Elyssa Papa’s review The Lost Duke of Wyndham (Two Dukes of Wyndham, Book 1) by Julia Quinn
Historical Romance published by Avon 27 May 08
There are great romances and then there are great romances. Julia Quinn’s latest offering, The Lost Duke of Wyndham, is a great romance. What makes it great, you may ask?
Oh, reader, let me count the ways…
1. Meet the heroine: Grace Eversleigh, a companion to the dowager Duchess of Wyndham. This is not a typical too-stupid-to-live-heroine. This one thinks, and she’s rational. Even after their coach is robbed by the delectable hero (see #2), Grace maintains a “grace” under pressure. She knows her lot in life and has accepted that this is her life-even though at times she’s not as happy about it as she may appear.
2. Meet the hero: Jack Audley, highwayman, soldier, charmer, etc. Jack Audley is not your typical Me-Hero, You-Woman. This one knows his charm and uses it to his advantage. Jack is going to have many women swoon at his words… his actions… him. It’s very hard not to fall in love with Jack, especially when he lets his vulnerability show.
3. Conflict: The dowager duchess thinks Jack is the son to her long-lost older son (now deceased) and that would make him the current Duke of Wyndham. Except… there’s Thomas Cavendish, the current Duke of Wyndham. Jack has no desire to be a duke for his own particular reasons, but since it means he can stay in the lovely presence of Grace Eversleigh, he agrees to remain in the dowager’s household.
4. Romance: Need I really go on here? Let’s just say Jack is hot. ‘Nuff said.
My list doesn’t do this book justice. Just know that when you read this book, you will be swept away. Julia Quinn manages to craft a story that not only engages you in what will happen next, but makes you invested in the book. I ended up caring about every single character in this book, even the waspish dowager Duchess of Wyndham. She makes you yearn for Thomas’ story, and she has the best ending I have read in a romance novel to date. Her development of Grace and Jack in the TLDOW is a masterpiece; Julia Quinn is a master chef at writing, and makes many look like mere apprentices.
I judge a book great by this alone: at the end of the story, how did I feel? Julia Quinn’s book made me feel as if I had just taken a long hot bubble bath and eaten a lot of chocolate from the happiness and contentment that was zinging through my body.
You ask… How great is this book? Well, let’s put it this simply:
If Julia Quinn doesn’t win the RITA next year, there will be need for a recount.
Grade: A+
You can read Devon’s review here and Lawson’s here. Tomorrow we will have another Quinn review from another of our Fly it Forward winners!
From the back cover:
Will the Real Duke of Wyndham Please Stand Up?
Jack Audley has been a highwayman. A soldier. And he has always been a rogue. What he is not, and never wanted to be, is a peer of the realm, responsible for an ancient heritage and the livelihood of hundreds. But when he is recognized as the long-lost son of the House of Wyndham, his carefree life is over. And if his birth proves to be legitimate, then he will find himself with the one title he never wanted: Duke of Wyndham.
Grace Eversleigh has spent the last five years toiling as the companion to the dowager Duchess of Wyndham. It is a thankless job, with very little break from the routine… until Jack Audley lands in her life, all rakish smiles and debonair charm. He is not a man who takes no for an answer, and when she is in his arms, she’s not a woman who wants to say no. But if he is the true duke, then he is the one man she can never have…
Read an excerpt here.
