So did everyone get to finish it? I did and what angst!
So let me begin my saying it took some time for me to warm up to the heroine, Charlotte. She goes to some extremes in trying to get her husband–a duke mind you–to divorce. Yes, she’s that unhappy. At the beginning of the book the readers–and her husband–find her in a gambling den “…perched on the lap of some rotund, fortunate bastard, her half-naked bosom exposed to his leering gaze.” In the duke’s POV we learn he believes she’s a harlot but he’s come to collect her in any case. He’s decided he wants a real marriage and he’s just as determined Charlotte will cease her extramarital affairs and be his alone. His problem is his wife despises him. Loathes him. She has forsaken her reputation by playing the whore in order to force his hand to grant her the divorce she desperately wants.
These are the things you learn right out of the gate. Needless to say their marriage is anything but blissful. And right out of the gate–because you don’t know what he did–you might not be too enchanted with Charlotte. But you learn. Boy do you learn. He, our hero, Phillip, has been a complete cad with a capital ‘C’ to her. He married her for revenge. And it was to get back at her brother for ***spoiler coming*** trying to runaway with his fiancee. Then he proceeds to basically abandon her and cheat on her the next three years. As soon as I read that, my sympathies immediately went to Charlotte. Cad! Rake! Cur!
But then he forces her home to his country estate where he promises to grant her a divorce if she’ll find a bride for him. I really liked how Ashley handled this part. The ‘potential’ bride is known to both parties. You see Charlotte doesn’t exactly ‘buy’ he is seriously interested in the ‘other women’ and this woman concedes she won’t have him. So his plot–although he doesn’t know it–is pretty much doomed from the start.
Of course, they work through their hurt and get their HEA but the road is definitely a rocky one. I eventually forgave Phillip but I would have loved it if Charlotte actually had taken a lover. As I always say, what’s good for the goose…you get my drift.
SEDUCING THE DUCHESS is Ashley’s debut and she’s off to a fabulous start!
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First, I love reading debut authors! And I was so happy when I was able to review SEDUCING THE DUCHESS for The Season, and I’m so happy that it was picked as the October Book Club Pick!
I liked it! I think it was a good debut and I found myself really getting involved in the story. When I first picked up the book I thought I was going to be Team Charlotte all the way because us women need to stick together, but I didn’t like her, at all! I found myself very drawn to Phillip. He was trying to win his wife back, although not really in the best way, and I love when the Hero’s bend over backwards to get the girl. I did grow to like Charlotte and the way she gets Phillip all flustered with her foul mouth. And how she really isn’t as strong as she wants everyone to think she is.
My favorite thing was the fact that this was all about the romance. There was no murder plot, just two people trying to fix their marriage and learn to trust each other.
~ Jamie Murawski
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I loved this book. I especially loved that we see the pain that Philip goes through. We feel how distraught he is over losing Charlotte. So distraught that he can’t even get out of bed for a week. Usually in books we see this in the heroine. It was refreshing to see this through the hero’s point of view.
~ Danielle Gorman
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I’m sure I’ll be unpopular in this discussion but I did not like the heroine at the beginning. I thought her actions were so way over the top, especially given the fact that it took place in 19th century England and she’s a DUCHESS! I wasn’t 100% sure I was going to keep reading this book after the opening scene but I needed to know why. Why she was acting this way. I wondered what could he have possibly done that she would really degrade herself like this. Again, she is a duchess!
I read on and I have to say I was glad I did. The hero turned out to be very petty and vindictive. Let me rephrase that. His reasons for treating her the way he did, I thought were pretty petty and vindictive. I know this is standard romance fare but why can’t you just get revenge on the person who has aggrieved you instead of trying to hurt someone they love to get to them. This did not endear him to me at all. But Ms. March did the right thing with this kind of plot, she didn’t start it three years before and take us through the turmoil and heartbreak of those early years because if she did, I’m not sure the hero would have been redeemable.
All in all, I read SEDUCING THE DUCHESS right to the very last page. I thought it was a satisfying ending and I ended up emphasizing and liking them both.
~ Mandie
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Okay, now you’ve read 4 different opinions. Let me know what you thought of Ashley March’s SEDUCING THE DUCHESS. Two participants in the discussion (commenters) will receive a book of their choice (max retail $7.99)
I loved this book, I also was sympathetic to Phillip and him kidnapping his wife to try and start over. Then as the story evolved you see the hurt and pain he was in, and you see how he hurt Charlotte. I really hope she will tell the other story.
This sounds like a book I really want to read. It’s not often you read about a heroine who is a rake…..or would that be rakette??? LOL!!!
It’s going on my wishlist right away.
Valerie
in Germany
I thought it was a promising debut and look forward to more from Ashley March. I particularly liked the witty banter between husband and wife as they reconcile their HEA. I too thought what’s “good for the goose”, and was a bit disappointed with that aspect however overall it was a good read.
I loved this book. It was refreshing to see the hero already in love with the heroine and all that he does to try and win her back. I can’t wait to read more from Ashley March.
I liked this book, too, but it took me a while because I’m not a fan of infidelity(on Phillip’s part) in romances. Like Danielle and Mandy, there were times when I found Charlotte completely unlikeable and acting so totally out of character with her cursing and her attempts to create scandal. Despite that I was rooting for Phillip to win back Charlotte’s love.
