My Last Duchess

Ordered this for my wife and she enjoyed it. It was a quick easy read and well written. It is a good prequel to this series and fills in a lot of the background story. just wish it was a bit longer. Would have rated it 4.5 stars but rating doesn’t allow for half stars.

This book has 2 novellas and a first chapter from Book One of the Wilde series. My Last Duchess novella was my favorite of what is in the book. I liked the two main characters and the interaction with all the children was very entertaining. The secondary characters - the Duke's sister and his potential alternate wife added humor and balance to the story. I liked how the story developed and loved the ending of course. The other novella - Storming the Castle - I did not enjoy as much although it was and OK story. I know it is supposed to be a reworking of a fairy tale but I thought even so it was unbelievable. I was not able to connect with the characters and did not like the story as much as My Last Duchess. The first chapter of Wilde in Love was intriguing and I added that book to my to be bought list.

Hugo is a Duke. He was a young widower with children and he remarried. His second wife was not a nice woman. She walked away with a Prussian and left their 4 children behind. She never looked back. Hugo divorced her and now, according to his sister, he must find another duchess. He has 8 children. And even though it is “not done” for the nobility, he loves every one of them. The desired qualities of a bride Hugo and his sister, Louise, describe would make a person wonder why in the world marriage would ever be in his future. While at a ton event, he spies Ophelia. She is not a beauty, but in Hugo’s eyes, she is perfect. Ophelia is a young widow. She has one 2 year old daughter, Viola. Viola is her world, and as far as she is concerned, her life is perfect. She has Viola, she has wealth and she has a nice peaceful existence. Ophelia does not need a husband. And certainly not some man who looks at her as though she were an enticing piece of chocolate. At times I have not fallen in love with Ms James’ books. They are generally well done. But, for me not everyone is a treasure. This book is a treasure. Ophelia is a wonderful heroine. It comes as a shock to her when she realizes that maybe her life is not perfect. She is a loving mother, she has a sense of humor and she finds Hugo to be a force of nature. He is handsome, and charming and funny and loving. When Ophelia meets Hugo’s children, she finds that she could love every one of them. In fact, Ophelia could love Hugo. This is a fun story. Ms James is a master at creating characters who draw me into the story. I was involved from the first 3 or 4 pages. I liked this book very much. The Wildes are a fascinating family and this story explains why that is true. If a reader is looking for passion and humor and a strong sense of family love, this is the perfect choice.

My Last Duchess is a return to Lindow Castle, but back in time. This is the story of Hugo, Duke of Lindow, after he's been left and has divorced his second wife, Yvette; his first wife, Marie, died young. He has 8 children and no duchess. At the urging of his sister, he's looking for another wife, this one to be a mother to his children, not to have more children. After all, he has EIGHT children. It is instalove when he sees Ophelia, Lady Astley, a young widow with a child of her own. The entire story is about them falling in love. They have immediate attraction and immediate pull to each other. In an age when perhaps the nobility were engaged, if not outright married, after very little interaction, the instalove trope works fine. And because both characters have had successful marriages, and one has had a disastrous marriage, they bring their expectations and experiences with them. So this isn't ingenues who will be disappointed later and that's a refreshing take. It is a romantic tale, basically low conflict with the majority of conflict being wrapped up in another possible fiancee for Hugo and the two main characters learning to communicate and decide that yes, this is what they each want. It's fun to see the children as youngsters, including the (is he or isn't he) late Horatius. There's some heat on the page, fitting the story and the characters. I especially like an chance to see two more mature characters who fall in love. It's not a marriage of convenience or for the sake of finding a parent for their offspring. These two come together and plan to make a life. The snapshots of the children as youngsters are charming and humorous. I love Hugo's sister, the right amount of being sharp and funny. Also Ophelia's friend, Maddie, is a delight. I didn't buy the fake pregnancy storyline with her but it's insignificant to the main plot and did not bother me. The aristocrat that Hugo almost becomes engaged to, is a classic stick up her rear snob and cringe worthy in the best way. If you're looking for heavy suspense, heavy conflict, or heavy angst, this isn't it. I, for one, am happy to have a romantic historical romance. and recommend this one fully.

Recieved in good order on the announced delivery date