Customer Reviews

The Hazards of Hunting a Duke

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First, I would like to address M. Garland who didn't care for this book and wasn't sure she would read any more. Don't let this one book influence your opinion of a really wonderful author. I've read all of Julia London's books (save for the Highlander series because I'm just not into that sort of thing)and this is my least favorite. She wrote Devil's Love and Wicked Angel and then the Rogues series and they were all really, really good. Even her contemporaries are worth a read.

This book grinded me for several reasons and I'm not just picking on London here, but every author who does it. Two people marry for convenience and then one day, the woman decides she wants more out of her marriage and she starts to pout and whine because he can't give her more for one ridiculous reason or another. They become estranged and then poof, one day he wakes up, gets hit with a brick and realizes that yes, he does love her. Then everything is fixed and good thing, because she's usually pregnant.

Another thing that I'm tired of seeing is the total lack of communication between husband and wife. If my husband saw me come out of the woods with another man (a little role reversal, but the same idea)whom he suspected I was having an affair with and I really wasn't, I would say a little more than, "I'm sorry." It only made Jared look more guilty and gave his wife yet another reason to sulk. Why didn't he explain to her what really happened??? Why is there always such a frustrating lack of communication between the hero and heroine? Why can't they just be honest and forthright with each other so that we're not left skimming through the several pages of 'she couldn't live like this' and 'he couldn't live like this' before they FINALLY decide to really talk to each other?

Ava set out to find herself a husband with a prestigious title and a few bucks in his pocket. Jared set out to find himself a wife who would not repulse him in bed. I would say he would have a bigger axe to grind with the gold digger than her with him but it didn't play out that way. We were to believe that she was the wronged one and, as usual, it's the guy who's brought to his knees.

It's not a boring read but I did tire of all the sulking going on. And just because I wasn't as impressed with this book as I've been with some of London's others doesn't mean I won't read her forthcoming books. I always look forward to another of her works in print.

I liked this book. I have read literally hundreds of regencies. And I think you must agree that many regency heroines do pretty stupid things.I liked Ava. She was not stupid. She's everything a regency heroine should be: intelligent, lovely, loyal, and kind. There was a lighthearted tone to this book that I enjoyed. The banter and flirting between Ava and Jared were very well done. The situtation with the household staff she recruited was comical. She was typical of girls of her class who were encouraged to marry "up." When she agreed to marry Jared, she was virtually destitute. She loved her sister and cousin (they in turn loved her which reflects Ava's worthiness) and she wanted to provide for them. How better than to marry the heir of a duke? Now, the hero. Typical regency hero: handsome, rich, and a hottie. But he was not cruel as many of them are; he was indeed conflicted. He had real issues with his father and the early loss of his mother. He didn't believe he even knew what love was. Wow. Now I'm flashing back to that notorious interview of Prince Charles and Princess Diana where he said (the cad!) "whatever 'in love' means." Sorry to digress. This is not an intense Lisa Kleypas-type historical regency. There's a little angst but the good hearts of both the hero and heroine win out in the end. After reading the first reviews posted, I thought "What?" I actually reread the book to determine if I was that much off-base. I'm happy to say I'm not. As a veteran reader of hundreds of historicals and regencies, I think this is an enjoyable read. I'm giving it 5 stars because I think the extremely low rankings of other reviews are very unfair. There was misuse of the word exacerbated (should have been exasperated)and Miss Pennebacker was misnamed as Miss Downey at the end of the book (sloppy editing no doubt). The denouement seemed rushed but I really liked the interplay (verbal and physical) between Ava and Jared. I look forward to the other 2 books in The Desperate Debutantes trilogy.

I found this book lightweight - not in its physical properties (it was a satisfyingly chunky book at nearly 400 pages) but in terms of its content. The basic story is that Jared, the Marquis of Middleton, is a rake who has numerous affairs but has no wife and legal heir. His father, the Duke of Redford, wants him to settle down and get a legitimate heir but Jared is unwilling.

Ava and her sister Phoebe discover, after their mother's death, that their stepfather will not give them any money - they merely have their small dowries left. Therefore they need to get some money in order to continue to live acceptably and to provide employment for the various people that they have helped (Ava's lady's maid is a former prostitute, the butler is another lame duck, etc).

Of course Ava hits on the plan of marrying the Marquis of Middleton to solve their problems and, spookily, he hits on the plan of marrying Ava to shut his father up. So they marry. After a successful wedding night they become estranged, the reason being that Ava wants his love and thinks he's still seeing his mistress. Jared believes he can't love, it's not within him, so keeps away from his wife - apart from telling her he needs an heir.

