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The Duchess of Desire
Set in the golden age of Edwardian society, 'The Duchess of Desire' is a captivating tale of love, rebellion, and the pursuit of passion. This mesmerizing story takes readers through an emotional roller coaster of desire, defiance, and enduring love.
Lady Josephine, the young, recently widowed Duchess of Cumberland, finds herself trapped in the stringent expectations of high society, her heart yearning for something more than the restrictive norms of her status. As she struggles to navigate through the labyrinth of societal conventions, a devastating fire brings an unexpected change in her life.
Enter Thomas Hargrove, a charming architect, as skillful in his craft as he is intriguing. Tasked with restoring the Cumberland estate, Thomas quickly becomes an unexpected source of intrigue and desire for the young duchess. Their encounters, initially professional, soon evolve into something more, stirring a flame that threatens to consume them.
What follows is a clandestine love affair that challenges the rigid boundaries of Edwardian society. Yet, as whispers of their secret rendezvous begin to circulate, they must make decisions that will alter their lives forever.
'The Duchess of Desire' is a rich tapestry of Edwardian society, a world where societal norms clash with human desires. It explores the complexities of forbidden love and the cost of defying societal norms for the sake of passion. If you love emotional, page-turning historical romances with strong characters and a dash of adventure, then this enchanting novel will have you engrossed from the first page to the last.
Delve into the world of 'The Duchess of Desire' and get lost in a time where love dared to defy the rules of society. Embark on a journey with Lady Josephine and Thomas as they navigate the tumultuous waters of their love, discovering what it truly means to be free.
Lady Josephine, the young, recently widowed Duchess of Cumberland, finds herself trapped in the stringent expectations of high society, her heart yearning for something more than the restrictive norms of her status. As she struggles to navigate through the labyrinth of societal conventions, a devastating fire brings an unexpected change in her life.
Enter Thomas Hargrove, a charming architect, as skillful in his craft as he is intriguing. Tasked with restoring the Cumberland estate, Thomas quickly becomes an unexpected source of intrigue and desire for the young duchess. Their encounters, initially professional, soon evolve into something more, stirring a flame that threatens to consume them.
What follows is a clandestine love affair that challenges the rigid boundaries of Edwardian society. Yet, as whispers of their secret rendezvous begin to circulate, they must make decisions that will alter their lives forever.
'The Duchess of Desire' is a rich tapestry of Edwardian society, a world where societal norms clash with human desires. It explores the complexities of forbidden love and the cost of defying societal norms for the sake of passion. If you love emotional, page-turning historical romances with strong characters and a dash of adventure, then this enchanting novel will have you engrossed from the first page to the last.
Delve into the world of 'The Duchess of Desire' and get lost in a time where love dared to defy the rules of society. Embark on a journey with Lady Josephine and Thomas as they navigate the tumultuous waters of their love, discovering what it truly means to be free.
54 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 28, 2023
2 people are currently reading
1 person want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 10, 2023
I think this story is what happens when AI is told to write a captivating love story set in the Edwardian era. There is a lot of botsplaining about Edwardian customs and the poor little bot thinks that a love story becomes captivating when you tell your readers that it's "a love story that was as captivating as it was forbidden." Dear bot, for human readers, there needs to be more showing, less telling. If you want your readers to believe that the characters are having "laughter-filled discussions about literature, art, and their dreams", and that "Each day was an exciting new chapter in their clandestine romance," you need to write that out and make it exciting.
Josephine is the widowed duchess of Cumberland, but our resident bot was unaware that duchesses are called your grace, not Lady Firstname. There is a fire at the Cumberland estate, which is located in London and not, well, in Cumberland, which is in North West England. In Chapter 1, the duchess is informed of the fire by a written message delivered by her female housekeeper. In Chapter 3, she gets the news of the fire in person from a footman. She inherited the estate from her late husband with whom she had had a cold loveless marriage, arranged between two influential society families. However, we are told that she had spent her childhood at the Cumberland estate. Why? Was she some sort of a poor relation? This does not get botsplained. Chapter 4 is titled, "The Arrival of Mr. Thomas Hargrove", but he fails to arrive until Chapter 5. It is in character, because we are frequently told that he defies societal norms and expectations. Mostly this just means that he fell for a duchess. They begin a secret love affair that is compared to the grandeur of the Cumberland estate. (Let us remember that the house burned.) In Chapter 12, Lord Percival writes a letter and announces he's coming to visit. Josephine doesn't like it because he is a suitor and a complete stranger at the same time, but Josephine feels like the societal norms of the Edwardian society create an expectation that she has to feed and house this unknown bachelor who invited himself to a mourning widow's house. Dear bot, I don't think societal norms work like that.
The happy ending involves Josephine and Thomas skulking off to hide from the scandal, and Josephine is happy because she is no longer a duchess but a homemaker in a rustic cottage. The bot does not inform us what happened to the estate that she was managing but it seems like she just left it to rot. If there was another heir for the dukedom we are never told about him but I suppose Josephine wouldn't have inherited the estate if there was. Apparently Thomas stops working as an architect so how they make their living if she left her riches behind I don't know. "They spent their days reveling in their shared passions – reading, painting, discussing architecture, and indulging in the simple pleasures of life." It could be they're living on Josephine's inheritance and he indulges in the simple pleasures of life while she homemakes, cooks and cleans. Our bot thinks women will be happier doing this and terribly oppressed if they're rich, esteemed and in charge of a large estate. Because, you know, the decisions! The responsibilities! The wealth! Poor little Josephine!
Josephine is the widowed duchess of Cumberland, but our resident bot was unaware that duchesses are called your grace, not Lady Firstname. There is a fire at the Cumberland estate, which is located in London and not, well, in Cumberland, which is in North West England. In Chapter 1, the duchess is informed of the fire by a written message delivered by her female housekeeper. In Chapter 3, she gets the news of the fire in person from a footman. She inherited the estate from her late husband with whom she had had a cold loveless marriage, arranged between two influential society families. However, we are told that she had spent her childhood at the Cumberland estate. Why? Was she some sort of a poor relation? This does not get botsplained. Chapter 4 is titled, "The Arrival of Mr. Thomas Hargrove", but he fails to arrive until Chapter 5. It is in character, because we are frequently told that he defies societal norms and expectations. Mostly this just means that he fell for a duchess. They begin a secret love affair that is compared to the grandeur of the Cumberland estate. (Let us remember that the house burned.) In Chapter 12, Lord Percival writes a letter and announces he's coming to visit. Josephine doesn't like it because he is a suitor and a complete stranger at the same time, but Josephine feels like the societal norms of the Edwardian society create an expectation that she has to feed and house this unknown bachelor who invited himself to a mourning widow's house. Dear bot, I don't think societal norms work like that.
The happy ending involves Josephine and Thomas skulking off to hide from the scandal, and Josephine is happy because she is no longer a duchess but a homemaker in a rustic cottage. The bot does not inform us what happened to the estate that she was managing but it seems like she just left it to rot. If there was another heir for the dukedom we are never told about him but I suppose Josephine wouldn't have inherited the estate if there was. Apparently Thomas stops working as an architect so how they make their living if she left her riches behind I don't know. "They spent their days reveling in their shared passions – reading, painting, discussing architecture, and indulging in the simple pleasures of life." It could be they're living on Josephine's inheritance and he indulges in the simple pleasures of life while she homemakes, cooks and cleans. Our bot thinks women will be happier doing this and terribly oppressed if they're rich, esteemed and in charge of a large estate. Because, you know, the decisions! The responsibilities! The wealth! Poor little Josephine!
Displaying 1 of 1 review