Sammy’s Review: If I Only Had a Duke (Disgraceful Dukes, Book 2) by Lenora Bell
Historical Romance published by Avon 30 Aug 16
The very first romance novel I ever read was an historical romance by the absolutely fabulous Johanna Lindsey. I remember reading Silver Angel and closing that book with the determination of reading every single book she ever wrote. While I know the subject matter in some of those books were boorish and, quite frankly, filled with forced seduction (rape), I still have fond memories of hours spent devouring each and every historical romance I could get my hands on. Needless to say, I soon burned myself out on this sub-genre of romance. Over the years, I have waded back into reading about Dukes, Earls, and Rakes of all kinds. While I am not fully immersed, I can clearly state that this book, this very special book, has reminded me why I love historical romances. The new kind and the old. You see, this special gem is both.
Lady Dorothea Beaumont is banished to Ireland to stay with her Aunt, after a scandalous season. She’s one season away from becoming a spinster, and that would work out just fine for her. She’s done with being sold off to the highest bidder, tired of jumping through her mother’s hoops, being told what to say and what not to. She’s looking to live a quiet life in Ireland helping her aunt keep Bee’s. Lady Dorothea has a lot of curiosity, intelligence, and some serious wit to boot. But, what she really wants is her freedom from the confines of her status. The cottage she is staying at overlooks Balfry House, abd she winds up taking a tour and finding rare pieces of art that she insists should be hung in a museum. The book starts out with letters from Dorothea to the Duke of Osborne regarding those precious paintings she happened upon while at his ancestral home. This is where I fell in love with both Lady Dorothea and the Duke of Osborne.
“Dear Duke,
If by important and urgent business you refer to leaping from the balcony of Mrs. Renwick only to be spied scaling the rose trellis of Mrs. Beckham-Cross the very same evening (I read such a thrilling account in a broadsheet) one wonders if all this leaping about can be good for a gentleman’s health? Allow me to prescribe a peaceful rest in the Irish countryside and a quiet contemplation of seventeenth-century artworks.
The Rusticating, Lady Dorothea”
“Dear Rusticating Lady,
Please don’t trouble yourself. I’m in the prime of vigor, virility, and health. Just ask Mrs. Renwick.
A Beast of Town, The Duke of Osborne”
The Duke of Osborne wants nothing to do with his ancestral home. He hasn’t been there in ten years, and he has no intention of ever going back. The Duke, also known by his given name Dalton, has other plans. He’s lived the past ten years eating, sleeping, and breathing vengeance. He has no time for busy-body ladies snooping through his father’s possessions. He’s determined, a bit of a rake, witty, and an onion with many layers to peel back. After the back-and-forth correspondence between the two, Lady Dorothea is back in London for her final season, with a new agenda.
“Maybe I can take my pleasure and barricade my heart, just like men do.”
“Life hasn’t taught you yet to divorce this” — he touched her forehead –“from this.” — He brushed his fingers lightly across her chest, over her heart. “I sincerely hope it never does. And I’m too honorable to be the one to do it.”
Dalton and Thea meet up in a ballroom, he’s there trying to keep up a facade with Mrs. Renwick and Dorothea is there to hunt him down to talk some sense into him. She follows him out to the balcony where he’s wooing the merry widow when she interrupts them. He’s now definitely intrigued by his letter writer. He gets rid of the widow and takes Thea for a spin on the dance floor. He’s setting her up to be the most popular girl in town. He needs her out of the way, so that he may continue his search in finding a killer. Of course, he succeeds and Lady Dorothea is just not having it. She outsmarts him with the help of his man, Con. A road trip back to Ireland for the both of them – the Duke because he has a lead and Thea because she wants her freedom.
“He kissed her then with all the pent-up longing he’d been denying. He kissed her because he wanted to believe life could be simple. All this pain and strife, the games men played to keep death from knocking too loudly. Life could be the scent of roses when she drew near, and the lingering heat of her body on his palm. Take her into his arms. Build a bridge to another world. A bright window, instead of a dark alley. He could be a man. Not a force of vengeance. Just a man.”
From the first page the chemistry between the two is simmering. By the middle of the book, they’re at a boil. By the end of the book, they’re combustible. One of the best books I’ve read this year. Intelligent banter, great plot with twists you don’t see coming, hemistry, characters who grab hold of your heart and you can’t help rooting for. This book blew me away. It had an old-school historical romance feel, yet so fresh and new. I am now a fan. I can’t wait to read the next one.
Grade: A+
Summary:
After four failed seasons and a disastrous jilting, Lady Dorothea Beaumont has had more than enough of her family’s scheming. She won’t domesticate a duke, entangle an earl, or vie for a viscount. She will quietly exit to her aunt’s Irish estate for a life of blissful freedom. Until an arrogant, sinfully handsome duke singles her out for a waltz, making Thea the most popular belle of the season.
The duke ruined her plans and he’ll just have to fix them.
Dalton, Duke of Osborne, is far too heartless for debutantes or marriage—he uses dalliances and public spectacle to distract from his real purpose: finding the man who destroyed his family. When his search leads to Ireland, the last thing he needs is the determined, achingly innocent Thea, who arrives in the dead of night demanding he escort her to her aunt. His foolish agreement may prove his undoing. The road to the Emerald Isle is fraught with unforeseen dangers, but the greatest peril of all might just be discovering that he has a heart…and he’s losing it to Thea.
No excerpt available.
