A DUKE OF HER OWN

Author: Eloisa James ISBN: 9780061626838 8/2009 HISTORICAL Publisher: AVON
Time Period: 1784

A duke must choose wisely . . . Leopold Dautry, the notorious Duke of Villiers, must wed quickly and nobly—and his choices, alas, are few. The Duke of Montague's daughter, Eleanor, is exquisitely beautiful and fiercely intelligent. Villiers betroths himself to her without further ado. After all, no other woman really qualifies. Lisette, the outspoken daughter of the Duke of Gilner, cares nothing for clothing or decorum. She's engaged to another man, and doesn't give a fig for status or title. Half the ton believes Lisette mad—and Villiers is inclined to agree. Torn between logic and passion, between intelligence and imagination, Villiers finds himself drawn to the very edge of impropriety. But it is not until he's in a duel to the death, fighting for the reputation of the woman he loves, that Villiers finally realizes that the greatest risk may not be in the dueling field . . . But in the bedroom. And the heart.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Eloisa James begins her historical romance A DUKE OF HER OWN at a charity ball where fate seems to finally come calling on Lady Eleanor, who proclaimed seven years earlier (when her lover Gideon, Duke of Astley, spurned her for another when his father’s will decreed whom he must wed) that she would only marry a duke. Of course, there were none available at the time, and she hoped to prove a point to the unfaithful Gideon. Now Leopold, Duke of Villiers, is a changed man after years of dissipation and a nearly tragic duel. Upon reassessing his life, he has determined to find his six illegitimate children and wed a suitable woman who will be able to overcome society’s strictures and help him launch them at their appropriate age. His specification is that his wife be a daughter of a duke. There are only two: Lady Eleanor and Lady Lisette. Lisette happens to live nearby the orphanage where Villiers believes his five-year old twin daughters reside. Lady Eleanor opens her mouth and before she realizes what she’s done, sets herself up in competition with Lisette. When they decide to converge on Lisette’s home in the countryside, madness, mischief and mayhem ensue. Will Villiers be able to discern the best lady to become his duchess?

James takes on some very serious topics: social justice, the conditions of orphanages, illegitimacy, mental illness, and with a deft touch helps the characters deal with these problems with a bit of humor and a lot of caring. Eleanor finds that she’s in the same situation that she was with Gideon—Villiers is attracted to her physically, but feels he must marry Lisette for his children’s sake. After campaigning for her cause, and only gaining Villiers after he sees the truth of Lisette’s madness, Eleanor decides that she’s been foolish to think that Villiers would truly love her and decides she will marry anybody but a duke, and only for love. Villiers is left in the lurch, finally realizing how much he loves Eleanor. The children all hope for a speedy reconciliation with Eleanor as they’ve grown to love her dearly.

I really loved the wickedly funny teasing and banter between Eleanor and... Lucifer? Leandor? Lloyd? Oh yes… she finally deigns to call him by his name Leopold. And the spirited loving between the duo is so often interrupted by outside forces. Her puppy and his son are often great lighthearted foils for the more serious moments.

A DUKE OF HER OWN is a classic lesson in being careful about what you wish for. Eleanor and Leopold both get mixed up in what they think they want and what they really need. Thankfully, everybody comes up right and happy endings save the day. This is a perfect, lazy, Sunday afternoon read with a good dose of entertaining humor, romance, and righting societal wrongs. I look forward to finding and reading the rest of the “Duchess” books now.

Susan Barton