Review: Outstanding Read!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 14, 2013
THE PERFECT DUKE is one story I could not put down!Garret Weston, the Duke of Kendal, was betrothed when he was a child to Lady Caroline Pemberton, the Earl of Pemberton's daughter. She was thought to be dead by drowning but was actually kidnapped when six years old and raised by a country vicar as Cara McClure. She has no idea of her true heritage.Garret's older brother Edward was supposed to be the Duke after their father's death but Edward died in a boating accident. Garret felt responsible for his brother's death and was urged by his brutally mean grandfather to be the perfect Duke that his brother would have been.If Cara was raised by a vicar, then she can hardly be an appropriate wife for the perfect duke. Moreover, Garret already has a woman in mind to be his perfect wife--Lady Regina Stanton. His plans were derailed by the discovery that Lady Caroline is still alive through a private investigator that he hired.Since Garret is an honorable man, he will see if Lady Caroline is still acceptable as his duchess by watching her in his employ. He will hire her as governess to his brother's daughter, Rachael. He feels he has hatched the perfect plan to see if she will be able to function in the ton and not embarrass the Kendal name.He is haughty and mean just like his grandfather wanted him to be. In fact, he even looks just like his grandfather's nasty portrait. He is cruel to Cara but she is kind to him. She does not behave as he thinks she should. He has met his match and slowly his heart starts to melt, but will she care?It was great to see the characters develop and grow before my eyes. I could not believe the arrogance of the Duke and how innocent and trusting Cara is. There was a host of characters that had their own personalities, too. Mallory, the blunt sister of the Duke. The kindhearted vicar. The haughty butler and sentimental cook. I felt like I knew them all intimately before the end of the story.Also, I was amazed by the twists and turns in the plot and I would definitely read this again. I did not want the story to end.THE PERFECT DUKE is an outstanding read for anyone who loves romance in 1787, London, England. The love story made me cry. There is so much to tell but I don't want to spoil it for the other readers.I give this five out of five stars and a thumbs up. I loved it!Reviewed by Linda Hays-Gibbsfor TheRomanceReviews.com