Historical Romance
The Ugly Duchess is part of the Fairy Tale series however all of the books are stand alone.
From Goodreads: Theodora Saxby is the last woman anyone expects the gorgeous
James Ryburn, heir to the Duchy of Ashbrook, to marry. But after a romantic
proposal before the prince himself, even practical Theo finds herself convinced
of her soon-to-be duke's passion.
Still, the tabloids give the marriage six months.
Theo would have given it a lifetime…until she discovers that James desired not her heart, and certainly not her countenance, but her dowry. Society was shocked by their wedding; it's scandalized by their separation.
Now James faces the battle of his lifetime, convincing Theo that he loved the duckling who blossomed into the swan.
And Theo will quickly find that for a man with the soul of a pirate, All's Fair in Love—or War.
Still, the tabloids give the marriage six months.
Theo would have given it a lifetime…until she discovers that James desired not her heart, and certainly not her countenance, but her dowry. Society was shocked by their wedding; it's scandalized by their separation.
Now James faces the battle of his lifetime, convincing Theo that he loved the duckling who blossomed into the swan.
And Theo will quickly find that for a man with the soul of a pirate, All's Fair in Love—or War.
Characters: I loved James and Theodora especially in the first part of the book. They grew up together and are best friends. James calls Theo “Daisy”. He doesn’t think she is ugly and never
has. James loves Theo but is full
of guilt for not telling Theo about the money his Father embezzled from her
trust fund before the wedding. Theo is full of
insecurity after being labeled “The Ugly Duchess” by the papers in London on
her wedding day. Both react very
badly when the truth comes out. I
really did want to reach in the book and give both of the a good shake for the
way they acted. There are secondary character that play a part in the story but each is a part of the story for a very short time and there is little character development.
Plot:
James leaves and disappears for 7 years. Theo works hard and make a life for herself but it is a
empty life based on the work required to bring the Duchy of Ashbrook out of
debt. Just as Theo is having James
declared dead he reappears. It is
easy to guess the rest.
Tension: I
really felt the tension in the first part of the book. I did not feel it that much in the
second part. For me 7 years was
too long for strong feeling to survive.
Writing: The
story did move very smoothly.
Eloisa James knows who to tell a good story and even though I felt part
of the story line was weak it was still an engaging story.
Avon published The Ugly Duchess by Eloisa James in 2012.
I received a free eARC of The Ugly Duchess from Avon through Edelweiss. The Ugly Duchess is scheduled for release on August 28, 2012.
I tried my first Eloisa James novel this year, Duchess in Love and found James' writing so unwiedly that I haven't been encouraged to try another. When I saw that this post though, I was initially optimistic: I like the idea of romance novels based on fairy tales and perhaps the premise alone might keep me engaged. However, it doesn't sound like James' skill as a writer as improved significantly. Hmmm,... maybe on one of those days when I feel like brain candy :-)
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