The Duke Who Came to Visit

after just trying to plow through a Historical Romance where the characters constantly fight, and "hate" each other till the last two pages-I was definitely looking for something on the light side. The Duke Who came to visit was a great choice. The hero and heroine are basically "good" people with their own insecurities and doubts. The Duke-who learns through his time with Regina-that he's been spoiled and allowed to do as he will, the only thing that has gained him was a bad reputation. Regina-who had one failed season and was told she was too tall, eccentric, and horse crazy-retires to the country to devote herself fully to horse breeding. This story was fun, easy to follow, mostly lighthearted, though it did have it's darker moments involving a kidnapping plot. A few truly awful old harridans, well fleshed out servants, a darling nephew, and you have a sweet, pleasant read. Not the best I've read, but in my top 50 Regencies. 4.5 stars!

There aren't alot of Regency romance books that are Horses-themed. Here is the storyline from the back of the book! I am adding this one to my reading list. Regina Westfield, too tall and ill-at-ease to be a hit during her season, proves a smashing success at raising horses in a little village near Newmarket. She's independent, eccentric-and on the shelf. Until a coach-in-four accident brings the notorious Duke of Balfour [Cedric] to her country home. No one is as courageous as this dashing lord, no one more gallant-and no one a bigger scandal! Although this duelist and gambler may be the ton's most seductive scoundrel, he and Regina are soon sharing a sense of adventure and a breathtaking kiss. But when a treacherous enemy endangers her young nephew's [10 year old David] life, Balfour must reveal his true colors. Either he's as black as sin, or as pure as the shining white knight of a lady's most passionate dreams...

I did enjoy this book,and it was definitely a page turner, however I thought that coming down to the end, the mystery was sidelined for the love story. Do not get me wrong, I love a good romance story, however this one started out with a main mystery story line and did not resolve it in an enjoyable way. I did enjoy this book, but I thought that the element of the mystery could have been further explored. As an amateur writer I understand that sometimes, you just want to wrap up a long and sometimes tedious process, but I really thought that the author had come too far to just overshadow one of the main storylines. Still the book was quite entertaining, and if you are a fan of a sweet love story, then this is the book for you.

I like Dick Francis mysteries. Though this is a Regency, I felt it had the same fast-paced action, and the horse sub-plot, that makes his books so entertaining. A real page turner