How to Dazzle a Duke

The primary character's were dull. The hero of the book was thought of as being peculiar and inept by the heroine. Where can you go from there but down hill. The heroine was overbearing and obnoxious. What a bore. I had trouble finishing this. Hours out of my life I cant get back. What's worse is that I bought two more books from this author before I realized how awful her book was. Well I wont be reading them anytime soon. I want my money back!!!

In the London society of the ton landing a duke as a husband is considered the highest achievement, as most do not marry for love but for position. This is exactly what Miss Penelope Prestwick has decided will be her only choice. She even has the Duke of Edenham in mind as he is the best choice for her, or so she thinks. She also knows just the person to help her arrange the match, Lady Dalby who appears to be a secret matchmaker, and in fact, appears to have set up at least one of her friends. When Lady Dalby agrees to help Penelope she does so with more than one motive in mind. She really wants to set up Penelope with the Marquis of Iveston, who would also protest the match. But, Lady Dalby gets the two to agree to help each other, albeit reluctantly. Now it seems all of Society is trying to get in on the action as bets are being placed as to whom Ms. Prestwick will really marry the Duke or the Marquis. When the strong personalities of Penelope and the Marquis clash while pretending to date will it result in the spark of love, or just frustrations on everyone's account? How to Dazzle a Duke is a smartly written humor-filled story which also allows the reader to watch the main characters fall in love, in spite of themselves. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey Ms. Dain took us on with How to Dazzle a Duke. Not only is Lady Dalby an intriguing character but her subtle manipulation of two strong people is even better. I look forward to seeing who else might seek out Lady Dalby's talents. Tanya Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Dain's How to Dazzle a Duke proves that the brain is indeed the biggest erogenous zone. The characters are cleverly drawn and the plot immensely satisfying. How to Dazzle a Duke is witty, laugh-out-loud funny, and outrageously sexy.

It's rare that a book can make me laugh out loud--but this one did! Penelope is a riot. Sophia is as enigmatic and intriguing as always--and we are given a few more clues to her past. I love piecing together the puzzle of this character! The cast of characters is large in this series, but I so enjoy watching them dance around each other, and how we are able to follow their stories from book to book. This series is a real treat! I'm anxiously waiting for more.

Penelope Prestwick is the most fun heroine I have read in a while. Ms. Dain obviously enjoyed positioning Penelope and her towering self-confidence as a counterpoint to the ever-clever Lady Sophia Dalby. Part of the reason the Courtesan Chronicles have been such an unadulterated joy to read is the witty bylaw of the people who inhabit Sophia's corner of the ton. Those of us lucky enough to have enjoyed all the books get to revisit the many interesting and amusing men and women in Sophia's circle. The romance between Penelope and Lord Iveston is a rollicking, sexually-charged good time, but the many *other* stories obviously in development in the background make me long to read more, more, more! I hope there are many more Courtesan books to come. I need my fix of Lady Sophia Dalby! My only regret is that the publisher issued these in trade-sized paperback, then waited FOREVER to come out with the mass market versions. The world needs more copies of these books, Berkley!

I have been waiting months for this book, pre-ordered it so I wouldn't have to wait, and just finished reading it. I love, love, love this series and this is my favorite book yet. Both the hero and heroine made me smile all the way through. Claudia Dain's writing is so witty and so charming, you can't help falling in love with all the characters, main and secondary alike. Now I just have to wonder how many months I'm going to have to wait to read the next in the series.