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Tales of Tantalising Seduction #1
A Bluestocking for the Wicked Duke
William Marlow, the first and only son of the Duke of Wellington loves to set the ton ablaze. Known for changing women faster than bed sheets and adept in the swordplay, William thinks it is business as usual when the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos challenges him to a duel. To William's surprise and that of every other spectator, this duel will not go as expected.
On a quest for vengeance, William plots out a path to the heart of young Joane, the Duke's daughter. His fury and passion burn even hotter, when he realises that she is more than he bargained for: clever, perceptive, passionate. How will he manage to succeed, when he is constantly wrestling the temptation to take her in his arms?
On the other end, Lady Joane, the only daughter, and favorite child of the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, is, to William's surprise, a diamond of first water. Her beauty and wit are beyond measure. She is known as a bluestocking and isn't eager to change that perception of herself, but when she meets William, her life and her "proper manners" are irrevocably changed. As much as she tries to avoid his touch, the walls around William's heart are crumbling... and she's in danger of falling, hard. But when the scandal unfolds, will she be able to put reason over her growing passion?
From the agonizing contest of swords to the duel of hearts between lovers, love grows even when forbidden. How will their hearts find their way back to each other?
"A Bluestocking for the Wicked Duke" is a historical romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.
On a quest for vengeance, William plots out a path to the heart of young Joane, the Duke's daughter. His fury and passion burn even hotter, when he realises that she is more than he bargained for: clever, perceptive, passionate. How will he manage to succeed, when he is constantly wrestling the temptation to take her in his arms?
On the other end, Lady Joane, the only daughter, and favorite child of the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, is, to William's surprise, a diamond of first water. Her beauty and wit are beyond measure. She is known as a bluestocking and isn't eager to change that perception of herself, but when she meets William, her life and her "proper manners" are irrevocably changed. As much as she tries to avoid his touch, the walls around William's heart are crumbling... and she's in danger of falling, hard. But when the scandal unfolds, will she be able to put reason over her growing passion?
From the agonizing contest of swords to the duel of hearts between lovers, love grows even when forbidden. How will their hearts find their way back to each other?
"A Bluestocking for the Wicked Duke" is a historical romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.
423 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 21, 2018
868 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Henrietta Harding
129 books66 followersHenrietta Harding was born in Atlanta, but she moved to Europe with her parents at the age of 7. She fell in love with France, and especially Paris, a city that inspired and continues to inspire her a lot.
No one is born a romance writer, but she got a good start. She has been writing since she was 4 years old; while other children had just started talking more fluently she had already written her first poem! She studied French literature at the University of Strasbourg where she met her husband during her second year in college.
Henrietta makes her home in Boston where she spends her time writing her own enchanting historical romances, and chasing around her dog for long hours, without even noticing. She truly believes the most perfect heroes and heroines are imperfect, and she rather enjoys torturing them before giving them a well deserved happily ever after!
Henrietta loves to connect with her readers!
No one is born a romance writer, but she got a good start. She has been writing since she was 4 years old; while other children had just started talking more fluently she had already written her first poem! She studied French literature at the University of Strasbourg where she met her husband during her second year in college.
Henrietta makes her home in Boston where she spends her time writing her own enchanting historical romances, and chasing around her dog for long hours, without even noticing. She truly believes the most perfect heroes and heroines are imperfect, and she rather enjoys torturing them before giving them a well deserved happily ever after!
Henrietta loves to connect with her readers!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
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November 14, 2018
Could be better
I started reading this book but could not finish it, the language was all wrong and that was just a small part of it , along with grammatical errors, this author needs to go back and research regency England and the English peerage, an Earl’s wife is not called duchess she’s a countess, if your going write regency get your term right, and I’m sorry men did not wear shorts in that time period and definitely not leather ones, I would not recommend this book , if your a regency fan you will be disappointed.
