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mzdeb's review against another edition
3.0
A Hoopla find, it's a little (ok, it's WAY) too instalove, and Max can be considered a jerk for hiding who he was as long as he did, especially given Lilah's background (already had the rug pulled out from under her career-wise by a very powerful famous person; now having her heart crushed by a very powerful famous person). But there's a whole lotta steam, was a good audiobook to listen to, and it gets the job done.
leahkarge's review against another edition
DNF @ 38%
Could not do it with the narrator. Might try a different format.
Could not do it with the narrator. Might try a different format.
sandlynn's review against another edition
3.0
Sarah MacLean’s A Duke Worth Falling For is one story in an anthology titled, Naughty Brits, published in 2020, which was later offered as a separate E-read novella. In terms of MacLean’s published work to date, which has been exclusively historical romance, this story is unique because it’s a contemporary and that triggered my interest. The story is about 123 pages long.
In this novella, we meet Lilah Rose, who is like a young Annie Liebowitz, famed American photographer. As the story begins, in spite of her enormous success photographing celebrities, politicians, and other members of the glitterati, Lilah has fallen out of favor. We eventually learn what caused her downfall, but at the start all we know is that for 18 months she’s been traveling the world photographing well-known sustainable farmers, environmentalists, and their various projects for a thematic show she hopes to put on in order to reclaim her former professional prestige. Lilah’s last stop before unveiling her work at the British Museum in London is the Devon estate of the Duke of Weston. She’s offered the “cottage” on the estate by the Duke’s sister as a place to relax before her show, but finds herself drawn to the beauty of the working farm and the land managed by a very intriguing but grumpy “farm manager,” who introduces himself as Max.
Lilah and Max’s initial meeting, on the sheep filled fields of the estate, is decidedly unfriendly. Max has no idea Lilah was invited to use the cottage and is suspicious of why a photographer is on the property. Although Max comes off as a surly employee of the Duke, he is actually the Duke himself. Known as the reclusive Duke, Max is intent on protecting his privacy from a tabloid press that had exploited his personal life years ago. Despite this, he can’t help but be interested in Lilah, especially since she doesn’t appear to know who he is or have any desire to impose on his privacy. Of course, things become complicated when Lilah returns Max’s interest without knowing who he really is.
I have to admit, I’m not the biggest fan of novellas and short stories. They are very difficult to pull off as complete, satisfying stories in my opinion. Although I’ve read a few good novellas in the romance genre, I think MacLean’s suffers a bit from the need to rush the characters’ intimacy — which is especially hard to believe for such a suspicious, reclusive character as Max. In fact, the story spends a lot of time with the characters either in bed or in other intimate situations and little with them interacting with others or showing their backstories rather than telling. I would’ve liked to have met Max’s sister, for instance, or been shown a scene or two of Lilah’s former life or Max’s previous marriage. When the couple do get off the estate, my interest perks up and we learn just how much the characters — well actually Max’s character — isn’t quite portraying his life as it actually was. For instance, we eventually meet his former wife and find that she’s a much better person than implied. In any event, I kept thinking, if we’d cut out some of the details in the sex scenes -- not necessarily cut out all the sex -- those pages could be filled with actual plot that would move the story along. That being said, I liked the characters, especially Lilah and I’d give this story a B-/B.
In this novella, we meet Lilah Rose, who is like a young Annie Liebowitz, famed American photographer. As the story begins, in spite of her enormous success photographing celebrities, politicians, and other members of the glitterati, Lilah has fallen out of favor. We eventually learn what caused her downfall, but at the start all we know is that for 18 months she’s been traveling the world photographing well-known sustainable farmers, environmentalists, and their various projects for a thematic show she hopes to put on in order to reclaim her former professional prestige. Lilah’s last stop before unveiling her work at the British Museum in London is the Devon estate of the Duke of Weston. She’s offered the “cottage” on the estate by the Duke’s sister as a place to relax before her show, but finds herself drawn to the beauty of the working farm and the land managed by a very intriguing but grumpy “farm manager,” who introduces himself as Max.
Lilah and Max’s initial meeting, on the sheep filled fields of the estate, is decidedly unfriendly. Max has no idea Lilah was invited to use the cottage and is suspicious of why a photographer is on the property. Although Max comes off as a surly employee of the Duke, he is actually the Duke himself. Known as the reclusive Duke, Max is intent on protecting his privacy from a tabloid press that had exploited his personal life years ago. Despite this, he can’t help but be interested in Lilah, especially since she doesn’t appear to know who he is or have any desire to impose on his privacy. Of course, things become complicated when Lilah returns Max’s interest without knowing who he really is.
I have to admit, I’m not the biggest fan of novellas and short stories. They are very difficult to pull off as complete, satisfying stories in my opinion. Although I’ve read a few good novellas in the romance genre, I think MacLean’s suffers a bit from the need to rush the characters’ intimacy — which is especially hard to believe for such a suspicious, reclusive character as Max. In fact, the story spends a lot of time with the characters either in bed or in other intimate situations and little with them interacting with others or showing their backstories rather than telling. I would’ve liked to have met Max’s sister, for instance, or been shown a scene or two of Lilah’s former life or Max’s previous marriage. When the couple do get off the estate, my interest perks up and we learn just how much the characters — well actually Max’s character — isn’t quite portraying his life as it actually was. For instance, we eventually meet his former wife and find that she’s a much better person than implied. In any event, I kept thinking, if we’d cut out some of the details in the sex scenes -- not necessarily cut out all the sex -- those pages could be filled with actual plot that would move the story along. That being said, I liked the characters, especially Lilah and I’d give this story a B-/B.
readastray's review
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
gilwen's review
4.0
Classique, mais très efficace. La plume de Sarah MacLean marche tout aussi bien sur le contemporain que l'historique il faut croire. J'y ai d'ailleurs par moment trouvé des vibes à la Nora Roberts ma foi fort plaisante et j'ai maintenant envie d'aller gambader dans les pâturages britanniques à la recherche d'un duc sexy.
aedgeworth27's review
5.0
A quick read and another great one from Sarah Maclean. It's amazing how much heart and romance she is able to squeeze in in such a short novella but I absolutely loved it.
jarrli's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5