Customer Reviews

To Marry the Duke

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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!

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.

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

This is the first novel by Julianne MacLean I have read. I really enjoyed the book "To Marry The Duke". I didn't know what to expect with this new author as she has a limited history - only 2 or 3 contemporary novels before this one. Fortunately, I was really pleased once I was done with the story. I wanted to give 5 stars but, I really try to hold off and only give that many stars to the absolute best stories I have ever read (that's probably 25 books out of thousands I have read over the years). I want the stars to mean something so, a solid four stars will go to Ms. MacLean in this book.

I liked that this story was grounded in historical facts - there was a period in time - late 1800's to early 1900's - when nouveaux riche American girls went abroad to Europe to land themselves husbands with titles - Duke, Earl, Marquis, Viscount, Baron etc. to give their family necessary clout back home. That was the only way the old rich would accept them.

This book used this history to create a story line between the American Sophia and distinguished British Duke James Langdon. I liked that the main character Sophia was not only beautiful, educated and rich but, more importantly, she was warm, friendly, enjoyable, funny and comfortable with who she was as a person. Her parents and siblings were solid people and that helped round her out as well. James on the other hand came with a family of secrets and coldness that only one such as Sophia could thaw over time.

James and Sophia saw in one another things they desperately wanted - acceptance, love, passion and security - and only through time and effort would they get there. It took some serious effort and events to get James and some of his family to warm up but, once they did it was worth it. Although there were times you felt like smacking James along the side of the head to wake up....you definitely could understand his need to stand back and stay aloof as he made his reasons clear - it made sense when often it does not in stories. The author made you understand the man so, you didn't dislike him for his distance.
Sophia never ran away and bolted as so many heroines do in tough times.....instead she took what she was given and fought for more. Her beauty of spirit shined through all the time. Very appealing.

The love scenes were tasteful, the banter back and forth solid and the story line flowed nicely. No odd love scenes, trivial monologues or silly plot developments to stop the momentum the author gained from the beginning of the book. Good!

The side characters of Sophia's sisters and mother and James sister, mother and friend all helped to round out an interesting cast. The author added these people to spice up the story line not to detract from the main hero and heroine and it worked.

This author is very talented with the pen and really wove a warm and dynamic story line. This book was memorable I must admit. I recommend you buy it, read it and keep it in your library as one of the good ones. I plan to buy other stories by this author soon! Happy reading!

I'm surprised by how many bad reviews this book received. I am generally fairly picky about my romance novels, rarely finding any that inspire me to look for others by the same author. However, I enjoyed this one so much that I eagerly looked for the two sequels in the trilogy.

Perhaps if I'd been more concerned with historical accuracy, I would have been disappointed with her "modern" heroines, however I found it rather refreshing to read about a heroine who was spunky rather than passive. The hero was just dark and cynical enough that his transformation at the end was fully rewarding.

My only complain comes from looking at the book as part of a trilogy. While I greatly enjoyed all of them, the plot similarites between the three was a little disappointing. I can't explain much without ruining any plot twists, but MacLean does seem to lack a bit in creativity.

Overall, I would say I was quite charmed and pleasently surprised by this new author. The story was far fetched at times, but this didn't stop it from being a very sweet read.

I liked this novel; could not put it down, in fact. The historical period is one of my favorites (Victorian England, late 1800's, "Gilded-era" arranged marriages) so I enjoyed this story very much.

Although the character development, and the plotting toward the end was a little shaky (I don't know how else to describe it), and maybe the conclusion felt a little rushed and not quite in keeping with the rest of the book, I've got to give this 4 stars & recommend it. The author has done her homework on the era, so if Sophia seemed a tad too modern to me in her manners, I was able to accept it. The hero James was complex & yet loveable and sympathetic, once Sophia was able to break through his barriers.

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

No wonder this book is selling like hotcakes! TO MARRY THE DUKE is fabulous! My eyes are red and gritty from reading too long - I just could not put it down! The sexual awareness sizzles between the beautiful American heiress, Sophia, and her impoverished English duke, James, throughout their courtship. But the real love story begins once they return from their honeymoon. Can the warm-hearted, generous Sophia break through her husband's frosty aristocratic reserve to find true love? Or did he really marry her for her dowry? An emotional and deeply satisfying read!

American heiress Sophia Wilson will not allow herself to be presented like a raspberry custard. A pudding on a platter, for all the English gentlemen to sniff and taste, just to see if they relish the flavor. No, she will not - despite her mother's wishes. Hence begins Julianne MacLean's tale "To Marry the Duke."

Lively Sophia is a rarity among the haughty, reserved Victorian society. This beautiful young woman totes great American wealth and she perks the interest of the blue-blooded males. However, Sophia positively resents being a display piece, but her mother wants the key to unlock society's lofty acceptance and Sophia will get that key. Yet, Sophia plans to hold out for love.

James Langdon, the Duke of Wentworth has Mrs. Wilson's key -- a well-established noble title. He also has a poverty-stricken dukedom. When the Duke of Wentworth views the lovely sultry Sophia, he views through lustful eyes heavily encased in dollars signs. This aloof man also totes enough emotional baggage to give the lovable Sophia her own key -- to Bedlam. And so Julianne MacLean establishes the matrimonial journey of sweet Sophia Wilson and the obscure Duke of Wentworth.

Nevertheless, it is Ms. MacLean's writing style that saves this book, for her stereotyped characters are burdensome. Sophia is too happy, too forgiving, and far too understanding when dealing with the bewilderment of her marriage. James Langdon is too remote, too brisk, and far too unconvincing when recalling his traumatic childhood. Yet, MacLean wants us to believe these two people still managed to have a field day in the marriage bed. Whatever! Sorry, this illogicality did not win me over. Nonetheless, Julianne MacLean's writing form is still smooth and clean.

A bonus, at the end of the book, the author explains the migration wealthy American women followed at the close of the nineteenth century. These affluent women crossed the Atlantic, arrived on English soil, and were ready to marry into the British upperclass. This gratifying historical note defined the story nicely.

Grace Atkinson, Ontario - Canada.

I recently re-read this book because the moment I read "The End", I forgot everything that happened in the book.

My initial purchase of To Marry the Duke was based upon the lush, sensual cover and the fact that it was based on one of my favorite historical eras; the Gilded Age of America.

Based upon my re-reading of this romance, I was disappointed. MacLean has a clean, coherent prose and dialogue that had it's shiny moments, but the shoddy plotting and the one-dimensional characters overtook it most of the time.

I would have believed Sophia's instant infatuation with James if his (false) courtship had been a contrast to the cool treatment she recieved from the English society. Consequently, once James has married, bedded and ignored her, she accepts his trickery of her as though she deserved it. Sophia is supposed to be a spunky, warm American to blow some heat into James' heart, but she came across as a doormat who would do anything for a man who had betrayed her trust.

James' tortured past was very vaguely alluded to, leading me to be very skeptical of his behavior as well as his falling for Sophia at the end of the book. His one-dimensional character, combined with the fact that most of the book was in Sophia's point of view kept me at an emotional distance from him.

James' family was cardboard as well and the "mystery" surrounding them with the French courtesan was sloppily done and read as though it was put into the story to make Sophia look like a hero and open James' eyes to how wonderful she was.

All in all, this was a passable read. Sophia's doormat perfectness and James' vague aloofness, combined with hither and there plotting made what started off a somewhat sparkling and stand-out historical romance into a read I forgot as soon as the pages were closed.