Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as the reviews
Review: This book had me from the first page then it lost me. It got boring, then it got good. So I gave it 3 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: The Perfect Romance!
Review: I loved THE DUKE by Gaelen Foley! From the opening page, I was captivated with Robert "The Paragon" Knight and I couldn't think of a better complement to him than the proud and persevering beauty, Belinda. Gaelen Foley's books are always lush and engaging, but in THE DUKE, the first installment of her Knights Miscellany series, she really delivers--right down to the fairy tale ending that had me cheering through my tears. A fabulous romance, not to be missed!
Rating: 
Summary: Touchay
Review: Between two people who both want revenge is a very tempting things , especially with how the opposites sex attract between men and women. And that's what happen between Hawk and Belinda. As with every stories it end in happily every after but not before they both conquer their fears and heartache.
Rating: 
Summary: More like the Jerk!
Review: This was a howlingly bad book. First off, there are so many historical and grammatical inaccuracies, it was painful to read. There is no excuse for such shabby editing in this day and age with spellcheckers etc, and an editor who should have a degree in English.Second of all, the hero was an idiot and she was not much better. The whole predicament she finds herself in is worthy of farce, not romance. The sinister undertones were never developed, and Belinda goes from being skittish of Robert to orally pleasuring him at the drop of a hat almost as soon as they meet. This from a woman who was supposed to have been a virgin who was brutally raped. who decides to solve the problem by becoming a high-priced courtesan. If she was happy selling oranges to earn a decent living so she would not have to compromise her virtue, this transition is ridiculous. The hero going off and practically killing her rapist with a steel pipe and stuffing him on a prison hulk to Australia, thus acting as judge, jury and executioner, is not endearing either. He is a prude, full of barely suppressed violence, and their first 'love scene' together on the dining room able is absurd and gross on every level given her history and that fact that he is supposed to be a Paragon. He is cruel, judgemental, hypocritical. Instructing his own sister to ignore his mistress in public is just awful. his political standpoint is equally terrible. He is a repressive Tory with a small social conscience but is so worried about what other people think of him he allows himself to always be led into doing things which are basically against humanity. You would think at the age of 35 he might be able to get over what his Daddy and other people think of him, but he would rather placate the tabbies of the Town than be kind to Bel. Would be willing to go through an arranged marriage to get political power, and still expect Bel to stay with him as though nothing had changed, even knowing she refuses to take any married lovers. He doesn't ever love her for herself, but who he wants her to be in relation to all HIS needs. Our heroine Bel is so inconsistent she then starts calling him darling and lavishing every endearment upon him the minute she goes into the house to live with him. The ending with the arranged marriage and the white horse is so trite and unbelievable I wanted to throw this book against the wall. She is a doormat for every man she comes across and all the lessons in how to be a successful courtesan are pretty useless to her, and in a barbaric group of people who have no respect for women. The Regency period was no great, but it wasn't THAT bad either! The worst offence of all though is that she is supposed to be writing a Regency, but all the dialgoue is modern: when the couple kisses and practical copulates in the Vauxhall Gardens, all the bucks shout "Get a room!" Really, get a history book. This is the second of her novels I have read, after Lady of Desire, which was deathly dull and featured Jacinda from this book. All I can say is, if you are really scraping the bottom of the barrel for something flat and boring to read, then you will like this book.
Rating:
Summary: AN EXCELLENT READ!!
Review: This book is everything you hope it is. It flows easily and you will fall in love with the main characters. I HIGHLY recommend this book AS WELL AS the entire series, where you will read about each of his younger siblings. I read the Lord of fire and lord of ice first, but i recommend reading them in the proper order - this one first. DON'T PASS THIS UP!
