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Ruthless Rivals #3.5
Desert Island Duke
Surviving on a tropical island will be hard.
Living with him will be impossible. . .
Shipwrecked on a tropical isle, Caroline 'Caro' Montgomery is furious to discover that her sole fellow castaway is her brother’s infuriating best friend, Maximillian Cavendish, the fourteenth duke of Hayworth.
Max might be the most handsome man she’s ever met, but he’s teased her ever since they were children. So when Max claims to have lost his memory, Caro seizes the opportunity for revenge—and informs him he’s a lowly stable hand.
As they work together to survive, attraction flares hot between them. But should Caro reveal her deception? And what will happen if Max finally remembers he’s a duke?
Living with him will be impossible. . .
Shipwrecked on a tropical isle, Caroline 'Caro' Montgomery is furious to discover that her sole fellow castaway is her brother’s infuriating best friend, Maximillian Cavendish, the fourteenth duke of Hayworth.
Max might be the most handsome man she’s ever met, but he’s teased her ever since they were children. So when Max claims to have lost his memory, Caro seizes the opportunity for revenge—and informs him he’s a lowly stable hand.
As they work together to survive, attraction flares hot between them. But should Caro reveal her deception? And what will happen if Max finally remembers he’s a duke?
133 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 19, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
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May 21, 2023*There's a print physical edition to buy!*
I'M OBSESSED WITH THIS COVER
The tone of colors, the tropical-ness, LOVE
The cruelty to not offer this in paperback (I thought I was being generous not REQUIRING oil paintings as swag with every purchase and I'm still getting hit with the no hard copy).
*If you can't tell, covers I Love have become more rare than standard for me lately
I'M OBSESSED WITH THIS COVER
The tone of colors, the tropical-ness, LOVE
The cruelty to not offer this in paperback (I thought I was being generous not REQUIRING oil paintings as swag with every purchase and I'm still getting hit with the no hard copy).
*If you can't tell, covers I Love have become more rare than standard for me lately
April 30, 2024
So fun!!!
May 20, 2023
Desert Island Duke is a historical romance novella part of the Ruthless Rivals series. This follows Caroline “Caro” Montgomery and her brother’s infuriating best friend, Maximillian Cavendish. He’s a Duke she’s always crushed on, but he’s teased her relentlessly since they were children. So when they end up shipwrecked on a tropical isle together and he says he forgot his memory, she tells him he’s a lowly stable hand!
Her father is one of England’s best known butterfly experts, and along with her family, she ventures on many expeditions around the world looking to spot them. It is on one of these trips that their ship wrecks and Caro and Max end up on a separate isle than the rest of her family. This was cute and fun! A quick novella with all the forced proximity between the couple since they’re shipwrecked together and both are already interested in the other when the story picks up. It’s fast-moving, filled with lots of mangoes, and surviving—and falling—for one another along the way. The cover for this one is gorgeous as well!
Her father is one of England’s best known butterfly experts, and along with her family, she ventures on many expeditions around the world looking to spot them. It is on one of these trips that their ship wrecks and Caro and Max end up on a separate isle than the rest of her family. This was cute and fun! A quick novella with all the forced proximity between the couple since they’re shipwrecked together and both are already interested in the other when the story picks up. It’s fast-moving, filled with lots of mangoes, and surviving—and falling—for one another along the way. The cover for this one is gorgeous as well!
June 19, 2023
I love this Kate Bateman series and really enjoyed this fun + sweet little gem — a happily-ever-after 128 page novella, #3.5 in the Ruthless Rivals series.☀️🌊
This features a forced proximity trope about our hero and heroine being ship wrecked together on a deserted island.🏝️ She’s the sister of his best friend (a Montgomery), and he’s the Duke that she’s always crushed on. And surprise.. he’s always crushed on her too.. only now they’re forced together on this tropical island, alone, with only their wits to survive. Of course, you can only guess how this will turn out! 👩🏼❤️💋👨🏻💍 ❥ 4 stars — Pub. 5/19/23
This features a forced proximity trope about our hero and heroine being ship wrecked together on a deserted island.🏝️ She’s the sister of his best friend (a Montgomery), and he’s the Duke that she’s always crushed on. And surprise.. he’s always crushed on her too.. only now they’re forced together on this tropical island, alone, with only their wits to survive. Of course, you can only guess how this will turn out! 👩🏼❤️💋👨🏻💍 ❥ 4 stars — Pub. 5/19/23
June 25, 2023
Delightful and really fun. I love anything Kate Bateman writes, and this wonderful novella is no exception. It is too short, and I was left wanting to see what happens when they return to London, but it is a great way to pass a summer afternoon.
