The Wicked Duke Takes a Wife

The Wicked Duke Takes a Wife by Jillian Hunter 227

Harriet Gardner was rescued from the streets by the Boscastle family after being discovered attempting to rob the Duchess of Sedgecroft's closet. They took her in, trained her to behave like a lady and gave her a job at their finishing school for young ladies. Lord Griffin Boscastle is the newly minted Duke of Glenmorgan and he is also the newly minted guardian of his late brother's illegitimate daughter Edlyn. When he takes her to the finishing school he and Harriet make quite the impression on each other as Harriet almost sets him on fire and he rattles her very precarious composure. When his old Aunt Prowlis decides that she wants Harriet to be her companion she debates it but decides to go. Griffin is worried that he won't be able to keep his hands off her, but he is determined that he, or his Aunt's crazy actions, can eventually convince her to quit and leave. Unfortunately Griffin still feels a major sense of obligation towards his brother's fiance and everyone believes that he should court her and fulfill the marriage contract.

Upon meeting Lady Constance no one is very happy: she is selfish, cold, and incredibly boring. Aunt Prowlis and Harriet agree that she is not at all appropriate for Griffin and despite the fact that it is also obvious that Griffin has no interest in her, they engage in a minor ridiculous plot to cinvince him not to marry her. When Griffin and Harriet succumb to passion at a garden party some very racy sketches appear in all the gossip rags and Aunt Prowlis is upset that he is ruining her companion's reputation. Harriet and Griffin begin to sneak away whenever possible to make love but Harriet does have plans to eventually leave. When Edlyn is kidnapped everyone's plans are thrown up in the air and everyone is distraught. Griffin enlists the help of Bow Street while Harriet revisits her former friends in London's underworld and soon everyone is out looking for the lost teenager. It is Harriet's own father back from the dead that finally solves this little mystery and Harriet and Griffin can go on with their lives and live happily ever after like the rest of the Boscastle's.

I mentioned in my previous review of Hunter's book that she has taken to writing oddly emotionless romances. Really there is no other way to describe her writing as there seemed to be nothing between these characters. She did not compensate for this by doing an amazing job of having the characters think endlessly of what the other will look like naked. Despite the lack of good ruminations and build up that usually lead to good sex scenes this book very much surprised me by having some really quite delicious sex scenes. I liked Harriet's character superficially as she was certainly interesting with quite the intriguing back ground, but she was definitely not developed enough. Griffin was really rather boring as he was not developed at all and I had no idea what he was thinking, despite the fact that a bit of the story is told from his P.O.V. There was a brief mention that Harriet fell in love with him because he was powerful and took such good care of his family but I was really hoping for a bit more in a romance novel. However I was happy she accepted his proposal the first time and it wasn't dragged on and on because she felt she wasn't worthy.

It is obvious that Aunt Primrose is supposed to be the eccentric and blunt yet lovable and fun crazy old lady of the story. Unfortunately she fails miserably on all accounts except for the bluntness and that really just makes her seem old, mean, and nasty. The big conflict in the story is supposedly that Harriet, and nasty Aunt Primrose, is worried that Griffin is going to marry horrid Lady Constance. However this is just absolute bull as from the very beginning he makes no bones about the fact that he cannot stand Constance so really there is no suspense in that direction. I was just so caught up in the fact that Harriet and Griffin were discussing marriage while Edlyn was missing that I didn't really have time to worry about what had happened to her. The dialogue was stilted at best and once again there were several instances where it was obvious Hunter thought she was writing fun banter, but it just came out flat and irritating. And have I mentioned how annoying Aunt Primrose's character was? Cause yea- I really hated her and she was such a nuisance.

Rating: Not entirely hate-able and at the very least it was short (although it was so boring it took me a week to read), but unless something very unexpected happens this is my last Jillian Hunter novel. Two atrocious books in a row definitely earns one heart.

Rule's Bride

Rule's Bride by Kat Martin 511

When Howard Griffin discovers he is dying he wants to make arrangements for his daughter, Violet. He decides that the hardworking Englishman who has done so well with his company would be a perfect husband for her so he offers him half the company if he marries her now and then comes back to get her when she is old enough for the marriage to be real. Violet is already infatuated with the handsome man and, although sad about her father's passing and her husband having to go back to England, she is hopeful that her father chose well. Three years later Rule Dewar is living his life free and easy in England although he is beginning to feel a strong sense of ennui and wants something to give his life meaning. No sooner does the thought enter his head than Violet shows up from America. The skinny girl he remembers is now a petite and well-filled out young woman and he cannot wait to make the marriage real. Unfortunately Violet has found herself another man and promptly asks Rule for an annulment.