Rating:
Summary: Tender, moving yet very powerful romance novel
Review: Gaelen Foley rules the world of romance writing. I have loved all of her books that I have read and I own them all; however, I have not yet read them all. Since she doesn't have a large backlist, I ration the privilege of reading her books. I only allow myself to read a new one every two or three months. Sadly, I have read all but two now. I have savored them all. The Duke is the first in a series that Foley is still writing. I read book two (Lord of Fire) and book three (Lord of Ice) prior to reading The Duke. Lady of Desire is the fourth in this series and was just released in 2003. I know Foley is writing yet another in this series at this time. Although I realized Foley was a great romance author, it did not really hit home until I read The Duke. I kept reading the back of the cover and could not convince myself that it could be all that good. Once I did decide to read it, I could hardly stop reading. I thought it would be rather tame compared to Lord of Fire and Lord of Ice but it was not. Robert, the Duke of Hawkscliffe, may be conservative compared to his brothers in the two Lord books, but he is no less sexy. Being the oldest brother, he is written not only as conservative politically, but very moralistic. How can a moralistic, political duke have an affair with a highly visible courtesan? We are told on the back cover that their affair is in name only. Robert wants to flush out a killer and knows this courtesan, the heroine, Bel, can help him. This book moves swiftly from one great plot line to another. Robert and Bel become closer and closer and the action gets faster. Foley does such a good job writing these stories because she utilizes few of the overused romance scenarios. There are no silly misunderstandings. Both Robert and Bel communicate with each other and communicate honestly. They actually have time to get to know each other and gain a lot of respect for one other prior to any serious involvement. The entire book does not have a boring moment. Robert does act a little too stuffy and dukish at times. He is tormented between his image as a moral leader of London society and his desire for Bel who is know as a courtesan. The romance between these two burn the pages up even early on when there is no physical relationship. Once the sensual scenes appear, they rate a solid four out of five (see More About Me for rating guidelines). Bel is one of my favorite heroines. There are, of course, distressing reasons behind Bel having to make a living as a courtesan. In fact, some aspects of her former life are too sugar sweet for you to read without raising an eyebrow (I never was so aware of people raising their eyebrows until I began reading romance). The interaction between the leads is exceptional. It is one of the few books that I have read specific scenes repeatedly. At one point in the book, Robert comes to expect too much of Bel. I cannot provide you any specifics without giving away a portion of the story. However, I can safely say, it is heartbreaking for Bel! I felt everything myself and was heartbroken for her. It is one of the most powerful scenes I have ever read in the hundreds of romance books I have read. Bel is strong and she does not allow herself to be used by Robert as he wishes. We realize, as we continue reading, that Robert is probably brokenhearted himself and is just too male to realize it. You relish the idea of him receiving his comeuppance. This is a fantastic book that will keep you vastly entertained. Although there are some very serious times in the book, there are also humorous episodes that made me laugh out loud. Wow, Gaelen Foley, with this book, has entered my five favorite authors list. Read it before or after the others in the series. Reading it out of order made no difference to me. However, the two Lord books will come along faster if you have read The Duke first. Choose to read The Duke - you will relish it!
Rating:
Summary: An Emotional Read Not To Be Missed!
Review: I have never read anything by this author before and I must admit that I will be adding Gaelen Foley to my list of authors that I will purchase just by their name being on the cover. "The Duke" goes into a part of society that most romance novels skim or overlook altogether. Belinda is a gentlemen scholar's daughter that has fallen on hard times. Her father has been thrown into Fleet prison due to the workings of a not so nice Dolph Breckenridge and she has also lost her job at a finishing school and now is an orange seller in the East End also due to Dolph in his quest to own her. Belinda during all of this manages to hold her head high and is very careful not to fall into the trap of having to entertain men until her innocence is cruelly taken from her. Now she will do the one thing she promised herself she would never do and that is to become a courtesan. She will find a protector and will forever be out of the reach of Dolph. Robert "Hawk" Hawkscliff is a Duke that loved from a far and has now been asked to find the killer of Lucy the Earl of Coldfell's wife. The Earl feels that the person responsible for his young wife's death is his nephew Dolph. As a result Hawk learns about Dolph's obsession with Bel Hamilton and he feels that this the best way to get the guy so he goes after the girl. Together they work toward proving Dolph guilty of murder but at the same time learning things about each other as well as themeselves. Robert is unprepared for the feelings that Bel inspires in him. Belinda has promised herself that she will not fall in love. Mistresses cannot be Duchesses but she is unable to stop the way she feels. Robert also falls in love with Bel knowing that he must do what is right and that is not in following his heart. Or does it? You will need to read the book to find out for yourself. Trust me it is worth the read. This book goes to the extremes that most romance books shy away from as I stated earlier. Most heroine in romance novels are not part of the Demirep. I think it was due to this difference that I really liked the book. Robert is true in many ways to the upper class and Belinda is a refreshing change from the spoiled society girls that you oftentimes come across. Despite what she goes through she is still a good person. It was fun to read about these two completely different people finding and falling in love with each other. Due to experiences that Belinda went through Ms. Foley did not throw the two main characters together into bed but let nature take it's course which made their romance so much more believable. I highly, highly recommend this story. It will make you laugh, cry, and will just basically tug on your emotions.
