TEST
I think it’s fair to say that all of us here at AAR review books because, well, we love books. We love reading them, talking about them, hearing about them, writing about them and enthusing about them to others. But when a novel you’ve really been looking forward to, written by an author you admire and whose work you enjoy turns out to be disappointing, it’s hard to sit down and face the prospect of laying out all the reasons the book doesn’t work.
But that goes with the territory, and I can’t tell you how much it pains me to say that The Duke, the latest instalment of Katharine Ashe’s Devil’s Duke series was quite the disappointment. I loved the first two books, The Rogue and The Earl (I awarded both DIK status) and had hoped for more of what I’d found there – a tightly-written, well-conceived plot, intriguing and engaging principals and an intense, character-driven romance … perhaps my expectations were too high, but I didn’t find any of those things here.
The story begins some five years before the principal events of the previous books take place. Aramantha Vale, younger sister of Emily (heroine of The Earl), lovely, vivacious and keen to do something with her life, travels to Jamaica to marry her fiancé, a young clergyman. Just a couple of days after she arrives, there’s a terrible hurricane, during which she makes the acquaintance of a handsome young naval officer, Gabriel Hume, when they are forced to take shelter together in a cellar. While her fiancé works to repair his church, Aramantha volunteers her services at the hospital, where she is surprised and pleased to meet Captain Hume once more. As the weeks pass and the two spend a fair amount of time together, attraction sparks between them, something Aramantha recognises guiltily, but cannot help. By the time Gabriel’s orders come through, they have agreed she is to call off her betrothal, and he asks her to wait for him to return; but when, not long after Gabriel’s departure, she receives news of his death, she is utterly heartbroken and goes through with the wedding. Not long after this, she discovers that reports of Gabriel’s death were greatly exaggerated and hears he has shacked up with a woman in Montego Bay.
Almost six years later, the now-widowed Aramantha journeys from Jamaica to Scotland in search of a dear friend, Penny, who fled the island suddenly for no reason Aramantha can discern. Arriving in Leith, she begins hearing tales of the Devil’s Duke, a devil-worshipping abducter of innocent maidens who resides in a remote castle in the Highlands. When this satanic figure is identified to her as none other than Gabriel Hume, now the Duke of Loch Irvine, Aramantha is almost amused that people could be so gullible as to believe such rot – but when she does eventually find her friend, she is near death after giving birth to a son, and her last words are of the Devil’s Duke.
Aramantha remains in Scotland (as readers of The Earl will already know) because she wants to know the nature of the connection between Gabriel and Penny and to find the father of Penny’s child. She gets a job at the Inn near his estate at Kallin, but isn’t able to effect entry to the castle, even though Gabriel knows she’s there and he suspects she knows he knows. But when they meet at an assembly, and she insists he invite her to his Highland estate at Haiknayes, her intention is to discover the truth about her friend and the rumours surrounding Gabriel – although once there, when she can’t avoid him or run away from him, Aramantha spends most of her time with him having roundabout, slightly suggestive conversations that never go anywhere. All the rumours that have circulated about Gabriel in the previous books are explained away with a snap of the fingers, because of course he’s done nothing remotely evil. Then, at around the 80% mark, there’s a sudden elopement, a ridiculous blackmail plot is thrown in, Aramantha’s plan to thwart it and save Gabriel is even more ridiculous, he refuses to let her save him but it doesn’t matter anyway because the blackmailer is a coward, they all go home, The End.
I suspect that the problems I found with the storytelling and characterisation can be put down to one thing; Ms Ashe has tried to cram in too much in terms of plot and historical detail and lost sight of the fact that the book is supposed to be primarily a romance. In her author’s note, she explains that she had wanted to write the sort of romance nobody is writing these days; one of those that takes place in exotic locations, includes lots of characters and spans several years. But I can’t help thinking that perhaps she was so focused on her ‘big canvas’ concept that she got carried away by it and neglected other essential elements – plot, romance and characterisation. It’s also clear from her notes that Ms. Ashe has done extensive research into the slave trade and the experiences of slaves in the Caribbean in the 1820s, and that it is something about which she feels passionately. But she tries to shoehorn in too much, so that neither the romance nor the storylines featuring the women who have escaped from truly horrific conditions get the amount of attention they deserve. And I can’t ignore the fact that Ms. Ashe’s prose, something I have called poetic and lyrical in the past veers dangerously close to the purple on numerous occasions.
On top of the confusing story and overstuffed plot, we have a heroine I liked less and less as the book progressed and a hero I’d expected to be a strong, commanding presence, but who mostly just faded into the background. While I could understand – to an extent – Aramantha’s reluctance to get involved with Gabriel again, I couldn’t understand why she seemed to blame him for everything that went wrong between them, is willing to trust practically anyone except him and is prepared to make sacrifices for almost anything – except him. While he is quite swoon-worthy; constant, patient, kind and willing to do pretty much anything for her, she pushes him away time after time, and quite honestly, I think I would have been cheering if he’d told her to bugger off – and meant it.
Much as it saddens me to say it, I really can’t recommend The Duke to any but the author’s die-hard fans and those who want to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding the Devil’s Duke. I will read the next book in the series (The Prince) and will continue to read Katharine Ashe’s novels, but this was a huge disappointment and I’m absolutely gutted.
