Review: The accidental Duchess

Madeline Hunter is one of my favourite authors for historical romance. She’s truly a pro and that genre is all that she writes. The Accidental Duchess was no exception. Check it out at her site: madelinehunter.com.

Lady Lydia Alfreton is in a fix. Once upon a time she wrote a work of fiction and a nasty man is blackmailing her for money in order to get it back. Desperate to obtain the manuscript and keep her virtue (something really important back then to a Lady of the ton), she agrees to an old wager against the Duke of Penthurst.

Now, Lydia is no fool. She only agreed to the wager because she’s incredibly lucky at cards and knows she’s going to win but the impossible happens and she loses. Now, her fix has doubled. She has that horrid blackmailer on her tail and a Duke at her elbow determined to collect the winnings of the bet.

No worries, it all works out in the end, it is romance after all, but there are more than a couple of twists and turns. This is a very active version of historical romance. Lydia is pretty smart and she comes up with all sorts of ways to keep her pursuers at bay (some quite funny) but one in particular ends up catching up with her.

The Accidental Duchess was a delight in many ways. There’s humour, something that doesn’t often happen in historical romance. The characters are awesome and very credible. The dialogue is definitely a slice of the time period and completely transported me back there. We have a strong, alpha hero and an intelligent, determined heroine. It’s like having a taste of Regent history without leaving your home. Delicious.

I would certainly recommend it to fans of historical romance. And, if you’re one and haven’t discovered Madeline Hunter, give her a shot. She’s really one of the best in the genre.

(credit: madelinehunter.com)

Note: click on the link to go to site.

 

Review: The Accidental Duchess

The Accidental Duchess starts off with a bang. Lydia is blackmailed and she has to figure a way to keep the contents of a manuscript she wrote from leaking out. Desperate, she agrees with to an old bet with the Duke of Penthurst. She’s willing to wage her innocence over cards. If he loses he has to give her the sum the blackmailer wants, ten thousand pounds–a vast amount back then.

Of course, trying to solve her problems, Lydia seems to get even more tangled into a mess. During this process, she raises the curiosity of the Duke, who then becomes an ally.

I loved the dialogue of the book. I could not only believe it was British but that it was historical. There were no slips, no modern words and yet nothing sounded stilted or awkward. It wasn’t just the dialogue that’s worthy of praise, Madeline has a great way of sliding delicious, little hints along with her descriptions adding hugely to the plot. They’re like little succulent crumbs and I ate them up wondering where they were leading. Nothing was stated over and over until it became nauseating. On the contrary, if anything we were left wanting more which made me turn those pages faster and faster.

A powerful, strong alpha hero and an intelligent heroine that has come upon tough times always draws my interest and this one was no exception. This is a great book for those who like historical romance and anyone looking for a great summer read.