Only a Duke Will Do (The School for Heiresses, Book 2)

Simon! I admit that Simon is my personal favorite of the Heiress men. I think he's a great match for Louisa (and Louisa him) in both temperment and in action. Their (renewed) courtship is sort of a bumblebroth--part revenge, part need for a secure future position, part lust and part affection, every step either takes is rather complicated. Simon's past is a shadowy, cruel tale for much of the story. Bits and pieces are thrown out, and dissected by Louisa, about the 'training' his Grandfather put him through, but its not until the last third that we learn just how awful that past was making his future. Louisa is, for all intents and purposes, exactly who she presents herself as. A dark memory involving her dearly departed beloved half-sister Princess Charlotte rears its head on occasion, but unlike Simon's dark memories hers don't place immediate fears and restrictions on her personality. Thankfully. Once more there is no real 'villian' to the piece, the obstacles in their path of romance are more subtle and intangible. Simon's past, Louisa's fears, Louisa's father's machinations. I found I preferred that--there was enough for the two of them to settle without worrying about some lurking jerk. As far as complaints...none really. Other then a few good whacks upside Louisa's father's head, I was happy. I wasn't bothered by the fact that there isn't a lot of backstory for Louisa (as far as her mother and the Prince go), since it honestly had no bearing on the present story. She had no angst with her place in society, nor her birth. I was irritated by her Ladies Society, but not to any great degree. Little else is revealed about the School that wasn't already told, or inferred from conversations. Since both Louisa and Amelia have graduated from the School it only makes sense. Mrs. Harris makes several appearances (as a member of Louisa's Ladies Society) and of course the letters between Mrs. Harris and 'cousin' Michael continue to begin each new chapter.

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I won't go into the storyline because I think someone already has,but, let me just say, for me, this book was excellent and is Sabrina Jeffries at her best. I must admit hesitantly, sorry Sabrina, I was disappointed with Never Seduce a Scoundrel. I didn't warm up to the hero and certain things moved too fast..use your imagination, and a certain term of endearment was overused. Having said that I still liked the book, but, didn't love it.Well she certainly made up for it with this installment of the School for Heiresses. This book was marvelous. I was never bored and I thought the characters were fully developed and I really cared about them. I also enjoyed the plotline as well and it moved along at a nice pace. There was also some extremely sensual and steamy love scenes that worked well into the story and with the story...if you care about that sort of thing (I DO). No disappointment here in any way. Bravo Sabrina!

Some background: Those of you familiar with The Royal Brotherhood series remember Louisa North as Marcus's, the 'dragon' viscount, sister. The naive 19yr old Louisa was led to believe that Simon, Duke of Foxmore, who was courting her, loved her and wanted to whisk her away to Gretna Green. Meanwhile he claimed so only to get her away from her brother and into the clutches of Prinny (her and her brother's real father). Prinny wants her to come to court, Marcus is against it because he can't forgive him for wrongs done against him and his family. Simon is the pawn to lure Louisa and it works, but later he (Simon) is banished to India for going too far in the charade in hopes of securing Prinny's backing as the prime minister. Fast forward seven years to Only The Duke Will Do: Simon returns from India after a seven year stint as the Governor General. In London he is recognized as the hero, but he knows the truth and is haunted by the actions and decisions which he failed to make resulting in uneccesary deaths. He is now determined more than ever to work his way back into English politics and become the next prime minister. This is where the king (formerly Prinny) steps in and makes him another dubious offer. No longer a naive child, Louisa North, 26, is now an independent woman and member of the London Ladies Society. A group which, for one, supports prison reform for the women and children at Newgate. The group is considered semi-radical by some and they believe that the society is getting too powerful by backing their own candidates sympathetic to their own agenda. The king gets word of his daughter's activities. There is substantial pressure from the various members of parliament to rein her in. So the king comes up with a plan. Sensing that Simon still has feelings for his daughter, the king offers to remove the current prime minister and back Simon in his place. As part of the bargain, Simon must get Louisa to marry him and then curtail her efforts with the London Ladies Society. Simon, although wary of being used again by the king, makes some of his own demands. Negotiations are settled and Simon begins his pursuit. Louisa doesn't know whether to be flattered or run for the the hills when it comes to Simon's consistent courting. She wants to believe that her cares for her after all these years and that he really wants to help with her society, but she's been burned badly by him before. So she's cautious and avoids his attempts at seducing her, but a woman can only take so much. And one thing leads to another and they're married. (you'll have to read to find that one out!) Tragically its then when she finally finds out about the little arrangement between her father and Simon. Louisa is devastated and Simon has the impossible task of convincing her that he didn't marry her just because of the arrangement. Simon is also forever haunted by the ghost of his horrible grandfather, former prime minister, Earl of Monteith and his 'teaching' me

This was by far my favorite Sabrina Jeffries book yet. I admit I'm a little biased because I love redemption stories, and Simon needed some redeeming. Both characters, Simon and Louisa, were so well-developed I can't imagine knowing them any better in the span of a novel. Simon was one of the best heroes I've read in a while and Louisa was very lovable. If you're a fan of Sabrina Jeffries, don't miss this one!