March 15th, 2010 — 4 Stars, Dukes and Earls, Foster/Orphan, Great Britain, Guest Reviews, Historical Romance, Mistaken Identity, P-R, Virgin Heroine
By: Marcia, guest reviewer
Grace Eversleigh has a problem. She is in love with a highwayman and a Duke. Neither is marriage material since socially the highwayman with beneath her and the Duke is well above her. The fact that they are both the same man does not help her situation at all.
Grace is a woman from a good but undistinguished family who was thrown out her home after her parent's death. Her only possessions are her self-respect and good name. Never one to miss a good opportunity, the dowager Duchess of Wyndham hired Grace as a companion. Late one night while returning home from a local dance in the dowager's elegant coach, she and Grace are held at gunpoint and robbed by a masked but charming highwayman. The dowager insists that she knows his voice and is convinced that he is her grandson. She gives him the ring off her finger as proof. The next morning the Dowager, accompanied by several servants, kidnap the highwayman for the purpose of returning the dukedom to him. Never mind that there is a current Duke of Wyndham who has been fulfilling these duties well for many years.
The ring is familiar to Jack Audley. He has one just like it left to him by his father who drowned in a shipwreck off the coast of Ireland. His mother survived the same shipwreck, but only lived long enough to give birth to him. Having been raised with love and laughter by his maternal aunt and uncle, Jack was told only that his father was from a good English family.
The underlying theme of this book is about being worthy...worthy of position and love. For some readers today, this may seem a little farfetched. After all, today we believe that an individual should go after what they want. But in England, during the early 19th century, this was not the case. Duty to one's family and county were foremost, as well as, knowing one's place. This social structure was supported by the prevailing religious belief that God did not intend for man to be happy. It will take tremendous courage for Jack and Grace to take a chance on their personal happiness.
Julia Quinn's first novel about the Cavendish family is a winner, told with humor and wit. This is a 'feel good' novel where all the characters, including the dowager, are sympathetic and their motivations are clear. The story moves along smoothly with a tightly constructed plot. It is a great book to read in summer on a sunny beach or wrapped in a blanket on a cold winter's day.
Rating: 4 Stars
 |
|
US $2.29 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $1.89 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $4.95 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $1.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $11.67 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $1.98 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $2.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $1.39 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $1.88 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $3.99 |
Sale |
Originally posted 2009-01-12 05:25:18. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Online Stores
March 11th, 2010 — 1 Star, Blackmail, Book Review, Category, Duchess, Countess, Marchioness, Great Britain, M-O, Regency, Secret Agent, Thief, Widow or Widower
Constance Townley is the dowager duchess of Wellford. She is extremely beautiful and extremely poor. Now a widow, Constance remembers the comfortable life she had with her departed husband. He settled her well, but because of the naïve (re. halfwit lamebrain imbecile) nephew (also known as the new duke) is not honoring it and has actually used her home to pay Barton a gambling debt.
Barton is the evil entitled gentlemen (and I use the term lightly) wants Constance to be his mistress/whore and it striving to get that by any means possible. He does several things such as acquiring her home, blackmailing her with the jewels which she had to sell, and threatening to spread malicious gossip.
The hero in all this is Anthony de Portnay Smythe. He is really Eustace Smith (not that this matters in the slightest). He’s a thief which in other words is a spy for government. As a self-made wealthy man, he’s just seen the last of his brothers’ widows’ daughters (how much does that suck seriously) married and feels like something in lacking in his life that gives him purpose. He’s been secretly in love with Constance for a long time but when the government suspects that she’s helping Barton he plans to use her to get his man by any means possible.
The whole story was annoying and gave me very little enjoyment. The repetition of the same drama and its same lack of resolution got old very quickly. For the most part I just couldn’t get involved at all as quite simply, it just couldn’t hold my attention. The cover on the other hand is scrumptious and very pretty.
