Betina Krahn

A fun book to read. The story opens as Barclay gives up on the traditional round of balls and so on to find a wife. Described as "a beast of a man," Barclay is tall, broad-shouldered, and can have an intimidating air about him. He does not fare well in Society's ballrooms, as the current crop of debutantes looks down on him and treats him badly. Instead, he attends a lecture on "free love" that changes his life. In addition to his courtship woes, Barclay finds out that his grandfather has show more died, leaving him as guardian to the new Earl, a six-year-old boy.

Norah Capshaw is an orphan whose guardian recently died, leaving her with no family or support. She has a job as a tutor for adults that barely makes ends meet. When we first see Norah, she has snuck into the "free love" lecture to escape a man following her. A raid by the local constabulary shortly follows the arrival of her pursuer. Norah is stunned when she is accosted by a man claiming to be rescuing her and fights back, saying she needs no help. Both are promptly arrested and thrown in jail.

This was a different kind of introduction between the two characters. Barclay tries to be gallant and gets his efforts thrown back in his face by a stubbornly independent Norah. He writes off the encounter, only to see her again in another set of dire circumstances, where he again attempts to help her. By this point, I was a bit frustrated by Norah's intransigence. The third blow came when she found her belongings had been searched and her pursuer seen again. She accepted Barclay's assistance this time, though she wasn't very gracious about it. I loved how Barclay found a way for them to help each other. He offers her a job as a tutor to his cousin, getting her out of London and helping him with the boy.

I liked Barclay. He's a good man who has had a rough go of life through no fault of his own. His favorite book is Ivanhoe which influences many of his actions. As each bit of his past was revealed, I was amazed at how well he turned out. I had a little more trouble warming up to Norah. Just as so many others did, she seemed to judge him by his appearance and expect the worst of him. That slowly changed as she got to know him.

There is a brief interlude in York, where they go to begin Barclay's guardianship of young Elias. There are some funny and heartbreaking moments as the mischievous and undisciplined youngster quickly works his way into their hearts. This also gives Norah time to investigate her few possessions from her parents and discover a previously unknown family member. The meeting does not go as Norah hoped, and Barclay's protective instincts are aroused. Their decision to go to Scotland to investigate further was no surprise.

This part of the book was full of family found, unexpected secrets, a mysterious treasure, and danger tying it all together. I loved the joy and acceptance Norah found in Scotland. The MacFerguses were a fantastic group, and I enjoyed getting to know them. Things got a little crazy when they revealed the truth about the treasure—Barclay's horror over the legalities contrasted with their belief that they were doing nothing wrong. The tension increased when Norah's pursuers grew close. I loved that Norah came up with a plan that would solve several problems at once. The final confrontation became a nail-biter when the plan didn't go quite as expected, but I loved how it turned out.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Barclay and Norah. He was taken with her from the first time he saw her, though their first few meetings were antagonistic. Norah was attracted from the start but was also wary of him. I liked Barclay's protectiveness, even when she wasn't appreciative of it. I was happy when Norah finally started to see past Barclay's exterior to the man inside. There were still a few clashes, such as dealing with Elias's behavior. There are some sweet moments when Norah relies on Barclay's strength, and you can see her heart softening. The fun begins when they hit Scotland, and their time together is less regimented. The attraction between them continued to grow, as did their feelings. With danger bearing down, I had to laugh at Barclay's non-proposal and promise for later. He came through in a unique manner. The ending was sweet, romantic, and fun.

#netgalley show less

A Duchess-in-training, maybe!

An interesting basis to a new series. American heiresses 'who descended on England in the late Victorian era' engaging in the London season, hoping for a titled husband. The author's note at the end of the book is quite illuminating about the practice of sending dowered daughters 'across the pond' to bring back a blue blood husband. Some 'bemoaned it as 'the tidal wave of “dollar princesses” '. Although it seems many of these men were no prize, rather total show more disasters. But do read this fascinating footnote.
Daisy Bumgarten has a lot to live down. Her New York debut was a total failure. I felt pained along with Daisy when we overheard the catty, disparaging comments of the New York disdaining elites.
To help her family Daisy agrees to a London season. After all she has three younger sisters lining up behind her. The trouble is Daisy finds it hard to push down the sparkling outspoken woman she really is.
So to London where Daisy's sights, or rather her sponsor's sights, have been firmly set on Arthur Graham, the sixth Duke of Meridian.
Unfortunately, Arthur's brother Lord Ashton Graham is charged with not only discovering Daisy's english antecedents, but with actively dashing her hopes. What he didn't expect was how much he would come to appreciate Daisy. Indeed, the very air sizzles between them, but Daisy must do her duty to her family. Ash as the 'spare' portrays the unenviable lot of many of those in his position. His treatment by his family and his brother's trustees is deplorable.
In all this Arthur, a retiring avid naturalist starts to develop into his own man, thanks largely to Daisy's influence and understanding. So we have the kindly, somewhat preoccupied Duke lifting his head to become aware of his estate and his trustee's actions, the dazzling Daisy and the misunderstood handsome rake Ash. Their stories come together in a highly charged and delightful fashion.

