Put Up Your Dukes: THE DEMON DUKE by Margaret Locke

Hi there!

Welcome back to another crazy week here at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're diving between the pages of the latest release from one of my favorite authors, none other than Margaret Locke.  I've read her Magic of Love trilogy and ADORED every one!  When I heard she was starting something new, I admit I was saddened for a brief moment...after all, it's HARD to say goodbye (however temporary) to characters you know and love.  So, I did what any reader would do and pressed forward, only to discover...ANOTHER great read!  (Yippee!) So ladies, grab your dresses and petticoats, fellas adjust your cravats, it's time to meet today's book of choice...

The Demon Duke

Put Up Your Dukes, Book 1

by

Margaret Locke

9780996317085

Locked on Love Publishing

About the book...

Behind every good man is a great secret.

Banished to Yorkshire as a boy for faults his father failed to beat out of him, Damon Blackbourne has no use for English society and had vowed never to return to his family’s estate at Thorne Hill, much less London. However, when his father and brother die in a freak carriage accident, it falls on Damon to take up the mantle of the Malford dukedom, and to introduce his sisters to London Society–his worst nightmare come to life.

He never planned on Lady Grace Mattersley. The beautiful debutante stirs him body and soul with her deep chocolate eyes and hesitant smiles. Until she stumbles across his dark secret.

Shy and bookish Grace much prefers solitude and reading to social just-about-anything. Her family may be pressuring her to take on the London Season to find herself a husband, but she has other ideas. Such as writing a novel of her own.

But she has no idea how to deal with the Duke of Malford.

Will she betray him to the world? Or will she be his saving Grace?

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First things first...

...if you follow me on GoodReads, you may have noticed a few of my reviews are very close to what I post on that well traveled site.  There's a reason for this...sometimes when I finish a book, I have a few moments to type (or swype) RIGHT AWAY, capturing my thoughts in the moment...all the feelings, emotions, and whatnot left after the final page is turned and often times, there's no better words to tell of MY trip through the pages.  So while you won't see an EXACT copy paste, there may be moments of deja vu.  It's intentional.  Now, on with the review...

Quick summary...this was a fantastic start to a promising new series!

Now for the details...

Author Margaret Locke weaves her wordy magic once again giving us a grand (and at times lesser grand, considering the circumstances...hello KIDNAPPING!) romp through the times of Dukes, Duchesses, and other assorted titles, in a tale that promises much and delivers more still. I loved the seemingly imperfect Duke, scandalized by a society that simply did not understand him not his struggles...and the fact that he was inspired by real world heroes, touched my heart (HUGS!). What Damon did for that child, the love he had for Grace, his desire to protect those he holds dear...beyond words. I loved the bookish "mouse" with her temper, tongue, and talent for blending in, if only just, even as she harbored an inner lioness. Let's just say Grace may be her name but that's because she-who-speaks-her-mind-kicks-butt-and-asks-questions-later-all-while-donning-regency-garb was taken. Seriously though, she's a proper young lady that doesn't believe proper need be defined as stringently as society dictates. The love affair that erupts, the scandals that set the ton ablaze, the downright sniveling conniving asinine behavior of those that ought know better and the comeuppance they receive, along with the surprising presence of old familiar faces, made this take as enchanting as the clothes and times were decadent.

In the end, we learn the only REAL demon in this book is man himself or rather those that choose evil...but not all are created equal and thank heavens for that!  A grand adventure for Historical Fiction fans as well as those that just love a good love story with passion, danger, and propriety (now and then).

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About the author...

Margaret Locke writes romance that makes you laugh, makes you cry, and makes you think. Because love matters. 

Don’t tell my mom, but I started reading romance at the age of ten. I’d worked my way through all of the children’s books available in the local bookmobile, so I turned to the adult section, where I spied a cover featuring a woman in a flowing green dress. The back said something about a pirate. I was hooked (and still wish I could remember the name of that fateful book!).

My delight in witty repartee between hero and heroine, in the age-old dance of attraction vs. resistance, in the emotional satisfaction of a cleverly achieved Happily Ever After followed me through high school, college, even grad school. But it wasn’t until I turned forty that I finally made good on my teenage vow to write said novels, not merely consume them.

