A Duke to Die For: The Rogues' Dynasty

• Publisher:   Sourcebooks Casablanca
• Number Of Pages:   384
• Publication Date:   2009-04-01
• ISBN-10 / ASIN:   1402217676
• ISBN-13 / EAN:   9781402217678

What is a roguish young nobleman supposed to do with a shockingly lovely young ward?
The Duke of Blakewell believes he'd better marry her off as soon as possible, before he gives in to temptation himself...

But Henrietta doesn't want a husband— she wants her independence...
Sure that she carries a curse that killed her previous guardians, Henrietta just wants the duke to sign over her inheritance before something terrible befalls him...

In a moment of passion, they become scandalously entangled, and suddenly the duke must take Henrietta's curse seriously, and she must take drastic measures to save the one man she could love...

Affaire de Coeur:
"Each new Amelia Grey tale is a diamond. Ms. Grey... is a master storyteller."

Booklist:
"Witty dialogue and clever schemes… Grey's vivid characters will charm readers."

Romantic Times:
"This beguiling romance steals your heart, lifts your spirits, and lights up the pages with humor and passion."

Library Journal:
"Readers will be quickly drawn in by the lively pace, the appealing protagonists, and the sexual chemistry that almost visibly shimmers between."

Rendezvous:
"Such a tantalizing and funny read, you won't be able to put it down."

A Romance Review:
"If you like Amanda Quick, you will absolutely love Amelia Grey… Fun, fast-paced, and very sensual."

I prefer books with likable characters. I want to know the main characters as I would know a friend, and I like Blake, Henrietta and Gibby (Sir Randolph) very much. I see a young Nigel Bruce as Gibby, Colin Firth as Blake and a Natalie Portman as Henrietta, those type actors, those looks. The historical details of Ballooning were a delightful surprise. Mrs. Simple was painted as a business savvy, forward thinking female with a fledgling business and air flight for speedy travel and Sunday jaunts was very interesting. The authors research expanded the readers relationship with the minor characters. I didn't know whether Sir Randolph was to be taken advantage of or not? I don't agree with some of the other reviews, passion sparks unplanned events - especially with the nobility. Blake is titled and accustomed to having nearly anything. Some readers may have forgotten how quickly you can see love in a pair of handsome brown eyes, a "Duke" will remind you. Blake asking a former mistress to chaperone would be exactly who a Duke may trust, and isn't Constance a fabulous name! Men having sex with tavern whores occurred whether married, engaged, or single - it was part of societal norm. Now is when it's considered bad behavior. And a serious allergic reaction in the early 1800s would have ended the story with a death. Chapter 18 was written very skillfully and sensually, allow yourself plenty of time to end and have a hankie to fan yourself with. While that chapter is pivotal, the remaining pages are not disappointing. The dialog continues to excite and the pace stays quick. I slow reading when the end of a book nears, but I understand that a few of the characters will be in the next two books of the trilogy, I would wish for the cousins (delightful) and Gibby. "A Duke to Die For" is a fun, well-written historical Romance. If I want to read complicated plot twists, I'll read a book on politics. Fabulous read and I'm looking forward to the next two books in the series.

Henrietta Tweed is a 19 year old women who lost her parents when she as 7 years old. Though out the years all her guardians have died - she thinks because of curse. She is now at the door of her last guardian in her father's will, The Duke of Blackwell. The old Duke has died and his young handsome son will be new guardian. Henrietta Tweed and the Duke have a captivating romance as they deal with the `curse'. This was a sweet romance, loved the cousins!
[...]

I am pretty surprised to see the other positive reviews here. While the overall plot of this book was perfectly acceptable, the execution was TERRIBLE! 19-year-old heroine becomes ward of rakish hero, instant attraction leads to love. Not the most scintillating outline, but had potential. Beyond boring dialog and shallow characterization, there were a number of head-scratching turn-offs for me. A few are listed below, though there are certainly others... 1. He asks a former mistress to chaperone his ward, our heroine. This is somewhat off-putting, but seems like this could be a potential twist down the road, right? Wrong. Heroine never puts 2+2 together and it just makes for somewhat awkward, clunky reading. 2. A personal peeve of mine, hero sleeps with someone else after meeting and acknowledging fledgling feelings for heroine. Not only does he have sex with someone else, it's a tavern whore and this incident barely gets a full paragraph description, let alone any indication of remorse from the hero. 3. This was probably the kicker for me. The biggest conflict/exciting moment of the story, the catalyst for declarations of undying love... involves an allergic reaction to a dog. Not anaphylactic shock, death looming large variety of allergy. Just the sneezing and wheezing variety. While overwrought plot twists can sometimes be annoying, come ON! Itchy eyes and an aborted carriage ride does not make for exciting reading. This is the first Amelia Grey book I've read. Perhaps this offering is in keeping with her normal style and it's just not my cup of tea. This was obviously the first in a trilogy about 3 male cousins. I can't say I'll be awaiting those releases with bated breath but at least the series has nowhere to go but up.

Lucien Trent Blakewell, the fifth Duke of Blakewell has been enjoying life to the fullest and along with his two handsome bachelor cousins. The mama's of the ton would consider it a triumph to catch any one of them for their marriageable daughters. However, when young Miss Henrietta Tweed arrives on Blake's doorstep announcing that she is his ward and he her new guardian, Blake can hardly believe it. Very determined and cool-headed, Henrietta has also come armed with papers for him to sign so that she can be in charge of her own life, fearing she carries a curse that has caused the untimely deaths of her four previous guardians. Henrietta doesn't want to be the cause of yet another death, especially when this new guardian is one of the most handsome men she's ever seen! *** Ms. Grey has continued to build an extensive fan base providing her readers with smart, witty and totally entertaining Regency novels. As in her previous works, she keeps a lively pace going with charming heroines and delightfully well-intentioned heroes crafting them with chemistry that zings. Inserting just the right amount of humor within her scenes and dialogs, she keeps the story moving forward as she shows how Henrietta is convinced she is "cursed". Using Blake's eagerness to do right by Henrietta in finding her a husband adds to the humor as Blake realizes that he's "grown accustomed to her face" as well as her organizational skills, and can't stand the thought of any other man kissing or bedding her, for that matter, then himself! While not an original plot, as this has been used over and over, Ms. Grey puts her own spin and stamp on it making it a sweet and tantalizing story. Bottom Line: Amelia Grey is a rare talent and A DUKE TO DIE FOR is proof of that! Marilyn Rondeau, for www.ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

A Duke and his ward and lots of accidents pretty much describes this book. It was such a fun story. I definitely got caught up in this story because it was very realistic and the storyline kept moving at a pretty good pace. There were no sighing women and overbearing men, just well written realistic characters. There are the usual Regency restrictions but the characters weren't bland and boring. It has plenty of romance and sexual tension, as well as a fun plot. This book is definitely one to add to your list whether you just like romance or historical romance.

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