Sunday 11 November 2007

"The Taming of the Duke" by Eloisa James

The Taming of the Duke by Eloisa James 2006

"The Taming of the Duke" is the third installation in the Essex sisters series. It concerns Imogen, the third sister, who so far in the series has eloped, been widowed, and caused a great deal of trouble. This story begins when Rafe's illegitimate brother, Gabriel, shows up to ask Rafe for a favor. Apparently a brief love affair between Gabriel and an actress resulted in a child being born, and the ruination of the actress's career. Gabe wants Rafe to hold a play for him where she can have the lead as a way of setting things straight between them. Imogen conceives a fancy for Gabe, and propositions him. Backed into a corner, Gabe agrees to go, but then goes to Rafe behind her back and tells him that he'd better cover for him, because he's not going to do it - he doesn't feel that way about Imogen and he doesn't want to have an affair with her. So Rafe, who has hid feelings for Imogen for some time, engages in an elaborate masquerade with Imogen who believes that he's Gabe.

This is a sweet book. Rafe's struggles with his alcoholism, Imogen's insecurities about her desirability (due to her first marriage), and Rafe's complete lack of confidence in himself combine to make an adorable love story. On the downside, The masquerade is a little bit unbelievable (they aren't twins, after all, just brothers). But the biggest issue for me in this book is the secondary love story which is, for the most part, in the way. I really don't care about Gabe or Gillian Pythian-Adams. I really don't care what happens to them. I want to know what happens with Rafe and Imogen, and whenever I'd reach one of the chapters with the long and drawn-out secondary love story, I read it as fast as possible to get back to Rafe and Imogen. The second read through, I skipped them completely. It seems in a lot of her books that Eloisa James finds it necessary to make sure that everyone has a happy ending - not just the main characters. This can become tedious - and does very much so in this book.

Rating:

Family-Friendly Rating:

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RATING RUBRICS

OVERALL RATING

(or less)
Seriously. Don't waste your time. The author could spell and put together a sentence, but not a whole lot else.

This book might be worth reading, but it had some major flaws. Perhaps there were a lot of anachronisms, or plot elements that were not resolved. Perhaps the heroes were one-dimensional. Perhaps the love story was not believable. Perhaps the writing style left a great deal to be desired. Perhaps the plot was so complex that you got laden down with it about halfway through. These books are worth reading if you're really, really bored, but I wouldn't buy them at full-price.

This is a good book. There is a strong story line, the book is well written, and there aren't too many anachronisms. Still, there is something missing. Perhaps there are holes in the story. Perhaps one of the heroes is insanely annoying. Perhaps there are unrealistic elements in the plot. All in all, worth reading, and perhaps even buying, but there are better ones to be had.

This is an excellent book. Strong characters, good reader connection. The book is well written, interesting, and stays true to the time period. The heroes are engaging and three-dimensional. These books are worth having on your shelf.

These are books that are phenomenal, above and beyond the call of duty. They have everything that exists in a four-star rating, plus that extra little something that just throws them over the top. These books are worth having in hard-cover.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING

(or below)
There is very little to no sex in this book. What little that exists is not the least bit graphic. There is very little, if any, innuendo.

There is a small amount of sex in this book (one or two scenes). The scenes are loving and not incredibly graphic.

There is a moderate amount of sex and innuendo in this book. It is moderately graphic, but consensual and not violent.

There is a lot of sex and innuendo in this book. The sex is quite graphic, but not violent. The innuendo is quite coarse and descriptive.

This book is inappropriate for children. There is a good deal of graphic sex, some of which may be violent or non-consensual. The innuendo is very coarse and descriptive, and found quite frequently. The sex is the over-riding purpose of this book.

Historical Romance Novel Reviews

Sunday 11 November 2007

"The Taming of the Duke" by Eloisa James

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