All Jane Elliot wants is an adventure. She is traveling from New York to London with her two older brothers, to spend time with her mother’s family. Jane is not counting on the many male cousins looking out for her well being, in addition to her brothers. Despite her attempts, it is not until Jane is at her cousin’s wedding breakfast that her adventure begins with a little help from some meddlesome ladies, the Duke of Edenham and the infamous Lady Sophia Dalby.

Daring A Duke is the latest in The Courtesan Chronicles by Claudia Dain. The entire story takes place at the Duke of Hyde’s house during the wedding breakfast of Jane’s cousin the Marquis of Iveston to Penelope Prestwick. It is here where she meets the Duke of Edenham. He is immediately taken with Jane and wants nothing more then to make her his wife. While everyone thinks Edenham is the catch of the ton, Jane is not convinced. As she continually points out she is American and has no need for a British duke. That doesn’t stop Edenham from pursuing her, and he enlists the help of Sophia. As luck would have it, Jane has enlisted Sophia to help her stay in London so she can have her adventure.

There is a lot going on in this story. You are reading from a lot of different points of view, which can get confusing if you’re not paying close attention. But I also found it fun and interesting to get more then just the two main players view. However, there are plenty of side stories going and easy to get lost in, especially when it comes to Sophia. Sophia Dalby made the story for me. She is such a fun and vivacious character. She carries an air of mystery around her and I found myself wanting to read more about her and Lord Ruan.

The one problem I had with Daring A Duke is that I kept waiting for Jane to have her adventure. I wanted her to go out to Hyde Park and shock the proper ladies of the ton with her uncivilized American ways. Jane is an amazing character and I loved her from the moment she appeared. I just wanted so much more for her. While I love Edenham, I just didn’t feel the connection between him and Jane.

Claudia Dain is an excellent writer. She fills her stories with wit and true emotion. It’s fun to get lost in characters that have become like a second set of friends. However, I felt that Daring A Duke was a bit lacking.

Daring A Duke is a good read for people who have been following the soap opera of Sophia Dalby. If you are a new reader to Claudia Dain I do not recommend starting out with Daring A Duke but start at the beginning with The Courtesan’s Daughter. ~ Jamie