Blog Tour: The Duke of Ruin by Darcy Burke (Excerpt & Review)

The Duke of Ruin (The Untouchables, #8) by Darcy Burke
on March 27th 2018
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With her betrothal to a duke in tatters and scandal imminent, Diana Kingman has two choices: live in certain ignominy or flee into obscurity. Diana wants solitude. She never wished to wed in the first place. However, her father will stop at nothing to betroth her to one of the finest titles in the realm...no matter how loathsome the bearer. Escape is Diana’s only option, and she’ll pay any price to achieve freedom.
Universally blamed for the death of his wife and unborn child, Simon Hastings doesn’t dispute his guilt over an accident he cannot even remember. He hasn’t had a drink since, nor a moment’s peace. Determined to be a better man, Simon rescues a young woman in need—only to be accused of kidnapping. They must marry to save him from prison. But how can a man haunted by the love he lost and a woman afraid to get too close find happiness together?

He turned from the fire and contemplated the bed. It was neither big nor small and would support a blanket between them. However, there was no dressing screen to allow for privacy.

He wasn’t entirely sure how to broach the sensitive topic of disrobing, but since they would be spending several nights together, it had to be done. He looked back at her over his shoulder. “You aren’t planning on sleeping in your clothes again, are you?”

She turned in front of the fire but didn’t come toward him. “I’d rather not. But I’m afraid I’m in need of assistance. Unfortunately, my wardrobe depends upon a maid.”

“I’d be happy to provide help. Just remember I’ve no experience as a ladies’ maid.”

“Did you never undress your wife?” She looked away, angling herself back toward the fire. “Forget I asked that.”

He went back toward her and spoke softly. “Don’t.” She turned her head, her blue eyes dark and vivid in the firelight. “We are going to get to know each other much better than we ought, and I don’t want you to regret things you might say. I assumed you would be curious about my wife. Yes, I undressed her. Many times. If I close my eyes, I can still feel her skin.” But he didn’t close his eyes. He couldn’t. She—Miss Diana Kingman—held him captive with her gaze.

Miss Kingman exhaled. “You must promise not to look. Aside from what you must do to unlace my gown.

“I promise.” He kept his voice and his gaze steady. “We must trust each other on this journey. Implicitly. That’s why I won’t shy away from your questions.”

She nodded, then presented her back. “Will you leave while I undress? I’ll need ten minutes or so. I’ll be in bed when you return and will close my eyes while you disrobe.”

It was a good plan, particularly since he thought a walk outside in the cold might do him some good. A beautiful woman’s back presented to him for the purpose of assistance with disrobing was too reminiscent of a time gone by and yet wholly new. Miss Kingman wasn’t Miriam, nor did he want her to be.

Simon quickly unlaced her gown and helped lift it over her head. He laid it across one of the chairs set at a small table and returned to help her remove her petticoat and unlace her corset. When he finished, he dropped his hands to his sides.

“I can finish,” she said, without looking back. “Thank you.”

He left without a word, closing the door firmly behind him. He inhaled sharply, taking perhaps the deepest breath he had in the last ten minutes.

Thankfully he didn’t encounter anyone on his walk. He wasn’t in the mood to made idle chatter. His thoughts were bad enough—railing at him for being attracted to someone who wasn’t his wife.

But how could he expect to go through life as he had the past two years? A self-hating, forlorn monk. Oh, he put on a good face for everyone else, but no one knew how acutely his pain cut.

Tomorrow, they would be on their way to Northampton, and hopefully, things would go as smoothly as they had so far. But first he had to spend the night in her bed. Again. Only with less clothing.

Thinking it had been well more than ten minutes, he made his way back upstairs. The lantern next to the bed had been extinguished, leaving just the light from the fire to illuminate the room.

Simon looked toward the bed. Miss Kingman lay near the edge of one side—as close as she could get without falling off, he noted—her back to the center of the bed, where it looked as though she’d rolled one of the blankets and placed it between them. He hoped there were enough coverings on the bed to keep them warm. Last night, they’d worn more clothing to bed.

Hell. He wore a nightshirt to sleep in or, most often, nothing at all. Tonight, he should probably keep his smallclothes on.

