Duke by Day, Rogue by Night (The Nelson's Tea Series Book 2)

This was my first Katherine Bone book, and I couldn't have been more entertained than reading this book. It's fabulous! Oh my, Lord Avery! He's every ladies dream pirate come to the rescue; and Lady Constance most definitely needed rescuing, as she certainly got in over her head in her attempt to help her Father out of financial ruin. This book has everything, a great plot, and wonderful characters, there is action and adventure aplenty. I was so captured by Katherine Bone's writing that as soon as I finished this book I began book #2 in Nelson's Tea Series. Do yourself a big favor and read this book. If you've never read a book of her's before, you'll be happy you didn't wait another day!

This is an impressively written debut, chock full of adventure and intrigue, lust, wit, and deception, the first in the Nelson Tea Trilogy by Katherine Bone. The series features the stories of brave men, all first sons of the peerage, who work undercover with Admiral Nelson to thwart Napoleon’s advances.Percival (Percy) Avery is a duke’s son, in disguise as a pirate, working with an elite espionage group, Nelson’s Tea, as he also seeks vengeance for the ruthless violation and ruin of his beloved sister, Celeste, when Lady Constance Danbury gets in his way. She’s en route to Spain to ask help from her estranged aunt to save her family’s fortunes so that she won’t be forced to marry the brutal and quite horrible Baron Burton. The story teeters on caricature at times, but the writing is so strong, I could suspend my occasional disbelief and it also has shades of Ann Radcliff’s The Mysteries of Udolfo, with its victimized heroine and cruel oppressor; Constance is willful, strong, and a survivor, determined to do anything rather than marry without love.Percy is an ambivalent hero, a chameleon masquerading as Thomas Sexton, a ruthless pirate as he works undercover as a spy for Nelson’s Tea, yet he’s also a smooth-talking dandy, the son of the Duke of Blendingham—odd name, I kept thinking of blenders—whose over-the-top manners and dress create some wonderfully hilarious moments, especially in the ballroom scene. The dialogue between heroine in this scene is paced extremely well, rivaling Darcy and Elizabeth from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. On board ship, Percy (Thomas) struggles valiantly to be a gentleman as he protects Constance, the niece of his commander, her Uncle Simon, but then he seduces her—multiple times—when she gives him the slightest encouragement. Upon their return to London, he abandons her to her father and, thus, her fate to marry the Baron. He is torn between protecting Constance and continuing his work to avenge his sister’s murder. For her part, Constance never tells Percy why she was on a ship bound for Spain in the first place; if she had, he might have helped her. As it turns out, his reluctant honor demands he help and protect her eventually.Constance fears Thomas when she first meets him at the same time she is attracted to him. This facet of the story feels a little rushed and unbelievable to me. One moment she is afraid of him, then he pulls her into his arms and she’s lost. It would have been nice for them to get to know each other better, especially since she was already running from a man who had manhandled her. Once again, however, the writing is very strong and I found myself turning the pages to find out what would happen next. I was pleasantly surprised at every turn.Because it sometimes borders on the farcical, there is a lot of humor, especially in the banter between Constance and Percy at the ball, and melodrama, too. I love Percy’s dandy imitation with his favorite expression, “Odd’s fish!” and his quizzing glass, humorously reminiscent of Mary Balogh’s Tresham in More Than a Mistress.There is a nice sense of time and place in history, with vivid and exciting descriptions of the sea and seafaring life, mention of exclusive French chocolates, Debauve & Gallais, the provocative language of a fan, and Boccherini’s Number Five playing at a ball.I admit to being a bit confused when Constance, upon accepting Percy’s marriage proposal, feels herself unworthy of him; she herself is a duke’s daughter, so this didn’t make sense.The secondary characters here, Constance’s beloved uncle Simon (who also works for Nelson’s Tea) and her father, Byron, a duke, represent the fate of many women in England during this time: as the property of men, maneuvered, used as collateral, bargained off, and traded to the highest bidder. The villain, Captain Frink, is a ruthless man representing the darkest side of British Naval history. Morty, Constance’s devoted maid, who is like a mother to her, and Lieutenant Guffald, a man in love with Constance who is the hero in the second book in the series, The Rogue’s Prize.“She was good and truly trapped. Had the fires of Hades smelted a savior on her behalf? Or had she been spit out of Poseidon’s mouth and thrown back into hell?”A very entertaining and exciting debut. Fans of Shana Galen's historical adventures will find much to enjoy.Note: this review first appeared in a modified version on The Romantic Historical Reviews blog.

