Los retos de conquistar a un duque

Desperate Debutantes #1

by Julia London, Ana Sánchez Prat (Translator), Cristina Pérez Bermejo (Translator)

Tras la muerte de su madre, las hermanas Fairchild descubren que su padrastro ha conseguido convertirse en el único beneficiario de la fortuna familiar. Para poder mantener las apariencias, Ava, la mayor de ellas, decide perseguir al riquísimo Jared Broderick, marqués de Middleton y heredero de un importante ducado. Para sorpresa de Ava, el marqués la arrastra hacia un tórrido romance y poco después le propone que se casen. Ava es muy feliz durante un tiempo, pero tras su apasionada noche de bodas descubre los verdaderos motivos de su marido para comprometerse con ella: Ava se ha convertido en una pieza más de sus planes de venganza. Para algunas mujeres un matrimonio de conveniencia sería suficiente, pero ella decide preparar una estrategia que acabe con los demonios de Jared. Este, por su parte, deberá demostrar que la ama de verdad. Pero, ¿no será demasiado tarde?

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Regency, Marriage Of Convenience, Historical Fiction, Regency Romance

386 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 6, 2006

About the author

Julia London is the New York Times and USA Today best selling author of more than two dozen romantic fiction novels. She is the author of the popular historical romance series, the Cabot Sisters, including The Trouble with Honor, The Devil Takes a Bride, and The Scoundrel and the Debutante. She is also the author of several contemporary romances, including Homecoming Ranch, Return to Homecoming Ranch, and The Perfect Homecoming.

Julia is the recipient of the RT Bookclub Award for Best Historical Romance and a six-time finalist for the prestigious RITA award for excellence in romantic fiction. To keep up with all the Julia London news, please visit http://www.julialondon.com. Follow her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/julialondon

Reviews

[Fani *loves angst* · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book I read in a row that starts very promising only to ruin everything in less that 80 pages!

Jared and Ava seem to be attracted to each other early on and soon they agree to a marriage of convenience. He, to spur his father who wants to choose a bride for him and she, because she's in desperate need for money. However, little by little their fondness and sexual attraction grows into something more. It was nice to see Ava's attempts to seduce her husband and Jared confused with his feelings towards his wife. But there's also Jared's ex-mistress who continues to pursue him and Ava is not so sure about the 'ex' part anymore.


And suddenly, the whole story comes crushing down, as Ava realizes she loves her husband and demands -yes demands!- from him to love her back or their marriage is over. And when he claims that he's been loyal to her and feels a deep affection for her, it's not enough. She starts mopping and crying and tells him that she's very unhappy because of him. He patiently tells her that they both entered this marriage with very clear goals in mind and while she got hers, he never promised to love her. Isn't his affection enough for her? Stubbornly she claims that it's not and after many days of endless brooding, she tells him she can't be a wife to him anymore since it pains her too much, and moves out. I don't need to mention that she didn't offer him her allowance back, do I?

And poor Jared goes on, trying to sort out his feelings for his wife, which run deep enough after all. At some point he realizes that what he feels for her is love too and it is at the point when he confesses as much to her, that she thinks she might have been hard on him after all.

The book was a solid 4 stars reading until those last 80 pages, where I suddenly felt a strong urge to throw it on the wall, after smacking Ava in the head. How can one person demand someone's love I wonder? As if it's a thing that can be offered at will! And it was not as if he was mean or cruel to her; on the contrary. He did anything he could to show her his affection. But she kept asking him to tell her that he loved her.


I seriously thought of rating it with 2 stars, but in the end, I have to admit that for the most part it was better than that.
What a shame that it had to end this way:(

[Luana ☆ · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a waste of time. I seriously disliked this book. The characters and relationship between the hero and heroine was so undeveloped.

I hate it when it is a marriage of convenience story, where the heroine is in highly need of a husband, and she acts in such an ungrateful way. I could not see how and why she would fall in love with the hero, he was such a weird character, being hot and then cold over and over again, the only thing he did was fight with his father throughout the book.

Putting that aside, I hate it when it is a convenience and one part suddenly wants more from the marriage but does absolutely nothing to aquire it besides fight, fight and seduce. The heroine started acting like a child and having tantrums that she wanted him to love her and love her now. Like some emotions can be acquired with the snap of ones finger. She didn't want to give him time. Not that the hero was a peace of cake.