Rating: 1 Stars
Buy: A Wicked Liaison
 |
|
US $1.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $1.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $1.00 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $3.95 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $4.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $2.45 |
Sale |
Online Stores
January 6th, 2010 — 4.5 Stars, A-C, Book Review, Dukes and Earls, Great Britain, Regency, Rogues and Rakehells, Virgin Heroine
Kathryn Caskie spins a delightful tale in How to Engage an Earl. My only complaint is the hero's name. I mean really, Laird? I can't decide if I am supposed to pronounce it like Lard, Lord, or L'AIR-ed. Apparently, Laird is a Scottish name, if that helps anyone else figure out how to say it.
So after Laird, Caskie gives us a much easier name to pronounce: Anne Royle. Anne is one of three Royle sisters; Mary was married off in How to Seduce a Duke and Elizabeth is younger than Anne. I figure that makes Anne the middle child. She's very pale in coloring; white skin, flax hair, gold eyes, red lips. She's also used to not being noticed. In fact, Anne is so unnoticed in crowds that she can literally steal the goblet that they are drinking from right out of their hands.
Of course, this is how Laird MacLaren first notices her and maneuvers her to try to steal his glass. Anne distracts him and manages to escape... with his drink, back into the crowd. That was not the last time Laird saw her that night however. Anne is set on the mission of finding the letters that will prove her heritage as a daughter of the Prince Regent. These letters are rumored to be in the Earl MacLaren's bedroom. Thrilling and sexy, Anne's presence in the master bedroom is only topped by Laird's, who had gone up earlier to sleep off the brandy.
Not five minutes after her discovery by Laird in his bedroom than the rest of the ton finds out. The scandal was only narrowly subverted by his friend, Apsley, who claimed that she was in his room because Anne was Laird's betrothed. Thrust into the center of attention, Anne is shocked speechless and highly uncomfortable. All Anne wants is out!
The next day Laird agrees she can end the engagement only after she helps change his character in the eyes of the ton. Laird wants to marry Constance Henceforth, but she will only have him if he's changed. After all who would want a rake?
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Buy: How to Engage an Earl
 |
|
US $2.41 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $3.38 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $4.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $4.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $4.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $5.99 |
Sale |
 |
|
US $2.99 |
Sale |
Originally posted 2008-12-02 02:08:45. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Online Stores
December 15th, 2009 — 1 Star, Book Review, Dukes and Earls, Great Britain, Guardian/Ward, Mistaken Identity, Rogues and Rakehells, S-U, Scarred Hero, Victorian, Virgin Heroine
The cover is fantastic on this book. The color scheme is wonderful with gorgeous yellows, blues, and shades of brown. It was an impulse buy because of it. The back blurb was intriguing. That’s about the last truly good thing I can say about the novel.
The writing made me wince several times. I’m not a reader who will nitpick when it comes to phrases and objects in historicals, simply because outside of reading I don't have a background in the time period. That said, this book is filled with contemporary phrases that read very out of place. It started innocuously enough with ‘what a relief’ and fell apart from there with common curse wordage especially the jarring use of the word fuck.
I had no patience with the hero, Greyden Kane. The Duke of Ryeton is a scarred recluse determined to shun all of society in an effort to stay good. He was the worst sort of rakehell when he was younger and treated women abominably. One so much so she had him attacked. He's very good at getting in his own way and being too obtuse to notice. His change of heart at the end just didn't do it for me and left me vaguely bored.
Rose Danvers is practically a ward under Greyden’s care. When her father died he left her and her mother in a heap of debt and greatly diminished prospects. Rose knows she and her mother must be a burden on Kane but can’t do anything about it. She suspects he has feelings for her but she can’t get him to admit it. Their relationship takes off when she decides to seduce him at the beginning of the novel. I would say she's sheltered and should have no idea about this but she's been stealing her mother's Voluptuous magazine which publishes how-tos and erotica. It didn't seem very believable. Why would her mother have the magazine subscription when she remains in mourning?
Lady Margaret Devane was a virgin until Greyden Kane. She is the one society and Grey think most likely behind the attack, but there isn’t any proof. Is she determined to ruin Rose as she was?
