One Night of Temptation

This was a very sweet ending to a fun series. I enjoyed Hugh and Pen’s adventure. Hugh is my favorite type of hero, the celibate kind. Not a rake or a rogue, just a nice, kind man. And poor Pen! Hugh was just the hero she needed. I enjoyed this novella. The writing is good and there is nice character development for a short format. I don’t love novellas but that’s generally because I would like to spend more time with the characters. This series worked well because of the reoccurring characters so you get the chance to meet them in the previous books before they became the H/h of the next book.

One Night of Temptation is the sixth book in The Wicked Dukes Club by Darcy Burke. I truly enjoyed this book up until the last few chapters. Hugh Tarleton is a wonderful character. He is a man of kindness, integrity and everyone’s favorite rector. When he discovers Lady Penelope Wakefield in serious trouble in the slums of St. Giles, he does all he can to help her. Penelope is also a likable character. She’s been sheltered her entire life and groomed to make a wealthy match within the ton. When she finds herself betrothed to an elderly ogre, she makes up a daring plan to escape the marriage - a plan that goes awry. My biggest angst with this story is the blatant inconsistency with Hugh’s character. He serves more than just the people of St. Giles. He serves God. His ending actions don’t reflect that relationship.
On the whole I have loved this series. This is the first story that I felt disappointed in. Although the writing is excellent, I just didn’t feel that the character of Hugh stayed consistent with the man portrayed in the story. I was gifted a copy of this book.

Lady Penelope Wakefield has a kind heart and wants to marry for love even though she has seen little kindness or love in her home. Her father wants to marry her off to an odious old man (for his own benefit). To escape the marriage, she plans a pretend kidnapping complete with ransom notes, and plans to be gone just long enough to make her parents and the lecherous suitor think she is ruined. It seemed to be a sound plan, but it turns out to be a real kidnapping. She had trusted the wrong person. Fortunately, Hugh Tarleton comes upon the scene and rescues her. Hugh is a wonderful character. He disdains society and their superficial attempts to help the less fortunate. He is a caring man dedicated to his parishioners. They stay up most of that night getting to know each other. He treats Pen with the same protective care and delivers her safely home, but to what? After a bit of soul searching, Hugh decides that he wants to marry Pen. He needs a plan. Who should he go to for advice? He decides to get a little help from his friends (and their wives) at the Wicked Dukes Tavern. Before the plan plays out, there is a confrontation with Pen’s angry father and the Bishop. How does everything turn out? You have to see for yourself.

The Wicked Duke is a successful tavern owned by Caleb Sutton, the Duke of Colehaven and Valentine Fairfax, Duke of Eastleigh, the original Wicked Dukes. In One Night of Temptation we meet yet another charming, sigh-worthy patron, sadly the last of London’s most notorious tavern. Hugh and Pen have a lovely story. I enjoyed and happily recommend it. Each of the couples in these stories have learned about themselves and each other. They have found love and acceptance – family. As predicted, The Wicked Dukes Club is an awesome series by Darcy Burke and Erica Ridley.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.