The writer tried to put his last mistress in middle of his marriage but it just did not work.

This book was a book of nots. It was not romantic, it was not well developed, a silly plot, I didn't sympathize with any character... so, If you read this book, I hope you like it better that I did.

[🐝 Shaz 🐝 · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars 🌟
This was a bit of a disappointment. I normally find JL books okay. Marriage of convenience. Could not take these characters seriously. No chemistry in the relationship for me.

[HR-ML · Rating 2 out of 5]

England 1819. Skipped ahead and back on this one.
2 stars.

Jared was a Marquis w/ Daddy issues. He and Dad had
horrible verbal rows, accomplishing nada. Ava, sister
Phoebe & cous Greer all lived w/ their greedy stepfather
who warned he'd disown them & they'd be homeless.
Or she'd wed the 1st man who asked stepda to marry
her. The 3 needed a plan.

The author described Jared as reckless & "he adored all
women." I'd question the latter b/c he ran hot/ cold with
women & shut-down emotionally or avoided women.
He acted selfish toward Ava before/ after their MOC. 2
women appeared to have an affair with him post-
marriage & he took forever to tell Ava the truth. Ava
blamed herself for his aloofness & rudeness. Ava + Lord
Harrison (Jared's good friend), would have made a better
couple.

Jared- not a hero to me.

[Sonia De la rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

La puntuación en realidad son tres estrellas y media.
Es una novela con una trama típica y bastante previsible, estos dos detalles no tienen que ser negativos.

Un matrimonio de conveniencia entre dos personas que casi no se conocen pero que se sienten muy atraídos. La protagonista, Ava, necesita casarse para impedir que su padrastro la case con el primer hombre que pida su mano. El protagonista, Jared, no se quiere casar pero su padre le presiona para que se case y cumpla con su obligación de engendrar a un heredero. Al verse obligado a ceder a la demanda de su padre decide hacerlo con una mujer por la que pueda sentirse atraído y que sea agradable convivir.

Jared y Ava llegan a un acuerdo, Jared se compromete a proteger y a mantener a la hermana y prima de su futura esposa; y Ava engendrara al futuro heredero. En esa ecuación no hay cabida para el amor. Ava pensaba que podría vivir con esa clase de matrimonio, se ve atrapada por su propia trampa, quiere un mtrimonio de verdad.

Jared no quiere hacer daño a Ava, e intentar hacerla feliz pero no se siente capaz de amar, nunca a amado a nadie, ni siquiera sabe si es capaz de hacerlo. Se siente cada vez más confuso, empieza a sentir cosas que nunca antes había sentido.

Los protagonistas me han gustado, Jared es el típico mujeriego encantador que si pudiera renunciaría a su herencia para poder ser libre. Ava es una mujer que le gusta coquetar (inocentemente) con los caballeros, su madre no tenía prisa para casarla así que podía disfrutar de las temporadas sin sufrir por estar soltera tres años después de hacer su debut. Pero a la muerte de su madre todo cambia y al ser la mayor se siente responsable de encontrar un buen marido que permita a su hermana y prima a no casarse por conveniencia como ella.

Es una novela con diálogos chispeantes que hace que sea una lectura ágil y fácil de leer. Entretenida, romántica y con humor.

[Océano de libros · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tras morir su madre, Ava Fairchild junto a su hermana Phoebe y su prima Greer quedan al amparo de su padrastro, que se desentiende de ellas y de sus dotes. Así que Ava decide poner en marcha su plan y casarse por conveniencia con el marqués de Middleton. Este también tiene su interés en casarse para evitar las exigencias de su padre y en algún modo desafiarlo y Ava parece ser una buena candidata para sus propósitos.

“Los retos de conquistar a un duque” es la reedición de la serie “Las debutantes” de Julia London, anteriormente este primer volumen llevaba por título “Los peligros de perseguir a un duque” a tener en cuenta para no equivocarnos. Aclarado esto tengo que decir que las novelas de esta autora que llevo leídas por el momento o me gustan o no me gustan nada en su mayoría.

En cuanto al estilo de la autora no es de mis favoritos, algo que sí me gusta es alguna que otra descripción de la sociedad y de las costumbres de la época. Con respecto a los diálogos dejan que desear, nada destacable.

