ARC Review: Put Up Your Duke by Megan Frampton

Title: Put Up Your Duke (Dukes Behaving Badly, #2) Author: Megan Frampton Publisher/Publication Date: Avon Books; June 30, 2015 Format/Source: E-ARC, Publisher/Edelweiss Genre: Historical Fiction ISBN: 9780062352224 Amazon    Goodreads About the Book He was once happily bedding and boxing, but in the newest Duke's Behaving Badly novel, Nicholas Smithfield has inherited a title and a bride . . . To keep his estate afloat, the new Duke of Gage must honor an agreement to marry Lady Isabella Sawford. Stunningly beautiful, utterly tempting, she's also a bag of wedding night nerves, so Nicholas decides to wait to do his duty—even if it means heading to the boxing saloon every day to punch away his frustration. Groomed her whole life to become the perfect duchess, Isabella longs for independence, a dream that is gone forever. As her husband, Nicholas can do whatever he likes—but, to Isabella's surprise, the notorious rake instead begins a gentle seduction that is melting every inch of her reserve, night by night . . . To his utter shock, Nicholas discovers that no previous exploits were half as pleasurable as wooing his own wife. But has the realm's most disreputable duke found the one woman who can bring him to his knees— and leave him there? My Thoughts Put Up Your Duke by Megan Frampton is an absolutely intriguing historical romance novel.  Frampton does an excellent job of capturing some of the mannerisms and beliefs of the people from the 1800s. Even though Isabella was less than thrilled about her parents’ arrangement for her to marry the Duke of Gabe, she still tried to adhere to societal norms as she maintained her perfect composure and acted as a duchess should. I was glad that there was a slightly different spin on this historical romance novel. Instead of Isabella having to rebel to get what she wanted, Nicholas was the one encouraging her to be herself and speak what was on her mind. I loved how she became a more daring individual, because her behavior led to some unexpected and entertaining moments. Overall, Nicholas was depicted as being respectful and protective, and I love the way that he dealt with her overbearing parents who accepted nothing less than perfection. Needless to say, he was a swoonworthy character. Nicholas and Isabella did have some communication issues, which resulted in tension between them, but the path they traveled seemed realistic. I also enjoyed the portrayal of some of the secondary characters—especially her sister Margaret who was full of surprises. You simply won’t want to miss what Frampton has in store for readers in this second installment of Dukes Behaving Badly. Rating 5/5 I received an e-arc of Put up Your Duke from the publisher/Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.                             Author Info Megan Frampton writes historical romance under her own name and romantic women's fiction as Megan Caldwell. She likes the color black, gin, dark-haired British men, and huge earrings, not in that order. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and son.