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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It was fun and kept me reading. It went off the rails midway but was still enjoyable!
I was fine with this, until the first sex scene. Then it became so grossly focused on the fact that the FMC was a virgin, and I never lost the ick.
This is known as the pineapple book :), and while I knew that part of the story, it was definitely a different story than I expected. Complex and interesting novel.
American heiresses frequently went to London to marry titled gentlemen. In this case Merry Pelford went to avoid the scandal that came from her 2 previous broken engagements. As the story opens, Merry is becoming engaged for the 3rd time. However, shortly afterwards she meets a stranger on the balcony who makes her question her brand new fiancé. He is so taken with her that he decides to marry her – as soon as they are introduced formally. Unfortunately, when the introductions are made they find out that her fiancé is his twin brother – uh oh!
Once again, Eloisa James provides a delightful and delectable story of confusion and love. Will Merry break engagement #3, proving her reputation as a decided flirt and who falls in and out of love at the drop of an engagement ring? How does the Duke of Trent steal the woman who is supposedly in love with his twin brother?
I totally enjoyed the intellectual attraction between Merry and “Jack” – he isn’t just attracted to her beauty but to her mind and he is one of the few people of the ton who doesn't look down on her for her American roots. She is one of the few people who wants to know him as a man not just as a Duke. Ms. James has done a wonderful job of writing this love story with just enough tension between the two to keep the story moving.
Once again, Eloisa James provides a delightful and delectable story of confusion and love. Will Merry break engagement #3, proving her reputation as a decided flirt and who falls in and out of love at the drop of an engagement ring? How does the Duke of Trent steal the woman who is supposedly in love with his twin brother?
I totally enjoyed the intellectual attraction between Merry and “Jack” – he isn’t just attracted to her beauty but to her mind and he is one of the few people of the ton who doesn't look down on her for her American roots. She is one of the few people who wants to know him as a man not just as a Duke. Ms. James has done a wonderful job of writing this love story with just enough tension between the two to keep the story moving.
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My American Duchess is the prequel book to the Would-be Wallflower series. I enjoyed this book and the twist I didn’t see coming. I was truly concerned and wasn’t sure how it would play out.
Merry is seen as fickle by the other characters but I gave her the benefit of the doubt as it was easy to imagine being in her shoes and happy for her that she was able to make that decision. I liked Jack as well, as it was fun to watch as the aloof and proper Duke fell for Merry. It took him a long time to realize it but his actions throughout were obvious and kept me endeared to him.
There are three encounters with a few other scenes that either fade to black or off the page.
This was the second book by this author I’ve read. I wasn’t a fan of the first one (Potent Pleasures) but wanted to give her another try with one that is more recent and will probably stick with those for now.
Merry is seen as fickle by the other characters but I gave her the benefit of the doubt as it was easy to imagine being in her shoes and happy for her that she was able to make that decision. I liked Jack as well, as it was fun to watch as the aloof and proper Duke fell for Merry. It took him a long time to realize it but his actions throughout were obvious and kept me endeared to him.
There are three encounters with a few other scenes that either fade to black or off the page.
This was the second book by this author I’ve read. I wasn’t a fan of the first one (Potent Pleasures) but wanted to give her another try with one that is more recent and will probably stick with those for now.
Great narrator on the audiobook (Kate Reading). Interesting characters. It would've been nice to avoid .
Spoiler
the Mortal Peril at the end to make the hero realize he loves his wife
fast-paced
I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was going to be over too soon, but to my delight it kept going beyond the usual (but highly unusual) 'happily ever after' wedding scene. At the end the author shared that it had started as a novella, and what a wonderful decision it was to keep going. The expanded story made all the difference. I don't think I've ever read such accurately described hot love scenes! Whew! And only this couple could have pulled it off.
Great job, Ms. James!
Great job, Ms. James!
Merry has had 2 broken engagements and just entered a 3rd. She is determined to make it work this time as her reputation could not bear a 3rd broken engagement. So even though she had met the most fascinating man on the balcony, she was just going to have to stay away and focus on her new betrothed.
The Duke of Trent was not planning on marrying an American, but after meeting Merry found that no other woman would do. There was just one problem, Merry is already engaged and to Trent's own twin brother.
I found that the set up was very interesting. I was wondering how the engagement was going to be broken and what would happen next as I knew that at some point Merry and Trent would be together.
When it happened, it was less exciting that I thought that it would be honestly. They had set up Trent's twin brother, Cedric, to be a bit more of a fighter and antagonistic so it didn't make much sense that he would just step away out of love for his brother. I still liked the sentiment, but I felt that it was almost too easy. While I understand also why it was done the way that it was, I also felt that I wish that I knew more what was going on at that point in the story instead of only hearing Merry's side of it.
