ASIN: B00BATNOGC
ISBN-13: 978-0062273635
Publisher: HarperCollins
Line: Avon
Release Date: May 27, 2014
Pages: 384
Digital Retail: 6.99
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Genre: Historical
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating:
A duchess in time saves a noble line …
In theory, the Duke of Candover is the most eligible peer in the realm. But in truth, he has a deep aversion to the merest hint of marriage, not to mention two botched engagements which have marked his jaded soul. Now, after a debauched bachelor party that causes public outcry, the Prince Regent is demanding that it's Candover's turn to be brought to heel. And Prinny secretly believes that Isabelle Tremont, the Duchess of March, is precisely the lady up to the challenge.
Isabelle must marry, but a day of reckoning with the man she's loved for years is her greatest fear. If Candover insists she's too young and innocent for a seasoned world-weary man like him, there's no shortage of other candidates. Gentlemen of prestige and position. Gentlemen whose attentions are driving Candover to jealous distraction. Yet one abandoned moment under the stars hints that if they can put aside pride and duty, then a love once denied might just be their destiny.
Review
This book 4 of the Royal Entourage Series continues detailing the aftermath of a lewd ducal bachelor party that caused public outcry about debauched nobles. Although the Prince attended the party himself, he is attempting to soothe his public by forcing each of the dukes to marry, and regain some respectability.
Prinny has decided that it’s now time for James Fitzroy (the Duke of Candover) to marry, and he feels that Isabelle Tremont is the perfect choice. Isabelle is already a duchess by birth, rather than by marriage. While she is young in years, only eighteen, she is very mature. She has also been in love with Candover, who was incidentally a good friend to her late father, for years. Knowing that the Prince has set his sights on Candover, she decides to take a shot at happiness, and approaches Candover with a marriage proposal. She states her proposal as a business arrangement, thinking that would appeal to Candover. He, however, is shocked, and turns her down as gently as he can. Without revealing spoilers, he has made some promises to her father which wouldn’t let him accept the proposal.
I love an honorable hero in a story, but in this case, James took it to the extreme. He actually does have feelings for Isabelle, but feels bound by his word. He also feels unworthy. He was such a wonderful man, that I wanted to shake him, and tell him to open his eyes and grab some happiness for himself, instead of always doing his duty and meeting everyone else’s needs.
Isabelle broke my heart. She is so in love, and every day, as James becomes farther from her reach, you can see her joy in life die a little piece at a time. She starts to build walls around her heart, just as James has done, and decides to “settle” for another since she can never have James. I couldn’t blame her, because I felt that she had tried everything in her power to win James, to no avail.
This book had wonderful characters, and was an emotional, romantic, and satisfying read. There were also some tense moments as the author takes us right to the wire, and I admit to having a few heart palpitations at what it looked like was going to happen. I highly recommend this story as well as the previous books in this series.
Reviewed by Rose