Within about four paragraphs of this story, I realized that it's not a stand alone tale. I hadn't read the previous installment, A MOST UNLIKELY DUKE, and I was completely lost in THE DUKE OF HER DESIRE. I dashed to my local library to rectify my confusion.
Once I was settled into the world Barnes has created, this book was lovely. It tells the story of a man who believes his duty in life is his most important job, and a lady who is still finding her feet in a brave new world she doesn't much like. I found their mutual education - both in the tactics of the ton and in emotional intelligence - satisfying and charming.
I appreciate how more and more regency-era books are focusing on non-conventional characters (it needs to expand more, of course, and quickly) and so the outsider perspective that Amelia brings is welcome. She teeters on obnoxious, but always retains her sense of self and that's fun to read. Thomas, of course, is on shakier emotional footing, and I love a story where a hero realizes he is also an emotional being.
Overall, THE DUKE OF HER DESIRE is a charming book and a good follow-up for fans of the first.
He was only supposed to keep an eye on his
friendβs sister . . . now heβs about to lose his heart . .
.
When Thomas Heathmore, Duke of Coventry, agrees to steer his
friendβs inexperienced younger sister through society, he
doesnβt expect the lady in question to be so infernally
stubborn. Amelia Matthews seems to have little interest in
balls or suitors at all. Instead, she intends to open a
school, and against his better instincts, Thomas offers to
help. Yet somewhere along the line, Amelia ceases to be a
simple responsibility . . . and becomes an undeniable
temptation.
Since her brother inherited a dukedom, Ameliaβs prospects
have transformed. But though sheβs long been secretly
infatuated with Thomas, she refuses to heed the arrogant
aristocratβs advice. If only it were as easy to ignore his
heated touch. And as Amelia soon learns, the ton is
a minefield, where one momentβs indiscretion can unleash a
scandalβor entice her to surrender everything to the duke of
her desire . . .
No excerpt available.
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