I didn't really have any major problems with the story overall, but felt that the 2nd half was a lot of filler just to get us to the end. I half expected Cedric to make more of an appearance than he did so when he was barely there it was kind of shocking.
Overall, I fell that the ending was a bit lackluster compared to the beginning of the book where the two are fighting their feelings for each other. I was almost underwhelmed.
I would definably read this book again despite the ending as the rest of the story is engaging in most aspects and I enjoyed Trent's point of view in many scenes.
The Duke of Trent was not planning on marrying an American, but after meeting Merry found that no other woman would do. There was just one problem, Merry is already engaged and to Trent's own twin brother.
I found that the set up was very interesting. I was wondering how the engagement was going to be broken and what would happen next as I knew that at some point Merry and Trent would be together.
When it happened, it was less exciting that I thought that it would be honestly. They had set up Trent's twin brother, Cedric, to be a bit more of a fighter and antagonistic so it didn't make much sense that he would just step away out of love for his brother. I still liked the sentiment, but I felt that it was almost too easy. While I understand also why it was done the way that it was, I also felt that I wish that I knew more what was going on at that point in the story instead of only hearing Merry's side of it.
I didn't really have any major problems with the story overall, but felt that the 2nd half was a lot of filler just to get us to the end. I half expected Cedric to make more of an appearance than he did so when he was barely there it was kind of shocking.
Overall, I fell that the ending was a bit lackluster compared to the beginning of the book where the two are fighting their feelings for each other. I was almost underwhelmed.
I would definably read this book again despite the ending as the rest of the story is engaging in most aspects and I enjoyed Trent's point of view in many scenes.
4 stars
The witticism is on fire in this one, My American Duchess digs deep into its cultural clash setup, and repeatedly finding inspiring jabs at British stuffiness (such as the running gag of the court's unanimous love for quoting Shakespeare), as well as American's forwardness and lack of tact.
The 'falling for the brother's betrothed' trope also unfolds in a slightly different cadence than I expected, which keeps me engaged without ever feeling like the plot is reverting to an expected historical romance template. Still, there remains some minor narrative hiccups, preventing My American Duchess from becoming a new favorite historical romance:
**Minor spoiler ahead**
- The sudden (and convenient) removal of the character Lord Cedric from the narrative, especially when he was about to become the 'villain' of the story. His departure felt at odd with his character arc up to that point (even though it did pave path for a nice surprise reveal in the following chapter).
- The third act conflict centering on Trent's insistence of not willing to 'fall in love' with Merry was a bit of a whiplash, and too narrowly focused on technicality — then why was he actively pursuing her for the first 2/3 of the novel?
- The plot went off on a tangent between the 70-80% mark, where nothing crucial happened and read like obvious padding to fatten the book.
**Minor spoiler ends**
The observational humor really bumps My American Duchess to the next level; even with the plot shortcomings (supposedly it was meant to be a novella, according to the author's website, which might explains the inconsistency), I still find it to be a thoroughly delightful read with ample memorable moments (the pineapple, lol!), a definite upgrade to my previous experience with this author's work (The Taming of the Duke).
***The Rake Appreciation Society Book Club | December 2021 Selection***
The witticism is on fire in this one, My American Duchess digs deep into its cultural clash setup, and repeatedly finding inspiring jabs at British stuffiness (such as the running gag of the court's unanimous love for quoting Shakespeare), as well as American's forwardness and lack of tact.
The 'falling for the brother's betrothed' trope also unfolds in a slightly different cadence than I expected, which keeps me engaged without ever feeling like the plot is reverting to an expected historical romance template. Still, there remains some minor narrative hiccups, preventing My American Duchess from becoming a new favorite historical romance:
**Minor spoiler ahead**
- The sudden (and convenient) removal of the character Lord Cedric from the narrative, especially when he was about to become the 'villain' of the story. His departure felt at odd with his character arc up to that point (even though it did pave path for a nice surprise reveal in the following chapter).
- The third act conflict centering on Trent's insistence of not willing to 'fall in love' with Merry was a bit of a whiplash, and too narrowly focused on technicality — then why was he actively pursuing her for the first 2/3 of the novel?
- The plot went off on a tangent between the 70-80% mark, where nothing crucial happened and read like obvious padding to fatten the book.
**Minor spoiler ends**
The observational humor really bumps My American Duchess to the next level; even with the plot shortcomings (supposedly it was meant to be a novella, according to the author's website, which might explains the inconsistency), I still find it to be a thoroughly delightful read with ample memorable moments (the pineapple, lol!), a definite upgrade to my previous experience with this author's work (The Taming of the Duke).
***The Rake Appreciation Society Book Club | December 2021 Selection***