Duke Most Wanted (Heiress Brides) [Mass Market Paperback]

Celeste Bradley (Author)

Book Description

Series: Heiress Brides | Publication Date: April 29, 2008

Sophie Blake’s grandfather willed his fortune to the first of his granddaughters to marry a duke.  Since her cousin, Deirdre, will seal the deal any day now, the quiet, bookish Sophie can sit back and enjoy her time with the only man she truly adores: Graham. No matter that the part charmer, part scoundrel has absolutely no designs on her! Sophie is content to engage Graham in lively conversation, beat him at cards. . .and probe at the darkness hiding behind his rakish smile.

Then Graham unexpectedly gains a title, an estate in near ruins and a mountain of debt.  If there is any chance of survival he must find a rich wife—quickly. As his hunt for a bride begins, Sophie realizes that she isn’t even in the running. Suddenly no longer content to be a wallflower, Sophie gets a stunning make-over and becomes the belle of the ball. Lots of heads are turning…including Graham’s. But this beauty has secrets of her own. Will she be his salvation or seal his fate?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Let yourself be seduced!"—Romantic Times BOOKreviews

"Everything her readers crave: wit, deliciously sensual romance...laced with intrigue and danger."—Booklist (on the Bradley’s Liar’s Club series)

From the Back Cover

From the USA Today bestselling author of Desperately Seeking a Duke and The Duke Next Door comes an enchanting tale of inheritance at first sight.

IN THE GAME OF LOVE

Sophie Blake’s grandfather willed his fortune to the first of his granddaughters to marry a duke.  Since her cousin, Deirdre, will seal the deal any day now, the quiet, bookish Sophie can sit back and enjoy her time with the only man she truly adores: Graham. No matter that the part charmer, part scoundrel has absolutely no designs on her! Sophie is content to engage Graham in lively conversation, beat him at cards. . .and probe at the darkness hiding behind his rakish smile.

YOU’VE GOT TO PLAY BY HEART…

Then Graham unexpectedly gains a title, an estate in near ruins and a mountain of debt.  If there is any chance of survival he must find a rich wife—quickly. As his hunt for a bride begins, Sophie realizes that she isn’t even in the running. Suddenly no longer content to be a wallflower, Sophie gets a stunning make-over and becomes the belle of the ball. Lots of heads are turning…including Graham’s. But this beauty has secrets of her own. Will she be his salvation or seal his fate?

“Everything her readers crave: wit, deliciously sensual romance...laced with intrigue and danger.”—Booklist (on the Bradley’s Liar’s Club series)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; First Edition edition (April 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312939701
• ISBN-13: 978-0312939700
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #580,526 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Health, Mind & Body > Relationships > Mate Seeking

More About the Author

Hi, my name is Celeste Bradley and I write "brain chocolate." That is, I write fun and sexy escapism is for hardworking women everywhere. We deserve a little man-candy, too!

Reviewers like to say I write about misfit heroines getting the man of their dreams. Maybe that's true, but don't we all feel like misfits sometimes? Even if the rest of the world thinks we have all our balls in the air, aren't we juggling like mad on the inside, desperately trying not to drop one?

I'm the kind of woman who never truly has a clean house (not all at once!), who can't seem to have Christmas projects finished by Dec 25, who is stunned by how fast weeds can take over a perfectly well-behaved garden, who is mystified by high-altitude baking rules, who doesn't quite get the kids to the dentist appointment on time...well, you get the picture. Rather than having all my ducklings in a row, I just try to make sure none of the rotten little rebels are playing in the middle of the street!

I love this manic, scattered life I lead. I love to write, craft, garden, bake and mother, even if I don't always do it all perfectly. I love living in the Southwest, with its big sky and vast desert views. I love venturing out of my quiet life to meet readers and other writers, and then I love to come back to my haven, full of ideas and renewed passion and creativity.

Maybe one of those times I'll meet you!

Hugs,
and thanks for reading!

Celeste

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed it until an unexpected development spoiled the ending, May 14, 2008

By 

Marsha Miller (Wilmington, DE United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Duke Most Wanted (Heiress Brides) (Mass Market Paperback)

Regency romances are my guilty pleasure and this one started out well. The characters were interesting and the writing was good. The least physically attractive of three cousins competing for an inheritance by being the first to marry a Duke, Sophie had given up on making an advantageous marriage and had decided to enjoy the one Season she was ever likely to have. She struck up an unlikely friendship with Graham, her chaperone's young, handsome male cousin but ever realistic, did not expect romance. He enjoys her intelligence and wit and their time together is a welcome break from the ton activities he is often immersed in. Then Graham unexpectedly becomes a Duke and inherits crushing debt along with the title. He seeks a marriage of convenience to an heiress -- which could be Sophie if they marry quickly -- but she can't tell him of the inheritance. The two struggle with their feelings for each other and their responsibilities.

Sophie is a person of character and that is the key to why the reader likes her and hopes for her happiness. Suddenly, there is an astonishing revelation in the book for which there has been no real foreshadowing; the author doesn't play fair with her readers. This new information calls Sophie's character into question and it ruined the book for me. I felt like I didn't know Sophie after all and felt resentment that the 'story' I'd been following wasn't the real story at all. The book would have been much, much better without this revelation. I would have liked to have seen it replaced with some chapters about the two of them making a marriage work and rebuilding the Duke's estate.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great except for a few misgivings., May 2, 2008

By 

LindsayS - See all my reviews

This review is from: Duke Most Wanted (Heiress Brides) (Mass Market Paperback)

I finished reading this book today, and on one hand, I really loved it. I thought the writing was fantastic and the relationship between the main characters was great, but I wasn't so sure about the ending. There were subtle hints throughout the story about her background that I thought were really confusing until the truth came out. In my mind, I thought the twist at the end was completely unnecessary and a bit too dramatic. What's worse, is that it made the main character a lot less likable. She went from being totally grounded and interesting to this unpractical risk taker. There were also secondary characters that were too unimportant to have been given their own separate stories. This is just my opinion. I don't want it to stop people from reading the book, because I thought it was really entertaining and a lot better than the other Regency books i've read lately. All in all, it think it's worth investing in the money and the time to read it.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Plot twist spoiled the book, May 28, 2008

By 

Story Time (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Duke Most Wanted (Heiress Brides) (Mass Market Paperback)

As a reader of historical romances for the past 25 years, I have never been so let down by what started as a good book. The characters were engaging, though immature, but I was enjoying the story...until the plot twist. What was the purpose? Why let us 'get to know' the heroine, and then throw us a ridiculous curveball? I will never waste my time or money on this author again.