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A review by wicked_nyx
Disciplining the Duchess by Annabel Joseph
5.0
What a wonderful book!
Once upon a time, I read historical romance by the wheelbarrow-ful, and this book reminded me why I loved some of them.
The synopsis is not entirely accurate, as the compromising situation was not stumbled upon blindly - at least not by the Duke of Courtland. He saw that he had a choice and chose to step into the situation, fully and completely aware that to do so, meant he would be marrying Harmony. While it is not spelled out in the book, I believe he continued on because he truly wanted to marry Harmony, but she was so thoroughly unsuitable for a man of his rank that the only possibility of the match had to happen through the rules and strictures of the society they inhabitted.
I loved Harmony and her bookish ways, probably because I identify with both her intellectual pursuits as well as her social akwardness. Her mother died when she was very young, and her father was absent and indulgent, so she never had cause or chance to develop the social skills that the other young ladies of her set did in childhood. She knows that she does not fit, but also believes if she can manage through this last season she will be settled in the country to study and read and not be expected to continue with any activities of the ton. She truly does not understand that the compromising situation truly will force a marriage between herself and the Duke, and when she does, she is horrified at saddling someone of his station with a wife like herself. Her guilt and her belief that he will someday come to despise who she is, is both completely believable in context and palpable to the reader.
Court, unlike so many heroes in this genre of fiction, is not perfect. He is delightfully flawed, without the overwhelming angst of so many written about today. He makes mistakes, and in his desire to have Harmony be accepted by the ton he attempts to "fix" her, without realizing that "fixing" her will make her not be the Harmony that he loves.
The secondary characters are interesting as well, and flawed as they should be. So often the secondary characters in this genra are one-dimensional, either good or bad with no gray area in their actions. The secondary characters in this book are multi-dimensional and the reader can see them as real people, not just props to show the primary characters good or bad qualities.
Yes, this is a domestic discipline themed book, but it is also a wonderful story of two lonely people who find each other when neither was looking or expecting it.
Once upon a time, I read historical romance by the wheelbarrow-ful, and this book reminded me why I loved some of them.
The synopsis is not entirely accurate, as the compromising situation was not stumbled upon blindly - at least not by the Duke of Courtland. He saw that he had a choice and chose to step into the situation, fully and completely aware that to do so, meant he would be marrying Harmony. While it is not spelled out in the book, I believe he continued on because he truly wanted to marry Harmony, but she was so thoroughly unsuitable for a man of his rank that the only possibility of the match had to happen through the rules and strictures of the society they inhabitted.
I loved Harmony and her bookish ways, probably because I identify with both her intellectual pursuits as well as her social akwardness. Her mother died when she was very young, and her father was absent and indulgent, so she never had cause or chance to develop the social skills that the other young ladies of her set did in childhood. She knows that she does not fit, but also believes if she can manage through this last season she will be settled in the country to study and read and not be expected to continue with any activities of the ton. She truly does not understand that the compromising situation truly will force a marriage between herself and the Duke, and when she does, she is horrified at saddling someone of his station with a wife like herself. Her guilt and her belief that he will someday come to despise who she is, is both completely believable in context and palpable to the reader.
Court, unlike so many heroes in this genre of fiction, is not perfect. He is delightfully flawed, without the overwhelming angst of so many written about today. He makes mistakes, and in his desire to have Harmony be accepted by the ton he attempts to "fix" her, without realizing that "fixing" her will make her not be the Harmony that he loves.
The secondary characters are interesting as well, and flawed as they should be. So often the secondary characters in this genra are one-dimensional, either good or bad with no gray area in their actions. The secondary characters in this book are multi-dimensional and the reader can see them as real people, not just props to show the primary characters good or bad qualities.
Yes, this is a domestic discipline themed book, but it is also a wonderful story of two lonely people who find each other when neither was looking or expecting it.