Title: The Reluctant Duke
Author: Joan M. Fox
Genre: Regency Historical
Published in 2003 by Treble Heart Books
IBSN: 1-931742-11-1
Antonio Thorndyke, Duke of Weston was not a happy man. This should have come to his father, and was totally unwanted by Antonio. This so-called honor was definitely not to his liking. The title, sitting uneasily on his head, is a burden he would much rather have done without.. It would not be his but for the tragic loss of his cousin and his entire family by drowning. He didn’t want this darn title, never desired it or the power that came with it, but now he must make the best of the situation. His father orders him to England, and although he hates to leave his beloved Spain, he is being forced to take over the title. Antonio doesn’t feel that he should the one to rule the duchy, and bear the ducal responsibilities of this burdensome inheritance. He has no desire to leave the family estate, he prides himself in the quality of the Andalusian horses he’s been raising here. It is a truly reluctant Antonio who sets sail, leaving the warmth of his homeland for the cold, damp English countryside. To make matters worse, his father has charged him to take Briella along. He feels that she needs to be properly launched into society, and a London season is surely the best and most proper way to get it accomplished. And if all this isn’t trial enough for the avowed bachelor...he is to find an English bride.
Antonio settles reluctantly into Westhaven Hall, to take up his duties. Along with Briella, he brought some of his beloved horses to the Kentish countryside. He often explores his new surroundings on horseback, getting acquainted with the burden now resting on his broad shoulders. There was one good thing about Westhaven. Hal Newton, Lord Crestwood, a friend from his days at Cambridge, and his sister Caroline would be his new neighbors, and he looked forward to the reunion. It has been many years since he last visited, a long time since his Oxford days. Caroline has grown up. The eight year old of his memory has been replaced by a poised and graceful young woman. After several meetings, his thoughts are filled with Caroline, along with plots and ideas of how to seduce the young widow. She is an enigma, worldly, yet seemingly offended that he would practice his rakish wiles and try to seduce her. Though not wanting a bride, Caroline’s well worth considering. She is beautiful, an English aristocrat, and has similar passion for horses as does his sister, Briella. Even through the hustle of Briella’s London Season, his thoughts are not far from Caroline. She just may be the cure for the homesickness that has begun to plague him, the means to stoke the fires and burn the longing for Spain from his heart.
The way Demon always speeds over the English countryside near Crestwood Manor exhilarates her. The thoroughbred’s speed and energy is unflagging beneath the slight weight that urges him onward. There is nothing better in the entire world, nothing more precious to Caroline Lockler than being astride her tall, strong, beautiful black stallion. Any hours or bits of time spent on his back racing across the Kentish landscape is her idea of heaven, and Caroline would not give it up, nor would she give up her manly attire. Married young, to a much older man, Caroline was still not prepared for the blow dealt to her when he died. She lost two of the most important men in her life, and lost them suddenly. She withdrew due to the shock of having her father and her husband die within a few months of each other. She is burdened with her grief, and still feels the need for seclusion, for time to heal. Her brother Hal has no patience, and although she loves him dearly, his pressing her to come out of mourning has her chomping at the bit. She is not ready to put her sorrow behind her, the wounds are too raw, and no amount of badgering by Hal will force her to be the hostess that he wants for Crestwood. She needs more time.
Caroline quickly finds that she will not get the time that she thinks she needs. Her body pounds with feelings that she had thought long put to rest. Antonio’s presence is not what she expects, it is worse in that she is sure that he doesn’t feel the same commitment that she does toward him. Too late, Caroline realizes that her attempts to keep him, and her feelings at bay are futile, and what started by a cool stream on hot day, was only a prelude to what she considers a disaster. They are at odds on everything, yet the stolen kisses still reverberate strongly within her. She despairs of ever being able to meet him on an even footing, never stopping to think that it may be her own outrageous stubbornness keeping them apart. She felt safe, thinking that while he was in London, he would be by far, too preoccupied with his sister’s entrance into society. His unexpected return, and the scene at the stream quashed that thought quickly, and she flees to London hoping to get lost in the mire of London Society. Like the skilled hunter, and the patient trainer he is, Antonio bides his time, showing up at almost every event that Caroline goes to, and subtly pressing the advantage. The question is, will she listen to her body, heart, and soul…or will she miss the one true chance at happiness that her father really wanted for her?
Excellence, authenticity, and knowledge mark this book as Joan M. Fox takes us from the warmth of Andalusia, Spain, to the cool climes of England and Ireland. In this first book, The Reluctant Duke, she brings together an unlikely pair. Set within a picturesque but devastating period of history, Joan covers the courtship of Antonio and Caroline, following the pair through the ton and the social whirl, the countryside of Kent, and on to the beautiful rolling hills of the Irish horse country during the potato famine. Through it all, Joan is weaving her story with strong characters, encumbered only by their stubbornness, and the morals of the Victorian period. The biggest problem is neither Antonio nor Caroline are ready to face up to their true feelings about each other. They hide behind arguments, each one rejecting the possibility their mutual interest in horses could be the key, and true love is really not that far behind.
The struggles that Antonio and Caroline face in The Reluctant Duke, make you wonder if they can ever work things out. The questions remain foremost in your mind as you read. Will Antonio win and marry the woman of his dreams? Will Caroline face her fears and trust in love? And will Antonio and Caroline find the happiness they so richly deserve? The Reluctant Duke is a well written and delightful Victorian Romance with a touch of spice. It is luxuriously written, and a definite must have if you like Victorian romance. It is a fast paced read, and thoroughly enchanting. You will not be disappointed, and if you want more, Joan has the sequel, Tame My Heart available as well. You can purchase The Reluctant Duke from Treble Heart Books.
Yours in good reading,
Rose!
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