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Montgomery/Taggert: Publication order #16
The Duchess
paperback editions sharing this same ISBN can be found here and here
Claire Willoughby risked losing her millions in her inheritance if, as decreed by her grandfather, she did not wed an "acceptable" man. Harry Montgomery, the eleventh Duke of MacArran, seemed perfect. He owned a historical castle, he looked manly in a kilt, and he was as much a titled Scotsman as Bonnie Prince Charlie himself.
Their engagement announced, Claire's future as a duchess was assured --- and she set off with her family to meet the Montgomery clan in Scotland. Bramley Castle was a damp, chill place, overflowing with eccentric relatives. But there was also Trevelyan, a secretive, brooding man who lived in Bramley's ancient halls. Whoever he was, he wasn't at all like Harry: Trevelyan was the most exasperating, arrogant, know-it-all of a man Claire had ever met. And the most fascinating ...
Claire Willoughby risked losing her millions in her inheritance if, as decreed by her grandfather, she did not wed an "acceptable" man. Harry Montgomery, the eleventh Duke of MacArran, seemed perfect. He owned a historical castle, he looked manly in a kilt, and he was as much a titled Scotsman as Bonnie Prince Charlie himself.
Their engagement announced, Claire's future as a duchess was assured --- and she set off with her family to meet the Montgomery clan in Scotland. Bramley Castle was a damp, chill place, overflowing with eccentric relatives. But there was also Trevelyan, a secretive, brooding man who lived in Bramley's ancient halls. Whoever he was, he wasn't at all like Harry: Trevelyan was the most exasperating, arrogant, know-it-all of a man Claire had ever met. And the most fascinating ...
362 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1991
856 people are currently reading
2939 people want to read
About the author
Jude Deveraux
199 books7,041 followersJude Gilliam was born September 20, 1947 in Fairdale, Kentucky. She has a large extended family and is the elder sister of four brothers. She attended Murray State University and received a degree in Art. In 1967, Jude married and took her husband's surname of White, but four years later they divorced. For years, she worked as 5th-grade teacher.
She began writing in 1976, and published her first book, The Enchanted Land (1977) under the name Jude Deveraux. Following the publication of her first novel, she resigned her teaching position. Now, she is the author of 31 New York Times bestsellers.
Jude won readers' hearts with the epic Velvet series, which revolves around the lives of the Montgomery family's irresistible men. Jude's early books are set largely in 15th- and 16th-century England; in them her fierce, impassioned protagonists find themselves in the midst of blood feuds and wars. Her heroines are equally scrappy -- medieval Scarlett O'Haras who often have a low regard for the men who eventually win them over. They're fighters, certainly, but they're also beauties who are preoccupied with survival and family preservation.
Jude has also stepped outside her milieu, with mixed results. Her James River trilogy (River Lady, Lost Lady, and Counterfeit Lady) is set mostly in post-Revolution America; the popular, softer-edged Twin of Fire/Twin of Ice moves to 19th-century Colorado and introduces another hunky-man clan, the Taggerts.
Deveraux manages to evoke a strong and convincing atmosphere for each of her books, but her dialogue and characters are as familiar as a modern-day soap opera's. "Historicals seem to be all I'm capable of," Jude once said in an interview, referring to a now out-of-print attempt at contemporary fiction, 1982's Casa Grande. "I don't want to write family sagas or occult books, and I have no intention of again trying to ruin the contemporary market." Still, Jude did later attempt modern-day romances, such as the lighthearted High Tide (her first murder caper), the contemporary female friendship story The Summerhouse, and the time-traveling Knight in Shining Armor. In fact, with 2002's The Mulberry Tree, Deveraux seems to be getting more comfortable setting stories in the present, which is a good thing, since the fans she won with her historical books are eager to follow her into the future.
Jude married Claude White, who she later divorced in 1993. Around the same time she met Mohammed Montassir with whom she had a son, Sam Alexander Montassir, in 1997. On Oct. 6th, 2005, Sam died at the age of eight in a motorcycle accident.
Jude has lived in several countries and all over the United States. She currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and has an additional home in the medieval city of Badolato, Italy.
She began writing in 1976, and published her first book, The Enchanted Land (1977) under the name Jude Deveraux. Following the publication of her first novel, she resigned her teaching position. Now, she is the author of 31 New York Times bestsellers.
Jude won readers' hearts with the epic Velvet series, which revolves around the lives of the Montgomery family's irresistible men. Jude's early books are set largely in 15th- and 16th-century England; in them her fierce, impassioned protagonists find themselves in the midst of blood feuds and wars. Her heroines are equally scrappy -- medieval Scarlett O'Haras who often have a low regard for the men who eventually win them over. They're fighters, certainly, but they're also beauties who are preoccupied with survival and family preservation.
Jude has also stepped outside her milieu, with mixed results. Her James River trilogy (River Lady, Lost Lady, and Counterfeit Lady) is set mostly in post-Revolution America; the popular, softer-edged Twin of Fire/Twin of Ice moves to 19th-century Colorado and introduces another hunky-man clan, the Taggerts.
Deveraux manages to evoke a strong and convincing atmosphere for each of her books, but her dialogue and characters are as familiar as a modern-day soap opera's. "Historicals seem to be all I'm capable of," Jude once said in an interview, referring to a now out-of-print attempt at contemporary fiction, 1982's Casa Grande. "I don't want to write family sagas or occult books, and I have no intention of again trying to ruin the contemporary market." Still, Jude did later attempt modern-day romances, such as the lighthearted High Tide (her first murder caper), the contemporary female friendship story The Summerhouse, and the time-traveling Knight in Shining Armor. In fact, with 2002's The Mulberry Tree, Deveraux seems to be getting more comfortable setting stories in the present, which is a good thing, since the fans she won with her historical books are eager to follow her into the future.
