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Mad About the Duke
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

Reviewer Leslie C. Halpern is the author of Passionate About Their Work. 151 Celebrities, Artists, and Experts on Creativity.
Reviewed 2011
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