Historical Romance Book Club discussion

Inspired by something I recently heard Tessa Dare say on a podcast, I had this absolutely insane idea to start collecting as many of Romancelandia's Dukes, names and basic informations that I can manage. And I am looking for help.

All I'm asking is for anyone to share one or two of their favorite Dukes, and as much information on him as you can remember.
So this is from a book I just finished and this is what I remembered off the top of my head.

Eaxample:
The Duchess War, by Courtney Milan
Name: Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont
Siblings: Only child
Marries: Miss Minerva Lane / lower gentry & Chess expert
Period: Victorian
Children: Evan

1,000! That is ambitious. Props to you for that! So do you just want a running tally as we come across them? Just main characters or supporting cast too?

I love this project. This one below is one of my favourites.

Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale
Name: Christian Langland, Duke of Jervaulx
Siblings - only child
Marries: Miss Maddy Timms, a Quaker lady
Period: Georgian... (I think, please correct me if this is wrong)
Trope - Duke who is a notorious rake has a stroke and is incapacitated, heroine who is much below him socially nurses him back to health.. and wins his heart.

Here’s my contribution to your worthy endeavor.


The Duke's Perfect Wife by Jennifer Ashley
Name: Hart MacKenzie, Duke of Kilmorgan
Siblings: Cameron, Mac and Ian MacKenzie
Marries: Lady Eleanor Ramsay
Period: Victorian
Children: Alec

The Art of Duke Hunting by Sophia Nash
Name: Roman Montagu, Duke of Norwich (“Seventeen”)
Siblings: Vincent (deceased), Lily
Marries: Esme March, Countess of Derby
Period: Regency
Children: None

Another favourite -

Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh
Name - Wulfric Bedwyn, Duke of Bewcastle
Siblings, Alleyne, Morgan, Freyja, Aiden, Rannulf
Marries: Mrs Christine Derrick - Widow, Vicar's daughter, gentry but much below him on the social scale.
Period - Victorian
Children - James, Marquis of Lyndsey

Ha ha. A fun idea.

These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer
Name: Justin Alastair, Duke of Avon
Nickname: Satanas
Siblings: Lord Rupert Alastair; Lady Fanny Marling
Marries: Leonie ('Leon') de Saint-Vire
Period: Eighteenth century
Only son: Dominic Alastair, Marquis of Vidal (who has his own book in Devil's Cub).

Lisa - (Aussie Girl) wrote: "Another favourite -

Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh
Name - Wulfric Bedwyn, Duke of Bewcastle
Siblings, Alleyne, Morgan, Freyja, Aiden, Rannulf
Marries: Mrs Christine Derrick - Wido..."

Wulfric is my second fav duke (after Justin Alastair). Lisa, have you read the sequel novella in Once Upon A Dream? Well worth a read, and you get to meet even MORE of Wulf and Christine's children. But sorry, I can't remember their names.

Another fav of mine:

Heartless by Mary Balogh.
Name: Lucas Kendrick, Duke of Harndon *swoon*
Siblings: George (deceased), Ashley, and a sister Doris
Marries: Lady Anna Marlowe
Period: Georgian
Children: (view spoiler)[ Joy, George, and (I think??) 2 more sons (hide spoiler)]

Jan130 wrote: "Lisa - (Aussie Girl) wrote: "Another favourite -

Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh
Name - Wulfric Bedwyn, Duke of Bewcastle
Siblings, Alleyne, Morgan, Freyja, Aiden, Rannulf
Marries:..."

Ah yes, it's in my kindle library. I'll have to find it and complete the rest of the children. I think there are two more daughters..

Are we supposed to post only one or two favourite dukes or all the dukes we come across?

Priya wrote: "Are we supposed to post only one or two favourite dukes or all the dukes we come across?"

As many as you like, I thought it'd be easier if it was one you liked and remembered.

The Duke and I Julia Quinn

Lorien wrote: "Priya wrote: "Are we supposed to post only one or two favourite dukes or all the dukes we come across?"

As many as you like, I thought it'd be easier if it was one you liked and remembered."

Thank you!
Dukes are my favourite. After reading about Joanna and Missy's Duke shelves, I want to have a shelf too. I will work on that and post my Dukes here.

I think my favorites are all already on the list, but I will add as I read new Duke stories.

Oh this is really interesting! A lot of my fav Duke's are already in here - but I recently read this book with a Duke I loved!

