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
friend’s sister . . . now he’s about to lose his heart . .
.
When Thomas Heathmore, Duke of Coventry, agrees to steer his
friend’s inexperienced younger sister through society, he
doesn’t 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, Amelia’s prospects
have transformed. But though she’s long been secretly
infatuated with Thomas, she refuses to heed the arrogant
aristocrat’s advice. If only it were as easy to ignore his
heated touch. And as Amelia soon learns, the ton is
a minefield, where one moment’s indiscretion can unleash a
scandal—or entice her to surrender everything to the duke of
her desire . . .