Sins of a Wicked Duke (The Penwich School for Virtuous Girls, 1)

Fallon O'Rourke just can't seem to keep a job. Her bold personality just can't help but come out and when it does, she gets sacked. Deciding that men have it better, she disguises herself as a footman and gets a job. But she didn't expect to be working for the man known as the Demon Duke, a man who once tried to lure her to his bed. Dominic Hale feels empty and the only things that make him feel anything are reveling in the sins of gambling and loose women. The only woman who has ever gotten under his skin is Fallon. His new footman, Frank, also gets to him but he can't figure out why. Something about Frank makes him reconsider the kind of man he is. The heat practically explodes off the page! Sins of a Wicked Duke is one seriously hot book, with the relationship between Fallon and Dominic full of sizzling chemistry. With a couple of twists to make the plot unpredictable, I really enjoyed Sins of a Wicked Duke. The wonderful Sophie Jordan has another hit on her hands! Nikki Lee Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Fallon O'Rourke has endured much in her young life--the death of her father, cruel treatment at a school for girls and the continuous loss of employment since, due to her spurning the lecherous advances of her employers. What's a girl to do, but become a man! Disguised as a footman in the house of a scandalous duke, Fallon feels safe. Until she begins to wish that she was one of the women warming the handsome Demon Duke's bed. Little does Fallon know that Dominic Hale uses drink and women to drown out his own devastating childhood. Sophie Jordan pens an intensely emotional story of two people who overcome their tragic pasts by finding true love in the most unexpected place. I highly recommend Sins of a Wicked Duke!

I struggled through this author's last book so I was so pleased when I picked this one up and couldn't put it down! The chemistry between the hero (a duke) and the heroine (a commoner) is just right as is the tension between the two. They are both strong characters who are a bit hardened by their childhoods - both lost parents at young ages and both suffered subsequent abuse. They meet as the heroine is trying to figure out how to survive on her own and only wants a home, and the hero is lost in numbness and emptiness and doesn't know how to feel alive anymore. This story is well written and grabs you from the start. Yes, the heroine has a stint as a male, but it in no way is the overriding theme of the book. When you finish, it will just seem like a small part. The book was over way too soon and has me anticipating this author's next release, (the last release is the only one by this author that I didn't recommend - the others are great reads). You love and care about all of her vivid and well-defined characters. 4.5

Her father dead a world away, Fallon O'Rourke spends her formative years at Penwich School for Virtuous Girls, where the headmaster takes perverse delight in attempting to beat the sass and spirit right out of the statuesque, fiery-haired miss. He fails miserably, and so it is no surprise that the virtuous Fallon cannot seem to hold a position for any length of time among the blue-blood households that would employ her. She attracts the sort of attention that demands she defend herself and subsequently finds herself sacked time and again. With no other options she chops off her hair and garners a position as a footman in the home of the notorious Demon Duke. Having endured a painfully strict childhood himself, Dominic Hale, Duke of Damon, credits it--at least in part--for his nickname. Of course it doesn't help that he spends his days soused in liquor and sin, a different woman parading through the house each night. But he has come to terms with his life, the numbness and the loneliness, and refuses to answer to anyone. When the agency sends a disturbingly disapproving footman to his home, he can't quite figure why he is so affected by the lad--until he discovers the lad is a lass and sets his sights on seducing her. Let the battle of wills begin. Sins of a Wicked Duke is pure Sophie Jordan, with its irrepressible emotional pull and pull-out-the-stops sexual tension. Don't be surprised if, while you're cheering for Fallon's stand as a virtuous woman, you're simultaneously thrilling over the eventuality that Dom will topple it--and her. Right into his bed.

Okay, I admit I'm a huge fan of historical romance in general and Sophie Jordon in particular. Once again, she's written a wonderful, original story I couldn't put down. The beautiful Fallon O'Rouke has been in service since leaving school. Unfortunately, she's finding it impossible to keep both a position and her virtue in a world where men of privilege expect more than housekeeping from comely servants. After fleeing the insistent son of her latest employer, Fallon decides to apply for her next position disguised as a young man, only to find herself in the employ of the Duke of Damon, the most notorious rake in London. Dominic Hale has come by his reputation honestly, flaunting his libertine behavior most outrageously. Lately, however, he's become restless until even alcohol and women in copious quantities and combinations no longer distract him. His thoughts keep drifting to a lovely red-h aired woman he'd met briefly one evening. Now his new valet's obvious disapproval is ruining the little pleasure Dominic still takes in his vices. Being Dominic's valet gives Fallon the chance to see behind the duke's public mask . As her attraction to him grows, poor Dominic is puzzled that he cares what the naïve young man thinks of him. He never suspects the valet is really the red-haired beauty he can't forget. Then one night in the dark, a case of mistaken identity changes everything for both of them. One of the things I love about Sophie Jordan's's books, is her heroines are as charming and flawed as her heroes. Fallon is smart and feisty but she carries around a grudge that taints her view of the world in general, and male aristocrats in particular. Determined to earn her independence, she sees betrayal where there is only benign neglect and as a result becomes her own worst enemy. Dominic, unlike most heroes labeled wicked, truly is unrepentant and determined to live down to the worse of his shocking reputation. Still, he has his own eccentric code of honor that makes one cheer him on and fall under his spell. And of course he's VERY hot. As in all Ms. Jordan's books, "Sins of a Wicked Duke" is a rich, original story that goes beyond the ballrooms of the ton. Fallon is a servant who must work to survive. Dominic is a duke with past that tortures his present. Their story is compelling, romantic, sexy and ultimately heart-warming. I love everything Ms. Jordan writes and this is another not-to-be-missed historical romance!