I started reading this book but could not finish it, the language was all wrong and that was just a small part of it , along with grammatical errors, this author needs to go back and research regency England and the English peerage, an Earl’s wife is not called duchess she’s a countess, if your going write regency get your term right, and I’m sorry men did not wear shorts in that time period and definitely not leather ones, I would not recommend this book , if your a regency fan you will be disappointed.
November 13, 2018
Not for the Intelligent Romance Reader
Poorly written. Very mundane. Seemed written by a six grader. But then Sixth graders have a larger vocabulary. Many sentences didn’t even make sense. Waste of time and money.
Poorly written. Very mundane. Seemed written by a six grader. But then Sixth graders have a larger vocabulary. Many sentences didn’t even make sense. Waste of time and money.
July 9, 2020
*terrible* i am only admitting to reading this so i can say that this is one of the most poorly written books i've ever read. there is no bluestocking, there is no wicked duke, the book has apparently never been edited - if it has, the editor has a lot of improvement opportunity. the author forgets the color of her main characters' hair, she interposes names, she has either no historical knowledge or hasn't bothered to do any research, there are so many errors there is no immersion. i like the genre, and i like the idea of the title - i wanted to like it. the plot itself could be ok. the characters (again, neither bluestocking nor duke) aren't bad, the helper characters are far more compelling. it could have been decent if it has been well written, well edited and well researched, but it wasn't. i forced myself to finish it...but it is *awful*. i don't know how anyone would would enjoy this.
May 2, 2019
Once a Rake🐺🍆🌋🔪, Always a Rake🐺🍆🌋🔪
An Adult🐺🍆🌋 Historical Regency Period Romance.
William Marlow, the son of the Duke of Wellington, is the best swordsman in England, but he is bested in a duel by the Duke of Buckingham. Finally he realizes Buckingham cheated after the sword he gave him to use shattered. William decides to get even by courting Buckingham's daughter, Joane, then leaving her in the lurch.
ARC Received from Author
I loved the story of this book📕, but it is still in need of editing and proofreading. There are also some continuity problems in a few places in The book. Misspellings are not rare, there were even places where sentences didn't make sense because of wrong words used! Please edit the book again before the public publishing date!
An Adult🐺🍆🌋 Historical Regency Period Romance.
William Marlow, the son of the Duke of Wellington, is the best swordsman in England, but he is bested in a duel by the Duke of Buckingham. Finally he realizes Buckingham cheated after the sword he gave him to use shattered. William decides to get even by courting Buckingham's daughter, Joane, then leaving her in the lurch.
ARC Received from Author
I loved the story of this book📕, but it is still in need of editing and proofreading. There are also some continuity problems in a few places in The book. Misspellings are not rare, there were even places where sentences didn't make sense because of wrong words used! Please edit the book again before the public publishing date!
October 28, 2018
Good
I found this a good book. I liked the relationship between Joane and William. It was a complex story but flowed quite well. I found the parts where the hero thinking and the heroine wondering what he was thinking a bit too often in the book.
I found this a good book. I liked the relationship between Joane and William. It was a complex story but flowed quite well. I found the parts where the hero thinking and the heroine wondering what he was thinking a bit too often in the book.
October 30, 2018
There was a ball at the home of the Duke of Wellington. Unfortuately the Duke was ill and would not attend. But one very nasty fellow that did attend was the Duke of Buckingham and Chandros. They could not find the medicine for him, Regina the daughter of the duke needed to go upstairs to take care of him. She was dancing with the Duke of Buckingham, he did not want her to go. Her brother took her hand and removed her from the Duke's proximity. The Duke of Buckingham took it as an insult and William Marlow challenge him to a duel. Joane Hardwater is the daughter of the Duke of Buckingham and she met William at a ball but his intentions were of vengenance because the Duke of Buckingham cheated and William got hurt not just phyically but his pride as well, he had never lost before.
This is a twisted story, so much going on and and just about everyone is playing a part. I am going to try to keep this short. A marvelous play with great characters and sub characters. William feels very close to Joanne and she feels the same but we have the nasty Duke. I could have very well been lost but the author kept us heading in the right direction. The tale was interesting, well written and moved smoothly. I very much enjoyed all the doings of the characters. Well worth the time to read.
