Review: When the Duke Found Love by Isabella Bradford

When the Duke Found Love
By Isabella Bradford
Book #3 in the Wylder Sisters series
Historical Romance


The spirited Wylder sisters continue to scandalize the ton in Isabella Bradford’s witty and winsome trilogy. This time, the most impulsive of the siblings meets her match: a charming rake determined to save her from an arranged marriage. The youngest of the Wylder girls—and the last left unwed—Lady Diana is also the most willful, a trait that’s leading her ever closer to dishonorable disaster. While her family’s solution is a fast and excruciatingly respectable marriage, Diana can’t imagine being wed to the very staid and dull Lord Crump. But while wedding plans are being made, a chance meeting at a gala turns Diana’s world upside down. A kiss from a dazzling stranger gives Diana a most intimate introduction to one of the ton ’s most resolute and scandalous bachelors, the Duke of Sheffield. Torn between family duty and her heart’s desire, Diana recklessly surrenders to the headiest of passions, recognizing that she has found a kindred soul in the handsome young duke. Soon it’s clear that seduction is no longer the game: Something deep and lasting has come to bind their hearts, and the stakes are nothing less than true love.

REVIEW:

Willful Lady Diana, the youngest of the Wylder sisters, has dallied with a rake one too many times and now her family is in a rush to get her married to salvage her reputation. The dull and dour Lord Crump has agreed to wed her but Diana cannot forget her recent chance encounter with the Duke of Sheffield, a charming, dashing cousin of her brothers-in-law (his identity was unbeknownst to her at the time).

Sheffield upsets Diana's plans as she cannot get him out of her head. Meanwhile, Sheffield has his own issues as his cousin has found a "suitable" mate for him to marry in accordance with the King's wishes following his latest scandal.

I really enjoyed this final story of this series. Diana may be the most spirited of the sisters but she is also the one to feel the most obligated to her family. Crump was a pig but was providing the balm for her reputation and Diana's family was steamrolling her into moving forward with this union, even though it was obvious to them it was a poor match. Sheffield was determined that he could win her over but it was a tougher challenge. I really liked him and though she could be frustrating at times, I liked Diana, too. I got her commitment to family and her unwillingness to make them unhappy. The ruse involving Sheffield's betrothed made the story a bit more interesting, at least providing an acceptable means for Diana and Sheffield's interludes. There were also many hilarious moments involving Sheffield's beloved dog, providing comic relief during some tense moments. It was tough to watch Diana's transformation from an impulsive, fun-loving young woman to the stifled conformist demanded by Crump. While I struggled with what seemed to be the obtuseness of her family, I also understood the norms of the period that drove their insensitivity. It just made the romance between Diana and Sheffield that much more special and I loved their interludes.

This was a fitting end to the series, even though I'm reluctant to let these characters go. The Wylder sisters and their delectable men were a fun escape and I really enjoyed each of their stories.

(I received an ARC from NetGalley)

HR Review: When the Duchess Said Yes by Isabella Bradford

When the Duchess Said Yes 
by Isabella Bradford 
Book #2 in the Wylder Sisters series

Published September 25th 2012 by Ballantine Books
Historical Romance
★★★★

The romantic escapades of the irrepressible Wylder sisters continue in Isabella Bradford’s fun, charming, and breathtakingly passionate series—as the wildest of the Wylders turns an arranged marriage into a game of desire to tame a wayward duke. Notorious for her free-spirited antics, Lady Elizabeth Wylder revels in attention—but not the sort that leaves her humiliated when her future husband, the Duke of Hawkesworth, fails to appear for their much-anticipated first introduction. So when a chance encounter leads to a sizzling kiss with a dangerously handsome stranger, she nearly succumbs. The shock of finally meeting her betrothed only to come face to face with her rakish would-be seducer inspires fury—and fans the flames of a fire that both Lizzie and the Duke acknowledge is a most agreeable way to start a marriage. In her husband’s arms, Lizzie knows she has found love. But is the passion that accompanies endless nights of erotic discovery enough to persuade a duke whose scandalous lineage and lifestyle prevent him from giving his heart completely?