I live in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley in Virginia with my fantastic husband, two fabulous kids, and two fat cats. You can usually find me in front of some sort of screen (electronic or window); I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m not an outdoors person.

SITE  |  TWITTER  |  FACEBOOK

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Special thanks to author Margaret Locke for the SIGNED copy for review.  (THANK YOU!!)  For more information on this title, the author, or her other works, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is available now via Locked on Love Publishing, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

WANT versus NEED: A Scandalous Matter by Margaret Locke

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're indulging in book three of the Magic of Love series from one of my favorite authors, Margaret Locke!  (~waves~)  I had the pleasure of reading the first (A Man of Character) last year, and the second (A Matter of Time) earlier this year, so when the opportunity came around to partake in the latest journey of the heart...my answer was a resounding YES.  It may have also included a small happy dance, and a fist pump or two, but you know...you couldn't see that.  *hehe*  Anywho...back to the matter at hand.  (Get it...matter...as in part of the title?  ^-^)

The selection on the docket today is a Contemporary Romance with a bit of magic, a lot of relationship potential, and a whole lotta sparks.  NO, really.  We're talking set the neighborhood on fire, not just your own house, so consider that a word-to-the-wise that it's not for kiddos.  I must say at the start that although it CAN be read as a stand alone, it wasn't meant to be read that way and you'll be missing a lot of the magic if you skip around, so friendly suggestion...get the other books under your belt first, kay?  Kay.  Now, for those of the adult persuasion, get ready to be whisked away to a time and place that, okay...isn't really unlike today because it actually takes place in 2016, but it features a feisty "heroine-to-be" from the 1820's.  The featured book of the day is...

A Scandalous Matter

Magic of Love, Book 3

by

Margaret Locke

9780996317054

Locked on Love Publishing

About the book...

The past is always present. Independent, spirited Amara Mattersley may live under scandal's shadow, but at least the nineteenth-century Regency society judging her is familiar. That's all about to change when she finds herself in twenty-first-century Charlottesville, Virginia-and locking horns with one very befuddling, very male, UVA professor.

Computer science professor Matthew Goodson has no time for love-no time for anything, actually, but his quest for tenure and his obsession with the screen. The last thing he expects is to get side-swiped by this adorably odd British miss. Yet something in her calls to him, pulls at him, in a way unknown-and uncomfortable.

Can the past and the present blend together into a mutual future? Or will old wounds and new complications sabotage any chance at a twenty-first century happily ever after?

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It was amazing! It was incredible! It was everything I've come to expect from this series with a tease of the author's next work that is certainly going to be on my wish list!

*ahem*

Needless to say, I liked, nay...LOVED IT!  BUT...for the uninitiated, allow me to elaborate a little more of the book's awesomeness with something other than fan girl ravings.  ^-^

Cat is back, this time accompanied by her husband, Ben, and her little boy, Washington, and she's meddling...I mean, playing Cupid...once again.  This story is a bit different from her own heartfelt wishes, or those that sent her best friend from here to the early 1800's though.  This time, the past is coming to the future in the form of Amara Mattersley.  Though the magic of the story works around the idea of finding your other half, Amara has no interest in endeavors of the heart.  I can hear you now...how's it gonna work then?  Well, you see fair readers, what we WANT and what we NEED are not always one in the same, case in point here, and the same can be said for her potential match, Matthew Goodson.  An odd pairing when the basic facts are taken, he being a computer science professor and she being from a time when computer science was more fiction than fact, they actually work quite well in reality...and by "well", I mean they hit it off in more ways than one.  *wink wink* 

The simple truth here, neither is looking for a commitment, only a little fun...but sometimes fate has other things in mind and when the heart gets involved, yeah...the tables can turn quicker than you can imagine. Their "little fun" turns into something potentially more...or at least it would be if either would actually tell the other what they were thinking, feeling, SOMETHING!  Geesh!  For a technologically advanced society, we're not always the best at communication.  One thing leads to another and another and soon...it may all unravel before it's really begun.  Will this couple-to-be actually get a chance to "be" or will circumstance and the past overshadow their bright and glorious future?  You'll have to read it to find out, but you'll be glued to every page as you race to the finale...

