Noah Winters, the Duke of Anselm has decided to marry. He
is tired of spending his time searching ballrooms and
parties for a bride. He courted Marliss Endmon who is now
betrothed to another. So, what does our practical hero do?
Without missing a beat, he proposes to Lady Thea Collins,
Marliss's lady's companion!
I had mixed feelings about Noah at the beginning of the
story. His proposal was a business offer, not an offer of
marriage. What kind of man was he? Thea's family has
financial problems, her younger brother is gambling and
drinking away the family fortune. Lady Thea accepts Noah's
proposal when he sweetens his offer by saying that Thea's
sister Nonie can live with them and he would sponsor her
come out. Security is important to Thea. But what about
love?
Noah and Thea marry and discover they both have secrets.
BIG secrets. Noah is disappointed that Thea kept her
secret
from him. Thea uncovers several of Noah's secrets while he
is away on business. It's how the practical Duke and the
kind-hearted Thea deal with the secrets that made me fall
in love with this couple and their love story. I loved
when
Noah would wake Thea up each morning even though he knew
she loved to sleep in. He would make her tea and toast,
serve her in bed, help himself to her toast and steal her
tea as they discussed their plans for the day! Their
morning conversations were charming and very funny and
allowed the reader to witness a subtle change in their
relationship.
Thea's secret haunts her because she doesn't remember all
of the fine details. Grace Burrowes writes this part of
the novel very skillfully. Throughout THE DUKE'S DISASTER,
the author
provides subtle clues to the reader how members of the ton
viewed and treated companions and governesses. The reader
picks up on what polite society viewed as normal or
tolerable behavior in that time period. Noah ;and Thea
decide to hold a small house party for family, friends and
neighbors. Thea's dreams intensify as the weekend event
approaches. Noah senses that Thea is fearful and supports
her as best he can.
The last few chapters of THE DUKE'S DISASTER are filled
with
suspense and intrigue as the night of the ball approaches.
Grace Burrowes does an excellent job balancing Noah and
Thea emotions and actions as the story approaches it's
resolution. Noah senses that something is clearly
upsetting
his Duchess and resolves to protect Thea. There were
several times that I thought I knew the identity of the
villain. I had three possibilities at the start of the
house party. One suspect was eliminated and two remained.
I
was surprised when all was revealed. My favorite part of
the unmasking was Noah's reaction. It is both practical
and loving. I was both pleased and surprised by the
ending.
THE DUKE'S DISASTER is an engaging read. I loved how the
managing Duke and his Lady learned to trust each other as
they fell in love as their family and friends watched. If
you have not read any of the authors works, please note
that this is a stand alone novel and can be read and
enjoyed on it's own.
Noah Winters, Duke of Anselm, exercises the pragmatism for
which he's infamous when his preferred choice of bride
cries
off, and her companion, Lady Thea Collins, becomes his
next
choice for his duchess. Lady Thea's mature, sensible and
even rather attractive-what could possibly go wrong?
As a lady fallen on hard times, Thea doesn't expect tender
sentiments from His Grace, but she does wish Noah had
courted her trust, lest her past turn their hastily
arranged
marriage into a life of shared regrets. Is His Grace
courting a convenient wife, or a beautiful disaster?
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