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miajmu's review against another edition
3.0
Listened to the PCHH podcast last week and it was all about the best romance novels. They recommended a bunch and I started with this one. It's totally silly but fun. A fast and fluffy read in which the heroine is tough and stands up for herself, virginity is not the be-all end-all, and the hero is a dyslexic duke.
waclements7's review against another edition
DNF
The hero was just too creepy/stalkery right off the bat.
I’m a huge Courtney Milan fan, but this just didn’t work for me.
The hero was just too creepy/stalkery right off the bat.
I’m a huge Courtney Milan fan, but this just didn’t work for me.
moonshineforest's review against another edition
3.0
I don’t understand english politics but ash is a complete simp and I love him so much
edit: absolutely interminable upon second read, this felt like the longest book ever
edit: absolutely interminable upon second read, this felt like the longest book ever
robazizo's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
Lovely! I liked both the hero and the heroine immensely and loved the fact that their relationship was based on love and respect.
Lovely! I liked both the hero and the heroine immensely and loved the fact that their relationship was based on love and respect.
lanidacey's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars, to be honest. Things got a bit laggy toward the end and the main couple fell for each other a bit too quickly. Besides those to minor issues, this was an enjoyable love story. Both the hero and the heroine are people you can root for, despite the less than noble circumstances of their first meeting. I would have liked there to be a bit more internal conflict between them — again, I don't like it when the couple hit it off and adore each other with no conflict or growth — but the external conflict surrounding the stolen dukedom and the politics of society was very interesting. Clermont remains my favorite Courtney Milan duke, but Ash's Parford sounds like a lot of fun, too. I hope he shows up in the rest of the series.
(P.S. I started this series for the sole reason of reading the next novella. I hope it doesn't disappoint!)
(P.S. I started this series for the sole reason of reading the next novella. I hope it doesn't disappoint!)
tsukikomew's review against another edition
4.0
Ash Turner goes before Parliament with proof of the Duke of Parford's adultery. When the duke was young he had married a mistress and then went and married again. His children come from the marriage which was illegitimate which means the dukedom should pass to the next legitimate heir which is Ash. As Ash arrives at his dukedom he is faced with a nurse he finds immensely attractive. Of course she's secretly the current duke's daughter.
The conflict is something unusual in many romances I've read because their is rarely legitimacy issues in contemporary romances. Margaret falls in love with Ash but is loyal to her family. She tells him repeatedly he is breaking her heart once the truth comes out. She cannot stand with her family without hurting the one she loves but if she stands with Ash then she hurts her family. It is a place she despises and also a place which causes her the most hurt.
Ash and Margaret were a compelling couple. Ash has his deficiencies which embarrass him but he finds solace with Margaret. At the same time Margaret has only been a Lady and has no worth now she has lost everything. Ash tells her how much she matters when he thinks she's only a nurse. These powerful thoughts should be told to everyone. To Ash, everyone matters regardless of their wealth, station, etc. Everyone deserves to matter and should allow nothing less.
Ash is a strong hero and quickly became one of my favorites. He owns who he is and refuses to back away from it. He's not a dominant alpha-hero in the sense of being almost domineering. He pursues his desires for himself and his family and doesn't look back. Of course that is his greatest failing. He can never see the consequences of his decisions until someone explains it to him. In that failure he tends to hurt others.
This book is worth a look and while I could rhapsodize about if for a long time I think I will leave it here. I highly recommend this book and it is one of the best I've read in a long time. I hope anyone reading this will give it a shot.
If you've read the book and have something to say (positive or negative) then please share! I love hearing from people.
4/5 Stars
Published by HQN
January 25, 2011
Favorite Quote: "So call me Ash. Call me Ash, not for me, but as a small defiance. Call me Ash because you deserve it. Because your station is just so many words in a parish register, not a sentence of death." p59
The conflict is something unusual in many romances I've read because their is rarely legitimacy issues in contemporary romances. Margaret falls in love with Ash but is loyal to her family. She tells him repeatedly he is breaking her heart once the truth comes out. She cannot stand with her family without hurting the one she loves but if she stands with Ash then she hurts her family. It is a place she despises and also a place which causes her the most hurt.
Ash and Margaret were a compelling couple. Ash has his deficiencies which embarrass him but he finds solace with Margaret. At the same time Margaret has only been a Lady and has no worth now she has lost everything. Ash tells her how much she matters when he thinks she's only a nurse. These powerful thoughts should be told to everyone. To Ash, everyone matters regardless of their wealth, station, etc. Everyone deserves to matter and should allow nothing less.
Ash is a strong hero and quickly became one of my favorites. He owns who he is and refuses to back away from it. He's not a dominant alpha-hero in the sense of being almost domineering. He pursues his desires for himself and his family and doesn't look back. Of course that is his greatest failing. He can never see the consequences of his decisions until someone explains it to him. In that failure he tends to hurt others.
