Customer Reviews

Love Letters from a Duke

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

first off, this is a book that's a part of series. first two books:

something about emmaline
this rake of mine

secondly, THIS IS NOT A STAND ALONE BOOK. there are so many references to the previous book and it's plot, along with a number of secondary characters who pop up from that book and play a somewhat pivotal part of this storyline, that it's recommended you read at least THIS RAKE OF MINE before this one. otherwise, you're bound to feel as though you started reading this story in the middle, as i did when i began reading it.

miss felicity langley and her family are living on limited means. her father is missing and she, along with her twin sister and cousin, are left to make do with the little funds afforded them by the family's penny-pinching solicitor. in her determination to relieve the financial strains, she decides she will marry a duke. on the recommendation of the previous book's hero, she decides to write to the duke of hollindrake and propose marriage. unbeknownst to her, the man she thinks she's writing to is abroad fighting in the military. his grandfather (the living duke hollindrake) intercepts the letter and decides to correspond with her in his grandson's stead, accepting the proposal of marriage.

the story begins with the newly minted duke (hero aubrey walworth) showing up on felicity's doorstep with the intent on crying off of the betrothal. because he basically stepped off of the ship and went straight to her house, he's dressed rather shabbily. therefore, it's no surprise felicity mistakens him for the footman sent over from the agency. aubrey (known as thatcher when in footman disguise) decides not to dissuade her because now he's intrigued about the woman his grandfather was corresponding with.

what comes next is a series of adventures as the hero struggles to keep his real identity a secret and the heroine fights her attraction to the hero as she is determined to marry the duke.

this story ultimately suffers from a number of weaknesses in both plot and characterization. as the reader i was forced to suspend belief too many times for me to enjoy this story.

for one, so many people recognized the duke (or find out who he is) and yet nobody tells the heroine. that doesn't seem realistic, even if he is only in disguise for a few days. what's worse is the fact that the real footman never shows and that is never addressed.

also, the heroine and hero appear in public alot and without a chaperone. now normally i'm not such a stickler when it comes to historical accuracy, but the number of times they appear in public and the fact that they sometimes engaged in risque behavior and yet the heroine suffers no ostrasization or repercussions as a result of said ventures is unbelievable to me. i know he's the footman but there are a few incidents of 'public displays of affection' yet conveniently, nobody outside of family sees them.

then there is a secondary romance (began in the previous book) that disrupts the storyline here and ends up leaving a number of loose threads that will no doubt be addressed in the NEXT book of the series. this development takes away crucial time needed for me to more fully embrace the hero and heroine and really adds nothing to the story itself. it's strictly there to set up the next book.

finally, the maturation of the relationship between hero and heroine is slow and tepid. i never feel the chemistry or urgency. some readers will appreciate the fact that the relationship evolves in a manner that allows the hero and heroine to get to know each other better but the story itself only takes place over about a week or two so the slow pacing makes for a mad dash at the end.

on the plus side, there are moments where i laughed out loud, as there is some funny dialogue and amusing secondary characters who at least add levity to the story. unfortunately, the laughs weren't enough to save this story.

i recommend it for those who enjoy a light romance and won't allow an annoying thing like logic to prevent them from enjoying it.

With her regal bearing, Felicity Langley has been called `Duchess' since she was a child. Barely making it on her monthly allotment of pin-money, Felicity would do whatever she could to ensure her unconventional family and servant's well-being by providing a season for her sister and cousin and by marrying a wealthy duke. Carrying on a lengthy correspondence with the Duke of Hollingsworth, she is on the brink of finally meeting him and sealing their betrothal. What Felicity didn't know was that the man she'd been corresponding with was not Aubrey, the newly titled duke of Hollingsworth, but his match-making and controlling grandfather.

Aubrey had thought to escape the controlling tendencies of his grandfather years ago by changing his name and joining the army under the name of Thatcher. As a second son, he never dreamed he would have to assume the title. Returning home and learning of his grandfather's mechanisms to again control his life, Thatcher immediately set out to break the promised betrothal. Alas, when he arrived at the Mayfair mansion, Felicity - set back momentarily by the handsome but scruffy looking fellow at the door - assumed he'd come from the agency sending over a footman. Sparks flew between the two and in a case of mistaken identity, both would be torn. Felicity to give into passion for a mere footman, rather than marrying a wealthy peer to protect and provide for her family; and Aubrey into letting his grandfather control his destiny, or giving into his all consuming passion for Felicity.

