Sophie Blake's two cousins, Phoebe and Deidre have married the men of their dreams. As for Sophie, she is considered the ugly duckling with her nose always in a book. But there is one man who enjoys her conversation and companionship and that is Lord Graham Cavendish. Sophie fell for the dashing and witty fellow from the first moment they met, but she hides her feelings for him, because Graham only wants friendship and nothing more. Graham enjoys spending time with Sophie because she listens to him and gives good advice. As the youngest of three sons, he has no responsibility and prefers it that way. Things go so very wrong when his father and all three brothers die in a hunting expedition. Now Graham is the sole heir and is now the Duke of Edencourt. His carefree days are no longer. He must find a rich heiress to marry and fast because his fortune is basically down to nothing. When Sophie finds out about Graham, she is heartbroken. Graham will never marry her because of the way she looks and the fact she is poor. She decides to take matters in her own hands and will undergo a transformation with a little help from Lementeur, a man who can make an ugly duckling like herself in the raging beauty of the ton. When Graham sees the new Sophie, he is not sure what to think. She has always been there for him and now she treats him like acquaintance. He doesn't like the way she dresses or the men that pant at her feet. Suddenly Graham wants to be the only man Sophie turns to. Sophie is amazed how a few clothes and some classes in etiquette can make her a shining star, which also includes Graham. Sophie would like nothing more to be the only woman for Graham, but she has such a horrible secret that if Graham or anyone else found out, she would be finished permanently and perhaps even be put in jail! DUKE MOST WANTED is the final book in The Heiress Bride trilogy. I was anxiously awaiting Sophie's story as a self-proclaimed ugly duckling who is able to overcome her situation and get her man in the process. Sophie and Graham have excellent chemistry and their conversations make this novel a wonderful read. There is a twist no one will see coming and I could not quite understand why it was written into the plot because as things were moving along nicely, this twist about Sophie comes out of the blue and takes a bit away from the overall tone that Celeste Bradley has tried so hard to instill in this series. Some readers may enjoy the outcome of DUKE MOST WANTED and the secret that Sophie keeps, but it really wasn't needed because the story shines without it. Overall, DUKE MOST WANTED has two wonderful characters in Sophie and Graham along with some secondary characters that bring even more enjoyment. For a sexy romance, with some shocks, DUKE MOST WANTED is a most wanted read indeed.
Sophie Blake’s grandfather willed his fortune to the first
of his granddaughters to marry a duke. Since her cousin,
Deirdre, will seal the deal any day now, the quiet, bookish
Sophie can sit back and enjoy her time with the only man
she truly adores: Graham. No matter that the part charmer,
part scoundrel has absolutely no designs on her! Sophie is
content to engage Graham in lively conversation, beat him
at cards. . .and probe at the darkness hiding behind his
rakish smile.
YOU’VE GOT TO PLAY BY HEART…
Then Graham unexpectedly gains a title, an estate in near
ruins and a mountain of debt. If there is any chance of
survival he must find a rich wife—quickly. As his hunt for
a bride begins, Sophie realizes that she isn’t even in the
running. Suddenly no longer content to be a wallflower,
Sophie gets a stunning make-over and becomes the belle of
the ball. Lots of heads are turning…including Graham’s. But
this beauty has secrets of her own. Will she be his
salvation or seal his fate?