Rating: 1 Star
Buy: When Seducing a Duke
Online Stores
November 29th, 2009 — 2.5 Stars, A-C, Artist, Book Review, Category, France, Friends, Gentry, Regency, Rogues and Rakehells, Spinster, Travel, Virgin Heroine
This was one of those books where I had to slug my way through it. I don’t know why I had to slug but I did. I started and stopped this three times and finally finished it. Woohoo. I feel very accomplished.
One of the parts about this book that bothers me is that it’s first cousin romance. I’m not sure why this had to be the case. They grew up for the most part away from each other – so could they not have been childhood friends or perfect strangers? I suppose it is historically accurate as first cousin marriages took place among royalty of the time so why not the gentry, but it was more than a bit off putting.
Elinor is a dowdy bluestocking spinster. She acts as her mother’s secretary and artist as a way to escape the endless parade of pointless ballroom attendance. On a trip in France to study religious houses Elinor runs into Theo Ravenhurst. At first she doesn’t recognize him as her cousin, but pretty quickly that is sorted out.
As the two fight attraction, Theo is on a mission to recover an artifact that he purchased from a late Duke in the area. Theo manages to get himself, Elinor, and her mother invited to the new Duke’s chateau and conducts midnight searches. A near brush with death and subsequent flight throw the two into a night of wild passion but of course everything between them is so screwed up they only hear the words the other is saying not the meaning.
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Buy: The Disgraceful Mr. Ravenhurst
Buy eHarlequin: The Disgraceful Mr. Ravenhurst
Online Stores
November 20th, 2009 — Dukes and Earls, Eliza Doolittle, Guest Blogger, Heiress, J-L, Victorian, Western
by Kathryne Kennedy, guest blogger and author of My Unfair Lady
It’s a pleasure to be here today on Love Romance Passion! Thanks so much for having me. Since my upcoming book was inspired by Shaw’s Pygmalion (and the movie, My Fair Lady), I’ve decided to compare my heroine, Summer Wine Lee, to Eliza Doolittle.
First, a little bit about My Unfair Lady. Raised in a Wild West mining town, Summer knows she’s an unacceptable bride for her fiancé’s knickerbocker family. So she goes to London to hire a sponsor to turn her into a lady. The Duke of Monchester reluctantly takes on the task, and Summer’s penchant for carrying a knife in her boot, picking up stray animals, and not knowing the least thing about acceptable polite society, makes his job difficult. When the duke starts to fall in love with her just the way she is, it becomes nearly impossible. But they are both determined—even when things get more complicated when it becomes clear that someone is trying to kill the duke.
There are a few similarities between Summer and Eliza. They are both products of their environment, their speech and mannerisms determined by where they were raised. Eliza in the East end of London, with her cockney speech and crude behavior. Summer in the untamed west, with her uncultured speech and masculine pursuits. They both have indifferent fathers, men who are more concerned with their own happiness and pursuits than they are with their daughters’. But in Summer’s case, she wants to become a lady, and Eliza was pretty much bullied into it. Summer couldn’t be bullied into anything. But I think this aspect of their character is also a product of their environment. Eliza is a product of the Victorian attitude that men are superior persons. That their needs are more important than a woman’s. Whereas, Summer pretty much raised herself. She made her own rules, and although her father’s opinion is important to her—perhaps too much so—in her every day life she’s used to making up and following her own rules. Because of this, I have a tendency to think of Summer as more similar to Annie Oakley. A girl who can compete in a man’s world. Who can ride and shoot and fight with the best of them.
Although Eliza has compassion, I think this is one of Summer’s strongest traits. Especially her compassion for injured animals. She picks up quite a menagerie, which provides for some humorous moments in My Unfair Lady, and also allows us to glimpse Summer’s fears and insecurities.
The way Summer interacts with men is different from the way Eliza does, as well. Summer trusts her instincts, knows a good man when she sees one, despite what persona he chooses to reveal to the rest of the world, and acts accordingly. She doesn’t fear men, doesn’t see them in the role as her protector, or her superior. She considers herself an equal and treats them accordingly. I think this allows her to see beyond the surface of a man, and in many ways, get closer to him on a more equal footing. Eliza never views herself as an equal to Henry Higgins, even after she is successfully transformed into a lady. Perhaps this is why there is no happily-ever-after for the two of them. And why the author left it open as to whether she goes off with Freddie, or stays with Higgins.