REVIEW:

Lizzie Wylder finds out that her father also arranged a marriage for her prior to his death. She's betrothed to the Duke of Hawkesworth, called Hawke, who must marry her before she turns 19 years of age or he will lose his fortune in accordance with his deceased father's directive. Hawke is doing some very serious foot dragging as he has no interest in the English lifestyle and plans to return to his beloved Naples, Italy once he's married and produced an heir. That is until he is dazzled by the free-spirited Lizzie.

I really liked the first book in this series and loved this one. Lizzie is much more daring than her sister Charlotte, who has transformed into the perfect Duchess, conforming to the traditions of English society. Lizzie, being the middle child, doesn't feel the pressure of the need to conform and finds herself succumbing to Hawke's scandalous behaviors. Though he rudely avoided meeting Lizzie for the first time, Hawke quickly changed his tune when he realized she was the young woman he had encountered at the opera and who mesmerized him. The two of them proceed on a pretty risky path before they finally make it to the altar. Their relationship is passionate and delightful, both of them being really interesting characters.

I wondered for a time where the conflict would rise and it does indeed come from Hawke whose only frame of reference for marriage is his parents' union, which was fairly dismal. Hawke still has the notion that in time, his passion and love for Lizzie will fade and he'll eventually set up a separate household for himself in Naples, complete with a mistress. Lizzie's realization of her husband's views is heartbreaking and Hawke's transformation was painful. This aspect of the story was gripping and I felt the anguish of both.

This was a really good story and surpassed the first book in this series. The pace is perfect and the characters are very nicely developed. I am really enjoying the Wylder sisters.

(I received an ARC from NetGalley)

HR Review: When You Wish Upon a Duke by Isabella Bradford

When You Wish Upon a Duke 

by Isabella Bradford
Book #1 in the Wylder Sisters series
Historical Romance
★★★★

In a sparkling new series filled with irresistible charm and sizzling romance, award-winning author Isabella Bradford introduces us to the eldest of three Wylder sisters—unruly country girls whose passion for life leaves their London suitors breathless.

Raised in the Dorset countryside, Lady Charlotte Wylder doesn’t care one bit about well-bred decorum. The dark-haired, blue-eyed beauty would rather ride a horse than attend a stuffy ball. So when Charlotte learns that she is to leave immediately for London to wed the Duke of Marchbourne, a perfect model of aristocratic propriety, she is less than enchanted with her arranged marriage.

But to her delight, their first encounters are brazenly flirtatious, and their wedding night burns with passion. March’s broad shoulders and dark countenance make Charlotte want to rip every button off his waistcoast. She may even be falling in love with her new husband. Yet whenever their desire boils over, March reluctantly pushes Charlotte away. Will past secrets and present misunderstandings mire their marriage in scandal, or serve to strengthen a bond that is destined to last a lifetime?

REVIEW:

Lady Charlotte Wylder learns she is betrothed to the Duke of Marchbourne the day before she has to leave for London to prepare for her wedding. She's been raised in the Dorset countryside and is less than thrilled at the prospect of leaving her carefree lifestyle for the trappings of London society, not to mention a prospective husband she's never met. Lord Marchbourne, or March as he's called, is a bit anxious himself to see this young woman he's set to marry and orchestrates a chance encounter to get a glimpse. This first meeting sets off an attraction that brings delight and consternation to them both.

This is the first book in the Wylder Sisters series and it doesn't suffer the foundation-laying pains you might normally encounter. The complete focus is on Charlotte and March and their developing relationship. It was refreshing to find they really liked each other at the onset and the attraction was passionate. Charlotte was delightful, even if she seemed more mature than you would have expected of an 18-year old, and was a perfect foil to March's staid and somber personality. The ensuing conflict was interesting without being too contrived and the advice given to the couple from those close to them made it that much more intriguing. The secondary characters were well developed and added just the right amount of flavor to the story.

I loved Charlotte and March and their romance. The writing is extraordinary and entrenched in the history of that era, from the fashion to the venacular and to the societal norms. This is my first time reading this author and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series and any other books in the works.

(I received an ARC from NetGalley)