With a healthy dose of today as well as yesterday, this book had broad appeal to Contemporary and Historical Romance fans alike.  Amara is a very likable character, strong-willed, eager to take on the world, and yet held back at times by the societal truths of her century.  Matthew is a great guy, though a workaholic, with a BIG heart hidden away under all that "no strings" exterior...and what an exterior!  *wink wink*  It was a pleasure visiting with familiar faces, getting to know these two and meeting their families as well, whom I gather may be featured in upcoming stories (*crosses fingers*).

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About the author....

A lover of romance novels since the age of ten (shh, don't tell mom!), Margaret Locke declared as a teen that she'd write romances when she grew up. Once an adult, however, she figured she ought to be doing grown-up things (such as earning that master's degree in medieval history), not penning steamy love stories. Turning forty cured her of that silly notion. Margaret is now happily ensconced back in the clutches of her first love, this time as an author as well as a reader.


Margaret lives in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley in Virginia with her fantastic husband, two fabulous kids, and two fat cats. You can usually find her in front of some sort of screen (electronic or window); she's come to terms with the fact that she's not an outdoors person.

TWITTER  |  FACEBOOK  |  SITE

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Special thanks to author Margaret Locke for the SIGNED copy for review.  (THANK YOU!!!)  This title is available now via Locked on Love Publishing, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.  Don't forget, in reading as in life, the more the merrier, and what better way to be merry than starting the series from the start!  Book 1 and 2 are also available in ebook and tree book formats and while this can be read as a stand alone, it makes a much better companion to the previous set...besides, once you get started, you won't want the adventure to end!

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

A Matter of Time by Margaret Locke

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're taking the TIME to review a novel that was in my TBR Mountain for a bit not because of a lack of interest but a lack of TIME.  I simply knew that is was only A MATTER OF TIME before it rose to the top and allowed me to journey once again through the pages of an author's work I'd come to know only last year but still adore.  Don't you love it when that happens?  ^-^  Anywho, I could wax poetic about it til the cows come home or I could simply dive in and considering my penchant for rambling (even in type) when I really enjoyed a book, I think I'll follow the latter.  Ladies and gents, don your best high necked gowns and well-fitted breeches, it's time to step into the past with a heart full of the present as we tackle today's book of choice...

A Matter of Time

Matters of Love, Book 2

by

Margaret Locke

9780996317030

Locked on Love Publishing

About the book...

Love comes when least expected.

Nobody would blame widowed doctoral student Eliza James for giving up on Happily Ever After; at twenty-nine, she’s suffered more loss than most people do in a lifetime. But Eliza’s convinced her own hero is still out there, waiting for her, just like in the beloved romance novels she devours. Every girl deserves a Darcy, right?

Only Eliza doesn’t dream of a modern-day affair: she wants the whole Regency experience. When a magical manuscript thrusts her back two hundred years into the arms and life of one Deveric Mattersley, Duke of Claremont, however, Eliza soon realizes some fantasies aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, especially when her duke proves himself less than a Prince Charming.

Deveric Mattersley has no interest in women, much less marriage. Determined to atone for his sins after convincing himself he's at fault for the death of his first wife, he decrees himself content to focus on running his family’s estates, and on raising his son–until the mysterious Mrs. James appears. Who is she? What does she want? And why does she make Dev’s blood run hot in a way no woman ever has?

Can a man with a past and a woman from the future forge a love for all time?

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This is a story I could go on and on and on about.  There are so many little things that really make it sparkle and shine yet nothing ginormous that steals the show away from the matters of the heart we're exploring.  We start with a heroine from our time whisked to the past to star in her own Regency Romance but without the certainty of how things will end.  We continue with a leading man (Deveric Mattersly) that unwittingly has been written in to play a part yet without the script to do it.  We've the Mattersly sisters who despite their first impressions are a few of the female ton that you'll cherish long before book's end and a "Dragon Mother" with whom you'll battle for common ground.  Outside the immediate family, we've male suitors not blind to the enchanting Eliza James (family connections to the Duke or not), those employed by the household who take a shine to this refreshing young woman, and even an appearance by Miss Austen herself to continue the magical threads woven through this story...and those are just the people!  As I said, there is much to love and MANY to love as this story unfolds, but it's not a flash in the pan, all action or reaction kind of book.

