A DUKE TO DIE FOR

Author: Amelia Grey ISBN: 9781402217678 4/2009 HISTORICAL Publisher: SOUCEBOOKS CASABLANCA
Time Period: Regency

The first in Amelia Grey's new "Rogue Dynasty Trilogy..." The dashing Duke of Blakewell suddenly finds himself as the guardian of a beautiful young woman, Henrietta Tweed. Henrietta has had 5 guardians recently come to untimely ends, and she believes she's cursed. She tries to warn the Duke of this, but he thinks she's being superstitious. He decides to introduce her to London society and try to marry her off—because he can't deny she's quite intriguing and attractive. Will the two be able to keep their relationship strictly platonic? And will the Duke be safe from Henrietta's "curse"?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

A DUKE TO DIE FOR is the first in Amelia Grey’s Rogues’ Dynasty books. A DUKE TO DIE FOR is about Duke Blakewell and Henrietta Tweed, while the next two will be about Blackwell’s two cousins (Lord Raceworth and Lord Morgangale).

Great fun sums up this story quite well. Despite his initial bluster, Blakewell isn’t quite as bad as his reputation makes him out to be. At least he takes his role as Duke quite seriously (even if he is a tad absentminded), so maybe it's more he hasn’t had time to keep up his reputation as the Devilish Duke. Henrietta, for all her superstitions, is rather level-headed and mature. She’s only nineteen, but shows more sense then many of the older people of the story.

As for the curse, it truly was a self-fulfilling prophecy, I think. Sure enough, if you go looking for trouble, you can subscribe just about any ordinary event to it. What I was really pleased by was Blakewell and how quickly he understood Henrietta. There wasn’t any misunderstandings between them, and even if he didn’t always believe what Henrietta said (who would believe a curse was put upon a seven year old girl?), he didn’t condescend or make light of it.

I look forward, eagerly, to the next two books although I have a feeling Blakewell might keep my heart.

Alexandra Cenni