I received this ARC from the author and voluntarily reviewed.
This is a twisted story, so much going on and and just about everyone is playing a part. I am going to try to keep this short. A marvelous play with great characters and sub characters. William feels very close to Joanne and she feels the same but we have the nasty Duke. I could have very well been lost but the author kept us heading in the right direction. The tale was interesting, well written and moved smoothly. I very much enjoyed all the doings of the characters. Well worth the time to read.
I received this ARC from the author and voluntarily reviewed.
Read
November 3, 2018The ‘Wicked Duke’ takes on the ‘Evil Earl’ and grabs the Earl’s daughter out of his grasp!
SETTING:A wicked Earl cheats at a duel, providing an inferior sword to the young man he challenged. The result-a broken sword, a serious injury and the young man’s mother saving his life by throwing herself on her injured son to stop the fight. With such an auspicious beginning-what could possibly go wrong when the young man and the Earl’s daughter seek to marry?
This gripping story is a bit more anxiety-producing than the usual Historical Romance. But, Oh! It is so worth the reading! With the twists and turns the story takes, the reader will find it difficult to put the book down until the exciting end.
CRITIQUE: Written for a mature reader. The language used at times was not true to the era (referring to children as ‘kids’; female undergarments referred to as ‘panties’). The abrupt change of character of William from being an uncaring rake to a man considerate of a young virgin was not quite believable; but once the change occurred, his character then remained consistent for the rest of the story. There were HEA endings all around for the main young people involved in the outworking of the story. A 3.5 Star ranking, not quite a 4 in my opinion.
SETTING:A wicked Earl cheats at a duel, providing an inferior sword to the young man he challenged. The result-a broken sword, a serious injury and the young man’s mother saving his life by throwing herself on her injured son to stop the fight. With such an auspicious beginning-what could possibly go wrong when the young man and the Earl’s daughter seek to marry?
This gripping story is a bit more anxiety-producing than the usual Historical Romance. But, Oh! It is so worth the reading! With the twists and turns the story takes, the reader will find it difficult to put the book down until the exciting end.
CRITIQUE: Written for a mature reader. The language used at times was not true to the era (referring to children as ‘kids’; female undergarments referred to as ‘panties’). The abrupt change of character of William from being an uncaring rake to a man considerate of a young virgin was not quite believable; but once the change occurred, his character then remained consistent for the rest of the story. There were HEA endings all around for the main young people involved in the outworking of the story. A 3.5 Star ranking, not quite a 4 in my opinion.
December 2, 2018
Had potential but...
I hate to give this book low score but since this falls into HR genre I cannot ignore these annoying little mistakes. The obvious one is the dialogue not true to its genre, too modern so many exclamation like Wow! No way! among others modern sayings.
The H supposedly a duke's heir, but they address him Mr. William Marlow instead of my lord. The h is also a duke's daughter but the call her by her name only. In the middle of book, i found out the H title is Marquess when I thought all along he is commoner but yet a son of a duke...go figure! 🤔They addressing each other by first names ,no honorific rules apply knowing they all members of aristocrats. Only when addressing the Duke and yer some errors on this too instead of your graces, your grace duke or the Duke first name instead of Duke + his land./estate.
Other error the duel of honor supposedly illegal but not in this book becomes a public show. Also no chaperones on these young girls...just not true to its era. I dont think this is my 1st time read the book from yhis author and i believe I liked my previous book unless I wasnt in the mood to drop a review then. It was a good plot but Ms. Harding need to take horific roles 101 if she want to stick with this genre.
I hate to give this book low score but since this falls into HR genre I cannot ignore these annoying little mistakes. The obvious one is the dialogue not true to its genre, too modern so many exclamation like Wow! No way! among others modern sayings.
