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A DUCHESS IN NAME
The Grantham Girls #1
Amanda Weaver
Releasing on January 18, 2016.
Carina Press
Victoria Carson never expected love. An American heiress and graduate of Lady Grantham's finishing school, she's been groomed since birth to marry an English title—the grander the better. So when the man chosen for her, the forbidding Earl of Dunnley, seems to hate her on sight, she understands that it can't matter. Love can have no place in this arrangement.
Andrew Hargrave has little use for his title and even less for his cold, disinterested parents. Determined to make his own way, he's devoted to his life in Italy working as an archaeologist. Until the collapse of his family's fortune drags him back to England to a marriage he never wanted and a woman he doesn't care to know.
Wild attraction is an unwanted complication for them both, though it forms the most fragile of bonds. Their marriage of convenience isn't so intolerable after all—but it may not be enough when the deception that bound them is finally revealed.
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4 Stars
This
historical romance did a wonderful job meshing the accuracy of the time and the
steamy side of more current romance novels. The story took its turn with sexy,
romantic, angry, and heartbreaking. Each component giving the plot some depth.
Though, the “misunderstanding” theme tends to drive me crazy, the author
brought in some surprising elements that helped me to move past it. However, it
did make the story drag just a tad in the beginning.
The
characters were interesting, although, many of them were only sparingly seen.
They flitted in and out of the story giving it just enough substance, however I
would have liked to see a little more of her friends, and perhaps some conflict
with the “mean girl” of the book. The parents are very well crafted, making the
reader hate them right away. I was content with the amount of time spent with
them in the book, anymore and I’d have thrown the book at the wall hoping to
damage the rotten people.
Victoria
was given an unusual spin that added very much to the realism associated with
the time in which the book is written. She may have a brain in her head, but
she doesn’t thwart society, or stand out as a stubborn girl determined not to
conform. Then when left to her own devices, she admits her lack of knowledge.
While she learns a great deal, the author doesn’t follow the typical route that
I usually see in these books, where the heroine learns to do everything
herself, becoming as knowledgeable as a man. It’s simply not all that
believable. So, when Victoria admits her inadequacies in certain areas, and
seeks out guidance, it was quite refreshing. Though she does get tougher, she
remains feminine, soft, and mannered. I really loved her character, despite my
irritation at her stubbornness.
Andrew…I
had a bit of a love/hate relationship with him. I admired and enjoyed his
passion for his work, his duty and love for his sisters, and he’s definitely
panty-melting hot in the bedroom. However, his attitude and incorrect
assumptions dragged out a little too long in the book. I would have liked to
see him come around to the correct way of thinking earlier. His actions once he
decides to come home also had me vacillating in my opinion of him. His careful
handling of Victoria seemed to go a bit far for me, the pussyfooting around her
annoyed me a little. Realistic or not, I wanted to see the alpha poke his head
out more often, as I almost never saw him. And, perhaps if he had sat her down
and been one hundred percent honest with her about the past, his perceptions of
her and the situation, the “misunderstanding” part of the plot, she might have
come around sooner. However, watching him romance her was very sweet and his
easy going demeanor and quick laughter endeared him to me.
The
beginning seemed a tad slow, but it picked up and I enjoyed the story a lot.
The author does a wonderful job of creating a world that you can see and the
main characters had a lot of depth. I would have really, really liked there to
have been an epilogue. This is, of course, my opinion and preference. It’s possible
that no one else will feel that way. But, after the events of the very end of
the story, I felt as though I was left hanging, wanting to really see their
happily ever after.
If
you love historical romance, I do recommend this one. I’d like to continue on
with the stories of the other girls, so I’ll be watching for those releases!
Amanda Weaver has loved romance since she read that very first Kathleen E. Woodiwiss novel at fifteen. After a long detour into a career as a costume designer in theatre, she’s found her way back to romance, this time as a writer.
A native Floridian, Amanda transplanted to New York City many years ago and now considers Brooklyn home, along with her husband, daughter, two cats, and nowhere near enough space.
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