Again, I’m not sure how I found Desperate Duchesses. I think I saw it over on Julia Quinn’s Facebook page that this was on sale (it’s currently 99 cents). But I decided after the Daughter of Sherlock, I was in the mood for a romance.
Damon Reeve, Earl of Gryffyn, is the brother of the Duchess of Beaumont, Jemma, who has just returned from Paris. Damon and his illegitimate son, Teddy, move into the house with the Duke and Duchess, much to the Duke’s dismay. The Duke of Beaumont is a politican after all.
Lady Roberta St. Giles has been languishing in the country. Her father has made them the laughingstock as he’s kept courtesans in the house with Roberta. Roberta has faced humiliation after humiliation and just wants to leave. After meeting the Duke of Villiers, Roberta falls head over heels and determines to marry him. She heads for London.
Brief Summary (while trying not to give everything away)
In Desperate Duchesses, Roberta arrives at the Duke of Beaumont’s house, only to throw herself at the Duchess’s mercy. Roberta is a distant cousin. She hopes Jemma is willing to help her ensnare the Duke of Villiers. Jemma, being the flamboyant woman that she is, agrees to help.
But Damon sees Roberta and wants her for himself. He doesn’t want Roberta to end up with the Duke of Villiers. What will happen? Time will only tell.
Recommendation?
I struggle with what to write in these situations. It’s not that the book was bad or that the writing was atrocious. But I didn’t really like the characters. I wasn’t invested in their future. The plot was convoluted with too many scenes without Roberta and Damon in it that it didn’t feel like it was their story as much as a world building story for later. Chess plays a big role in this and while I like chess, I’m definitely no master. The book wasn’t so bad that I did not finish, but it’s not one that I would recommend reading.
Jennifer Pitney is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
And in case you hadn’t figured it out, my plan for 2021 is to write a blog post for each book I read. Last year, I read 150 books. We’ll see how I do this year.
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