Customer Reviews

Four Dukes and a Devil

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

 

 

'Four Dukes and a Devil' contains five stories, three which are historical romances with a duke as the hero, one modern romance with a ghostly duke/dog who is part of the plot and the fifth a paranormal romance with vampires and demons.

The three historical romances are all pretty much as one would expect - short stories about a woman falling in love - and marrying - her duke. Cathy Maxwell's "The Irish Duke" was the weakest of the three. Her heroine is a matchmaker, a spinster herself, who somehow turns polite society against the Irish dukes (who are last in order of precedence amongst dukes) and eventually snares one herself. It was difficult to believe half of the events in this story, and I didn't feel either character was particularly well drawn.

"Catch of the Century" by Sophia Nash focuses on Victoria Givan, a minor character in her previous full-length novel, who is travelling with three young boys and finds herself in trouble. She's rescued by a duke in a posh carriage and events mean that she ends up staying at his home, with the expected ensuing romance. John Varick, the Duke of Beaufort, is a worthy hero but I found Victoria a bit annoying (as I did in her novel 'Love with the Perfect Scoundrel') and there were appearances by several characters from her series of books which perhaps are a bit overmuch for a short story. This was probably the weakest story in the collection but was still OK.

"Charmed by her Smile" by Tracey Anne Warren was a good story, although with some elements that some might find uncomfortable (the hero is fourteen years older than the heroine, for example). The Duke of Weybridge finds himself improbably in a kiss with a young debutante, India Byron, in order to help her avoid a persistent suitor. They meet again and once again he helps to deflect the suitor's attentions, not realising that he will find himself entranced by India. This wasn't a bad story but lots of the plot aspects were very unlikely and the historical accuracy was fairly shaky in places.

The modern romance story, "the Duke who came to dinner" by Elaine Fox, was an enjoyable story about a woman 'getting away from it all' to a house in Massachussetts and trying to be a bit braver than normal. She meets Sam Gregory, a man who isn't her usual type but with whom she starts a friendship, aided by an unusual dog. This was a pleasant story if rather pedestrian.

My favourite story in this collection was "Devil to Pay" by Jeaniene Frost. Elise is a loner vampire who lives by herself and rarely interacts with anyone. When she discovers a man trying to kill himself she rescues him, not realising that he is trying to commit suicide to protect others from his demon rages. As Elise and her vampire Sire realise what's going on, that Blake will have to die away from humans to avoid transferring the demon, she comes out of her shell as she focuses on Blake and his needs. This was a well-written and original story which I enjoyed very much.

In summary, this is a fairly good collection of stories although there's a minimal connection between them in terms of theme. They make good reading for a lazy day and will introduce readers to some authors that they may not previously have encountered.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book. © Helen Hancox 2009

When I saw the title of this anthology I was intrigued. When I saw the list of authors contributing to the anthology I was puzzled. After reading the book I've come to the conclusion that this publisher is simply trying to introduce readers to various authors and the genres they typically write in. Did it work? Only time will tell.

1. "The Irish Duke", Cathy Maxwell, Regency historical, 56 pages long
Miss Susan Rogers is a 26 year old spinster who has discovered a novel method for earning her living. She will use her experience in a broken engagement to convince parents that she can guide their daughters through the perils of a London season. Roan Gillray, the fourth Duke of Killeigh, has come to London expressly to find a wife. What he discovers instead is that eligible young women actually run to get away from "the Irish Duke" because of the story some matchmaker is putting about. Roan intends to get to the bottom of this problem quickly.

2. "The Duke Who Came to Dinner", Elaine Fox, contemporary, 68 pages
Gray Gilliam knows that she needs to take some chances if she is ever going to get her life out of the rut she is in. That is the main reason she leaves her home and job in Virginia and agrees to spend the summer at the Cape Cod home of a friend, hoping that having someone in residence will help the house to sell. It seems there is a rumor that the house is haunted by the ghost of an English Duke. Gray's first experiment in kicking over the traces was to go skinny dipping in the ocean. That ended in disaster when a dog ran off with her clothes. Her second try was going to the local bar instead of a place more suited for tourists. That's where she met Sam who owns the dog who stole her clothes. The dog is called Duke, of course.

3. "Devil to Pay", Jeaniene Frost, urban fantasy, 88 pages
Blake Turner is a man who became possessed by a demon six months ago. Since then he has been trying to find a way to kill himself to stop the horrific things the demon does when he controls Blake's body. When Elise, a vampire, captures Blake he thinks that she will be his best chance to end this nightmare he is living. But, there is a problem. Unless Blake dies in exactly the right circumstances the demon will simply leave his body and enter another. Elise would much prefer to keep away from the entire situation but something about Blake makes her want to get involved, a feeling she hasn't had in a very long time. (This story was the star of the collection for me and I really liked it very much.)