It's often said that authors should "show, not tell" what's going on in their characters' lives. This is a very true adage in respect to this book - Julia London TELLS us all the time what people are feeling but we can't really sense/detect this from their behaviour. It's pretty tricky to understand why Jared likes Ava and puts up with her being pretty annoying. And why he just doesn't tell her outright he's not still keeping a mistress - the Big Misunderstanding doesn't work properly when it could so easily be discussed. There's a side plot about an illegitimate son and Ava's cousin travelling in Wales to visit her family (which is no doubt a set up for another book) but I found this book generally pretty dull, I often put it down with boredom and it didn't even have any interesting historical vignettes to keep me interested. As always, the American author included some Americanisms in grammar and speech - and the most notable of these, for me, is the choice of names; I don't think that either Jared or Ava were names commonly used in the Regency. Jared, being a biblical name, might just have turned up - Ava is a German name which I believe first started occurring at the end of the 19th century, so would not have been in this historical/geographical timeframe. What does this say about the author's research?

If you just want basic escapist reading with a dishy leading man and a beautiful heroine then you might like this book. If you want an interesting, in-depth and worthwhile Regency then read Georgette Heyer or Laura Kinsale's "Flowers From The Storm" and leave this book alone.

Our story begins in March, 1819. Lady Ava Fairchild is heartbroken when Aunt Cassandra dies. Then her stepfather, Lord Downey, absconds with the fortune and disappears for a year. Ava, her younger sister, Phoebe, and her cousin, Greer, are left in the cold hands of Downey's sister. No money is left for their care. Their time in Society seems to be over. But Ava soon has enough of it and decides to hunt down the rake Jared Broderick. Jared is the Marquis of Middleton and heir to a dukedom. He would be the ticket to their freedom.

Jared is sick of hearing his father, the current Duke of Redford, harp on about settling down and begetting an heir. To shut him up, Jared chooses Ava. Of course, his father is not happy since he had another lady in mind. After all, Ava has no money at all to bring. Yet Jared does not care. Their marriage would be one of convenience. She would give him an heir and stay out of his life otherwise. In return, he would care for her, her sister, and her cousin.

However, Ava soon decides that she does not want a marriage of convenience, she wants passion. So now Ava is out to win her husband's heart, with a bit of help from her unusual maid (former lady of the night).

***** Author, Julia London, takes a realistic situation of the time and turns it into a wonderful romance that will bring a blush to your cheeks and warmth to your heart. Since Ava's maid is a former lady of the night, the bedroom scenes are very steamy. Ava is a very strong heroine that will do anything to help the ones she loves. Her strength and determination is a wonder to behold. The whole plot sounds so simple, yet I found myself unable to put the book down for even the shortest of time. I never got bored or wanted to strangle one of the main characters. No sappy people, well written, and downright enthralling. Highly recommended! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Oh my anyone that does not see this book as a beautiful love story well I just do not understand them. Someone described this couple as miserable and depressing. Truly I just did not see them that way at all. From the very first moment that Jared met Ava there was something between them, even if it was just a chemistry. You could feel it. Of course they both had their hidden reasons for marrying. Poor Jared had been jerked around so much his entire life by his cold father the Duke he was just trying to marry someone that he might actually be able to tolerate, rather than the cold pathetic woman that the Duke had selected. And Ava was just trying to have some say so in her future before her horrible stepfather returned from France and then would accept the proposal of a man Ava could not tolerate. However, once these two married slowly things began to change. Ava fell in love. Jared, was actually a pretty good husband. Even though Ava did not realize it he had not further contact with his mistress and he intended to be faithful. He did not understand love, and felt that perhaps he was incapable of giving Ava the love she wanted. But as this couple learns to deal with each other they truly do come together and actually begin to have many more good days than bad. Of course Ava wants 100% of Jared's love and it seems for awhile that he just cannot deliver. It does take Jared awhile to come to his senses but the process for one so devoid of love most of his life would not be easy to recognize love when it finally touches him. Jared basically is a good and caring man. And I truly found this to be a very deep and moving love story. If this is the beginning of a trio of books I hope the other two are as good. This one is a complete keeper!!

In 1819 London, the Marquis of Middleton, heir to the Redford Duchy, loves women and gaming. His father the Duke wants Jared to wed their neighbor Elizabeth Robertson, but he refuses. Instead Jared Broderick prefers to enjoy life with the Widow Miranda Waterstone.

Sisters Ava and Phoebe Fairchild and their cousin Greer are best friends. At a ball, Ava's heel breaks just before she declines Jared request to dance. He angrily assumes she is cutting him because of his rakish reputation. Ava leaves, but her footman places her in the wrong carriage. Inside is Jared, who kisses and caresses her breasts before she stops him and explains her heel broke. When Ava's mother suddenly dies, their stepfather Egbert tells them that since he controls their money they will mourn in poverty while he goes to France to spend time with his lover. When he returns he will marry them to the highest bidder. Greer leaves for Wales to find her uncle and rescue the three of them.

In 1820, Redford tells Jared to marry Elizabeth or else he will cut him off. Jared considers wedding Miranda, who says they cannot because his dad will cut them off. Jared realizes Miranda loves his title and wealth. He needs an acceptable wife so when he sees Ava he decides she is perfect. Ava thinks the rakish duke is perfect as a husband to help her and her sister. Can this be enough to form a relationship, let alone a loving one?

