|
The Duke Next Door (Heiress Brides)
|
| Price: | $6.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details |
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com
320 new or used available from $0.01
Average customer review:
Product Description
The dangerously beautiful Deirdre Cantor is determined to inherit her grandfather’s vast fortune. All she needs is to marry a duke…and be the first granddaughter to walk down the aisle. After all, she has always dreamed of becoming a member of the haute ton. So when the proper Calder Marbrook, the Marquis of Brookhaven and future Duke of Brookmoor, is abandoned at the altar, Deirdre makes it her business to become his wife—in spite of the whispers about his past.
Soon Deirdre’s visions of a lavish existence with the handsome Calder are shattered when she learns his shocking secret. Feeling betrayed, Deirdre seeks revenge by playing a perilous and seductive game of cat and mouse with her husband that threatens to drive them both to the heights of passion. She will not surrender to him, no matter how great her desire. But at what cost? Calder is determined to keep his secret under lock and key—and to make his stunning wife his in every way that matters. Even if it means winning her heart all over again…
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #232972 in Books
- Published on: 2008-04-01
- Released on: 2008-04-01
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Mass Market Paperback
- 352 pages
Features
- ISBN13: 9780312939694
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
- Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Bradley tells an involved, sexy story. If you haven’t yet read a Bradley novel, let yourself be seduced by the mistress of the genre!”—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
From the Back Cover
A stunning new novel about a woman looking for love and nobility from the USA Today bestselling author of Desperately Seeking a Duke
A MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE
The dangerously beautiful Deirdre Cantor is determined to inherit her grandfather’s vast fortune. All she needs is to marry a duke…and be the first granddaughter to walk down the aisle. After all, she has always dreamed of becoming a member of the haute ton. So when the proper Calder Marbrook, the Marquis of Brookhaven and future Duke of Brookmoor, is abandoned at the altar, Deirdre makes it her business to become his wife—in spite of the whispers about his past.
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH…
Soon Deirdre’s visions of a lavish existence with the handsome Calder are shattered when she learns his shocking secret. Feeling betrayed, Deirdre seeks revenge by playing a perilous and seductive game of cat and mouse with her husband that threatens to drive them both to the heights of passion. She will not surrender to him, no matter how great her desire. But at what cost? Calder is determined to keep his secret under lock and key—and to make his stunning wife his in every way that matters. Even if it means winning her heart all over again…
“Bradley tells an involved, sexy story. If you haven’t yet read a Bradley novel, let yourself be seduced by the mistress of the genre!”—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
About the Author
CELESTE BRADLEY is the bestselling author of The Liar’s Club series, which includes, The Pretender, The Impostor, The Spy, and The Rogue and The Royal Four series which includes To Wed a Scandalous Spy, Surrender to a Wicked Spy, and One Night with a Spy. She is the author of Fallen, which was nominated for a RITA in 2002. According to Bradley, the best thing about writing is that she finally gets to use the brain full of trivia she’s collected over a lifetime of living in eight states, residing in over twenty homes, and changing her major five times. “It was research for my writing career! That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!” For now, she lives in northern California with her journalist husband, her two divas-in-training, and the smartest dog in the world.
You can visit her Web site at: HYPERLINK www.celestebradley.com.
Customer Reviews
forgettable
I read this book last weekend and I actually had to go back and check facts because this book was so very forgettable. My first quibble was that it was fairly boring. Dee is determined to get back at her husband for keeping a big secret from her, but her scenes of revenge get old very quickly. Just when it looked like something was going to happen romance wise, she would get mad at him and huff off. This behavior was very tiresome and I had a hard time finishing this book.
There are very few love scenes in this book and that is a problem. In a good book, well written sexual tension can keep a book rolling along without a lot of romantic action, but this book wasn't that. It became downright plodding after a while. The characters were sort of wooden, especially Calder, and I found Dee wearing on my nerves. There are too many good books out there to waste my time on frustrating books like this one.
I usually like Celeste Bradley but this series hasn't been a good one for me so far.
It's okay...
I am giving this novel three stars based on that guide that we get from Amazon. Like my title says, this book was ..okay.
The first book in the series, shows the multi faceted Diedre. First we see her cold and calculating like her step mama Lady Tessa, then as the book goes on, we see that she has her own agenda, and is not the spoiled princess that she appears to be.
The Duke Next Door, now gives us the full picture of her character and her finding love. Except I don't think she got it with Calder. Now hear me out- Diedre was a wonderfully written character. Her sailor mouth and conspiracies with Calder's daughter (Lady Margeret)were hilarious and poignant. And the revalations we get about her childhood with Lady Tessa certainly added depth. I was very happy when Lady Tessa gets her setdown to the end!
Now why do I say this book is okay? I feel the bond between Dee and Lady Margaret, but her relationship with Calder left me underwhelmed.
(Please Celeste fans, don't stone me with unhelpfuls!)
Calder is your typical aristocrat of the dense variety. It didn't strike him as rather rude that his bride found out about his daughter after they got married and he bungles all of his initial interactions with her. Deidre's response is to wage a 'war' on to make him realise that she and Lady Margeret want to be in life (actively).
His response to this 'assault'and their subsequent interactions make up the latter part of the book. I'm trying not give away plot details, however Calder continues on in his aloof denseness, still comparing Dee's actions to that of his late wife. This all climaxes with a very dangerous situation, and thankfully we see Calder shedding his hauter and rather self righteous attitude and fighting for his wife. Quite literally in fact.
The main reason I am not raving about this book like I have every other CB novel, is how the conflict and tension was built. Both Rafe and Dee have pre conceived notions of marraige, and were aware of their short comings yet there wasn't any communication of the kind till it was way too late. Also the situation that Dee got into with Baskin, and Calder's handling of it left a bad taste for him. (And by situation I mean, the attemmpted rape where dense Calder thinks it was consensual, and then Dee's kidnapping where he thinks she may have run away with him.)
All in all, it was great follow up in the Heiress series and I will recommend it for backstory purposes.
Now we're waiting for Sophie's story ...
Unlikeable hero, forced attraction/laughs
I could tell that CB is a good writer, but this was not a great book. The main problem was the hero. He was wooden, dull and unlikeable. It seemed the heroine fell in love with him at sight as a teenager and then never grew out of her infatuation. She certainly wouldn't fall in love with him for any of his actions.
The best chemistry was between the heroine and the step-daughter. There were many laughs in the book, but they all felt forced rather than organic. (such as the adventures at the climax of the book - at the tavern and on the road) I could tell the writer was saying, "hmmm. let's make them laugh here. that's rather cute or funny."
I'm going to try to give some of her other books a try. This was a fun, mindless read but nothing great.
