Helpful Score: 6
Considerably lighter fare than I've come to expect from Duran, but I suspect it was exactly what I needed at exactly the right time; an enjoyable Loretta Chase style romp, with all of Duran's crisp, incisive prose.
Literally on the heels of her disastrous second attempt at marriage, miss twice-a-jilt, Gwen Maudsley is determined to ruin her good reputation. She settles on her late brothers best friend, Alex Ramsey as the instrument of her destruction, but guilt-ridden over his late friend's death, and determined to honor his promise to look after Gwen and see her safely married, Alex has other plans...
Of course, being a romance, you know going in that it's just a matter of time until Gwen persuades Alex to change his mind. And (of course), being a Meredith Duran, you know she's going to take her H&H on a rocky road less traveled in order to bring them to their HEA. The fact that Alex has been nursing a (well concealed) secret crush on Gwen for years adds an element of unrequited love, and kick starts some sexual tension that might have otherwise been slow to build in a "best friend's kid sister" love story.
I can't say that Duran came up with an entirely original premise here. Like her previous two books, this one reminded me of something I'd read before as well. While I saw shades of the new Jo Goodman (whose writing style has drastically evolved in recent years) in Written On Your Skin and Bound By Your Touch, this book reminded me of a classic Loretta Chase romp, with smidges of Judith Ivory's The Indiscretion, and Adele Ashworth's Stolen Charms. With any other writer, I might find those similarities infinitely boring and predictable, but Duran has a way of making everything you may have seen and heard before uniquely her own.
Being one of those who was totally slain by her debut effort, Duke of Shadows, I can't say that this book really holds a candle to it. However, I did enjoy it quite a bit more than her previous two books.
I gave it a solid A.
Sensuality Rating: R
Literally on the heels of her disastrous second attempt at marriage, miss twice-a-jilt, Gwen Maudsley is determined to ruin her good reputation. She settles on her late brothers best friend, Alex Ramsey as the instrument of her destruction, but guilt-ridden over his late friend's death, and determined to honor his promise to look after Gwen and see her safely married, Alex has other plans...
Of course, being a romance, you know going in that it's just a matter of time until Gwen persuades Alex to change his mind. And (of course), being a Meredith Duran, you know she's going to take her H&H on a rocky road less traveled in order to bring them to their HEA. The fact that Alex has been nursing a (well concealed) secret crush on Gwen for years adds an element of unrequited love, and kick starts some sexual tension that might have otherwise been slow to build in a "best friend's kid sister" love story.
I can't say that Duran came up with an entirely original premise here. Like her previous two books, this one reminded me of something I'd read before as well. While I saw shades of the new Jo Goodman (whose writing style has drastically evolved in recent years) in Written On Your Skin and Bound By Your Touch, this book reminded me of a classic Loretta Chase romp, with smidges of Judith Ivory's The Indiscretion, and Adele Ashworth's Stolen Charms. With any other writer, I might find those similarities infinitely boring and predictable, but Duran has a way of making everything you may have seen and heard before uniquely her own.
Being one of those who was totally slain by her debut effort, Duke of Shadows, I can't say that this book really holds a candle to it. However, I did enjoy it quite a bit more than her previous two books.
I gave it a solid A.
Sensuality Rating: R
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