Being shipwrecked is no fun, but Caroline “Caro” Montgomery is bound and determined to exact her revenge on her brother's best friend, Maximillian "Max" Cavendish, Duke of Hayworth, who has made her life a misery forever. After the ship they are traveling on runs aground during a storm they both wash up on the same strand of beach and Max has no recent memories, Caro just can't help herself and has a little fun with him. Caro has been infatuated with Max forever, but he, quite frankly, has been a jerk toward her. He left England and served in the war coming back a changed man determined to win Caro. Now stranded on a deserted island he has his chance.
Being shipwrecked is no fun, but Caroline “Caro” Montgomery is bound and determined to exact her revenge on her brother's best friend, Maximillian "Max" Cavendish, Duke of Hayworth, who has made her life a misery forever. After the ship they are traveling on runs aground during a storm they both wash up on the same strand of beach and Max has no recent memories, Caro just can't help herself and has a little fun with him. Caro has been infatuated with Max forever, but he, quite frankly, has been a jerk toward her. He left England and served in the war coming back a changed man determined to win Caro. Now stranded on a deserted island he has his chance.
May 25, 2023
Kate Bateman is phenomenal. I absolutely love her writing and her stories. This novella is the perfect addiction to the series! I loved how it was brother's best friend. I loved how they were ship wrecked on an island together. And I loved how it was Christmas. The banter, the spice, the characters, the writing was perfection! I don't think I could recommend this series enough!
May 22, 2023
Review to follow.
August 31, 2023
3.75✨ A shipwrecked, stranded-on-a-desert-island HISTORICAL ROMANCE? This was fun, fun, fun. What an underrated trope in a romantic sub genre you’d least expect it to be in.
There wasn’t much of a plot to speak of, but with the story being only ~120 pages, and with the sheer novelty of the trope + sub genre combo, it honestly didn’t really need one. I can totally see this reworked as a longer novel though.
Go for it if you’re looking for something quick and cute!
There wasn’t much of a plot to speak of, but with the story being only ~120 pages, and with the sheer novelty of the trope + sub genre combo, it honestly didn’t really need one. I can totally see this reworked as a longer novel though.
Go for it if you’re looking for something quick and cute!
May 20, 2023
(3.5💌) This was such a light and fun read!! I do wish that the characters had a little more depth especially Max because we barely got his perspective and he seemed more like a cardboard cutout than an actual person… But other than that this was so good! Kate Bateman’s writing is always such a delight!
December 16, 2023
4 stars
Nawwwww! I really enjoyed this historical romance novella.
Caro is furious to find herself shipwrecked on a deserted island with her brother’s infuriating friend, Max the duke… who seems to have lost his memory.
Fun, sweet and sexy. He falls first, they’re both very competent and also very hot for each other (despite Caro finding Max so infuriating). Really enjoyable read.
Nawwwww! I really enjoyed this historical romance novella.
Caro is furious to find herself shipwrecked on a deserted island with her brother’s infuriating friend, Max the duke… who seems to have lost his memory.
Fun, sweet and sexy. He falls first, they’re both very competent and also very hot for each other (despite Caro finding Max so infuriating). Really enjoyable read.
June 10, 2023
If Gilligans island was remade as a Historical Romance, this would definitely be an episode !
This fun novella is jammed a lot into a small package and was a real treat to read!
From pairing up with your brother’s, best friend, two enemies to lovers to force, proximity, and one makeshift bed - this book had all the troops you want for fun island getaway romance!
They were a perfect pairing, and I loved how this perfect situation finally makes it possible for them to come together.
Another great Romance from the amazing Kate Bateman!
This fun novella is jammed a lot into a small package and was a real treat to read!
From pairing up with your brother’s, best friend, two enemies to lovers to force, proximity, and one makeshift bed - this book had all the troops you want for fun island getaway romance!
They were a perfect pairing, and I loved how this perfect situation finally makes it possible for them to come together.
Another great Romance from the amazing Kate Bateman!
May 8, 2024
2.5 stars
My reading experience with this involved a lot of turning a blind eye to every sexual thing the hero and heroine did because, despite not having access to any hygiene products after being shipwrecked into a tropical island, they did those things anyway. Ignorance is bliss!
That's not why I didn't like this though. The romance wasn't very convincing. Initially, I found it difficult to believe they were attracted to each other, when they've always perceived each other as an annoying acquaintance since their youth. And then suddenly there were all these yearning, lusting, and feelings? It just didn't add up.
