jayvall reviewed How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days by Laura Lee Guhrke (An American Heiress in London - 2)
Review of 'How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Laura Lee Gurhke has been a hit or miss author for me. While I enjoyed her
last series Abandoned at the Alter, her last book, WHEN THE MARQUESS MET HIS
MATCH, was a miss for me. Luckily, HOW TO LOSE A DUKE IN TEN DAYS, which is
the second book in the An American in London series, hit the mark. The story
features a marriage of convenience, one of my favorite plot devices.
Edie and Stuart agree to marry within minutes of meeting each other because
Stuart's estate is in desperate need of an influx of money, and Edie is an
heiress whose reputation needs repair. They agree to put on enough of a show
to convince her matchmaker (Lady Featherstone from the previous book) that
they're the real deal, then Stuart will go off on an African exploration
while Edie establishes herself as the venerable Duchess of Margrave. Their …
Laura Lee Gurhke has been a hit or miss author for me. While I enjoyed her
last series Abandoned at the Alter, her last book, WHEN THE MARQUESS MET HIS
MATCH, was a miss for me. Luckily, HOW TO LOSE A DUKE IN TEN DAYS, which is
the second book in the An American in London series, hit the mark. The story
features a marriage of convenience, one of my favorite plot devices.
Edie and Stuart agree to marry within minutes of meeting each other because
Stuart's estate is in desperate need of an influx of money, and Edie is an
heiress whose reputation needs repair. They agree to put on enough of a show
to convince her matchmaker (Lady Featherstone from the previous book) that
they're the real deal, then Stuart will go off on an African exploration
while Edie establishes herself as the venerable Duchess of Margrave. Their
agreement lasts for five years until Stuart finds himself on the wrong end
of a lion's claws and decides to go home and start a true marriage with his
wife. The only problem is, Edie was happy with the way things were and does
not welcome him home.
Initially, I thought HOW TO LOSE A DUKE IN TEN DAYS was just another in a
line of clever titles taken from modern pop culture that often don't have
anything to do with the actual story, but it turns out that once Stuart
returns home, he and Edie agree that he will have 10 days to try to win her
heart. Edie, of course, plans to do everything she can to thwart him, as she
is afraid of being with a man after her one and only encounter with a male
suitor left her with a ruined reputation. Slowly Stuart learns what plagues
Edie and begins to teach her that he is not the man of her past. I liked
this more than I thought I would, although I found Edie's skittishness
tiring at times. I understand she had a traumatic experience, I just wished
she had been more open to Stuart's advances even as he was taking things
slow as molasses.
Overall, HOW TO LOSE A DUKE IN TEN DAYS is a fine installment in the An
American in London series. I appreciate that the series takes place in the
late 1800s, rather than the Regency era, because it gives a different flavor
to the setting and circumstances. Fans of Guhrke's work will likely enjoy
this and look forward to the next in the series.
