How to Marry a Duke [Mass Market Paperback]

Vicky Dreiling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2011

Tristan, the Duke of Shelbourne is a man with a mission: find a wife he can tolerate as long as they both shall live. Love is not necessary--nor desired. But how to choose among a dizzying array of wealthy-yet-witless candidates? Hire London's infamously prim and proper matchmaker. Then pretend she's not the most captivating woman he's ever met...

Helping a devilish Duke create a contest to pick his perfect mate is the kind of challenge Tessa Mansfield relishes. Her methods may be scandalous, but she's determined to find the notorious bachelor more than a wife--she'll bring him true love. Yet when Tessa watches the women vie for the Duke's affections, she longs to win his heart herself. And after a stolen kiss confirms Tristan's desire, Tessa knows she has broken a matchmaker's number one rule: never fall in love with the groom.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Dreiling’s Regency romance debut is, in a word, enchanting. Tristan, duke of Shelbourne, has come to the conclusion that it’s time for him to beget an heir. Since he is a notorious rake, his access to misses suitable for marriage is limited. His friend Lord Broughton found his wife through a matchmaker, however, and Tristan decides to ask young spinster Miss Tessa Mansfield to find him the perfect match. Tessa agrees, culling the top 24 debutantes of the season for his perusal. As Tessa and Tristan meet to decide how the courtship should proceed and who should be eliminated from the pack after each gathering, they gradually fall in love. When only two candidates remain, Tessa and Tristan are caught in a tangle of their own making. How can Tristan honorably back away from his public courtship? And how can Tessa’s reputation in high society survive? Dreiling not only solves the dilemma; she also makes readers care about the delightful couple through their witty repartee and her expert storytelling. --Pat Henshaw

Review

GLOWING PRAISE FOR VICKY DREILING'S HOW TO MARRY A DUKE:

"In her lively debut novel, Vicky Dreiling has penned a fresh, engaging take on Regency matchmaking that brims with clever wit and repartee. I found myself smiling and laughing out loud on numerous occasions. Here's hoping for more of this promising new author's historical romances!"
-Nicole Jordan, New York Times best-selling author

"An enchanting debut, full of humor and heart!"
-Madeline Hunter, New York Times bestselling author

"Vicky Dreiling delivers a tale chock full of warmth, wit and tenderness. She's sure to please readers everywhere!"
--Samantha James, New York Times bestselling author

"A delicious read! Better than chocolate! Sexy, fresh and witty, Vicky Dreiling is an author to watch!"
-Sophie Jordan, New York Times bestselling author

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Forever; 1 edition (January 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446565377
• ISBN-13: 978-0446565370
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 0.9 x 6.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #449,503 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Vicky Dreiling is a confirmed historical romance junkie and Anglophile. Frequent business trips to the UK allowed her to indulge her passion for all things Regency England. Bath, Stonehenge, and Spencer House are among her favorite places. She is, however, truly sorry for accidentally setting off a security alarm in Windsor Castle. That unfortunate incident led her British colleagues to nickname her "Trouble."

When she's not writing, Vicky enjoys reading, films, concerts, and most of all, long lunches with friends. She holds degrees in English literature and marketing. A native Texan, she shares her home with her daughter and a spoiled mini-lop rabbit that lives in a slightly gnawed cardboard cottage.

Visit her at: http://www.vickydreiling.com/

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 42 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed Reaction January 17, 2011

By romancecritic

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

The novel is good. Tessa is short and a bit overweight. Our hero is gorgeous.

Don't get me wrong it was an enjoyable read; it was light, not as witty as anticipated, and filled with regrets about the past, whilst trying to forge on ahead.

Our hero is trying to get married to ensure that there is an heir to the Dukedom. Our heroine is a matchmaker. She is rich, and excruciatingly independent, especially for a woman of that time. And, no spoiler here, the two find each other attractive. They are thrown together time and again while our Duke is "interviewing" the presented "duchess" candidates.

Tessa remains distant throughout the book; she constantly prevaricates, even to her best friend, hiding this enormous secret (which as always is not a big secret in this genre). This dissembling makes her, to me, not the most sincere of heroines. She cannot even bring herself to be honest with the Duke after he proposes marriage. She only reveals her "secret" when she cannot handle matters on her own. There are, I suppose, two ways to look at her actions - one, as a woman strong, not willing to trust anyone to help her but herself and two, as an individual so ashamed, so unwilling to trust that perhaps she does not know what it means to commit and be in a relationship, even a friendship. But most of all, it is irritating. A lot can be achieved with a simple conversation, but I suppose the novel would be 100 pages shorter, and the publisher would have to charge less.

