Beautiful Lady Constance is in a bad place. Her legitimacy has been splashed across the ton. Apparently her mother had an affair with her now step-dad and had two kids. For some reason, even though months have passed after the scandal, the ton is still whispering about it and indirectly snubbing her. In a fit of defiance, she wants to dance with the 'Scandalous Lord of Sin' and may be learn something from him in how to deal with the gossipy ton.

Lucan Wynwood has set the plan in motion to ruin Constance in an elaborate plan of vengeance against her brother. An eye for an eye or in this case, a sister for a sister. Only he did not take into account the attraction he feels for her nor the fascination he has for her unpredictable reactions or that he would feel remorse for what he is about to do to her. But will he fall in love with her and leave his plan of vengeance or will he ruin her, leaving his only hope for happiness behind?

SINS OF A DUKE left me with mixed feelings. At times I wanted to stop reading completely, other times I hated Constance, and sometimes I began to like it enough to continue. Ms. Reid has written Lucan as pretty much a straightforward man bent on revenge. He needs to know that the men behind his sister's death suffer the same way she did before she died. While he does not want to kill them, he wants to utterly destroy them by destroying what they hold dear. Despite his friends cautioning him about the possible consequences and that Constances brother is different, he remains mule-headed till almost the second to last chapter. Though after knowing the details behind his sister's death, the final confrontation left me feeling unsatisfied. Honestly I would agree to Lucan's initial opinion and argument because justifying that Duke of Calydon was young and foolish is not enough reason to be excused. Lucan is a good man who did not want to completely ruin Constance despite his need for revenge; whether it is due to revenge or lust, I do not know. I like to believe, even if he had not fallen in love with her, he would have still felt the remorse of using an innocent.

Lady Constance on the other hand, I had a love-hate relationship with. At one point she despairs over being ignored and whispered about, but with Lucan she says she does not care for the society. Then she mentions something about loving the village and kids from the orphanage, but in none of her POV or actions do I see her missing that life. Then comes her family. Each and everyone one of them married for love and her mom even sired two kids while married to someone else and yet they dare want her to marry someone who backed out at the first sign of trouble and clearly came back only for her dowry. I could see many double standards in Constance and her family and was glad to see when she did say it to them. The eventual HEA left me a bit deflated. Something felt missing; most likely the fact I had trouble fully liking or connecting with the heroine nor feeling very sorry for her.

SINS OF A DUKE is a well written story with a dreamy heroine who is supposed to be an innocent but lacks proprietary. Even her rebelliousness seems forced. I had more time feeling sorry for Lucan's sister. Still the revenge plot had a different reason and style for revenge than what I have read previously in a historical romance. I love the confrontation between Lucan and Calydon. Pick up SINS OF A DUKE if you crave something different in this genre and can overlook the above mentioned issues.

Book Summary

She would be his perfect revenge...

All of the young ladies whispered about the Duke of Mondvale in hushed tones, their eyes following his tall, dark figure with barely disguised lust. For the newly-ostracized Lady Constance Thornton, he is magnetic and altogether desirable. Irresistibly so. Since her reputation is already ruined in London society, why shouldn't she be impudent and dance with the scandalous "Lord of Sin"?

Little does she know of his plans.

The beautiful and innocent Lady Constance is no mere plaything for Lucan Wynwood. She will be his revenge. By ruining her, he will have his vengeance against her brother. Except that the Lady Constance is full of surprises... and now she could well be the ruin of him.