TEST
Erica Ridley’s story about astronomy, fear, and flirtation, Wish Upon a Duke, has a few charming points but subjects us to a hero who thinks that the heroine is a hopeless ninny.
Gloria Goodwin, daughter of a the Royal Navy captain, runs a stargazing lecture at Marlowe Castle called sky-walking – the best way for her to feel slightly more visible against a world that seems dedicated to making her invisible. All she yearns for is to be noticed – especially by a mysterious duke who catches her eye during one of her stargazing excursions.
When compared to his rakish brother Nick, Mr. Christopher Pringle is an enigma and unable to attract even a quarter of the female attention Nick does. Christopher embarked upon the season hoping to find himself a wife, but has instead indulged his passion for astronomy – one that Gloria shares. When Nick announces his betrothal and the banns are posted, women do indeed flock to Christopher – but Christopher couldn’t give a flying fig, as he wants is to emerge from Nick’s shadow, not become his clone.
It’s Nick’s new fiancée’s idea to set Christopher up with a matchmaker – and the matchmaker they select is Gloria. Gloria was smitten with Christopher when he interrupted her sky-walking lecture to expound on his own celestial knowledge, and continues to be attracted to him even though he repeatedly reiterates her belief that she’s very dumb. No matter, however, because Gloria refuses to allow herself a slice of romantic happiness after watching what her father’s death did to her mother.
Normally in such circumstances, Gloria’s preferred choice is to run. But as the connection between her and Christopher grows ever stronger, she is forced to face her fear of both deep, dark water and deep, dark emotions.
Wish Upon a Duke has a few things going for it. The way our hero and heroine bond over astronomy is creative and well-researched, and the idea of their falling in love because of failed matchmaking is fun. Gloria is quite likable and her reasons for being traumatized completely sympathetic.
But then there’s Christopher’s persistence in seeing Gloria as an idiot on and off throughout the story, which is wildly and tragically uncharming. His being annoyed by her lack of factuality or memory is fine (his being unable to stomach her inability to remember the lyrics to The Twelve Days of Christmas is even amusing); him all but calling her a dolt near the end of the book isn’t. I was hoping he’d end up gaining some respect for her eventually, but while he does admire her, his lack of respect for her intelligence did grate.
Wish Upon a Duke is a quick read, and it’s breezy and light entertainment for a winter’s evening. Sadly however, the lack of respect the hero had for the heroine, turned this into a non-starter for me.
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Grade: C-
Book Type: Historical Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 22/12/18
Publication Date: 11/2018
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
Lisa Fernandes is a writer, reviewer and recapper who lives somewhere on the East Coast. Formerly employed by Firefox.org and Next Projection, she also currently contributes to Women Write About Comics. Read her blog at http://thatbouviergirl.blogspot.com/, follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/thatbouviergirl or contribute to her Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/MissyvsEvilDead or her Ko-Fi at ko-fi.com/missmelbouvier
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Glad that others have made comments here as when I first spotted this review I could not even think where to begin. It sounds like absolute drivel. Yes, bring on the potato chips. A bowl of them with some salsa would be far more fulfilling. Another great review from Lisa. She must get fed up with the duds she has to read for us.
It’s a dirty job. but someone’s gotta do it… ;)
:D Like i always say, I go into every single review hoping I’ll be reading an A!
His last name is Pringle?
Now I want potato chips.
YEP. And he’s not even a damned Duke!
I was wondering when the fact that he is a duke was going to come. He was behaving in a rather in-duke-like fashion, and now I find he is not even a duke in a series about dukes? Is his brother the duke?
Yep, his brother’s the duke; he’s the younger of two twins so his brother inherited the dukedom.
To be fair to Ms. Ridley, she always addresses him as mister in the text of the novel.
But he IS a Lord. If his brother is a duke, presumably his father was. Sons and daughters of dukes are styled Lord and Lady. If ER wanted her hero to be a plain mister, she should have taken the family down the peerage a step or two.
Gah, yep, you’re 100 percent right. And he’s never referred to as a lord in the text.
Hah! Lisa and I had this conversation during editing – as the son of a duke, even a younger one, he would be Lord something, even though his brother would have the courtesy title. This author churns out historical romances like nobody’s business, and she really should know better by now.
He should be Lord Christopher
Like PatW says (and like we talked about in editing, heh!) I’m amazed he isn’t at least a Lord. But nope, he’s a Mister.
man, I hate when the hero disrespects the heroine, how am I supposed to like him?
I’m just curious if the heroine felt disrespected. I’m far more likely to give characters a pass if those they share the story with don’t feel diminished by said behavior.
Same for me, Micaela. I have high expectations of how heroes should feel about the heroine, and respect is at the very top.
Exactly. If he thinks he’s condescending to be in a relationship with her then I’m not going to think well of him.
I agree with you in theory but I think many a novel is written with flawed protagonists who change their views over the course of the story. For me, in those tales, I care about how the leads feel about themselves and how the other person treats them. I’m unwilling to dismiss a book just because the hero/ine is an asshat for parts of the book.
Oh yeah, I get that – and a good grovel can fix a MULTITUDE of sins. If the hero’s calling her an idiot twenty pages from the end, it’s a little bleh for me.
Yeah, this author is solidly middling for me, too…
Sometimes she knocks it out of the park and this got so close to a B for me. Alas!
How does the heroine respond to his frustration with her perceived stupidity?
She generally tries to talk over him. It’s like she brick walls him from what I can recall.