The Duke of Ruin by Darcy Burke.
Name: Simon Hastings, the Duke of Romsey.
Siblings: Only child
Marries: Miss Diana Kingman / lower gentry
Period: Regency (I think)
Children: None

There are many more Dukes, Viscounts and Sirs in Julia Quinns books...Take your pick.

Mariana wrote: "I think my favorites are all already on the list, but I will add as I read new Duke stories."

Fantastic, I imagine this will be an on going thing over the next year at least.

Here are just a few of my favorite 4/5-Stars:

A Beauty for the Scarred Duke by Bridget Barton
Name: Elliot Covington / Duke of Caldwell
Siblings: None
Marries: Lady Isabella Tate
Period: Regency (I think)

Notorious Pleasures by Elizabeth Hoyt
Name: Griffin Remmington, Duke of Reading
Siblings: Lady Margaret Reading
Marries: Lady Hero Batten / Sister of the Duke of Wakefield
Period: Georgian

Along Came a Duke by Elizabeth Boyle
Name: Duke of Preston
Siblings: None
Marries: Tabitha Timmons /Penniless Spinster
Period: Regency

When the Duke Was Wicked by Lorraine Heath
Name: Duke of Lovingdon
Siblings: None
Marries: Lady Gracy Mabry
Period: Victorian

Here’s another, my personal favorite:

“May I Have This Duke”, in the anthology Dancing in the Duke's Arms by Grace Burrowes
Name: Gerard Hammersley, Duke of Hardcastle
Siblings: deceased
Marries: Ellen MacHugh, governess
Period: Regency
Children: Christopher, his ward

The Duke by Gaelen Foley

Name: Robert Knight, Duke of Hawkescliffe
Siblings:

A) Half Siblings: Jack (John) Knight, Twins Damien and Lucien Knight, Alec (Alexander) Knight

B) Full Sibling: Jacinda M. Knight

C) Ward/Honorary Sibling: Elizabeth (Lizzie) Carlyle

Marries: Belinda Hamilton, Daughter of an impecunious University Professor (I think), Governess/Courtesan
Period: Regency
Children: Not in this book, but in later books in the series, Son Robert (Bobby) Knight, Earl of Morley

Jan130 wrote: "Ha ha. A fun idea.

These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer
Name: Justin Alastair, Duke of Avon
Nickname: Satanas
Siblings: Lord Rupert Alastair; Lady Juliana Marling
Marries: Leonie ('L..."

Jan,

Lady Fanny Marling is Avon's sister. Miss Julianna Marling is Fanny's daughter, Avon's Niece

Andrea (Catsos Person) is a Compulsive eBook Hoarder wrote: "The Duke by Gaelen Foley

Name: Robert Knight, Duke of Hawkescliffe
Siblings:

A) Half Siblings: Jack (John) Knight, Twins Damien and Lucien Knight, Alec (Alexander) K..."

Love that series! This is fun.

Lisa,

It's my fave HR series!

Andrea (Catsos Person) is a Compulsive eBook Hoarder wrote: "Jan130 wrote: "Ha ha. A fun idea.

These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer
Name: Justin Alastair, Duke of Avon
Nickname: Satanas
Siblings: Lord Rupert Alastair; Lady Juliana Marling
Marr..."

Thanks Andrea. I'll fix that in my post. A while since I've read it, and without rereading the whole thing it's not that easy to identify names of secondary characters. But I should have checked more closely......

Debby "Piene Raven" wrote: "Here are just a few of my favorite 4/5-Stars:

A Beauty for the Scarred Duke by Bridget Barton
Name: Elliot Covington / Duke of Caldwell
Siblings: None
Marries: La..."
Wow thanx !

The Unexpected Duchess by Valerie Bowman.
Name: Derek Hunt, the Duke of Claringdon (a newly title bestowed upon him by the queen and not because he's the heir apparent)
Siblings: two younger brothers, Collin and Adam
Marries: Lady Lucy Upton (whom he calls Miss Upton just to get on her aristocratic nerves)
Period: Regency? (chapter 1 states that it is 1815)
Children: At the end of this book, none, nor were there any hint at Lucy being pregnant. However, this series currently has 10 books, so they could have a child or two by now.



