Have you ever wondered if a Scrooge-type character could be redeemed? The answer is yes and Darcy Burke has been the one to do it!

For the third installment of the Love is All Around series, Burke focuses on the Duke of Hartwell, Calder Stafford. He is the older brother of the ladies featured in the first two books of the series, Bianca and Poppy. When Calder’s father told him the woman he loved took a bribe to leave town and stay away, he was completely devastated. He almost lost himself in the vices of women, gambling, and alcohol. When his father cut him off, Calder turned his finances around but hardened his heart to love.

Widow Felicity Garland has returned to Hartwell after ten long years. Her family suddenly left town back then and she hadn’t returned since. After her father’s death, her mother moved back. When her mother becomes ill, Felicity comes home to care for her. When she and Calder meet face to face after all those years, things do not go smoothly. Calder is cold and seemingly heartless. Felicity is shocked to hear some of the things he has and hasn’t done since becoming the duke. She takes charge of her life and love when she makes it her mission to find the Calder she loves.

From the onset, Burke makes us aware of the pain Calder has suffered at the hands of his father. It’s not until later on in the story that we find out how cruel the old duke really was. Once Felicity barges into his life again, he has no idea how to handle his emotions. His determination to keep the love and anguish at bay slowly begins to crumble as he gets a taste of what could be. With some helpful words from Bianca and Poppy, a forever friend of a dog, Isis, and the duke’s faithful staff, Felicity finds the man she’s dreamed of since she was eighteen.

Joy to the Duke is an amazing story of love and redemption. It is the perfect way to bring this holiday series to a close with a happily after for all the Stafford siblings. Another plus is that this is a well-rounded story that can be read in just a few short hours. Spend an afternoon curled up with this fabulous read from Darcy Burke.

I received Joy to the Duke for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Many thanks to the author for this opportunity.

Joy To The Duke, by Darcy Burke, became available at booksellers in November of 2019. Joy is the third and last book in the Love Is All Around series. Three members of one family and how they got to their HEA's. I've enjoyed the entire series but Joy may be my favorite. The way Ms Burke has woven A Christmas Carol into our heros story worked very, very, well.

Calder Stafford, the Duke of Hartwell, is a mean, miserly man. Heart of ice, doesn't care about anything or anyone, except his dog. He's become awful after his Father ran off his first, and only love. Dad was a piece of work, a bad piece. Calder has acted ugly to his sisters & later makes amends, thank goodness. His scrooge moments are great.

Felicity Templeton Garland is the one that got away. A decade ago she got a curt, nasty letter from Calder, but really his dad. Her family left town, dad paid off her dad to go. It's all a mess, but they never stopped loving each other. She's one determined lady. I'm glad that all worked out well for everyone.

#DarcyBurke #JoyToTheDuke #Netgalley #LoveIsAllAround

Ten years ago Felicity and Calder were in love and ready to build a life together. Expecting a proposal upon his return from Oxford, she is then shocked to receive a letter from him instead, a letter detailing the reasons why he should not and would not marry her. Feeling heartbroken and betayed, she accepts her fathers offer to remove to York. For the frist time in ten years, she returns to Hartwell in order to care for her ailing mother and she is shocked to find her lost love to be a much changed man.

Cut off by his cruel and negligent father, who treated him so much differently from his sisters, Calder has since had to rebuild himself. Mistreated and mislead, denied the woman he loves, he has become a cold and solitary man, one who cuts himself off from all sentiment and feeling.

Horrified to find him changed so and treating those around him so coldly, Felicity is determined to help him find his way back to the man he used to be and as a result bring the holiday spirit back to the town of Hartwell.
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This is the third book in Darcy Burke's Love is All Around series, and is a retelling of A Christmas Carol. This story was quite enjoyable even though it was a bit predictable, but this was to be expected as it is a retelling of another, quite famous story. It is unique enough to stand seperate though.

Believing her to be too good for the man he has become, Calder repeatedly teeters on the border of redemption and reclusion, but when he does finally turn toward redemption it is hard to believe he flipped from a cold and harsh man, set in his ways over the last decade to a sweet and compassionate man, almost like someone hit a reset button. It's hard to believe they are one and the same man.

I thought the book started off very strong, but thought the second half was a little prone to cheesiness. That being said though it is a perfectly sweet book for the holiday season and I will be going back to read the previous two books in the series. If you're a fan of the holiday classics or just sweet holiday romances then you should check out this series.
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Many thanks to NetGalley and Darcy Burke for sharing an electronic copy of this book with me for reviewing purposes.