This book is worth a look and while I could rhapsodize about if for a long time I think I will leave it here. I highly recommend this book and it is one of the best I've read in a long time. I hope anyone reading this will give it a shot.
If you've read the book and have something to say (positive or negative) then please share! I love hearing from people.
4/5 Stars
Published by HQN
January 25, 2011
Favorite Quote: "So call me Ash. Call me Ash, not for me, but as a small defiance. Call me Ash because you deserve it. Because your station is just so many words in a parish register, not a sentence of death." p59
solaana's review against another edition
3.0
Yo I think this one might be a little feminist. I'm dying of shock over here.
msmiz95's review against another edition
4.0
This was quite delightful. I am looking forward to the next one.
pn_hinton's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve been a fan of Courtney Milan since I picked up The Countess Affair. The premise intrigued me and it was a freebie so I figured it was a worthy gamble. And I was glad that I did because she fast became one of my favorite romance writers.
I still enjoyed this one, although it did take me awhile to get into. I was prepared to dislike Ash as a hero, and at first, I didn’t. His single mindedness for revenge, while warranted, did hurt Margaret and her mother as well as the men he wanted to hurt. And as with most every situation the women were innocent bystanders in this. However, as you read more about Ash and his history with the Duke, you could understand why he was so narrow minded. His issue with her brothers were a bit more to swallow since I, as the reader, just chalked that up to boyhood rivalry. Even Mark, who was the target of her brothers Edmund and Richard, didn’t understand Ash’s borderline obsession with revenge. There were also signs he’d be one of those heroes from the dawn of romance (meaning that he would pretty much force himself on Margaret) and but that didn’t happen. I had the “Enhanced” edition, and while Milan mentioned in the bonus features initially wanting to do that, she changed her mind knowing that wasn’t the type of hero she wanted for her stories.
Ash also let himself be vulnerable to Margaret. I won’t go into details for fear of spoilers but he shared a lot with her before anything physical happened. Margaret also didn’t use anything she found out for revenge, as she intended, which was interesting to see, considering what Ash had done to her family. It showed that Margaret was a true lady despite the bastard label society wanted to give her, but also helped to show that Margaret could be her own person and not do what society or her family expected of her.
Their relationship did start off as an odd sort of friendship which was nice. Both made mistakes, such as the cringe worthy moments when Ash would badmouth the Dalrymple family including the daughter not knowing it was Margaret. But it grew into love at a steady and believable pace.
This one took me a bit to get into, mainly due to my initial dislike of Ash. But it had in it what I love about all of Milan’s stories which is that the characters are people. They’re people who are flawed, who make mistakes, who have issues, who have pasts, who have scars, etc. And they’re intelligent, especially the women which is always nice to see. Overall an enjoyable book and one I would likely read again.
I still enjoyed this one, although it did take me awhile to get into. I was prepared to dislike Ash as a hero, and at first, I didn’t. His single mindedness for revenge, while warranted, did hurt Margaret and her mother as well as the men he wanted to hurt. And as with most every situation the women were innocent bystanders in this. However, as you read more about Ash and his history with the Duke, you could understand why he was so narrow minded. His issue with her brothers were a bit more to swallow since I, as the reader, just chalked that up to boyhood rivalry. Even Mark, who was the target of her brothers Edmund and Richard, didn’t understand Ash’s borderline obsession with revenge. There were also signs he’d be one of those heroes from the dawn of romance (meaning that he would pretty much force himself on Margaret) and but that didn’t happen. I had the “Enhanced” edition, and while Milan mentioned in the bonus features initially wanting to do that, she changed her mind knowing that wasn’t the type of hero she wanted for her stories.
Ash also let himself be vulnerable to Margaret. I won’t go into details for fear of spoilers but he shared a lot with her before anything physical happened. Margaret also didn’t use anything she found out for revenge, as she intended, which was interesting to see, considering what Ash had done to her family. It showed that Margaret was a true lady despite the bastard label society wanted to give her, but also helped to show that Margaret could be her own person and not do what society or her family expected of her.
Their relationship did start off as an odd sort of friendship which was nice. Both made mistakes, such as the cringe worthy moments when Ash would badmouth the Dalrymple family including the daughter not knowing it was Margaret. But it grew into love at a steady and believable pace.
This one took me a bit to get into, mainly due to my initial dislike of Ash. But it had in it what I love about all of Milan’s stories which is that the characters are people. They’re people who are flawed, who make mistakes, who have issues, who have pasts, who have scars, etc. And they’re intelligent, especially the women which is always nice to see. Overall an enjoyable book and one I would likely read again.
chirson's review against another edition
3.0
There is a section near the end when the male protagonist's behaviour crossed the line for me, and I've got to say I'd expected more positive female characters, but the families are once again interestingly drawn, the relationship is compelling (despite the instarecognition bordering on instalove) and the plot engaging. I wish Milan would have an equivalent series about female siblings and their successive matrimonial bliss.