Jude married Claude White, who she later divorced in 1993. Around the same time she met Mohammed Montassir with whom she had a son, Sam Alexander Montassir, in 1997. On Oct. 6th, 2005, Sam died at the age of eight in a motorcycle accident.
Jude has lived in several countries and all over the United States. She currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and has an additional home in the medieval city of Badolato, Italy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 279 reviews
August 25, 2019
The Duchess is one of my favorite of Jude D’s old books.
In it, we have a unique hero- and a heroine that at once touches your heart and makes you laugh at her frankness.
Claire Willoughby is in love- with a Scottish Duke no less. And good thing, because her mother desperately wants her to marry a Duke. Considering she’s a wealthy American Heiress and he's house and title rich but money poor, she’s about to catch him too.
But she’s an odd sort. She loves books and learning… and all things Scottish. You would think her Scottish Duke would be just as interested in all the facts about his land and ancestors as she?
But she's realizing that isn't the case.
Harry the Duke is going to marry his American Heiress despite her dreadful, uncomfortable straight forward American ways - he needs the money that comes along with her, however he will be content to never have to spend time with her after the nuptials.
Immediately upon their arrival at Bramley Castle, Claire realizes something is amiss with her future husband and with his family.
But a peculiar man and the relationship they begin after she discovers him wandering around the grounds one morning, helps to distract her. The man is helpless and feeble, poor dear, but he knows just as much about her other obsession as she- that being world explorer Captain Frank Baker.
Soon Claire finds herself caught up in the mystery of the man and the goings on at the castle. She's also about to discover he is not who she first thought him to be... and on her way to truly falling in love with a man rather than myth.
I love Claire, I love her love for learning and enthusiasm for the explorer Captain Frank Baker. I love that she doesn’t sit back and wait for things to happen, I love that she drinks whiskey and loves yogurt and curried eggs, isn't too missish to read about the sexual habits of indigenous peoples-in latin- , is kind to an old Scottish curmudgeon and the crofters on the estate, and that she doesn’t blink when she discovers a man secretly living in a castle with an Indian man servant. I think I love her best because to me she is Sara Crewe from A Little Princess all grown up. And I love the man she falls in love with in the end and the life they eventually have together.
I LOVE THIS BOOK.
In it, we have a unique hero- and a heroine that at once touches your heart and makes you laugh at her frankness.
Claire Willoughby is in love- with a Scottish Duke no less. And good thing, because her mother desperately wants her to marry a Duke. Considering she’s a wealthy American Heiress and he's house and title rich but money poor, she’s about to catch him too.
But she’s an odd sort. She loves books and learning… and all things Scottish. You would think her Scottish Duke would be just as interested in all the facts about his land and ancestors as she?
But she's realizing that isn't the case.
Harry the Duke is going to marry his American Heiress despite her dreadful, uncomfortable straight forward American ways - he needs the money that comes along with her, however he will be content to never have to spend time with her after the nuptials.
Immediately upon their arrival at Bramley Castle, Claire realizes something is amiss with her future husband and with his family.
But a peculiar man and the relationship they begin after she discovers him wandering around the grounds one morning, helps to distract her. The man is helpless and feeble, poor dear, but he knows just as much about her other obsession as she- that being world explorer Captain Frank Baker.
Soon Claire finds herself caught up in the mystery of the man and the goings on at the castle. She's also about to discover he is not who she first thought him to be... and on her way to truly falling in love with a man rather than myth.
I love Claire, I love her love for learning and enthusiasm for the explorer Captain Frank Baker. I love that she doesn’t sit back and wait for things to happen, I love that she drinks whiskey and loves yogurt and curried eggs, isn't too missish to read about the sexual habits of indigenous peoples-in latin- , is kind to an old Scottish curmudgeon and the crofters on the estate, and that she doesn’t blink when she discovers a man secretly living in a castle with an Indian man servant. I think I love her best because to me she is Sara Crewe from A Little Princess all grown up. And I love the man she falls in love with in the end and the life they eventually have together.
I LOVE THIS BOOK.
June 28, 2010
Ugh. This is one of the worst books I've ever read. Ridiculous drivel that made no sense. I mean, the guy gets shot and then acts like nothing is wrong. Also, on top of getting shot, he has MALARIA, okay, MALARIA, and he is fine--not uncomfortable or anything. Also, the heroine spends 90% of the book thinking she's in love with the wrong man and telling the right man how awful he is and how much she hates him and wants him dead. Pleasant. Claire is THE most stupid character I think I've ever had the misfortune to read about. This whole thing was absurd. Someone telling Claire that Harry would DIE for Trevelyan. Um, are you kidding? He found out his brother wasn't really dead after years of thinking he was, and what is his reaction: "Oh, is that you? I thought you were dead. What's that, you have malaria? Oh, cool. Can I go back to sleep now? You're bothering me."
I'm sorry, but if that's "love" I'm an idiot.
I hate it when the heroine spends nearly the entire book hating and thinking these horrible things about the hero, how he's cold and evil and cruel and the worst, more uncaring man--no, as Claire put it "machine" on earth. Yes. She throws all this in his face? Why? Because he says over and over how much he loves her and needs her and that she's the only woman he's ever loved and that she's amazing. And her reaction is to laugh in his face and call him a selfish self-pitying monster. Okay. If this is romance, then I fear for the world.
