The Accidental Duchess [Mass Market Paperback]

Jessica Benson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 2003

Dear Reader,

I married the wrong man.

I had every intention of doing the thing right. Of saying my vows and walking out on the arm of Bertie Milburn. Nice, safe, easygoing Bertie. And that is precisely what I thought I had done.

But as it turned out, I'd been tricked! Tricked into marrying Bertie's twin brother Harry, the Earl of Cambourne and (as my mother would insist on reminding me at every opportunity) future Duke of Winfell! And the shocking way in which I found out -- on my wedding night, no less...well, it doesn't bear repeating here!

And the truth is that Harry, who is my husband, but should not be, makes my hands shake and my heart pound in a way that Bertie never has and never will. Vexing, dangerously charming Harry, who won't tell me why he had to marry me, why he insists on masquerading about town as his brother, or most bothersome still, why he won't stop that annoying (and rather excitingly successful) habit of trying to seduce me!

What is a young lady to do?

Gwen

Editorial Reviews

Review

Meggin Cabot Author of Boy Meets Girl and The Princess Diaries Jessica Benson gives good book: Wickedly funny, wickedly sexy....Just plain wicked. -- Review

About the Author

Jessica Benson has won numerous awards for her previous novels, historical romances hailed for their fresh and humorous voice. Her novels include The Accidental Duchess, available from Pocket Books. She lives in London with her husband and two children.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books (December 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743463862
• ISBN-13: 978-0743463867
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,056,983 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #95 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > British > Historical

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great premise, but lacked follow through, March 9, 2004

By 

Aislinn Jones (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Accidental Duchess (Mass Market Paperback)

The premise was great - the bride marries the wrong man! The rest of the book is attempts to untangle this mess. I was captivated in the first few chapters, but then became frustrated with the increasingly outlandish reasons/ways the heroine is prevented from finding out the truth behind her marriage to Harry. The actual blooming of Gwen and Harry's relationship gets sort of lost between the twists and turns necessary to keep Gwen in the dark. Gwen does seem very naive about all of it. The chemistry between the hero and heroine is good, but it takes too long for it to um, come to fruition. One can't help but feel that if Harry had taken 5 minutes to have a little chat with Gwen right after wedding, things could have resolved themselves happily much, much sooner. In essence, sort of a silly frustrating read.

55 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A deliberate hit! One-click this book today!!!!, December 27, 2003

By 

Lindsay Whitfield "lindsaywhitfield" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Accidental Duchess (Mass Market Paperback)

Jessica Benson has done it again! In the tradition of "Lord Stanhope's Proposal," Benson has written a delightful, laugh-out-loud regency with a hero and heroine you will adore! Ms. Benson has gone further this time, however - she has written what may possibly be the most romantic, sensual love scenes I have ever read (and I've read too many to be comfortable telling you). I pre-ordered this book in August based on her first book, and was thrilled to have it arrive yesterday. I won't bother telling you the plot - you don't have to know anything but the blurb to read the first few pages - and you don't have to read anything more than the first few pages to be hooked for the book. When her groom tells Gwen "You bring me to my knees, Gwen" I just about went to mine - and I was lying down! This book is fabulous! For Regency lovers, it is Georgette Heyer with seductive romance added. For romance lovers, it doesn't get any better than this. And if you've never read a romance, you may want to start elsewhere - this book will ruin you for any other romance! I'm trying not to go on and on, but I have to stress again that this book is funny, sensual, and, above all, truly a ROMANCE - unlike so many other books on the market today, you know why these two people fall in love! If you've never read Lord Stanhope's Proposal - get that one too. Ignore the silly title and cover - it, too, is funny, romantic, and has heroes you can really root for. I've purchased about 15 to 20 of this book for friends and family - and they all loved it. Two more things and then I'll let you order (I suggest RUSH DELIVERY): 1) Another strong point in Ms. Benson's favor is that her plots are tight and have wonderful twists, the characters stay true to themselves, and the secondary characters are beyond wonderful. You will know these people! 2)Contrary to what you may think by reading this review, I am NOT Jessica Benson, nor am I related to her, nor do I know her. However, to be perfectly honest, I wish I was Jessica Benson, or was at least related to her or knew her - she's that good. Please buy this book - you won't regret anything except that it's over! I have to go now, I'm going to read it again. Enjoy!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2 stars--Fun book- quirky characters and snappy dialogue, October 1, 2004

By 

ellejir "ellejir" (Virginia, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Accidental Duchess (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the first book that I have read by Jessica Benson and I stayed up half the night finishing it. "The Accidental Duchess" is an unusual historical romance (set in England in the early 1800's) in that it is told from the first-person point of view by Lady Gwen, a new bride who discovers that she unintentionally has married her long-time fiance's twin brother. The arch tone of the narration and Gwen's witty, frequently hilarious asides to the reader distinguish this book from others of the genre. The cast of characters is huge and amusingly detailed (and in some cases quite over the top!) The characters of the twin brothers, Bertie Milburn, a charming fribble and Gwen's original intended, and Harry, the paragon Earl of Cambourne, the elder twin by 15 minutes and Gwen's actual groom, are delightfully drawn. There is a hilarious scene in which Gwen's girlfriends list all Cambourne's "good points", "bad points" (none, of course!) and "traits as they relate to Milburn" that reads like a 19th century version of "Bridget Jones' Diary".
The character of Gwen is charming but a little bit more difficult to get a hold on (surprisingly, since the she is narrating the story.) She is described as biddable and obedient at the beginning of the book, but frankly she never seems to be so. She seems a bit ditsy at the start of the story, but by the end she is spouting off facts about the Corn Laws and taking control of her life.
The weak part of the book, in my opinion, was the reasoning behind continuing to keep Gwen in the dark about the real circumstances of her marriage (Hmmm, wasn't she was following her parents' wishes to marry Bertie in the first place..) and the explanation for Cambourne and Milburn masquerading as each other (Huh?!) Obviously, both of these circumstances were necessary for the plot to work and the book is so clever in other ways that the holes in the plot logic are forgiven.
In summary, this is a unique, very well-written romance with numerous laugh-out-loud lines (and scenes) and delightful, frequently quirky characters that remind me of some of Georgette Heyer's more broadly-drawn secondary characters (although with more bawdy mouths!) Highly recommended and a fun read!