Rule has no intention of granting her request but gets her to agree to a temporary one-month stay so that they can get to know each other. Although Violet believes herself in love with Jeffrey, a man she met back in Boston, and she wants to marry him, she does not make it one month before the possibility for an annulment is ended. However she still wants a divorce and she wants Rule to agree to sell the company to someone who will not sell arms to the South during the inevitable upcoming war between the states. She knows she is falling in love with Rule but she knows that it is an emotion he is unlikely to return. They find a buyer for the company but before things can be completely worked out he is murdered and Rule is the prime suspect. They enlist the help of Rule's well-connected friends and families to help them discover who really killed the buyer and why they are trying to set Rule up for it. Rule wants to keep Violet safe but of course she insist on accompanying him during the final confrontation where Rule realizes that he does know what love is and it is what he feels for his wife.

Violet knows her mind and goes after what she wants but she obviously has some problem with the follow through as she does end up succumbing to Rule eventually. Rule is more interesting and nuanced throughout the novel as he quickly adapts to wanting and needing his wife in his life. Ennui always strikes me as a tad weird and irritating among people who have so much money that they're literally bored with it, but Martin does a great job turning into just one more reason why he is so welcoming of his new bride and it is not really annoying at all. There is plenty of sex between the two of them, but it is rather short and rushed and not all that hot. I wish it had been more explicit and a little lengthier, however I did like how emotional it was. The murder plot was incredibly interesting and I was mostly at a loss for most of it as to who the real murderer was so Martin certainly built the suspense up nicely. I also liked that someone who could easily have been portrayed as a total villain was more nuanced than that.

Previous characters from the other books make plenty of appearances and it definitely borders on annoying-ness how quickly Lizzy and Beth are to accept Violet into their circle of sisters. I'm glad they weren't mean or anything, but they were just a little too warm to be that believable. At the beginning of the book Violet claims she wants out of the armament business b/c she doesn't want to arm friends against other friends, but later on as the book moves she says that she doesn't want to support the South because she is against slavery. Obviously I agree with the second reason more (remaining neutral is the same as siding with the wrong side sometimes) but I wish that had been more clear as it made Violet look a little wishy washy. There was a great side romance involving Violet's cousin Caroline and Rule's best friend, Luke, that was simply wonderful and very emotional and added a lot to the story. It was a nice short little addition that served as kind of a counterpart to Rule and Violet's relationship as they kind of had the opposite problems as them.

Rating: A very romance driven book that satisfied on almost every level. Reading about the development of their relationship was great and very well done.

Reese's Bride

Reese's Bride by Kat Martin 221

Eight years ago Reese Dewar and Elizabeth Clemens promised each other that they would one day get married and make a life together in Reese's Briarwood estate. But shortly after enlisting in the army Reese returns home to find that Elizabeth has married the Earl of Aldridge and in a fury he unleashes his fury on her and vows to never feel anything about her again. He is convinced she left him to gain a title and a fortune. Her marriage to Aldridge was cruel and he showed no affection for their son Jarred. When he dies Elizabeth believes that her in-laws are trying to kill her to get ahold of Jarred's fortune. With nowhere else to turn Elizabeth runs to Royal for protection and despite the dreadful memories her arrival bring to the surface, Reese's honor prohibits her from turning her and her son away. Elizabeth harbors a dark secret and she is terrified of revealing the truth to Reese: Jared is actually his son and she had really only married Aldridge because she had been terrified and her father had finally managed to pressure her into it.

In addition to his duties protecting Elizabeth, Reese receives notice that his friend Travis is being investigated as a possible Russian spy. Reese knows that Travis is no spy but he has angered the wrong man in government and his mother was a Russian ballerina. Reese, Royal, and Royal's friends set out to prove that Travis is innocent and to find a way to stop Elizabeth's in laws from harming her or her son. Reese decides the best way to protect Jarred would be to marry Elizabeth and adopt Jarred and after the wedding all the old feelings the two had felt for each other begin to come back full force and a new passion that had not been there before is nearly overwhelming. When threats against Jared's life continues Elizabeth begins proceedings to have Jared abdicate his title and eventually tells Reese that he is the real father. The situation with Travis is cleared up quite uneventfully when Rule sleeps with the accuser's wife and finds out some interesting secrets. When the abdication request is denied, the situation with the in-laws is left for a bloody late night fight where Reese has to defend his wife and his son. However it is only when he can move on and admit his love for Elizabeth that the little family can truly be happy.

