The King's Doll [Mass Market Paperback]

Elizabeth Chater (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 12, 1984

The Duke of Landsdale's mother's anger erupts when she is persuaded by the King of France to give asylum to his mistress, the Comtesse and her daughter, Tiri. She immediately launches a campaign to make the King's plaything and her bewitching daughter's lives miserable. But the Comtesse has other plans: marry off her daughter to the wealthiest and most powerful bachelor in sight. When the Duke first gazes at Tiri's extraordinary beauty, he is captured. Against his mother's wishes, he has fallen in love with the enchanting woman. Tiri has also rebelled against her mother's plans and found a mouthwatering catch, but she has also fallen in love with him. Can their mutual love overcome the obstacles their mothers have placed in their paths? Or are they doomed to enter into a passionless marriage with another?

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

-Elizabeth Chater is a treasure.- -Greg Bear --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett (October 12, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449200841
• ISBN-13: 978-0449200841
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,708,604 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating, July 22, 2011

By 

Maria Rennard (MA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The King's Doll (Mass Market Paperback)

This romance is a captivanting story, well written and with some funny lines and an heroine who has brain besides being pretty. The story moves fast and is a pleasure to read it. Maria Rennard

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Read For A Francophile, June 27, 2006

By 

Katharine M. Wade "kathy5428" (N. Yorkshire, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The King's Doll (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a pleasant book which deserves at least one review. It is best read by a Francophile as Ms. Chater seems to have quite a few insights into the nuances of that culture. The sprinkling of French language was also a nice touch, although not all of them are translated for the reader.

The tale is set at the very beginning of the Regency, or perhaps slightly before. A youngish French lady is sent with her mother to England to escape the Revolution which is just starting in France. The idea is for her to marry an English nobleman so that she will be adequately provided for. King Louis, the former "patron" of her widowed mother, sends the two of them to the English Duke of Landsdale hoping that he will sponsor them and see them comfortably settled. They stay with his mother and the young girl end up falling in love with the Duke. The mother's romance is a bit surprising and wholy incomprehensible (she fell in love just by seeing her gentleman?) but nonetheless sweet.

Some of the writing seemed a bit stilted the first couple of times I read the book, but I believe that the overarching tone is one of irony. If you keep that in mind and enjoy the French, you will probably enjoy this book. My only complaint about this particular publication of the book is that the cover picture looks nothing like the description of either hero or heroine. The characters are more suitable for the mother and her love interest. In any event, the book is charming and worth a read.