Tag: The Truth About the Duke series

Review: The Way to a Duke’s Heart by Caroline Linden

Posted August 27, 2012 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: The Way to a Duke’s Heart by Caroline LindenReviewer: Rowena
The Way to a Duke's Heart (The Truth About the Duke, #3) by Caroline Linden
Series: The Truth About the Duke #3
Publisher: Harper Collins, Avon
Publication Date: August 28th 2012
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 384
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four-half-stars
Series Rating: five-stars

Charles de Lacey, Lord Gresham, is running out of time, running from his responsibilities, and running from love.

Destined to be a duke, Charles de Lacey has led a life of decadent pleasure, free of any care for propriety or responsibility. It comes as a terrible shock to learn that he might be stripped of everything, thanks to his father's scandalous past. He has no choice but to find the blackmailer who would ruin him—and his only link to the villain is a woman who may be part of the plot…

To save his fortune and title, he vows he'll stop at nothing—in fact, he's all too eager to unravel the beautiful, tart-tongued Tessa Neville. She intrigues him and tempts him like no other lady ever has. With only his heart to guide him, and keenly aware that his entire future is at stake, Charles must decide: is she the woman of his dreams, or an enemy in disguise?

I haven’t read too many books by Caroline Linden but I should really fix that. I really enjoyed this book and it looks like there are some books that came before this one so I’ll definitely be reading those.

This book follows Charlie de Lacey, the estranged heir to the Duke of Durham. When his father dies and his secrets are unraveled, Charlie’s title is at risk. It is one thing for the secret to have been buried with his father but Charlie and his brothers find out that their father was being blackmailed and in order to keep the title in the family, they have to find the blackmailer and put an end to the blackmail. Charlie’s two brothers Edward and Gerard have been on the case since they found out but because Charlie (who is the actual heir) was estranged from his father, he didn’t find out about anything until now. Both Edward and Gerard have their own families to take care of so the job of finding the blackmailer falls back onto Charlie’s shoulders.

Charlie follows the clues that Gerard left for him to Bath, where he meets the lovely Lady Tessa Neville. Tessa is an odd woman. She’s a widow with a secret, a secret that will bring the life that she’s built for herself crumbling all around her. She’s got a good head on her shoulders and a good head for numbers so her brother uses her to research potential investments and then report back to him on her findings. She’s in Bath trying to investigate a canal that her brother is interested in investing in when she comes across the Earl of Gresham. Immediately, she’s not a fan because everyone dropped her and her chaperone like a ton of bricks the minute he came into the building and flocked to him, in an effort to please him. She immediately thinks that he’s an entitled and indolent aristocrat and says as much.

Charlie finds out that the key to getting him close to the blackmailer is through Tessa Neville and he jumps at the chance to do so. He charms his way into his life and the more they get to know each other, the more they like each other. I really enjoyed the romance that blossomed between the two main characters because it was sweet. They really did come to know each other quite well and I adored each scene with the both of them in it.

Tessa was strong and smart and just the kind of person that I could see myself being friends with. She was also funny and I loved the way that she treated those around her, even when she was wrong. She knew her own mind and she went after the information that she sought with a single-minded determination that was admirable. I really enjoyed getting to know her and thought Charlie was the perfect match for her.

As for Charlie, there was a lot more to him than meets the eye and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know him. Seeing why he left home, why he was estranged from his father and seeing him come back with regrets and what not, made for a great read and I ate it all up. I loved Charlie. I thought he was dashing and charming and I wanted to marry him myself. The way that he fell in love with Tessa for who she was and not what she looked like or what she could bring to him and his estate was too adorable for words.

The mystery behind who the blackmailer was didn’t really do much for me but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the romance between Charlie and Tessa. It wasn’t hard to figure out who the blackmailer was and I’m terrible at figuring those things out. I was a bit bummed that this book came to a close because I was enjoying the characters so much that I didn’t want the story to end. I totally recommend this book to lovers of the author’s previous work and to fans of historical romance. This was a good one.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

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

four-half-stars

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Guest Review: One Night in London by Caroline Linden

Posted April 16, 2012 by Ames in Reviews | 2 Comments

Publisher: Avon, Harper Collins

Ames’ review of One Night in London by Caroline Linden.

A bargain that was all business . . . and pure passion.

Neither wealth nor beauty will help Lady Francesca Gordon win custody of her young niece Georgina, saving the girl from a cruel stepmother; she needs London’s top solicitor for that. But when Edward de Lacey, son of the powerful Duke of Durham, hires away the one man who can do the job, Francesca decides Edward himself must champion her case… if only she can melt the dashing lord’s stony heart.

Edward has reason to be guarded, though. London’s tabloids have just exposed a secret that could ruin his entire family. When Francesca offers a unique chance to undo the damage, Edward is forced to agree to a partnership . . .and now, each moment together feeds the flames of his scandalous longing for the passionate widow. But when Georgina disappears, fate will test them both . . . and leave their love hanging in the balance.

I have read one previous Caroline Linden novel and really enjoyed it, so I did not hesitate to pick this one up once I read the blurb.

Lady Francesca Gordon wants her niece.  Georgina is her half-sister’s daughter, but she is currently being raised by her stepmother after her father passed away (Francesca’s half-sister has passed away as well).  The stepmother has cut off all access to Georgina and Francesca’s friend has advised her to go to a lawyer.  But every lawyer has turned her away except for one.  But minutes after he says he’ll take on her case, he apologizes and takes on another case, for a very important client.  Francesca, seeing her last chance at claiming Georgina slip through her fingers, overhears the name of the client and decides to beard the lion in his den.

Edward de Lacey is the second son of the late Duke of Durham.  His older brother, the Duke, is a bit of a wastrel and is not doing anything to secure his inheritance.  Because at the reading of the will, the brothers have discovered that their father married before…and never got a divorce.  And there is no proof that his first wife died before the Duke married their mother.  This means that they’re all potentially illegitimate!  Thus Edward’s hiring of the best lawyer in London, they need to do all they can to protect themselves before word gets out.

And that’s when Francesca and Edward meet.  She’s desperate and furious and he’s determined to secure his inheritance.  (But not from a money hungry point of view.)  She storms into his home and demands he help her since he stole her last chance at Georgina.  He thinks she’s a crack pot and asks her to leave.  But then word eventually leaks out about the inheritance and Francesca sees an opportunity – she can help Edward if he helps her in return.  And so a beautiful partnership begins…

What I enjoyed about this was the set up.  As a widow, Francesca has a certain independence.  She’s used to standing up for herself, so even though she’s not one to go storming into someone’s house, there’s a part of her that is a bit tempestuous and sassy.  And really, have you read any historical romances where the main characters meet because their fighting over a lawyer?  I haven’t and I liked that.  There’s no ballroom scenes here, thank you very much.

Edward, before the scandal broke out, was engaged (and in thought he was in love) to a perfect English rose.  And despite thinking he likes that kind of woman, Francesca captivates him.  I really liked how he could not help himself around her.  These two start off as somewhat wary allies but quickly become friends.  Which makes their romance so believable.  They know each other first.

If you’re in the mood for a solid read, I recommend One Night in London.  3.75 out of 5.

The series:
Book Cover Book Cover

You can read more from ~ames~ at Thrifty Reader.

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

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