Customer Reviews

The Duke's Revenge

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I haven't read the book yet, but I got a description from one of the buyers, hope it helps:

Follows the description from the back cover of this Regency Romance:

"you are trying to fob me off. But I shall have you! I adore you!"

Miss Alyssa Eliot's virtuous heart sank as she listened to the Marquesa of Stanwood's wild declaration. The silly moonling was but ninetten, and Alyssa, at five-and-twenty, was firmly on the shelf. Whatever would his fierce father, the Duke of Carlyle, do when he learned of such a mesalliance?

Even so, no one could have predicted Carlyle's wrath--or Alyssa's strange attraction to him. Only thirty-six, and still smarting from his deceased wife's scandalous behavior, he was more than willing to brand Alyssa a scheming strumpet.

He would teach her a lesson she would never forget...and learn one about love in the bargain.

*SPOILERS*
The official summary was very intriguing and the character development is great. First, the main character's background. Alyssa is a beautiful 25 year old spinster who moves back in with her widowed mother and half-sister to manage their finances. Both relatives are depicted as scheming, vulgar and dressed as streetwalkers. Her mother had abandoned her to her VERY conservative and aristocratic paternal grandfather and only seeks her now for money. Alyssa, feeling both filial and repulsed, is given permission by grandaddy to help, but only on the condition that she not use her actual name.

The book opens with Alyssa rejecting a 19-year old marquess' hand in marriage because she doesn't want to be seen as a cradlerobber. Marquess' dad, the Duke, gets wind of this and comes to town determined to prevent his son from marrying young. Duke had married at 16 to a French princess who had set out to ensnare every man she saw before up and dying giving birth to her 2nd child. Duke is convinced Alyssa's a liar and whore, and Alyssa is patient and sensible with everyone else but the Duke. Misconceptions occur, get solved, and they send for a special license in the end. The conclusion has many loose ends(where's Alyssa's grandpa?) and characters act so...uncharactery(why is Alyssa so insensible?).

Character development was awesome and the author spends A LOT of time explaining how each character looked like and what they felt and their motivations, etc. However, it felt like TOO much of the book was devoted to it and the ending was rushed and downright confusing. Also, if you're into steamy scenes(like me), this book is NOT for you; kiss scenes were negligent and the most romance-y scenes were limited to prolonged looks. All in all,I give the book 2.5 stars because of its good character development and flow, and unsteamy romance and aweful conclusion.