Anyway, I understand why some aspects were not fully fleshed out; this is a novella after all.
Ruthless Rivals
#2 A Daring Pursuit — 3.5 stars
#3 A Wicked Game — 3.75 stars
#3.5 Desert Island Duke — 2.5 stars
My reading experience with this involved a lot of turning a blind eye to every sexual thing the hero and heroine did because, despite not having access to any hygiene products after being shipwrecked into a tropical island, they did those things anyway. Ignorance is bliss!
That's not why I didn't like this though. The romance wasn't very convincing. Initially, I found it difficult to believe they were attracted to each other, when they've always perceived each other as an annoying acquaintance since their youth. And then suddenly there were all these yearning, lusting, and feelings? It just didn't add up.
Anyway, I understand why some aspects were not fully fleshed out; this is a novella after all.
Ruthless Rivals
#2 A Daring Pursuit — 3.5 stars
#3 A Wicked Game — 3.75 stars
#3.5 Desert Island Duke — 2.5 stars
June 28, 2023
Loved this but I wish it had been just a tad longer. I knew almost from the start that our Duke was faking his amnesia and that the years long rivalry between these characters was just a mask for affections that neither party was ready to show. Great story, I can't wait to read about the twins!
December 31, 2023
Shipwrecked together Caro (Caroline) and Max (Maximilian) have to work together to survive until rescue comes. Max happens to be a duke and Caro's brother's (William) best friend. He has always admired Caro. Caro has also always admired Max, but has also thought he was too arrogant and perfect. When Caro first wakes him up at the beach, he is momentarily confused. Caro tells him he is a groom, but does he truly have amnesia?
This was a cute read of two people who loved each other, but it was not until they were stuck together that they were able to address how they felt.
This was a cute read of two people who loved each other, but it was not until they were stuck together that they were able to address how they felt.
August 1, 2023
Caro’s antics in deceiving Maximillian when they were both shipwrecked on an island were hilarious to say the least. I loved their attraction to one another, they were childhood friends but always teased each other. This has a lot of forced proximity. Pirate/desert island themes. Such a fun read.
Also the cover is gorgeous!
Also the cover is gorgeous!
September 15, 2023
This was so much fun! I wish it would've been longer because I wanted more of Caro and Max's back story. I think that would've made them getting together more satisfying. Still, I just love Bateman's writing and the premise of these two being stranded on a desert island was so entertaining. If you're looking for a quick palate cleanser, I'd recommend picking it up.
May 25, 2023
Desert Island Duke is a historical romance novella part of the Ruthless Rivals series. It follows Caroline Montgomery and her brother’s infuriating best friend, Maximillian Cavendish, when they get shipwrecked on a tropical isle together. I loved their banter and the forced proximity was delightful!
May 22, 2023
i will, without fail, read literally anything kate bateman publishes and this book was obviously no exception and was so iconic!
shipwrecked?! alone on a tropical island?! wish it was me lmao
shipwrecked?! alone on a tropical island?! wish it was me lmao
July 24, 2023
Cute yet sexy novella. I would’ve loved more of a background story on those two but it is a novella, so you get what you get. It was a fun setting.
August 3, 2023
This was a fun novella
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https://www.youtube.com/live/h4AGpw7a...
Check the live stream link below
https://www.youtube.com/live/h4AGpw7a...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2023
This was super cute and fun.
February 25, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Was there chemistry?
🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋
Was the spice any good?
🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
Was there chemistry?
🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋
Was the spice any good?
🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
May 23, 2023
This is a delightful novella and delivered everything I love and expect from Kate Bateman.
September 23, 2023
fun novella with a complete romance story which is always an added bonus with a novella - love this series a lot
May 23, 2023
This was such a fun novella! Loved Max and Caro.
May 31, 2023
This was so fun! I loved caro and max. Even though this is so short, I felt like I really got to know them and root for them.
Currently reading
May 19, 2023Hooray! It’s Release Day for Desert Island Duke - my steamy, sandy, shipwrecked novella! I hope you enjoy this next adventure for my Ruthless Rivals!
Available in both e-book and print at all major retailers. https://books2read.com/DesertIslandDuke
Available in both e-book and print at all major retailers. https://books2read.com/DesertIslandDuke
August 13, 2023
I really enjoyed this novella! 🥰😍It was sweet, hot and full of banter.