The H supposedly a duke's heir, but they address him Mr. William Marlow instead of my lord. The h is also a duke's daughter but the call her by her name only. In the middle of book, i found out the H title is Marquess when I thought all along he is commoner but yet a son of a duke...go figure! 🤔They addressing each other by first names ,no honorific rules apply knowing they all members of aristocrats. Only when addressing the Duke and yer some errors on this too instead of your graces, your grace duke or the Duke first name instead of Duke + his land./estate.
Other error the duel of honor supposedly illegal but not in this book becomes a public show. Also no chaperones on these young girls...just not true to its era. I dont think this is my 1st time read the book from yhis author and i believe I liked my previous book unless I wasnt in the mood to drop a review then. It was a good plot but Ms. Harding need to take horific roles 101 if she want to stick with this genre.
October 25, 2018
ONE INCREDIBLY DELIGHTFUL READ!!!
Wow! I'm not sure what I expected when I started reading this little gem, but it is definitely worth my time and more. This is one exciting, action packed, fast paced, intriguing, page turning delight that really grabbed my attention from the start. All the twists and turns, ups and downs, a few glitches and bumps here and there make for one engaging experience. As the drama, danger and suspense rises and tension thickens, every sense heightened as the story unfolds. You have a rollercoaster ride of emotions such as fear, betrayal, deceit, lies and heartache. The characters and their personalities are unique with qualities and traits that balance out perfectly. The scenes are so graphically detailed it really brings each scenario to life as it plays off one another in perfect balance. Henrietta did a remarkable pulling this bad boy together beautifully. Fantastic job Henrietta, thanks for sharing this little gem with us.
Wow! I'm not sure what I expected when I started reading this little gem, but it is definitely worth my time and more. This is one exciting, action packed, fast paced, intriguing, page turning delight that really grabbed my attention from the start. All the twists and turns, ups and downs, a few glitches and bumps here and there make for one engaging experience. As the drama, danger and suspense rises and tension thickens, every sense heightened as the story unfolds. You have a rollercoaster ride of emotions such as fear, betrayal, deceit, lies and heartache. The characters and their personalities are unique with qualities and traits that balance out perfectly. The scenes are so graphically detailed it really brings each scenario to life as it plays off one another in perfect balance. Henrietta did a remarkable pulling this bad boy together beautifully. Fantastic job Henrietta, thanks for sharing this little gem with us.
October 27, 2018
Pride goes before the fall
This book has a little of everything that makes a good story meddling mother, revenge, forbidden love, misunderstandings, loyal friends and steamy love scenes. I had a few things that bothered me like it didn't give a time frame. For some reason I kept thinking of was like Henry VIII type days. For example with the talk of court and "royalty" and also old speech patterns ( ex. See you on the morrow). Mrs Hardings writing seems more authentic with the wording. There was also a few words in the book that sound more like what the author would say now instead of what was back then such as " Thank gosh " and lover boy to just name a couple I remember. Like I said though none of that bothered me enough though. This is a good read and I would recommend it.
This book has a little of everything that makes a good story meddling mother, revenge, forbidden love, misunderstandings, loyal friends and steamy love scenes. I had a few things that bothered me like it didn't give a time frame. For some reason I kept thinking of was like Henry VIII type days. For example with the talk of court and "royalty" and also old speech patterns ( ex. See you on the morrow). Mrs Hardings writing seems more authentic with the wording. There was also a few words in the book that sound more like what the author would say now instead of what was back then such as " Thank gosh " and lover boy to just name a couple I remember. Like I said though none of that bothered me enough though. This is a good read and I would recommend it.
December 6, 2020
jeez, it was like a sixth grader trying to write. ridiculous vocabulary! the plot was too plain and dull and i was bored to death. i don't even know why i read this to the end but there were so many useless lines and we have the perceptive of the mother! i mean it is just so boring listening to the thoughts of the mother when she wasn't the heroine. and the heroine has no fire in her for me. william was also exceptionally stupid and useless.
i was intrigued by the title but the title didn't match the characters. there was no wicked duke and joane was no bluestocking. at one point emma was referred to as the bluestocking and it lacked the feeling one would find in a romance. one of the worst books i have ever read.
i was intrigued by the title but the title didn't match the characters. there was no wicked duke and joane was no bluestocking. at one point emma was referred to as the bluestocking and it lacked the feeling one would find in a romance. one of the worst books i have ever read.
