Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
My American Duchess by Eloisa James is proof that I need to NOT be afraid to read a book even if the premise of the book makes me anxious, because I LOVED this book.
The premise that made me so uncomfortable is that the heroine, Merry, is engaged to someone other than the hero. In fact, Merry is engaged to the hero’s brother. I was so incredibly nervous that the engagement to another man would hinder me from liking this book. And holy cow was I wrong!
Merry is an American (you could probably figure that out by the title, huh?) who was previously engaged to two other men when she was living in the U.S., but both engagements were called off because Merry decided she couldn’t marry them. So Merry and her aunt and uncle head to London in hopes that she will find a husband there, and at the start of the book, it looks like she has in Lord Cedric. And then, right after Cedric’s proposal at a ball, she meets his brother, The Duke of Trent, and she starts questioning herself.
I positively adored both Merry and Trent, and it’s clear from their very first meeting that these two are perfect for each other. Merry, as an American, is not fitting into English society very well. She struggles with all the rules and formalities, and makes many of faux pas (eating a rented pineapple, for instance) but all those faux pas made me love her all the more. When she’s nervous she starts spitting out trivia, and it’s amazing. And her love for her country is a real thing.
And Trent! Oh Trent is my kind of hero. He’s truly an honorable and hardworking man, and that is the kind of hero that is the most attractive to me. Trent has an extremely complicated relationship with his twin brother, Cedric, and the fact Trent starts falling for Merry immediately makes things even more complicated. Trent adores Merry as she is, and doesn’t want her to lose her American-ness and it’s just so wonderful, you guys. So wonderful.
A number of people that have read this found the last quarter a bit slow, but I actually loved that part the best. The only issue I had was trying to understand Cedric. Sometimes he would do these really awful things, but then, he did end up doing something nice, and I wanted to know WHY he did that. It seemed like such a huge change in character, and I needed to know the details.
But seriously, My American Duchess was such a hit with me. It was the first Eloisa James book I ever read, but it will NOT be my last.This review was originally posted on Quinn's Book Nook
The premise that made me so uncomfortable is that the heroine, Merry, is engaged to someone other than the hero. In fact, Merry is engaged to the hero’s brother. I was so incredibly nervous that the engagement to another man would hinder me from liking this book. And holy cow was I wrong!
Merry is an American (you could probably figure that out by the title, huh?) who was previously engaged to two other men when she was living in the U.S., but both engagements were called off because Merry decided she couldn’t marry them. So Merry and her aunt and uncle head to London in hopes that she will find a husband there, and at the start of the book, it looks like she has in Lord Cedric. And then, right after Cedric’s proposal at a ball, she meets his brother, The Duke of Trent, and she starts questioning herself.
I positively adored both Merry and Trent, and it’s clear from their very first meeting that these two are perfect for each other. Merry, as an American, is not fitting into English society very well. She struggles with all the rules and formalities, and makes many of faux pas (eating a rented pineapple, for instance) but all those faux pas made me love her all the more. When she’s nervous she starts spitting out trivia, and it’s amazing. And her love for her country is a real thing.
And Trent! Oh Trent is my kind of hero. He’s truly an honorable and hardworking man, and that is the kind of hero that is the most attractive to me. Trent has an extremely complicated relationship with his twin brother, Cedric, and the fact Trent starts falling for Merry immediately makes things even more complicated. Trent adores Merry as she is, and doesn’t want her to lose her American-ness and it’s just so wonderful, you guys. So wonderful.
A number of people that have read this found the last quarter a bit slow, but I actually loved that part the best. The only issue I had was trying to understand Cedric. Sometimes he would do these really awful things, but then, he did end up doing something nice, and I wanted to know WHY he did that. It seemed like such a huge change in character, and I needed to know the details.
But seriously, My American Duchess was such a hit with me. It was the first Eloisa James book I ever read, but it will NOT be my last.This review was originally posted on Quinn's Book Nook
I'm never gonna see pineapple the same way. I really enjoyed this book, the family dynamics, the groom switcheroo, and the pets.
More reviews available at my blog, Beauty and the Bookworm.
The romance binge-read continues! (I'm reading other things, I swear. I'm working through The Goldfinch at a pretty good clip and have a few other things on my radar, too, but sometimes a girl just needs a historical romance to get her through the day.) My American Duchess is Eloisa James' newest book, and I actually forgot it was coming out until Goodreads emailed me about it, so of course I rushed out, purchased it, and read it in one sitting. (All right, two sittings. There was a break for some Jimmy John's in the middle.) The plot follows Merry, an American heiress who has gone to London to find a husband after pretty much ruining her reputation in Boston by jilting not one, but two fiances. The book begins with her accepting the proposal of Fiance #3, Cedric Allardyce, the younger brother of the Duke of Trent. Shortly after, she runs into the Duke himself out on the romantically-dark balcony, and the two are instantly attracted to each other, though they don't know that they're engaged to be relatives soon. Cue mayhem.
This book is a great example of James' wit and charm and her ability to tell a story that, while not exactly ground-breaking (few historical romances are, and when you've written as many as James has, I think you tend to re-tread the ground a bit) is still deliciously good. Merry and Trent have excellent chemistry, of course, and while Trent isn't exactly a stand-out from James' other heroes (who all tend to blur together, after a point...) the story involves not just two people falling in love, but two people building a relationship after they are married. This is actually fairly unusual for historical romance books, which tend to end with or shortly after the marriage or proposal. Merry and Trent, however, go from attracted friends who happen to be married to a genuine couple, and that's an interesting relationship to see grow.
