How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days: An American Heiress in London
It began with a simple arrangement: American heiress Edie and the handsome Stuart, Duke of Margrave, would marry to save her reputation and pay off his family’s debts. The only catch was he had to disappear to Africa, never to return. But five years later, when Stuart is nearly killed on safari, he decides to return home to win over his wife for real. The only problem: she’s unwilling to make their marriage true in body as well as in name. He bets that he can make her kiss him in 10 days. If she does, they will be married for forever; if not, she is free to leave.
This is an entertaining, if predictable, Victorian romance. The dialogue is much wittier and the characters and plot much more fully formed than those found in some romance novels. My only issues are that the story relies on the tired convention of rape as a source of female shame, and it takes over 100 pages to get to the bet. But, if that doesn’t bother you and you’re looking for an entertaining read where the hero will seduce you along with the heroine, you’ve got it in this book. Recommended.
