I received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Nothing Like a Duke is a historical romance written by Jane Ashford. It is the fourth book in The Duke’s Sons series.

Robert Gresham is one of the younger sons of the Duke of Langford. He has much to offer Society- he is young, handsome, and personable. It is no surprise that he is invited to a house party thrown by his friend’s family. On the way to the house party, the carriage breaks, and Robert finds a stray dog. Because Robert is kind-hearted, he can’t just leave the wretched creature on the side of the road in the pouring rain. So naturally, he arrives at the house party soaking wet, disheveled, and clutching a disreputable dog. This arrival only adds to his charm.

Flora is the daughter of an academic, and she specializes in cuneiform. She seems rather surprised by being included in the house party, and she is even more surprised to see Lord Robert, who she knows from her academic world.

There is a lot going on at this house party including (but not limited to) scheming debutantes, surprise guests from the past, shady gentlemen, earnest suitors, theatrics, and general shenanigans. Conflicts seem to be resolved a little too quickly, but the focus shifts to another interesting plot line, so this is forgivable.

I haven’t read any of the other books in this series, and I’m not sure if that puts me at a disadvantage. There were allusions to previous events, and it wasn’t clear if these were things that happened in Robert and Flora’ past or if they were plot points in previous books. The house party also seems to be never-ending, but this is understandable because there are a lot of things that happen.

I would recommend Nothing Like a Duke. I like Ashford’s style and characterization. The dog definitely stole the show. I would read an entire book based on Plato’s Regency shenanigans. I am looking forward to catching up on the previous books in the series as well as the next book in the series which features Robert’s brother Randolph.