A Stroke of Luck: 6

I have to admit I liked this book the moment I started reading it to the end. I liked both the characters, especially Prestwick, who couldn't stand to get his hands dirty or mud on his expensive boots. I know not everyone agrees with me but I thought it was a fun, light-hearted read and would recommend it to others.

Deverill (what a name!), the Duke of Prestwick, finds himself in a spot of trouble. He and his valet, Stump, are adrift at sea. He is about ready to accept his fate when he is rescued from watery death by our beautiful heroine... who happens to have a fiery tongue. Zara Greeley and the Duke of Prestwick are immediately at odds with each other. And she can't believe the nerve of that ingrate! The company of the pampered duke is the last thing she needs after what SHE'S been through. Zara and her young brothers have survived a difficult journey from Crete to England--without a feather to fly with! As they journey back to England together, Zara is constantly annoyed by the duke's spoiled attitude, and Prestwick can't stand the unpolished manners of Zara and her brothers. When they finally make it back to England, Prestwick thinks he has seen the last of her. ...But he couldn't be more mistaken. Nor could he be more mistaken about Zara herself. The spitfire girl could be just what he needs...I really enjoyed this book. As always, Andrea Pickens' writing style is impeccable. The beginning of the novel is laugh-out-loud funny, and the end is sweet & fulfilling. Unfortuanately, what keeps this book from earning its 5th star is the fact that toward the middle, I was struggling to keep my mind on it. Overall, it's a good story about opposites attracting... then finding out they had more in common than they thought. My favorite character was Stump, the humorous 1-handed valet. He was a riot. I would've liked to see more of him.