Jared Broderick, marqués de Middleton y futuro duque (vamos a dejar respirar al padre, que en el título ya lo han matado) es un hombre despreocupado, pícaro... https://oceanodelibros.blogspot.com/2...

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's possible I'm feeling harsher than usual because I've read a few books by this author in a row and this one is so much worse than the others. Among other things, this story was a classic, painful Quest for the Three Magic Words. (Followers of my reviews know that I have just inserted an eye roll here.) But I think the thing that really took this from meh to active dislike was the heroine, Eva, who I found to be painfully annoying and melodramatic. More than once, I found myself thinking that she needed a life and a purpose outside her marriage, because WOW, her life's happiness is just over if her husband doesn't love her? There are worse things in life than marrying a rich Marquis who has a mistress on the side, even if that had turned out to be true (which of course it wasn't). I wanted to slap her and tell her to go do charity work or a hobby or really just anything to find meaning and a purpose within herself. Romance as a genre may focus on two people finding happiness with one another, but I'm starting to find it hard to believe in that happiness when the characters can't find inner strength first.

[Deborah Sullivan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is evidence I can't begin to trust the reviews on this site. This may be one of the most poorly written books I've ever read. The plot, what there is of it, is all over the place. The author has no feel at all (and apparently has done no research) for the period. No understanding of the social structure or norms. None of manners. Just dreadful. Not sure I'll make it through. Although when I pay for a book, I like to feel I've gotten something out of it.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good. Well written.

[Lidia's Romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm bummed. I found this book disappointing. I've read two other Julia London HR books and I loved those. Not this one. The beginning was slow-crawling, I'm surprised I had the patience for it. Ultimately, it failed to sell me on the romance. I didn't buy it one bit. It was a lackluster romance. I wasn't convinced the hero (Jared) loved the heroine (Ava). Ava wasn't very likable. She was immature and acted quite pathetic at times, practically begging him to love her back. Firstly, they hardly knew one another. Secondly, the marriage was not a love-match, it was a marriage of convenience they both agreed upon. Thirdly, you can't force or pressure someone to love you. I can't deny I felt some empathy towards her, but she also had me shaking my head at her cringeworthy antics. Unfortunately, I didn't think she was charming, not like the heroines in the other two books (especially Abbey from The Devil's Love which I just reread). So why would the H fall madly in love with her right from the beginning? She was a pain in his ass from the moment they got married. Poor guy, I felt more sorry for him than I did her and that rarely happens (I always take the side of the heroine). And one more complaint: the ending was so abrupt, ugh, I hated it.

3 Stars for the angst (low angst, but still appreciated) and I still enjoyed the author's writing, even if the book didn't work for me. 3-Stars sounds fair.

Ages: he's 30; she's 22-23.

[Amarilli 73 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aveva imparato, molto tempo prima, che se uno investiva troppo di sé su un’altra persona, qualcuno o qualcosa avrebbe potuto spazzare via tutto quanto.
Non innamorandosi, ci si poteva preservare.

4,5 - Agrodolce e MOLTO bello.
Si passa dal clima lieve e spensierato di tre debuttanti senza dote, che si ingegnano per continuare a partecipare alla vita mondana e procurarsi un marito, a un matrimonio da arrampicatrice sociale con il quasi duca di turno, sino a scoprire l'infelicità di un matrimonio che si vorrebbe di convenienza.
Ma poi l'amore ci mette lo zampino e pure il duca inarrivabile ha un'anima ed è stato a sua volta bambino.
Adorabile il figlio del guardiacaccia-signore di un maniero diroccato-aspirante cavaliere.
Adorabile Jared, educato secondo tutti i crismi, e non preparato alla vita reale.
Simpatica Ava che si destreggia nel ricordo di una madre che credeva nell'amore come eccezione alla regola.
Non vedo l'ora di leggere di Phoebe e la cugina dispersa: "chi diavolo è il signor Percy?"
Da leggere.

