27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sensuous, lush and interesting, June 19, 2003
If you've read Edith Wharton's "The Buccaneers" or seen the TV version on Masterpiece Theater this story will be familiar territory. During the late Victorian era the aristocracy was in danger of decline from lack of cash. The traditional estate farming system no longer profitable and investing and making money being vile and common, marrying for money (somehow not vile and common) was the preferred way to keep up their estates and lifestyles. Into this world came many American heiresses whose families were nouveau riche having made boatloads of money (before there was such a thing as income taxes!) investing and in manufacturing, making the most of the Industrial Age. Winston Churchill's mother was one such heiress from Virginia. Marrying a title was a way of gaining acceptance from the older American money and gaining the regard of the likes of the famed Mrs. Astor.
Sophia Wilson's father is a self-made man and incredibly wealthy, but her grandparents were entirely common. A titled husband of the British aristocracy would elevate the family in New York society, but Sophia longs to marry for love. When she meets James Langdon, the Duke of Wentworth, she wonders if she can have both. He's handsome and charming but also has an aura of danger about him that makes Sophia wary. She knows that word of her hefty dowry has gotten out and worries about James' motives. But he must be sincere - the way he looks at her and kisses her surely must be for real, yes it must be love!
James had no immediate interest in marrying, but Sophia is truly beautiful and unique and has many admirers clamoring for her attention (if not for her money). It won't be long before someone snatches her up and, being a duke, he surely would jump to the top of her list - if he was interested that is. But he finds to his surprise that he is, indeed interested, and the money would come in handy as there are many repairs needed on his Yorkshire estate. He decides to pursue her and marry her as a strictly business arrangement - he'll get his much-needed infusion of cash and she'll get her title. But he'll have to charm and woo her first, which causes him some measure of unease, for he has no intention of loving her and unleashing the strong passions and reckless emotions he inherited from his abusive father. He's worked too long and hard to control that aspect of his nature. But he finds himself extremely attracted to her and wants her so badly he can barely wait for the wedding night. What's gotten into him? It wasn't supposed to be like this - this was to be strictly business!
And so they marry and share a wonderful honeymoon in Italy, but once home in Yorkshire, James turns as chilly as the weather. And his mother is no help at all having never approved of the marriage. These people seem so cold and emotionless, so unlike her own warm, and close family that she is missing dreadfully. Sophia feels completely out of her element and must face the awful truth - is her marriage a sham? Did James marry her for her money? But no, she couldn't have been so wrong about him, couldn't have made the biggest mistake of her life. Though heartbroken, she refuses to be beaten down and is determined to be a duchess he can be proud of and, just maybe, in the process thaw that cold heart and get back the man she fell in love with!
I found James' character believable in that cool, repressed British way, but some might find Sophia a little too perfect. And Ms MacLean creates a very palpable sensual chemistry between them. Pet peeve - the color of James' eyes goes from green on page 6 "His green eyes were catlike . . ." to blue on page 335 "His piercing, blue-eyed gaze met hers. . ." Hey, pick a color and go with it! That aside this is an enjoyable and recommended read!
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Eh...this one just didn't do it for me., April 7, 2004
By A Customer
The heroine is supposed to be a feisty American. She is certainly headstrong and tough in the beginning. But after she marries the hero, she becomes this wet noodle. She apologizes for things that HE did wrong and simpers in his presence. Not my idea of a tough American gal.
The heroine basically begs for sex from this guy knowing he doesn't love her. She is just the epitome of a woman with no self-respect.
The hero is so emotionally detached that it is hard to even like him a little. He finally comes around in the end, but by that time you dislike him so much you don't care anymore.
The subplot about the Madame from France was silly, but I guess the story needed some spice.
Definitely not my favorite, but I guess it was okay.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good debut, June 12, 2003
In 1881 at the urging of her mother nouveau riche American heiress Sophia Wilson comes to London to marry a title. Sophia hates shopping for a spouse as she has rejected proposals back home because she wants to marry for love. She believes she may have found her love when she meets the "unacceptable Duke" James Langdon.
Needing money, James is also attracted to Sophia, so he courts her. However, he vows to himself to never fall in love with her for fear he would become as out of control and abusive as his father was. James and Sophia marry and share a wonderful honeymoon. However when they reach his estate, James turns into a prim and proper aristocrat, who deserts his wife when he is not mistreating her with cold scorn. Still Sophia thinks she can reach her spouse that she loves.
When the tale focuses on the lead characters' relationship, even with James' incredulous alteration from avoidance to near worship, fans obtain a strong late Victorian romance. When the story line switches to continental suspense, it loses some of its "American invasion" momentum. In her debut, Julianne MacLean keeps her plot fresh due to the antics of the dysfunctional Langdon family that bewilder the heroine.
Harriet Klausner
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