Review: How to Catch a Duke

How to Catch a Duke by Grace Burrowes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. 

If you've been a reader of Burrowes' Rogues to Riches series, then you've been anticipating the younger brother Lord Stephen Wentworth's book. The Wentworth family went from living hand-to-mouth to the older brother Quinn (My One and Only Duke) being saved from the gallows and inheriting a dukedom. Their hard knock life has them not quite fitting in with the aristocracy and each sibling's story has reflected that while still placing them in privileged positions. I would suggest not jumping into the series at this book as you'd miss a lot of the Wentworth family dynamic and that directly affects the hows and whys of Stephen's character; you'd be missing a lot of the foundation for this story.

“I have come to ask you to murder me, my lord.” 

Miss Abigail Abbott is a character that we meet in the previous book, Stephen's sister Constance's story (The Truth About Dukes). Abigail is an inquiry agent, a sort of private investigator. Having meet Stephen through Constance (they had some crackling tension in the previous book), Abigail thinks he's the perfect person to help her. She thinks there was a failed attempt to poison her and a failed kidnapping of her person. Abigail thinks it's a Lord Stapleton behind the attempts and it's due to some letters his now deceased son wrote Abigail when she was the son's mistress (she didn't know he was married). I'm not sure I ever completely bought into Abigail's idea that she needed to fake her own death to escape Lord Stapleton but it provided a fantastic first line to start the book off and gave a reason for Abigail to be in Stephen's company. 

The conundrum of his mental processes, charm juxtaposed with calculation, fascinated Abigail. She was counting on his calculating mind to keep her physically safe, while the charm imperiled her heart. 

I've read a good amount of Burrowes' stories and they typically have what I call a babbling brook pace and feel, gradual and gentle. I thought the tempo was different in this one, it felt more like ping pong action. I'd be reading a scene, engaged, and then the scene would cut and the next paragraph would show the characters at a later date thinking back to the scene I had been engaged in but cut out from. It worked for me at times and didn't at others as I thought I was missing out on some scene emotions; instead we get the emotions from inner thoughts from the characters. I'm not sure if my anticipating the babbling brook from Burrowes made this ping pong tempo feel off or if the tempo was off. 

Abigail dearest, we all need a little kissing, cuddling, and cavorting. Proving that to you shall be my fondest challenge. 

The mystery thread of why Lord Stapleton wanted the letters from Abigail felt thin for a a lot of the story. It takes until the end and revealing of why, for it to make sense but even then I'm not sure the journey we take to get there was supported for three hundred pages. Stephen and Abigail have good byplay but I did think for where I thought they were in their journey to come together that their first bedroom scene came a bit quick, even though it was around 50%. These two definitely have a connection, Abigail doubts her appeal because of her height and size and Stephen doubts his appeal because of his limp (his father broke his leg when he was a child) and vulnerabilities created because of these insecurities brings these two together. They're sweet with a little zip because of Stephen's kind but not always nice and Abigail's calling him on his not always nice but not letting him hide his kindness. 

Stephen Wentworth was stealing her heart, and she was helpless to prevent his larceny. 

Neither of Stephen's sisters make an appearance, which I did miss and I thought Duncan and Stephen should have had some alone scenes but there was a great breakthrough understanding between Stephen and his brother Quinn. With the ping pong tempo I talked about though, we get the brothers revealing and talking about some things but then after, granted, they do hug, we jump to Quinn with his wife and he has an emotional moment I wish could have been more with Stephen. The Wentworth's are a family that could have overwhelmed Stephen and Abigail's book but I love their dynamic all together that I could have stood for more of them. 

She wanted to curl up in his arms and wake up in a world where nobody got in a lather about old letters, and a common inquiry agent could fall in love with a ducal heir. 

Stephen was a character that I could read a series on him alone and Abigail had her own deep background, I could also read more about her, but importantly, she did match him. The mystery plot with the letters and how Abigail wanted to fake her own death, which leads to a fake engagement trope, even though these two pretty much admit their feelings are real from the beginning but thinking nothing can come of it, was a little weaker and you'll mostly go along because it keeps our two characters together. I also thought the author created a story that was open about all the bed-hopping that was going on during this time, the extramartial affairs and Stephen's bisexuality. It also looks like we are getting a Ned Wentworth book (boy Quinn adopted) and I am thrilled, especially after his appearances in this. There's always something comforting about visiting a Burrowes' world and family, How to Catch a Duke, will give you those feels.

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