A Duke to Die for

I prefer books with likable characters. I want to know the main characters as I would know a friend, and I like Blake, Henrietta and Gibby (Sir Randolph) very much. I see a young Nigel Bruce as Gibby, Colin Firth as Blake and a Natalie Portman as Henrietta, those type actors, those looks. The historical details of Ballooning were a delightful surprise. Mrs. Simple was painted as a business savvy, forward thinking female with a fledgling business and air flight for speedy travel and Sunday jaunts was very interesting. The authors research expanded the readers relationship with the minor characters. I didn't know whether Sir Randolph was to be taken advantage of or not? I don't agree with some of the other reviews, passion sparks unplanned events - especially with the nobility. Blake is titled and accustomed to having nearly anything. Some readers may have forgotten how quickly you can see love in a pair of handsome brown eyes, a "Duke" will remind you. Blake asking a former mistress to chaperone would be exactly who a Duke may trust, and isn't Constance a fabulous name! Men having sex with tavern whores occurred whether married, engaged, or single - it was part of societal norm. Now is when it's considered bad behavior. And a serious allergic reaction in the early 1800s would have ended the story with a death. Chapter 18 was written very skillfully and sensually, allow yourself plenty of time to end and have a hankie to fan yourself with. While that chapter is pivotal, the remaining pages are not disappointing. The dialog continues to excite and the pace stays quick. I slow reading when the end of a book nears, but I understand that a few of the characters will be in the next two books of the trilogy, I would wish for the cousins (delightful) and Gibby. "A Duke to Die For" is a fun, well-written historical Romance. If I want to read complicated plot twists, I'll read a book on politics. Fabulous read and I'm looking forward to the next two books in the series.

Henrietta Tweed is a 19 year old women who lost her parents when she as 7 years old. Though out the years all her guardians have died - she thinks because of curse. She is now at the door of her last guardian in her father's will, The Duke of Blackwell. The old Duke has died and his young handsome son will be new guardian. Henrietta Tweed and the Duke have a captivating romance as they deal with the `curse'. This was a sweet romance, loved the cousins! [...]

Lucien Trent Blakewell, the fifth Duke of Blakewell has been enjoying life to the fullest and along with his two handsome bachelor cousins. The mama's of the ton would consider it a triumph to catch any one of them for their marriageable daughters. However, when young Miss Henrietta Tweed arrives on Blake's doorstep announcing that she is his ward and he her new guardian, Blake can hardly believe it. Very determined and cool-headed, Henrietta has also come armed with papers for him to sign so that she can be in charge of her own life, fearing she carries a curse that has caused the untimely deaths of her four previous guardians. Henrietta doesn't want to be the cause of yet another death, especially when this new guardian is one of the most handsome men she's ever seen! *** Ms. Grey has continued to build an extensive fan base providing her readers with smart, witty and totally entertaining Regency novels. As in her previous works, she keeps a lively pace going with charming heroines and delightfully well-intentioned heroes crafting them with chemistry that zings. Inserting just the right amount of humor within her scenes and dialogs, she keeps the story moving forward as she shows how Henrietta is convinced she is "cursed". Using Blake's eagerness to do right by Henrietta in finding her a husband adds to the humor as Blake realizes that he's "grown accustomed to her face" as well as her organizational skills, and can't stand the thought of any other man kissing or bedding her, for that matter, then himself! While not an original plot, as this has been used over and over, Ms. Grey puts her own spin and stamp on it making it a sweet and tantalizing story. Bottom Line: Amelia Grey is a rare talent and A DUKE TO DIE FOR is proof of that! Marilyn Rondeau, for www.ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

A Duke and his ward and lots of accidents pretty much describes this book. It was such a fun story. I definitely got caught up in this story because it was very realistic and the storyline kept moving at a pretty good pace. There were no sighing women and overbearing men, just well written realistic characters. There are the usual Regency restrictions but the characters weren't bland and boring. It has plenty of romance and sexual tension, as well as a fun plot. This book is definitely one to add to your list whether you just like romance or historical romance.

I discovered author Amelia Grey several years ago and quickly found myself searching out her backlist to enjoy her light touch of humor and emotionally touching reads. "A Duke to Die For" is the start of her new 'Rogue's Dynasty' series from SourceBooks Casablanca. This publisher is one I'm coming to admire for their strong list of romance authors from several different genres so I guess I wasn't really surprised to see Amelia Grey is now one of their number. Grey's heroines aren't weak, but they're not ball-busters either. And her heroes are more Gammas at times in that they CAN take charge, but aren't overbearing about it for the most part. Anyhow, this wasn't as good as some of her other books, but still plenty good enough to keep me entertained this afternoon. Lucian is a rogue, a rake, and a scoundrel. He's also an extremely wealthy, young, and sexy Duke so society mostly forgives him as they throw their daughters in his path. He knows he'll have to settle down one day since he must carry on the family name now that his father is dead, but he's just having a bit too much now to worry about that. When a young miss arrives at his house, he's not sure what to think. When he sees how beautiful she is, he thinks he wants her. When he finds out she's his ward...oh crap! If that's not bad enough, this 19-year-old diamond is filthy rich, level-headed, but still thinks she's cursed. Henrietta doesn't just think she's cursed, she's sure of it. She's been through five, count 'em five, guardians already. It just figures that this last one turns out to be a man she comes to care for...and the one man she can't have. Not just because he's her guardian, but because if she doesn't get away, the curse will kill him too. Henrietta was an interesting character for me. In many ways, older than her years and so level-headed...yet fully convinced in the curse and naive in so many 'city ways'. Yet I can almost see how living in the country and having so many guardians die not long after taking her into their charge could mold a younger woman's mind. Especially after the tragic circumstances of her family's death. Anyhow, she's one of the weakest heroines Grey has written and maybe that's why she seemed so different. Lucian is just scrumptious and watching him force himself to grow up was entertaining all on its own. Grey's books are always well-paced, beautifully written and quite sensual..."A Duke to Die For" is no exception. I enjoyed the break from murderous plots, sinister suitors, etc and just basked in a true romance. Lucian's buddies are slated for their own stories and I'll be picking those up as they're published.