Anna and the Duke [School & Library Binding]

Kathryn Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2001

Anna

At the very least, anyone else in Anna Welsley's position would be satisfied. Anna is to inherit a fortune, and after a glittering London debut last Season, she is now engaged to a duke's son. Anna herself does not understand the vague feeling of dissatisfaction. While her mother industriously plans Anna's wedding, Anna herself reads poetry and wonders if what she's in is love or just an arrangement.

The Duke

As the estranged Scottish son of an English duke who has just died, Ewan MacLaughlin is the reluctant heir to his father's title. Arriving in London, he must face his father's widow, half sister, and half brother, Richard, who was fully expecting to become the duke himself. While acquainting himself with his newfound relations, Ewan finds himself more and more often in the company of Richard's fiancee, the beautiful Anna.

When it becomes clear that Richard is conspiring against Ewan, Anna is compelled to warn Ewan. But what begins in innocence soon becomes betrayal as Anna finds the answer to the question in her heart -- in Ewan.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up-Ewan MacLaughlin has spent his entire life in Scotland, believing that his father's leaving broke his mother's heart and caused her death. When a messenger arrives telling the young man that his father is dead and that he is now a duke, he travels to England to claim his title and meet the stepfamily he never knew existed. While his stepmother and stepsister welcome him with open arms, his stepbrother is not pleased to be giving up a title and the inheritance that he needs to pay off his ever-increasing gambling debts. Richard plots with his fiancee's mother to expose Ewan as a fraud and thus regain the title and money. Meanwhile, Ewan and Anna are quickly falling in love, forcing the young woman to choose between the stepbrothers. While this is a typical romance novel, with true love winning out in the end, it is the underlying suspense of Richard's scheming that keeps readers interested.
Kim Carlson, Monticello High School, IA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Kathryn Smith began writing at age eight. For the next nine years she continued in her attempts to entertain students and teachers alike with her stories. But not until she was in her mid-twenties did she gather up the courage to follow her dream. She sent one of her books to a publisher. Four months later she was offered a contract.

Kathryn, her husband, Steve, and their cat, Mufasa, now live in Ottawa, Ontario, where Kathryn spends her days in front of her computer making up characters and plots. She loves writing romance and happy endings, but she has a couple of ideas she'd like to pursue someday as well. One is for a gothic-horror series about a vampire hunter.

Kathryn's adult titles include Elusive Passion, A Seductive Offer, and Scandalous Proposal.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• School & Library Binding
• Publisher: Bt Bound (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613568923
• ISBN-13: 978-0613568920
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,348,867 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up in rural Nova Scotia -- a beautiful piece of the earth, but there wasn't much going on. My mother used to tell me stories and encouraged me to write my own when I was very young.

My first book was 372 hand-written pages about a rock band that sounded (and looked) suspiciously like Duran Duran. I know, I'm dating myself! At that point I was already stealing my sister's romance novels and had fallen in love with the historical genre. Anyway, it was many years later, during a return to university, that I would attempt to write a romance novel. My boyfriend (who I later had the good sense to marry) urged me to return to school and 'write that book', so I did. That book, Elusive Passion, sold to Avon Romance in the summer of 1999. It was published in 2001, and I'm proud to say that since then I've written more than 20 books, many of which have made national best seller lists (including the USA Today list) and have been translated into more than half a dozen languages. My goal is to write until I'm dead. Preferably leaving this world draped over a keyboard. :-)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a sweet regency romance for teens and adults..., January 14, 2006

By 

retroredux - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Anna and the Duke (Paperback)

the premise has been summed up by the other reviewers well. I just want to add that this 30 something lady really enjoyed the charming tale of Anna and Ewan. The story is a well written and CLEAN introduction to regency romances for young girls, and entertaining enough for adults as well. This story is recommended for those romance readers who want a love story without explicit scenes.

Please don't let the few bad reviews throw you. I'd recommend this book to any romance fan.
4 stars.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A charming historical romance for teenage girls., April 30, 2002

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Anna and the Duke (Paperback)

Eighteen-year-old Anna Welsley should be happy, or at least content. Her position is to secure. She's to inherit a fortune from her father's business, and is engaged to Richard Fitzgerald, the son of a duke. But instead, Anna finds herself dissatisfied, wondering if she even feels anything for Richard. When Lord Fitzgerald dies, Richard expects he will inherit his father's title of Duke of Brahm. But on his deathbed, Richard's father revealed that he had been married before, and that his true heir was Ewan McLaughlin, who had been raised in his mother's homeland, Scotland. Bitter against the father who abandoned him, Ewan reluctantly accepts his inheritance. But Richard, who always thought he would be Duke upon his father's death, is bitter and angry towards his newly discovered half-brother. Anna begins to suspect that Richard is angry enough to plot against Ewan. She decides she must warn Ewan, even if it means betraying Richard, but never expects to fall in love with him. Can Anna and Ewan ever be together, or will Richard take out his vengeance on them both?

I highly recommend this sweet love story, set in England in 1818, to teenage girls who enjoy historical romances. It's a really romantic and charming story, and I truly enjoyed the characters.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Dashing Tale, July 31, 2002

By 

Missy Miller "Melodramatic Bunny" (Lancaster, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anna and the Duke (Paperback)

I was wary at first to read the books in this series, coming from Avon. When you think of the typical romance novels that they produce, you usually come across ninny girls who want to have sex with a big buff guy. End of story.

So not the case with Anna and the Duke. Anna and Ewan actually have more dimensions to themselves than just their sex drive. Although they're not setting out to fall for one another, they follow their hearts to be together. There is also another underlying plot here, which is what makes the book succeed. It's really a good, suspensful novel that includes romance, it doesn't just center on that. I love that the characters have different facets to them that make them real, like abandonedment issues, being forced to do things by your parents. This book is definately a 110% book!