[Yona Ceaser · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

Got bored dnf at 60%

[Romanticamente Fantasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Cassandra Reemes Fairchild Pennebaker, Lady Downey, morì all’improvviso all’età di quarantacinque anni. Anche se ad alcuni poteva sembrare che l’ultimo granello di terra fosse appena stato gettato nella fossa della povera nobildonna quando il marito, Egbert Pennebaker, Visconte Downey, partì per la Francia, in realtà era già passato un mese. Un lungo, interminabile mese durante il quale Egbert aveva sopportato le lacrime delle figlie e della nipote di Cassandra mentre lui era in grande ansia perché colei che era la sua amante da molti anni, Violet, forse si era già trovata un altro benefattore. Lui proprio non poteva saperlo, perché lei stava in Francia. Francamente, Cassandra non avrebbe potuto scegliere un momento meno opportuno per passare a miglior vita. Egbert, che non era mai stato il tipo da prendere parte al turbinio della Stagione, aveva stabilito di partire per la Francia il giorno stesso in cui aveva seppellito la moglie. "
.
Il libro di cui vi parlo oggi è Duchi e imprevisti il primo volume della serie Debuttanti disperate che racconta le vicende delle due sorelle Fairchild e della cugina Greer. Le due sorelle sono figlie di una gentildonna abbiente che le ha viziate ed amate, e che si è presa cura della nipote, ma la sua morte improvvisa le lascia alla mercé del suo secondo marito che non vede nessun motivo per cui si dovrebbe sobbarcare le tre giovani donne, che hanno rifiutato più di un pretendente. Per questo, è deciso a farle sposare nel più breve tempo possibile e per le tre ragazze urge trovare un marito adeguato, per non essere costrette a sposare chi gli impone il tutore.

Quando facciamo la conoscenza di Ava è una giovane Lady spiritosa e amante del flirt, ma la morte della madre cambia tutto. Il suo primo incontro con Jared è stato tutt’altro che consueto, si è infatti ritrovata nella sua carrozza per sbaglio e il bellissimo Marchese le ha rubato qualche attimo di grande passione. Ora però, dopo l’anno di lutto, Ava si trova nella necessità di trovare marito al più presto. Il ricordo del giovane non l’ha mai abbandonata ed è per questo che, quando lo rivede, un ulteriore bacio la fa cadere in disgrazia quindi accetta la sua proposta di matrimonio. Ava lo ammira, si trova bene con lui, e non accetta i consigli della sorella che la invita alla prudenza. Ma una volta che sarà sua moglie, sarà fin troppo facile capire che in realtà non lo conosce affatto. Scopre che Jared è un uomo che rifugge ogni sentimento e che ha un amante che non intende perdere la preda tanto ambita. Ora non le rimangono che due soluzioni, lottare per avere un futuro diverso, o accettare uno dei matrimoni che troppo spesso popolano il ton. Ava, però, non è una che si arrende, armata dei sentimenti che comincia a provare per quell’uomo bellissimo e solo e aiutata da una improbabile cameriera molto esperta, si accinge a prendere d’assedio quel cuore che ha innalzato una muraglia fin dall’infanzia.

Quando Jared le fa la sua proposta Ava sembra capire quale matrimonio l’aspetti, ed è convinta di poterlo sopportare. Eppure basta poco tempo con suo marito, che per altro fa di tutto per starle il più possibile lontano, perché questo non sia più abbastanza. Se in un primo tempo non lesina episodi di collera, a causa del suo bel caratterino, l’arrivo di Sally la sua cameriera, un tempo ex prostituta, le permette di lottare con abili seduzioni che Jared sembra apprezzare moltissimo. Ma una partita di caccia, durante la quale si trova di fronte l’amante del marito, intenzionata a riprenderselo, le fa compiere un errore di valutazione.

Per Jared chiedere la mano di Ava è stato un atto di ribellione verso il padre, il Duca di Redford, un uomo che lo ha sempre fatto sentire incapace e che da tempo gli ha combinato un matrimonio con la figlia del suo migliore amico. Una ragazza bruttina, che ha perfettamente coscienza del suo valore e del suo grande patrimonio, ma che Jared trova insopportabile. Le liti con il padre hanno devastato la sua vita, il suo continuo riferimento ad un erede ed alle sue responsabilità hanno fatto in modo che il divario fra loro sia incolmabile. Jared considera il suo matrimonio con Ava la sua più grande vittoria, fin dai primi giorni di matrimonio sente di provare qualcosa di inaspettato per la giovane che ha sposato, ma è incapace di riconoscere che cosa sia. Confuso e pieno di dubbi, commetterà degli errori che sembrano precludergli la felicità, mentre il suo rapporto conflittuale con il padre avrei preferito avesse una motivazione meglio spiegata.