Duke by Day was a lot of fun to read. I was never sure which way the plot was twisting or how Constance would find her way out of the messes in which she found herself. This book provides a delightful escape from the problems of our time, to a world where even rogue pirates turn out to be heroes and gentlemen. Katherine Bone is a wonderful storyteller and weaves a masterful tale.

It may take me awhile to overcome withdrawal from this swashbuckling tale. Lady Constance seems to be forever jumping from the frying pan into the fire! As the story continues, the reader may begin to lose count of the men who will do most anything to make her their own. However, for the most part, there are two (three?) who really love her for herself. Her father a duke, has fallen into financial ruin and betrothes her to powerful Lord, whose reputation suggests his appetites are as disgusting as his appearance. With her uncle's help, she escapes on shipboard to seek help from an aunt who lives in Spain. As fate would have it, pirates lay claim to her ship, and her life and her heart fall prey to Thomas, a rogue pirate and perhaps more. And so the story goes and grows more complex by the page, overflowing with suspense, romance, and whatever it takes to rescue Constance from the menace that shadows her footsteps. This is one gutsy lady... believe me just one of her adventures would have made me a candidate for Bedlam, and the outcome is left until the final lines. The novel is busting its binders with action, ulterior motives and characters, shall we say...full of character. It is entertaining, but sometimes I felt as though I was reading a novel length comic book. There is little or nought in the way of nuance. The hero finally realizes there are superior motivations to life than revenge, but Constance, though a strong, dominant character, true to her name remains more or less static throughout. (If she develops, the evidence is overshadowed by the plot and other personalities.) It's too graphic to recommend to younger readers and obviously more directed to the female gender.

What can I say but that I really enjoyed this book..Katherine makes you feel like your there, I smelled the stench of blood and smoke from the fighting, and then I found myself hold my breath in one scene when the Damsel in distress fell into the flooded hold of the ship..and the cold sea water engulfed her. My face felt the caress of his kisses, my body tingled..I really got into this story "Big Time"I don't give spoilers, and I love to be surprised..and so will you reading this artful;y written book..You will want to read more of her works..The New Cover is Beautiful and So Perfect for this Story.

Ms Bone never fails to bring sword fights, devilish marauding pirates and delicate Lady's to the pages of her books, with handsome men ready to help a lady in distress. Recommended reading.

This historical novel was brilliant. It was interesting from the first page to the last, and I enjoyed every minute reading it. This is definitely 'will read again' book. The storyline was very good with twists and turns that kept you wondering, and the characters were wonderful.

After reading the prequel novella MY LORD ROGUE, I decided to jump and read the first book in The Nelson Tea Series, DUKE BY DAY, ROGUE BY NIGHT. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve cursed – yes, I did that – along with the characters. I love the historical details Katherine Bone puts in. I love the pace of the story, how the characters interact with each other. I even love the villain(s). And, despite a few problems where the placement of accents should be on some of the French words she’s using, typos, misused words and/or extra words here and there, I’ve really enjoyed this story. So much so, in fact, that right after I’ve finished reading it, I started the next one – THE ROGUE’S PRIZE.

It was very interesting and gripped my interest, I could not put it down. I wondered the whole time how it would work out.

what a brilliant storyline.I now have to find more books now from the Nelsons tea series . Very well wrote.