Ava Fairchild and the Marquis of Middleton, Jared Broderick's book
The Hazards of Hunting a Duke
by Julie London
Book Blurb:
When the young ladies of the Fairchild family learn that their stepfather has absconded with their late mother's fortune, Ava, the eldest, hunts down the notoriously wealthy rakehell Jared Broderick, the Marquis of Middleton and heir to a dukedom. Much to her shock and delight, the marquis sweeps her into a whirlwind romance and proposes marriage. But after their passionate wedding night, Ava discovers Jared has ulterior motives of his own. Not only does he expect her to deliver an heir while he continues to enjoy a rogue's life, but Ava also suspects she is a pawn in her husband's quest for revenge. Marriages of convenience work for some, but for Ava a loveless bond won't do. So she devises a bold plan to confront her husband's demons so that he might be free to choose to give her his heart for the right reason: because she is the only woman he will ever truly desire.
Did you notice the title of the book? It's called The Hazards of Hunting a Duke, yet the male protagonist was a Duke's son, a Marquis named, Jared. I thought that was very odd. Why title a book about a Duke when the character wasn't a Duke???
Anyhow moving on...that was not my only issue with The Hazards of Hunting a Duke. I felt all over the place in this book. There was also a lack of originality missing from the story.
Normally I love a story where the protagonists gets married near the beginning or in the middle of a book as The Hazards of Hunting a Duke did. They are my favourite coupling stories by a long shot. Especially in historicals because I love reading about why they married and the various circumstances that lead to an early wedlock. I also love to read about the couple falling in love with each other as they start out their married lives. But The Hazards of Hunting a Duke put me off just a bit. There were a few story plots thrown in the story that I thought were unnecessary as it didn't really provide any growth to the story as I kept waiting for something more to happen. It felt like Jared's former mistress was forced to be a villain and I tired of her quickly. The same reaction to Jared's father, the Duke. It was almost as if the author couldn't decide if he was to be a wicked man or if he was to be forgiven.
I did enjoy Ava's maid Sally as she added some relief from the couple's tension and she was a great scene stealer. I'd actually love to read a book about her!
I have to say that I did really enjoy the actual writing as everything was very well described and emotions were well communicated. The Hazards of Hunting a Duke did retain my attention and there is more story to be told here in a book 2. I will just not be in a rush to read it but perhaps check it out of the library some time.
Teasers: great idea for free labour, wrong way to church, who is Mr. Percy?, harem dance
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