I feel as though many of the problems I had with this book were also present in "Royal's Bride" although they were heavily overshadowed there by the great plot, well written characters, and the sexy romance. Because the characters here underwent next to no actual character development, a stagnant romance, and a side plot that did not draw me in- these problems became far too obvious. The dialogue was stilted and unrealistic at best and I marked several pages down as "What did s/he just say?" I understand people used to talk differently but no- no one ever spoke like that and if they did I do not want to read about them. The Oarsman, friends of Royal's from his Oxford days where mentioned and described in detail throughout the book making me wonder if she thought we had amnesia or if she did. Doing this also made me wonder if she was setting herself up for another series and if so it is one I do not care to read. Another thing both book had copious amounts of was "gentle, caring, and kind" women who all formed a great bond and became the bestest of best friends. It was a little to saccharine.

In addition there were quite a few problems that were unique to this book. Because the character's had known each other for years the whole falling in love thing seemed to have taken place behind the scenes. Normally I'm left rather confused as to why the heroine fell in love with the hero but in this book I had the opposite problem. Elizabeth left him and married a man who mistreated her and his son and yet Reese can't get over his feelings for her. Meanwhile Reese is forgiving, he really steps in and saves the day and proves himself to be a top notch father. While the side plot in Royal's Bride was interesting and unique the "find the spy" plot here was just too pat and I am getting sick of spy plots. Contributing to this was the way underdeveloped "romance" between Travis and a random woman named Annabelle that really just came across as a space waster. I know Jared was described as a little young for his age but I swear he acted much more like a four year old than an 8 year old even accounting for the changes children have undergone in the last 150 years.

Rating: I know I had almost nothing good to say about this book but I did not absolutely hate it. It had it's very brief entertaining moments but they were far outweighed by ridiculous bad-ness.

Royal's Bride

Royal's Bride by Kat Martin 215

Royal Dewar promises his father on his death bed that he will restore the family fortunes by marrying Jocelyn Caulfield. Over the next year Royal learns that his father had been duped by a professional con artist into making several bad investments and Royal is determined to recoup these loses. But first he must make arrangements for his wedding. Lily Moran is Jocelyn's cousin and she is sent ahead to make Bransford Castle inhabitable and from the beginning both Lily and Royal know that there is something between them, but the two know that nothing can come of their connection. Jocelyn is spoiled and used to holding on to everyone's attention so he is frustrated when her fiance seems like he could not care less about her. She knows that Christopher Barclay will not turn her down and she begins an affair with him. Even knowing that her cousin is cheating on Royal and has no intention of ever remaining faithful to him, Lily believes that the best thing for everyone is for Royal to marry Jocelyn because he needs the money.

However Royal still wants to find out what happened to his father's money and he enlists the help of Lily's Uncle Jack. Together they come up with a scheme to trick the con artist, Preston Loomis, out of the money that he stole and it involves Lily pretending to be the Gypsy fortune teller Tyesa. The scheme means Lily and Royal spending more and more time together and it is not long before they give in to their passion. When they are discovered by Jocelyn, Lily is kicked out of the Caulfield home, and Royal resigns himself to a loveless marriage. Luckily the scheme to get Loomis to give up his money works and Royal does get some of the money back, but realizing that he has been had Loomis vows revenge on those who tricked him. Meanwhile Jocelyn is coming to realize that Christopher is not merely a quick affair for her, but that she is coming to love him. When Loomis finally takes his revenge Lily and Royal are both kidnapped and together they must figure out a way to escape alive and hope that at the end of it they can always be together.

Royal and Lily were simply perfect for each other and I was completely drawn into their romance from their beginning. I love the idea that they were in love but duty kept them apart and it makes from very great emotion and angst. The characters spend a great deal of time thinking on each other and going over the reasons that they can't be together and I loved it. It was almost a little Cinder-ella esque with Lily being the poor relation bordering on servant. Lily's past isn't quite on the up and up and Royal is so great; taking it in, but completely accepting of Lily and the person she is. There are a couple of arguments between the two and they were so real and packed with emotion. Luckily it was not all longing glances as the two of them did manage to steam up the pages quite a bit, and there was even a scene between Jocelyn and Christopher, and they were very hot, very emotional, and very fun. However one sexy scene after the two of them have been beaten up and kidnapped was a little off putting for me.

