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Dueling Pistols #3

The Wedding Runaway

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Only one man could capture her...

A Daring Deception

Boston heiress Lydia Hamilton is betrothed at last—and soon betrayed when she finds that her fiancé cares more for her family's fortune than her love. Disguised as a young man, she flees to England, employing her skill at cards in London's most elegant gambling clubs. But when the brash newcomer wins too much and too often, Victor Bartlett, the Earl of Wedmont, intervenes. To conceal her identity, Lydia has no choice but to accept his challenge: a duel at dawn.

A Dangerous Discovery

The dashing earl only meant to teach "Leonard" a lesson—and he certainly intended to miss. But when the cursed pistols misfire, Victor is aghast to discover that his wounded foe is female, and that Lydia's overprotective older brothers and irate fiancé are scouring London for her. Lydia begs him to hide her until she is healed and Victor, as a gentleman, must agree. He is willing to risk everything to help so lovely a lady...even his heart.

350 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 2005

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139 people want to read

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5 stars
31 (20%)
4 stars
49 (32%)
3 stars
48 (31%)
2 stars
17 (11%)
1 star
6 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Katrina Passick Lumsden.
1,782 reviews12.9k followers
May 22, 2013
"Why am I attracted to a boy?!"

"I really am depraved and evil!"

"Oh, she's not a boy at all! I guess it's OK to be attracted now."

"But I'm still depraved and evil!"

"I destroy everything I touch!"

"I want her!"

"I can't have her!"

"I want you, Lydia!" *Lick*Fondle*Gyrate*

"NO! I can't have you!"

*Kiss*Slurp*

"Seriously, stay away from me!"

"I can't let her go!"

"Sending her away from my evilness is for the best!"

"Don't leave me, Julia!"

"No! Go, my sweet, you will be better off!"

"I love you! I realized too late!"

"NOOOO!!!...I don't even know why I'm upset anymore."

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Your hero, ladies and gentlemen.

Profile Image for Cynthia Houser.
1,609 reviews9 followers
July 25, 2017
Runaway

I enjoyed this book too. This a great series with funny and loving characters. I loved reading Victor' s story ,who was very outspoken, kind and compassionate.
Profile Image for Angela.
569 reviews
April 19, 2020
3.5 stars

I do enjoy but some I didn't like. Good writing and easy to understand. I haven't read any series. This is the only one I wanted to read, I was interested in brass women dressed as a man, act as a man and take the ton. But in this one, it was okay. Just didn't like when she's blurry teary eyes.

I don't like it when Vincent went looking to Amelia for "to slake his thirst" while He's thinking of Lydia. Gross! I feel sorry for Amelia. Shes been throwing herself at him.

I don't like when other couples insert in with main couples story. I'm glad good guy, Trevor finally have the love of his life Helena wedded.
~Trevor♥️Helena~

He met her gaze with his own intensity, then he dropped to one knee, gathered her hands in his and said, "Lydia, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife, of sharing this home with me? I have done much to hurt you and I fear I may yet cause you more pain, but I love you and I cannot live without you. I was a fool to ever believe I could."

Yea You, Vincent is a fool! Wanting her, kissing her, longing her, hurting her, runied her, hurt her again then in the end damn to all, and now you're in love with her? Finally made up your mind. Sheesh.

((Why do Lydia stayed around til he man up?))

I liked Lydia boldness and her adventure as inpendent but I didn't like the way she coward when scare or be distress, making her feminine when she's been acting as a man... Kinda throw me off a bit.

~Vincent♥️Lydia~

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
5 reviews
December 22, 2022
story

I think what is missing what happened to some of the characters in the story…..something was missing….ex fiancé, Lady Helena parents?
Profile Image for Janell Sutherland.
200 reviews14 followers
July 27, 2012
The premise of this book was catchy - she masquerades as a boy to earn a living gambling in London after running away from her wedding in Boston. He becomes sort of a mentor, they get along well, but if only he could stop having these unnatural feelings towards a boy! Maybe he is completely evil and depraved!

This review is slightly spoilerish, but only if you can't figure out exactly how the book will end.

At last he finds out she's a woman! Hurray, he wasn't attracted to a boy! But he still beats himself up for being some form of evil and undeserving of happiness. And then it gets worse. Not that anything happens, but because nothing happens. He wants her, she wants him, she's willing and able, he keeps making out with her and then running away. So much self-flagellation! Maybe the first two times were okay, maybe even three. But I can't even count how many times he tried to push her away, then showed up again to show her how much he wants her, then tells her he's no good for her and runs away again, but not before "laving her nipples." I know it's a standard plot device, but it went on so many times that he really just needed a kick in the head.