4. "Catch of the Century", Sophia Nash, Regency historical, 76 pages
John Varick, ninth Duke of Beaufort, has been dubbed by all the London papers as the Catch of the Century because of his fabulous wealth, his title, and his good looks. John has become very adept at avoiding the snares placed before an inattentive Duke when it comes to matters of matrimony. When he meets Miss Victoria Givan and her three young charges along the roadside he may be wary but common courtesy demands that he offer to help them reach their destination.

5. "Charmed by Her Smile", Tracy Anne Warren, London 1809, 89 pages
Quinten Marlow, eighth Duke of Weybridge, is very bored. Of course having a lovely young woman run up to him at a wedding reception and demand that he kiss her does add a certain amount of sparkle to the occasion. India Byron hopes that her unwanted suitor will be convinced that he has no chance with her and leave her alone once he sees that she is being paid particular attention by the Duke. Unfortunately it simply means that the suitor continues to challenge the Duke to every contest imaginable, from whist to riding. Quinten hasn't had so much fun in years and he really does enjoy being with India, but there is quite a bit of difference in their ages.

All five of these stories was very well written. The usual problems exist with stories included in an anthology, specifically that there is just not enough space given to fully develop the plots or the characters. For me, the story which came closest was the story by Jeaniene Frost, but her name is the one which sold me on the book in the first place. The connections between dukes and devils was quite a stretch at best. And one "duke" was a dog and there was possibly a ghost Duke. The "devil" was in the Frost story.

The Sophia Nash story contains characters who are included in other books written by her. The Jeaniene Frost story has an appearance by Bones and Cat from Frost's Night Huntress series. If the other stories have connections with previous books or series, I don't know that information. As I've said before all of the stories are very well written but overall I would have to rate the book as being rather bland. This isn't a book that I will ever want to read again and I don't know if I fully understand why these particular stories were together in the book unless the publisher was trying to encourage readers to explore genres new to them. Good luck to them if that is their purpose. For me personally, Regency romances have become so predictable that I've almost given up on them completely. I had hoped that the authors of those Regency stories included here had taken some daring chances. No such luck.

Wow! It's very rare that an anthology has more than 1 or 2 stories worthwhile for me. And I'm surprised at the low ratings on this. I felt like this one delivered! =)

Now I like Nash, Maxwell, and Warren already as historical romances are my genre! And I was not disappointed! As for the other 2 authors, I had read one or two books by them and while they are also good authors, they just don't push the 'extra' for me that these other authors do.

The stories from Nash, Maxwell, and Warren use one ingredient the others didn't: humor! If you are of the same mind you will love these! And you will probably recognize characters from previous stories!

The other two stories if I had to rate them individually were better than usual with antho's. so, I have rated them overall and individually. I hope this helps! note, Warren Maxwell were a very close tie actually for 2nd; thus the odd #. And one reviewer was turned off by one of the female leads stubborness - I on the other hand found that this trait was a big part of what gave the story so much humor! Just goes to show - different strokes... as another reviewer commented, there is something here for everyone! =) Enjoy!

Cathy Maxwell - 3 (4 3/4*) Yes, I know, only whole and half #'s but...=)
Elaine Fox - 5
Jeaniene Frost - 4 (4 1/2*)
Sophia Nash - 1 (5*)
Tracy Anne Warren - 2 (5*)

While not a great lover of the anthology, I love a full book by my chosen author, these five stories were fairly good. The disappointing thing is that just as you get into the characters, the story is over. I got it primarily because of the Jeaniene Frost short story about Cat and Bones. I was really disappointed as they were only a very,very minor part of the short story. It does give you a taste of other authors that might lead you to checking out their full length novels but I am going to stick to non-anthologies after this.

Five novellas, each wonderful in their own different way, make up this summer anthology. I'd read four of the authors before, but was new to Frost. None of the stories are connected, but there was something for almost every taste. Three of the stories are historical (Regency period), one is a contemporary (Fox), and the last is paranormal (Frost).
I'll skip the plotlines, and get to the heart of the review. The novellas in this book are great: very clever dialogue in many of the stories, sexy/romantic scenes, memorable characters, witty-laugh out loud moments, and poignant other scenes. The paranormal is dark and hot. The contemporary by Elaine Fox is hilarious. Nash's novella was a winner all the way around. Warren and Maxwell's stories were very clever and romantic. This was a great summer read.

i liked it OK, but got it to read other authors I had never read before. It did not get my interest up enough to buy their individual works except Frost.

I won't go into all the different stories because other reviewers have that covered. All the stories were nice and enjoyable but none of them stood out particularly. As much as I love historical stories, my favorite in this anthology was the modern, vampire story in which a sad, lonely vampire has to save a human who has been possessed by a demon. This book is worth getting from the library or second hand - I wouldn't bother to buy it new.

