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A review by rachelagain
When the Duke Was Wicked by Lorraine Heath
emotional
hopeful
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Lorraine Heath is masterful at creating a great premise and amping up tension in the first and second acts, but her third acts tend to disappoint me. This was no exception.
I loved the backstory for Lovingdon and Grace: he is a grieving widower Duke and family friend and she is a debutante who has loved him since childhood. The agreement they reach for him to vet her suitors to see who truly loves her is a new spin on the relationship coach trope and set the stage for delicious mutual pining.
Lovingdon’s grief was a believable obstacle to their marriage and sensitively paced throughout the story. I hate when first wives are treated as inconveniences in romance and this book neatly avoided that by giving sufficient detail about Juliette to establish that Lovingdon had truly adored her. The epilogue tied up the theme of love and loss in a satisfying way. My favourite aspect of the book its portrayal of love as unconditional, unwavering and intimate rather than something showy performed for the ton.
Much less satisfying was Heath’s reliance on a third act kidnapping by Lord Vexley, Grace’s dubious suitor. I’ve seen a variation of this trope before in another Heath book and both times it threw the pacing off because the kidnapping/murder attempt came from nowhere. It’s a much less enjoyable way of making the leads recognise they love eachother than say, a roadtrip or an almost engagement.
I did enjoy the Lady Chatterley’s Lover moment where Lovingdon deflowered Grace (and discovered her history of breast cancer) in her drawing cottage. Interestingly the closer they got to marriage, the lower the temperature of their sex scenes. Again, I think that was a pacing issue.
I enjoyed this book but the third act prevented it from being great.
I loved the backstory for Lovingdon and Grace: he is a grieving widower Duke and family friend and she is a debutante who has loved him since childhood. The agreement they reach for him to vet her suitors to see who truly loves her is a new spin on the relationship coach trope and set the stage for delicious mutual pining.
Much less satisfying was Heath’s reliance on a third act kidnapping by Lord Vexley, Grace’s dubious suitor. I’ve seen a variation of this trope before in another Heath book and both times it threw the pacing off because the kidnapping/murder attempt came from nowhere. It’s a much less enjoyable way of making the leads recognise they love eachother than say, a roadtrip or an almost engagement.
I did enjoy the Lady Chatterley’s Lover moment where Lovingdon deflowered Grace (and discovered her history of breast cancer) in her drawing cottage. Interestingly the closer they got to marriage, the lower the temperature of their sex scenes. Again, I think that was a pacing issue.
I enjoyed this book but the third act prevented it from being great.