Joy to the Duke is the third and final book in the new series Love is All Around. The series is based on the Duke of Harwell (Calder) and his two sisters, Bianca and Poppy. They can be read as a standalone, but they are better if they are read in order. They take place around the Christmas holiday and Calder’s story is based on A Christmas Carol.
Calder is Ebenezer Scrooge in the story. He lost the woman he loved due to his father’s interference and once he gained the title, he quit supporting the things his father loved. He has isolated himself from his sisters and has refused to host the annual St. Stephens Day celebration that the Duke of Harwell’s have hosted for years. He has withdrawn the financial support to the Hartwell House that is a home for women and children.
Widowed Felicity Garland has returned to Hartwell to help her mother and is surprised by Calder’s attitude. She is upset when she learns of their father’s interference in their youth, but she is determined to help him open his heart to the joy of the season and his family.
The book was short but still wonderful. Calder’s attitude in the two previous books was cold and unfeeling and left the reader wondering what had happened in his past to cause him such pain. It was great to finally read his story and see him get his happy ever after.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Even though this was a novella, it flew really well. I liked the pacing and the characters. This was my first book by the author but certainly will not be my last.

I have deducted a star because the ending felt a little rushed and tied up with a neat little bow. I liked the bow but not at the pace at which everything was brought together.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley.

I think this may be my favorite in this series! We finally find out what turned Calder so cold and the extent of that will surprise you. They were meant to be together and Felicity wasn’t going to let him continue on the downward spiral. When they came face to face again the sparks flew and I knew it was going to be a journey for them. The ending was perfect and I loved seeing the family together again.

Felicity is a strong-willed woman that isn’t going to give up and will fight him all the way. I loved her from the start because she saw the man she loved was still inside him. She brought joy back into his life.

Calder is bitter and pushing everyone that loves him away because of the past. Once you find out why he is the way he is you will understand him and love him as time goes by. He needs joy back in his life.

Copy provided for an honest and voluntary review

A story of redemption and a reunion at Christmas? Yes please. Ms Burke packed a ton into this story and I just kept turning the pages needing to know how everything was going play out. I, personally, could have used just a touch more as I felt it wrapped up a bit too neatly and abruptly. But that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story.

This is the third book in this series, and I haven't read the others... and I don't feel like I was missing anything. That said, I might just have to go back since I *think* the secondary characters in this book were the leads in the prior ones and my curiosity is piqued.

I've enjoyed all the books I've read by Ms Burke in the past and this is another winner. I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

In full disclosure, I received an advanced copy of this book. But all thoughts are my own.

This was a cute, super loose nod to a Christmas Carol. I loved the family themes, especially

Spoiler

how a family member can present themselves one way in public and to certain members of the family and then a totally different way to other people

; it showed a surprisingly nuanced, impacted portrait

Spoiler

of abuse

for a slim little story that focused on other things, and I really liked how it affected Calder's character.

I did wish Felicity's character was a little more developed? But for 150 pages, it wasn't bad. I liked The Red Hot Earl more and I skipped #2 for personal triggers/reasons, but overall, this is a cute, festive little series. My only real complaint is my usual whine for Darcy Burke novellas: I wish she'd write more full-length stuff.

Reviewed on my blog, Becky on Books, on 11/17/19.

A sweet ending to a fun holiday novella series!

Calder had his work cut out for him in this book--he was a wretched human being in the first two books, and the novella-length format doesn't give him a lot of room for error--but fortunately for him, Ms Burke got right to making him work on his own redemption. Not that he was at all interested in even trying at first--thankfully, Felicity has the tenacity of a bulldog and won't give him a moment's peace. She's going to drag him back to his long-buried last bit of humanity kicking and screaming if she has to.

In keeping with the underlying theme of the series (holiday stories loosely inspired by classic Christmas tales), it's a Christmas Carol-style episode that finally gives him the final nudge he needs to start fighting for his own HEA and sets the reader up for a super sweet epilogue. If needed this novella could work as a standalone, but since each story builds slightly on the one before it, you'll get a more complete story by reading them all in order.

I don't know about you, but where I am the weather is perfect for three sexy but sweet historical holiday novellas--so grab a cup of tea, a cozy blanket, and start reading :)

Rating: 4 stars / B+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.