*** For me, I found this story positively enchanting! Not only does Ms. Boyle write a delectable and fun love story, but populates it with the most engaging set of unforgettable secondary characters that will have you sighing in contentment and laughing out loud at some of their more outrageous predicaments. The author keeps the action level high in this fast-paced and charming romp of Regency England.

The author fashioned Felicity as both an engaging and soft-hearted beauty with just a smidgen of larceny in her heart - willing to do whatever needed to be done to protect and provide for her sister and cousin. Taking on the responsibility of providing for her family after her madcap father had either been killed or disappeared (this point was never fully disclosed) Felicity and her sister were left to the mercy of their penny-pinching solicitor. Neither would gain their inheritance until they turned of age (twenty-five). I loved that Boyle managed to insert humor as Felicity provided HER reasoning as to why a male gained his inheritance at twenty-one and the female at twenty-five - and no, I'm not going to tell you and ruin her very logical and humorous explanation. This you'll just have to read for yourself! As for Felicity's reaction and attraction to a mere footman, and a scruffy looking one at that, well let us just say that Boyle is a master at creating believable chemistry between her leads.

Aubrey/Thatcher who arrived at Felicity's door with the express wish to end his betrothal never got a chance to get a word in edgewise as Felicity barreled right ahead into her assumption of him being a candidate as footman. Not only was Thatcher captivated by her beauty, but observed that all was not as it should be in the Mayfair residence, and as he was not offered an opportunity to explain he fell into the mistaken identity role. Boyle created numerous episodes where Thatcher, in spite of his intentions to tell the truth, felt compelled to save Felicity from herself and those she loved from scandal's that could ruin them all. In so doing Thatcher worked behind the scenes in maneuvering events and trying to sway the Felicity into following her heart and giving into the passion he knew matched his own.

Boyle kept not only the romance between Felicity and Thatcher at the forefront but set up what could possibly be another book of the Bachelor Chronicles featuring the romance between her cousin Pippin and the American privateer Captain Dashwell. Filled with memorable new characters and old friends from SOMETHING ABOUT EMMALINE and THIS RAKE OF MINE Ms. Boyle has kept this fan fully satisfied with her sensual and humorous historical romances that are just the thing to curl up with on a cold winter's day.

Marilyn Rondeau, for www.ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

I loved this!! It was my first Elizabeth Boyle book and I quickly bought her other ones. This is the first mistaken identity book I've read where I thought the author totally pulled it off. From the second Felicity answers the door in her red woolen socks, I was sucked in. And I stayed there until THE END.

I loved the characters. I could so see Felicity's vulnerability under her "I'm going to marry the duke and take care of everyone" facade. This was skillfully done. It's difficult to portray this in a character but Elizabeth Boyle did it splendidly. It wasn't a false bravado that Felicity sported but rather a dogged determination that had a touch of desperation to it.

I loved the chemistry between Felicity and Thatcher and can't understand why a couple of people didn't feel that. I not only felt the physical chemistry, but I felt a genuine liking of each for the other, something that doesn't happen in a lot of romances. It was especially amusing that Felicity didn't want to like him and kept trying not to.

I had not read any of Boyle's other books, yet I had no problem following this one, so for me I would have to say it definitely was a standalone book. Reading the earlier books later was quite a delight, really. I knew what was in store for Felicity and that made me smile. Yes, the supporting characters were sometimes a little whacky, but honestly, no more whacky than my family members (or yours, probably). And anyway, this is fiction. If I want to read something with no imagination, that doesn't demand any leap of faith, I'll read non-fiction.

This story was fast-paced and I never knew what was going to happen next, yet as it happened, it was like, Of course! Why didn't I realize that was coming? I love it when an author surprises me and everything fits perfectly into the story. I laughed out loud several times during this book, and that's important to me. Even if a book has me crying during the dramatic parts, I expect to laugh somewhere along the way, or it's not for me.