A NetGalley ARC show less

Fantastic book. Kate is a veterinarian with a special affinity for dogs. We first see her with some puppies that have been dropped off at the shelter by an unknown person, setting the stage for later events. Her warmth and compassion for the animals she cares for is obvious. Her skills are needed when a state trooper arrives with a dog that had been hit by a car.

Nick came across the injured golden retriever while out on patrol. Standing guard over the golden was a German shepherd who was show more very protective. The injured dog resurrects some hard memories for Nick, but he does what he needs to do. I loved his gentleness with the golden and the way he handled the German shepherd. It was fun to see the way that he talked to the dog.

Nick and Kate's first encounter was awesome. I loved the teamwork as they worked together to treat the golden. There were also some definite sparks flying between the two of them. Kate is wary, having recently ended one relationship and feeling too busy with work to want another. Nick is busy raising his son and dealing with his memories from his time in Iraq. Thanks to a mutual desire to put an end to a puppy mill and a dog-fighting ring, and the enthusiasm of Nick's son Ben when it comes to dogs, Nick and Kate find themselves spending a lot of time together.

I loved the development of their relationship. It is a slow process of getting to know each and learning what makes them who they are. Nick especially has some serious issues to overcome. I loved Kate's sensitivity and compassion as Nick opens up about some truly heartbreaking things that happened to him. It was awesome to see how sharing the pain helped lighten the burden of those memories. I also loved the way that Nick was there to support Kate during the heartbreaking hours of the puppy mill rescue operation. There were some conflicts when Nick's protectiveness toward Ben ran up against Kate's more relaxed style. It was fantastic to see that they were able to talk things over without resorting to dramatics. I liked how they embraced their deepening feelings for each other as a crisis tested them both. Nick's plans for the future were a perfect complement to Kate's work. The epilogue was great and I loved catching up with both two- and four-footed characters.

The concurrent story of the puppy mill and dog-fighting ring was intense and heartbreaking. I loved the bravery of Miguel and Alejandro as they took steps to help as many pups as they could. The rescue scene was scary and heartwrenching as Nick faced down the old woman who owned the dogs. The descriptions of the conditions of the dogs made me want to cry. The situation became even more intense later, when young Miguel went missing. My heart was pounding as Nick and the others searched for him. The confrontation with the dog fighters was fierce with an unexpected hero saving the day.

The secondary characters were all wonderful. I loved Nick's son Ben. He is bright and enthusiastic, and an endearing mix of kid and adult. I really liked the closeness of the relationship between Ben and Nick. Kate's grandmother was quite a trip with her farm full of rescued animals and unconventional views on raising kids. My favorite of all was the German shepherd, Soldier. I loved the way he protected Goldie and continued to watch over her. What was especially moving was the way he connected with Nick. I loved the way that Soldier helped Nick break free of the chains his memories of Iraq had on him. At the same time, Nick's attention to Soldier gave the dog a purpose to live again. I loved seeing Soldier come through for Nick at the end. There was also a brief mention at the end involving Kate's brother, Jace, and her vet partner, Jess. I will keep my eyes open to see if there will be a story for them. show less

A fun book full of twists and turns that are sometimes hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking. Frankie is in London with her uncle, mother, and sisters. The family made a fortune in silver mining in Nevada, and mom has brought the girls to England looking for improved marital opportunities. In other words, mom wants to snag titled men for her girls. Frankie is the independent sort and has no interest in falling in with her mother's plans. She has no intention of marrying at all. The fun show more started one night when Frankie caught a man sneaking into her house and whacked him on the head. It turned out that it was Reynard trying to sneak her Uncle Red into the house after finding him drunk. As Reynard had promised his friend, who is also Frankie's brother-in-law, that he would watch over the family, Reynard felt he had no choice. Though horrified by the realization that she was dealing with the notorious gossip, it didn't stop Frankie from demanding his help with her uncle. Previous meetings had been somewhat less than cordial, but both Frankie and Reynard suddenly find themselves taking a deeper notice of each other. That connection increased when Frankie saved Reynard from an attempt to trick him into marriage.

