Jillian Hunter, The Devilish Pleasures Of A Duke

The Devilish Pleasures Of A Duke

Jillian Hunter

Pocket, Aug 2007, $6.99

ISBN: 9780345487629

In 1815 the widow Emma Boscastle is the exception to the family's tendency to cause mayhem and scandal. However, the "Dainty Dictator" as her siblings affectionately and with some trepidation call her, feels with each of them married, the family reputation should improve and she will be able to run her girls academy in peace.

Heir to a dukedom, Adrian Ruxley has just come home after time as a mercenary. His estrangement with his father is legendary and he plans to keep it that way. That is until he sees Emma for the first time at a wedding where she accosts some aristocrat for accosting a maid; only the maid's beau punches out Adrian. He has fallen in love at first sight and knows he must change his behavior if he is to successfully court and make her his wife. However, before entering the lioness' lair, he must run the gamut of his family who remain embarrassed by his previous vocation and hers, as her siblings are very protective of their Dainty Dictator. Then there is Emma who is attracted to Adrian, but has doubts about taking on another scandalous male.

Fans of the zany Boscastle brood will appreciate the tale that we have all waited for since book one; to learn who is strong enough to match wits while lose pounds of flesh and pint of blood courting Emma. The story line as always is fast-paced and humorous while also returning with the siblings and their spouses from the previous five books, and the hopes of a next generation early Victorian Boscastle saga for a third trilogy. The Boscastle Regency romances are consistently some of the best historicals and this finale enhances that belief.

Harriet Klausner