This is why I love writing romance.
In My Fair Lady, Eliza does come to respect and stand up for herself. Summer has always done so. But in many ways, I think Eliza is more accepting of her true nature. Summer has a long journey before she even begins to understand herself. And her hero is going to help her toward that realization, not bully her into it.
I hope you enjoy the journey that Summer must make in order to finally become the person she truly wants to be. I’ll be checking back in throughout the day for comments, so please take a moment to say hello.
Wishing you happy reading,
Kathryne
My Unfair Lady by Kathryne Kennedy—in stores December 2009!
He created the perfect woman…
The impoverished Duke of Monchester despises the rich Americans who flock to London, seeking to buy their way into the ranks of the British peerage. So when railroad heiress Summer Wine Lee offers him a king’s ransom if he’ll teach her to become a proper lady, he’s prepared to rebuff her. But when he meets the petite beauty with the knife in her boot, it’s not her fortune he finds impossible to resist…
For the arms of another man
Frontier-bred Summer Wine Lee has no interest in winning over London society—it’s the New York bluebloods and her future mother-in-law she’s determined to impress. She knows the cost of smoothing her rough-and-tumble frontier edges will be high. But she never imagined it might cost her heart…
Buy: My Unfair Lady
About the Author
Kathryne Kennedy is the author of the Relics of Merlin series, acclaimed for her world-building and best known for her historical paranormal romances. She has also written a fantasy romance and this Victorian historical romance. She has also published nearly a dozen short stories in the SFF/Romance genre, receiving Honorable Mention twice in the “Writers of the Future” contest. She has traveled a great deal and has lived in Guam, Okinawa, and several states in the U.S. She is a business owner and currently lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons. For more information, please visit http://www.kathrynekennedy.com/
Giveaway: 1 copy of My Unfair Lady for 1 random commenter. Open to US and Canada readers only. To enter please share why you love the Eliza Doolittle plot, why you love when American heiresses and English lords fall in love, and/or what most excites you about this novel. Multiple comments allowed! Ends November 27th, 2009. Good luck!
Online Stores
November 16th, 2009 — 4.5 Stars, ARC, Children, Comedy of Manners, Dukes and Earls, Eliza Doolittle, Great Britain, Heiress, J-L, Travel, United States of America, Victorian, Virgin Heroine
Do you love My Fair Lady
with Audrey Hepburn and Eliza Doolittle?
If you answered an unequivocal yes, go get yourself a copy of My Unfair Lady by Kathryne Kennedy. This Victorian romance will win you over faster than you can say the “Rain in Spain!”
So much happens in this novel. It combines quite a bit of different elements including a bastard son, being partly raised by Indians, best friend finding and marrying a baron, fox hunts, horse races, and a murder plot!
Summer Wine Lee is a silver heiress from America. She’s a knife wearing, former Arizonian in love with Monte. He is a dashing young fellow from a highly placed family in New York society. One ball ruined Summer’s chances of a proper match with him unless she could win the favor of his snooty mother. In order to do this she heads off to England to win the favor or at least a meeting with the Queen.
The Duke of Monchester is Summer’s ticket to winning over Monte’s mother and English society. He hates grubby new money American heiresses trying to buy their way into respectability by marrying his fellow impoverished gentlemen. He uses his ready wit and sharp tongue to amuse the King and keep in favor. One half hour in Summer’s presence is enough to keep him housed in the royal court for a year and is amused in spite of himself.
Will Bryon be able to make her respectable? Does he want her to be? Find out!
Rating: 4.5 Stars ARC
Buy: My Unfair Lady
Online Stores
September 25th, 2009 — About, Dukes and Earls, Great Britain, Regency
Regency romance is overrun with Dukes, but how can you snag one for yourself? With this guide to help, I'm positive you will come up with the right combination to snare a Duke for yourself.
Before we begin you must ask yourself why you want a Duke.
If you're looking for a quick flirtation or to keep him long term this guide will help you obtain that.
