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The Ravenels, Book 3

This is the third book in the series and I was all excited, thinking I had read the first two but quickly realized I had not. So I put it down, and luckily found the second book on the shelf at my library. So finally I have read all the books in a series in order! Well, at least the first three.

Lady Pandora Ravenel is a twin to Cassandra, and this is their season. Cassandra would like to meet a titled gentleman and marry. Pandora is completely opposed to the idea, but loves her sister enough to go along with it all.

Pandora is an odd duck. She has some health issues regarding night vision, balance and hearing, but that is not all. She is an inventor of board games, and her brother-in-law, Winterbourne, has agreed to stock her new games in his large department store for Christmas. But if she marries, she won’t be able to work, won’t be able to sign a contract or do anything without her husband’s express permission and Pandora is simply not interested in giving up all her rights.

Pandora and Cassandra attend balls, with Pandora usually faking injuries to avoid dancing. Instead she sits in the corner, a happy wallflower, simply observing. Until a friend begs her to do a favor – go out to the summer house and find the earring she lost during a rendezvous. Pandora nervously agrees, but when she finds the earring behind an ornately carved settee, she gets herself stuck in the carvings.

Gabriel, Lord St. Vincent, is passing by and hears her cries for help. As he tries to disentangle the girl, the host of the party appears, and Pandora and Gabriel are caught alone in a very compromising position in the summerhouse. The host demands that Gabriel marry the girl as her reputation is now ruined, but Pandora is not having it. He may be the catch of London, heir to a dukedom, but she is not interested. And he doesn’t know her, other than the fact she is a bit peculiar.

The families decide to spend a week together and Pandora’s guardian swears he will not force her into marriage. She feels guilty because is she refuses, it will hurt her sister’s chances of marrying well. And the Duke is concerned because he needs a more traditional wife. But you can’t always plan these things, sometimes fate steps in and works its magic, as is the case here.

I loved the subplot about the first woman doctor in England, that was a definite bonus for me. I read the second book in this series, then the next day read this one. I have to say that this is turning into one of my favorite series!

4/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

DEVIL IN SPRING by Lisa Kleypas. Avon (February 21, 2017). ISBN 978-0062371874. 384p.

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The Ravenels, Book 2

This book put me in mind of the PBS series, Mr. Selfridge, about the American who built the glamorous department store in Great Britain at the turn of the last century. Rhys Winterborne is a self made Welshman, son of a grocer, who has built the world’s largest department store in London.

Winterborne may be one of the richest men in England, but he is still considered working class. So when he meets Lady Helen Ravenel, he is determined to have her. As wealthy as he is, he knows the only way into the gentry is to marry into it.

The become betrothed, but when he kisses her she gets scared. Helen is shy, virginal and beyond naive, and she ends up crying in her room. Her sister-in-law goes to Winterborne and breaks off the engagement, but when Helen finds out she is determined to get him back. She sneaks out on her own and barges into his office, telling him she wants him back. But he knows her guardian will not be pleased with this turn of events, so he makes her a deal – if she’ll sleep with him, thoroughly ruining her reputation, that will force her guardian to allow them to marry and convince Rhys that she is serious. She agrees.

They make their plans but as we well know, the best laid plans often go awry, and they do here. Helen finds out there is a big family secret about her parentage, and she is convinced that Rhys will not want to marry her once he finds out.

As always, Kleypas creates engaging, well drawn characters and an interesting storyline, fraught with the great pitfalls of romance. But fear not, there is, of course, a happy ending. If only life could come with the same guarantees. Another terrific read from one of my favorite authors.

4/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

MARRYING WINTERBORNE by Lisa Kleypas. Avon (May 31, 2016). ISBN 978-0062371850. 416p.

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The Dukes, Book 2

This was my first book from Karen Ranney, and I will be reading more. The first book in this new series is The Scottish Duke, the one following is The Texan Duke, and I’m not sure how many more there will be but this one was really good. These books are not related like most series with overlapping characters, the only thing they have in common are the titles. The Texan Duke was originally supposed to be called the American Duke, so maybe there will be more stories set in America? Just a guess.

The English Duke in question is Jordan Hamilton, the new Duke of Roth. He is an unusual duke as he is a second son so shouldn’t have inherited the title, except his older brother died. Jordan was in the Navy and then with the War Office, AKA British Intelligence, and is a scientist and an inventor who is working on torpedoes. He has been corresponding with Matthew York, an acclaimed inventor and they have enormous respect for one another.

When Matthew dies, he leaves all his notes and models from his inventions to Jordan. Matthew’s daughter Martha has been assisting her father for years, and they worked very closely together. So she is familiar with the correspondence between her father and Jordan, and is surprised that when her father asked for him to come, he ignored the letters. A year after Matthew’s death, Jordan still hasn’t responded to her letters regarding the bequest so Martha decides to deliver it to Jordan personally.

Martha, her half sister Josephine and their grandmother set off for Sedgewick, the Duke’s estate. Martha plans to deliver the materials, stay overnight at a nearby inn, and return home the next day. However her grandmother becomes quite ill, forcing the Duke to put them up in his home and when the doctor says she needs several days rest, they are all forced together. Josephine is a conniving little wretch, sure of her beauty and her ability to manipulate men. She decides she will be the next Duchess and plots and schemes to get her way.

The reason the Duke hadn’t answered any of the letters or visited the Yorks was that he suffered a horrific fall, shattering several bones. He walks with a severe limp and is often in terrible pain. Josephine thinks him “lame” and tells him so, but she is not interested in dancing with him, just in acquiring the title and the home.

Martha is a wonderful heroine. She’s smart and independent, and not looking to get married to anyone. She just wants to continue her father’s work. The Duke is a loner, happiest when tinkering in his workshop. Since they are stuck together, they end up working together and both soon realize they are meant for each other. But Josephine has other ideas.

This was a torturous read for me as the horrible Josephine almost gets away with her plot, and it isn’t resolved until the very end. I wanted to throttle Josephine, to use a term of the day, but the requisite happy ending was finally, finally reached. That said, I did end up enjoying the book, and found the torpedo plot line really interesting. One of the things I like best about historical romances, the really good ones anyway, is that I learn something about the time period and this was a good example. In fact, the author includes notes at the back of the book about her research. Highly recommended.

4/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE ENGLISH DUKE by Karen Ranney. Avon (March 28, 2017). ISBN: 978-0062466891. 384p.