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srredd5's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
caylabcba's review against another edition
4.0
Not many historical fiction books for young adults are very good, however Anna and the Duke was one of the very best. I found it captivating how Kathryn was able to unlock the yearning of romance and historical fiction for young adults readers.
Read the rest of my review at https://caylasbooktopia.wordpress.com/2016/12/02/book-review-anna-and-the-duke-maclaughlins-1/
Read the rest of my review at https://caylasbooktopia.wordpress.com/2016/12/02/book-review-anna-and-the-duke-maclaughlins-1/
princessleia4life's review against another edition
5.0
A great, clean romance that really sucks you in!
jessica_hdzjrz's review against another edition
3.0
Es un buen libro solo para pasar el rato, demasiados clichés de la época y sin ningún giro en la trama.
jenniamysuzy's review against another edition
5.0
Anna and the Duke is one of those random finds at a used bookstore (2nd & Charles) that I didn’t know I needed to read. This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it. I didn’t want to put it down to go to bed or to answer chats at work because I wanted to know what was going to happen next.
In this book, we follow Anna Wesley, Ewan McLaughlin, and Richard Fittzgerald as they make their way through a rough week full of various trials. Anna is engaged to Richard, but finds herself falling in love with Ewan, Richard’s new-found half-brother, after meeting him in her favorite bookstore. As the week progresses, a plot on Richard’s part is revealed to Anna and Ewan, a plot to take Ewan’s rightful inheritance of a dukedom and lots of money away from him. They work together to foil Richard’s plan and find a way for Anna to break off her engagement to Richard so she can marry Ewan instead.
I don’t read too many of these types of romance novels, but this is one of the few that I wanted to read after reading the back cover in the middle of 2nd & Charles several months ago. I only regret that I didn’t read it sooner!
In this book, we follow Anna Wesley, Ewan McLaughlin, and Richard Fittzgerald as they make their way through a rough week full of various trials. Anna is engaged to Richard, but finds herself falling in love with Ewan, Richard’s new-found half-brother, after meeting him in her favorite bookstore. As the week progresses, a plot on Richard’s part is revealed to Anna and Ewan, a plot to take Ewan’s rightful inheritance of a dukedom and lots of money away from him. They work together to foil Richard’s plan and find a way for Anna to break off her engagement to Richard so she can marry Ewan instead.
I don’t read too many of these types of romance novels, but this is one of the few that I wanted to read after reading the back cover in the middle of 2nd & Charles several months ago. I only regret that I didn’t read it sooner!
holtfan's review against another edition
2.0
What an absurd book. It is a starter drug for real romance novel addicts: the teen version of a much more lascivious tale. I hesitate to even tag it as Regency because it is so historically inaccurate; I don't even know where to begin. There is no way a girl like Anna would be allowed in Almack's. Her Mama's vulgarity alone would keep her out. Or this nonsense about the Duke's step-mother and sister going into 'half mourning' and out in public before the full year concluded. I don't care what the Duke wished, not happening! And also, special licenses aren't just some piece of paper you fill in after the wedding. The fact of having a special license in no way means you can just marry wherever you please.
Ugh.
Historical inaccuracy aside, these characters. Where to begin. First of all, they're sugar sweet. Like, even the semi-villainous ones are good people. And not good people in that they generally make positive life decisions. I mean, they haven't a single flaw. Anna and her Scottish lord are horrendously perfect people who read poetry and moon over one another (which someone everyone misses?!)
They are really quite terrible at hiding their love for one another. They also jump to the most random conclusions. There is literally no proof the Duke's brother is plotting against him; a few veiled comments from Anna's mother about how it would be better if the title went to the brother and Anna is sending panicked messages to the Duke letting him know his life in danger. But she bases it on literally nothing.
You might say that of all the emotions in this book. The characters' innate and unexpected goodness, the alarm about a possible attack, the romance (which, arguably, comes off the best because it stems from physical attraction...) all comes out of nowhere.
But overall, the story kept things clean. Loads of kissing but not a hint of anything else. I guess that was nice. And I'll probably read the sequel because A. I have it and B. I do love a terrible Regency novel.
Ugh.
Historical inaccuracy aside, these characters. Where to begin. First of all, they're sugar sweet. Like, even the semi-villainous ones are good people. And not good people in that they generally make positive life decisions. I mean, they haven't a single flaw. Anna and her Scottish lord are horrendously perfect people who read poetry and moon over one another (which someone everyone misses?!)
They are really quite terrible at hiding their love for one another. They also jump to the most random conclusions. There is literally no proof the Duke's brother is plotting against him; a few veiled comments from Anna's mother about how it would be better if the title went to the brother and Anna is sending panicked messages to the Duke letting him know his life in danger. But she bases it on literally nothing.
You might say that of all the emotions in this book. The characters' innate and unexpected goodness, the alarm about a possible attack, the romance (which, arguably, comes off the best because it stems from physical attraction...) all comes out of nowhere.
But overall, the story kept things clean. Loads of kissing but not a hint of anything else. I guess that was nice. And I'll probably read the sequel because A. I have it and B. I do love a terrible Regency novel.
alyssaarch's review against another edition
3.0
Anna and the Duke packs tons of drama into a quick-paced, cute romance. This isn’t a groundbreaking story by any means, but the main characters are highly likeable and the villains are a delight to despise. The plot itself is full of twists and turns, and there’s tons of drama. There were some unexpected things that I really enjoyed; Ewan’s stepmother is welcoming and loving towards him despite the fact that he is a child of her late husband’s previous marriage. This was nice, because it would have been so easy to despise Ewan’s father’s second family, but his stepmother and half-sister were way too loveable to do that.
There were a couple of moments where I felt like the conflict was frustrating because it came about from simple lack of communication, and there would have been far more interesting ways for the plot to develop, but other than those small moments, I was overall intrigued. I love how the revelations about various characters came in small amounts so that I kept getting surprised as I read along.
This is a sweet romance with lots of intrigue and thriller elements to keep it interesting. If you can find yourself a copy of this and want some light reading, this is definitely the perfect book to do that with.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
There were a couple of moments where I felt like the conflict was frustrating because it came about from simple lack of communication, and there would have been far more interesting ways for the plot to develop, but other than those small moments, I was overall intrigued. I love how the revelations about various characters came in small amounts so that I kept getting surprised as I read along.
This is a sweet romance with lots of intrigue and thriller elements to keep it interesting. If you can find yourself a copy of this and want some light reading, this is definitely the perfect book to do that with.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.