The Devil Duke Takes a Bride

Rachel
Van Dyken
ISBN Number: 
978-1621350880
Genre: 
Historical

Benedict Devlyn, Duke of Banbury, cherishes his reputation as a notorious rake, in no hurry to marry. His aunt Agatha is determined to see him wed, however, and she has a choice in mind.  Benedict is horrified when he finds out Agatha’s choice is Lady Katherine Bourne.  She almost killed him three times with her clumsiness as a young girl.  When he encounters her as adult, he is blown away by her beauty, but still not eager to wed.  It turns out Katherine is enamored with his cousin, Baldwyn, the Scottish Duke. However, their encounter at a ball leads to an accident that compromises Katherine’s reputation, and he is forced to announce their engagement.  To his surprise, the more Benedict is with Katherine, the more he wants their engagement to lead to a real marriage, ready to hang up his rakish ways once and for all.

The Devil Duke Takes a Bride is light-hearted Regency romance with plenty of zany comedy-of-errors moments.   At times, the humor bordered on being too ridiculous and silly, and the plot felt a bit contrived to create that humor. On the positive side, the chemistry between Benedict and Katherine is well done, and it was enjoyable to read about them falling inevitably in love. Benedict makes a very good reformed hero as his love for Katherine blooms and his desire to be with her overcomes his need to be notorious. Readers who enjoy fluffier Regency romance should appreciate this novel.

 

Danielle Hill