Lori‘s review of The Duke’s Captive by Adele Ashworth

Ian Wentworth arrives in London with one goal: revenge. Now a duke of enormous wealth, he should settle down to the business of marrying and producing heirs. But nightmares of an ordeal from his past haunt him at every turn. All those he believes responsible have paid with their lives. All but one: Viola Bennington-Jones, the lovely Lady Cheshire. And he will not rest until he sees the tempting beauty suffer.

Viola keeps her secrets – and there are many – safe from society’s prying eyes. When she first spies Ian at a glittering ball, the rush of recognition immediately turns to panic. Does he remember the tender touches that once passed between them? Does he feel the electric passion that binds them still? Or does he blame her for the awful horrors her kin bestowed upon him? The enigmatic duke holds her captive: in desperate thrall to his powerful sensuality, her future – and her heart – in his hands.

Five years prior, Viola’s sisters had held Ian hostage; drugged him, stripped him, and chained him to a wall for many weeks. After his release, and once back to health, all he can think about is revenge. Viola, the youngest of the sisters, had tried to help him during his captivity, but was under her family’s thumb, afraid to reveal his whereabouts to the authorities. So she did what she could for him; bathed him, kept him warm, comforted him.

Wow, this was a very intense book, and there is a lot of morally ambiguous behavior on the part of both hero and heroine. For his part, Ian pretty much put his desire for revenge against Viola out there right from the start, but Viola kept secrets from Ian for much of the book, until it was all stripped away. It’s a very angsty book, but it was totally appropriate. Basically, Ian stalks her, toys with her in a game of cat and mouse, and takes Viola hostage, in order to repay her for the wrong she’d done to him.

There is what I would call a forced seduction scene that fit completely with Ian’s thirst for revenge, and his interpretation of past events. Normally, I’m not down with scenes of this nature, but given Ian’s recollections and feelings of betrayal, violation, and horror at his past with Viola and her sisters, I was able to read it and not hate Ian (although I was sad that he went through with it). It was powerful and emotional for both Ian and Viola, and very well written.

Here is a man who, from his viewpoint, was held captive, raped, and starved near to death. I thought Ian’s recollections of his time in captivity were very well handled, realistically portrayed, and so very, very sad. As was his desire for revenge – for some sort of retribution, any sort, really, against the one who got away without any legal punishment.

This doesn’t get a perfect grade because I never truly bought that Viola couldn’t get word to someone, and I never truly understood the reason for the kidnapping in the first place. I thought it was a mistake to leave that reveal until the very end. It should have been brought out with the rest of Viola’s revelations.

All in all, however, a very intense, emotional book with many frequently used tropes juxtaposed onto the hero, which made for a more interesting, powerful read. While I was uncomfortable throughout much of the book, I can definitely say that it stick with me and was well worth the read.

4.25 out of 5

You can read more from Lori by visiting I Just Finished Reading and Living in the House of Testosterone.

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

Lori’s review of My Darling Caroline by Adele Ashworth.

No man’s darling . . .

One by one, Lady Caroline Grayson watched her four sisters celebrate their betrothals, truly sure that marriage was not in her future—and perfectly pleased with that fact. Or so she thought.

Brent Ravenscroft, Earl of Weymerth, nearly gave his life for the Crown. He returned to England a hero with no intention of taking a bride, certain his brusque demeanor would intimidate any young ladies drawn to his good looks—or so he thought.

Bound by a business transaction, Caroline and Brent begin life as husband and wife. Utterly determined not to fall for each other, they stubbornly ignore the sparks flying between them and keep secrets at every turn. They would resist the lure of love—and the pleasures of the marriage bed—forever . . . or so they thought.

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I really enjoyed this book. Caroline and Brent are each distinct characters, neither of whom want the marriage that is forced upon them by Caroline’s father. Caroline is a true scholar, but Ashworth I smuch truer to the times than some other authors might be. As a female, Caroline cannot go into a classroom, and so stands out in hallways, absorbing lectures from afar. She plans to go to university and become a famous botanist.

Brent, for his part, had no desire to marry. He wanted his property back, and Caroline’s father owned it. In order to gain his property, he must marry Caroline, which he reluctantly does.

What I liked so much was that Caroline and Brent became friends almost from the beginning. Even though they were forced into marriage, Brent didn’t take his frustration out on Caroline. As soon as they were married, he treated her well. He finds himself amused and bemused by her. I laughed when Caroline “respectfully requested” that he take his attentions elsewhere because she had no intention of consummating the marriage.

Of course they do consummate eventually, and fall in love. There are some secrets here, and they drive the two apart. However, Caroline’s sister is a terrific character. Interesting in her own right. She stands up for Caroline and almost single-handedly gets them talking to one another again. The ending is a mix of tender love, deceit, and surprises.

I enjoyed this book tremendously.

Grade: 4 out of 5

You can read more from Lori by visiting, I Just Finished Reading and Living in the House of Testosterone.

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