Seducing the Duchess
After three years of ignoring her, Philip Burgess, the Duke of Rutherford, realizes he wants his wife, Charlotte, back. The problem is that Charlotte doesn’t seem to want to Phillip back, as evidenced by her scandalous behavior and repeated requests for a divorce. Of course, when Phillip finally does offer to grant Charlotte the divorce she so desperately desires, she is somewhat suspicious, especially since the offer comes with a condition. Phillip wants Charlotte to “teach” him how to be a better husband, supposedly so that he can successfully court his former fiancée, Lady Joanna Grey. What Charlotte doesn’t know is that the lessons are really a ruse, a way for Phillip to win back the only woman he truly loves: his wife. With its addictive combination of richly nuanced characters, elegant writing spiced with a soupçon of wicked wit, and abundance of sizzling sexual chemistry, March’s exceptional debut is literary gold. --John Charles