Sunday, April 17, 2016

The Reluctant Duchess by Roseanna M. White

EXTRA, EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT !!!  

This blog is now 1 year old!

One year and 40 "Must Reads" later and I am still doing what I love, Reading new books! I'm trying to branch out and read new and different genres and authors and would love it If you would let me know which authors and genres are your favorite!
So I am excited to tell you about my latest "Must read"  which is written by one of my favorite authors Roseanna M White. The Reluctant Duchess is the story of Lady Rowena Kinnaird who feels like she will never be good enough for anyone, Not her father, not a husband, not even God. After she is attacked by the man she thought she was going to marry, she decides to become an outcast forever if only to escape those who are threatening her life. She finally sees her way of escape when she discovers that her old friend  Ella, is visiting the Scottish Highlands. Now she only needs to find a way to convince Ella to take her back home with her...
Brice Myerston, The Duke of Nottingham (Ella's Brother) has always gotten out of situations by his charm and his flattery. He is traveling with his family through the Scottish Highlands and oddly they receive an invitation to the Castle Kynn, The Kinnaird Estate. ( It's odd because the Earl of Lochaber hates English people)  What Brice and Rowena did not realize was that the invitation was a ploy by both Rowena's father and Rowena's lady's maid Lilias to have the Duke marry Rowena so that she can get away from the man who attacked her. After some interesting circumstances, Brice feels like God is telling him to marry Rowena even though they just met. He saw that she's been hurt before and he feels like God's telling him to take care of her, to love her. So he proposes and she reluctantly accepts and they get married. What Brice did not tell Rowena was that he was in almost as much danger as she was. He has in his possession the Fire Eyes, a very rare set of diamonds that have been "cursed" by greed. Lady Catherine Pratt and her brother Lord Rushworth will do anything to get their hands on the Fire Eyes, even if it means to harm someone.
 Lady Catherine's husband had kidnapped the Duchess of Stratton in the first book because she had the Fire Eyes in her possession. ( This happened in the first book of the series, The Lost Heiress) but he was shot by the Constable at the end of the book. Now Lady Catherine has decided that she must avenge her husbands death and retrieve the Fire Eyes so that her wealth and title would be restored.  Rowena feels that Lady Catherine has been hurt by someone she loved and  she wants to help, but the others have told her that Lady Catherine is dangerous. Can she really be as dangerous as everyone says or  is she just hiding the pain that she feels ?  Brice tries everything to get Rowena to trust him but she seems to think that she is not good enough for him. He is determined to love her like God does, but will she ever love him back?As a dark secret is brought to light, will it push their fragile relationship to a breaking point? or will it bring them closer then either of them thought possible...
I suggest reading it to find out!


So what did I think about the book?
I loved it! It is the perfect sequel for The Lost Heiress, Book one of the Ladies of the Manor series.  Even though it is a sequel there is enough information that you could read it as a stand alone. ( I would suggest reading both though because you find some vital information about each character AND it is just an amazing book!) I love the details that the author includes about the Scottish people including writing Rowena and her family's parts with the Scottish spelling so you get a idea about how they speak. Here is an example from page 72-73  < "Plan? I dinna ken what ye mean, Duke, though clearly ye're fashed " said Rowena. The Highlands was so thick in her voice he could scarcely understand her, Evidence of strong feeling, he supposed. > End Quote. It may seem hard to understand looking at the above mentioned quote but when you are reading the story you actually understand it just fine, you just read it with an accent. :)   I would suggest this book to someone looking for a unique romance novel set in England with hints of danger, betrayal and a little bit of romance... It is a romance novel
Overall, I give the book 5 out of 5 stars.


Hey, Don't forget to check out all of the other books by Mrs. White, You can check them out by clicking on the link below!
http://www.roseannawhite.com/wordpress/books


Happy Reading :)

OH, I ALMOST FORGOT!
Be sure to read the Authors note at the end of the book! She includes a sneak peek into the third and final book in the Ladies of the Manor book.



I would like to thank Bethany House for allowing me to read and review this book in return for a free copy and I was not asked to write a favorable review, Just a honest one. 


** Quote used in the above post was from Page 72-73 in The Reluctant Duchess by Roseanna M. White.