11/16/2015
James (Four Nights with the Duke) enlivens a series of classic romance clichés with congenial characters and historical tidbits in this light Regency. In 1803, American heiress Merry has already broken two engagements. She is relieved by a proposal from English aristocrat Cedric before meeting his attractive twin, the Duke of Trent, without realizing Trent’s identity or rank. Trent, admiring her straightforwardness, instantly desires to marry her himself. Too late, Trent discovers Merry is already engaged to his brother—and he learns that Cedric only wants Merry for her money. Merry, meanwhile, is beginning to realize that she and the fashionable, hidebound Cedric are less suited to each other than she believed. The resulting triangular conflict escalates before resolving abruptly into a country idyll focusing on the slow and awkward development of Trent and Merry’s relationship. Afraid he’s incapable of romantic love, Trent doubts his emotions until he is forced to confront his hypocrisy. Though it has a well-trodden conflict, this romance is still gratifying. Agent: Kim Witherspoon, Inkwell Management Literary Agency. (Jan.)
02/15/2016
Aware that word of her two broken engagements has followed her to England, American heiress Merry Pelford knows that, despite her wealth, her chances of fitting in with the ton and making a good match are less than ideal. When dashing Lord Cedric Allardyce suddenly proposes, she is overwhelmed and accepts. But Cedric's elder twin, the Duke of Trent, is not so thrilled. Not only is he captivated by the outspoken American, but he knows the disreputable truth about his brother and will do anything to save Merry from disaster. VERDICT With lively banter, sly wit, and elegant prose, James cleverly guides a stubborn American heiress and an arrogant duke to the altar in a seductive late-Georgian romp that is graced with fascinating historical detail and well-placed Shakespearean references. James (Four Nights with the Duke) lives in the New York City area.
2015-11-04
Merry, an American heiress in Regency England, meets her perfect match, the Duke of Trent; unfortunately, she has a reputation as a runaway fiancee, and she's betrothed to his twin brother. After two ill-fated engagements, Merry Pelford has come to England to find a husband. Swept off her feet by the handsome and charming Lord Cedric Allardyce, she agrees to be his wife just moments before she meets a mysterious, compelling stranger who she soon discovers is her brother-in-law-to-be, the Duke of Trent. Trent and Cedric are obviously not on the best of terms, and Merry misinterprets the duke's quiet warnings about his brother's drinking and profligate ways as nothing more than competitive sour grapes—and tries to ignore the blazing chemistry she shares with him. But once the engagement is established, Cedric begins to pick at nearly every aspect of Merry's person and personality, while the duke clearly wants her just as she is, which is confusing and attractive. Merry is a bright fish-out-of-water who isn't intimidated by anyone and is unafraid to speak her mind, a situation that attracts Trent, embarrasses Cedric, and alternately fascinates and irritates the British aristocracy. At first Trent suppresses his interest in Cedric's intended, but the more Merry is made to feel inadequate and unworthy, the more determined he becomes to have her for himself. Merry knows that jilting Cedric will ruin her completely, but when a social misstep humiliates a friendly hostess, Trent comes to the rescue and seals their fate in a surprising way. However, her supposedly fickle nature and his mistrust of tender emotions may prove potent obstacles to a happy-ever-after. James' newest historical starts slowly, but ultimately the nontraditional plot provides an interesting and moving take on courtship and marriage, plus an engaging American's view of Regency England. A gratifyingly lush, vibrant, and emotional romance.
Narrator Kate Reading expertly showcases lovely but flighty American heiress Merry Pelford, who, after breaking off two previous engagements, finds herself falling for the stuffy but handsome duke of Trent moments after becoming engaged to his younger brother. Although this story isn’t James's most engaging, Reading's ability to make the duke sound arrogant and attractive and his brother arrogant and amusing is a tribute to her talent as a narrator. Merry is also portrayed with some complexity: She’s less than discerning in her relationships with members of the opposite sex yet remains an enchanting character. Reading also excels in her portrayals of Merry's snobbish American relatives and the duke's stodgy upper-crust acquaintances. A.C.P. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