Jocelyn was a very well nuanced character as it was obvious that she was spoiled and selfish, and while her actions certainly seem reprehensible, I could not help but empathize with her plight and I was very much pulling for her to come out on top. Very skillful on Martin's part to have a half- villain who isn't evil, but certainly requires a deft hand to make likable. In addition I really enjoyed the plot involving the stolen money because it was an integral part of the story, it served to bring the characters closer together, and (SPOILER!) it made the happy ending at the end more realistic than Royal just deciding he didn't need money after all. The kidnapping was certainly intriguing and although I knew they'd come out on top in the end I still found myself excited. It was resolved quickly enough, it didn't drag out but it wasn't wrapped up neatly in two pages either- a perfect compromise. I am very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series featuring Royal's brother, Reese (Reese's Bride: review coming soon).

Rating: Very enjoyable book with great characters, great romance, and a great little mystery side plot. Highly recommended.

At the Duke's Pleasure

At the Duke's Pleasure by Tracey Anne Warren

This is the third book in the Byron family saga and features the eldest brother, Edward Byron, the Duke of Clybourne. Edward has been engaged to Claire Marsden since he was 12 and she was an infant, while he has always planned on "one day" going through with the wedding, he has continually put it off. Finally deciding that it is time to begin fulfilling his duty and marry, but he is very surprised to find that Claire does not feel the same. Claire had worshiped Edward and looked forward to their marriage until the day she overheard him in the garden calling her a child and proclaiming he had no interest in her. Now she is determined to protect herself and her heart from Edward and sets out to get him to call of their wedding by behaving poorly. From interactions with a courtesan to curricle races in the park to cutting her hair off and gambling in a famous gentleman's club, Claire is certain that eventually she can get Edward to call of the wedding. Edward knows that something is up but he is equally determined to marry Claire because it is his duty and because he very much wants the lovely young lady.

Even while pushing Edward away Claire finds herself succumbing to his sensual manipulations whenever the two of them are alone. She knows that she is giving him a terrible amount of power to hurt her in the future, but she cannot help herself. Meanwhile Edward has been disappearing and backing out on planned outings and Claire is worried that he is engaged in an affair. But Edward is actually trying to track down "Wolfe," a French spy who has been passing information to the French for years, and who is responsible for his brother Cade's torture while he was on the continent. Making one last desperate attempt to get Edward to call off the wedding Claire agrees to a ride in the park with a notorious rakehell who has already ruined one innocent young woman. Edward is furious and goes riding after Claire and in the aftermath she reveals her feelings for him. Edward is ecstatic and quickly moves up the wedding, but he still needs to fulfill his obligations to the crown. Fed up with Edward's disappearance Claire follows him into the lion's den and it is up to Edward to save her and prove that he can make her as happy as she has made him.

I have always very much liked how Tracy Anne Warren writes- it's descriptive and fast without being fluffy or overdrawn. The romantic development was very much underdone. I find that more and more I am left wondering why a heroine fell in love with the hero. We were told multiple times that Edward was handsome and yet he does very little that would clarify why she fell in love with him. I could see why Edward had fallen in love with Claire to some extent as she was adventurous and caring but I wish that had been developed more as well. For a while the Wolfe plot was completely separate from the romance, and thus seemed completely unnecessary, but near the end I really started to get into it and see how it worked towards the romance. It really led to some nice juicy emotions and angst as Claire worried that Edward was having an affair and did not love her.

The sex was very delayed in this book and was a little smashed into a small portion of this book, although it was very well written. I was a tad thrown by the brief spanking scene that was not really worked in to a sex scene and was really a punishment for her admittedly outrageous behavior. He apologies profusely and apparently it didn't hurt too much, but I just felt like he was treating her like a child. This flows nicely in to Claire's behavior while she is trying to get Edward to call off the wedding. I tried to understand her way of thinking but I cannot figure out how she truly believed she could do all these things, get him to call off the wedding, and her parents, or another man, would still take her back. She was doing things that would leave any unmarried miss completely scorned by society and all she could think was that at least she would not be married to a man who did not love her. I don't usually comment on the cover but this one is just crazy- it seriously looks as though the woman's neck is twisted to an incredibly painful degree.

Rating: I am aware that it seems as though I found so much to dislike in this book, and I need to work more on describing what I did like. I did enjoy this book and will continue to look forward to more book's from this author and about this interesting family.