If you're looking to gain a Duke's wallet or advice on the stock exchange I would suggest you look elsewhere for your advice!
- Cross-Dress. Of course he’s terribly confused and upset about his attraction to a boy, but when he discovers your true identity he’ll be most relieved and eager to be with you.
- Be in Distress. Nothing makes a Duke feel more powerful and masculine than helping a lady in distress. He’ll get to show off his strength and protectiveness at the same time and that will help you win his heart.
- Refuse Him. A Duke never hears the word no, so be bold and brave and different and tell him firmly that you’re not interested. He’ll pursue you all the more readily to prove to you and himself that you desire him.
- Challenge His Authority. In addition to refusing him, tell him he’s wrong. Nothing baffles a surefooted Duke than being told he is mistaken. Again he’ll endeavor to prove you wrong thus giving you more time to lure him with your charms.
- Wound His Ego. A Duke’s pride and arrogance will get in the way of your seduction so be sure to prick his masculinity, but don’t destroy it. He won’t forgive you that.
- Call Him Out on His Exaggerations. I would have used a more impolite word here, but a successful seduction relies on well-bred manners and a plucky attitude.
- Sneer at His Wealth. A Duke is used to his wealth opening doors and subservient behavior. Don’t give it to him. That’ll get his interest!
- Dismiss His Rank. If wealth doesn’t attract the bevy of ladies in society to him, his rank will so you must be sure let him know that his being a Duke is completely irrelevant to you and your dealings with him.
- Love Books over Clothes and Gossip. If books aren't your thing, anything unusual will do to set you apart and gain his interest in what makes you tick.
- Undress. The simplest thing you can do of course is disrobe; he is a man after all.
Online Stores
September 23rd, 2009 — 4 Stars, Book Review, Bride Stealing, Counts, Marquis, Viscounts, D-F, Gambling, Gentry, Great Britain, Regency, Rogues and Rakehells, Thief, Virgin Heroine
James Davies owes a fortune to Kingston Gore the Marquis if Cosgrove. Ten thousand pounds to be exact. It’s enough money to ruin the whole family and put them in the poorhouse. Entirely unable to understand the consequences of his actions, it is a good thing for James and the rest of the Davies that Kingston wants to marry Rosamund, his sister.
Lord Bramwell Johns, second son of a duke, was not the marrying type, but again neither was Kingston Gore. When Bramwell overheard Gore’s interest in marrying Rosamund (from inside the Davies’ house no less) he was intrigued. What sort of female could induce Kingston into the parson’s trap?
Lady Rosamund Davies is exasperated with her brother, suspicious of Bramwell’s sudden interest in her, and leery of Kingston with good reason. Kingston is the fairly typical bad guy without a hint of humanity about him.
He’s one of the more evil bad guy’s I’ve run across – sexually perverse (he enjoys head games and pain), morally corrupt, and capable of anything to get what he wants (Rosamund in this instance).
Good thing Bramwell is on her side as he’s the only one to have played Kingston’s game and successfully disengage from it without dying by his hand or the Marquis’.
The heat between Rosamund and Bramwell was very intense and their encounters sexy. Having finished the book and know what happens in it, I’m very pleased but reading along the way had my heart in my throat as I tried to predict Enoch’s next move through Kingston Gore. Sometimes I was right and other times I was wrong – thank goodness!
Rating: 4 Stars
Buy: Always a Scoundrel
Online Stores
July 7th, 2009 — 2 Stars, Book Review, Captain, Category, Cross-Dressing Female, Dukes and Earls, France, Friends, Great Britain, M-O, Mistaken Identity, Regency, Russia, Secret Agent, Soldier, Travel, Virgin Heroine, Widow or Widower
His Cavalry Lady was a very clever concept, but I had a hard time with the romance. I understood how Alex could fall in love with the duke, but the poor duke spent half the time fantasizing about two females (who are Alex in different getups). Most of the hero and heroine’s interaction was when Alex was dressed as a Russian soldier with Dominic treating her as a younger brother.
