The Duke In My Bed--The Heirs' Club of Scoundrels

October 6, 2014
An unexpected alliance changes lives in this original and enjoyable Regency, first in the Heirs’ Club series. When Bray, Duke of Drakestone, reluctantly agrees to marry his dying friend’s sister, Louisa, he envisions a life of misery with a homely, timid woman, and stays away for two years. At their first encounter, the duke is happily surprised by Louisa’s beauty and fiery spirit, but is put off by her four boisterous sisters. Louisa is likewise drawn to Bray but incensed by his lollygagging, and she lets him know her feelings when he finally arrives. Bray decides it’s time to take his vow and responsibilities to heart. As the gossips bet on whether Bray will indeed marry Louisa, powerful outsiders attempt to intervene and force their hand. And when their passionate interludes lead to unanticipated emotions, the two must reevaluate their plans for a marriage of convenience. Slightly heavy-handed language doesn’t diminish a strong plot with enough twists to satisfy.

December 1, 2014
A wild young lord is maneuvered into making a vow to marry the sister of a dying comrade, but the lady refuses to cooperate. Grey (The Rogue Steals a Bride, 2013, etc.) returns with the first book in a new trilogy, the Heirs Club of Scoundrels. Bray Drakestone, Marquis of Lockington, is a scoundrel who keeps his promises. Usually. He doesn't want to keep the promise he made to Nathan Prim, Viscount Wayebury, moments before the Viscount died of injuries he received during an ill-conceived late-night carriage race in Hyde Park. But there were many witnesses that night, and half the ton has laid wagers on whether Bray will make good and marry the Viscount's sister Louisa. Bray realizes with some horror that even the prince regent has made a wager he cannot afford to lose, betting the famous Elgin Marbles. Now Bray is under pressure from his mother, his friends, the ton and even the Crown. But Louisa will have none of him, because she blames him for her brother's death. Predictably, his high-handed manner, fantastic sex appeal and poignant loneliness slowly erode her resolve. Even her four troublesome little sisters, who have been foisted on Bray as wards by their wayward uncle, can't completely dissuade him from pursuing Louisa. Bray grew up an only child with no cousins, and he's horrified and fascinated by the chaotic household full of children. But the children, as much as Louisa, make him long for companionship. The plot drags in places when the protagonists don't see each other for weeks at a time. It also takes a few unnecessary sideways steps, like Bray's trip into the remote countryside to visit a grieving friend, but overall, it's an entertaining read, and the characters are lively and interesting.

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December 1, 2014
The last thing Bray Drakestone, Marquis of Lockington, needs is a wife. Unfortunately, two years earlier, due to a foolish wager and a carriage accident that could have been avoided, Bray promised his dying friend, Nathan Prim, that he would marry Nathan's sister, Louisa. When Bray finally shows up at Louisa's new home in London to reluctantly request her hand in marriage, Louisa takes his better-late-than-never proposal as an insult. Amused by Louisa's attitude, Bray decides to turn the matrimonial tables on Louisa by informing her that she will end up proposing to him. The romantic stakes are high, but this is a wager neither one intends to lose. Employing the tried-and-true redemption-of-a-rake theme, Grey launches the first book in her new Heirs' Club of Scoundrels series. The result is an elegantly sensual and seemingly effortless love story that is certain to keep Regency readers happily engaged.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)