How this book has a 3.77 average, I have no idea, because I'm ashamed that such utter nonsense can be published.
I'm sorry, but if that's "love" I'm an idiot.
I hate it when the heroine spends nearly the entire book hating and thinking these horrible things about the hero, how he's cold and evil and cruel and the worst, more uncaring man--no, as Claire put it "machine" on earth. Yes. She throws all this in his face? Why? Because he says over and over how much he loves her and needs her and that she's the only woman he's ever loved and that she's amazing. And her reaction is to laugh in his face and call him a selfish self-pitying monster. Okay. If this is romance, then I fear for the world.
How this book has a 3.77 average, I have no idea, because I'm ashamed that such utter nonsense can be published.
March 5, 2022
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥
Humor: Yes, a bit
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Should I read in order?
This one is fine as a stand alone to me – there is a mention of their ancestors, which is clan MacArran from Highland Velvet – though if you go back to read this it’s best to read the Highland quartet in order. You can view chronological order on Deveraux’s website and I think goodreads has the publication order. (I’m reading in chronological order)
Basic plot:
Claire must wed an acceptable man to get her millions of inheritance dollars. She comes across Harry in England and they soon become engaged. She goes with her family to see her future estate. Here she begins to see the problems of her engagement and meets a man hiding within the house’s halls.
Give this a try if you want:
- Victorian time period at a country estate in Scotland (1883)
- Low steam – one full scene and a few kisses
- Heroine nurses hero back to health
- Scottish hero and American heroine
- Lower action – much of the plot focuses around house hold experiences and dialogue
My thoughts:
I was actually conflicted about this Deveraux. I haven’t loved her work (sadly! I know she’s a pillar of older HR) but this one just felt different. I find her plots usually extremely busy and action filled – running here and there with little time to stand still and have dialogue and get to the know the characters in between. But in this one there wasn’t much action. And I liked that aspect to it, but at the same time I ended up getting really, really bored. In the first half of the book it was Claire wandering around a country estate being abused by people and I was just waiting for something to happen. Even with this lack of danger/action, I didn’t leave the book feeling like I had a lot of character depth and that was sad. Though I do think there was more here than some of her other stories I’ve tried.
I did like some things about this one. But there was still a lot I didn’t love, so I settled at 3 stars.
Here’s a few random parts that I wanted to note from the book
Content Warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥
Humor: Yes, a bit
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Should I read in order?
This one is fine as a stand alone to me – there is a mention of their ancestors, which is clan MacArran from Highland Velvet – though if you go back to read this it’s best to read the Highland quartet in order. You can view chronological order on Deveraux’s website and I think goodreads has the publication order. (I’m reading in chronological order)
Basic plot:
Claire must wed an acceptable man to get her millions of inheritance dollars. She comes across Harry in England and they soon become engaged. She goes with her family to see her future estate. Here she begins to see the problems of her engagement and meets a man hiding within the house’s halls.
Give this a try if you want:
- Victorian time period at a country estate in Scotland (1883)
- Low steam – one full scene and a few kisses
- Heroine nurses hero back to health
- Scottish hero and American heroine
- Lower action – much of the plot focuses around house hold experiences and dialogue
My thoughts:
I was actually conflicted about this Deveraux. I haven’t loved her work (sadly! I know she’s a pillar of older HR) but this one just felt different. I find her plots usually extremely busy and action filled – running here and there with little time to stand still and have dialogue and get to the know the characters in between. But in this one there wasn’t much action. And I liked that aspect to it, but at the same time I ended up getting really, really bored. In the first half of the book it was Claire wandering around a country estate being abused by people and I was just waiting for something to happen. Even with this lack of danger/action, I didn’t leave the book feeling like I had a lot of character depth and that was sad. Though I do think there was more here than some of her other stories I’ve tried.
I did like some things about this one. But there was still a lot I didn’t love, so I settled at 3 stars.
Here’s a few random parts that I wanted to note from the book
Content Warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
June 9, 2008
So this book is on the list of romance novels that I unashamedly love. And it's Jude Deveraux! Very bizarre.
Anyway, I reread it every now and again and always enjoy it immensely. At least most of it. It gets a bit problematic. For the majority of the novel, I am happy to be charmed by Claire (who is delightful and intelligent) and Trevelyan (who is bitter and lovely and interesting). And then near the end, Claire, who has been open-minded about so many things, gets all weird about religion and totally freaks out when confronted with the reality of the practices of another culture. It's really a shame; it's hard to like her when she shows herself to be so close-minded and tries to force her beliefs on everyone else. Besides being pretty offensive behavior, it seems out-of-character for who she has been up to that point. And I don't feel like it's ever entirely resolved, so I still have a bit of a problem with her at the end (although one can hope she will mellow out a bit in some regards as she grows older). As much as I love the rest of the book (seriously, a lot), I can't quite overlook or forgive the problematic bits.
But overall, it's pretty delightful, and I do enjoy the very end, which not quite as unorthadox a happy ever after as I would like, but makes a good show of it anyway.
Anyway, I reread it every now and again and always enjoy it immensely. At least most of it. It gets a bit problematic. For the majority of the novel, I am happy to be charmed by Claire (who is delightful and intelligent) and Trevelyan (who is bitter and lovely and interesting). And then near the end, Claire, who has been open-minded about so many things, gets all weird about religion and totally freaks out when confronted with the reality of the practices of another culture. It's really a shame; it's hard to like her when she shows herself to be so close-minded and tries to force her beliefs on everyone else. Besides being pretty offensive behavior, it seems out-of-character for who she has been up to that point. And I don't feel like it's ever entirely resolved, so I still have a bit of a problem with her at the end (although one can hope she will mellow out a bit in some regards as she grows older). As much as I love the rest of the book (seriously, a lot), I can't quite overlook or forgive the problematic bits.
But overall, it's pretty delightful, and I do enjoy the very end, which not quite as unorthadox a happy ever after as I would like, but makes a good show of it anyway.
May 19, 2021
I Skip read it from 25% until the end. I don't know what happened but the story bored me to death and i did not like the heroine. The plot is predictable and after rhe last chapter i felt nothing about the book..no emotion, nothing
April 2, 2015
Number two in the Montgomery series by Jude Deveraux. Claire Willoughby needs to marry an acceptable man if she wants to keep her inheritance. She gets engaged to Harry, the Duke of MacArran and travels to Scotland to meet his family. Once there she meets Trevelyan...
I thought I had read this one but I didn't remember it so I guess I missed it. It wasn't her best but I did enjoy it. No really big surprises except for one thing (sorry I don't do spoilers). I liked both the H/h characters but they made me want to slap them several times. But hey, that's the way of romance, eh?
I thought I had read this one but I didn't remember it so I guess I missed it. It wasn't her best but I did enjoy it. No really big surprises except for one thing (sorry I don't do spoilers). I liked both the H/h characters but they made me want to slap them several times. But hey, that's the way of romance, eh?
March 4, 2017
I had a love hate relationship with this book.
June 7, 2013
I had planned to stick to one spot per favorite author on my Top 10 list, but there's no way I could possibly choose between A Knight in Shining Armor and The Duchess. Funny, moody and sexy, The Duchess is unlike any romance I've read before or since. There are secret passageways in a historic castle, an extremely intelligent heroine, a rather strange but incredibly alluring hero and a little sister nicknamed "Brat" who likes to play dress-up in jewels and priceless gowns. It's a book that defies description, which might just be one of the reasons it's so fantastic. Trust me, you should read it.
April 17, 2022
For the rest of the review, check out: The Brunette Librarian Blog
This book is one of my favorites for a multitude of reasons. The romance is overwhelming, you hate, you love, you hate and then are smiling by the end. Trevelayn is hard to understand, hard to truly know, yet at the end of the book you know his heart. Claire is so open, so giving and the journey they take together is simply wonderful.
My favorite point in the book...perhaps any romance really, is the moment Trevelayn realizes he is in love with Claire. It’s gorgeous and simply beautifully written.
“You love her,” Nyssa whispered, and there was wonder in her voice. She had tried to make Captain Baker love her, but she’d had no success. “You are in love with her."
“Yes” was all Trevelyan would say. “Yes, I love her. I love her mind, her body. I love her sense of humor. I love her thoughts. I love the way she thinks and what she says.”
He gave a sound that was a cross between hopelessness and despair. “I love her to the smell of her breath.” He turned to Nyssa and for the first time she saw what few other people had: she saw that little boy who used to climb into bed with Leatrice and cry. “I love her as I’ve never loved anyone or anything. Were she to love me in return, I’d give her whatever she wanted.”
See what I mean? Well written with excellent characterization, I’d recommend this book to fans of Eloisa James and Julia Quinn. “The Duchess” is filled with romance, adventure, and just a plain old great story destined to make you in love with it, just as I did.
This book is one of my favorites for a multitude of reasons. The romance is overwhelming, you hate, you love, you hate and then are smiling by the end. Trevelayn is hard to understand, hard to truly know, yet at the end of the book you know his heart. Claire is so open, so giving and the journey they take together is simply wonderful.
My favorite point in the book...perhaps any romance really, is the moment Trevelayn realizes he is in love with Claire. It’s gorgeous and simply beautifully written.
“You love her,” Nyssa whispered, and there was wonder in her voice. She had tried to make Captain Baker love her, but she’d had no success. “You are in love with her."
“Yes” was all Trevelyan would say. “Yes, I love her. I love her mind, her body. I love her sense of humor. I love her thoughts. I love the way she thinks and what she says.”
He gave a sound that was a cross between hopelessness and despair. “I love her to the smell of her breath.” He turned to Nyssa and for the first time she saw what few other people had: she saw that little boy who used to climb into bed with Leatrice and cry. “I love her as I’ve never loved anyone or anything. Were she to love me in return, I’d give her whatever she wanted.”
See what I mean? Well written with excellent characterization, I’d recommend this book to fans of Eloisa James and Julia Quinn. “The Duchess” is filled with romance, adventure, and just a plain old great story destined to make you in love with it, just as I did.
February 15, 2021
Ha ! Yessss, book, I fought you and I won, I finished you !
Hem...
Hello, fellow readers, I haven't turned mad, non, but I struggled to finish this novel. But I did ! Because I read it for The historical literature challenge, so I kind of had to, more or less. I sound imprecise, don't I... I also read it to diminish my physical TBR.
It's a book that was given to my library, but as it was old and yellowish, and the person who gave it absolutely loved it, and the reviewers on Goodreads mostly absolutely loved it, I thought this would be a great escapism book while baby it's cold outside. I'll bring it back to the library and offer it to anyone who wants it.
However, I liked it, mostly, but wasn't crazy about it. If I hadn't told anybody I was reading it, I think I would have DNFed it and moved on to another book. I kept reading because the "hero" reminded me a little of Richard Burton (the explorer). I've read his biography long ago but the memory stuck, he had a wonderful, crazy life full of adventures and Trevelyan is clearly inspired by him (up to the mustache). I love adventures, I admire people of these times who travelled around the world without any public transports or hotels, learned other languages, religions, people who wanted to share their knowledge through books, who translated classics from all over the world, what isn't there to love ?
