The Fairest of Them All
Marrying the Duke
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- £1.99
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- £1.99
Publisher Description
In New York Times bestselling author Cathy Maxwell’s glittering new series, wedding bells are ringing…but which Whitridge twin is the right groom?
The penniless orphan of a disreputable earl, Lady Charlene Blanchard thrives on the adventure of picking the pockets of unsavory gentlemen to survive. But due to her extraordinary beauty and prized bloodlines, she is hand-chosen as a potential bride for the Duke of Baynton, who is on the hunt for a suitable wife to provide heirs. All Char has to do is act the part she was born to play and charm a duke she’s never laid eyes on into proposing. Except the duke turns out to be the tall, dark and sexy stranger who just caught her red-handed as a thief!
Or is he? Jack Whitridge is the duke’s twin who had “gone missing” over ten years ago. Now back in England, he knows that the supposed Lady who has his brother’s love is hardly duchess material—except he needs her to save his adopted country from war. He is willing to bargain with her heart, until he finds himself falling for Char . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Maxwell's second Marrying the Duke Regency (after Match of the Century) is well written, with sharp historical accuracy and a slightly feminist bent. Beautiful Charlene is a penniless orphan, with only her family's good name to attract potential suitors. She's the ward of her actress aunt, and she enjoys their female-only household, but financial pressures require her to seek a wealthy husband. Enter Jack Whitridge, who manages to cross Charlene's path in the most hilarious way. Seventeen years before, Jack abruptly left England, telling no one that he was leaving or where he was going. Now he returns to London to beg his twin brother, the Duke of Baynton, to support the fledgling nation of America, and he has no time for women but coincidentally, he shows up on the night of the ball that's intended to find the duke a wife. Readers are transported back to the time of grand balls and Gretna Green, and the romance is tinged with the faintest whiff of wartime gunpowder. Smart dialogue, a strong plot, and simmering politics make for a delicious read.