I loved it. What more can I say except I'll be looking forward to her forthcoming stories.

Ms. Boyle seems to be subscribing to a new (and annoying) tendency to try to make Regency romances amusing. (A recent Marx-brothers-like romp by Eloisa James comes to mind.) This one isn't quite as bad, but it defies belief on too many levels, all in the name of hilarity.

No matter how much you are able to suspend reality as you enter a fictional world based in the early 1800's, who can believe a household that consists of three madcap heroines (one of whom is an accomplished lock picker and another other romantically involved with a pirate), a drunk cook, a former lady-of-the-night/pick pocket as chaperone, a promiscuous & adulturous former nanny, and a Duke mascarading as a domestic employee? That's it. All under one roof.

Usually, there is a reasonably-plausible plot and a cast of characters that consists of a group of reasonably-sane (at least average) people with maybe one (or, at most, two) colorful characters to break the monotony, create a bit of diversion, or a break in tension now and then (not to mention, fill pages). But a book in which everybody is running around in circles, creating and resolving one ridiculous and self-imposed crisis after the other is, really, not worth an adult's time or money.

I'm sorry to say this, because I have liked Elizabeth Boyle's books in the past, but I will very carefully scan the next one before buying it in case this trend continues.

This is my first book by Elizabeth Boyle and despite the negative reviews, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Love Letters from a Duke is a wonderful story and the case of mistaken identity and the power of love. It is a fast-paced tale of a woman that will not just allow life to happen, without her quirky input. But sometimes love needs a little help.
From the opening pages of when Felicity meets the grubby duke in his travelling clothes, and she in her woolen socks, and thinks he's her new footman, makes for extremely fun reading. The bk keeps you captivated till the end.
Loved the chemistry between H/H and enjoyed the secondary characters of her crazy household too. Some scenes had me grinning, especially the early ones, when Brutus meets the new duke.

The plot may not be very strong, but hey, if you like light-hearted regency read, then this ones worth a try.

This book could have easily been a disaster. Any story that hinges on simple miscommunication (usually a huge turn-off for me) could be fatally flawed from the start, BUT THIS WASN'T! I kept expecting the story to go one way, but Ms. Boyle's expert plot twists surprised me each time and kept me going. I *believed* the character & relationship development. In fact, I thought Felicity was so completely believable *because* she was not consistently great at her tall tales. That was the point. She did not quite believe in what she was doing, she was simply doing it for the greater good of her family - it was the "right" thing to do. This aspect added facets to her personality that I rarely see in other, more one-dimensional heroines. I too would have liked a few more sexy bits, particularly as Ms. Boyle is so good at writing them. Other than that, good job Ms. Boyle!

This was the first book I read by Elizabeth Boyle. I must say, it was a really fun book to read. Very funny and delightful. It is about Felicity finding love with a footman who is actually her bethrothed Duke in disguise. The Duke came to tell her that he was going to break their bethrothal but Felicity mistook him for the footman that an agency sent her. She didn't give him time or opportunity to explain himself. He went along with it to see the real Felicity, not the Felicty that society deemed unworthy of a Duke. It was fun to read her grappling with her feelings for a footman when she could be married to a duke. She is a wonderful character who is complex. Thatcher, her footman/duke, is the perfect partner for her. He tries to test her love to see if she will marry him as a footman and give up her dreams of marrying a duke. He also falls in love with Felicity because she is truly a good and kind person.
This is a wondeful book for someone who is looking for a quick and fun read. To find out the significance of the title, you must read the book!

- This is Ms. Boyle's BEST yet!

- There are only two things I disliked about "Love Letters From A Duke."

1- As someone else mentioned there characters and background storylines from previous books. The references in "LLFAD" didn't help me recall as much as I felt like I needed to. I almost wanted to go back and read the previous books again before finishing "Love Letters From A Duke" because while I recognized the names I couldn't really recall their storylines or personalities.

I read a lot and even though I might really like (or dislike) a book, it's hard for me to remember details much beyond the day I put a book down, much less months or a year later.

