The Bachelor Chronicle Series
Elizabeth Boyle
Avon /HarperCollins
October 2010/ ISBN 978-0-06-178350-0
Romance – Historical (England, 1811)
Amazon
Reviewed
by Leslie Halpern
Outlandish behavior
runs throughout the Tremont family, so when the stuffy 40-year-old
widower James Lambert St. Maur Thurston Tremont, Duke of Parkerton,
falls in love at first sight, his family and staff go to great lengths
to protect him from his apparent madness. Yet the idea of romancing
Lady Elinor Standon isn’t insane at all. She’s a beautiful
widow who mistakes Parkerton for a solicitor and asks his help in
securing a duke for her to marry. Being a duke himself, instantly
smitten with Elinor, and possibly prone to madness, Parkerton introduces
himself as James St. Maur and accepts the assignment.
The rest of
the book describes the silly stunts to which Parkerton resorts to
get Elinor to fall in love with him. Little does he know that she’s
every bit as interested in him as he is in her. Yet their obstacles
to true love are twofold: James initially lied about his identity
and is now trapped in that lie, and Elinor needs to marry someone
very wealthy (i.e., a duke) in order to buy freedom for herself
and her 14-year-old sister who live under the threat of an evil
money-grubbing stepfather.
While nearly
everyone else in the story – including Parkerton’s staff,
his family, and the residents at Elinor’s house – knows
that solicitor James St. Maur is actually the Duke of Parkerton,
no one feels the need to inform Elinor of the trickery. In fact,
those around them seem to enjoy the manipulations of the crazed
duke. While the shenanigans throughout the book provide lightheartedness
rather than cruelty, the duplicity gets a bit tiresome sometimes.
Readers might
wonder why the Duke of Parkerton can’t just be honest with
Elinor instead of playing games. And why she can’t tell James
that she loves him, but needs financial security. And why Parkerton’s
staff risks their employment by directly disobeying the Duke’s
orders. And what exactly do the two lovers have in common, other
than physical beauty and sexual compatibility. The unlikely premise,
followed by even more ridiculous scenarios, make this novel most
appropriate for historical romance fans who enjoy the crazy fun
of falling in love with none of the logic.
Reviewer's
Note: Sexuality |