Su una trama che come si può dedurre non presenta particolari originalità, tranne forse l’incredibile cameriera della Marchesa, che assicuro sarebbe davvero difficile trovare nella casa di un nobile del tempo, si dipana una storia piacevole. I personaggi sono ben caratterizzati e nel prossimo capitolo avremo modo di conoscere meglio Greer, che abbiamo visto partire per la Scozia, nel tentativo di rintracciare uno zio che non ha mai visto ma di cui abbiamo seguito le vicende tramite le sue lettere, che hanno lasciato costernate le due sorelle per la presenza di un Signor Percy, che appare sempre in sua compagnia. Se Greer vuole ritrovare parte della sua famiglia, la sorella di Ava, Phoebe, ha deciso di provvedere a se stessa, mettendosi a cucire abiti meravigliosi che vende sotto falsa identità, rifiutandosi di sottostare ai voleri del patrigno di cui non ha nessun rispetto.

Nonostante una prima parte lentissima, che lo penalizza, è uno storico ben scritto. La storia d’amore fra i due protagonisti regala delle scene passionali intense, anche se naturalmente molto soft, e l’evolversi del loro rapporto alla fin fine convince. Non è indimenticabile, ma regala ore di relax e invoglia a conoscere quale sarà la sorte delle altre due Debuttanti disperate. Carino, anche se l’autrice ha scritto storie sicuramente migliori.
.
Lucia63 - per RFS

[Ange · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seriously, Ms Julia London and I are not exactly getting started on good terms. Second book by her I read, second book that fails to engage me and keep me interested and rooting for the characters all throughout the book.

Ava, the female lead is a sweet character. She's a normal girl of her time and station. She's flirtatious and kind. She's beautiful and cares about her family in every regard. She also is inventive and tries to make the best of the cards life has dealt her.

Jared, however...



*le sigh*

I tried to like him. Deep down he was kinda of a nice guy, and nicer than one would expect with the jerk he had as a father. Nonetheless, there's only so much we can blame our parent's for. Jared was a bit of a jerk and never quite redeemed himself in my eyes.

I'm an easy to please gal. A guy doesn't have to be Prince charming to be able to win me over. Jared annoyed me and made me headdesk so hard I gave myself a headache.



Sure, he was great in bed. But even Ava realized there's more to life than that.



Ava is fully aware what she's getting into when she marries Lord Icicle (as I referred to Jared throughout most of the book.) And boy does she try to get through the impossibly high walls Jared has around his heart but NO, the guy had so many issues not even a saint or a miracle worker could get through to him.

And what frustrated me the most was that in the end it was Ava again who fixed things. It wasn't really Jared who fixed the mess he had created by being stubborn and aloof.

For reals!!!??




So in the end I could not enjoy this romance because the male character was too much of a drama queen and what he did to redeem himself in my eyes was too little too late.

Let's see if book 2 in the series is better.

[Edwina " I LoveBooks" "Deb" · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say she has written another great novel!! Hot and Sensual the way I like them those authors that think you can write romance novels without the spice are wrong. They need to learn from London. She makes reading her novels so fluid and smooth pulling you right into the time period, the places and the people. The beautiful way she describes the love scenes, the beautiful Ball Gowns and the Estates and their Gardens is amazing; she makes you feel like you are their. London has NEVER ( so far) let me down!!!! This is a must read! Very Well Done!!!

[midnightfaerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was fun, but not as good as Amanda Quick, my favorite romance author. The tricking into marriage kind of bothered me and although the characters were fun and likable, I felt they were fillers instead of full rounded characters. I would have liked to dive a bit more into those relationships as well. I'm guessing we'll hear more in future books, as this series of this particular genre often expound on the additional characters in other books, using the previous ones as only an introduction. In any case, I might end up reading the others in this book, not sure yet. Still reading some newer romance authors, hopefully to find ones I like as well as Amanda Quick and read those first.

[Eva García Carrión · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5
Es entretenido, pero los cambios de opinión y de ánimo de los protas le quita realismo a la trama.

