Title: How to Marry A Duke
Author: Vicky Dreiling
Publisher: Forever Romance
ISBN: 9780446565370
Price: $7.99/$8.99
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Edition: Forever Special Release
Genre: Historical Romance
How I read it: Mass Market ARC from publisher
Rating 5 out of
Tristan, the Duke of Shelbourne is a man with a mission: find a wife he can tolerate as long as they both shall live. Love is not necessary--nor desired. But how to choose among a dizzying array of wealthy-yet-witless candidates? Hire London's infamously prim and proper matchmaker. Then pretend she's not the most captivating woman he's ever met...
Helping a devilish Duke create a contest to pick his perfect mate is the kind of challenge Tessa Mansfield relishes. Her methods may be scandalous, but she's determined to find the notorious bachelor more than a wife--she'll bring him true love. Yet when Tessa watches the women vie for the Duke's affections, she longs to win his heart herself. And after a stolen kiss confirms Tristan's desire, Tessa knows she has broken a matchmaker's number one rule: never fall in love with the groom.
(From the publisher)
My Review:
Ducal Duty is demanding that Tristan, the Duke of Shelbourne find a wife and the many eligible young ladies of the ton know that he is looking to find one thus ensuring he has plenty of fans to fetch and handkerchiefs to retrieve. While he may be able to catch their ‘dropped’ item, their have failed to captured him. So what’s a Duke to do when he finds that he is in need of a wife yet none have been able to win him over? Why the answer is simple- hire London’s notorious matchmaker to make your match for you. Although Tristan never imagined that he would embark on a 24 woman courtship, and better yet he never imagined that the one woman he cannot have is the woman to dominate his thoughts.
Tessa Mansfield, matchmaker extraordinaire, believes that making a match for the dashing Duke will open doors for her matchmaking career, so she eagerly sets out to find this notorious rogue a love match. Yet she has her hands when Tristan plainly tells her that he is only marrying out of duty, and while he promises to be a loyal and faithful husband, he cannot and will not promise to love the woman he marries, and once he meets the prospective candidates, he simply cannot see himself falling head over heels for one of the witless women vying for his affection. Determined to find the perfect match that will turn into love, Tessa fails to realize that she herself has developed feelings for the Duke, although she tries to reign in her feelings, one kiss unleashes a torrent of emotions and desires that Tessa cannot control. Now she has broken the golden rule of match matching-never fall in love with the intended groom.
What will happen when Tessa’s secrets are revealed and Tristan selects a bride? Rush out to purchase your copy of HOW TO MARRY A DUKE to see how their story ends.
My Thoughts:
This was the first time that I have read this type of story- of course I have read historical romances before, and yes I have read about the dashing Duke searching for the perfect wife, but the plot of this story was very different, very intriguing. I never imagined that I would read the Bachelor-Regency style, and I have to say the concept was off the charts, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I have to say that it was very fresh and highly entertaining. It was very easy to visualize the characters, and I found that they were easy to read and well layered. I loved it when romance characters have a bit of dimension to them, otherwise the story falls flat, but it was just the opposite in How to Marry a Duke, the characters dominated the story and allowed the plot to blossom. I enjoyed the traits of the characters, and I also enjoyed the secrets that slowly unraveled. Another plus for me was the way that Vicky Dreiling incorporated the supporting characters and built up suspense for the next book. A spot on novel in my book.
Overall HOW TO MARRY A DUKE is a very fun read with very different concept that is highly intriguing. Yes, this does have the typical hero/heroine/villain aspect of romance novels, but take it from me it not like anything you have read before.
I have to say that I am eagerly awaiting the next installment in this series.
Five Fun Facts
1. Vicky concocted the idea for a Regency-era bachelor competition while watching the hit TV show The Bachelor one night. In a twist of fate, the new season of The Bachelor begins January 3, 2011, the same day as How to Marry a Duke debuts!
2. Prince William is off the market now, but his former status as the World’s Most Eligible Bachelor inspired Vicky to create Tristan, the Duke of Shelbourne, the Most Eligible Bachelor in Regency England.
3. Tristan’s most striking physical traits are his vivid blue eyes and square jaw. Vicky used Henry Cavill, the British actor who starred in HBO’s The Tudors as a model for Tristan.
4. The idea to make her heroine Tessa Mansfield a matchmaker came from Vicky’s love of Jane Austen’s Emma.
5. Vicky writes to music and creates a soundtrack for her books. The theme song for How to Marry a Duke is I Believe in You (Je Crois En Toi) by Il Divo and Celine Dion.
About the Author:Vicky Dreiling is a confirmed historical romance junkie and Anglophile. Frequent business trips to the UK allowed her to indulge her passion for all things Regency England. Bath, Stonehenge, and Spencer House are among her favorite places. She is, however, truly sorry for accidentally setting off a security alarm in Windsor Castle. That unfortunate incident led her British colleagues to nickname her “Trouble.”
When she’s not writing, Vicky enjoys reading, films, concerts, and most of all, long lunches with friends. She holds degrees in English literature and marketing. A native Texan, she shares her home with her daughter and a spoiled mini-lop rabbit that lives in a slightly gnawed cardboard cottage.
I have 3 copies to giveaway-
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Contest open to residents of the US and Canada
Contest Rules:
Since this is a different plot theme for a romance book, please tell me what your perfect romance novel plot theme would be. (Please keep your answers to 5 sentences or less)
Contest ends 31st
My thanks to HBG for both the giveaway copies and the review copy