HIS MAJESTY, THE PRINCE OF TOADS

Author: Delle Jacobs ISBN: 1587495632 10/2006 HISTORICAL Publisher: AWE-STRUCK E-BOOKS
Time Period: Regency

Returning from the Peninsular War, Lucas Deverall discovers he's inherited a bankrupt title, and the only hope he has for salvation is the deceiving chit who tricked him into marriage six years before. Time to call upon his most effective weapon, and charm her into his bed and out of her money. That's not how Sophie sees it. Now the Toad who forced their marriage is offering forgiveness, in exchange for his presence in her bed? Revenge comes more to Sophie's mind.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

HIS MAJESTY, THE PRINCE OF TOADS is a wonderful, awful book. I say this because it is compelling romance, with wonderful characterizations, but the character building is almost too good. There has rarely been a hero I despised through so much of a book! He is a toad indeed.

Unfortunately, our heroine, Sophie, has had an enormous crush on him since early adolescence. I would imagine we all have someone, or multiple someones in our past, who we look at with mature perspective and think, "what a jerk!" At the time, however, they can do no wrong, and we must remember these characters are quite young. But I digress.

Our hero, Lucas, Lord Deverall, was a womanizing drunk, though beautiful of face and body. At a debauched party one night, he hopped into the bed of his host's ward (Sophie) and was forced to marry her. He then took off for the wars and was not in London society again for six years, allowing he and Sophie plenty of time to grow up.

When he returns, he realizes his mentally ill brother lost everything before dying and leaving the title and estates to him, and he is sunk without Sophie's inheritance from her family. So he sets out to seduce it out of her, despite despising her and thinking all sorts of unfounded things about her. Thankfully, Sophie has a strong-willed friend who she takes as a model, and she endeavors to resist him despite this intense and long-standing crush.

Well into the book, Lucas starts to show some maturity and worthiness, and their love by the end is believable, though without Sophie's own terrifying past they might never have come together. Given their youth and the Regency time period, it all makes sense and is right by the end.

This is the kind of book that would be great fun to discuss with a bunch of friends! 

Heather Hiestand