I don't know if it is just me, or there are others out there, but lately the romance genre has disappointed. May be it is not fair to take out my disappointment on this particular book; however, I just don't feel the chemistry between the two main characters anymore. It all seems so formulaic. As if many historical romance authors have a "How to Write ... " manual and use the prescription. Even the vocabulary is similar (and I am well aware that there are only so many different words one can use) - the men are all feline like with smoldering looks and scorching kisses. I want something different. This is not different, but, as I said, enjoyable in the not-so-different kind of way.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Historically Accurate, But It's Fun January 27, 2011

By Catherine

Format:Mass Market Paperback

The beginning of this book was pleasant, but that was about all. I felt that the attraction between the hero and heroine was a bit ham-handed and abrupt. I also became very nervous when the author whipped out a competition and elimination a la The Bachelor. I am definitely not a fan of things like that.

But somehow I forgot my concerns as I got more and more into the story. Tristan and Tessa had a great dynamic together and I had a blast giggling over some of their interactions. The bride competition wasn't focused on in the manner I feared it would be, so that was a plus too. It wasn't ignored by any means, but I didn't have to watch blow by blows of the hero interacting with countless other girls either.

I really liked all the side characters, especially Hawk and Tristan's mother. I felt that they really added a lot to the story, especially as Tristan became more and more frazzled by his growing feelings for Tessa. Watching them slyly wind him up was hilarious for me!

Tessa had some moments of inner awareness that really surprised me. I was extremely pleased that the author had her honestly look at her actions and behavior toward Tristan, even though it didn't always change her future behavior. The way she didn't spare herself from the truth really bumped her up in my estimation.

I was extremely pleased that the author didn't have the Tessa and Tristan constantly groping each other while he was supposed to be finding a bride. There was tension there, and they did slip up a time or two, but for the most part they both were aware of their roles and knew that they couldn't just do whatever they wanted to.

This book was not stunningly original, and the bride competition was a weird setup, but it was fun and readable. The setup with Tristan being a rake and Tessa having a big dark secret were things I really felt could have been cut from the book. The draw here was the interactions between the characters. I felt there was enough of a hook there without including those things that were token at best.

So, overall I was very satisfied with this book. I even ended up getting so hooked into it that I stayed up until 1:30 am to finish it--and that was on top of being sick and having to wake up at 5:30. I just couldn't help it, it hooked me.

Favorite Quotes:

Pg. 56:
"Your Grace, I must be honest. Ladies expect gentlemen to display some tenderness. Thus far, you've demonstrated a sad lack of the finer feelings. I know this embarrasses you."

"Dash it all. I am not embarrassed."

She gave him a pitying look. "You needn't pretend with me. I'll instruct you in the ways to please and attract a lady."

Pg. 213:
"Think of a time when you did something you knew was wrong. Tell me what happened." He hoped it had nothing to do with little lambs.

"Not long ago, I did something very bad," Sally said. "I stole my sister Sarah's love letter and read it."

Julianne's eyes lit with mischief. "What did it say?"

Sally wrinkled her nose. "It was all nonsense to me. The gentleman signed himself as Lord Randy. He said he wished to plunder the treasure in the bush and claimed he carried a candlestick in his, er, unmentionables."

Review originally posted at Fiction Vixen.

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars The Emotional Rollercoaster is Exhausting January 11, 2011

By L. Christensen

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

For the first chapter or so, I was ecstatic: what an awesome premise! The Bachelor: Historical. Tessa, a self-made matchmaker, is enlisted to find Tristen a wife. So she invites 24 "candidates" to compete for his hand in marriage.....

Then it all kind of went downhill from there.

Tessa and Tristen spend countless pages - each - wallowing in self pity for every tiny thing that happened to them. Tristen touched her hand....he's ruined Tessa's life.....Tessa left her uncle......and she'll never be the same again

For the brief moments they aren't upset about their lives, they're busy throwing HUGE hissy fits.....Tristen's mad because Tessa isn't communicating gossip fast enough, and he's embarrassed.....Tessa's mad because he's talking to a woman instead of talking to the women she chose

I just felt like the emotions in this book were WAY out of wack with the issues instigating them. I felt like I was watching a soap opera with a teenage, angst-ridden cast. This was a DNF (Did Not Finish) for me.