I really liked both Frankie and Reynard. Frankie is plain-spoken, loyal to her family, and a little bit naïve. While she had an enjoyable time in London, she thought the men were boring, until she got to know Reynard. She is a bit impulsive, especially when it comes to taking care of her family, and that gets her into some interesting predicaments. Reynard is terrific. He hasn't had an easy life, in spite of being the heir to a viscount. His parents died when he was young, leaving him to be raised by his uncle, the viscount. That uncle treated Reynard terribly, insinuating that his parents hadn't been married, that Reynard wasn't truly the heir and other things along those lines. There was no love in Reynard's life. As an adult, Reynard was treated like dirt by his uncle. He isn't even allowed to live in the house but has quarters above the carriage house. I ached for him and his feelings of not knowing who he really was.

I loved the development of the relationship between Frankie and Reynard. There was a simmering chemistry between them that took them both by surprise. I liked the way that Frankie couldn't stand by and let Reynard be railroaded into marriage even though she didn't like him at that point. Things became a little more heated between them when she disguised herself as a boy so she could observe his duel and he caught her at it. Even though they had their differences, Frankie knew she could depend on Reynard when she needed help. He was the one she went to for help finding out about the man her sister Claire was interested in, and again when Claire snuck away to follow the man to France. I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions between them, as Reynard would get frustrated by Frankie's headstrong stubbornness and her by his unexpected cautiousness. Despite the frustration, they also grew closer, developing a friendship that allowed them to share some of the bad times in their lives. Each of them also realized that their feelings for each other were changing, but there were obstacles to doing anything about it. Reynard knows that he is in no position to marry and he refused to do anything that would harm Frankie. Frankie was frustrated by her inability to get past Reynard's scruples, but she also respected him for them. I loved seeing them work together to track Claire. There were some terrific twists to their time in Paris that added to both the fun and the heartbreak.

The group's return to England brought more trouble to both Reynard and Frankie. Her mother pushed hard for Frankie to find a titled gentleman to marry and was ecstatic when the Prussian Duke Ottenberg showed a marked interest in Frankie. Though initially flattered by the attention, Frankie quickly realized that there was something about the duke that made her very uncomfortable. The scenes with him definitely pegged my creep-o-meter, and each encounter made it worse. Besides the duke's attitude toward Frankie, he also knew that Reynard was a threat to him and took steps to neutralize the threat. No one realized just how big a problem the duke was until it was almost too late. I was on the edge of my seat until that problem was resolved by a truly exciting confrontation between the duke and Reynard. Through it all, I wanted to shake Frankie's mother, and I loved seeing Frankie tell her mother exactly what was what in an eye-opening conversation.

I liked how Frankie's love for Reynard gave him the courage to finally confront his uncle, though things did not go quite as he expected. I loved that Frankie was by his side, giving him the support he needed. While I wasn't completely surprised by the truth Reynard uncovered, there were a couple of unexpected twists. I ached for Reynard and didn't blame him for his initial reaction. It was interesting to see what happened once he calmed down and had a chance to learn all the details. I loved how he was completely upfront with Frankie about all of it. The scene in the parlor at her house was sweet, funny, and emotional, and showed just how perfect they were for each other.

There were two other romances going on at the same time. The first was the romance between Frankie's sister, Claire, and the orchestra conductor, Julian. Both Claire and Julian were incredible musicians, which is what brought them together. But Julian came nowhere near what Claire's mother wanted for her. Though there were times I thought that Claire was naïve in her belief that she would be able to marry him, she turned out to be more determined than expected. She was also incredibly lucky during her trip to Paris. It was great to see how, once again, it was Reynard and his connections that brought a satisfactory conclusion to that romance.

There was also a sweet second-chance romance between Uncle Red and family friend Countess Evelyn. Uncle Red was in a whole heap of trouble because of his drinking and gambling. The countess was asked by the girls' mother to take them in hand because of their bad attitudes toward her plans. But when the girls didn't show up at Evelyn's country home, she and Red teamed up to find them. This gave them the chance to get to know each other again and deal with the mistakes of the past. I loved seeing all three stories converge in Paris and how their teamwork brought about so many happy endings.

I really need to go back and read the first book in the series, A Good Day to Marry a Duke, before the next book comes out. show less