Review: This Really Was a Wonderfully Funny Romp
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 22, 2014
What a perfectly wonderful book! The last time I was this excited about a unique plot and witty dialogue was ‘The Duke’s Tattoo’ by Miranda Davis (which I heartily recommend).We have the requisite powerful, slightly bored, extremely handsome and wealthy Duke – newly engaged to the perfect woman for his station in life. Of course, he wouldn’t stoop to such a lowering emotion as love – this was purely a business arrangement. She was beautiful and cold – exactly what he wanted and planned for his life.Now, here’s the twist. Closer examination of the Duke reveals some quirks. He is severely OCD – fastidious to a fault with his dress, his cravats, his boots, his hair, his food, his books – in short – everything around him. Additionally, he faints at the sight of blood and gets deathly sick riding in a closed carriage. These issues are introduced so vividly that as a reader you can actually feel his discomfort when things are out of order.Naturally, the people he employs cater to his every whim. After all – he’s THE DUKE, Montford. It’s only to be expected – and all his life he’s met with no obstructions to his prestige or wishes. Until the day he meets Astrid Honeywell.And, then the story begins…In a perfect pairing, the author introduces him to a heroine who is everything he’s never encountered before. She has shockingly red hair, disordering his senses from day one. Worse yet, her eyes are different colors – and if that weren’t bad enough – she has freckles!  She lives in a crooked castle (that he owns), has a wildly rambunctious family and runs a brewery. She is fiercely independent and outspoken without apology. She is not at all in awe of his title or position - and he's never quite encountered anyone remotely like her in his life.. All these things drive him crazy, but his life is just beginning to be turned upside down. And what a tale it is...I don’t think it’s giving anything away to tell you he falls for her – hard. And, she for him. Despite the attraction, they both valiantly fight against it, as they are total polar opposites. He never quite has time to mention his fiancée – but you’ll have to read it for yourself to see how that plays out.  One complication after another ensues, but each is more delightful and fun than the one before. I absolutely loved it. I loved the humor, it was so very well done. I loved the author’s voice – it was genuinely witty and utterly charming. The banter was totally entertaining and this was another book that I hated to see end.