The story was additionally a little long in tooth. I got bored with Alex always running away. She runs from Dominic at a ball, back to Russia, to her family’s estate, etc. There’s a lot of it for a woman of extensive bravery. I guess battling for love is a tad bit scarier than storming Napoleon troops.
I thought it was exceptionally cool that the story was in part based on a real Russian female who dressed up as a man and joined the army. Her name was Nadezhda Durova and she managed to conceal her gender for ten years! Like the heroine she started off as a common foot soldier and was promoted to an officer position by no less than the Tsar himself, who knew who she really was. Talk about an inspiring woman!
Rating: 2 Stars
Buy: His Cavalry Lady
Online Stores
May 24th, 2009 — Links and Challenges
Welcome to the first edition of author love. This carnival welcomes writers, authors, and readers to get together and share across genre every aspect of publishing. I hope you enjoy the inaugural edition and participate in the next!
Book Intros
Michael Miles presents Effortless Abundance posted at Effortless Wealth and Abundance.
Silicon Valley Blogger presents Book Authors Among Us: Finance Books By Bloggers posted at The Digerati Life, saying, "Thanks! I wanted to share this with your readers."
Book Reviews
GrrlScientist presents Why Evolution is True posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, "A review of Jerry Coyne's wonderful book about evolutionary theory, which the most up-to-date and one of the most clearly written books about evolution that is currently available."
The Smarter Wallet presents Women and Money By Suze Orman, A Book Review posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, "Thanks!"
How-Tos
Pete Spurrier presents How to Get Published in Hong Kong posted at The Blacksmith blog.
Online Promotion
C.F. Jackson presents How To Promote A Self-Published Book Online posted at Website Makeover Workshop, saying, "What is one POWERFUL way to promote a self-published book online? Social Book Marking!"
Writing Tips
Shaun Duke presents Inspiration Station: 5 Places to Get Inspiration For Your Writing posted at The World in the Satin Bag, saying, "Here are some great ways to get some inspiration for your writing."
iWrite-2-Know presents Writing beautiful posts posted at iWrite2Know.
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog articles to the next edition of author love using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Technorati tags: author love, blog carnival.
Online Stores
April 15th, 2009 — Contests
The winner of Amelia Grey's A Duke to Die For giveaway was selected from qualified entries using Random.org. Before I announce who won, I would like to take a moment to thank Amelia for being so generous with us. Be sure to check out her interview with LRP here and drop a little love. Without further ado the winner is:
MJ wrote:
I love all animals!! As a child we had dogs, cats, a monkey, crow that could talk, a parrot, a minah bird,horse, ponies, a mule and even an alligator. - plus more!!! Somehow, I married an animal hater!!! I really miss my pets tho. My favorite was Petunia the pig, who was raised from a bottle and lived inside til she got too big!!
Congratulations MJ! I will be emailing you (provided my internet doesn't die again) soon. If you don't hear from me send me an email at reviewromancenovel@yahoo.com
Thanks to all who commented!
Online Stores
April 14th, 2009 — Guest Blogger, Writing Tips
by Amelia Grey, guest blogger
I am going to go out on a limb here and expose the real Amelia Grey. I am not a dog person. Don't get me wrong, I think dogs are cute, but I didn't grow up with a pet in the house so I've just never learned much about dogs or cats. If I ever get a dog, I think I would like a Toy Poodle or a Yorkshire Terrier. I mean dogs just don't come any cuter.
You are probably wondering where I'm going with this....I do have a point. Although I know it is not wise to write about things of which I have no experience, I needed a dog in my current book A Duke to Die For
.
The sweet, little dog, Tulip was only going to be in one chapter so I thought, hey, I can do this so I wrote her in. It wasn't that hard to do, or so I thought. Luckily, I had an author friend who has a dog, read that chapter for me just to make sure I had the little doggie doing all the right things.
