The Duke

Gypsy Legacy #2

by Denise Patrick

He doesn’t need a wife. She doesn’t want a husband. Destiny’s not listening. Book 2 in the Gypsy Legacy Series As children, Brand Waring, heir to the Duke of Warringham, and his brother were kidnapped and sold to a plantation in the West Indies. Now Brand is back to wreak vengeance on those responsible for his brother’s subsequent death. The last thing he wants, or needs, is to be distracted by an instant attraction to a flighty Society belle. Felicia Collings has found it easy to refuse every marriage proposal, thanks to a ring left to her by her gypsy great-grandmother. Reportedly it will lead her to the man whom she is destined to marry. To her relief, the ring has been blessedly silent on this issue. Until Brand recognizes it, and sparks fly. In spite of himself, Brand finds himself drawn to the beauty, and to the wounded soul reflected in her eyes. At his gentle hands, Felicia begins to learn what it means to be cherished and loved. Then the past rears its head to threaten their fragile happiness. As Brand begins to doubt whether vengeance is as sweet as a lifetime with Felicia, he finds himself racing to save them both from not one cold-blooded killer—but two.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 26, 2008

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felicia is an interesting twist on a classic trope. She's been emotionally scarred by rape, but not her own. As a nine-year-old, she witnessed her older (now deceased) brother force himself on a woman, and now in her mind, that's what sex is. She's vowed never to let a man do that to her, hence her decision never to be married, and is absolutely terrified at the thought of intimacy.

There's a lot of backstory going on here, and it took me awhile to be able to keep all the characters straight (Felicia has, in addition to the dead rapist brother, two older brothers named Jon and Jay, one who's married and one who isn't). This is the second book in The Gypsy Legacy, and I think it would have helped a lot to read the first book first. As it was, Jay and Jon seemed a little interchangeable, probably partially because the names gave me issues in keeping them straight in my head, although I know Jay was the hero of the previous book.

My biggest issue with the story was that I hate constantly feeling like I'm a step ahead of the characters. You know the kind: "My evil French stepmother hates me and wishes I didn't exist. OH NO I've just been attacked by a bunch of dudes who speak French and were instructed to kill me! WHO COULD POSSIBLY HAVE DEVISED SUCH A SCHEME?" There were a few headdesk moments while I waited for the hero and heroine to pull their head out of whatever dark cavity they were hiding it in and stop acting so thick, and while I don't mind some predictability in a storyline if the telling of the tale is done well, I do kind of expect the characters in the book to show some basic intelligence.

I did like the way the "destined couple" part was handled, however. It wasn't a case of overwhelming love at first sight and both of them knew instantly this was what they'd been waiting for their entire lives; they had some mild attraction to each other, and it was only after circumstances forced them together they discovered they fit well together and started to become creeped out by all the coincidences conspiring to fulfill Felicia's great grandmother's prediction.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely enjoyed this one more than I did the first book. It was another Kindle read. (I can't seem to get away from the thing to read an actual paper book at the moment. haha.)

Felicia was such an amusing character from the first book, and I was surprised at her story and the twists even put on what we knew of the past from the first novel. The slow reveal with a different perspective of the past (that of a 9 year-old girl instead of her 16 year-old sister) really made me appreciate the books more.

The mystery kept me in the dark much longer, and Felicia and Brand just seemed like two peas in a very dangerous pod.

I find myself trying to beg for just one more chapter when I read these at night before sleep...which leads to 3 or 4 more chapters.

Can't wait to see what happens next. (Good thing I already have #3 awaiting me on my Kindle!)

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the 2nd in this series of historical romance. The story flowed well and I liked the characters and well as the way we were able to get some of the background story from the 1st book, but it wasn't overdone. One minus if you are a true historical romance lover is that it does have a bit of modern day slang, but it's easily overlooked. Some big bonuses are that the characters are well developed, there is a mystery involved and that keeps it interesting so it's not just a romance, and I loved that there is some tragedy mixed in that keeps the characters real. Looking forward to book3.

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably closer to a 3.5 because Brand's character could have used a lot more depth during the last half of the book. Especially during the tense find and rescue moments. He didn't come across as overly concerned. BUT it was a fun story to read so we'll give it the benefit of the doubt!

[Cat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trigger Warnings!

Please be aware that there are triggers in this story. Spoilers….. sexual assault, miscarriage. I did not know these topics were in the story and was caught off guard.

[Nunung · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story, better than the other two, The Earl n The Marquis.