Miriam Ellery, Dowager Duchess of Ashland, was committed
to Bedlam by her nephew Francis, now heir to the title.
Her daughter Abigail will not leave the matter alone; she
knows something is not right, and she goes where she can
get help: Chegarre & Associates. The firm that makes sure
that the faux pas from the elite don't become gossip
fodder. It's a family business comprised mainly of Elise
deVries and her brother Alexander Lavoie; Elise is also a
part-time actress, and is a master of disguise. The
Dowager Duchess maintains her long-rumoured dead son,
Noah, is still alive. Noah hasn't been seen since he was
around ten years old, but he is very much alive and
doesn't want to be found.
Right from the start, I was reminded of the reasons why I
love Kelly Bowen's books so much. Ms. Bowen is a
veritable artist when it comes to weaving her choice
vocabulary into gorgeous sentences and spinning
spellbinding tales. The author's descriptions of the
environment, of the clothes, how she conveys her
characters' emotions are so sharp and evocative that she
takes the reader right into her characters' world, into
their hearts. The divine prose and dazzling dialogues
would satisfy me as a reader, even if there were no story
to speak of. And yet, Kelly Bowen is one of the most
stellar storytellers around: the plot is ingenious and
seamless, the actions sequences are breathtaking, and the
sex scenes sensuous and tender. Elise and Noah are very
different from what we are used to in historical romance,
and I can only applaud Kelly Bowen for her cleverness;
both also have enthralling backstories. The secondary
characters are crafted with as much care as the primary
ones; in fact, I am dreaming of reading more of King, one
of the most fascinating minor characters ever.
A DUKE TO REMEMBER is one of my favourite books this
year, and I feel that it should figure on every
historical romance reader's list.
Elise deVries is not what she seems. By night, the actress
captivates London theatergoers with her chameleon-like
ability to slip inside her characters. By day, she uses her
mastery of disguise to work undercover for Chegarre &
Associates, an elite agency known for its discreet handling
of indelicate scandals. But when Elise is tasked with
locating the missing Duke of Ashland, she finds herself
center stage in a real-life drama.
Noah Ellery left the glamour of the London aristocracy to
pursue a simpler life in the country. He's managed to avoid
any complications or entanglements-that is, until he lays
eyes on Elise and realizes there's more to this beautiful
woman than meets the eye. But when Elise reveals her real
identity-and her true feelings for him-the runaway duke must
confront the past he left behind . . . to keep the woman he
loves forever.
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