October 28, 2018
Great romance and action packed book
I enjoyed reading this great book about four young people and their look for happiness. A young lady learns that her father has dueled a young man and was only saved from death when the young mother threw herself across her son. Then her father brags that even though the young man could have but didn't kill him he had rigged the duel. The other two involved is her best friend and the young mans best friend. This story has many, many ups and downs between these characters. Very great read
I enjoyed reading this great book about four young people and their look for happiness. A young lady learns that her father has dueled a young man and was only saved from death when the young mother threw herself across her son. Then her father brags that even though the young man could have but didn't kill him he had rigged the duel. The other two involved is her best friend and the young mans best friend. This story has many, many ups and downs between these characters. Very great read
November 13, 2018
Unfortunately, this is a sort of Romeo and Juliet. The Wicked Duke is the father of Juliet, our Lady Joane. The Bluestocking is actually Emma, Lady Joane's friend. William, the son of another Duke, is our Romeo. The Wicked Duke is evil and plans to dispose of the only heir of the other Duke. William decided to take revenge on the Wicked Duke by way of his daughter, only he falls in love with her. The story is not as compelling as it should be and sometimes I got bored with the writing, especially when Lord James affair with Emily is added into the mix. It sometimes took away from the story.
April 22, 2020
Revenge doesn’t work
When the Duke of Wellington is goaded into a duel with the Duke of Buckingham Condos,little does he realize the sword he is using has be sabotaged. To get revenge he plans to woo his daughter Lady Joane Hardwater. Things go from bad to worse as he developed feelings for her, but his father has been quite a long time so his mother chooses him a bride he cares nothing for. No one wants things to work out for the couple and when she overhears why he started to woo her things go downhill. Good read!
When the Duke of Wellington is goaded into a duel with the Duke of Buckingham Condos,little does he realize the sword he is using has be sabotaged. To get revenge he plans to woo his daughter Lady Joane Hardwater. Things go from bad to worse as he developed feelings for her, but his father has been quite a long time so his mother chooses him a bride he cares nothing for. No one wants things to work out for the couple and when she overhears why he started to woo her things go downhill. Good read!
December 30, 2018
Young adult feel to this story
There were some word choices not in keeping with the time period that were distracting, e.g. "wow" uttered by our hero, etc., but overall a nice read. Some events not fully explained but personally I didn't care enough about the villain to care over much his motivations. This story had a very young adult feel to me. I liked the main characters but didn't love them.
There were some word choices not in keeping with the time period that were distracting, e.g. "wow" uttered by our hero, etc., but overall a nice read. Some events not fully explained but personally I didn't care enough about the villain to care over much his motivations. This story had a very young adult feel to me. I liked the main characters but didn't love them.
October 27, 2018
An unexpected end to a duel
Cheating to win a duel by the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos sets up a furor in William Marlow, son of the Duke of Wellington.
His idea of revenge soon dissolves as he meets the Duke’s daughter, Joane, and finds an entanglement that is developing into infatuation and maybe love.
Cheating to win a duel by the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos sets up a furor in William Marlow, son of the Duke of Wellington.
His idea of revenge soon dissolves as he meets the Duke’s daughter, Joane, and finds an entanglement that is developing into infatuation and maybe love.
November 5, 2018
True Love Conquers All
This is a sweet romance. William and Joane overcome their parents objections to find true love. There is conflict, exciting action, and hot romance.
This was a solid story, but it claims to be a Regency setting. There were lots of small details that just don't fit the setting.
This is a sweet romance. William and Joane overcome their parents objections to find true love. There is conflict, exciting action, and hot romance.
This was a solid story, but it claims to be a Regency setting. There were lots of small details that just don't fit the setting.
January 26, 2019
Good Premise
The basic premise was good but the story could have been better written. The dialogue is too modern and doesn't fit within the historical time period. The inner thoughts of the prime characters were often jarring and interfered with the flow of the story. However, my interest was piqued and I wanted to see a happily ever after.