For Love of the Duke by Christi Caldwell
Name: Jasper Waincourt, the 8th Duke of Bainbridge
Siblings: none
Marries: Lydia Wilkes (died in childbirth), Lady Katherine Adamson
Period: Regency? (chapter 1 states that it is 1814)
Children: first son (with Lydia) died two days after he was born, son (with Katherine) is named Maxwell



To Win His Wayward Wife by Rose Gordon
Name: Benjamin Collins, the Duke of Gateway
Siblings: none
Marries: Madison Banks (an American)
Period: Regency? (chapter 1 states that it is 1813)
Children: one on the way

I've just read my first book by Carolyn Jewel. And it's about a duke!
Lord Ruin

Name: Ruan Bettancourt, Duke of Cynsyrr (pronounced 'sincere'). aka 'Lord Ruin'.
Marries: Anne Sinclair
Period: Regency. He's an ex-soldier from the Napoleonic wars.
Children: One on the way.

Ooh. Similar title to the Darcy Burke one (message #15)

Keep it coming guys! Thanks!

Boundless by Lynne Connolly
Name: Adrian, Duke of Preston
Marries: Livia Shaw
Period: Georgian
Children: one adopted, two in epilogue (boy & girl: with one on the way

How’s the project going Lorien?

Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt. Dukes are pretty plentiful in this series, actually!

Name: Maximus Batten, Duke of Wakefield
Marries: Artemis Greaves
Period: Georgian

Cold, controlled, but so sexy. He is *supposed* to marry the very suitable (if 'air-headed') Lady Penelope, but somehow finds himself falling for her quiet, clever companion instead.

Thanks for waking this thread up again, Joanna. There are still lots more dukes out there!

Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas.

Name: Sebastian, Duke of Kingston. Formerly Lord St Vincent, hero of Devil in Winter, before he acceded to the dukedom. He is a secondary character in Devil In Spring, but still wonderful.
Marries: Evie Jenner
Children: Gabriel, Lord St Vincent (H of Devil in Spring); Phoebe, Lady Clare (h of the soon-to-be-released Devil's Daughter); Ivo, (and maybe one more child? Not sure.)
Period: Victorian

I've read so many books this year with dukes in them that I'm not going to be able to answer everything about them. It's all one big blur. lol. I hope I'm not duplicating any dukes previously mentioned.


The Importance of Being Wicked by Miranda Neville
Name: Thomas, the Duke of Castleton (I can't recall the last name. The book only mentions it so many times in the chapter he's first introduced! *smacks forehead*)
Siblings: one younger sister, two younger half twin sisters
Marries: Caroline Townsend (widow)
Period: Regency? (I never keep track)
Children: Twins, I believe. (forgot the gender and names)

A Noble Masquerade by Kristi Ann Hunter
Name: Ryland, the Duke of Marshington
Siblings: only child
Marries: Lady Miranda Hawthorne
Period: Regency
Children: I don't think it was mentioned at the end of the book.

Frederica in Fashion by Marion Chesney aka MC Beaton
Name: ??, all I know is his title: Duke of Pembury
Siblings: only child, I think
Marries: Frederica Armitage
Period: Regency?
Children: no mention at the end of the book

The Duke's Cinderella Bride by Carole Mortimer
Name: Hawk St. Claire, Duke of Stourbridge
Siblings: younger sister
Marries: Jane Smith
Period: Regency?
Children: not mentioned

Midsummer Moon by Laura Kinsale
Name: Ransom, (forgot his title)
Siblings: younger brother and older sister
Marries: Merlin Lambourne
Period: Regency?
Children: can't recall

My Fair Princess by Vanessa Kelly
Name: Charles Valentine Penley, the Duke of Leverton
Siblings: younger sister
Marries: Gillian Dryden
Period: Regency?
Children: can't recall

The Promise in a Kiss by Stephanie Laurens
Name: Sebastian Cynster, Duke of St. Ives
Siblings: possibly two younger brothers and one sister
Marries: Helena
Period: must be earlier than Regency
Children: Yes! They have their own books in the Cynsters series!

Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens
Name: Sylvester Sebastian Cynster, the sixth Duke of St. Ives
Siblings: several
Marries: Honoria Wetherby
Period: Regency?
Children: I'm sure they'll have some.

How the Dukes Stole Christmas by various authors
Holiday anthology.

Unveiled by Courtney Milan
Name: Ash Turner, Duke of Parford
Siblings: two younger brothers (Sir Mark and Smite)
Marries: Margaret Darlymple
Period: Victorian
Children: One girl and ? another on the way.

One Night for Seduction by Erica Ridley
Name : Caleb Sutton, Duke of Colehaven
Siblings : Felicity Sutton
Marries : Diana Middleton
Period : Georgian?
Children : Unknown.

One Night of Surrender by Darcy Burke
Name : Valentine Fairfax, Duke of Eastleigh
Siblings : None
Marries : Isabelle Cortland
Period : Georgian?
Children : Unknown.

