The Inconvenient Duchess

by Christine Merrill

Book Overview

Dear Cici and Father, I have come to Devon and married a duke. And I'm more tired and hungry than I have ever been in my life. Please let me come home. Compromised and wedded on the same day, Lady Miranda was fast finding married life not to her taste. A decaying manor and a secretive husband were hardly the stuff of girlish dreams. Yet every time she looked at dark, brooding Marcus Radwell, Duke of Haughleigh, she felt inexplicably compelled--and...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373294212
• ISBN13: 9780373294213
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Harlequin Special Releases
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

Lovely Debut

In her debut novel, Christine Merrill gives us a thoughtful, warm, and well-written Regency romance. Lady Miranda Grey (who, by the way, would NOT be "Lady" Miranda -- more on that later) is an impoverished gentlewoman who, through machinations of others, ends up compromised and wedded to a man who is stern and hard to please (and not at all happy to be forced into marriage.) Before winning his heart, she needs to win over the servants, reform the estate, and not fall into the snare of his charming younger brother. I liked the characters and the story here, and will be definitely looking out for more books by this author. I just hope in her future novels, Merrill takes a bit more care with historical errors -- there were a few too many for my taste, even in a first book. I could ignore the costume errors (no chemise under her stays, but yet a petticoat there??) and anachronistic use of self-lighting matches, and even the fact that this duke seems to have extremely little in the way of land or money or know-how for a duke (sort of like writing about an American president with one employee -- it just doesn't work that way). But the title errors were consistent and so very basic that I'm afraid they did annoy me. ("Lady" Miranda's father is Sir Anthony Grey, and therefore either a knight or a baronet, so she *can't* be "Lady" Miranda; to have "Lady" before her first name, her father would need to be an earl, marquis, or duke. Also, when Sir Anthony marries at the end of the book, his wife is also given an incorrect title.) That said, I did enjoy this novel, quite a bit. The pacing was good, the characters were interesting, and the writing strong. I will be looking for Christine Merrill's next book when it comes out.

Excellent Book

I don't know whether or not a marriage would have happened in that century as it did with Marcus and Miranda, as it seemed far fetched, but regardless, Marcus was a perfect hero; he was kind to the extreme, handsome, wealthy, and totally devoted to Miranda. She loved him as well and she was a bright and lovely girl. These two characters had great personalities. As for Marcus's brother, I didn't like him, and all I kept thinking about while reading this was that I hope the author does not give him his own story, even if he tries to reform. I could never accept him as a decent man, let alone a hero in his own story.

Well-done novel

This is a surprising find! There was nothing really unappealing about this novel. The writing is competent, dialogue keeps to the period, characters are well-drawn, and story is compelling. The heroine, Miranda, is my kind of character. She isn't gorgeous, witty, and wealthy. Instead, she's plain, hard-working, and doesn't quite believe in herself or her own merits. I love that. Heroines who are perfect at the beginning of novels really turn me off. The hero, Marcus, is suitably moody and gruff. But, he has a core of honor. He's a fun character. Their love story is satisfying as it unfolds. The fly in the ointment is Marcus's brother. He isn't just a cookie-cutter "bad guy." Merrill gives him some depth and leaves his ending fuzzy. I liked that. I also appreciated the fact that Merrill doesn't use lots of misunderstandings between the hero and heroine to create tension in the plot. That can be so frustrating. Instead, they end up discussing their misunderstandings at various points in the story and resolving them. Whew. That's much more satisfying for the reader. All in all, this is a wonderful new author, one I will continue to look for in the future.