The basic premise was good but the story could have been better written. The dialogue is too modern and doesn't fit within the historical time period. The inner thoughts of the prime characters were often jarring and interfered with the flow of the story. However, my interest was piqued and I wanted to see a happily ever after.
March 17, 2019
Good story,but.
I'm not a expert on recency customs however there lots many things that didn't make sense. The Balls were held in the middle of the day, Joana wore high heels with spiked heels, and a virgin of that era wouldn't have been aware of the very explicit sexual play described by the author. So all of that and more was very frustrating.👎
I'm not a expert on recency customs however there lots many things that didn't make sense. The Balls were held in the middle of the day, Joana wore high heels with spiked heels, and a virgin of that era wouldn't have been aware of the very explicit sexual play described by the author. So all of that and more was very frustrating.👎
May 5, 2019
I had a rough time getting into the story. It just did not engage me. It feels like something is missing in the story. I do like the overall storyline about the pride, duel, honor and revenge. But the highlight was the complicated unobtainable romance. This book has potential but there is room for improvement.
August 4, 2020
Nice read
What started out as a sword fight that turned into a dirty fight which cause William to be injured. To wanted to use his daughter to get back at him turned into finding his true love. A miss understand almost cost him his lady love but it worked out in the end. Everyone got what they wanted.
What started out as a sword fight that turned into a dirty fight which cause William to be injured. To wanted to use his daughter to get back at him turned into finding his true love. A miss understand almost cost him his lady love but it worked out in the end. Everyone got what they wanted.
October 28, 2018
Loved This Book
This book is action packed as well as romance filled. I was entranced from the beginning to the end. It is unpredictable in its entirety. All of the characters are portrayed as complicated as we all are.
This book is action packed as well as romance filled. I was entranced from the beginning to the end. It is unpredictable in its entirety. All of the characters are portrayed as complicated as we all are.
November 4, 2018
A good read with more than three happy out comes. Its flows well but word choices are iffy and the grammar needs improving. The story line most enjoyable and worth the read. I only rate my opinion on story line and did I enjoy the read. Kay Heath
November 5, 2018
Interesting plot
The book is badly written. The sentences are awkward and character development practically non-existent. 6 more words are required to complete review: really bad read.
The book is badly written. The sentences are awkward and character development practically non-existent. 6 more words are required to complete review: really bad read.
November 16, 2018
Intriguing
I really enjoyed this different version of historical romance. No chaperones sex at the drop of a hat no repercussions and mothers who were outspoken. Can't wait for next one!
I really enjoyed this different version of historical romance. No chaperones sex at the drop of a hat no repercussions and mothers who were outspoken. Can't wait for next one!
November 18, 2018
DUKE
An entertaining romp through the perils and rules of recency society. Sneaking around to maintain propriety and still discover the passion and ways to get what they really are wanting.
An entertaining romp through the perils and rules of recency society. Sneaking around to maintain propriety and still discover the passion and ways to get what they really are wanting.
November 21, 2018
A Bluestocking for the Wicked Duke
I loved this book absolutely amazing read so exciting
lots of love,drama, sex.The characters were wonderful. Thank you. I can hardly wait to read the next book.
I loved this book absolutely amazing read so exciting
lots of love,drama, sex.The characters were wonderful. Thank you. I can hardly wait to read the next book.
December 27, 2018
Terrible, stilted writing. Historically inaccurate details. I couldn’t finish the book. If the author was trying to reproduce regency dialogue I suggest she immerse herself in Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer before trying again. Harding’s attempts at regency verisimilitude are cringe worthy.
January 20, 2019
Couldn't finish it
There are very few books I have started and not finished; this is one of them. The story line was interesting enough, but the writing style was simple and intolerable, almost like a children's book. I can't recommend it.
There are very few books I have started and not finished; this is one of them. The story line was interesting enough, but the writing style was simple and intolerable, almost like a children's book. I can't recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews