Guest Review: The Secret Duke by Jo Beverley

When Arabella Barstowe is kidnapped and taken to a Dover tavern, she believes her life and virtue will be forfeit—until she’s rescued by the notorious Captain Rose, a man who seems as dangerous to her as her original captors. Convinced her only option is to flee, she steals his horse and disappears into the night.

Bella never expects to see Captain Rose again, but years later she learns the wicked truth behind her abduction. Determined t o get revenge, she seeks out the only ruthless man she knows—the man wo rescued her all those years ago.

What she doesn’t know is that Captain Rose is just a disguise for the formidable Duke of Ithorne, who is intrigued to hear from the mysterious woman from his past. Their lives are soon entangled by danger and a growing passion that should never be.

Arabella Barstowe is one of the women who has limited social standing in Regency England but who has one thing that isof inestimable value in her world: a good reputation. Yet she is made the butt of a cruel plan to rob her of her inheritance, rob her of her social standing (as limited as it may be), and ruin her reputation for the rest of her life. To her credit, Bella is unwilling to endure more hardship and repression at the hands of her family and seeks out the only man she believes can take her back to the place where her disgrace began, the infamous but seemingly respected Captain Rose. Once she learns the true nature of the plan to ruin her, she forms a plan to revenge herself on those who have wrecked her life and her marriage prospects with such abandon. What she does not realize is that both the Duke of Ithorne as well as his cousin (who is really Captain Rose) have used that identity interchangeably on various occasions for various reasons. In this case, it was the Duke who rescued Bella initially, and it is the Duke who now re-appears to squire Bella as she seeks revenge against her brother and others who have been at the root of her kidnapping and disgrace.

This is a classic case of mistaken identity, growing attraction under mistaken circumstances, misunderstanding upon misunderstanding, and unwillingness on the part of the Duke to lose Bella but recognizing that he will probably lose her anyway when she learns of his dishonesty. It is the classic Regency romance novel format, but Jo Beverly is an expert in fitting a fascinating set of circumstances with some surprising solutions to the old difficulties so that the reader remains fascinated and keeps on reading. The Duke/Captain Rose is a curious compound of feelings mixed with a certain common aristocratic snobbery, but is a person who is ultimately a man of honor and who wants to see the demise of small-minded local officials who make the lives of ordinary people miserable. He is warm and kind and wants Bella in the worst way, yet he is patient as Bella works through her anger and resistance to personal involvement with him. His greatest hang-up? He doesn’t think Bella is “acceptable” to be his duchess. Oh brother . . .

On the one hand I was happy to read this book and experienced a measure of enjoyment. I did think the plot was overly intricate, yet Beverly did make it work for the most part. So I have very mixed feelings about it. I loved seeing Bella get her revenge, and I was heartened that in spite of all the negative circumstances, she found a way back to a positive sense of self and a measure of social acceptance. It was also so like Beverly to bring the Duke to heel – he had to move past his own snobbery in order to see the value in Bella that had nothing whatsoever to do with social position. Historical romance fans love a good plot and Beverly does not disappoint. She is adept at telling a very good story and that is, in the final analysis, the secret of her success. This is a fine novel and will be a great literary companion and a good read.

I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.

You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place

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