February 5, 2024
For some reason, I missed the ARC offer for this book and felt compelled to buy it myself. I don't often do so because I have such a long list of books on my TBR pile. However, Caroline Montgomery is probably one of my favorite characters from The Ruthless Rivals series. She always struck me as a strong, eccentric female, and I was anxious to read her eventual love story with Maximilian Cavendish, the fourteenth Duke of Hayworth. And when I saw the plotline for this book, I knew I was in for a treat.
As expected, Caroline/Caro is a delight. I love her interactions with Max. She is convinced he's a handsome and arrogant jerk, and she's determined not to fall for his false charges. She gets a good look at him and the narrator describes her reaction. “His eyes were an extraordinary turquoise, the same blue as the lagoon before them. Caro narrowed her own eyes in irritation. It was a stupid color for a man. Truly. It should have made him look pretty and vapid, like a doll, but instead they'd been paired with black-as-night eyebrows, a straight slash of a nose, and cheekbones that could have hewn granite. The effect was aggravatingly attractive.”
But later, when Max praises her for something intelligent she did, "...she suddenly realized she'd become accustomed to men viewing her as some sort of overeducated freak—a woman with far too many ‘unfeminine skills and not enough ‘desirable’ traits like simpering ignorance and a willingness to laugh at a man's jokes, however feeble.” It's things like this that chip away at the wall Caro erected to protect herself from Max.
After the two of them encounter a tarantula, which Caro calmly removed from the back of Max's shirt, she talks to it like a pet. Meanwhile, “Max fought the need to slap it out of her hand and run screaming into the forest.”
It's a sweet story, even if it is a bit spicy. These two enter the story loving one another and hoping the other feels the same way. A little bit of patience, a few exciting adventures, and forced proximity are the key to Caro and Max finding their HEA together.
As expected, Caroline/Caro is a delight. I love her interactions with Max. She is convinced he's a handsome and arrogant jerk, and she's determined not to fall for his false charges. She gets a good look at him and the narrator describes her reaction. “His eyes were an extraordinary turquoise, the same blue as the lagoon before them. Caro narrowed her own eyes in irritation. It was a stupid color for a man. Truly. It should have made him look pretty and vapid, like a doll, but instead they'd been paired with black-as-night eyebrows, a straight slash of a nose, and cheekbones that could have hewn granite. The effect was aggravatingly attractive.”
But later, when Max praises her for something intelligent she did, "...she suddenly realized she'd become accustomed to men viewing her as some sort of overeducated freak—a woman with far too many ‘unfeminine skills and not enough ‘desirable’ traits like simpering ignorance and a willingness to laugh at a man's jokes, however feeble.” It's things like this that chip away at the wall Caro erected to protect herself from Max.
After the two of them encounter a tarantula, which Caro calmly removed from the back of Max's shirt, she talks to it like a pet. Meanwhile, “Max fought the need to slap it out of her hand and run screaming into the forest.”
It's a sweet story, even if it is a bit spicy. These two enter the story loving one another and hoping the other feels the same way. A little bit of patience, a few exciting adventures, and forced proximity are the key to Caro and Max finding their HEA together.
August 13, 2023
Heroine: Caroline Montgomery, age unknown. Nickname: Caro.
Hero: Maximillian Cavendish, age unknown. Duke of Hayworth.
Date: unknown
How they meet: The two met off-page. Max is a friend of Caro’s brother. Their dynamic is a little bristly, but it is only because they secretly like one another.
What happens: Caro and Max are involved in a shipwreck and end up alone on an island (the rest of the group is on a nearby island which they can see, but is too far to swim to). When Max comes to, he doesn’t remember who he is. Caro decides to play a little joke, letting him think he is an indebted stable hand instead of a wealthy duke.
Verdict: This is a cute novella. The two characters have pretty good chemistry. The plot and character development are limited, as one expects in a novella. While characters from earlier books in the series are mentioned, this reads fine as a standalone.
Steam-level: steamy and explicit
Rating: 4 stars
Hero: Maximillian Cavendish, age unknown. Duke of Hayworth.
Date: unknown
How they meet: The two met off-page. Max is a friend of Caro’s brother. Their dynamic is a little bristly, but it is only because they secretly like one another.
What happens: Caro and Max are involved in a shipwreck and end up alone on an island (the rest of the group is on a nearby island which they can see, but is too far to swim to). When Max comes to, he doesn’t remember who he is. Caro decides to play a little joke, letting him think he is an indebted stable hand instead of a wealthy duke.
Verdict: This is a cute novella. The two characters have pretty good chemistry. The plot and character development are limited, as one expects in a novella. While characters from earlier books in the series are mentioned, this reads fine as a standalone.
Steam-level: steamy and explicit
Rating: 4 stars
Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews