Date published December 2008
ISBN 978-0-06-124560-2
Historical Romance / Regency
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn
Lady Isidore has been married forever it seems to a man that disappeared off into the wilds. She longs for his return while fighting off the advances of suitors. Well until she gets a note saying he is returning after all these years and she has no idea what made him come home. Simeon Jermyn, Duke of Cosway is finally coming home to take on his responsibilities and finally see the wife he married by proxy so long ago. What he expects and what he gets are two different things as the woman he is introduced to as his wife is bold, ravishingly beautiful and quite headstrong in his mind to be a “proper” duchess. Isidore has the fight of her life if she wants a marriage full of love, passion and respect. Can she steal her husband’s heart and show him the ways of love before it is too late?
Ms. James delivers another rollicking ride in her Desperate Duchesses series with her latest installment, WHEN THE DUKE RETURNS. I love this author’s writing as it is fast, tight and delivers a story full of twists and turns it makes you feel you are on a roller coaster. In her fourth story in the Desperate Duchesses series, we meet Lady Isidore, a woman married by proxy to the prodigal Duke of Cosway. After many years of longing for his return, Isidore finds herself meeting the one man she longs for and he is horrified and fascinated by the proud beauty in front of him. Can Isidore melt this Duke’s heart as passion blazes between them? Oh god, Isidore was a breath of fresh air to my thinking. Not exactly a “proper” duchess, she finds her way in society with no help from her missing husband. She finally decides to throw caution to the wind and finds herself at a notorious party when the note comes from her husband…he is coming for her...tonight. Talk about high handedness, Simeon is a man who never expects the proper wife he has in his head to be the bold beauty in front of him. Sensual and too delightful to his thinking, he tries to resist her charms but Isidore is one woman determined to get what she wants and that is her husband’s heart. These two main characters light up WHEN THE DUKE RETURNS. You get the feel of Isidore’s complex emotions as she tries to find her way with Simeon and as Simeon’s confusion over the woman he thought was his wife in his head to the actual reality which is definitely more enchanting than he admits.
Ms. James is an author that delivers a complex story and weaves a spell around her readers with charm, magic and passion all throughout the pages. I haven’t read the other stories in this series yet though they are on my to be read pile and I look forward to reading the stories of characters that made an appearance in WHEN THE DUKE RETURNS. If you enjoy engaging characters, a fast paced storyline that weaves a spell around you then run, don’t walk, to grab WHEN THE DUKE RETURNS. I look forward to more from this prolific author in the future. This is definitely one of those books that you keep on your bookshelf for continuous reading pleasure.
No comments:
Post a Comment