In typical Austen fashion, the story ebbs and flows without a huge dose of action to move it along, and yet move it does.  I can definitely see it being an instant favorite for Austenites, after all, Eliza's fantasy man is a styled after the ever popular Mr. Darcy with the combined looks of Colin Firth and Hugh Jackman.  Can't say that would make a displaced from her century girl sad, now can you?  The modern touches in the non-modern times give it just enough of NOW to appeal to readers firmly set in contemporary reads while allowing historical fans that chance to breathe in the light of this work while perhaps placing themselves in Eliza's shoes...or rather slippers.  Given the chance, would YOU step into your favorite fantasy?  With or without a guaranteed ending?  How about an escape clause? *ponders*

I love how despite being out of her own time and her love of the Regency Romances she toted wherever she went in our own century, when whisked away to her idyllic time/place, she still faced uncertainties.  Sounds heartless? Not really...after all, it's great to be GUARANTEED a happily-ever-after but how does one deal with not knowing whether it was REAL or WRITTEN?  Exactly...and a point that our heroine astutely considered before allowing her magical manuscript writing bestie, nay sister, to pen her own romance.  The kiss that unlocked the past as her future, her destiny as a second chance at long everlasting, was only the beginning.  It took her and her potential other half back to the world of sense and sensibility, manners and propriaty, but she never lost her sense of self.  She managed to fit in but only just, hanging on to her "new world" self enough to not only remain true to her soul but allow her heart to shine...and THAT my friends is what really helped her snag her "prince".  No, I'm not spoiling it, after all...if you've read the first one, you know how things turn out in the end of this one....but it's the journey from start to finish, the bits in-between that really tell the tale, warm the heart, and get the imagination rolling.  

All things considered, I found this to be a rather charming novel and a great follow up to the first adventure.  Eliza was a great heroine, friend, sister, and altogether wonderful woman with a kind heart that deserved a second chance at love...even if it occurred timeline wise BEFORE her first was even a glimmer in his parent's eyes.  Word to the wise, don't contemplate the time travel aspect too much.  You're libel to get a headache.  Take it for what it is...pure literary magic that came from the pen and heart of a dear friend (Cat) only wishing to give her bestie a chance to be as happy as she dreamed she could be.  I will warn you that there are a few steamy scenes as things progress with one that will certainly bring some color to your cheeks closer to book's end, but the sentiments are shared in equal measure by both parties making it a sweet culmination in events.  *ahem*  

My only suggestion/observation of something I wish were different would be the cover.  I adore the simplicity and the meaning the items pictured have but the first one was an eye catcher in another way and seeing how Eliza was traveling through time to secure her happy ending, I thought it would be rather appropriate to portray a gent in Regency garb in the same pictorial styling of the first book.  Just a thought...and one that certainly took NOTHING away from my enjoyment of the read.  Thoughts or comments fair readers?

Recommended read for Contemporary Romance fans, Austenites, and those that dabble in time-travel literature.  It has a little something for everyone...and I can't wait to find out what happens in the next installment.  I have my suspicions as to how it will begin as well but I'll keep those in confidence for now.  

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About the author...

A lover of romance novels since the age of ten (shh, don't tell mom!), Margaret Locke declared as a teen that she'd write romances when she grew up. Once an adult, however, she figured she ought to be doing grown-up things (such as earning that master's degree in medieval history), not penning steamy love stories. Yeah, whatever. Turning forty cured her of that silly notion. Margaret is now happily ensconced back in the clutches of her first love, this time as an author as well as a reader. Margaret lives in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley in Virginia with her fantastic husband, two fabulous kids, and two fat cats. You can usually find her in front of some sort of screen (electronic or window); she's come to terms with the fact that she's not an outdoors person. Margaret loves to interact with fellow readers and authors! 

SITE  |  FACEBOOK  |  TWITTER  |  PINTEREST

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Special thanks to author Margaret Locke for the signed copy for review. (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is available now via Locked on Love publishing, so seek thee out a copy at your first available opportunity...like now.  Now sounds like a plan....^-^ ...and don't forget about the first book, A Man of Character!  They can be read apart but really...would you do that to two best friends?  I thought not.

Until next time...happy reading!