Duke Most Wanted

This was my favorite book of the Heiress Brides. The characters were well developed, very likeable, the plot quite interesting with a surprise at the end. Sophie is the last unmarried cousin of the Heiress brides. She feels she is plain and ugly, in fact has been told so by her "chaperone" and is tall and coltish. She never aspired to enter into the race with her cousins to be the first to marry a Duke and receive the inheritance. There is a man though that she is absolutely enthralled by, Graham, a fourth son of a Duke, who knows he will never inherit the title because there are so many waiting in line before him. I liked Graham's effortless charm, his wit and his carefree attitude. Sophie who is incredibly serious minded and bookish needs someone like Graham and he needs her to keep him focused and grounded. Graham is totally unaware that Sophie has any feelings for him other than friendship. Their lives change dramatically when Graham inherits the dukedom when his father and brothers all die. Graham discovers that his estates need money and must marry quickly. Sophie knows she can provide funds if they marry, however she cannot tell Graham about the will or she loses the inheritance. Therefore she needs to win him. She turns to a dressmaker, an early "What not to Wear", gown designer and she is changed into a graceful lovely woman. Graham is stunned but still must marry for money. He is about to ask a rich widow as his bride but Sophie has something to say about that. Sophie is fearless in her new role but she also needs some protection from herself too which causes Graham to step into protector role. Their romance is sweet and the way they go about engaging in everything from flirting to lovemaking is atypical. There is a plot twist toward the end of the novel I never saw coming but I felt it added flavor and depth to the story. I have always been a fan of Celeste Bradley and she finishes up her trilogy quite nicely.

Sophie Blake never really joined the quest to inherit her grandfather's fortune. As her cousin, Dierdre seems to be the winner, the bookish and reticent Sophie is able to relax and enjoy her translations and her time with the very handsome Graham. When Graham unexpectedly inherits his father's title and an estate consumed with debt, he knows he must marry a rich bride. Although Sophie never envisioned herself married to Graham she cannot bear for him to wed anyone else. So Sophie puts her books aside and enters the battle for her fortune and her man. Duke Most Wanted is my favorite in this trilogy, which is saying a lot because I loved them all! I identified with the plain and bookish Sophie and long for a Graham of my own. Celeste Bradley rounded up this trilogy with a Cinderella styled romance that filled my heart with joy. Duke Most Wanted is most wonderful. The Heiress Bride trilogy is an engaging trio sure to please historical romance fans! Annmarie reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

In 1815 only one of the three cousins remain single with a chance to inherit the Pickering fortune, but bookworm too tall and clumsy twenty-seven year old Sophie is uninterested in their late grandfather's fortune nor in marriage as she assumes she is on the shelf for life that is if she does not inelegantly fall off. Instead she is having the time of her life especially with her friendship with Graham, the youngest son of a duke with four older brothers. However, when his father and a brother die, Graham reconsiders his carefree lifestyle and decides he needs a bride. He wants intelligent witty Sophie as his wife. However, Sophie who has always considered herself plain cannot believe her buddy desires her even with fashion tips turning her into a beauty. The final Heiress Brides tale (see DESPERATELY SEEKING A DUKE and THE DUKE NEXT DOOR) is a delightful Regency romance. The key threads from the previous books are completed and a fabulous twist involving a crooked lethal lawyer (no oxymoron joke intended) adds depth as Phoebe and Deirdre return to help their cousin get her man. Celeste Bradley spins a winner as even the ugly duckling turning into a beautiful swan due to an early nineteenth century makeover seems right. Harriet Klausner

I just finished this book, and while I admit that the twist near the end was disconcerting, I preferred it over the other two in this series. Graham has a depth that the other two male characters lacked. He also lacked the incredible growing male member that I found to be ridiculous in the first two books. Sophie had a realistic attitude which I found refreshing. I liked the fact that she was considered to be the ugly ducking of the heiress trio, and could readily identify with her. I was also pleased to read more of the story about Fortesque and Patricia.

I finished reading this book today, and on one hand, I really loved it. I thought the writing was fantastic and the relationship between the main characters was great, but I wasn't so sure about the ending. There were subtle hints throughout the story about her background that I thought were really confusing until the truth came out. In my mind, I thought the twist at the end was completely unnecessary and a bit too dramatic. What's worse, is that it made the main character a lot less likable. She went from being totally grounded and interesting to this unpractical risk taker. There were also secondary characters that were too unimportant to have been given their own separate stories. This is just my opinion. I don't want it to stop people from reading the book, because I thought it was really entertaining and a lot better than the other Regency books i've read lately. All in all, it think it's worth investing in the money and the time to read it.