24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderfully Seductive Debut!, February 28, 2007
Upon the death of their father, Caroline Armstrong and her sister Emma have arrived in London to live with their grandmother, The Dowager Countess of Glenwood. Emma is enjoying the season tremendously, but Caroline is in dread. She has a secret that keeps her from accepting any marriage offers. She is waiting for a young American from Virginia who left her two years ago to fight in the Civil War. She devises a plan and presents herself to prospective suitors as a dull bluestocking. Her plan is working until she meets Alexander Woodward, The Duke of Woodborough on a moonlit balcony at the Maxwell Ball. They have something in common, as he is also avoiding the marriage mart, particularly marriage with Lord Maxwell's spoiled daughter Madeline. Alex and Caroline form an immediate bond and while captured by the moment, Caroline shares her secret with Alex. Alex asks to seal their bargain with a kiss, which sets off a spark of desire. He is intrigued by the beautiful Caroline and sends flowers the following morning with an invitation to visit. He offers Caroline an interesting proposal; a pretend courtship and engagement in order to avoid any further marriage proposals. Caroline agrees to this proposition, not realizing that Alex's real plan is to court her hoping she will forget the young American. As they enjoy the season, Alex takes his time, not overwhelming Caroline, and soon a deep friendship develops with underlying deep passions pulsating beneath the surface. When Caroline visits the home estate of Alex and meets his mother, Caroline begins to realize that she has slowly been captured by his charms and kisses. Desire and passion builds with Alex revealing to Caroline that he loves her and wants to marry her. While Caroline struggles with her secret, she discovers she has truly fallen in love with Alex. But there is more to the secret that she has not told Alex. Now that she is his wife, will the Secrets of a Duchess be revealed? When the young American suddenly returns and the spoiled, jealous Madeline sees a way to get her revenge, will their love be strong enough to weather the storm? Secrets of a Duchess is beautifully written and captivating. What is most amazing about this story is that with all of the romances ever written, this one seems fresh, making the reader feel like this is the first romance ever read. It is a true delight to read. The prose flows and a feeling of magic is felt with every turn of the page. Kailin O'Riley is destined to be a romance readers favorite and a writer who will not be able to write fast enough for her fans. A truly beautiful book! The best debut of the year!
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
compelling romance by debut author - 3.5 stars, March 19, 2007
after reading the synopsis for the plot on the back cover i decided to pick this book up. i'm glad i did as there was a combustible chemistry between the heroine and hero and the author did a great job of writing the intimate scenes. in the end though, the story warrants a 3.5 rating because of weaknesses in the characterization and plot.
caroline armstrong is a 21 year old daughter to a recently deceased university instructor who is rescued from having to work as a governess by her grandmother who just so happens to be a wealthy dowager countess in london. caroline and her sister are wisked away to london where they are cleaned up and given all the lessons they need for their ultimate debut during the season. caroline, having been surrounded by books and academia all of her life, is intelligent and learned, a definite oddity in a sea of debutantes more concerned with finding a husband than knowing french.
and caroline has a secret. she already loves an american who is back in his homeland fighting in the war between the states. because of this secret (and others later revealed) she won't entertain marriage to anyone, regardless of what her grandmother desires. she decides to pretend she's an uninteresting bluestocking to fend off male attention (after all, she IS beautiful...)
it's during her very first ball she meets alex, duke of woodborough, on a moonlit balcony they've both escaped to in order to avoid the unwanted attention inside the ballroom. after discovering they both have no desire to be married a bargain is struck to assist each other with the upcoming season. the bargain is sealed with a kiss which blows them both away.
the next time they see each other, alex convinces caroline to fake a courtship so she won't have the unwanted male attention and he won't have to deal with the women throwing themselves at him for his title. by this time though alex has decided in his mind he wants to marry caroline for real but he knows he has to convince caroline she loves him and not her american soldier.
the author basically glazes over the next few months of their association, talking about how much caroline and alex have in common but not really showing the reader this through meaningful interaction. i mean, alex says he appreciates caroline's intelligence but i really hate when months are just mentioned and then the next time we see the hero and heroine they're headed to one of his family's estates so she can meet his mother. as the reader i didn't get to share in the dialogue and moments proving they were truly compatible in every way that wasn't sexual. this is more of a personal peeve of mine as i enjoy watching the development of a relationship from beginning to the end of the story with no time unaccounted for.
there are a number of plot twists here, one of which i really didn't see coming so i give the author credit for it. on the other hand, i thought caroline's refusal to share her burden with alex even after he'd proven to her he loved her and was devoted to her to be EXTREMELY frustrating. in other words, if you don't like the big misunderstanding thrown in and causing all kinds of suffering when all the heroine had to do was tell what was up in the beginning, you'll be frustrated too. the longer she kept her secret the more contrived it felt.
and alex was almost unbelievable in his perfection. he's handsome, rich, loves the smart girl, and is forgiving of caroline even when as the reader i said to myself "you should hold caroline accountable for REAL". overall though, he was an appealing hero and his love for caroline and devotion to her was inspiring.
as i said before, the chemistry between caroline and alex was awesome and o'riley did a good job depicting the intimate scenes and building the sexual tension between the hero and heroine.
in the end the story is graded lower because of caroline's obstinance regarding her 'secret(s)', her disregard of the possible repercussions as a result of them, the lack of significant suffering in the wake of alex's almost instant forgiveness for her actions, and the significant gaps in time the author chose to glaze over at what i thought were crucial moments of the story.
regardless of those shortcomings, i'll be checking out her next book. i mean, i finished it in one day, so at the very least it was engrossing if not completely satisfying.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Secrets of a Duchess-A Joyfully Recommended Title!, May 15, 2007
When their father dies, Caroline Armstrong and her sister, Emma, quickly find themselves living with their grandmother in London. They had lived in genteel poverity with their father, so while suddenly finding themselves thrust into husband hunting during the London Season might seem like a great thing to Emma, it definitely wasn't what Caroline wanted. She had promised her heart to her American sweetheart who had returned home to fight in America's Civil War. She's determined not to let herself be forced into husband hunting and contrives to make herself as unattractive and unsociable as possible. Alexander Woodard, Duke of Woodborough, was also hiding out from an unwanted attention. Alex knew that if he didn't come up with something soon he could quite possibly find himself leg shackled the one woman he was sure he didn't want. So when he comes across Caroline on a secluded balcony he thinks he's found the solution to both their problems. They have a pretend engagement. The more time he spends with Caroline the more determined he becomes to make sure their pretend engagement ends up in a real marriage. But when Caroline's sweetheart shows up the secret she's kept hidden comes out. Can Alex and Caroline find away around the possible scandal?
Secrets of a Duchess is a stellar debut for Kaitin O'Riley. I literally read this book in one sitting! I can't remember the last time I was so impressed by a first time historical author! Strikingly emotional and sensually satisfying. Secrets of a Duchess is just plain great reading! Historical romance lovers will want keep a close eye on Kaitin O'Riley!
Melissa
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
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