TEST
When I first began reading this book, I was convinced this review would not go well. For the first twenty or so pages, the hero (Mark) and the heroine (Isabella) discuss a cock. Of course, the fact that it took twenty pages for them to figure out that she was talking about a rooster and he was… not, made me a little worried. But I am happy to say that the book picked up considerably after that and turned into a decent Regency romance.
Mark Smythe has recently inherited the title of Duke of Strattington. This was an unexpected inheritance as he was not the heir, but the unforeseen deaths of his uncle, cousin, and father, left him with a title to deal with. Not having been raised with the expectations of becoming a duke, Mark is struggling with the new responsibilities of his position. He is used to being a soldier, fighting on the Continent, and being the unremarkable second son’s son. In the midst of this personal struggle to take his position, while traveling to the king’s coronation, Mark comes upon a lovely young woman and starts to fall in love with her almost instantly (yes, I’m sure the cock conversation may have had something to do with it). Still unsure of who he is, he does not tell her that he is a duke but allows her to believe that he is merely in the employ of a duke.
Isabella Masters has been running from her past for years. Having left her well positioned family in London in order to avoid a scandal, Isabella is now working as a baby nurse. When her young charge’s teething causes turmoil in the inn, she is told to that the crying is disturbing the other guest, the duke, and that she must take the baby outside. That is where she runs into Mark. There is an instant attraction and affinity between the two. Despite all of Isabella’s secrets and Mark hiding his identity, the two are able to start a rather sweet courtship as the two journey toward London. In the evenings, they meet up, talk, share some sweet kisses, and start to fall in love.
But the secrets and the past are destined to get in the way. Unfortunately for Isabella, she discovers that Mark is not the unassuming estate agent that she thinks he is (and who would be perfect for the baby nurse she is pretending to be) when they are caught in a compromising position. Though Mark is fond of Isabella, he feels that he cannot offer her marriage. He has an obligation to the title and he needs to become a respectable member of society. Dukes do not marry servants, despite what they may want in their hearts. In order to try to protect Isabella, he offers her the position of his mistress and Isabella, believing she has no choice, accepts.
At first, the two are able to find some happiness in their new arrangement. But it doesn’t take long before Isabella realizes all that she has given up to be his mistress. She spends her days waiting for him to come home from his obligations to the king and she no longer has any hope of a husband and children. When she realizes that she can’t live the rest of her life in this lie, she does what she has been doing for years – she runs. But Mark is not willing to let her go. He has to find a way to help her escape her past and to keep her with him.
The love between the couple is very sweet. During their first sexual experience, they spend as much time talking, giggling, and tickling as they do anything else. Yet somehow, this isn’t annoying. In fact, it comes off as very realistic. The two seem to act as young teenagers in love at times, but it works in the story. The best part about their growing love is the way that both acknowledge right from the start that they are only their true selves and only comfortable with each other. For two people living their lives as people they weren’t born to be, in a society where birth is everything, it was very easy to see how two people could be drawn together on the basis of that common ground.
The one complaint that I had was that in the middle of the book, as Isabella became the mistress, there was a little too much emphasis on Mark being two people. She frequently referred to Mark as the man she loved and the duke as a cold man who she was spending time with. At first, this was understandable given what had happened. But when she started to talk as though they were two different people or a split personality, it was a little overdone. Fortunately, it didn’t last long in the story and the couple got over this fairly quickly. There were a few quirks and a few unnecessary plot twists. For instance, there was the dreaded masquerade ball that provided a few too many mistaken identities and that went on for a little longer than necessary. However, the love story was sweet and the characters were engaging.
This book is part of a series, the previous books being about Isabella’s brother and sister. But it wasn’t a problem that I hadn’t read them. This book can stand alone and be enjoyed without reading the other books that came before. The author gave enough information about the secondary characters to make the reader curious, but not so much that you felt you were missing pieces of the story that were necessary to enjoy this installment. In fact, I think that I will probably go back and read the other books in the series to see where it all started.
Overall, this book was not earthshatteringly good, but it was an enjoyable and sweet romance.
Grade: B-
Book Type: European Historical Romance
Sensuality: Hot
Review Date: 25/11/11
Publication Date: 2011/10
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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.