Readers will appreciate the first Fairchild's Regency romance starring an intriguing lead couple supported by a solid strong secondary cast. The story line is a welcome fun straightforward romance though that also means the lead couple is typical of the sub-genre. Julia London leaves the Highlands for a fine historical romance.

Harriet Klausner

Most of this novel was like watching a train wreck that I just couldn't stop reading. There was no humor and little romance just two sad people searching for love. Just not my favorite novel - I would pass.

Geeze it is terrible!!!!! The Fairchild clan learns that their stepfather ran away with their late mother's money. Ava, the eldest of this clan, locates Jared Broderick, the Marquis of Middleton and heir to a dukedom and he marries her. She should feel lucky!! Especially in light of who she could have ended up married too. The endless mind games she played with Jared were not a sign of a smart go to gal who knows what she wants, which is I think was Ms. London was going for. Instead, she comes across as manipulative, which makes any romance with her and the actually very nice Jared unrealistic. A very poor romance. In fact, I would say a very frustrating one. Half way through any romance book, you have to be rooting for H/H to get together, declare their love and live happily ever after. In this one, you hope Jared can get a divorce!!!!

Two things right off: 1. If you are a frequent reader of Julia London, you know that she likes the "redeemed hero" that starts off as a real [...]. 2. This has the typical plotline of woman strikes a deal of convenient marriage, falls for husband, and decides that only love with suit her. Ava needs money, Jared needs an heir. After their marriage Ava falls desperately in love with Jared and the hunt begins!

I liked Ava. She was very much a "historical figure," her preoccupations were those that I would expect from someone in that time period. Of course she had a modern/liberal streak in her and was quite bold and brazen. Her downfall was definitely her immense pride and narrowminded view when it came to getting what she wants... when she wants. I wish she would've outgrown that at some point, but all-in-all, Ava was a delight. (Much more so than Greer, who ruined the sequel for me. I won't even bother with writing a review for that work.)

Jared was a tough nut to chew. A lot was not revealed about his past until the very end, giving the audience a skewed perception of his actions. I don't feel like he was redeemed, but rather, his character was developed. He always had that love in him, he just couldn't put a name to it. Couldn't identify why it was he had those tender feelings where Ava was concerned and at first it scared him... causing him to put up walls between them.

The romance was excellent, as far as I am concerned. There were some points when my heart was just breaking at the desperate and awkward way these two characters clung to their muddled emotions looking for some sort of justification for inadvertently hurting each other at every turn. But, there were sweet tender moments that I enjoyed. Humorous, sweet incidents. Little things that London added to her work. One of my favorite little moments is when Ava is in her room, ignoring Jared the best that she can while trying to get lessons in seduction from Sally, her lady's maid. He hears giggling in her room at odd moments and repeatedly walks by it trying to get a listen of more. He feels stung that he's left out and misses her at dinner! So sweet.

My problem was the ex-mistress who tries to get in the way. Money-grubbing, catty, greedy, little hussy. Shows up at opportune moments, groveling before the hero as the heroine just happens to overlook and misinterpret the entire situation. It's such a played-out convention! Can we retire the use of the ex-mistress from now on? ENOUGH!

I also wish there could be more Jared-Edmond and Jared-the Duke. Such interesting relationships were not allowed to be developed fully. But, I enjoyed this novel none the less. I have hope for Phoebe! Greer was SUCH a dissapointment in the sequel.

Well I hate to say this but this caps it for me with Ms. London. This book *started* out interesting, didn't develop, and in the end had me struggling and skimming...quickly...to just finish it! There wasn't even a 'cutesy, flimsy, or even bad' storyline to hold it up.

Ava is a "desperate debutante" who has lost her mother, has a sister and female cousin in the family who are supposedly dependant on her, yet she doesn't even have the backbone to stand up to a luke warm stern step-father - who has taken control of her mother's, and therefore, her fortune. The word step-father tends to make one think of words like "evil, forceful, abusive brute"... think again. He's barely mean! He even confesses to caring about each of the girls and has his favorite among them. The only thing Ava does is state she's going to marry a duke. But it doesn't come about through any effort on her part. Whining, ungrateful, and manipulating, are the only traits that shine with her.

Jared, the future duke in the story, is a carefree (well aren't they all) rogue who doesn't have an ounce of respect for anyone and also displays a serious lack of backbone. If felt as if the words he spoke were totally emotionless! He never convincingly stands up to his father, who is the duke, actually gives in to his 'heir' demands thus by wedding "desperate deb," never stands up for an illegitimate son living and being raised in the area by another man, and in the end when he finally *does* confess to love...totally gave me the feeling is was just a last ditch effort to shut up and pacify the "desperate debutante!"

I apologize if this sounds harsh. But I've been up all night reading this book, hoping it would turn around. It didn't. Why 2 stars? I loved the cover, colors, and inside picture.