Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Review -- The Duchess Diaries

The Duchess Diaries
Bridal Pleasures—Book 3
By Jillian Hunter
Publisher: Signet Select
Release Date: February 7, 2012





It has been said that “sometimes small things can lead to big trouble”. This quote definitely applies to Jillian Hunter’s latest book in her Bridal Pleasures series, The Duchess Diaries, as one little diary causes all sorts of trouble.

Miss Charlotte Boscastle is the headmistress at the Scarfield Academy for Young Ladies and a member of the scandalous Boscastle family. However, Charlotte is one of the only members of the family who has not done something scandalous—at least not in public. Since she was a young girl, she has kept a diary where she has recorded her thoughts and feelings and the ups and downs of her life. But in recent months her entries have gotten a bit more . . . erotic in nature. They’ve centered exclusively on the sinfully handsome and decadent Duke of Wynfield. When her diary comes up missing and all clues lead to the duke, Charlotte knows she must do whatever it takes to get it back.

Gideon, Duke of Wynfield, finds the diary in his carriage while on the way to make arrangements with a new mistress. Once he reads a snippet of the diary, he can’t stop reading—especially the parts about him! When he returns home, he finds the owner of the shocking book in his bedroom. And when her cousin Grayson, the Marquess of Sedgecroft, finds out, the results aren’t pretty.

“She came to my house.” He concealed a smile as he remembered discovering her on his bedroom floor. “She broke in, I should say, in an apparent search for her diary. She made quite a muddle of my drawers.”

“Your—”


“Wardrobe drawers.”

Gideon does the honorable thing and agrees to marry Charlotte to hopefully avoid any scandal. He consents despite the fact that he had plans to never marry again after becoming a widower years before. When he returns to his carriage to fetch Charlotte’s diary . . . it’s gone. Now they must find the missing diary before someone uses it to hurt Charlotte and/or the school.

The Duchess Diaries is a great addition to this series. I enjoyed visiting the wonderful Boscastle family. There is certainly never a dull moment! Gideon and Charlotte are lively characters who had me rooting for them in their quest to find the diary and, of course, love. Gideon knew a good thing when he found it . . . or rather, her. Despite the fact that he knows how Charlotte feels about him (after reading her diary), he doesn’t get mad about what she wrote nor does he make her feel uncomfortable. He is flattered and that endeared him to me.

It didn’t matter anymore which one of them had instigated this burning attraction. Maybe she had poured all her passion into her diary. But he had unleashed it and transformed it from the page to the physical.

I loved this paragraph! To me, it captures the heart of the story. The secondary characters grabbed my attention and I hope one young lady in particular will have her own book one day. The Duchess Diaries is a wonderful book that I recommend to all lovers of historical romance.

~Andrea

18 comments:

  1. Oh I did love the Boscastles. I know I am going to love this one as well.

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  2. Sounds great! I also enjoyed the whole Boscastle family!

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  3. Dianna, I think you would like this one. :)

    Laurie, aren't they a great family?!

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  4. I've never read Jillian Hunter, but your review makes me think I should try this one, Andrea. Can it be read as a standalone?

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  5. Great review, sounds like a great book!

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  6. Great review, Andrea! I'll have to check this one out sometime. :)

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  7. Another one to add to my list! Thanks, Andrea!

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  8. Oh, absolutely, Janga. I loved the first book in the series and haven't read the second, so it can absolutely be read as a standalone.

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  9. Thanks, Quilt Lady! (And what a cute name you have!)

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  10. Yes. Yes, you will, Trisha. ;-)

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  11. You bet, PJ! I think you'd enjoy it. :)

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  12. Great review, Andrea! Sounds like a story I would really enjoy!

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  13. Thank you for the review. It will be on my list to look for.
    I LOVE the cover.

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  14. Loved the review! I can't wait to get ahold of this one!

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  15. As I'm reading this review and the little snippet, I'm grinning like an silly goose! Oh, this will be such a delicious addition to the Boscastles group. The humorous touches that Jillian Hunter adds to her novels always have me chuckling. I'm really looking forward to reading THE DUCHESS DIARIES.

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  16. @librarypat -- I love the cover, too! Gorgeous!

    @Flora -- Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!

    @Connie -- LOL! I'm glad you are grinning and I hope you enjoy the book. Be sure to stop by on Monday when Jillian will be visiting us!

    @marybelle -- Great!

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