Historical Friday: Unlaced / Duchess of Love

All Lucy Abbington wants is to get through her first London season without losing sight of her true ambition—gaining some informal training in veterinary arts so that she can retire peacefully to the countryside with her beloved horses. Instead, she’s caught up in a whirlwind of balls, marriage proposals, and ton intrigues. Worse, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to her sponsors’ maddening neighbor, Henry Ashton, the Marquess of Mandeville. The handsome, arrogant, sometimes infuriating Mandeville stokes a passionate fire within her that won’t be denied, no matter the consequence.

Deep, emotional scars secretly plague Henry, Lord Mandeville. As a result, he’s avoided romantic entanglements at all costs. Only, now he needs a wife—someone from a wealthy, powerful family to further his political aspirations. Instead, he finds himself all but obsessed with the beautiful but unconventional Lucy Abbington—a woman whose passions and wit stir desires he’d rather ignore. And yet…she might just be the one woman who can heal his wounded heart.

Lucy and Henry’s heads say no, but their hearts say yes. Will they find themselves undone by love? 

My thoughts:

Lucy was different, but a woman of her time..no. Did I believe her family and friends would let her be like that, eh, not really. She dressed in pants, rode like a man, rushed to care for animals. Maybe if we had take 1 of 3 it would have been better ;)

Still, kudos to her for being all, I shall be a vet! And stupid men for not letting her be one.

Right so first we have her struggle to educate herself. Then we have bitches talking behind her back about how strange she is. Oh the pox on you bitches!

Then we have the romance part. The family she is staying with has a mysterious neighbor. Hello love interest. Aye, poor Henry hates his mum, his fiancee left him. He has issues. He wants a woman of the ton, and one with money and connections. Oh no, see, Lucy has none of that. And Henry is a bit of an asshole about the whole thing. Men, aholes.

Conclusion:

They meet, they dance around, people are mean and they live happily ever after. I enjoyed it

Cover

eh

Kindle Edition, 261 pages
Published May 12th 2014 (first published 2004)
Undone by Love #1, Ashton/Rosemoor #1
Historical romance
Own

The day was as hot as the pond was inviting. It’s not as if anyone in Little Huffington was going to happen upon a secluded vale on the Duke of Greycliffe’s lands. And Venus Collingswood didn’t want to get her shift all wet. It was the perfect setting in which to plan her lovely bookworm of a sister’s betrothal to the mysterious new duke arriving seven days hence. If only she had a suitable accomplice…

Andrew Valentine, Duke of Greycliffe, never thought arriving at his own household a week early would cause so much trouble. The housekeeper thinks he’s his own cousin. Actually, the chance to not be the duke for a while is a pleasant opportunity indeed. It might even help him interrogate the delectable little nymph he’s discovered swimming in his pond—if he can manage to get a word in edgewise…

My thoughts:

Venus is the daughter of the local priest, and her entire family are bookworms. A Duke is coming to town. Let the drama and laughs begin.

Venus was fun and carefree. Andrew, the Duke, just wants to be liked for the person he is, and not for the Duke he is. They meet, he likes her, she starts to like him. Her sister meets his cousin. Stupid bimbos show up (Oh pestilence upon ye!).

And they all live happily ever after. It was a cute novella. I'd read more.

Cover

Cute

Kindle Edition, 106 pages
Published April 24th 2012 by Zebra
Duchess of Love 0.5
Historical romance
Own