Review: This was one of those complex romantic stories that will suck you in and keep you under until the end.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 3, 2014
I love it when authors feature children from previous stories as grown up heroes or heroines, and in this novel we meet up with John Harding, the Duke of Pembroke who was but a child in books one and two of The Marlow Intrigues series, but now he’s all grown up and we see him as a complex, moody and very private man.John’s childhood wasn’t easy as he was brought up by his very strict grandfather and times when he should have spent with his mother and stepfather, as well as his many siblings from his mother’s second marriage, [Ellen and Edward from ‘The Illicit Love of a Courtesan’] were mostly taken by his friends from the surrounding area and school chums.For the first ten years of John’s life, his parents were absent and he really never knew nor pursued the reasons behind it. All he knew was that his mother finally came to get him to live with her and her new husband who John came to love and call ‘Papa’.“Am I to call you Papa now?” John asked, gripping Edward’s other hand, as they turned to leave the church by the small exit from the vestry.“You may call me what you wish, John. If you like it can be, Papa, or if not then it shall be, Edward.”The boy smiled up at him. “I would like to have a Papa, I cannot remember mine.” Ellen’s teeth caught her lower lip.“Then you have a Papa now, John.” Edward’s hand slipped from John’s and instead rested on John’s shoulder and pulled John to his side. They were a family in every appearance, Ellen thought, as they followed the path from the church back to the house, the servants behind them.John’s relationship with his mother and stepfather started off great, but the influence the old Duke had on a boy, even though he spent less time with him, was great. As he grew into the title, he became more and more distanced from every member of his family, and his friends. He became suspicious of them and questioned their motives for their friendship. He became arrogant, calculated and callous.Katherine’s life wasn’t easy and we slowly become aware of the reasons behind it. While she accepts her faith, and the circumstances of her birth, we can’t help but compare her to Cinderella. She is kind, loving and forgiving. She has known and loved John since she was a child, knowing that nothing could ever come of it. He was a close friend of her brothers and even though she grew up among the children in his household, she was way beneath his station and not just because her father was a mere squire.This was one of those stories that will suck you in and keep you under until the end. At first, I honestly couldn’t see these two people making a go of it. There was so much baggage they both carried that I thought it would take a bulldozer to clear it all out.I should have known better than to doubt Ms. Lark’s ability to find one of those and plow through all the mess these two lived through.If you’re looking for a fast-paced, highly emotional, sensual and complex romantic story, ‘The Scandalous Love of a Duke’ is the one not to be missed.I loved this book!Melanie for b2bComplimentary copy provided by the author