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Book Review of The Ugly Duchess (Happily Ever After..., Bk 4)

The Ugly Duchess (Happily Ever After..., Bk 4)
The Ugly Duchess (Happily Ever After..., Bk 4)
Author: Eloisa James
Genre: Romance
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
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The author, Eloisa James, decided to turn some of Hans Christian Andersen's old tales into Regency fare (see series listings below).

Theodora, a less than beautiful young woman searching for a husband, asks her best friend to take her to a couple of parties and let it drop that she has a large dowry. James does so and then he proceeds to ask Theo to marry him. After two days of marriage, Theo learns the truth; James was helping his father evade the truth that the father had liberally dipped into her dowry while trying to make up for some poor investments he'd made earlier. Theo told James that the marriage was over and told him to leave England. James became a privateer on the seas.

The opening chapters of the book were real page-turners. About the middle, things got really slow. As far as I was concerned, it never picked up again. The best thing I can say about the book is that I finished it. However, I have no interest in reading anything else by this author.

Fairy Tales Series

1. A Kiss at Midnight (2010)
1.5. Storming the Castle (2010)
2. When Beauty Tamed the Beast (2011)
2.5. Winning the Wallflower (2011)
3. The Duke is Mine (2011)
** 4. The Ugly Duchess (2012)
4.5. Seduced by a Pirate (2012)
4.75. With This Kiss (2013)
5. Once Upon a Tower (2013)