When Lady Isabella witnesses the murder of her mother—by her father, the Earl of Craythorne—she rides off to London in search of the man her mother, Arabella, instructed she contact lest anything befall her.Directions send Isabella to the doors of The Elegant Courtesan, a high-end brothel owned by David Fitzwillim, Earl of Norwick, to whom she relates her gruesome tale. Stunned and heartbroken at … heartbroken at hearing the fate of Arabella, David vows to ensure Isabella’s safety from Craythorne, and he enlists the aid of Octavius, Duke of Huntington, to provide protection and a home in the country, where she won’t be found. He would do it himself, but he’s due to marry the girl’s aunt, Lady Clarinda, and has some courting to do— his twin brother seems determined to make her his own wife.
Still suffering from the loss of his wife in childbirth, Octavius has long since given up the joy he took in his race horses—choosing to ignore his stables and country estate and live in London, immersed in reading and attending sessions of Parliament.
Not particularly pleased with having a ward, Octavius soon discovers Isabella’s passion for horses goes far beyond just riding them. With a new generation of racehorses in his stables, and his country estate suddenly in pristine condition, he may just experience some horse sense himself in “The Dream of a Duchess”.
more
I loved the spunky protagonist and her horse savvy. The multiple points of view kept me on my toes.
I purchased this as part of a bundle called THE WIDOWERS OF THE ARISTOCRACY: Boxed Set.
There are many stories within. We have the Earl (David) who has a twin (Daniel). David is betrothed, but can’t be bothered to get to know the girl so he has his twin step in for the courting. Of course David and Clarinda fall in love. Clarinda never is told she was duped. I dislike stories that have lies or hold truth back, which we also have. There is over 20 year age difference between the twins and Clarinda. There is about 12-14 years between the other couple.
The scene with the mother and daughter I thought the daughter was like 10 and not 19, snooping in her mother’s dresser, seemed immature. The daughter thinks she witnesses her father kill her mother. As we read the story, it was not murder, which is what 1/2 the story is based on.
The story did drag at times, but for the most part it was entertaining. There is foreplay prior to marriage, heat level 4 out of 5. Romance does build slowly for the Duke and his ward.
My heart ached for Daniel because he was the romantic twin and loved Clarinda but had to watch his brother the Earl marry her.
The Epilogue was more confusing than helpful. It rehashed what you read. I truly thought my e-reader went backwards. Then when we are back to the present day in the story, it was confusing too for timeframes.
No cheating, no cliffhanger, you will wonder about Daniel and his story is called THE WIDOWED COUNTESS, another secondary character I liked and gets her story is the twin’s cousin, Connie. Her story is in THE LOVE OF A RAKE. I have them on my Wish List for Amazon. (ljb)
In this first book of the series, Ms Sande has once again piqued my interest in how the rest of the books would unravel. There were, in fact, two stories intertwined, both romantic, but the story between Isabella and Octavius progressed a little more slowly than that of David and Clarinda. The book is well written with humour and some sadness and there is also a mystery to be solved. After having witnessed the death of her mother, Isabella rides through the night to David Fitzwillim on her mother’s instructions, to take refuge in his brothel. Not being the kind of place a lady of quality should be hiding out in, he calls in Octavius to assist him in secreting Isabella away. One has to have sympathy for Octavius as the high spirited, opinionated young lady upends his home, the servants, the stables and Octavius himself. However, despite rattling the butler’s sense of proprietary, with time Isabella wins the whole household over and Octavius reconsiders his vow to his late wife. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the romance that played out between the young girl and the more mature Duke, as well as the ancillary characters. I received a copy of this book as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.