The Decadent Duke

Virginia Henley's The Decadent Duke is a must read. This historical fiction novel is sensuous and relates to the culture of that period. Her novels have encouraged me to read more about these historical periods. Lady Georgina is a wonderful character, so full of love and passion, who finds herself forced to marry the Duke of Bedford. Her family plots to have her engaged to the Duke, however, she is drawn to the Duke's brother. There is a big age difference between Lady Georgina and the Duke's brother but they both have the same ideals and they are also both loving and compassionate about life and the people around them. Who will Lady Georgina end up marrying? The story that leads of the altar is worth reading.

Having read Ciji Ware's ISLAND OF THE SWANS, I have been a longtime fan of the wickedly unique Scottish heroine, Jane Maxwell, Duchess of Gordon. Finding that Virginia Henley, "the queen of sensual historical romances" has chosen Jane's youngest daughter as her latest heroine is exciting because no other "romance" author is able to create the most deliciously satisfying reads by blending the "real" history with a romance. THE DECADENT DUKE is one such book. Not only is this the fictionalized account of the romance of Georgina Gordon and John Russell, Duke of Bedford but a gritty honest look at the mores and political side of marriage of this period, which is Georgian not Regency. Ms Henley sugarcoats nothing. Georgina is a youthful, saucy heroine who understands the desires of a mother who wants her daughter to be well-settled like her sisters as she balances it with her need to find a love match all her own. The reader is taken on a romp that is both fun and heartbreaking at times but always sensual if at times is understated. Georgina is her mother's daughter knowing how to play the marriage game even when it becomes more than she can handle thanks to her mother and a sister. John Russell, our hero, has demons of his own: a wife who has addictions and a young son who has his own troubles. Yet when he meets Georgina the sparks fly and causes our hero, the most honorable of men, to question his own desires for the bawdy lass who is child romping with his sons one minute to a saucy tease in the next. His brother, Francis, Duke of Bedford is the target of Georgina's mothers plan for Georgina and though his intentions are not as honorable he quickly succumbs to the heroine's charms. Never fear, Georgina is wise the ways of men, except maybe not to men as honorable as John. John is bothered by his brother's intentions toward Georgina Gordon, and his own desires for the "little girl" who calls him "old man". The story has many historical characters of the period and their subplots add to and at times can distract from our hero and heroine. For the history purest, Ms Henley has taken a few departures from actual history: John Russell's wife's first name has been changed probably because her real name would have been confusing for the reader with Georgina and when Duchess Jane provides a number of people with shipments of Scotch Whisky it would never be whiskey. This story is not for the reader who expects a traditional "regency period" romance because the actions of the heroine and her family are bawdy and probably reflect a truer picture of the Georgian period. Virginia Henley has the unique ability to merge the history and personas of the period with need for the reader to experience a satisfying romance. THE DECADENT DUKE is another winner, can we say a RITA is on MS Henley's horizon.

Lady Georgina "Georgy" Gordon's sisters have all married dukes or earls. As the last unwed daughter, Georgy knew that her mother, Jane, would now begin a campaign to win an even better match for her. How true! The manipulative matchmaking woman has already picked out Francis Russell, Duke of Bedford, for Georgina. Problem is that Georgy is more interested in the duke's younger brother, John. **** To quote a sentence from within the book, "There is nothing more hypocritical than the British aristocracy." I have no idea about today, but the author clearly showed how true that was in the past. During this story, King George is on the throne and slowly slipping into madness. I found myself having to read slowly at first because many named their children after the king. George, Georgina, Georgianna, Georgy, and more variations are found in the story. There are minor characters with the same names as the key characters. Georgina has a niece named after her and Georgianna has a daughter with the same name, but (thankfully) that daughter goes by her middle name instead. Having to keep them all straight took a lot of enjoyment out of the first section for me. As soon as the minor characters faded into the shadows a bit, I had no troubles. The games, scandals, and plots kept me intrigued and John's children were so delightful to read about. Many of the problems faced were due to simple miscommunications or pride though. For those history buffs out there, the author made sure to include historical people and events. Prime Minister William Pitt entered the spot light a few times as he worked for the Act of Union. This is but one example of why I enjoy books by Virginia Henley. Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Nothing short of a duke or an earl is acceptable by the Duchess of Gordon. Her success rate is perfect with one left. Her fifth and youngest daughter Georgiana has no choice in the matter; she will wed the disreputable rouge, the Duke of Bedford, Francis Russell who some insist is the father of the country as he has illegitimate children everywhere and mistresses in every corner of the nation. To Georgiana's chagrin she is attracted to her intended's kind and caring younger brother John. However, he is unattainable at the moment; besides his sibling being the acceptable one by her family, he is married with children and though his wife is dying, both John and Georgina respect his vows and his spouse. When Francis assaults Georgiana, an ugly scandal explodes while John mourns the death of his wife. Based on real early nineteenth century persona to include the Gordon and Russell families, Virginia Henley provides her usual superb historical romance. The key characters are fully developed with a strong look into the Ton's hedonistic activities and that of the matchmaking mamas. Fans of well written deep Regency romances will relish the fictionalized account of THE DECADENT DUKE. Harriet Klausner

PLOT: Newly minted debutante Lady Georgina's four sisters have all married well. Now her eccentric, voluptuary mother is determined that Georgy marry no less than a duke--the rakish, decadent Duke of Bedford, to be exact. But it's the Duke's younger, unhappily married, more serious brother John who intrigues the mischievous Georgina. And soon there may be TWO "decadent" dukes... MINI-REVIEW: I'd say this is Henley's most spirited and enjoyable offering of the past four or five years. It has two excellent protagonists as well as wit, sass, and heart. I certainly enjoyed it more than the increasingly indistinguishable Regency comedies dominating today's market. FULL REVIEW: Henley is back in fine form, with a Regency-era historical romance featuring several of her trademarks: a vivacious, devilishly witty heroine; her large and eccentric Anglo-Scottish family; and an authoritarian older hero with a good-natured streak of amused tolerance. This novel will not likely top the list of anyone looking for traditional Regencies of the sweet and stately sort, or for those hoping for the lighter Regency-era romps that have proliferated throughout the 2000s. Also, readers who expect the same level of historical detail and royal and military history that Henley weaves into her Medievals and Elizabethans might be a bit disappointed: although THE DECADENT DUKE (DD) features a fair bit of Regency politics, the emphasis here is on the social doings of the large cast of aristocratic characters. But, oh, what pleasures these doings offer! The book features pages of rapid-fire, amusing banter between various characters, particularly between Georgina and her pithy mother and sisters. (Interestingly, although the family is characterized as unorthodox, they are still conventional enough to demand socially advantageous marriages; this tempered characterization is a shrewd and realistic move on the part of Henley, an author perhaps better known for more starkly delineated character types). Henley hits a home run with her two leads. Georgina and John are thoroughly enjoyable protagonists that, though superficially different, complement one another to perfection. Georgina's carefree lust for life; humorous appraisal of the foibles of society; and zesty, mischievous nature are delightful counterpoints to John's sober authority and arch, understated humor. John is a very well-characterized hero of the subtle Alpha sort; he is unfailingly decent to his lush of a brother and vulnerable sons, and exercises far more emotional and physical restraint than Henley's earlier Alpha-lions, delicious though they may be. Georgina also has an appealing undercurrent of vulnerability stemming from her father's neglect of her (though this does lead to some baldly Elektra-type linkages to John as a father-figure). Their mutual attraction is convincingly presented, and the reader will more than likely be rooting for them along the way. Henley builds up the hero and heroine's