Smitten by Books

I just want to preface by saying this is singularly one of the best books I will read this year!! Not only is it an incredibly passionate romance, full of emotion and a FABULOUS hero and heroine, but it’s so incredibly funny in places, I nearly split my sides reading some of the scenes. If there is a not-to-be-missed romance this year, this is definitely one you won’t want to miss! – Bev

What I Did For a Duke
Author: Julie Anne Long
Publisher: Avon
Pub. Date: February 22, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0061885686
Retail: $7.99

For years, he’s been an object of fear, fascination . . . and fantasy. But of all the wicked rumors that shadow the formidable Alexander Moncrieffe, Duke of Falconbridge, the ton knows one thing for certain: only fools dare cross him. And when Ian Eversea does just that, Moncrieffe knows the perfect revenge: he’ll seduce Ian’s innocent sister, Genevieve—the only Eversea as yet untouched by scandal. First he’ll capture her heart . . . and then he’ll break it.

But everything about Genevieve is unexpected: the passion simmering beneath her cool control, the sharp wit tempered by gentleness . . . And though Genevieve has heard the whispers about the duke’s dark past, and knows she trifles with him at her peril, one incendiary kiss tempts her deeper into a world of extraordinary sensuality. Until Genevieve is faced with a fateful choice . . . is there anything she won’t do for a duke?

~*~*~

A stunningly spectacular romance sure to be one of the best of 2011!

I can’t tell you how long it’s been since a book set my heart racing at a steady pace from beginning to end. What I did for a Duke not only had my heart racing, but my breath catching and my fingertips tingling. Brilliant characters, a near perfect romance, and a very well written story make this book one of the best books I have read in a very, very long time.

If you are not familiar with Julie Anne Long’s Pennyroyal Green series, I suggest that you find the previous four books and read them as soon as you can. Not because you have to in order to understand this book but because the series itself is very worth the read.

The Eversea’s and Redmond’s have had a silent war for as long as anyone in either family can remember. Something about a cow, a woman… Who knows! This series focuses on the young men and women of each family as they grow and find love in some very unusual and amusing situations. This fifth book focuses on the young Genevieve Eversea and the menacing Duke of Falconbridge. Genevieve’s brother Ian has wronged the Duke in an unmentionable way, an attempt to seduce his fiancée, and Alex Moncrieffe wants revenge. So, he arrives at an Eversea house party intending to seduce and abandon Ian’s broken hearted sister Genevieve.

Genevieve thinks she is in love with another man and Alex never wants to love again so there is not risk of attachment. What starts as a game for both of them turns into a love story with depth and passion that made me want to weep. Just for the record, I am not a crier. Usually…

The plot was simply wonderful, not complex but easy to follow and quick moving. The story has a great flow to it with absolutely no lag anywhere in sight and the most delicious tension between Alex and Gen. I could not stop turning pages.

Julie Anne Long has framed her characters perfectly, alternating the perspective from both the hero and heroine so that the reader gets a very intimate look at both of them. You feel their emotions; understand their thoughts as they drag you into the middle of the interesting dynamic of their blooming relationship.

Alex is one of those heroes that is just as dashing when he is brooding as when he smiles. He has a horrible reputation and his past is filled with bad rumors and innuendo. But beneath his ruthless façade lies a man deeply hurt and desperately in need of the right woman to charm him out of himself.

Genevieve is just the woman to do it, even if it is completely unintentional. She believes her heart to be set on a close friend but once this strong, understated girl gets close to the Duke everything changes. He shows her passion and love on a completely different level that she could have ever dreamed. The way that Julie Anne has written these two and the way their love grows, the reader can’t help but sigh with delight. The end is perfect, the story closing with the promise of the next book in the series coming soon to tempt the read. I don’t know who’s story it will be, but I can tell you it will be an auto-buy for me.

The love scenes were just right; heated, passionate, and filled with love and tension.

Overall, this is one of the best books I have ever read… hands down a must read!

Rating: 10 (Perfect)

Heat Level: 3.5 (Sensual)

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Reviewed by: Danielle