[María Alejandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 🌟

[Linathebookaddict · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful! Just my kind of romance . Marriage of convenience at its best! Lots of angst and steam.

[Dea꧂ · Rating 2 out of 5]

1,5
Well, this was disappointing, to put it mildly.
Almost 2 stars rating because I didn't hate it from the bottom of my heart and I found some of the secondary characters tolerable.
I haven't read a good historical romance book for quite some time. The main reason I find them unpleasant are usually the characters.
The same happens with this book. Our hero Jared is an ass and immature one but at least he is consistent in his ass-holery, at least till the last chapter or two where he becomes enlightened.
But in most cases I have a problem with heroines and their behaviour. Ava is a great example of everything that makes me extremely annoyed. She is overly melodramatic and acts like a spoiled brat. It's not that I can't like a heroine that acts silly or is even a little bit TSTL if she acts on it mainly in private. But this one flaunts her stupidity during social gatherings. This historical period was all about outer appearances and your place in society. You can't just act like a spoiled brat that is offended and angry because your husband didn't profess his undying love to you after month or two of marriage and you think that he has a mistress and show all your emotions openly in front of the members of the ton.



That kind of behavior is more appropriate in contemporary romance books where awkward social situations move the plot forward and can be hilarious.
Here, it's just unseemly, unbelievable, infuriating and just plain stupid.
Everything revolved about someone's place in society and you had to act accordingly or you were ostracized and also the main gossip theme. Moreover Jared is the future duke which is even worse.
I now see I started reading this two months ago. That is saying something.
I think I will take a break from historical romances set in this time period because they lately irritate me so and I don't even know what I wrote here. I will just stop and continue with other books from my currently reading shelf.

[Gemma G. Gegargas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me faltó algo. Ese puede ser mi resumen sobre esta lectura.

El libro está bien escrito pero me faltó algo en la trama. Quizás fue la forma de redactar, que me resultó tan a falta de calidez como la relación inicial de los personajes. Es un libro corto y fácil de leer.

En cuanto a los personajes, Ava me pareció que perdía a medida que avanzaba la lectura. Me gustaba como era el personaje inicialmente. Jared no llego a conquistarme.

Recomendaría este libro? Como libro de transición puede que si.

[Julianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed for THC Reviews
"3.5 stars" The Hazards of Hunting a Duke is the first book of Julia London’s Desperate Debutantes series. After the untimely death of her mother, Ava’s stepfather cuts off her entire allowance, including for servants, and has vowed to see her married to any eligible suitor who comes along as soon as he returns from a trip to Paris. Likewise, Jared’s father is pressuring him to marry and insists it must be the one woman who bores him to tears. Ava and Jared had met a year earlier when she mistook his carriage for her that of her chaperone’s, which led to a searing stolen kiss. For Jared, Ava is not only beautiful but someone who would likely never bore him, and she views him as someone who’s not only attractive, but a man who could provide for her sister and cousin so they don’t have to feel pressured into marrying any old yahoo who comes along. The pair make their bargain and enter into a hasty wedding so that their parents can’t stop them. However, an unexpectedly passionate and enjoyable wedding night stirs unfamiliar feelings in both of them. Jared finds himself conflicted and reluctant to give his heart to anyone, while Ava pretty quickly realizes she’s fallen in love. When Ava intercepts some love letters to Jared from his mistress, she believes he’s still seeing the other woman and can’t bear the thought, so with the help of her lady’s maid, she sets about trying to woo her new husband. But when Jared continues to hold himself at arm’s length and rumors of the mistress still persist, it may spell the end of their marriage before it’s really gotten a chance to get started.

Ava’s mother had always indulged her desire to wait for the right man to come along, and as a result, she’s nearly on the shelf. When her mother dies unexpectedly, her stepfather takes her mother’s fortune and hares off to Paris, basically leaving Ava, her sister, Phoebe, and cousin Greer destitute. The three get by on Phoebe’s seamstress skills, which not only provides them with fresh new-looking dresses but also earns a bit of coin, and also persuading people from the workhouse to act as servants in exchange for nothing but a roof over their heads and meals. Ava’s stepfather has also vowed to see the lot of them married as soon as he gets back, so Ava puts a plan into motion to find a man she can live with before he returns. The man she sets her sights on is none other than Jared, the Marquis of Middleton, who will one day become a duke. The two are definitely attracted to one another and get on well enough, so when Jared proposes, Ava eagerly accepts. She thinks it’s only going to be a marriage of convenience, but their passionate wedding night stirs her emotions until she soon realizes she’s fallen in love with her new husband. However, between the love letters that arrive from Jared’s mistress and London gossip, Ava believes that he’s still pursuing the other woman, something that Ava finds she cannot abide. At first, she sets about trying to seduce him so that he won’t want to be in any one else’s bed, but when he still can’t seem to give her his heart, she feels defeated.