Also, it took up a lot of the book, leaving very little time at the end for him to have a great revelation. His revelation wasn't well-written, either, I couldn't pinpoint a certain instance when he changed his mind, we just catch up to him later and he's realized that of course he's been an idiot. Well. We already knew that.

Another minor complaint is the style - the author would switch from one story to another. She would leave a cliffhanger situation, but then when she returned to those characters, they were already past it. They might think about what happened in flashback, but I didn't like being taken out of the action and never returned.

Finally, this book is the last of a series. I thought it was the first book, so I was confused and annoyed when so much attention was paid to tertiary characters and mystical cursed pistols. Then I realized that I should have read all the other books. Oops, totally my bad. So, this book doesn't stand alone very well. I'm not going back to the other books because from what I could gather each couple had similar misunderstandings and cat and mouse games that went on for an entire book. And I've seen how they all end.
1,271 reviews2 followers
September 27, 2014
Same book as the one by Karen L King. Apparently she uses two names. Want to read how this series got started. They keep referring to the duel that Victor and Keene (not sure on his spelling) fought. And Tony getting shot by these cursed pistols. Love that they don't decode the rest of the curse til the last page of the book.
Leonard, Lenny, Lydia, Lyddie - all one and the same.
Victor- very stubborn, got a lot of baggage, but seems to take things on himself that are no way his fault.
Trevor - stubborn but very "American" at least to Helena
Helena - uppity English aristocrat...not so uppity when it all comes down to it.
Profile Image for Suri.
218 reviews4 followers
January 30, 2013
I was in the mood to read about a heroine masquerading as a boy so this one I got interested in after reading the synopsis. It started good but then it became predictable starting with the reveal of her sex. And then things became dizzying and the writer added unnecessary secondary story plots. Argh! One moment you're reading about the main couple, next paragraph it's about the brother and this Helena.
Plus there are a couple of women in the story that are associated with the hero who btw are disgustingly connected to him one way or another.
Profile Image for Melissa.
312 reviews30 followers
January 3, 2013
It was really just okay, though the secondary romance was a little better to me than the primary. I thought Lady Helena was a bit more well-defined, though her past with Trevor wasn't very fleshed out. The lead, Lydia, never actually tells Victor why she didn't want to marry Oscar (the comment about her being mannish--it's a point of inferiority for her throughout the book so to never address it with the hero seemed unfinished). Madison's best work is still Tainted by Temptation.
Profile Image for Billie Jo.
213 reviews1 follower
May 24, 2012
The book is ok and worth it for only $2.99. It had 4 stars but I really think that's pushing it a bit when compared to authors such as Julia Quinn, Cheryl Holt, Shana Gallen and Elizabeth Holt. I like to give new authors a try when waiting on new releases. I liked the first part but as it went on, I've lost a bit of interest at page 692 on my Nook. I hope to return to it and finish it later.
Profile Image for Frances.
1,704 reviews6 followers
November 11, 2010
I reread this and upped it to a three, I am not sure if it is a three, but I have read so many ones and minus ones lately, this one read better the second time around.
Profile Image for Tina Kennedy.
106 reviews
July 24, 2011
This book was horrible. If you are looking for an accurate historical romance put this down and find something else.
14 reviews1 follower
June 10, 2012
A friend told me I should read this book, because it was like mine. I was relieved to read it and find out it really wasn't like mine at all. It was cute though.
Profile Image for RomLibrary.
5,789 reviews
historical
January 4, 2019
Boston heiress Lydia Hamilton overhears her fiancé’s scheme to wrest control of the family business by wedding her. Refusing to be any man’s pawn, she runs away to England. A lone woman would stand out, but masquerading as a young man named Leonard, she can have the adventure of her life and support herself with gambling.

Victor Bartlett, the Earl of Wedmont, has sworn off marriage, but he didn’t think he’s sworn off women. When he rescues a brash American gambler, who has won too much and too often, Victor finds his feelings for the youth unsettling. To scare the runaway back to America, he challenges Leonard to a duel with notoriously inaccurate and cursed pistols.

But the pistols have away of changing everything, and Leonard is wounded. Victor didn’t mean to shoot the boy at all, but when he discovers Leonard is a girl what can he do, but take her home to heal? But who will heal whom .
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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