NEVER DECEIVE A DUKE is the second book in the author’s newest trilogy.  You needn’t have read the first to enjoy this one, but it helps, as some of the characters from the previous book are quite important here and it adds to the enjoyment of the story to understand them better. 

The Duke of Warneham is dead, and with no male relatives the title falls to Gareth Lloyd, part owner and manager of Neville Shipping.  Gareth must attend his estate, currently inhabited by the widow Duchess of Warneham, something he really doesn’t want to do.   

Antonia, the Duchess of Warneham, has lost 2 husbands, has no children and just wants to live her life alone and in peace.  She’s been through so much; the will to do anything is just gone.  But the rumors say she murdered her second husband and that she’s mad. 

Gareth realized he has to find out the truth, for himself but for Antonia as well, as he wants her to live the life of peace she says she wants.  Or is that his true motivation?  While they both face their demons and deny they’re ready for love, they may not really know themselves as well as they thought. 

In the first book Gareth was simply a family friend, business partner and quite a tepid character, but in his own book he shines.  His inner strength stems from a horrid past, which he relives throughout the book in a clever series of flashbacks.  Gareth is a different sort of hero than most. 

I was very happy to be back with the Neville Shipping clan.  The author’s writing style [with the exception of a few too many ‘old chaps’] is such a treat – intelligent and smooth, really engrossing.  Many authors are equally skilled in writing a story, but it’s the characterization that puts Liz Carlyle a step above most.   

Reviewed for The Road to Romance by Sue Waldeck

September 21, 2007