely eludes the brawny Scotsman, who commits gaffe upon gaffe. But a military man must soldier on, and this is how Hamish sees the whole enterprise: a battle to be won, and one must strategize. To his surprise, Megan is not deterred by anything, not even that Hamish is known as the Duke of Murder!

Ms. Burrowes' incandescent, gorgeous, glorious prose shines and enchants as always, the author's wit and erudition add much to the narrative and the dialogues, which are marvels of cleverness. Hamish and Megan are such well-drawn characters, I took to them right away, even though Hamish appears brash, he is honest, straightforward, and very kind, and so is Megan; they understand each other. I love how they come together; the very stubborn and reluctant Duke is willing to listen to Megan, because he senses she sees the man that he is and accepts him as such, he doesn't have to pretend with her, while she attempts to polish his rough edges, for his sake. Megan and Hamish's love is palpable, and I also liked the discreet love scenes, which suit the mood. Megan's persistent suitor is a despicable, conniving little weasel, and I really appreciated that Ms. Burrowes described him as quite handsome, he's a welcome change from the stereotypical villain. I adored Colin, Hamish's younger brother, and I hope we have a chance to see his story in the future; he's quite the charmer.

Grace Burrowes is always such a pleasure to read, and she weaves words into exquisite sentences into a splendid story filled with engaging characters, clever banter, and vivid descriptions. THE TROUBLE WITH DUKES is a very lively story, and Megan's secret leads to a nail-biting ending. THE TROUBLE WITH DUKES is the definition of a perfect historical romance!

Book Summary

THEY CALL HIM THE DUKE OF MURDER...

The gossips whisper that the new Duke of Murdoch is a brute, a murderer, and even worse--a Scot. They say he should never be trusted alone with a woman. But Megan Windham sees in Hamish something different, someone different.

No one was fiercer at war than Hamish MacHugh, though now the soldier faces a whole new battlefield: a London Season. To make his sisters happy, he'll take on any challenge--even letting their friend Miss Windham teach him to waltz. Megan isn't the least bit intimidated by his dark reputation, but Hamish senses that she's fighting battles of her own. For her, he'll become the warrior once more, and for her, he might just lose his heart.