Buy Now: A/BN/iB/K
Grade: C+
Book Type: Historical Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 29/09/17
Publication Date: 09/2017
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.
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Just finished this book and, though I loved the couple, I became very frustrated throughout the middle to the near end of the book. It just seemed to wander off course and have no focus, especially when everyone showed up at his sanctuary. The book just tried to tell too many stories and then just tie them up in a bow. I still loved the couple, him especially. I had so looked forward to reading his book, and really enjoyed getting to know him better. And I liked the h, but she really was annoying for most of the book. Still, I’ll read the next book!
Agreed. The author just tried to do too much and completely lost her way in this one. Fortunately, The Prince is a much better book!
I like this one but THE PRINCE is THE BOMB.
The Prince is perfection.
I am just about to start reading this book but as I know that your views of books generally coincide with mine It is likely I too will be disappointed with it. I generally really like Katharine Ashe’s books and being a Scot myself really liked the fact that her Scottish characters were not caricatures. This is a failing that I find in many historical romances- big brawny highlander,rough around the edges, talking in a very strange accent etc etc. I will however read this one if only to see the loose ends from the previous books tied up.
On a different tack I really like the Marlowe Intrigues series by Jane Lark and have just finished the final book in the series. I wonder if you have read any of these as I have never seen you write a review of any of them. As generally you appear to like the same authors as I do I would be interested as to your take on these.
Not surprised by the review. I did not enjoy any of the books in this series. They were confusing and difficult to follow plus the heroines were unlikeable. In the end I couldn’t care less about any of it and had given up on the series. Won’t mind missing this one.
I agree that the heroines were difficult, but they did have some redeeming qualities IMO. This one didn’t.
This is the worst book I have read all year. I liked the last one in the series so I was looking forward to this one. I didn’t understand why Aramintha was so Angry at Gabe for much of the story. I also didn’t understand how she was able to travel all over the place on her own without money. Characters were coming and going and I couldn’t keep track of them all.
Oh, I’ve read some stinkers (as my reviews show!) so while this isn’t the worst I’ve read, it certainly gets my award for the Biggest Disappointment.
Thank you for your honest review! Just finished “The Duke” today and could not help to doubt myself. It was the first time with Ms. Ashe’s novels that I started skipping pages (during the last chapters). Kind of speed reading. I just wanted it to be finished and was not engaged in the story and characters anymore. Felt like I had an attention deficit or was becoming shallow.
Reading your analysis and some of the other comments helped me to get a better look at my dissatifaction. Thank you everybody for that!
Since reading the excerpt of the following novel “The Prince”, where some phrases indicated it was taken from already some way into the story, and its announcement for summer 2018, I could not help but think about the publishing business. With such deadlines, I wondered which freedom a writer, in this case Ms Ashe, was allowed. I don’t know the circumstances under which she wrote this book, but ponder if this is her most fulfilling vision and version for Aramantha and Gabriel.
Nevertheless, thank you, Ms Ashe, for taking the time and effort to bring their story to the page.
Thank Goodness, I thought it was just me. I kept reading this book and thinking “What the heck is going on here?! !??!” I loved the 1st two in the series and was also disappointed in this one.. I really like Katherine Ashe, and everyone is entitled to a clunker. I will be trying the next one.
“…but this was a huge disappointment and I’m absolutely gutted” I couldn’t have said it any better than that
No, it’s not just you – and I admit I had that same thought! I, too, am a big fan of Ms. Ashe’s and had so been looking forward to this – and Gabriel – but apart from the first part, the book is, as you say, a clunker.
Wow, i’m feeling a bit apprehensive about this book now, especially since Katherine Ashe has a history of hit or miss for me. Her last book, the one with Saint as the hero, was so good, and it included a great excerpt for ‘The Duke’ that prompted me to pre-order it. Hm, ok, I’ll do my best to be open minded when reading ‘The Duke’ then.
I loved the first two and I really enjoy this author’s work. But this lacked focus and the most unforgivable thing, to me, was the way the heroine treated the hero. He put up with so much crap from her and to my mind, that’s not a relationship of equals.
I’m reading this currently, and while my grade would be higher, I do agree with much of the problems mentioned in the review. Way too much going on and I found myself rereading just to keep track of the vast number of characters, many of whom were unnecessary. Also agreed that the main couple seemed to get lost in the storyline. What I did like was the idea behind the Kallin estate and the women who lived there, and the initial Jamaican setting.
I am very much looking forward to the next book, The Prince, which I assume will be the artist and Libby. Libby fascinates me; she’s so over the top and so focused on science. It’s hard to see her as a romantic heroine, and I’m interested to see how that will be accomplished.
Yes, I’ll read the next book and more. As someone else here says, everyone is entitled to an off day, it’s just a shame it happened in a book that had such potential :(
It isn’t often that we disagree on books Caz, but as you already know, I enjoyed every bit of this one.
True, but it happens.
I am just not a fan of the sort of book where the hero has to prove his love by letting the (bratty) heroine run rings around him, and sadly, that’s what happens here. The first part, set six years before, is fabulous – if things had continued in the same vein, this would have been a terrific book.
I did think the first half was stronger; I liked their sly, naughty conversations too! He liked to play with her & I like that she didn’t get flustered, just fired up. :)
I think this is a now established trend. It’s the romanceland response to #metoo in some ways.