THE RUNAWAY DUKE

Author: Julie Anne Long ISBN: 0446614254 8/2004 HISTORICAL Publisher: Warner Forever
Time Period: 1815-1820 England

No one could ever accuse Rebecca Tremaine of being a proper young lady. She's wretched at needlework, pitiful at the pianoforte, and entirely too informed about the human body, courtesy of her father's scientific journals. So no one is terribly surprised when she manages to get herself compromised by a dandy she despises. When her parents arrange a hasty marriage, there is only one man she can turn to for help: her father's Irish groom, Connor Riordan. No one knows that Connor Riordan is the fifth Duke of Dunbrooke, "killed" in action at Waterloo, and he wants it to stay that way. But a true gentleman never turns away a damsel in distress. Connor agrees to spirit Rebecca away— bumbling highwaymen, a scheming duchess, and Rebecca's fiancé in hot pursuit. But time alone with the beautiful and desirable Rebecca jeopardizes Connor's secret every day—and tests his willpower every night. For if ever there was a reason to bring the Duke of Dunbrooke back from the dead, it would be to make Rebecca Tremaine his Duchess!

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

It's always easiest to write reviews of the books I like, that I think are well written and worthy of top-notch praise. But never is it more satisfying than when it involves a debut book by a debut author, who shines with such a promising and note-worthy talent. Julie Ann Long is one such author, and lucky for me, THE RUNAWAY DUKE is one such book.

One of the hardest things an author can convey to a reader is a sense of depth and dimension in the characters they create. Too many times good plots and original scenarios fall flat because the characters come across as stiff, cardboard figurines with no personality or sense of realism. Not so, in THE RUNAWAY DUKE. Through the descriptive personal actions of the characters and impressively written dialogue, Ms. Long has given a sense of personality and flesh to both Connor and Rebecca. Their connection is more than just sexual – it's emotional. And even though they both fight their feelings at first, there's no long denial or misunderstanding, though at times their relationship seems doomed.

With memorable secondary characters and intelligent dialogue, THE RUNAWAY DUKE proved to be a hard-to-put-down, fast-paced page turner. An impressive, imaginative, charming and tender romance, this is one Regency historical sure to charm even the most finicky of romance readers. I highly recommend it!

Nancy Davis