The Scottish Duke

Starred review from September 19, 2016
Ranney’s first Dukes romance sets a riveting fairy tale story in a beautiful castle in the Scottish Highlands in 1861. Lorna Gordon has been working as a maid at Blackhall Castle since the death of her father, a botanist. After seeing Alexander Russell, the ninth Duke of Kinross, at a distance, she is determined to interact with him as a guest at his costume ball. Once she’s disguised as Marie Antoinette, Lorna easily attracts Alex’s attention. After a sizzling encounter that neither of them expected, Lorna feels disillusioned about the man whom she has worshipped from afar, while he thinks of her as manipulative. Their circumstances change, they meet again, and they begin to overcome their differences and misconceptions. The development of their romance is intense and captivating as Alex and Lorna discover mutual passion and learn that love makes them stronger together than apart. This promising series inception is sure to garner attention from fans of historicals, who will want to follow up with future series installments.

September 15, 2016
When a straight-laced Scottish duke loses his head and makes love to a mystery woman at a masquerade, he's shocked to find, months later, that he's going to be a father.The orphaned Lorna Gordon avoids the poorhouse in Victorian Scotland by taking a position as a maid at Blackhall Castle, the seat of the Duke of Kinross. She quickly becomes obsessed with Alexander Russell, the handsome but reserved duke, and attends a fancy dress ball in disguise in order to get his attention. The duke, who never noticed Lorna when she was dressed as a maid, is captivated, and the two end up conceiving a child in the castle's conservatory. As her pregnancy advances, Lorna must leave her position, but Alex learns of the situation and brings her back to the estate. They marry in haste while Lorna is in labor, making their son the duke's legal heir. So far, so good--but the plot from here on out is woefully predictable. It's obvious to the reader that Alex has fallen in love with Lorna, but because of betrayals and hurts in his past, it takes him hundreds of pages to realize it. However, this first book in the new Duke Trilogy is saved by Ranney's (An American in Scotland, 2016) ability to create unusual and complex characters. Alex is an amateur scientist studying fingerprints, while Lorna is a talented illustrator who also knows how to make herbal remedies. Both are charmingly flawed, and both grow during the story. There are also several secondary characters with interesting story arcs, such as the dowager duchess and the maid, Nan, who is a true friend to Lorna. In spite of the strong characters and engaging writing style, the novel is disappointing because of its lackluster plot.

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Starred review from November 15, 2016
When Lorna Gordon's father dies, she has no choice but to become an upstairs maid at Blackhall Castle, in the Scottish Highlands. Her goal is to get her father's scientific book published, but her plans go wildly awry when she finds an elegant old gown in the attic and wears it to the duke's masquerade ball. Alex Russell, Duke of Kinross, has major trust issues, and not without cause. His unfaithful wife, said to be the most beautiful woman in Scotland, has died in childbirth, the father unknown. Someone in his household has stolen his scientific paper, and now the first woman who's really caught his eye turns out to be a suspicious maid in his employ, a woman of neither social rank nor means. But Lorna is no shrinking violet, and Alex has met his match, especially on an intellectual level. Still, the glass slipper is a long time coming. Ranney has created a unique and enchanting riff on the age-old Cinderella tale. Readers who can't get enough of hunky Highland heroes will love this enticing tale, which is the first in a planned series about dukes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)