It's Hard Out Here for a Duke

October 15, 2017
A Maryland horse breeder struggles to adjust to newfound English dukedom and his desire for an impoverished lady's companion in this fish-out-of-water Regency romance. In the final novel in her Keeping Up with the Cavendishes series, Rodale (Lady Claire Is All That, 2016, etc.) pairs the brother of the Cavendish women with their aristocratic aunt's employee. James, a new duke who's worried about the title he has suddenly inherited, spends the night with a lovely stranger he meets at an inn. To their surprise (but not the reader's), she is the one charged with tutoring him and his sisters when they arrive at the ducal home in London. Unnerved by the coincidence, Miss Meredith Green tries to remember her place and her duty to her employer and ignores her growing love for James. But memories of their passion and their constant proximity during lessons on etiquette and dancing erode their determination to let go of each other. There have been more memorable takes on the one-night-with-a-stranger plot, such as Mary Balogh's Slightly Wicked. This courtship is less absorbing, and the sex scenes feel rote, a common affliction at the end of a series. The characters are given some interiority and depth, though their oddly modern speech can be jarring. The novel also makes a strong pitch for women's individuality and dreams through its portraits of Meredith and the Cavendish sisters, but it has an unfortunate tendency to prove their worth by casting domestic arts and traditionally feminine interests as inferior. Moreover, the repeated claim that American classlessness is superior to outdated British class structures wears thin in a novel steeped in Georgian nobility. A Cinderella-story mashup of historical romance, chick lit, and reality TV, with a secret-paternity plot and a dash of American exceptionalism.

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December 1, 2017

American-born horse breeder James Cavendish never wanted to be a duke. He'd never even thought about it until his father died, and now he's heading to England with his three younger sisters in tow, expected to assume the responsibilities of the Durham title. Still, for one more night he wants to be just James, having a pint at the pub and maybe finding connection. He certainly doesn't hope for an unforgettable evening or for the mysterious woman he meets to be his aunt's companion Meredith Green. Determined to keep her distance, Meredith understands the danger of scandal even if James does not. Though class and culture clash fiercely as James struggles to learn his "Duke Lessons," he's a bit too American to let social station taboos keep them apart. A reluctant duke who comes into his own and a gently bred commoner with a past risk disgrace for love. VERDICT A lighthearted romp enhanced by witty quotes from The Rules for Dukes; a perfect addition to the series. Rodale (Lady Claire Is All That) lives in New York City.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 15, 2018
Rodale concludes her Keeping Up with the Cavendishes Regency series with this delightful fourth installment (after Lady Claire Is All That). James Cavendish travels from America to England after learning that he has inherited the dukedom of Durham. While staying at a tavern in Southampton, he meets the beautiful Meredith Green, and the undeniable attraction between them leads to one night of incredible passion. When James and his sisters arrive at the London home of their aunt, Dowager Duchess Josephina, James is surprised to learn that the woman he met at the tavern is a companion to the duchess. The encounters between James and Meredith at Durham House are filled with longing and regret, as she frequently reminds him of his duty as a duke to marry a woman suitable to his rank, not a mere lady’s companion. The ever-present desire and romantic yearning lure the reader into James and Meredith’s story, which Rodale writes with great depth of emotion. This series finale will leave readers deeply satisfied.

November 1, 2017
All Meredith Green wants is one night of passion. After that, she promises herself she will return to her perfectly respectable (and perfectly dull) life as a firmly on-the-shelf lady's companion. All it takes is some outrageous flirting with a handsome stranger in the public room of the Queen's Head Tavern and Coaching Inn, and Meredith secures her perfect night of passion. Once she returns to her post with the Dowager Duchess of Durham, Meredith never expects to see her mystery lover again. However, things become just a bit awkward when the Dowager Duchess introduces Meredith to the new Duke of Durham, American horse-breeder James Cavendish, and Meredith realizes that he is her onetime lover. With the fourth in her Keeping Up with the Cavendishes series, following Lady Claire Is All That (2017), Rodale continues to deftly channel the infectiously fun flavor of popular romantic comedies by skillfully gifting her protagonists with plenty of sizzling sexual chemistry and infusing her writing with an abundance of deliciously dry wit.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)