THE WICKED DUKE by Madeline Hunter is book 3 in the
Wicked trilogy. I have read the first two books in
the trilogy, His Wicked Reputation (#1) and Tall, Dark and
Wicked (#2) and found myself lukewarm regarding them.
However, Hunter has been a perennial favorite of mine, so I
soldiered on to book 3 in the series. Alas, this book was
very much not my cup of tea at all.
Lance Hemingford, Duke of Aylesbury, has been
rusticating in the country because he is widely suspected
of killing his older brother, the previous duke, less than
a year ago. Plagued by an indecisive coroner and an
ambitious and morally corrupt magistrate (Marianne's
uncle), Aylesbury has not been able to put his brother's
death behind him and move on to take his proper place in
society. Aylesbury has been known as a rake and a truly
bad boy (quite the thing when set against the backdrop of
his licentious and frivolous peers of the ton!), but he's
been having to keep a low profile and try to be good until
he is pardoned of the crime he did not commit. Personally,
I find Aylesbury to be rather an ass. Selfish and
uncommunicative, he did not float my boat in any manner.
Marianne and her widowed mother are living under the
roof of her reluctant and jerky uncle, and that douchcanoe
manipulates Marianne into becoming engaged to Aylesbury for
the uncle's social benefit. What drives me nuts here,
though, is even before the uncle exploits them into an
engagement, Marianne is canoodling with Aylesbury. She
allows him to kiss her and fondle her. ALL THE WHILE
BELIEVING THAT HE IS THE MAN WHO CRUELLY AND VIOLENTLY
RAPED HER COUSIN. Does that make any sense at all?! All
it did was squick me out. Even if I were enjoying the rest
of the book, which I didn't, I can't respect a heroine who
invites the rapist of her closest friend and relative to
become intimate with her.
Now, Hunter gives away who the rapist is about 1/3 of
the way into the book (although they are not explicitly
outed in the story until much later). So that helps me as
the reader. But Marianne doesn't realize this, so this
doesn't excuse the heroine's poor choice. There's insta-
lust on the part of Aylesbury, which is not very believable
to me. As well, we're told Marianne falls in love with
Aylesbury, but I don't think it's fully or convincingly
demonstrated. We're just supposed to believe it not
because we see it, but because we're told it's so. THE
WICKED DUKE did not work for me on many levels, but given
Hunter's strong writing in the past, I will definitely give
her next book a chance because I have enjoyed so many of
her previous stories.
Third in the roguishly intriguing series by the New York
Times bestselling author of Tall, Dark, and Wicked and
His Wicked Reputation...
She appeals to his wicked inclinations, but he never
expects she might snare his heart....
Suspected of his brother’s murder, Lancelot Hemingford,
Duke of Aylesbury, was forced to give up his hell-raising
habits in London for the anonymity of quiet country
living. So, when an opportunity arises to clear his name
in exchange for proposing to the niece of a neighbor, he
sees no choice but to accept. Plus, seducing the
reluctant maiden will be a most intriguing challenge...
As Marianne Radley is dependent on her uncle, she must
accept the Duke's marriage proposal at her family’s
request, despite her belief he is irredeemably wicked.
But along with marrying him, she intends to sniff out the
duke’s unsavory secrets and expose them to the world: a
plan that would be flawless were it not for one minor
detail—even she, with all her determination, is not
immune to the charms of a rakish duke...
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