A few authors have started releasing trilogies one a month consecutively so that you can read them back to back within 3 months. I love this and wish that would become standard. I understand the time needed to research and write a book, but it would be wonderful if there weren't these gaps of waiting a year for the next book when it's a series or trilogy.

2- I dislike the small font and narrow line spacing used in "LLFAD."

Aside from that, this was a *wonderful* book and definitely Ms. Boyle's BEST yet! The situation Felicity, her sister Tally, and cousin Pippin are in plus the misunderstanding of Thatcher being taken for a footman instead of the Duke he is was absolutely comical! I smiled (if not outright chuckled) throughout the entire book. =)

Someone mentioned there was no "sexual awareness of each other, except... where Felicity yearns to be kissed..." well isn't that the way it is? Stop and think about first dates. It there's attraction, you get that tingly fuzzy feeling anticipating from looks, brief touches, getting close to one another, which just builds and builds the anticipation of "Is he going to kiss me? He is going to kiss me! Oh please kiss me!" And when that first kiss happens by the time you get there, it just makes you want to melt! That first kiss is what everything else builds off of. And Ms. Boyle did an excellent job of describing it.

Another thing mentioned by a reviewer was they thought it was "unbelievable that no one told Felicity the truth about Thatcher being the duke." I think this reader must have done a lot of scanning because there were quite a few moments and incidents where someone came close to blurting or telling the truth about Hatcher. The way it was handled or avoided was what added to the wonderful humor of the situation. Thatcher definitely did some dancing and jumping through hoops and it was so very entertaining!

Someone also mentioned that Felicity and Thatcher's feelings were never observed in public by someone outside of the family. Well all I can say is they missed one of the best scenes in the book. Ms. Sarah Browne and Lady Gaythorne caught Felicity and Thatcher outside the coffee shop. (That's where the 'hair brush' scene came in.) And this was one of those laugh-put-loud moments that gives you this huge smile because it reaches fruition at the end of the story when we watch as Thatcher buys a hair brush for you know who! Delicious revenge!

This was a funny warm story! And personally, I prefer the old fashioned "get to know each other first, anticipation, melt me kisses" route versus sex right off the bat. "Love Letters From A Duke" should be the template for all Historical Romances! It's 5 stars +, a 1-nighter, and a keeper! =)

This is my first book by Elizabeth Boyle. I did NOT know it was a part of a series although now it makes sense but I wasn't lost at all. It took me 5 hours to finish it. To be honest, I debated whether or not I should even waste my time with it because in the beginning at least, it is a bit boring but as I got to know the characters of Felicity and Thatcher, I couldn't put the book down, which is why I only had 3 hours of sleep (I went to bed at 5am but it was totally worth it!). **Possible spoilers ahead** I could care less about the sub-romance between Pippin and Captain Dashwell and I'm glad Ms. Boyle had the good sense not to spend TOO much time on those too. I wondered about what happened to the true footman that the agency was supposed to send to the Langley house and why Lord Langley didn't come to see the girls but this would have led to all-too-predictable outcomes so I'm satisfied with the ending. I will be reading more of Ms. Boyle's books!

Elizabeth Boyle's romances always deliver a fun read! The surprise in this book is the twists and turns of intrigues by other characters, that trip up the hero and heroine, as well as, save the day.

The events and characters stretch the bounds of miscommunication gone a-muck; for chuckles. The hero and heroine remain determined to let the other stew in their own mistakes, while the reader is in on the joke. The cast of characters, filling out the story, come to life with their own personalities and issues.

This is part of a series, since Felicity is the pivot point and author of "The Bachelor Chronicles", so there are references to other stories in the series, but only lightly peppered through the pages.

Regency romance readers who want high drama and detailed perfection from that time of "the ton" might want to skip this story. This is a- tripping the light fantastic of historical romance- fun. I personally find that stories that use the regency period, for dramatic impact, as dreadfully trite. Ms. Boyle uses the regency setting of scandals and ruin mainly for hairstyle and dress.

"Letters from a Duke" shows Ms. Boyle loves storytelling, loves her characters and loves entertaining her readers. She writes with a style I adore.