The Shy Duchess by Amanda McCabe

Lady Emily Carroll and Nicholas, Duke of Manning's book




The Shy Duchess


by Amanda McCabe


Book Blurb:
With her golden hair and dazzling emerald eyes, Lady Emily Carroll should have her pick of suitors. Instead, her crippling shyness has earned her the nickname "Ice Princess."

Nicholas, Duke of Manning, isn't looking for a bride, but he won't pass up a stolen kiss at a masked ball.

With her blushes hidden, Emily lets her inhibitions go. Only to find herself betrothed! Now it's her wedding night, and her new husband seems determined to thaw his Ice Princess and reveal her every secret….

Just look at the beautiful cover. It is a piece of art! So lovely. In fact, I was drawn to read The Shy Duchess from my huge TBR pile because of that beautiful cover. I won this book in a fabulous blog hop and I was eager to try a new to me author. I am a huge historical romance reader as it is my favourite of all the romance genres but The Shy Duchess wasn't for me. I want to be specific why I didn't care for the book because my reasons may very well be the same reasons other would love this story. 

I am not a shy person. I am reserved and I like to hold back a bit in a crowd until I am comfortable but I am very very far from being shy. Reading about The Shy Duchess, I had a very difficult time relating to Lady Emily because she was so timid and skittish. She saw the worst in every situation and seem to seek out the negative with every interaction. I like my female protagonists to be confident and sure of themselves. Reading about all of Emily's hesitant reactions drove me a little crazy. 

Nicholas was not a manly alpha Duke character that had a tortured upbringing. He wasn't abused and in fact had a wonderful family. It was nice change for once but then I realized as it turns out, he was boring. I know lots of readers that don't like the whole tortured past going on with their heroes so The Shy Duchess is for you. Is this the type of conversations you enjoy? Let me set it up for you...

Emily and Nicholas sneak away to a secret watering hole on their honeymoon and they are laughing and having a great time. Nicolas says to Emily, ...."we could sing and weave daisy chains, and lay in the sun all day long."

Yeah I don't know about you but weaving daisy chains doesn't bode well with me and what I like to read from my heroes. 

Even with Emily here is an example of her getting all mad and angry. "It was time for something quite extreme. She was going to have to get rude."

Oh heavens forbid my female protagonists doing extreme rudeness!

So The Shy Duchess is as fluffy as a romance novel as you could get. She is an annoying English proper prude and he is a gentle as an English gentleman could be. All wrapped up in a whole lot of boring. 

Teasers: stuffy ballrooms, firework display, gallant save from a runaway carriage, morning sickness before her courses were even missed *eyeroll*