Shrugging out of his jacket, he hung it on a hook in the wall. He sat down to remove his boots, working as quietly and quickly as possible. When he’d removed everything but his shirt and smallclothes, he went to his side of the bed and crawled between the icy covers. He shuddered involuntarily and felt her jerk.

“Sorry,” he murmured. “Cold bed.”

“Very,” she responded, her low, feminine voice rustling over him like a fine silk.

He considered making an offer to warm them both up—body heat would be most beneficial. But that was likely a bad idea. For so many reasons.

He turned to his side, away from her, but snuggled his back against the rolled-up blanket. That would help with the cold. And the warmer he got, the more easily he would fall asleep. And the sooner he fell asleep, the sooner he could put the proximity of Miss Kingman out of his mind.

Too bad none of that happened very quickly at all.

~~Reviewed by Monique~~

Miss Diana Kingman had been groomed from birth to marry a duke, and according to her father, any duke would do, except Simon Hastings, the Duke of Romsey – THE DUKE OF RUIN. As Diana is about to marry a duke she doesn’t even love, disaster strikes and Diana’s life is ruined. She has no choice but to flee or face a lifetime of disgrace and disapproval from her autocratic father. Isn’t it ironic that THE DUKE OF RUIN would help her, but after all, he has nothing left to lose. Two years after his beloved wife Miriam’s death, Simon hasn’t recovered from the pain of losing his wife, and he doesn’t remember what happened; he was too drunk. Simon is still shunned by society, the rumours about him having murdered Miriam haven’t abated, and his guilt and shame eat at him every hour of the day. He needs to atone for his past sins, and that’s why he doesn’t hesitate to help Diana; his reputation can hardly suffer any further. THE DUKE OF RUIN begins towards the end of The Duke of Ice, and while it works fine as a standalone, I would strongly encourage readers to read the previous book in order to get the full experience of the complexity of the unfolding drama. And it was sheer torture having to wait for this book!

Diana and Simon are thrown together into an impossible situation; she is terrified at the punishment her father will inflict upon her for irreparably disgracing the family. And Simon, poor Simon, whom everyone but his closest friends abandoned after his wife’s untimely death – even his own mother! Simon and Diana had met briefly at a house party, and if he hadn’t been the infamous DUKE OF RUIN, he would have featured on Diana’s husband shopping list. Simon is the ultimate tortured hero, and for good reason, and how well Ms. Burke conveys his inner pain, his guilt, his sorrow is remarkable; I ached for him. He is so charming, considerate, while his heart and spirit remain utterly broken. Diana has endured a lifetime without freedom, lonely in her gilded cage waiting to be married off to a duke, any duke. She has been resigned to her thankless life because of her terrifying father. In a way, her unfortunate failed wedding is a blessing: while losing everything else, she has gained a modicum of freedom, but she is not one to make mistakes. She doesn’t fly into hysterics, she will find a solution, and in the end, her solution gives Simon hope.

THE DUKE OF RUIN is a marvellously well-crafted story, and Darcy Burke has thought of the minutest detail, which culminates in a spectacular, wonderful, and entirely unexpected ending. Yet, it was exactly how it should have been, and never in a million years would I have seen it coming! The plot is hermetically woven, exceptionally compelling with descriptions that will take your breath away, and an underlying sensuality that will make you wish of finding this kind of love. Simon and Diana have superb backstories, the characters are sublimely fleshed-out, the pace impeccable, the dialogues splendid, and the writing is outstanding. Some plot twists had me gasping, as I felt that Simon and Diana would never find happiness; they had so many hurdles to deal with!

The romance itself is divine, perfect every step of the way; steeped in respect, honesty, communication, and understanding. I had loved Simon before – he always was a fascinating character – but I loved him even more in THE DUKE OF RUIN. How the scandal of Miriam’s death was handled by Ms. Burke is genius itself! Nothing happens by accident or magic in THE DUKE OF RUIN; Darcy Burke chose to explore Simon’s situations in depth, and there was not one big reveal, but the truth came out gradually, giving us shock after shock. The suspense was untenable, and what an ending it was! Brilliant, fantastic, epic – words fail me!

I knew THE DUKE OF RUIN would be fabulous, even if my expectations were sky-high, I knew it would not disappoint because The Untouchables is one of the most amazing series ever, but I was stunned, awed, and elated at how it turned out. How does one write a review that will do justice to a book this extraordinary?

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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