In Bed with the Duke [Mass Market Paperback]

Christina Dodd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 3, 2012

In the sensuous and compelling world of Christina Dodd's brand-new historical, the eighth book in her beloved Governess Brides series, no one is exactly what he or she seems . . .
Demure lady's companion Emma Chegwidden never defies society's rules. Until the night she runs straight into the arms of the mysterious and menacing Reaper . . . a man who rides the night-shadowed countryside and conceals his identity behind a mask. His goal is justice . . . or is it vengeance? Only one thing is certain: nothing will stop him from his dark purpose.
Michael Durant, long-lost heir to the duke of Nevitt, has a score to settle. Cynical, dangerous and ruthless, Michael is the last man on earth that sensible Emma should defy. But some challenges are too tempting to resist . . . and some passions too fierce to ignore. Soon Michael discovers in Emma the woman he has always longed for . . . a woman whose beauty and courage reach through to his tortured soul . . . and he will defy anything, even fate itself, to claim her . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Emma Chegwidden thought that taking a position as companion to Lady Lettice Surtees would be an adventure, and she couldn’t have been more right. Soon after starting her new job, Emma found herself summarily dismissed by her penny-pinching harridan of an employer and left to wander hopelessly lost through the forests of Moricadia. Things go from bad to worse when Emma runs smack into the “Reaper,” the ghostly rider who haunts the countryside. With absolutely no idea how she arrived, Emma wakes up the next morning in the home of the Fanchere family, whose other guest is Michael Durant, an Englishman and political prisoner of the de Guignards, the family who rules Moricadia with an iron fist. Emma thinks her adventure must now be over, but this time she couldn’t be more wrong. In best-selling Dodd’s triumphant return to historical romance, she offers all of the elements her fans crave: deliciously clever writing, sexy romance, and a swashbuckling plot worthy of The Prisoner of Zenda. --John Charles

About the Author

Christina Dodd is a New York Times bestselling author whose novels have been translated into twelve languages. She lives in Washington with her husband and two dogs.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Signet; Regular Print/Single Titl edition (April 3, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451229339
• ISBN-13: 978-0451229335
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #485,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #23 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Dodd, Christina

More About the Author

Chat with Christina via Facebook and Twitter, and even better, join her mailing list to have her news delivered right to your inbox! http://christinadodd.com/lists/?p=subscribe

Readers become writers, and Christina Dodd has always been a reader. She reads everything, but because she loves humor, she likes romance best.

A woman wants things like world peace, a clean house, and a deep and meaningful relationship based on mutual understanding and love. A man wants things like a Craftsman router with attachments, undisputed control of the TV remote, and a red Corvette which will miraculously make his bald spot disappear. So when Christina's first daughter was born, she told her husband she was going to quit work and write a book. It was a good time to start a new career, because how much trouble could one little infant be?

Ha! It took ten years, two children and three completed manuscripts before her first novel, CANDLE IN THE WINDOW, was published. In the twenty-two years since, her novels have been translated into 25 languages, won Romance Writers of America's prestigious Golden Heart and RITA Awards and been called the year's best by Library Journal. Christina Dodd herself has been a clue in the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle (11/18/05, # 13 Down: Romance Novelist named Christina.) Publishers Weekly praises her style that 'showcases Dodd's easy, addictive charm and steamy storytelling.'

Christina's 2011 releases include TAKEN BY THE PRINCE, #9 in the Governess Brides series, and in the tradition of Nora Roberts, a new romantic suspense series starting with SECRETS OF BELLA TERRA and REVENGE AT BELLA TERRA.

Christina Dodd is married to a man with all his hair and no Corvette, but many Craftsman tools.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Could have been better, March 3, 2010

By 

alismomma611 "alismomma611" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Bed with the Duke (Mass Market Paperback)

I was happy to see Ms. Dodd return to historicals after so many years - I've enjoyed her contemporaries, but her paranormals were only so-so in my opinion. And I liked the premise of the book. However, my main criticisms are that Emma and Michael seem to "fall in love" on something as thin as air - they hardly have any significant conversations! What really made this a three-star book, however, was the excessive use of modern jargon. I highly doubt anyone in Victorian England (or fictional Moricadia) referred to people as "guys" - as in, "I can't believe these guys." It was even jarring to read several times of children being referred to as "kids." Perhaps that was more common - I don't know - but I don't think I've ever come across it in an historical romance set up in Europe. Emma did a completely 180 and suddenly became recklessly "brave," while Michael had very little personality. I only believed in their HEA because it's a romance, so it must be so...right?

Overall - I feel like Ms. Dodd has been spending so much time writing contemporaries that this ended up being a contemporary set in Victorian times. I hope that the next book in the series proves to live up to Ms. Dodd's talent.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful and Fun- a swashbuckling fairy tale., March 3, 2010

By 

Romantic Glutton (TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Bed with the Duke (Mass Market Paperback)

This mid-19th Century romance takes place in a fictional country, with fictional royalty and rules of society. Thus it gave me the sense of a fairy tale, and I perceived it that way as I read it. Taken as a romantic fairy tale, one could say this fun and entertaining little romance was absolutely perfect. As a novel itself, it had some flaws, hence the loss of one star. But I thought it was delightful enough to ignore those flaws for the most part!

Emma is a paid-companion. Her family is reputable, but poor. She's rumored to be of the same lineage as William the Conquerer... which perhaps passed some of his spunk down to her. Emma, at first, seems meek and confused and I wasn't sure I was going to like her. However, she "spunked up" rather quickly and soon turned into a feisty heroine. She did have a heroine cliche- she was always running into trouble blindly and with pride. She was also conveniently blind to obvious plot devices, but again, I was able to overlook it.

Michael Durant is a duke son's and a political prisoner in this fictional land. Rumored that he was involved with revolutionists, the evil prince had him tortured for a couple of years to make him talk. Michael never does though- and soon finds himself taking Emma along for an adventure.

This fairy tale was like Zorro meets Sleepy Hollow- it was swashbuckling and exciting, with a "phantom rider" known as the Reaper at the center of the tale. There were a lot of endearing moments between the hero and heroine and if one can suspend reality- you could easily lose yourself in this fanciful story.

And unlike another reviewer, I actually thought this was a better Christina Dodd novel. I read the semi-ridiculous "A Well-Favored Gentleman" and you can see my review on that one! It wasn't terrible- but it wasn't nearly as entertaining as this one and far less original.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars parts were so bad thought it was a group effort with amateurs, July 10, 2010

By 

D. Weisman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In Bed with the Duke (The Governess Brides) (Kindle Edition)

My biggest complaint was the unevenness of the writing. there were discrepancies in style, vocabulary and tone. Part of the fun of an historical romance is the immersion in another time's social mores but this was all over the place, parts were so bad I thought it was a group effort with amateur contributors. The editor should be ashamed. Slow reading, inconsistent and really not worth the money.