Well, when she got through marking it up with her red pen, I was flabbergasted at how much I didn't know about dogs! Her comment to me was, "Tulip might as well be a stuffed toy dog sitting in Henrietta's lap." She kindly reminded me that dogs sniff, shed, drool, scratch, and bark. They like to be rubbed and petted and talked to, and well, I could go on, but I think you get the idea. The worst thing I did was call Tulip a she sometimes and a he at other times! I know, I know, that's terrible. I couldn't believe I had messed up so badly on one little dog. I found out it's harder for me to write one chapter with a dog in it than a whole book with the hero and heroine.
I've heard it over and over again in writing workshops through the years, "write what you know". After that experience, I'm taking that advice to heart. Needless to say, I think it will be a long time before I put another dog in a story. Who's your favorite pet companion-real or in literature?
Amelia Grey is giving away a copy of A Duke to Die For to one lucky reader. Open to US and Canada readers only. Enter by leaving Amelia a question or answering hers about pets. Winner will be announced April 15th, 2009.
Online Stores
February 4th, 2009 — 2.5 Stars, Baroness or Viscountess, Book Review, Counts, Marquis, Viscounts, Estranged, G-I, Great Britain, Heiress, Historical Romance
I generally liked this novel. It revolves around how a marriage once destroyed by infidelity can be healed. I have pretty strong views on this subject so I’ll talk about what ruffled my feathers. I’m like Viola, the heroine, at the start of the novel, looking at things in black and white. The author didn’t persuade me to think in gray matter, too bad Viola did. Luckily in the end she got what she deserved – a loving, devoted, adoring husband – but you could have fooled me. I still thought the hero was shy of truly learning how to love at the end of the book. However, you can be the judge.
Viola is the sister of a Duke and at the age of nineteen she knew she was in love with Viscount John Hammond. She also knew that despite the circumstances of his situation, he loved her, not the money she brought with her. How naïve she had been. John knew nothing of love; he was all empty words and passion.
“When unaccompanied by his love, a man’s desire was like the wind. It had no substance, and it was impossible to hold onto.” – pg 186
Now eight going on nine years after their vows, John has come to the decision to get himself an heir. For that, he will need to woo his way back into his wife’s bed. This task would prove impossible until he changed. But can a man like John, change his spots?
In the last ten pages he did. Until then the brute refused to take blame for more than half the novel and managed to in nearly every conversation lay the whole troubled affair at Viola’s feet. This is much like what happens in the movie Something to Talk About
starring Julia Roberts. This made me really mad and when it wasn’t John telling Viola how she made him break his marriage vows and slip into other women, it was the Duke’s wife that was telling her how she wasn’t looking at things from John’s point of view.
John broke his vows. Period. The end. Case closed. What kind of man has to hide his dirty deeds behind his innocent wife? In today’s world with all the diseases that can be caught, a man who cheats ought to be charged with attempted murder if he slips back into his wife’s bed (undetected or not) without first having himself checked out thoroughly.
Viola first turns John away from their marriage bed when she learns that he kept a mistress during the entire time he was courting her. All his words of love, adoration, devotion were lies. She might have forgiven him those if the other woman wasn’t involved. After all impoverished lords needed funds and heiresses to make them solvent – he could have learned to love her.
John waits a month and leaves Viola to live a separate life. There he has count them, five, mistresses in the space of the years prior to his most devout attempt at reconciling. He only does it because he needs a legitimate heir to the viscountcy. Viola is the only woman who can grant him this. So once again he plans to use false words to get her into bed and if that doesn’t work the law is on his side and he can force her there.
But in his own words the five mistresses were her own fault for being cold to him. Poor baby. Eventually he says he is sorry for his part in breaking their marriage by using his young nephew to be his buffer. I don’t think Viola had any part to breaking the marriage. Distraught as she was she stayed with him (granted making him take separate sleeping quarters and refusing to allow him to use passion against her to win his way back into her good graces) until he left.
Marriage vows are not a one way street. A man and his needs can be resolved with a hand not another woman or any of her body parts. Fidelity goes both ways. If he required it of her then it was not an unreasonable request for Viola to make of him. John said it was and refused to be sexually blackmailed. Well what the hell was he doing when he refused to promise fidelity but sexually blackmailing his wife?
Has anyone read this book? What do you think?
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Originally posted 2008-10-06 15:07:06. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Online Stores