Initially I rather admired Ava for getting by on her ingenuity when her stepfather cut off their funds and for falling on the proverbial sword, willingly entering into a marriage of convenience to save her sister and cousin from the same fate. However, as the story progressed I became a little annoyed with her. As Jared keeps reminding her, she knew what she was getting into and agreed before they wed. While I understand that her feelings changed and she couldn’t help falling in love with him, I felt like she was going about winning Jared’s heart all wrong. First she engages in seduction, which in some ways was fun and steamy, but in other ways, felt more like a game. She doesn’t really communicate her feelings until late in the story, and although I understood her being hurt when Jared seemingly couldn’t return them, she then turns rather sulky. I couldn’t help feeling like she was practically badgering Jared into loving her, and when he needs more time, she just simply leaves him. Even when he comes to make peace with her and finally tell her he loves her, she won’t hear him out and just yells at him. I don’t want to make it sound like she’s all bad or anything, because there was a lot of evidence pointing to the idea that Jared was still seeing his mistress, something that I wouldn’t have been able to handle either. But I just felt like Ava could have dealt with it in a different way that didn’t lead to so much arguing and conflict.

Jared’s father is a stubborn, difficult man, who like Ava’s stepfather is pressuring him to marry. His father has chosen a woman who Jared finds unattractive and boring, so he’s mostly just ignoring the man’s demands until it turns into an ultimatum involving a bit of blackmail. He’d never really forgotten the kiss with Ava, so after seeing her a few more times and sharing a few more passionate interludes, he proposes. However, he plans to simply impregnate her with an heir and then return to his life as normal. After their steamy wedding night, though, unfamiliar feelings begin to prick his cold heart. He tries to ignore them, but they persist, leaving him conflicted. He’d never planned to give his heart to anyone, but Ava turns out to be the one person who just might be worth the risk. But when she begins to argue with him about it and then leaves him, he worries it may be too late to win her back. I couldn’t help feeling that Jared’s characterization was a bit uneven. He begins the story as a magnetic, devil-may-care rake who never has a shortage of female attention and who wins Ava with his seductive charm. Then after they marry and he starts to have feelings for her, he turns brooding. The way he’s always riding hell-for-leather and fighting his emotions, I thought for certain we’d learn of something dark in his past, such as a woman who spurned him or someone he’d loved deeply who died, but nothing of that nature really surfaces. As it turns out there was one person in his past who he seems to have cared for, but he then questions whether it was actually love. So I never fully understood why he was so reluctant to give in to his feelings for Ava. Even he seems confused as to why, which didn’t really work for me. I just saw a missed opportunity to deepen Jared’s characterization that didn’t materialize.

Upon finishing The Hazards of Hunting a Duke, I was conflicted on how to rate it. Overall, I still generally liked the book, but after thinking about it for a while, I decided that it just had too many weaknesses to warrant a four-star rating, so I dropped it to 3.5. In addition to the issues I had with the characterizations, I thought the plot didn’t entirely flow well either. The story begins with two strangers getting to know each other a little and sharing a few steamy kisses that leads to a marriage of convenience for them both, but after that magical wedding night, everything changes. It’s almost like Jared and Ava become two different people. At first, I thought it was going to become about her trying to seduce him into leaving his mistress. (For those who might be concerned, he isn’t actually cheating on her.) Then I thought we were going to learn something profound about Jared. There were bits and pieces of each of these things, but ultimately it just devolved into them arguing all the time, her turning a bit shrewish, and them eventually separating. After things getting so bad between them, I thought there would be a spectacular reunion with lots of groveling and apologies on both sides, but that didn’t really happen either. So I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed in the trajectory of the story. All’s well that ends well, though, and I did feel like they’d—hopefully—put their differences to rest once and for all, so it wasn’t a bad ending per se. Another small quibble I had with it, though, is the author's use of marquis for Jared’s title, which is the French spelling. She really should have used the anglicized version of marquess, which would have been a super-basic thing to discover through research. This was my first read by Julia London, and although she might not have wowed me with this initial foray into her work, it was good enough to leave me open to continuing the series. From what I saw of them, I liked Ava’s cousin, Greer, and sister, Phoebe, who become the heroines of the next two books, which makes me interested in seeing what’s in store for them.

