Guest Review: When You Wish Upon a Duke by Isabella Bradford

Tracy’s review of When You Wish Upon a Duke (Wylder Sisters #1) by Isabella Bradford

Raised in the Dorset countryside, Lady Charlotte Wylder doesn’t care one bit about well-bred decorum. The dark-haired, blue-eyed beauty would rather ride a horse than attend a stuffy ball. So when Charlotte learns that she is to leave immediately for London to wed the Duke of Marchbourne, a perfect model of aristocratic propriety, she is less than enchanted with her arranged marriage.

But to her delight, their first encounters are brazenly flirtatious, and their wedding night burns with passion. March’s broad shoulders and dark countenance make Charlotte want to rip every button off his waistcoast. She may even be falling in love with her new husband. Yet whenever their desire boils over, March reluctantly pushes Charlotte away. Will past secrets and present misunderstandings mire their marriage in scandal, or serve to strengthen a bond that is destined to last a lifetime.

Charlotte is shocked and a bit dismayed to find out that she’s been engaged to a Duke practically since birth. Her father and his ducal friend had arranged the marriage and after Charlotte’s father died her mother just didn’t mention it. When the Duke of Marchbourne’s man of business shows up in the middle of the night to let her know Charlotte’s not sure what to think.

The Duke of Marchbourne, March to his friends, has known for years that he will be married and has known exactly to whom. Because of his family’s past and his father’s debauchery he has held himself up to a very high standard and takes being honorable to a new level. He’s actually kind of excited to meet his soon-to-be bride and actually plans a “chance” meeting with her which doesn’t go anything like he had planned. He actually gets physically hurt during the meeting but is completely enchanted with his fiancé.

Charlotte is enchanted as well and when the duke actually moves up their nuptials by months she’s scared but thrilled as well. The now married couple start their lives together and like each other very much; in fact their each falling for the other every day. The one dark spot on this happy marriage is in the bedroom. Charlotte is excited and happy after her wedding night as March’s passion meets hers. March, however, feels that he has completely disrespected Charlotte by acting like a crazed lover. He has his idea about how a perfect & respectable duke should act with his wife and that wasn’t it. He apologizes and next time their in bed he’s calm and courteous and gets the job done with no excessive passion – and no fulfillment for Charlotte. To say Charlotte’s confused and hurt, thinking that she’s done something wrong is putting it mildly.

The couple eventually work out their differences but March’s honor just might break them up forever – especially if a duel kills him.

This story started out slow for me but then ended up being so unexpectedly good I was thrilled. I like arranged marriage books but I think this is the first I’ve read (that I can recall) where the people have liked each other so much that they can’t wait to get married. Yes, Charlotte was shy but she felt so comfortable with March so immediately that it was charming to watch the two of them together. Now March had his issues and when we find out the full story of those issues later in the book I really felt for him and all that he’d had to live through. I loved that Charlotte was the one that made March see the light and that just brought them closer together.

Bradford has written a great historical that kept me turning pages both because of her writing and the characters in the book. She created a great story that will stick with me for a while. Now the next two books in the story involve her sisters that we just got a glimpse of in this book. We didn’t get to know them very well at all but I can’t wait to read their stories.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place

This book is available from Ballantine Books. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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