I haven’t read this book but I definitely plan to. It is not often you read about the woman behaving that way (although she apparently had a good reason to) in these books. It is an interesting situation.
I definitely agree with you about wishing Charlotte actually had taken a lover. When I found she had no lover, I had a really hard time believing that with all the knowledge she had about sex and seduction, she never had any fair with all the men she hangs out with. Since I think she was such strong heroin that I think her having a lover would have stayed true to her character.
I also felt that Phillip never seem to be truly sorry for his infidelity. I mean I really want him beg for her forgiveness for that but the author just kind of let us know that Phillip had mistress and later, Phillip just apologies and that was about it. Besides the infidelity, I really like Phillip since he really wanted Charlotte. I especially liked how he slowly fell in love with her, without her doing anything besides be herself. Not to mention, Phillip planning six months on how to get his wife back.
I really enjoy the book but I have two main complain:
1. There was not enough sex scene..what can I say I like those scenes..LOL
2. I wish there was an epilogue to see if they had any kids or how life was like for them after they got together.
I have not read the book but am intrigued by it now. I will have to start looking for it.
I have to agree with some of the folks who said that they didn’t like the heroine at the beginning. I had a hard time warming to her because she was so extreme in her actions. Even if she weren’t a duchess, a woman of her stature would be much more mindful of their reputation.
The hero didn’t make me swoon either. Someone used the term petty, and I have to agree with them because that’s the way he came off after I read just why he’d married her and then deserted her.
I was intrigued with the premise of this book, which is why I bought it, I just wish it had been executed a little differently. But that is not to say I wouldn’t try another one of Ashley March’s books. If the premise appeals, I would give her another try.
I really enjoyed this book. If I had to nitpick anything that made me grit my teeth a bit was that Phillip had been unfaithful. I wouldn’t have minded it so much if they entered into a marriage of convenience and neither felt anything for the other. But she was in love with him when he dumped and ran gallivanting all over the place with different women. That I don’t like and didn’t like here.
A couple others have said that Charlotte was a bit over the top in her methods in getting him to divorce her and I will agree but only to a point. This is fiction. I think characters are allowed to be over the top a bit.
I did wish that either of them had really felt threatened by the affections of someone else. Phillip was possessive of her and wanted her to end her shenanigans with other men (and we found out she hadn’t taken any lovers) but I still didn’t think it was enough. If there had been someone important to her, a male, I really would have enjoyed that.
Okay, that was just a couple nitpicks and ‘I wish’ but all in all I really did enjoy it. I’m looking forward to the next book.
@Rhonda
What other story do you mean? LOL. I hate feeling lost in a discussion.
@Valerie – Well she’s not actually a rakette–so to speak–but she does act like it and everyone does think she is if that appeases you at all.
@Marjana I’m a big fan of epilogues too. I like things wrapped in a bow with a couple of kiddies on top. LOL
This book really was a roller-coaster of a read, emotionally. I concur with the majority that there were aspects of each main character that were not hero/heroine material. However, I fell into the story and by the end of the book I was happy for the characters and believed that they deserved their happily-ever-after. Am still trying to figure out why it all worked for me considering that there were certainly things that would normally have had me putting the book aside.
It’s interesting to read everyone’s opinions about the hero and heroine because from the summary I would automatically be sympathizing with the heroine, but it looks like they’re both at fault here. I would like to see how March handles a plot where both characters could be potentially very unlikeable.
I liked to read the different opinions. I can see how it’d be a little hard to read but it’d be nice to see a different type of heroine
I really enjoyed this book. I thought that her approach to the story keep it interesting and I actually thought it was a good approach considering the social climate at the time that Charlotte tried to dare to do something most women wouldn’t considering their social status.
I’m glad that today women can be more independent and stronger in relationships but before I married,when society wasn’t as liberal as today, I did make it clear to my future husband that I could take care of myself and would never allow infidelity in our marriage (I think I mentioned that locks would be changed and door and windows barred and dismenberment might occur). We been happily married for over 40 years and there have been times we may have yelled at each other and not always “liked” each other – we have always loved and respected each other. I really enjoyed reading this story and couldn’t put it down.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I am usually against cheating of any kind, but since it happened before the book actually takes place, I can get past it. It was refreshing to see a different heroine. Usually they let the hero walk all over them for a time and then eventually stand up to the hero. But not this heroine! She’s like well you married me for revenge, well then, I’m going to do everything in my power to embarrass and humiliate you to get my divorce. I liked the banter between the H and h. She could just be so outrageous, but he still loved her. All in all this was a wonderful read and can’t wait to see what Miss March comes up with next!
I may be the only one who didn’t enjoy this book at all. It was just so hard to warm up to Charlotte but I just couldn’t seem to warm up to her as the book progressed even when I found out what Philip did.
I really love reading about estranged marriages but I didn’t enjoy reading this one.
Sometimes with a story of a married couple on the rocks for too long, I still think they should just go their separate ways instead to working toward a HEA together. I know that for a historical, it’s not really possible to divorce without a big stink so they pretty much have to work things out.
I do wish there was an epilogue so I could see if they really worked things out, but maybe they’ll be in her next book and we can see how things are going!
I have not read this yet, but I can’t wait to! I have heard awesome reviews on it!