[Kimberly Carrington-Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nuestras reseñas del #RitaJulita en A la cama con... un libro

No es maravilloso, no es horrible y no tiene nada.

[Anne Patkau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Handsome rake 1819 English Lord Jared, 30, harassed by his stern father to produce an heir, meets Ava, eldest of the beautiful bright brave Fairchild girls, suddenly at the mercy of a selfish stepfather. The flirting fun start is my favorite part. I basked in descriptions of her loving childhood and aristocratic luxury. Explicit bedroom scenes and a couple unhappy when lust becomes "love" {years of this genre have not quenched my real-life cynicism, but I prefer hope to despair and continue} are predictable preludes for the traditional romance ending [pregnancy and reconciliation all around].

5* for first of outstanding series. We meet the attractive good mates for the next two books in the trilogy. Humor, defined characters, and lavish surroundings entangle me to follow their fates: artistic dressmaker Phoebe, adventurous Welsh Greer, and rich prospects ahead.

[Celina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love a good "love at first sight" moment but this book didn't have it. In fact, there was a year that passed before they got together again.

Middleton is so one-tracked minded that it annoyed me and of course I still end up loving him. Although, I don't have a care for the ending that much. There's not really that big conflict (well, there was but it was just a big fight) or climax in the story that made it more entertaining.

I love Ava's character though. She was a drama queen but I blame the pregnancy.

I'm looking forward to Harrison and Stanhope's books because I couldn't really grasp their characters except for Harrison being so friendly and Stanhope being cool.

[MaymayintheKitchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice & easy read. This is my first Julia London book, and I like the way she writes historical romance (but I still like Julia Quinn's style better...). I think the feelings & portrayals of Jared&Ava were very realistic and that's one of the reasons I liked this book.

The characters development was quite interesting. Especially, seeing Jared mature and grow to love someone :)

On to the sequel now !

[Leandra Azer · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to describe this book? It's a sweet romance and it's got all the tropes turned on its heel. Desperate heroine who must marry to save her family? Check- except she's not quite destitute, she's beautiful and the match she's escaping is to a very nice - if large and bald- man.

Hero who loathes his father and wants to punish him? Check - only he wants an heir quickly to get him off his back and his father is a 3 dimensional conflicted character not a villian.

Hero had beautiful experienced widow as his mistress? Check - only he actually honors his mother's memory and believes in fidelity to his marriage.

The first half is the courtship which was light and sweet and sexy. Second half was their marriage which got a little sad and angsty near the end, but it was such a fun read. Overall I liked the heroine, her honesty and plot machinations, her harlot maid she takes advice from, and her lack of giving a damn what people think of her. Hero redeems himself by the end but I never really understood why he was so scared of love.

PS: The stepfather keeping her dowry irritated me- doesn't matter how rich she is now she has a legal right to that money!

PPS: I felt very bad for Lady Elizabeth and would love to read a book about her. The scene when he's dancing with her but flirting with the heroine made me feel for her.

[Debby *BabyDee* · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy Julia London's novels and as this is an earlier edition of her works, I decided to take a chance on listening to this story. No, it is not a great story but good. Do I like the characters...I thought they were passable for cliched writing. For the most part, I rated this the way I did because of the narration. I think Anne Flosnik, one of my favorite narrators did a wonderful job of narrating this story and which continued me to finish it out. Contrary to the reviews that I've read, I pretty much thought it was enjoyable for an audiobook read.

[Arlenis Ralfsdóttir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bueno debo admitir que fue entretenido y divertido hasta cierto punto, la verdad hubo situaciones que realmente me divirtieron pero ya despues de la mitad me empezaron a sacar de quicio ambos.

[bookedforromance · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.9 stars Reminds me of the Bridgerton. If you like Bridgerton you will enjoy this. Happy Reading!!!