I Married the Duke
Katharine Ashe

Genre:
Historical
Heat Level: Hot
Rating:

Three very different sisters beguile society with their beauty and charm, but only one of them must fulfill a prophecy: marry a prince. Who is the mystery Prince Charming, and which sister will be his bride?

On the way to marry a prince in a castle, a lady should never:

1. Bribe an infuriatingly arrogant and undeniably irresistible ship captain,
2. Let him kiss her senseless on a beach,
3. Battle thieves at his side, and
4. Exchange wedding vows with him, even under the direst circumstances.

But daring, determined Arabella Caulfield isn’t just any lady. And Luc Westfall is no typical ship captain. He’s the new Duke of Lycombe, and to defeat a plot that could destroy his family he must have an heir. Now he knows just the woman for the job . . . and he’s not above seduction to turn this would-be princess into a duchess.

Series: The Prince Catchers

Review

This is book 1 in Ashe’s The Prince Catchers series. I loved the last few books in Ashe’s other series so I couldn’t help but long to read this book; especially since I’m a sucker for Dukes.

For me this book didn’t live up to the expectations I had, and I found myself wanting to throw Arabella Caulfield into the sea so I could take up with her Duke. I mentioned in other reviews how I like strong female leads, and Arabella is definitely strong but she’s so tenacious that she put me off. Her ability to hold grudges could come from her red hair or not, ultimately she puts Luc through the ringer constantly.

Luc is also a bit gruff. He’s used to getting respect because he’s a Duke, but Arabella only knows him as a sea captain at first. I cut our heroine a bit of slack for her attitude towards Luc, but everything afterwards is more for her protection as well as his. Luc is definitely a handsome devil, who’d do anything for those he loves. The fact that the woman he’s set his sights on won’t give him a chance is infuriating. He’s also brave, intelligent, and mighty handy with a sword.

My major problems were really then Arabella’s inability to grow as a character and the absence of adult communication that didn’t turn into an argument.

There were some other silver linings. The pacing of the story was good and the subplots were interesting. Murder the Duke, anyone? The villain was horribly villainous, which was great since I love to see a good villain get knocked down. Secondary characters were equally appealing and I found myself emotionally invested in Arabella’s sisters enough that I’d be willing to give the next books in the series a chance.

Overall, not every book can always be perfect. I’ve found Ashe’s books to be hit or miss for me in the past. If you’re a fan you may want to read anyway.

Reviewed by Landra