A Swashbuckling Post-Civil War Romance with Espionage on the High Seas!











Daring Dukes (Book 4)
Historical Romance
Sourcebooks Casablanca
January 9, 2024
ebook, mass market paperback, audiobook
412

Historical romance takes to the high seas. Famed spy Lady Lisbeth Medford is on a ship bound for the West Indies, and the only thing more dangerous than her mission is the elusive Duke she's trying to capture.
Lady Lisbeth Medford, Countess of Waterstone and famed international spy, is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. She's determined to infiltrate a notorious smuggling ring in the West Indies while on a covert mission as a ship's captain. But even when her identity is compromised and she's forced to flee, the men chasing her are still hot on her heels.
The trouble in front of her, however, might be even worse. Raphael Saint, the Duc de Viel, is her ship's new aggravating and dangerously charming sailing master, who might very well be part of the smuggling ring Lisbeth must bring to justice. But when a new deadly threat on the high seas looms, the only way out of danger is to face it…together.
Praise for Amalie Howard:
"Amalie Howard is the fresh voice historical romance needs right now. …Her prose is delightful, her writing masterful, her characters unforgettable... I will read every word she writes."—Kerrigan Byrne, USA Today bestselling author, for The Princess Stakes
"Fiery chemistry...[with] fun action scenes of both the perilous and sexual varieties."—Kirkus Reviews for The Duke in Question
"An adventurous romance...readers will not be disappointed."—Publishers Weekly for Rules for Heiresses
Fiery Valkyries with murder in their eyes would command notice.
While the fourth and final book in the Daring Dukes series, Amalie Howard’s latest release, Any Duke in a Storm, is the swashbuckling, fast-paced historical romance that is equal parts action and adventure as it is a swoony, opposites attract romance.
Set in the Caribbean, during the tumultuous days of smuggling after the American Civil War, Any Duke in a Storm begins with readers meeting Raphael Saint as he is attempting to escape prison and yet another attempt on his life by his corrupt uncle, Charles Dubois. Not only did his foul uncle imprison Raphael under false pretenses, his uncle also commandeered two of Raphael’s prize ships.
This was a man used to being obeyed, not one who took orders. He was amiable and deferential because he wanted to be, not because that was his nature. He was going to be trouble; she could feel it in her bones.
Readers meet our heroine, Lisbeth, under the moniker of Bonnie Bess, while she is quickly running out of time to blow up two ships who are about to leave harbor and are supposedly owned by an associate of the smuggler she hopes to bring to justice: Charles Dubois, The Prince of Smugglers. Lisbeth was once an esteemed, married woman of peerage however, she traded in her married life for one of espionage. When reader’s meet Lisbeth, Bess, she’s the captain of her own vessel, the Syren, and on a mission to break into the close-knit smuggling ring led by Charles Dubois and bring him to justice.
Once aboard her own ship, Lisbeth meets her new sailing master, none other than our Raphael Saint, who was surreptitiously hired by her quartermaster, Estelle. Not only do these events begin our journey, it also sets the playing field for our romance between Lisbeth and Raphael, as they both attempt to bring down the slimy smuggler, Charles Dubois, without getting caught.
“Tell me something true, Viking.”
You can count on a wonderful romance to blossom between Raphael and Lisbeth in Any Duke in a Storm. Amalie Howard delivers on giving readers enough teasing, dirty talk, and build-up throughout the novel to their (delightful) HEA which made for a highly enjoyable romance. There’s also piercings, tattoos, and tons of innuendo as (of course) our main characters are essentially pirates. I particularly loved way Lisbeth calls Raphael “Pirate” and his endearments of “Valkyrie” or “Viking” for Lisbeth made me swoon. I couldn’t get enough.
I loved the unique timeline for the setting of the novel as well, which I thought lent itself so well to the romance as well as to the overall storyline. More times that not, I found myself googling ships, timelines, and events that were mentioned in Any Duke in a Storm because I was so intrigued by this unique and under-represented period of time in Historical Romance. Between the entire cast of characters aboard the Syren, the fast-paced plot, the sultry romance, and the unique setting, Any Duke in a Storm is highly enjoyable and can easily be read as a standalone. Although, I’d wager that readers will want to go back and discover what there is to know about the other Dukes as well.

Jes is a self-proclaimed bookworm, who recently moved from the PNW back to the Midwest. When her nose isn’t in a book, she’s spending time with her husband, two kids, and her three fur babies, or exploring the globe. She also firmly believes that you should start the day with coffee, and end the day in bed with a good book.