And then there is, of course, the pineapple incident, which was great on its own. Watching Merry fumble her way through British society was great. She has enough grace and charm to do it, but not enough knowledge, grace, and charm to do it without a few snafus, like eating someone's prized, rented pineapple. These serve a triple purpose: humor, letting Merry stand up for herself against the people who will one day be her peers and make sure she doesn't get trampled, and letting Trent swoop in to rescue her/bolster her, at the same time. Having "damsel in distress" moments without making the damsel into a total milquetoast is one of my absolute favorite tropes, and I think James does it well. And Merry has a bulldog! Well, a bulldog mix. But since I have a bulldog, that gave her an extra point in my book automatically. And yes, Merry, his skin really is supposed to be that loose. I mean, come on, how can you not love one of those squishy faces?
Overall, another delightful historical romance from James' pen. I can't wait to see what's next!
4 stars out of 5.
The romance binge-read continues! (I'm reading other things, I swear. I'm working through The Goldfinch at a pretty good clip and have a few other things on my radar, too, but sometimes a girl just needs a historical romance to get her through the day.) My American Duchess is Eloisa James' newest book, and I actually forgot it was coming out until Goodreads emailed me about it, so of course I rushed out, purchased it, and read it in one sitting. (All right, two sittings. There was a break for some Jimmy John's in the middle.) The plot follows Merry, an American heiress who has gone to London to find a husband after pretty much ruining her reputation in Boston by jilting not one, but two fiances. The book begins with her accepting the proposal of Fiance #3, Cedric Allardyce, the younger brother of the Duke of Trent. Shortly after, she runs into the Duke himself out on the romantically-dark balcony, and the two are instantly attracted to each other, though they don't know that they're engaged to be relatives soon. Cue mayhem.
This book is a great example of James' wit and charm and her ability to tell a story that, while not exactly ground-breaking (few historical romances are, and when you've written as many as James has, I think you tend to re-tread the ground a bit) is still deliciously good. Merry and Trent have excellent chemistry, of course, and while Trent isn't exactly a stand-out from James' other heroes (who all tend to blur together, after a point...) the story involves not just two people falling in love, but two people building a relationship after they are married. This is actually fairly unusual for historical romance books, which tend to end with or shortly after the marriage or proposal. Merry and Trent, however, go from attracted friends who happen to be married to a genuine couple, and that's an interesting relationship to see grow.
And then there is, of course, the pineapple incident, which was great on its own. Watching Merry fumble her way through British society was great. She has enough grace and charm to do it, but not enough knowledge, grace, and charm to do it without a few snafus, like eating someone's prized, rented pineapple. These serve a triple purpose: humor, letting Merry stand up for herself against the people who will one day be her peers and make sure she doesn't get trampled, and letting Trent swoop in to rescue her/bolster her, at the same time. Having "damsel in distress" moments without making the damsel into a total milquetoast is one of my absolute favorite tropes, and I think James does it well. And Merry has a bulldog! Well, a bulldog mix. But since I have a bulldog, that gave her an extra point in my book automatically. And yes, Merry, his skin really is supposed to be that loose. I mean, come on, how can you not love one of those squishy faces?
Overall, another delightful historical romance from James' pen. I can't wait to see what's next!
4 stars out of 5.
I was hesitant to read this because I'm not a huge fan of the "aristocrat marries wealthy American heiress" storyline, but I did enjoy it. It didn't have some of the more common plot points with this storyline. As usual the author has come through with a good story.
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Promising start which devolved into pages of nothingness. I enjoyed the start, story moved fast but everything seemed resolved at 60% mark and my immediate thought was book should end here. Turns out I was right. It devolved into 40% of "I don't believe in love " with an unnecessary amnesia plot. All of it gets tied up abruptly.
The heroine was charming in her honesty but had too much of a manic pixie dream girl quality to her. Thrown in was her being "not like other girls" which was literally mentioned so many times how she was so unique and not like other women who are vain and unintelligent. Basic concept that I hope writers understand- you don't have to put down an entire gender to elevate your heroine.
Also for an American, there was little understanding of American history and a lot of erasure of native American history. There were some wierd racial comments and a Mohawk warriors fetishism which was just wierd.
I am fine with romance being a fantasy. I can ignore that most of these Dukes made their wealth and owned land based on slavery and looting the colonies. But please don't keep bringing it up- it makes it hard to sympathize with your protagonists.
The heroine was charming in her honesty but had too much of a manic pixie dream girl quality to her. Thrown in was her being "not like other girls" which was literally mentioned so many times how she was so unique and not like other women who are vain and unintelligent. Basic concept that I hope writers understand- you don't have to put down an entire gender to elevate your heroine.
Also for an American, there was little understanding of American history and a lot of erasure of native American history. There were some wierd racial comments and a Mohawk warriors fetishism which was just wierd.
I am fine with romance being a fantasy. I can ignore that most of these Dukes made their wealth and owned land based on slavery and looting the colonies. But please don't keep bringing it up- it makes it hard to sympathize with your protagonists.