At the Bride Hunt Ball by Olivia Parker
Name: Gabriel Devine, Duke of Wolverest
Siblings: Two - One younger brother: Lord Tristan
One younger sister: Lady Rosalind
Marries: Madelyn Haywood
Period : Georgian?
Children : Michael

So my two favorite dukes are :

Leopold Villiers in Eloisa James' Duchess series, finally featured in A Duke of Her Own as the MC love interest. I love him because he is the perfect example of the redeemed rogue. He is evil and manipulative in the first couple of books in the series, a schemer and a villain.

Griffin York in Tessa Dare's Spindle Cove series, featured in Any Duchess Will Do. He is gruff and surly, and hides a heart of gold and a pain he has tried to bury deeply and cannot bear to speak of.

I totally forgot about your Duke's project Lorien. I have read a couple Duke books since my last update, but I don't know if I remember the details!

The Wicked Ways of a Duke by Laura Lee Guhrke.

Period: Victorian
Name: Rhys de Winter, Duke of St. Cyres
Siblings: 1 younger brother, Thomas? - died at 11
Marries: Prudence Bosworth, illegitimate daughter of an American businessman,
Children : On the way


Guilty Pleasures by Laura Lee Guhrke.

Period: Victorian
Name: Anthony Courtland, Duke of Tremore
Siblings: 1 younger sister, Lady Viola Hammond - married to Viscount Hammond (MCs of The Marriage Bed)
Marries: Miss Daphne Wade, daughter of an antiquarian and her mother's father is a Baron.
Children: Not yet.

LLG doesn't write an epilogue. Atleast the books I read so far didn't have one and so no details about children.

My One and Only Duke by Grace Burrowes

Period Regency
Name Quinn Wentworth Duke of Walden
Siblings Althea, Constance, Stephen.
Marries Miss Jane Winston. Ministers daughter
Children unknown

The Truth About Love and Dukes by Laura Lee Guhrke

Period: Late Victorian (1890s)
Name: Henry Cavannagh (Listened to an audiobook, so not sure about the spelling); Duke of Torquil
Parents: Loveless marriage. Mother falls in love with an younger artist after father's death
Siblings: 1 brother - Lord David, married
3 sisters
S1 - married, dead, twin nephews, BIL is the H of book#3 in the series
S2&3 - Not yet married
Children: Not yet

More Than a Mistress by Mary Balogh

Period: Regency
Name: Jocelyn Dudley; Duke of Tresham
Parents: Loveless marriage, both had affairs
Siblings: 1 brother - Lord Ferdinand Dudley, Hero of book#2
1 sister - Lady Angeline, married to Earl of Haywood (book#3)

Sorry, but wouldn't this be easier if it was a Google sheet ordered by name of the book? As it is, things seem a little chaotic and I feel a little tired of keeping track of which all dukes have already been crossed off.

im clueless here. Can someone help me with what you guys are listing out?

Jan wrote: "Sha wrote: "Sorry, but wouldn't this be easier if it was a Google sheet ordered by name of the book? As it is, things seem a little chaotic and I feel a little tired of keeping track of which all d..."

Had the same feeling. So, I started maintaining a numbers document (excel for Mac). We should probably try Google sheet like Sha suggested. Let me discuss with other Mods.

Leena wrote: "im clueless here. Can someone help me with what you guys are listing out?"

Hi, Leena. 1000 dukes project is something started by Lorien and she asked interested members to list out their favourite Duke HRs in this particular format. (Ref. msg 1). Some of us, who love dukes, keep posting about the dukes we read.

A Duke Too Far by Jane Ashford

Period: Regency
Name: Peter Rathbone; Duke of Compton
Parents: Both parents deceased prior to book
Siblings: 1 younger sister deceased prior to book - Delia

oh wow! and I have so many favourite dukes.

Im going through my shelves now.

Leena wrote: "oh wow! and I have so many favourite dukes."

Great! If you can remember the details, please post here. It is going to be fun adding all your dukes to my list.

OKAY SO

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

I was very bored and restless this morning so I made the google sheet and entered bits (till message #32) into it but I might have avoided entering in most of the siblings/kids data because I wasn't sure how to fit it into the columns and whatnot.

Anyway this is likely pointless but the sheet is editable by anyone with a link so if you want to use it you can if not just ignore it for the hyperactive workings of a bored set of hands it is.

Wow Sha thanks for the spreadsheet.

I'll definitely put in my 2 bits too.