Title: The Duke’s desire
Author: Elizabeth Elliot
Publisher: Regent Lit
I received a copy of this book from Voracious Readers in exchange for an honest review.
I am a huge fan of Regency romances and Stephanie Laurens, Mary Balogh, Lisa Kleypas and the like litter my shelves with their bustles and bonnets, dark Dukes, enchanting Earls and luscious Lords.
I was hoping that Elizabeth Elliot would join their ranks and I’m pleased to say she has.
Synopsis
Whilst attempting to hide her family’s precarious financial status, Eleanor Pinecrest is determined that her younger sister, Felicity, should have the very best season. This often means going without the basic necessities herself.
Storm Westbrook is resolved to find a sweet biddable wife to produce heirs in order to maintain the family line. He expects to forego a love match for the sake of duty.
Although the Duke makes it obvious that Felicity is his intended, his methods annoy Eleanor and sparks fly as the two of them try to deny their obvious attraction.
Review
First the positives: The chemistry between Storm and Eleanor was apparent with each interaction. Their playful banter and pranks had me grinning as I read along. I also found Eleanor to be quite a compelling character, she was smart, strong and capable and wasn’t on the lookout for anyone for herself. She was devoted to her family even if that meant that she went without. Her love for her sister and brother was evident and rounded out the character nicely. I loved her stubbornness as well as her ability to make Storm think about those he had taken for granted.
Storm was obviously the head-strong strapping male type but with a surprising amount of gentleness when talking to his family which was delightful. I really appreciated when he started to listen to Eleanor and dance with wallflowers, causing his friends to do the same. The rest of his family were likewise beautifully written and engaging.
Furthermore, the romance aspect was nicely paced and the falling in love happened gradually enough to be realistic.
On the other hand, I was jolted out of the story several times by grammar, punctuation and spelling mistakes. In addition, there were often errors that should have been picked up by a beta reader or proofreader. One moment he was a Duke, then he was an Earl. He was addressed as ‘your grace’, then ‘my lord’. Also, if Marcus (Eleanor’s brother) was an Earl then his land wouldn’t have been entailed and Eleanor and Felicity would have been ladies.
Because I read so many regencies these errors did detract from the story somewhat and the whole book could do with some serious editing. Nevertheless, you could easily find yourself engaged with the story without any serious lapses.
Summary
In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, despite the errors, and would put her in the ranks of Julia Quinn, Suzanne Enoch and other comedy regency writers.
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