But the love story ?... I liked the Scottish part, I liked the bookish part, I liked the diverse part (this was written in 1991), I liked the almost JaneEyresque encounter, but the whole novel lacked some consistance for me. I'm 55, I find it hard these days to read about coming of age stories with the errors that come along, I like people to have a brain, to stand up for themselves, to think, to not have miscommunication issues, I want a story with adults. I could understand why those characters acted the way they did, but it doesn't mean I enjoyed reading it.
So, not bad, but I'd rather read another book about Richard Burton, I would sink my teeth into it with much more pleasure.
Hem...
Hello, fellow readers, I haven't turned mad, non, but I struggled to finish this novel. But I did ! Because I read it for The historical literature challenge, so I kind of had to, more or less. I sound imprecise, don't I... I also read it to diminish my physical TBR.
It's a book that was given to my library, but as it was old and yellowish, and the person who gave it absolutely loved it, and the reviewers on Goodreads mostly absolutely loved it, I thought this would be a great escapism book while baby it's cold outside. I'll bring it back to the library and offer it to anyone who wants it.
However, I liked it, mostly, but wasn't crazy about it. If I hadn't told anybody I was reading it, I think I would have DNFed it and moved on to another book. I kept reading because the "hero" reminded me a little of Richard Burton (the explorer). I've read his biography long ago but the memory stuck, he had a wonderful, crazy life full of adventures and Trevelyan is clearly inspired by him (up to the mustache). I love adventures, I admire people of these times who travelled around the world without any public transports or hotels, learned other languages, religions, people who wanted to share their knowledge through books, who translated classics from all over the world, what isn't there to love ?
But the love story ?... I liked the Scottish part, I liked the bookish part, I liked the diverse part (this was written in 1991), I liked the almost JaneEyresque encounter, but the whole novel lacked some consistance for me. I'm 55, I find it hard these days to read about coming of age stories with the errors that come along, I like people to have a brain, to stand up for themselves, to think, to not have miscommunication issues, I want a story with adults. I could understand why those characters acted the way they did, but it doesn't mean I enjoyed reading it.
So, not bad, but I'd rather read another book about Richard Burton, I would sink my teeth into it with much more pleasure.
December 20, 2007
For my friends that have been curious about the romance "beach trash" that I so revel in reading, I'm listing a few books you might want to start with if you're interested in dipping a toe into the genre...
Set mostly in a draughty Scottish castle in the 1880s, "The Duchess" is the story of an American heiress who sails across the Atlantic to marry an impoverished duke. His family is strange, to say the least, and she and her family find much with which to amuse themselves in the nooks and crannies of the castle. As all romance novels must, "The Duchess" ends with a happily-ever-after (though slightly more unorthodox than you might think) and shows how falling in love makes you a better person, and the world, a better place.
"A Knight in Shining Armor" (not half as saccharine as you'd imagine from the title, I promise) is another good one from the author.
Set mostly in a draughty Scottish castle in the 1880s, "The Duchess" is the story of an American heiress who sails across the Atlantic to marry an impoverished duke. His family is strange, to say the least, and she and her family find much with which to amuse themselves in the nooks and crannies of the castle. As all romance novels must, "The Duchess" ends with a happily-ever-after (though slightly more unorthodox than you might think) and shows how falling in love makes you a better person, and the world, a better place.
"A Knight in Shining Armor" (not half as saccharine as you'd imagine from the title, I promise) is another good one from the author.
July 27, 2019
A favorite comfort read.
February 15, 2022
On Jude Deveraux’s website in chronological order this book is # 11. When I finished the book my first thoughts were, “ That was weird”. I believe this was the most different in style and the characters she portrayed but her best written work thus far into the series. If you read no other book in this series of Montgomerys you should read this one. I will give a brief gist of what is packed into this novel. Marriage of convenience vs. love, Parental cruelty and hate, Responsibility vs Selfishness, Self denial for the one you love.
Favourite love scenes : She was dreaming and he came to her and they made love for the first time. The next day she went to see him and she was immediately in his arms and they started to make love in front of Oman but went to another room and made love with their clothes on. They were also just as passionate when they argued. He loved her for who she was on the inside and for her mind.
These are the MacArran’s descendants. Bronwynn and Stephen Montgomery.
Clan MacArran Montgomery family Father ? 3 children Adam, John Richard (Earl of Trevalyn ;Trevalyn Vellie,)Leatrice and Harry. Harry’s the Duchess’s lovers son.
Trevalyn real Duke marries Claire Willoughby
Leatrice marries John Kincaid her true love
Harry marries Sarah Anne Willoughby (Brat)they have several children
Nyssa lives to be 95 at the MacArran estate (Bramley).
McTarvitt brought his family back to Scotland to make Whisky which was ordered by the Prince Regent. Lochnigar has the Royal seal today.
Favourite love scenes : She was dreaming and he came to her and they made love for the first time. The next day she went to see him and she was immediately in his arms and they started to make love in front of Oman but went to another room and made love with their clothes on. They were also just as passionate when they argued. He loved her for who she was on the inside and for her mind.
These are the MacArran’s descendants. Bronwynn and Stephen Montgomery.
Clan MacArran Montgomery family Father ? 3 children Adam, John Richard (Earl of Trevalyn ;Trevalyn Vellie,)Leatrice and Harry. Harry’s the Duchess’s lovers son.
