Secrets of a Duchess (Zebra Historical Romance) by Kaitlin O’Riley
Secrets, secrets are no fun. Secrets, secrets hurt someone. When you’re not honest with people and even with yourself, bad things happen.
Caroline Armstrong is enjoying a London Season, but she doesn’t want to get married. Her father recently died and now her Grandmother, who she moved in with, is sponsoring her so that she can find a suitable husband during the Season. However, she’s pining for an American who went back to Virginia to fight in the Civil War and so she doesn’t want to get married.
When Caroline meets Alexander Woodward, the Duke of Woodborough, she doesn’t recognized him, but he proposes a deal with her. They should pretend to court to throw everyone off, because like her he doesn’t want to get married and his plan is to distract everyone so that he can go through without people scheming over his marriage prospects.
This plan works but Alex is hiding something: he secretly wants to marry Caroline and his plan is to slowly wear her down so that she forgets about her American sweetheart and falls in love with him. Unfortunatly, this causes Caroline’s secrets to come out and disaster befalls the happy couple.
The first half of Secrets of a Duchess is a bit slow. It’s sweet to see the two leads fall in love and interact with each other. Halfway through the book it seemed the action, dialogue and plot was going nowhere. Then the real secrets are revealed and it gets good. Really good. Emotionally, passionately good.
Caroline’s motives in the beginning seem a bit misguided, but she’s a very honorable, loyal person and also she’s unaware the effect she has on men. Sadly you can tell she had some issues with her father and his acceptance of her, even if they were unfounded. And perhaps she was a bit jealous and guarded because of her more outgoing younger sister. Her heart is in the right place and she falls in love with Alex.
Alex is a classic historic alpha-hero. He’s a duke, he’s charming, handsome, a bit arrogant, and when he sees something he wants he comes up with the right plan to get it. Maybe even a plan B. When Caroline’s secrets come out he’s put into a position that’s not fair for any man, but he loves her and they get their HEA.
However, a lovely fairytale isn’t a fairytale without some dastardly plots of a schemer. The villian in this story is Lady Madeline Maxwell, a spoiled rotten debutante who Alex wants nothing to do with and spurns for Caroline. Madeline then plots her revenge so that even though Alex is not hers, Caroline is ruined and cannot show her face in society. Luckily for the story as a whole, Madeline’s comeuppance is worthwhile for the reader and not something trite or even overly vindictive.
The book has a faintly Kathleen Woodiwiss vibe in tone, story and character development, which pleasantly surprised me. O’Riley is a new author and I’m sure bright writing future awaits the reader. I just hope that she gets a better cover for her next book.
Grade: B+
