Gwen’s review of The Dangerous Duke by Christine Wells
Historical romance released by Berkley Sensation 2 Sep 08
Every now and again, I seem to go on a Historical Bender. I read all sorts of historicals – regency, medieval, and all kinds in between. I love me a raw paranormal or some edgy urban fantasy, but it’s nice to soften the palate with a more genteel story once in a while. This was one of those nice historicals, but it had a hero and heroine who liked things a little on the raunchy side, no matter their breeding (heh).
To begin with, I think this is a good, better than average story. Not great, but fun to read. It drags a bit in parts – the pacing is slow here and there when a character does much navel-gazing – too much introspection done too often. For example, the hero’s rather repetitive doubts got on my nerves and the story got a bit tedious. However, he redeemed himself when he was not always so honorable and it made things interesting.
The villain is a little unbelievable and not consistently portrayed – but that may just be because i didn’t see enough of him. This lack also affected the pacing and suspension of disbelief. I wasn’t quite “there” when the story’s climax occurred, but, meh, I just rolled with it.
All that said, I LOVE the heroine. Kate is always very consistently portrayed and I felt she was the strongest character of the whole book. Huzzah! Finally a strong, steadfastly portrayed historical heroine! And I didn’t even have to break out my urban fantasy TBR! Both her portrayal and her motivation never wavered. Kate’s portrayal made up for any lack in the book.
I enjoyed the romance. The sexual tension between the main characters was very nicely steamy throughout. The heroine’s opinion of her own sexuality and confusion over the same (all worked out as a result of overhearing another “well bred” couple’s sexual encounter) was a fascinating glimpse into the way a woman’s head works. Men – pay attention. Wells does an admirable job dealing discreetly with Kate’s confusion and Max’s attempts to be Kate’s “ideal lover” – the ensuing scene where this comes to a “head” (heh) is worth the wait.
One main criticism: I don’t quite understand the road trip – it doesn’t appear to serve any purpose to move the main characters around house to house, and adds very little tension to the story.
This is a fun historical romance and I recommend it to someone looking for a historical a bit on the lighter side, or fans of the author.
Grade: B- C+ B- (yes, I waffled a lot writing this)
Summary:
When Lady Kate Fairchild threatens to publish a tell-all political diary if her brother isn’t released from jail, she meets a formidable adversary in Max, the Duke of Lyle. Max believes Kate’s brother knows the whereabouts of the rebels who burned his family home. Stealing Kate’s diary, he spirits her off to a country estate, ransoming her for her brother’s cooperation. But the wrong diary has ended up in Max’s hands-a sizzling account of Kate’s affair with a fantasy lover. And when Max discovers Kate’s sensual desires, he can’t resist exploiting them in every way…
Read an excerpt.
