Phineas Duncombe, Phin, never expected or wanted to become the Duke of Mayne, but when the last of his four older brothers died three weeks ago, there he was. One of the last people to see the late duke - his brother Richard, the Idiot - alive, was the Wanton Widow, Lady Annabel Longstowe. Phin had seen the comely widow only once before, but she had made quite the impression on him. If he were honest with himself, he wanted to see her more so because he desired her, than to know about his brother's movements. The meeting comes to nothing, but Lady Longstowe more than stuns him when she comes to ask for a favor. Annabel had noticed the very handsome Phin, but he's much younger than she is, and in spite of her nickname, she wants nothing to do with a man. One cruel husband had already been too much but she needs information on the whereabouts of her daughter, and a duke's word carries more weight than a countess'.

I was thrilled that Shana Galen chose to write an older woman-younger man romance, but the story did not unfold as I'd hoped. I did not have much respect for Annabel at the beginning. Although we learn subsequently the reasons for the way she acted, it looked like she deserved her sobriquet; thank goodness Phin was honorable. Most readers will probably disagree with me, but I would have liked more adventures, more on the duke's predicament than all the thinking and talking about sex. A DUKE A DOZEN is surprisingly light on the action, heavy on the steam, and there are quite a few minor subplots, but the few action scenes are exceptional, as expected from Ms. Galen.

Contrary to most stories featuring this trope, I found the age difference between Annabel and Phinn noticeable. While Phin is a lovely man, he came across as an eager puppy, somewhat shallow, and surprisingly dense regarding his situation. I thought he sometimes sounded younger than his thirty-two years, while Annabel is the motherly type. He also demonstrated the patience of a saint towards Annabel, even though he was terminally infatuated. I found her extremely frustrating.

I loved how Shana Galen made us see how people who are "different" were once perceived and treated. The parts revolving around Theadosia - Annabel's daughter - are superbly and sensitively written, and the situation was beautifully handled in a historically accurate context. I positively adored Annabel's housekeeper Mrs. Slightley and Phin's valet Reynolds; as far as I'm concerned, they were the highlights of the book, I couldn't get enough of them. We also get a taste of what Ms. Galen has for us in the near future: Colin FitzRoy, and an excerpt of The Bachelors of Bond Street, featuring Thomas Gaines, whose story I'm dying to read!

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