Anyone But a Duke (Sin & Sensibility)
After being publicly humiliated at a society ball in London, Sarah Bumgarten, youngest of four wealthy American heiresses, retires to her brother-in-law’s estate and vows never to marry an aristocrat. But when the handsome stranger who rescues her from a gang of drunkards turns out to be a duke, will she change her mind?
Like earlier books in the Sin and Sensibility series, set in the late Victorian era, the third offers a crowded plot: a long-lost duke returns to claim his rights after being held captive in foreign parts; a spunky heiress restores a neglected estate, cares for animals and people, and wins the respect of the community; a nasty, supercilious villain hires a gang to attack the estate; the injured benefit from the latest medical advances. And, of course, the duke and the heiress fall in love.
There is a criticism of the sense of aristocratic privilege, but the gang terrorizing the community, wrecking and setting fire to buildings, seems more appropriate to the Wild West than rural England. And the crop-wielding villain (a hunting whip, not a plant!) belongs to stage melodrama. Recommended to those seeking a fast-paced, adventure-filled romance, with idealized heroes and black-hearted villains.