Four Dukes and a Devil was good, but it's one I probably won't keep. It's a toss up because Charmed by Her Smile was that good, and it does contain a Frost story, but I don't know. Either way, if you're in the mood for a good historical read, definitely pick this book up the next time you're at the library.

For my full review, check out Literary Escapism.

"The Irish Duke" by Cathy Maxwell

Susan Rogers is a lady looking for a way to keep independent of her dreary relations. To make ends meet, she takes on young ladies during their first Season and leads them to happy marriages. A recent selling point has been to point out that of all Dukes, the Irish ones are the last to be recognized. No parent wants this, and since there are few Irish Dukes around, it makes for a good argument for retention of her services.



Until an Irish Duke arrives, irate and yet intrigued by Ms. Rogers' plan. Roan decides the only way to get the bride he came to London to find is to get Ms. Rogers on his side - by whatever means necessary.



"The Duke Who Came to Dinner" by Elaine Fox

The only contemporary in the bunch, the story takes places in Massachusetts, where Gray Gilliam has moved to get away from her life and decide what happens next. What she wasn't expecting was someone to steal her clothes as she skinny-dipped (something she would normally never do) and then have to pedal her way back the haunted house she is borrowing from friends. Trying to overcome her shyness and tendencies, meeting Sam in a bar definitely ranks up there on a list of things Gray would not have expected. And neither is the attraction she feels for him.



"Devil to Pay" by Jeaniene Frost

Featuring some characters from the Grave series, Ms. Frost introduces us to a reclusive vampire, content in her little hovel with nothing but books to keep her happy. But when she stumbles on a man needing help, a man possessed by a very strong demon, she finds her heart waking up, even as they realize that they only way to save the man is death.



"Catch of the Century" by Sophia Nash

Victoria Givan is bound and determined to get her young charges to the monastery where they will all work on restoring it as a foundling's home. When they are left stranded and the Duke of Beaufort offers them aid, she can't help but accept. But as she gets to know John, and he realizes she is far more than she seems, Victoria knows it will all end badly, so she escapes. With the help of her friends (characters from other Nash books), she may just find she deserves love at last.



"Charmed by Her Smile" by Tracy Anne Warren

It seemed a good plan to India Byron when she decided to ask a stranger to kiss her in an attempt at getting an ardent admirer away from her. But that kiss makes them both want more, despite both having plans to move on with their lives.



Four Dukes and a Devil is an interesting concept, with its mix of historical, contemporary and paranormal. This mix may not appeal to all, but it worked for me. I wish they had been a bit more stand alone (in a few, you felt like you were missing pieces of the story since it referred to other series), but overall the held up well. The quality of all of the stories seemed to fit well together, with none lagging behind in the others in enjoyment.



If you like a mix in your romance grab bag, this collection would be the one for you.



Niki Lee
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

A few of the stories made it difficult to follow if you had not read previous books by the author, however, they were all comprehensible to me with no prior knowledge.

In "Charmed by her Smile" by Tracey Anne Warren: Young girl tries to get rid of admirer by asking for help from a duke to pursue her instead. I rate this 5 stars & will definitely be looking for more books by this author who captured my interest with spunk, humor, passion & romance. The best in the lot!

Story by Sophia Nash "Catch of the Century": Girl in charge of 3 boys is "rescued" by duke & romance begins, though big struggle with her stubbornness. I rate 3 1/2 stars; the main character was very stubborn to the point of being really annoying, which is why I could not really cheer for her. The beginning & middle was very promising but with a very cheesy ending it could not make it to 4 stars.

"Devil to Pay" by Jeaniene Frost: Vampire & possessed mortal & their struggles to relieve him of this devil without causing the man's early departure. I rated 5 stars; I love this author from previous books as well as she has a most compelling writing ability that captures you & make you want to root for her characters, pulling you into whichever universe she presents. Most definitely a recommended author!

The story, "the Duke who came to dinner" by Elaine Fox: Woman trying to "invent herself" on vacation falls in love & all that. Again I rated 3 stars; the story just didn't "capture" me & a lot of focus on the dog, a more fun take I believe would have been focusing more on the ghost part but just my thought :-)

Story by Cathy Maxwell "The Irish Duke": Spinster trying to pursue a career leading young women to marry only the right man. I would rate only 3 stars; a very childish main character who seem to have learned nothing in her assumed "hard times", which makes the ending rather petty and her sisters appear to be so unbelievable it took away from an otherwise ok written beginning and middle part of the story. As if that wasn't enough, I really didn't care for her ending where she tried to insert some "valuable lessons" of moral value into the reader. I will not look for any further stories by this author.

All in all, this is a fairly good collection of short stories and the 2 stories worth 5 stars make the whole collection worth every cent. A good evaluation of the writing skills of the authors I'd say, as it's helped me in my future search of which authors to pursue & which to avoid.