The Duke Meets His Match
by
At thirty years of
age, Susan Jennings has long been considered a spinster. Exceptionally
intelligent, she has little tolerance for London and the dreaded
Season—if that’s how one is expected to find love, it’s not for her. But
when an invitation arrives that cannot be ignored, Susan leaves her
comfortable life in the country and enters the fashion and frivolity she
most despises. She quickly discovers, however, that there is more to
loathe in London—and his name is George Kendall.
George, Duke of Aylesham, has learned to keep his distance from cloying females chasing the title of duchess. Susan Jennings, however, proves an entirely different challenge—a woman who has pushed him to the limit of his patience with their every encounter. But their simmering hostility is disrupted by a thoughtless slip-up: to avoid a marriage of political strategy, George claims he is already betrothed. And when pressed for the name of the lucky woman, only one name comes to mind: Susan’s. Their forced betrothal proves advantageous, but when their verbal sparring must change in order to be convincing, the line between fact and fiction becomes blurred by something neither expected: love.
George, Duke of Aylesham, has learned to keep his distance from cloying females chasing the title of duchess. Susan Jennings, however, proves an entirely different challenge—a woman who has pushed him to the limit of his patience with their every encounter. But their simmering hostility is disrupted by a thoughtless slip-up: to avoid a marriage of political strategy, George claims he is already betrothed. And when pressed for the name of the lucky woman, only one name comes to mind: Susan’s. Their forced betrothal proves advantageous, but when their verbal sparring must change in order to be convincing, the line between fact and fiction becomes blurred by something neither expected: love.
My review: 6/10
Susan and George got off on the wrong foot and so did I. They had an accidental meeting that left them hating each other, which felt like an extreme overreaction. And Susan finds herself attracted to him despite her loathing, which made my own initial opinion of her rather low.
Some things seemed too unconventional for the time (flashing ankles, abruptly ending a dance and walking off, etc), so I'm not sure how historically accurate it was, but the complicated problem with the Prince Regent was interesting. I appreciated that there was a foundation of honesty between the two main characters and was pleasantly surprised at how the situation was resolved with some unexpected talents.
