Customer Reviews

Distracting the Duchess (Leisure Historical Romance)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Lady Artemisia, Duchess of Southwycke, may only be twenty-five-years-old, but she has already been a widow for two of those years. Knowing Society would snub a female in business, Artemisia does her dealings behind an alias. Artemisia's nom de guerre is Mr. Beddington. In her employ is one assistant, James Shipwash. James runs the day-to-day operations and does interference on the occasions someone tries to call on Mr. Beddington at the office. All goes well until her father, Angus, slips into dementia.

The Honorable Trevelyn Deveridge, second son of the Earl of Warre, is in Her Majesty's Secret Service. The last coherent message received from Angus simply said "Beddington holds the key". However, no one can reach the elusive man. The key refers to a list Angus created of all his operatives. Should it fall into the wrong hands, many would die. When Trevelyn shows up at the Southwycke estate, Lady Artemisia assumes he is the new model she had sent for. Disrobing and posing nude for the lovely lady was not what Trevelyn expected, but he was not one to say no. It is not long before things start getting dicey, as espionage often does. As the intrigue deepens, as well as the passion they share for each other, Artemisia and Trevelyn must team up to figure out where the key is.

***** There are secondary plots, secondary characters, and foreign villains galore, but there was no way I could tell much more in the synopsis without giving away something vital and spoiling the adventure. The amusing mistaken identity at the beginning sure caught my attention and the suspense began quickly thereafter. The character of Artemisia is deeper than I could explain as well. She grew up in Bombay, where riding elephants and going on tiger hunts were considered the norm. Between her background and her stiff backbone, Artemisia is a force to be reckoned with. Trevelyn has his hands full with her. No faint-hearted miss here! I found this story to be downright engrossing and I cannot recommend it highly enough! Author Emily Bryan simply oozes talent! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

"Distracting the Duchess" is the first novel by Emily Bryan, but not the last, which is good news! This is just the kind of romance that I enjoy most: interesting and individual characters, quickly enmeshed in a story which includes some suspense and a mystery in need of solving, with lots of spicy sexy interludes and a good dollop of humor and whimsy. Can't ask for much more than that, in my opinion!

Artemesia is a wonderful heroine, determined to do her best by her family and also by the artistic gift she's been given -- both of which demand she behaves in a manner contrary to that of a 'normal' well-bred young widow. The "how and why" of her meeting with our hero immediately thrusts the reader into a fast-paced adventure, and sets the scene for these two fascinating peoples' journey toward a bliss that neither expects to find.

Emily Bryan is the not-so-secret pen name of Diana Groe, also the author of historical romances set in Viking times. In each of those three books ("Maidensong", "Erinsong", and "Silk Dreams" -- if you haven't read them, I recommend them highly), I saw a distinct improvement and growth in her story-telling and her writing, and have been eagerly awaiting the next "rung on the ladder" of her talent. With the first Emily Bryan book, I see quite clearly that upward climb; and with more overt sensuality, characters of more subtlety and depth, and stories of more complexity and sophistication, I'm intrigued and satisfied.

Ms Groe is clearly a writer of more than one story-telling voice, something not often found, in my experience. And in those authors who attempt to write in several genres and voices, it's even more rare to find one who can do so successfully and seamlessly. My guess is that there are several more "voices" gestating in Ms Groe's fertile mind right now, and I can't wait to hear them!

This heroine was definitely different from your typical English miss. The story had some humorous parts that varied from the norm and made it original. Although there was a lot of sexuality, I didn't find it very sensual or emotional. Maybe I just thought that some of the circumstances were awkward and the argument in the end was a bit odd to me in that it was a relationship dealbreaker. It was an easy read and was never boring, so I think many people will enjoy reading this story nevertheless - at least it was different.

A spy and a painter of nudes are an unlikely combo, but that is how DISTRACTING THE DUCHESS begins.

When Trevelyn Deveridge steps into the studio of Lady Artemisia, widowed Duchess of Southwyke, it's a case of mistaken identity. She thinks he is the new model for one of her paintings, and he does nothing to disillusion her, hoping he can still get the information he seeks. Of course, he wasn't expecting to do it in the nude.

Artemisia is a skilled painter, working on a series of paintings depicting the gods - in the buff. But her professional detachment deserts her when she sees the beautifully formed Trevelyn.

She finds herself wanting to know more about him, but little things don't add up. When she finds out he's been keeping secrets, she has to decide if the wonderful feelings he brings out in her are worth the cost of not being able to trust him.

I admit that the premise of Distracting the Duchess is one I had not come across before - a widowed, titled painter, raised in British India, and a well-born spy, meet and fall in love. I had fun seeing how the two came together. The first half is mostly about falling for each other despite themselves, and the second half is more focused on the mission Trev is on and their attempts to figure it out in time.

