My Rating: 3.75/3.5 out of 5
“The Duke Heist” was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021. I was saving this book for December when I knew I was going to need a pick me up read. I also love reading historical fiction and particularly, the romance variety during the Winter months.
This book follows a found family of misfits who hatch a plan to steal back a painting that was wrongfully taken from them by a duke. Unfortunately, as things tend to go in historical romances, the female protagonist, Chloe, accidentally kidnaps the duke in her attempt to steal back the painting from him.
This book has found family, a heist, accidental kidnapping… basically all the tropes and plot elements that I should love. Unfortunately, I didn’t love this book as much as I wanted to and I think it was a disappointing read because it featured all these tropes that I should have loved.
I think the main reason why I didn’t like this book as much as I wished I did is because of the writing. I felt like something was missing in this book. I think that what I look for in a romance book is good tension and conflict.
I felt like the plot in this book was too easy. Every time the characters hit an obstacle point, they over came it easily. There wasn’t much tension. There were certain points where the characters did end up taking time to process things or react in a way that won’t just easily move the plot on to bring the characters back together but it wasn’t enough.
I also went into this book thinking that the heist was going to be central to the plot. It was but it also wasn’t. It was central to the plot in the sense that it’s what brought the two characters together but it didn’t add much tension or conflict to the plot. The conflict that was presented by the heist was integral to the plot but I felt that the way it was addressed was a bit anticlimactic. It’s another example of a conflict that got easily resolved.
It did add humor to the plot. I loved all the scenes where we got back to focusing on the heist because we got to read about Chloe’s sister and she’s one of my favorite parts of this book.
On the steaminess scale, this book didn’t have much steam. I wouldn’t call it a closed door romance but it’s a bit more on the tamer side.
I also just didn’t connect with the romance as much as I wish I did. It wasn’t something that was super gripping that left me rooting for the couple till the end where the main conflict occurred. When we’re first introduced to this couple potentially getting together, it kind of read like insta-love/insta-lust from the guy’s side and I’m not always a fan of that because if you can’t tell by now I like t e n s i o n lol and for the characters to slowly develop a relationship. Of course, this is just a personal preference.
Now onto the things I did like.
The found family trope was everything. I love how all the siblings in this family have such unique niches and talents they bring to their family. The author’s writing really shines when writing about the Winchester family and how they came together as well as how much they care for each other. I’m so excited to read from Chloe’s sister. Her character was a piece of ART. She had me laughing out loud in almost every chapter. A little sneak peek into what kind of antiques you can expect from this family: siblings who dress up and act like a very old grumpy great-aunt who needs many a naps, an animal care taker and trainer who needs to work on his bird calls, as well as a gymnast/trapeze artist desperate to show off his skills.
I also think that it’s very hard to not fall for the duke. I’m a sucker for any character with a sad, broken past trying to move forward in any way they can in attempt to deal with their trauma. He’s honestly such a misunderstood cinnamon roll.
All in all, if you’re in for a cozy, fast read that’ll have you laughing out loud, I highly recommend this book!