Duel of Hearts [Hardcover]

Diane Farr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2002

From Booklist: Lilah and Adam, ninth Earl of Drakesley, have only two things in common. The first is that Lilah's father and Drake's cousin plan to marry, a marriage they rush to London to stop, meeting along the way and discovering their mutual mission. The second thing they share is their forceful, overly assertive personalities, the results of having been raised with no one to gainsay their every wish. Constant bickering ensues when each finds that the other is not responding as most do to their habit of riding roughshod over any and all obstacles. In pursuit of their common goal, they must work together: and, in spite of finding this difficult, the passion that results from their close proximity is as forceful as their personalities. Farr's headstrong characters aren't terribly likeable at first, but this romance's appeal grows as the reader gets past Drake's and Lilah's egocentrism. Maria HattonCopyright © American LibraryAssociation. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 342 pages
• Publisher: Signet; Book Club edition (2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739429221
• ISBN-13: 978-0739429228
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,546,240 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Diane Farr was first published at the age of eight when the local newspaper printed one of her poems. She has spent most of her life with her nose in a book -- sometimes reading, sometimes writing. Eventually she produced eight historical romances that were all published by Signet Books. Her latest adventure, WICKED COOL, is Book I in a teen paranormal series: The Spellspinners. All her books either are, or soon will be, available on Kindle!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars entertaining light-hearted fluff, September 19, 2002

By 

fast reader (Wyoming) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Duel of Hearts (Paperback)

This is correctly billed as Farr's "wittiest romp ever." Her trademark sparkling dialog makes for a fast, entertaining read. You can always count on this author for a well-drawn cast of characters and intelligent & witty prose. The hero and heroine in this one are strong-willed and spoiled rotten. Their resistance to falling under anyone else's spell causes them to clash hilariously as they try to escape each other's pull. Lots of fun.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an amusing and fun read, October 5, 2002

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Duel of Hearts (Paperback)

"Duel of Hearts" is one of the most amusing romance novels I've read in a long time. In fact the plot and the characters found in the, "Duel of Hearts" reminded me strongly of similar novels written by one of my favourite Regency romance authours, Marion Chesney.

When Delilah Chadwick, the only daughter of Sir Horace Chadwick, receives news that her father is about to marry, the dismayed young lady immediately jumps the conclusion that her father is being manipulated into marriage by an unscrupulous harpy. (Being a tad spoilt and headstrong young lady, and being totally used to running the lives of all those around her, thinking of her father as a used dupe is the only way in which she can currently cope with the notion that her father would choose to marry again after so many years of being a widower.) And so, Lilah decides to immediately make for London, in order to stop her father from making the mistake of his life.

Rich, autocratic and used-to-always-having-things-his-own-way Adam Harlestone, the ninth Earl of Drakesley, had always assumed that he would marry his plain and unassuming cousin, Eugenia, when the time was right. The last thing he expected was to receive intelligence that Eugenia (who is in London for the Season) is being pursued by a gentleman old enough to be her father. Sure that his cousin is need of his protection, he decides to make for London in order to salvage her honour. Unexpectedly, however, Drakesley runs into Eugenia's supposed seducer's daughter on the road. And after the initial barbed exchanges (which are truly quite amusing), the pair discover that they have a goal in common -- extracting their loved ones from the predicament they seem currently find themselves in. And so these two incredibly forceful and spoilt individuals come to an agreement: to put an end to this engagement between Sir Horace and Eugenia that neither Lilah or Drakesley approve of. What happens next is something neither Lilah nor Drakesley anticipated. For Lilah finds to her dismay that the incredibly high-handed and autocratic Drakesley would suit her down to a tee! And while Drakesley finds Lilah very spoilt and stubborn, he also finds her to be very enchanting and tantalising. Will Drakesley and Lilah give up on their plans to break up Sir Horace and Eugenia? And will they decide to pursue the volatile attraction that seems to be growing between them? And then of course there is Eugenia -- an extremely intelligent young lady who sees and understands a lot more than she lets on...

I don't think I've smiled so much while reading one book. "Duel of Hearts" was definitely a fun read. The plot, while a rather well known one with few deviations, thanks to Diane Farr's brilliant handling still seemed fresh and interesting. I loved the manner in which she developed both the plot (the bits where both Lilah and Drakesley try to 'talk' sense to Eugenia) and the romance that was simmering between Drakesley and Lilah. Especially brilliant, however, was the manner in which she brought the characters of Drakesley, Lilah, Eugenia, and a few other minor characters to life -- the changes to Lilah's character, the manner in which her character in particular begins to change and mature, was esp satisfying. If I have any quibbles with this novel, it's that there wasn't enough of Sir Horace and Eugenia. Seeing their story unfold as a backdrop to Drakesley and Lilah's would have been really nice. And I suppose I would have preferred it if Diane Farr had been a little more ironic about Drakesley and Lilah -- a la Marion Chesney. But these are just minor quibbles, not at all to be taken too seriously.

All in all, "Duel of Hearts" is a superb read, and deserves both a lot of rave reviews and a 5 star rating.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious, clever, well-written, tongue in cheek froth, July 18, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Duel of Hearts (Paperback)

Some of the reviewers obviously didn't "get" this book. It's a comedy! Lilah and Drake are made for each other, precisely because nobody else could stand to live with either one of them. They ENJOY their conflicts and it is that air of naughty enjoyment that makes their confrontations so droll.

And, by the way, the cameo appearance made by Lord Rival takes place when he is clearly in his early 20s. He doesn't meet Olivia in THE FORTUNE HUNTER until he is in his 30's. So he's an unrepentant rake because he hasn't repented yet. In other words, DUEL OF HEARTS takes place several years before THE FORTUNE HUNTER. I agree with the other reviewer that he would never cheat on his beloved wife, but he hasn't met her yet. The author could have made this clearer, perhaps, since it probably bothered a few readers who didn't figure that out.