Erin Knightley has crafted an excellent enemies to lovers
story. The book's cover hints at the story as it depicts
our well-dressed, not a hair out of place, dignified hero
and our free-spirited, slightly daring, smiling heroine.
The scenes which feature the back and forth banter between
William and May are superbly written and contain the
correct amount of passion and desire. The couple truly
cannot reach common ground--they annoy each other--but
they can't stay away from each other either. Is it passion?
Lust? Desire?
The romance builds as the May visits William at his
country estate. William sees how caring May is as he
watches her playing with his younger brother and sister. He
observes May as she listens to his siblings and
is surprised and charmed by her actions. Even though May
annoys him, teases him and verbally spars with him, he is
captivated by her. The build up to the couple's first kiss
is perfect. The author made the reader want to see these
two give in to their feelings and experience their first
kiss.
Kudos to author Erin Knightley for creating an original
series. The Prelude to A Kiss series is set in Bath and
features a series of musical programs. Each story within
the series has characters that are multi-faceted and well
defined. As a reader, it's refreshing to read a novel
filled with interesting characters with different
interests. I enjoyed reading THE DUKE CAN GO TO THE DEVIL
because the characters are original and you
know opposites attract! William feels May is a scandal
waiting to happen. May helps William see there is more
to life that duty and that his duties do not have to define
him. Her actions show him the importance of family. The
ending of this novel is superb and has a few twists and
turns. William and May have many obstacles to overcome.
Loved the epilogue with Charity, Sophie and May. The
epilogue was heartwarming, perfectly written, and made me
cry.
After her mother’s death, May’s sea captain father sends
her halfway around the world to live with his stodgy
sister in England. The summer festival in Bath made for a
lovely distraction, but now she can’t wait for her
father’s return so she can leave this country, its
suffocating rules, and one infuriatingly proper nobleman
in particular behind.
Because he is the Duke of Radcliffe, William Spencer’s
whole life revolves around his duties. He never steps
foot outside the bounds of proper behavior, and he
expects the same of those around him. With her devil-may-
care ways, May vexes him nearly as much as she tempts
him, but there’s something about her that he just can’t
resist. He knows he’s falling hard for her, but with
lives that are worlds apart, will they ever be able to
find any common ground?