Major Bartholomew Blackpool was a dandy, a rake and a
braggart until he lost a leg in the war. Now, he won't
dance, he won't ride, and he is not even interested in
charming the pretty ladies; he basically doesn't do
anything at all anymore. On the other hand, Miss Daphne
Vaughan is so busy with her charity work, she often
forgets to eat. Daphne and the Major had known each other
since she was ten and he a few years older: Laughy Daffy
and Tolly.
They hadn't seen each other in ten years until
Daphne's guardian, Captain Steele, presents her with an
ultimatum: she is to marry within the next month or be
confined to an asylum; the Captain views her charity work
as the occupation of a lunatic. Daphne knows the Major is
back in Kent, and he is the ideal candidate for a pretend
fiancé: such a ladies' man surely isn't interested in
getting married, besides he's a trustworthy friend. In a
month, Daphne will come into her majority, and that will
be the end of it. Bartholomew jumps at the idea of
helping his friend, but neither was prepared for how kind
the years had been to the other.
Once again, Ms. Ridley takes an old trope, a pretend
engagement, and turns it on its head. THE MAJOR'S FAUX
FIANCEE is so much more than the light fare the blurb led
me to believe. The story is more serious than other books
in the splendid Dukes of War series, but the
light, fun touches and the wit that are Ms. Ridley's
forte are still very much present, especially in the
friendly banter between Daphne and Bartholomew. Daphne
wants to matter, to be loved, not just appreciated for
her good deeds, but those are all she has to make a
difference.
Daphne has always been alive, passionate,
very opinionated; while the Major who had been the toast
of the Ton amounted to not much more than a glossy
persona. He hasn't recovered from losing his twin Edmund
in the war either; helping Daphne is the only thing he
has deemed worth his attention in a long time. In THE
MAJOR'S FAUX FIANCEE, Daphne and Bartholomew fall easily
into their old, comfortable friendship but before
anything more happens, both characters must take a good
look at the choices they made, and their journey makes
for a touching and oh so romantic story.
Ms. Ridley refines her craft with each book she writes
and as we go along in this divine series, the characters
become even more complex and the stories more
captivating. Erica Ridley's prose is subtly dazzling but
so seamless, elegant, and evocative that I'm experiencing
the story, and not reading words and sentences. I have
adored every book in the Dukes of War series,
every instalment is better than the previous one, and I
feel THE MAJOR'S FAUX FIANCEE is the best one. So far.
The name Erica Ridley is synonymous with excellence:
don't miss this extraordinary, timeless love story.
Enjoy the emotional, humorous fourth book in USA Today
bestselling author Erica Ridley's new Dukes of War regency
romance series!
When Major Bartholomew Blackpool learns the girl-next-door
from his childhood will be forced into an unwanted
marriage,
he returns home to play her pretend beau. He figures now
that
he's missing a leg, a faux fiancée is the best an ex-
soldier
can get. He admires her pluck, but the lady deserves a
whole
man—and he'll ensure she gets one.
Miss Daphne Vaughan hates that crying off will destroy
Major
Blackpool's chances of finding a real bride. She plots to
make
him jilt her first. Who cares if it ruins her? She never
wanted a husband anyway. But the major is equally
determined
that she break the engagement. With both of them on their
worst behavior, neither expects their fake betrothal to
lead
to love...
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