Trevalyn real Duke marries Claire Willoughby
Leatrice marries John Kincaid her true love
Harry marries Sarah Anne Willoughby (Brat)they have several children
Nyssa lives to be 95 at the MacArran estate (Bramley).
McTarvitt brought his family back to Scotland to make Whisky which was ordered by the Prince Regent. Lochnigar has the Royal seal today.
February 21, 2019
Perhaps I would have enjoyed this historical romance 25 years ago but today the heroine was ridiculous. Her 14-year-old sister, the only character I liked, had a good line when she said "You’re much too smart in a stupid sort of way." American Claire will get her inheritance if she marries the Duke who seems nice so she falls in love with him.
May 11, 2022
So old school romance!
Slapping, grooming, ravishing--
Times and I have changed.
Slapping, grooming, ravishing--
Times and I have changed.
February 12, 2019
I have never read any Jude Deveraux before, which is a weird thing for an avowed lover of romance novels to admit — and I am the Editor in Chief of
Romantic Intentions Quarterly
, after all — but there it is. I guess it’s just that I was always vaguely aware that her take on historical fiction was more along the Kathleen Woodiwiss lines than, say, Georgette Heyer, and so I have avoided what I have always believed to be her bodice-ripper-y, forced seduction-y tales entirely.
But when I saw The Duchess on a sale table for 50c at a school fete, I felt like I shouldn’t pass it by. Deveraux does have a place in the firmament of historical romance authors, after all, and surely she deserved a chance?
I wish I had stuck to my guns, now.
At first? Oh, at first I was so into this book! Claire, a bookish American heiress, gets engaged to an oblivious Duke who quite likes her, and travels to his decrepit Scottish castle to meet the family and prepare for the wedding. There, she meets the enigmatic Trevelyan, whom she at first mistakes for an elderly invalid, but it turns out he is actually a) the intrepid explorer and writer of travel tales she has long adored and b) the rightful Duke, whose death had been greatly exaggerated, leading to his brother’s inheritance in the first place.
The second part, actually, Claire doesn’t discover for a long time. But she does find out the part about Trevelyan being her beloved Captain. She also discovers he’s been lampooning her in all kinds of nasty, mean-spirited cartoons, even as she’s been caring for him during an onset of his malaria symptoms.
Then she has all kinds of sex with him, when he sneaks into her room — for, by the way, the second time! — and takes total advantage of her half-asleep, tear-stained state, after she’s had a fight with her fiance about trophy hunting. But let’s not forget, she’s still engaged to his brother.
So, in the 1880s, a time when a woman’s virtue is important and when, again, she is ENGAGED TO HIS BROTHER, this jerk of a guy, whom she hasn’t seen in two weeks since she discovered he’s been writing down their conversations and LAMPOONING HER IN CARTOONS while pretending to be her friend, decides to break into her room and get all happy naked with her, because he wants to. And he doesn’t even want to marry her himself and be, like faithful or anything, though.
I FUCKING HATE TREVELYAN.
For most of the book, I quite loved Claire. She knew her own mind, and that mind was open. Then, not only did she basically let Trevelyan slide for all of his assholery, she then did this total about face when it came to morality and decent Christian values, and she became pretty hateful, too.
I don’t understand how so many people love this book. I checked here at Goodreads, where I also learned that it is the second book in a series, with the first one set in Medieval times, and I don’t even care that I read them out of order — it has a super-high rating and dozens of 5-star reviews. How is this so? WHY?
I have no idea. All I do know is that Jude Deveraux is one hundred percent OFF my reading list forever, from now on.
And Trevelyan is a dick.
But when I saw The Duchess on a sale table for 50c at a school fete, I felt like I shouldn’t pass it by. Deveraux does have a place in the firmament of historical romance authors, after all, and surely she deserved a chance?
I wish I had stuck to my guns, now.
At first? Oh, at first I was so into this book! Claire, a bookish American heiress, gets engaged to an oblivious Duke who quite likes her, and travels to his decrepit Scottish castle to meet the family and prepare for the wedding. There, she meets the enigmatic Trevelyan, whom she at first mistakes for an elderly invalid, but it turns out he is actually a) the intrepid explorer and writer of travel tales she has long adored and b) the rightful Duke, whose death had been greatly exaggerated, leading to his brother’s inheritance in the first place.
The second part, actually, Claire doesn’t discover for a long time. But she does find out the part about Trevelyan being her beloved Captain. She also discovers he’s been lampooning her in all kinds of nasty, mean-spirited cartoons, even as she’s been caring for him during an onset of his malaria symptoms.
Then she has all kinds of sex with him, when he sneaks into her room — for, by the way, the second time! — and takes total advantage of her half-asleep, tear-stained state, after she’s had a fight with her fiance about trophy hunting. But let’s not forget, she’s still engaged to his brother.
So, in the 1880s, a time when a woman’s virtue is important and when, again, she is ENGAGED TO HIS BROTHER, this jerk of a guy, whom she hasn’t seen in two weeks since she discovered he’s been writing down their conversations and LAMPOONING HER IN CARTOONS while pretending to be her friend, decides to break into her room and get all happy naked with her, because he wants to. And he doesn’t even want to marry her himself and be, like faithful or anything, though.
I FUCKING HATE TREVELYAN.
For most of the book, I quite loved Claire. She knew her own mind, and that mind was open. Then, not only did she basically let Trevelyan slide for all of his assholery, she then did this total about face when it came to morality and decent Christian values, and she became pretty hateful, too.
I don’t understand how so many people love this book. I checked here at Goodreads, where I also learned that it is the second book in a series, with the first one set in Medieval times, and I don’t even care that I read them out of order — it has a super-high rating and dozens of 5-star reviews. How is this so? WHY?