I liked Trevelyn quite a bit. He was fun, sexy, mysterious even as his secrets are revealed. And the recurring theme about India was well handled, not overdone as I have seen in other books. Art, sex and mystery - what else could you want?

Niki Lee

Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

The writing is great. The premise is hilarious -- they meet when she thinks he's her figure model who's going to pose nude so she can paint him. There's a mystery. Lots of chemistry between the hero and heroine, and the heroine is really smart and independent. All my favorite qualities of an excellent romance! The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is the sex scenes aren't that great. They're a little stilted. Oh, well. The rest of the book more than makes up for any lack of passion between the sheets. :)

Emily Bryan is a pseudonym for author Diana Groe whose writing style was somewhat altered from her previous books, being more sexy and comedic in tone. The Duchess in 'Distracting the Duchess' is the widow Artemisia, an artist who has rather shocked polite society by painting nudes. When a man arrives in her studio she assumes he's the newly hired model and he goes along with this assumption; Trevelyn Deveridge is actually the second son of an earl and spy working at the Great Game in India against Russia. Artemisia's father was a former spymaster who unfortunately is suffering from dementia; Deveridge has been sent to try to find the list of his contacts to keep the people safe. He thinks that one way to find this list is to get closer to Artemisia and posing as her nude model certainly helps them to spend time together. However Artemisia is soon drawn into the plot against Russia when one of her employees is captured and she and Trevelyn have to work together to try to keep the list of spies' names from falling into enemy hands.

This is a lighthearted book with some amusing moments. Historicity isn't its strong point and certain elements of the plot strain credulity but it's an enjoyable ride with appealing main characters and some amusing side-characters such as Artemisia's butler. There was nothing particularly new in this story but it is worth reading for those who like lighthearted historical romances.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008

Rated 4.5 out of 5 White Roses.

When Artemesia, the Duchess of Southwycke, got her first glimpse of Trevelyn Deveridge she knew there was something about him that made her very suspicious. She just assumed that he was sent to be her next male model for her paintings. But the more time she spends in his company, the more she realizes two very unsettling things. The first is that he's very good at lying. And two, even worse, she can't help but be attracted to him.

Trevelyn Deveridge has a duty to his Queen and his country. His current operation is to get his hands on a key that is in the Duchess' hands, or more precisely in the hands of Josiah H. Beddington, the trustee of her father's estate. Beddington is a very elusive person and no matter what Trev (or anyone else for that matter) does, no one can seem to get a hold of that man. Only the Duchess seems to know how to get in contact with him and she's not telling anyone where he is.

Trev needs that key and will do anything to find it -like pretending to be a country bumpkin named Thomas Doverspike who will pose naked so a very beautiful duchess can paint him in all his glory. The things one does for one's Queen and Country...

~*~*~*~*~

Normally, I am not a big fan of historical romance novels that include espionage in the premiss but Ms. Bryan -or I should say, Ms. Marlowe, has turned that around and given me a change of heart and mind. This story has proven to me that while spies may need love and romance too, it can be done well, and not in a cheesy highly predictable manner, but a classy one. I enjoyed reading Distracting the Duchess and have no doubt others will too.

The chemistry between Trev and Larla (as he calls her) is brilliant. From the moment he stands naked, er, nude, before her, Ms. Marlowe provides readers with a picture that's the perfect balance of amusing and sensual. It was fun watching Trev and Larla go through the pieces of the puzzle and unravel the story. I don't want to say anymore because I don't want to give any delicious spoilers away. So I'll just say, read Distracting the Duchess, you won't be disappointed.

Hugs & Kisses,

The Lustrous Courtesan

ReadingHaven.com

At twenty-five years old, the Duchess of Southwycke Lady Artemisia has been a widow for two years. Because of her Bombay childhood in which a female could be publicly active Artemesia runs a business; but to avoid becoming the Ton pariah, she uses the alterego of Mr. Bennington. Only her brilliant assistant James Shipwash knows otherwise and understands a key part of his job is to hide his employer's gender.

When her father Angus recognizes that he is losing his mind, he sends a last note to Home Office Secret Service operative Lord Trevelyn Deveridge that says succinctly "Beddington holds the key". Trevelyn begins to search for the elusive Beddington, but no one seems to know who he is and Shipwash is vague and uncooperative. A desperate Trevelyn travels to Southwycke estate to see if Angus' daughter can help interpret the message. Immediately attracted to one another, she assumes he is the male model she hired to pose naked for her next painting. As they fall in love, someone else seeks the key that Beddington holds, but Artemisia has no idea what her father meant.

This a much more complex historical espionage romantic suspense than that described above as there are several more key subplots that all converge into a fabulous tale. The fast-paced story line hooks the audience the moment that Artemisia mentally strips Trevelyn who almost immediately takes it off and never slows down until the final confrontation with some bad dudes. Fans will appreciate this exciting thriller as the adventures keep on coming.

Harriet Klausner