FOUR DUKES AND A DEVIL

Author: Cathy Maxwell, Elaine Fox, Jeaniene Frost, Sophia Nash, Tracy Anne Warren ISBN: 9780061787362 7/2009 ANTHOLOGY Publisher: AVON

Fall in love with the unpredictable and irresistible dukes (and one dog named Duke) of Four Dukes and a Devil. Join New York Times bestselling authors Cathy Maxwell, Jeaniene Frost, and Tracy Anne Warren, along with USA Today bestselling author Elaine Fox and RITA® Award winner Sophia Nash, for tales of noble danger and devilish desire. Delicate young ladies must be protected from him. First he steals her clothes, then he steals her heart. Most would be terrified of this powerful vampire—but not him. He's "the catch of the century". . . but she's the only one he can't have. A young miss demands a kiss. But he won't rest once she's touched her lips to his. With four dukes and one devil, there's no limit on love.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

FOUR DUKES AND A DEVIL is a new anthology from Avon combining five well-known authors and giving them the task of writing different stories loosely linked by the title’s proclamation. (Just as a note, this anthology doesn’t take place in any one time or genre—several are represented and used.)

The Irish Duke by Cathy Maxwell is the shortest of the five stories, a Regency era romance that I enjoyed the most. I think the principles, Susan and Roan (the Duke), were the best fleshed and their banter was so much fun! Susan was a clever, resourceful, and strong-willed young lady (well, she was 26), proving that no matter what, she wouldn’t give in. Roan was a genuinely charming and likable guy; he also has the distinct honor of being the first Regency hero I’ve come across who is hunting for a wife merely for companionship. He doesn’t care about her pedigree, her dowry or her looks—he just wants someone he can like and come home to. At the end, I was a little disappointed that Susan didn’t tell one of her charges she had been wrong about love, but the sweet-natured girl understood in the end anyhow.

The Duke Who Came to Dinner by Elaine Fox was a sort of contemporary/paranormal(?) romance. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of The Duke Who Came to Dinner, honestly. It was amusing and had quirky moments, but the tone of the story shifted so quickly that I lost track of things. It began almost like a summer beach read chick lit book, but near the middle became standard romance fare. Gray worried over whether Sam liked her; Sam worried he was moving too fast and shouldn’t fall in love so quickly. To kiss or not to kiss? To sleep together or not to sleep together? It became rather boring. I put a question mark next to the paranormal designation because Fox leaves the choice of whether or not the Duke of Dunkirk’s ghost really did exist or not, to how the reader interprets the story. Much of the "evidence" of his haunting was easily explained after a late night exploration. I was more intrigued by that mystery than by whether or not Gray and Sam wanted to be together.

The Devil to Pay by Jeaniene Frost is an Urban Fantasy romance, and I freely admit to not having read any of Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress novels. I have a feeling this short story ties into it somehow, though. Inside jokes that veterans of the series would get, or background stories glossed over quickly, made me think this. For my part, I mostly enjoyed Elise’s part in the story. Introverted, but trying to come out of her shell, loyal and quickly amused by small things, I really liked her. Blake grew on me by the end of it. His constant litany of "‘please kill me" was a little irritating. It’s a quick read, however, giving pertinent facts about the world if and when needed (such as a quick history on who some of the secondary characters were), but overall, I was just left indifferent to Blake’s outcome. Also, this was definitely more of an urban fantasy than a paranormal romance; while Elise’s growing feelings for Blake were important to her character development, the story focused more on the ways Elise struggled to help Blake.

Catch of the Century by Sophia Nash is a historical romance that was a fun read! I felt rather bad for the poor Duke, John, honestly, since he seemed like the sort who preferred quiet and order to the nuttiness that Victoria seemed to trail in her wake. This, like The Irish Duke, had pretty well fleshed-out principles and had a good amount of detail given to the secondary characters that showed up at the end. This is loosely tied in with several other books by Sophia Nash, actually, and names mentioned will undoubtedly ring a bell to her fans but doesn’t hamper the story. If you know the characters—great! Added layer to the story. If you don’t... well, no worries, they’re only mildly important and explained away anyhow.

Charmed By Her Smile is a Regency romance by Tracy Anne Warren. This is the longest story in the book, which is pretty evident in the pacing and plotting. Warren keeps the plot simple: young girl needs help from charming rake to get rid of unwanted suitor and keeps the secondary characters even simpler by pretty much keeping the focus on India and Quentin (the Duke and rake), with rude interruptions by Peter (unwanted suitor) more often than anyone wanted. I liked India; she had a spitfire personality and was unpredictable much of the time. Quentin, far from being the dissolute rake that India had read about in the Society pages, is charming, amusing, and generous with his help. Also, I wholly approve of his method of paying back Peter.

Overall, the anthology is a solid one but it left me a little confused as to why they had three historicals mixed with an urban fantasy and a contemporary. I guess they were trying to appeal to a larger audience, but it leaves FOUR DUKES AND A DEVIL feeling less than glued together.

Alexandra Cenni