I have no idea. All I do know is that Jude Deveraux is one hundred percent OFF my reading list forever, from now on.
And Trevelyan is a dick.
March 30, 2011
You know how you sometimes feel you know a lot about an author after reading their books? I'm starting to wonder if Deveraux is a romantic at heart who has been disappointed by her suitors? After reading this book I didn't know what bothered me about the ending. I kind of just sat there in a daze wondering why I couldn't make up my mind about what I thought about the book. Then it hit me the guys says he doesn't know if me can be monogamous but he'll give it a try in the middle of a dialogue. What???????????????? Oh yes, a guy says that to me and I'm sure I'll head off into the sunset with him, no problem. NOT!!!!! I seem to be disappointed by Deveraux's endings quite frequently. Yes, the girl gets the guy, but sometimes I wonder if they're really all that great of a catch? This one was about a woman who is infatuated with an explorer who writes about his travels. Some of his writings include the mating habits of different cultures - and yes, he's participated in each just to make sure he can write about them. We are well beyond rake here. Oh, but I'm sure it was all for a scientific reasons. Well, the guy ends up being the brother of her fiance. That's when things get interesting. Okay, usually not so cynical, but I can't help it. Plus, the fiance is something else also. GAH!!!!!!!!! Disappointed.
December 31, 2016
A beautiful way to end my 2016.
I really enjoyed this roller coaster of a book between Claire and Trevelyan (Vellie).
Claire wants to be a duchess to please her family. She finds herself engaged to Harry, and in his keep she meets the grumpy mysterious Vellie. Their sweet love story is the book.
The first half of the book is merely the placement of characters. The h and H do meet but the real story begins in the last half of the book.
I really liked their intellectual discussions- how both of them shared a zest for life, drove each other's lonliness away and cared for one another even before the feelings were realized.
What I adored was that none of the characters were negative, and everyone had shades of grey.
I really adored the supporting parts played by Nyssa, Brat and Oman.
Once the couple does fall in love though, there's a lot of passion, feelings are tested and secrets are revealed.
Also the book has its good share of humor.
The epilogue was very bittersweet.
Safe with exceptions
3.75 /5
I really enjoyed this roller coaster of a book between Claire and Trevelyan (Vellie).
Claire wants to be a duchess to please her family. She finds herself engaged to Harry, and in his keep she meets the grumpy mysterious Vellie. Their sweet love story is the book.
The first half of the book is merely the placement of characters. The h and H do meet but the real story begins in the last half of the book.
I really liked their intellectual discussions- how both of them shared a zest for life, drove each other's lonliness away and cared for one another even before the feelings were realized.
What I adored was that none of the characters were negative, and everyone had shades of grey.
I really adored the supporting parts played by Nyssa, Brat and Oman.
Once the couple does fall in love though, there's a lot of passion, feelings are tested and secrets are revealed.
Also the book has its good share of humor.
The epilogue was very bittersweet.
Safe with exceptions
3.75 /5
October 11, 2019
Sometimes when you are in a slump you reread an old favorite!
May 11, 2024
This is a re-read for me (actually, the bulk of this series is a re-read and just YESSSSS!) and I kind of remember this as not being my favorite in the series. Maybe? But then I started reading it and ...I liked it. A lot. Way more than I remember liking it. I mean, Trevelyan is a little infuriating at times with his secrets and such, but then who HASN'T wanted to hide from their relatives and duck their responsibilities upon occasion? PFFT. Not me, that's for sure.
Anywho. Time has definitely made me a little more accepting of his eccentricities.
While Trevelyan is secretive and maybe a little brooding, Claire is sunny and curious. She loves the history of Scotland and the crumbling castle and the people who live on the land. Unfortunately, Harry's relatives don't all love her, the loud American. And by Harry's relatives, I mean his mother. She's...not fun. At all. And while the family needs Claire's money, Harry's mother does her level best to make Claire (and everyone around her) as miserable as she is.
Good thing Claire has the infuriating (secretive, brooding) Trevelyan to help her through these trying times.
A whole lot of secrets, excellent Scottish whiskey, more secrets, twisted (and complicated) family dynamics, some glorious fangirl behavior from Claire, a man who can't stop thinking about how nicely he and Claire fit (while refusing to admit just that), and a lady who loves hard when she finds her person. *thumbs up*
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
Anywho. Time has definitely made me a little more accepting of his eccentricities.
While Trevelyan is secretive and maybe a little brooding, Claire is sunny and curious. She loves the history of Scotland and the crumbling castle and the people who live on the land. Unfortunately, Harry's relatives don't all love her, the loud American. And by Harry's relatives, I mean his mother. She's...not fun. At all. And while the family needs Claire's money, Harry's mother does her level best to make Claire (and everyone around her) as miserable as she is.
Good thing Claire has the infuriating (secretive, brooding) Trevelyan to help her through these trying times.
A whole lot of secrets, excellent Scottish whiskey, more secrets, twisted (and complicated) family dynamics, some glorious fangirl behavior from Claire, a man who can't stop thinking about how nicely he and Claire fit (while refusing to admit just that), and a lady who loves hard when she finds her person. *thumbs up*
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
September 29, 2018
When you know from the very beginning that Claire has fallen for the wrong man, it makes it difficult to enjoy her meeting with the right man. Since Claire takes forever to see that he's the right man doesn't help. Then she has the difficulty of knowing that she must marry the wrong man to protect her family because the right man can't. What a dilemma she faces all the way through the book. The characters are well-drawn. I particularly liked Brat, Claire's fourteen-year-old sister, and MacTarvit, the laird of his clan and the local scotch maker. I didn't much care for the way it ended, however, although all the loose ends are tied up snugly and everyone except for the dowager duchess gets what they want.
