How to Tempt a Dukeby Kasey Michaelsreviewed by Cybil SolynSeptember 2009, 352 pages, Publisher: HQN, ISBN: 0373773714 Back Cover Blurb: He'd returned from war a duke. Now Rafael Daughtry was battling a force more terrifying than Napoleon's army - his family. Thankfully, his childhood friend Charlotte Seavers had agreed - reluctantly - to a bargain. While Rafe would provide her with the home she'd lost, Charlotte would provide him with a chaperone for his unruly twin sisters.
But who would chaperone Rafe? For the feisty young girl he remembered had blossomed into a sensual woman - a woman whose haunting beauty and deeply kept secrets drew him like no other. Charlotte had good reason to mistrust men - yet could Rafe's sizzling seduction convince her to give in to temptation?
Captain Rafael Daughtry has met with an unexpected fate. The poor relation who was shipped off to war has come back from the Peninsula the fourteenth Duke of Ashurst, and he's not really that happy about it. Sure he's glad of the money and comfort, but as a soldier he wasn't raised to be a duke. Luckily for him, Charlotte Seavers, aka Charlie, the young girl who used to idolize him, is still his friend upon return and is prepared to help him settle into his new role as brother to two 16 year old girls and a dukedom.
Charlotte may still be head over heels in love with Rafe, but much has happened to her since he's been away. Things that have changed her and her family for the worse - things she doesn't want Rafe to know about. Things that shame her. Yet, she can't help wanting to be there for Rafe because she knows that he and his twin sisters need her. So she agrees to live with him and help him settle in...even if it means that they have to be constantly thrown together.
Kasey Michaels proves once again that she can write a book that blends humor, tragedy, and depth into 352 pages. She also doesn't hold back any punches. I won't give anything away, but something very monumental occurs in this, the first book of a new series, that required me to set the book aside for a good ten minutes to collect myself.
Once past that, I tore through this book, and couldn't wait to pick up the next in the series. All the characters in this book were fantastic and well developed. The plot always drove the romance and never took over, but it had enough page time to finish up neatly and not seem secondary. Both Charlotte and Rafe are stars, and the supporting cast is just as vital to the enjoyment of the book. As I finished the last page with tears in my eyes I was left wondering what was in store for everyone else.
Bottom Line: Don't miss it!
Contact us!
Cybil Solyn, csolyn@rakehell.com
|
