In the final book of the 1797 Club series, we have Kit Collins who becomes Duke of Kingsacre at his father's death. Kit has been alternately fascinated and repelled by Sarah Carlton over the years, but the two are both sure the other dislikes them. Now Sarah has come down in the world and is the governess for Kit's sister Phoebe. His father's death has left him with a dilemma as far as retaining Sarah in her job. She needs the job, but the tension between them is only exacerbated by the appearance of all the other Dukes and Duchesses who arrive for the funeral of Kit's father.
There's a lot of sexual tension as in most of Ms. Michael's books and plenty of sexy scenes. The relationship between Sarah and Kit is interesting. He's misunderstood her in a lot of ways and is somewhat slow to realize his dislike is merely a mask for the extreme interest he has in her. She's in an unenviable position, caught between the world of the Ton and servants. Phoebe, the sister, is a sweet addition to the story.
And of course, it's wonderful to get to see all the other Dukes and their spouses for the finale of the series. It's been a pretty good series overall, one I've very much enjoyed. ( )

The Last Duke by Jess Michaels
The 1797 Club #10

What’s a reader to do after reading the last page in the last book of a beloved series? Started at the beginning again OR wait for what comes next? All ten Dukes, who formed a bond long ago in boarding school and have been there for one another through thick and thin, have found their duchesses by the end of this book and they are all on their way to creating a new generation that will be there for one another in the future. Loved this series!

Christopher “Kit” Collins, Earl of Idlewood becomes Duke of Kingsacre upon the death of his father and just before his father dies he tells Kit to accept the support of Sarah Carlton, governess to Kit’s young sister. Kit has grief to deal with, estates to take over, a young half-sister to support and mixed feelings about the governess he believes he dislikes due to one overheard conversation years before. His friends are there for him but so is Sarah. The two want what is best for his sister Phoebe and spend time discussing her and other issues that arise. Slowly things begin to change between them but Kit is slow to twig to what is changing. Throw in an unscrupulous woman with an agenda of her own to throw a wrench in the situation and you have the makings of a story that I could not put down. I was thrilled with the way Kit and Sarah managed their HEA and loved the epilogue that sees all ten dukes and their families gathered together for a joyous event.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Passionate Pen for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars ( )

I received an ARC of this book to to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. The Last Duke by Jess Michaels is the final book in her 1797 Club series. It can be read as a stand-alone but I really enjoyed the series and I think you will enjoy this book more if you have read the other books as all of the other Dukes and their wives are characters in this story. Christopher Collins (Kit) Earl of Idlewood is the last unmarried member of the 1797 Club and he is also the last to become a Duke. His beloved father dies at the beginning of the story and all the other Dukes have gathered to support him. Sarah Carlton has come down in the world, when her mother passed away she was forced to find employment and works as the governess for Kit’s younger sister. With the death of the old Duke Sarah is concerned that her employment is in jeopardy as Kit holds a grudge against her. Kit finds to his dismay that his grudge against her is misplaced and that maybe it came about because he was jealous of her attention to another. Lots of twists and turns on the way to HEA will keep you reading avidly. Mild to medium steam. Publishing Date November 13, 2018. #NetGalley #TheLastDuke ( )

The Last Duke is perhaps the best Duke of all. It is a wonderful goodbye to the ten Dukes in the 1797 club and their wonderful wives and children. They are all featured and catching up with them is lovely. This book isn’t as fast-paced and exciting as some of the others, but, I think that is perfect because, well, goodbyes are sad. The writing is excellent, it is well-plotted, well-written and the characters are absolutely lovely.

It is the saddest of times. Christopher Collins, Kit, and all of his friends are gathered at his father’s country estate to say goodbye to the Duke of Kingsacre, Kit’s father. The Duke is loved and admired by all the members of the 1797 club because he was kind to them and helped guide them when their own fathers would not. He showed them love and kindness and how to manage their holdings with compassion and caring while still making them profitable. He was just a good, good man. The Duke’s health has been failing for quite some time, and his long fight is about to end.

The goodbye scenes between Kit and his father and Phoebe and her father were sweet, poignant and very, very sad. The author wrote them beautifully. Kit and Phoebe’s profound love for their father was palpable throughout the book – as was their love for each other. There was just no way around it, I fell in love with both Kit and Phoebe. So, I can certainly see why Sarah would as well.

Sarah Carlton had committed a terrible faux pas three years ago at a ball. In frustration, she had said some unkind things to Meg who is now the Duchess of Crestwood (Read Her Favorite Duke for their story). What she said was overheard by Kit and he called her to task for it and said some unkind things of his own. Kit has never forgotten what Sarah did and has sat in judgment of her since then. Now, he has to deal with her as the governess to his illegitimate 5-year-old sister. His sister loves Sarah, can he just dismiss her?

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Kit trying to fight his attraction to Sarah because, after all, he hated her. Then, when she almost died saving his sister – well – maybe he didn’t hate her so much. Then, when the villain appears and Sarah almost dies saving Phoebe again – well – that does it. He can’t fight it any longer.

This is really the perfect wrap-up for this series. Normally, I’m not pleased with a series wrap-up because they don’t really seem to let us say our goodbyes and see that each of our heroes/heroines still have their happy endings, so this one was a delightful surprise. Everyone is featured and everyone has a role and I loved catching up with all of them.

I can certainly recommend this book, but I do hope it goes through at least one more proofreading before publication.

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"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher." ( )