June 25, 2008
Unlike her later books , which are barely understandable, this book is from Deveraux's golden period. A romance, but NOT full of mushy,gushy, ridiculousness like most romances. Not only are the main characters interesting and believable,but so are all the minor ones,like the heroine's little sister. Like most of Deveraux's books, it's also full of humor :)
May 7, 2009
Aside from A Knight in Shining Armour, this is my absolute favorite Jude Deveraux novel. All of the characters in this book are interesting and intelligent. The villian of the book is definitely believably evil. The storyline keeps you drawn in throughout the whole book, and the ending is unorthodox. Truly an enjoyable book, and one I read every few years.
January 24, 2011
So far so good. BUT I DO NOT LIKE the name trewelyan. Is it me or my tounge? However, JD's is always a page turner.
FINALLY, finished the book. Have to drag myself thru it. Initially, it was ok but the plot starts to drag itself.
FINALLY, finished the book. Have to drag myself thru it. Initially, it was ok but the plot starts to drag itself.
April 21, 2017
Lovely and colorful characters. The historical setting was so vivid that one can actually picture the era then. I loved the way the author injects subtle humor throughout the story making it a fun read with enough doses of passionate romance.
January 23, 2023
The Duchess was not quite four stars for me. 3.5/5 stars.
June 13, 2023
Although 16th in the series, you can read this as a stand alone. This is copyright 1991, & a frequent favorite reread in the day. I surprised myself by how much I enjoyed this reread.
Set in Victorian England 1883.
So, JD has the most interesting imagination I've seen in a romance author. Sometimes that imagination is awesome, sometimes it's pretty out there. She goes all out for "The Duchess".
The story itself is interesting. One woman basically takes down the legacy of Stephen Montgomery by putting an illegitimate son in the nest who ends up as the heir. Only Trevelyan is still alive & hiding out in a run down part of the house. He's the explorer Captain Baker also & has come home to recover from illness.
Claire is an American heiress who is going to marry Harry, the illegitimate brother. I really liked Claire. She's intelligent & has sense. She is still only 19 years old, so she's pretty emotional as well.
She's torn between Harry, the Duke & Trevelyan the real Duke. Harry is pretty self absorbed & is looking forward to the money Claire is going to bring. Trevelyan is also self absorbed, but has a tragic past. He's also been with hundreds (his numbers) of women. Once 25 in one night (??). Is this possible?
It's no spoiler that the evil Duchess is taken down & everyone has a HEA, but only after a lot of angst.
Stephen from "Highland Velvet" is the ancestor of Trevelyan.
Set in Victorian England 1883.
So, JD has the most interesting imagination I've seen in a romance author. Sometimes that imagination is awesome, sometimes it's pretty out there. She goes all out for "The Duchess".
The story itself is interesting. One woman basically takes down the legacy of Stephen Montgomery by putting an illegitimate son in the nest who ends up as the heir. Only Trevelyan is still alive & hiding out in a run down part of the house. He's the explorer Captain Baker also & has come home to recover from illness.
Claire is an American heiress who is going to marry Harry, the illegitimate brother. I really liked Claire. She's intelligent & has sense. She is still only 19 years old, so she's pretty emotional as well.
She's torn between Harry, the Duke & Trevelyan the real Duke. Harry is pretty self absorbed & is looking forward to the money Claire is going to bring. Trevelyan is also self absorbed, but has a tragic past. He's also been with hundreds (his numbers) of women. Once 25 in one night (??). Is this possible?
It's no spoiler that the evil Duchess is taken down & everyone has a HEA, but only after a lot of angst.
Stephen from "Highland Velvet" is the ancestor of Trevelyan.
May 2, 2021
This book was nothing like I expected, and that’s a good thing. I don’t know why but this has definitely turned out to be one of my favorite deveraux books. There was just something very unique about the storyline and the characters that made it feel different from her other books. Trevelyan is definitely one of my favorite Montgomery’s, I loved that he was an explorer and how he lived a double life. Claire was also one of my favorite female leads. The two of them together really fit and made a lot of sense, among a plot that was all over the place lol. When I first started reading I was so confused how Trevelyan would turn out to be the love interest when she described him as an old man. For the life of me I could not figure out this mans age, during the first 100 pages, until they said it. The overall tone of the book was super enjoyable, very whimsical, adventurous and eccentric. I did not expect that from the title, but it proved to be a really good read. But I should know by now Jude never fails lol.
February 9, 2018
I'm not quite sure how to review this one. There's so many elements to it. But the core is Claire and Trevelyan. She is an American heiress who's inheritance depends on marriage approved by her parents who are nothing but social climbers. So she is immediately claimed by a Duke, Harry, whose brother turns out to be Claire's idol, Captain Baker, the great explorer. It gets complicated. But, naturally, she meets Captain Baker, who turns out to be Trevelyan, the real Duke. He doesn't want the title. He only wants to explore the world and Harry has promised to finance that. Claire and Trevelyan fall in love, but it's not an easy one. And there are several underlying stories here. But a wonderful HEA. I loved this book.
October 12, 2019
It's been a while since I have read a book in a day. But, when it comes to Ms.Deveraux's work, I can't help it. I have loved her words since I was 16 years old and my first book I read of hers, " The Black Lyon ". I love the Montgomery legacy, How she wraps you around these characters, where you fall in love with them, and want to be with them.
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