And the Miss Ran Away With the Rake, Rhymes with Love by Elizabeth Boyle

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Historical Romance

Goodreads Summary:

"Daphne Dale never could have imagined that when she answered an advertisement in the newspaper that she would find true love. Now she has the opportunity to meet her unknown suitor, but it means traveling to Tabitha’s wedding, and into the heart of her family’s sworn enemies. Everyone knows the Seldons are terrible rakes and bounders, but Daphne will risk anything to gain the happiness she is certain is right around the corner.

Lord Henry Seldon is aghast at the latest addition to the house party guest list—one would think after the unforgettable scandal Daphne Dale caused at the duke’s engagement ball, she wouldn’t dare show her face at the duke’s wedding. But here she is, poking her nose where she shouldn’t and driving Henry mad . . . with an unforgettable passion that will turn enemies into lovers"

Elizabeth Boyle writes some of the best comic dialog around.  If you want a book with lots of laughs, fun characters and exciting ending And the Miss Ran Away With the Rake is for you.

The two main characters are wonderful.  Daphne Dale wants a sensible husband.  She is in London for the wedding of her friend Tabitha Timmons to the Duke of Preston and plans to find that husband while she is there. 

Lord Henry Seldon is the sensible one of his family.  Uncle to Preston (the Duke) he has managed the family business and keeps everything from falling apart for his entire life.  He has never been considered a rake before.

Letter writing brings them together and when Daphne and Henry first lay eyes on each other at the ball for Tabitha and Preston they know they are destined to be together.  That is until they find out that she is a Dale and he is a Seldon.   It seems their families have been enemies for generations.  Each reacts with horror and then the fun begins.  This is where the great dialog comes in. The book was filled with too many scenes where I could not stop laughing to keep count.

Watching the two of them fight their attraction was wonderful.  They went to great lengths to try to stay apart.  It did not help.  They would be in the same place and their interaction always deepened the attraction. Daphne sees sensible Henry as a rake.  Henry sees Daphne as anything but sensible. They are made for one another.  They have to fight both of their families and that adds to the fun.  Even how they finally manage to get together is unique.

Look for a really fun filled read in the second Rhymes with Love book from Elizabeth Boyle.   Along Came a Duke (click to see my review) is the first book .

Avon published And the Miss Ran Away With the Rake by Elizabeth Boyle in 2013.

Along Came A Duke (Rhymes With Love) by Elizabeth Boyle

Historical Romance

Along Came a Duke is one of the books I got from Amazon Vine this month.  I like books by Elizabeth Boyle and this one is no exception. 

Before I begin here is what Goodreads has to say:

"A young lady with a fortune is subject to all sorts of untoward attentions by the worst sort of vagrants.” Aunt Allegra

A lesson Tabitha Timmons, a penniless spinster, has never needed to heed. That is, until she is left a vast fortune payable only upon her marriage to the very respectable Mr. Barkworth—a match that offers little chance of discovering exactly what her aunt means by "untoward attentions."

But the same can't be said when the Duke of Preston happens along Tabitha's path. He spies a rebellious streak in her that matches his own and he makes it his mission to save her from such a passionless match, interfering in her life at every turn. All too soon, Preston—whose very name spells ruin—has Tabitha caught between the good fortune that guarantees her security,and his kiss, which promises an entirely different kind of happily-ever-after."

This has quite a few laugh out loud moments in it.  The two main characters are wonderful.  Preston is that mixture of rogue and enduring little boy that women love.  He doesn’t know it but he has been looking for a way to go home since he was six and with Tabitha he finds what he has been looking for.

Tabitha or Tabby as Preston calls her has not had an easy time since her parents died.  She is strong but feels trapped by everything that is happening around her.  Even when it looks like something good has happened she is not in control.  It takes Preston to break her out of her situation. 

I loved the side characters.  There are four who are slated to be the main characters in the next two books.  They were very well developed.  Another well developed secondary character is Tabby's dog, Mr Muggins.  He play a key role in several scenes.

The plot was predictable but the journey to the HEA was a lot of fun.  Boyle put in enough twists and turns to hold my interest.

Along Came a Duke is a good start to a new trilogy and I look forward to the next two books.

Avon published Along Came A Duke by Elizabeth Boyle in 2012.