Rating: 
Summary: Great beginning, awful ending
Review: I've read 4 books by Ms. Foley so far (Pirate Prince, Princess, Lord of Ice, and The Duke). The first three were great - especially Princess and Lord of Ice (5 stars for sure) but The Duke was pretty disappointing. The book started out good but by the time I got near the end of the book, I didn't want Robert and Belinda stay together. I wanted a happy ending for Belinda but wanted Robert to be miserable for the way he treated her. I realize that the times made it difficult for him - being the ever "noble" Duke and all but I just thought so little of him by the end that the ending left me feeling mad. Even his dueling ("risking his life") was not really for Belinda - it was more tied into his "idea" of who he was - what he should do. I have all of Ms. Foley's other books and am still looking forward to reading them but I'm sorry that I read The Duke. The only reason I'm giving the book 2 stars is because it is a Galean Foley book and the first half of the book was good.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book
Review: I am in awe of GF. This book is wonderful. I do however have to agree with a previous reviewer that the plot was a little thin. Yet, this book has something that many romances are lacking today. Along with some pretty steamy sex scenes and great dialouge there is EMOTION. This is the third book of GF's that I have read so far, and although Lord of Ice is still my favorite of her works. This book measured up. I truly felt for the plight of Belinda and the ever faithful Robert. There were times I wanted to slap his face and times I wanted to wring her neck, but I felt it throughout the entire novel. I love romances, but today's crop aren't measuring up. I can hardly ever finish a book in its entirety without skimming or eventually putting it down because it is lame and stupid. This book kept me there till the end. I gave it 4 stars, which is a pretty high rating for me, because it was good. I would have given it 5, but the plot seemed a little wierd. Overall, it was good and I definitely recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not Foley's best
Review: For those of you who've never read any of Gaelen Foley's romances, PLEASE DO NOT JUDGE THEM BY THIS NOVEL. In fact, the other novels in this series (the Knight Miscellany series) are SO much better than this one, as are the novels in her Ascension series. Foley is my favorite romances author, always combining unique plots, sexy heroes, and steamy love scenes to create a one-night read. However, I was sorely disappointed in this novel. I read the other novels in the Knights Miscellany series before reading this one (I didn't realize they were a series until after I'd started reading them out of order), and I was so enthralled by her writing that I thought this one would be just as good. I was wrong. The hero is the main problem in this one. He is a fuddy-duddy. He doesn't seem to have the overwhelming passion for the heroine that Foley's other heroes do. He is overly concerned with propriety, which is something that is not typical for the dashing, irreverent hero types usually portrayed in romance novels. In fact, he's so concerned with propriety that he's willing to see his one true love go back to life as a courtesan; most romance novel heroes would never put up with that. However, even if readers were to accept his overwhelming concern with propriety, Foley isn't consistent with this characterization. I mean, a man so concerned with propriety would never allow his mistress to live in his home as the hero of this novel does. It seemed that Foley too easily disregarded characterization to suit the needs of her plot. Even the chemistry between the hero and heroine wasn't there, although Foley's trademark steamy sex scenes were. I wouldn't advise readers not to read this, because it still a pretty good romance novel. However, I would advice those new to Foley's writings not to judge the body of her work by this novel. If you really want to judge her work, read Lord of Fire (about one of Robert's--from THE DUKE--brothers); it's one of the best romance novels I've ever read. Foley really has a knack [in all novels except for THE DUKE] of writing a sex scene that is both steamy and beautiful.
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