The Dark Duke is the second book in Margaret Moore’s Most Unsuitable Men series, and another Harlequin Historical that’s been languishing on my TBR bookshelf ever since I was a subscriber to the Harlequin book service eons ago. I’d generally enjoyed the two books I’d previously read by this author, so I was looking forward to this one, and overall it was a pretty good read. It tells the story of Adrian, a young duke who has earned a somewhat undeserved bad reputation as the The Dark Duke because of all the scandals in which he’s been embroiled. He’s paired with Hester, an intelligent, bookish young woman who is acting as a ladies’ companion to Adrian’s stepmother. An attraction begins simmering soon after they meet, as each of them sees the hidden depths in one another, but a great deal of family drama ensues when Adrian’s dissolute half-brother, Elliot, returns home and stirs up some trouble between them.

Adrian deeply loved both of his parents, but after his mother’s death and his father’s subsequent remarriage, he didn’t always get on well with his stepmother. Then his father passed on, too, but before he died, he extracted a death bed promise from Adrian to look out for and protect his younger half-brother. Wracked with guilt because of an unfortunate incident that occurred when he was at Oxford and feeling that the scandal of it somehow caused his father’s death, he felt it was his duty and just penance to comply. Adrian hasn’t always been an entirely upstanding member of society, but his reputation as The Dark Duke is mostly undeserved. Because of the promise he made, he’s spent the ensuing years cleaning up his brother, Elliot’s messes and taking most of the blame for his bad behavior. After one such ugly incident, Adrian returns home to his country estate to find that his stepmother has hired a new companion. The young woman isn’t the most attractive female he’s ever seen, but as he gets to know her, he recognizes the kind, generous person she is and can’t help falling for her. Because of his past, though, he doesn’t feel he’s good enough for her, and when Elliot comes home, too, Adrian worries that his brother might either ruin her or try to steal her if he lets his feelings be known. Adrian has made some mistakes in the past, not the least of which is coddling Elliot, but underneath it all, he’s an honorable man who had good intentions that went astray. He also sees beyond the plain outer wrapping to the beauty inside Hester and knows that she’s exactly what he needs to help him become a better man.

Hester is the middle child in a trio of sisters and the only one of the three who ended up being rather plain. As such, she was always the wallflower, the smart, bookish young woman who would really rather be reading or learning, except that her father held no store in furthering her education. She’s accepted her lot in life graciously and doesn’t dwell on her lack of beauty, but she’s a realist who chose the path of becoming a ladies’ companion when it appeared that she was unlikely to find a suitable husband who would love her for herself. When Adrian returns home, Hester is wary of him at first, because his reputation precedes him. But she’s a perceptive woman who gradually figures out that Adrian doesn’t deserve much of the scorn that society has heaped upon him. Even when he finally reveals some of the darker parts of his past, she’s very understanding and compassionate. She also senses that, despite his charming veneer, Elliot is not the person he appears to be on the surface or the person his mother believes him to be. Hester is an intelligent woman who sees the things that others miss and gently pushes Adrian to be a better man. There were a couple of times, I worried that she might make the wrong choice that could lead to trouble, but I’m happy to report that she always uses her excellent discernment to do the right thing.

Overall, The Dark Duke was a pretty good read. It’s a little slow-paced in the beginning, but around the halfway mark, it picked up a bit. I like how Margaret Moore writes strong, intelligent women and men who appreciate them for more than their outward appearance. Her couples always seem to compliment each other well, and Adrian and Hester are no exception. I’d say that my main issue with the story that dropped the star was that the romance is somewhat overshadowed by the family drama between Adrian and Elliot. It’s the main source of conflict and sometimes stifled the romance because of Adrian’s fear that Elliot might try something with Hester if he knew how much Adrian cared for her. Also it takes up so much page time that there simply isn’t a lot of room for crafting that all-important emotional connection. Adrian and Hester’s relationship is built mostly on their individual intuitiveness about the other one, rather than actual romantic interludes. It’s admittedly a fairly strong foundation, but there was still a little something missing for me. There are no love scenes, either overt or implied, which isn’t usually a major detractor for me except when there’s not a lot else going on with regards to the romance. However, despite the weakness in the romantic pairing, I still managed to enjoy the story. The final book of the Most Unsuitable Men trilogy, The Rogue's Return, is going to be Elliot’s story, but given his bad behavior, I’m not sure how eager I am to read it. The author is going to have her work cut out for her redeeming him to my satisfaction. I probably will pick it up at some point since I’ve had mostly good experiences with this author’s work so far. I just might not be in a hurry to get to it. ( )

Not as good as I expected from Margaret Moore - I've very much liked some of her other books, but this one falls a bit flat for me. Serious case of "I am not worthy", for bad reasons. Adrian has been being an idiot, on several levels (taking all the scandals on himself, and thereby sheltering his half-brother from the consequences of his choices (not a spoiler, it's stated early in the book and then elaborated on throughout)). Hester seems to have been thoroughly suppressed - convinced she's homely, and therefore of no consequence. I haven't read the first book in the series (yet); I'll be interested to see how she's depicted there. A little bit of ugly duckling, but mostly it's her common sense and intelligence that appeals to him, which is nice. Elliot seems thoroughly bad, though he's given a reason for his behavior near the end of the book (and he gets the next book). Nothing wrong with the story, several good bits, but somehow I never got drawn in; neither Adrian nor Hester really appealed, and most of the other characters were appalling. I do intend to read the rest of the series. ( )

England 1863; Years of England’s upper class believing him the most notorious scoundrel (Oxford American Dictionary - scoundrel: an unscrupulous villain; a mischievous person), Duke Adrian Fitzwalter never argued because he knew he could ride out the storm of scandals. Meeting his stepmothers newest companion had him wondering if he really was anything that resembled his reputation. Adrian couldn’t pull his attention away from the lovely Lady Hester Pimblett, she did not seem to realize her own attributes of honesty, diplomacy and even wit. How could she not act the way most women did, especially around him? With the arrival of Adrian’s half brother, Lady Hester began to wonder which of the two brothers really was the scoundrel of the family, although the Duke never denied any of the charges, his character did not seem true to form. The feeling she had around the younger Lord Elliot were much more in accordance to the reputation of the Dark Duke, how curious and intriguing.

Interesting to see just how far someone will go for the honor of family, and pride. How much one sacrifices for another, and the repercussions those decisions make on all parties included. Going into this story, you know right away what a honorable person Hester is (especially if you have read The Wastrel), but to see through the façade that Adrian portrays is almost too easy. The writing style gives every emotion its due, even the ones that are typically hard to convey, come through the pages of the book. This is an older Harlequin Historical, (1997) that I dug out to re-read. ( )