Review: a perfect light read to lose yourself in.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 9, 2014
Duke of Devonwood, Carly Carlson.Review from Jeannie Zelos Book Reviews.I was in the mood for a fun, uncomplicated romance – and this book delivered. Its not one I’d re read, but was perfect for the mood I was in, being something easy, light-hearted and with enough content to lose myself in for a couple of hours.Miranda, her dad's died leaving his widow – her step mother – with twins that need providing for. The inheritance is all tied up in probate, and the solicitor tells them the executor they need to see to release funds is the Duke of Devonshire. So Miranda's plan A comes into play – she needs money to get her hat making business off the ground, so she can afford to visit England frequently to see step mum Sharmie and her two sisters. Sharmie wants the money to pay for her wedding, though her fiancé, a wealthy English Duke,  is happy to provide she wants the independence to pay for that herself.Plan A, travel from New York to England with Sharmie, and get the duke to release money to them, then Sharmie can visit her fiancé. Simple, no? There the first hiccup appears in the form of the forbidding, controlling and imperious Devon, the Duke they need to see. He sees their requests as frivolous, and won't bend. So Miranda brings in Plan B – she's never one to step back from a challenge, and gets an overnight extension for them so she can work on him more. Somehow she manages to prolong their stay over many days trying out successive plans, and along the way an admiration for Devon grows, he seems to be the only responsible one in the family, and she begins to see exactly why he is as he is, he's got so many dependants with his step mother and half brothers and sisters, that he can't afford to loosen the reins. They'd spend everything in a trice, leaving the family impoverished and he won't allow that. He seems to have forgotten though that Jack and Sarah are older and could do more, and they resent him for his tight control over them. Miranda enlists their help, and when he sees what she's doing he can't help admiring her tenacity, even though it drives him mad at times...Its a fun read, made me smile a lot, and there are some real sparks between Miranda and Devon, they are just the sort of person the other needs, someone strong and able to stand up and argue back. I did feel there was a lack of drama towards the end, when things went awry, and I’d liked to have seem more made of the jealousy and the would be fiancée cousin – Charlotte? - but overall its a perfect light read to lose yourself in.Stars: four. A one off read but a good one.ARC provided via NetgalleyCarly Carson