Review: The Unexpected Duchess (Playful Brides #1) by Valerie Bowman

Is there any greater surprise than falling deeply, madly in love?

In This Battle of Wits

Lady Lucy Upton’s tongue may be too sharp to attract suitors but her heart is good, and when her painfully shy friend Cassandra needs help she devises a brilliant scheme to help her discourage an unwanted suitor, the Duke of Claringdon. Lucy will hide behind the hedgerow and tell Cass just what to say to discourage the duke…but it turns out that he’s made of sterner stuff than either of them anticipated. And Lucy is shocked to discover that tangling with the tenacious man is the most fun she’s had in ages.

Kisses Are the Best Weapon

Lord Derek Hunt made a promise to his dying friend to marry the demure Cassandra, and for a man who wants nothing more than peace and quiet after the horrors of war, she’ll make the perfect bride. If only the impudent Miss Upton will let him court the girl! Doing battle is the last thing on his mind, but bantering with Lucy behind the bushes is too tempting to resist. And the spoils of this war just may be true love.

Series: Playful Brides #1
Release Date: 04/29/2014
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Source: Publisher
Reviewer: Michelle
Rating:

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Reviewer’s Thoughts

Lady Cassandra Monroe is being pursued by Lord Derek Hunt against her wishes.  Lord Hunt is a newly minted Duke bound to marry Lady Cassandra by a deathbed promise to a friend.  Other than Lady Cass’ reluctance the only other obstacle in his way is sharp-tongued, opinionated Lady Lucy Upton.  Lady Lucy has taken up the challenge to protect her friend from the attentions of Lord Hunt, but she didn’t count on falling in love with him.

I loved Lady Lucy’s tenacity, wit, and personality.  She was very adventurous and loyal to a fault.  She didn’t hesitate to jump in numerous times to help her friend even after humorous disasters.  The author did a great job writing her character.  Lucy wasn’t afraid to give in to her passionate nature and give Lord Hunt something he could feel.  She definitely was not the “head wallflower”.

The storyline was very fast paced with enough drama and humor to keep you happily turning pages.  There were a wealth of secondary characters that added depth to the story and offered glimpses of future storylines.  The author’s addition o the backgrounds of Lady Lucy and Lord Derek provided a backdrop that allowed he reader to understand why they were so loyal and provided insight into their decision making processes.  This was critical for me because it allowed me to see past the fact that Lady Lucy was allowing her friends’ suitor to have way too many liberties.  As a reader I was easily able to see how they fell in love in spite of their fierce loyalty to their friends and this made what could have been a tawdry romance a sweet, passionate love story.

I can’t wait for the next installment.  This one was definitely a winner.  This was my first book by this author, but it definitely won’t be the last.