Duel of Hearts

by Diane Farr

Book Overview

Lilah Chadwick wants to stop her father from marrying a young woman. Lord Drakesley wants to stop his cousin from marrying Lilah's father. So the two join forces to stop their loved ones from making a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451207203
• ISBN13: 9780451207203
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Signet Book
• Length: 342 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Witty and Exuberant

Witty and exuberant Diane Farr again treats the reader to a highly entertaining romp in her novel Duel of Hearts. Delilah Chadwick is incredulous that her adoring widowed father could really be contemplating remarriage without consulting her, but so the letter she receives from him states. She embarks on a mission to save her beloved father from Eugenia Mayhew, a young woman Lilah has never met but who must be "a mercenary harridan...taking advantage of Papa's good nature."Lilah is so used to everyone capitulating to her demands that she's failed to notice how headstrong and domineering she actually is. So she's astonished and extremely annoyed by the very forceful man actually opposes her will when, at the local inn, she attempts to wrest from him the carriage he has just rented-the last suitable vehicle in the area to carry her to London where her father is.Adam "Drake" Harleston, the ninth Earl of Drakesley, is stunned and highly displeased with the forceful harpy who has the nerve to repeatedly demand he give up his rented carriage to her. When he begrudgingly ends up sharing the carriage with Lilah and her companion Miss Pickens, he's even more displeased to discover that she's the daughter of the older gentleman who's no doubt seduced his poor cousin Eugenia into pledging marriage. Drake was raised with Eugenia and always assumed that he would marry her one day. After all, a biddable wife who can offer him a quiet life is just the ticket to enable him to maintain the status quo of his existence. And that's surely what he wants-right?Drake is alarmed to discover the overwhelming physical reaction he has to Lilah, and she is equally embarrassed by the passion she feels whenever she's near him. Although they form an alliance to stop the disastrous marriage of her father and his cousin, they cannot stop arguing over how to do it. And what a wonderful, feisty argument it is. As they wittily oppose one another's wills, they feel extraordinarily alive and begin falling in love while the reader is treated to highly entertaining repartee.But nothing goes as planned, and by the time Drake apparently persuades Eugenia to break her engagement and to marry him instead, emotions are running high all around, and it's no longer clear who is tricking whom. What is clear is that Drake and Lilah must stop fooling themselves or an extraordinary love will be lost forever.Lilah and Drake are lively, well-drawn and thoroughly enjoyable characters who take the reader on a thrilling ride in this witty page turner. The supporting cast is equally endearing and funny. Duel of Hearts is a delightful book that no romance lover should miss.

A fast-paced, can't-put-down kind of book!

I read this book based on its "desert isle keeper" status at allaboutromance.com and was certainly not disappointed at all. The story is very fast-faced, a real page turner indeed. The main characters of Drake and Lilah are over-the-top funny and definitely are at a battle of wills. They think that their strong attraction to one another is something to be repressed and that their ideal mates must be submissive types. They fight tooth and nail not to get together and seeing them fight the strong, undeniable attraction is hilarious. It wasn't until the last page that I realized that there were no love scenes, yet I felt the characters passion much more than any more graphic stories I might have read recently. I absolutely adored Drake and Lilah and will defnitely be keeping this one.

This frothy romance will entertain!

Lilah Chadwick is in for a rude awakening when she receives notice that her beloved father is about to marry a much younger woman. She sets off immediately for London to put a stop to the nonsense, her faithful servant in tow. While attempting to hire the only carriage at a small inn, she runs afoul of the man who has already commandered it; Adam Harleston, Earl of Drakely, or Drake to his friends. They discover that they are on the same mission, since it is his cousin, who has always planned to wed, that Lilah's father is about to marry. Though disliking the necessity, they travel together, trading barbs the whole way. Does their repartee mask deeper feelings?Once in London, they find that Adam's cousin is willing to break her engagement and marry him, but is that what the oil and water couple truly wants?***** Delightfully engaging, this novel will provoke laugh out loud moments as this pair comes to the realization that what they thought they wanted might be all together different from what they really want. In dark times, this frothy romance will entertain fans of Regency and historical romances alike. ***** Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

an amusing and fun read

"Duel of Hearts" is one of the most amusing romance novels I've read in a long time. In fact the plot and the characters found in the, "Duel of Hearts" reminded me strongly of similar novels written by one of my favourite Regency romance authours, Marion Chesney. When Delilah Chadwick, the only daughter of Sir Horace Chadwick, receives news that her father is about to marry, the dismayed young lady immediately jumps the conclusion that her father is being manipulated into marriage by an unscrupulous harpy. (Being a tad spoilt and headstrong young lady, and being totally used to running the lives of all those around her, thinking of her father as a used dupe is the only way in which she can currently cope with the notion that her father would choose to marry again after so many years of being a widower.) And so, Lilah decides to immediately make for London, in order to stop her father from making the mistake of his life.Rich, autocratic and used-to-always-having-things-his-own-way Adam Harlestone, the ninth Earl of Drakesley, had always assumed that he would marry his plain and unassuming cousin, Eugenia, when the time was right. The last thing he expected was to receive intelligence that Eugenia (who is in London for the Season) is being pursued by a gentleman old enough to be her father. Sure that his cousin is need of his protection, he decides to make for London in order to salvage her honour. Unexpectedly, however, Drakesley runs into Eugenia's supposed seducer's daughter on the road. And after the initial barbed exchanges (which are truly quite amusing), the pair discover that they have a goal in common -- extracting their loved ones from the predicament they seem currently find themselves in. And so these two incredibly forceful and spoilt individuals come to an agreement: to put an end to this engagement between Sir Horace and Eugenia that neither Lilah or Drakesley approve of. What happens next is something neither Lilah nor Drakesley anticipated. For Lilah finds to her dismay that the incredibly high-handed and autocratic Drakesley would suit her down to a tee! And while Drakesley finds Lilah very spoilt and stubborn, he also finds her to be very enchanting and tantalising. Will Drakesley and Lilah give up on their plans to break up Sir Horace and Eugenia? And will they decide to pursue the volatile attraction that seems to be growing between them? And then of course there is Eugenia -- an extremely intelligent young lady who sees and understands a lot more than she lets on...I don't think I've smiled so much while reading one book. "Duel of Hearts" was definitely a fun read. The plot, while a rather well known one with few deviations, thanks to Diane Farr's brilliant handling still seemed fresh and interesting. I loved the manner in which she developed both the plot (the bits where both Lilah and Drakesley try to 'talk' sense to Eugenia) and the romance that was simmering between Drakesley and Lilah. Especially brilliant, however, was t

entertaining light-hearted fluff

This is correctly billed as Farr's "wittiest romp ever." Her trademark sparkling dialog makes for a fast, entertaining read. You can always count on this author for a well-drawn cast of characters and intelligent & witty prose. The hero and heroine in this one are strong-willed and spoiled rotten. Their resistance to falling under anyone else's spell causes them to clash hilariously as they try to escape each other's pull. Lots of fun.