Book Review and Tour - The Scandalous Love of a Duke by Jane Lark
Title: The Scandalous Love of a Duke (Marlow Intrigues #3)
Author: Jane Lark
Genre: Regency Romance (Historical)
Publish Date: April 3, 2014
Publisher: HarperImpulse
Event Organized By: Literati Author Services, Inc.
Synopsis
Book three in Jane Lark's Kindle best-selling Regency romance series! Isolated by life and choice, John Harding, the Duke of Pembroke, sees an angel in a pale mauve dress across a room and is drawn closer as lust grips firm and hard in his stomach. The wheat-blonde hair escaping her dull dove-grey bonnet and caressing her neck lures his eyes to a spot he'd like to kiss. She speaks with animation her hands moving. Then as if she senses his gaze the stranger turns and looks at him. A rush of pain and longing spilled from Katherine's heart into her limbs. It was so long since she'd seen John but her reaction was the same as it had been more than half-a-dozen years before. She loved him, secretly, without hope, but a chasm of years and status stood between them.
Excerpt
A glass of red wine balanced in one hand, the stem dangling between his fingers, he joined another group of guests, fulfilling his duty. He trusted no one here. God, this was his life now, duty and falsehood. He missed Egypt, he missed adventure and peace and simplicity. He was already bored with people’s endless supplication. Everyone seemed to want something from him. They sought to attach themselves to either his wealth or his power. His grandfather had warned of this. John had had enough. He was seeking his family to escape it for a little while, and looking for Mary particularly. He knew his vibrant sister would bring him back from the cold darkness crowding in on him. He’d passed his mother and Edward in the hall, they’d been speaking with Richard and Penny, they’d directed him in here. His gaze swept about the room then stopped. There was a young woman standing amidst his family, like a blonde beacon of light amongst his dark-haired black-clad cousins. She was an angel in a pale mauve dress. Lust gripped had and firm in his stomach, an intense physical attraction. He’d never experienced anything so instant before. But it was a long time since he’d bedded a woman – far too long. Her figure was a sublime balance of curves and narrow waist. Her spine had a beautiful arch as it curved into the point where her dress opened onto a full skirt. Wheat-blonde hair escaped a dull dove-grey bonnet, caressing her neck and drawing his eyes to a place he’d like to kiss. She was speaking with animation her hands moving. He moved closer and as if she sensed his gaze the stranger turned and looked at him. In answer a lightning need struck his groin, a sharp sudden pain. She was an English Rose among orchids, the sort of woman he had seen nothing of abroad. Her skin was pale, with roses blooming in her cheeks, and her eyes were a vivid beautiful blue, like the bluebells which bloomed in spring, in the woods at Pembroke Place. She was what he had longed for abroad and not even known he’d been lacking. His attention wholly captured, desire slipped into his blood as his groin grew heavy with hunger. This was what came from abstinence he supposed. He’d never had a fancy for fair, fay women before. He did now. She did not look the sort for a fling though, certainly not the she-wolf type who stalked the foreign fields. His mind began rattling through his guest list, but no name fit her, and her dull grey bonnet and shawl did not speak of affluence. Who was she? He smiled as he grew nearer, then realised he was staring and shifted his gaze to the others in the group. It was then he noticed Phillip as they turned to towards him. “My God.” “Your Grace.” “Phillip.” Lord, John hoped Phillip had not come here with a motive. John did not wish to hear oily grovelling from an old friend. His heart thumped in cold anger, not gladness. Then he looked at the blonde and his breath caught as recognition whispered in his head. Kate.Review
The Scandalous Love of a Duke is a great new installment to
her Marlow Intrigues series. It was nice
seeing the characters from the previous books a generation later. John is now grown up and forced to take on
his Grandfather’s title of Duke. Due to
the rocky childhood we had already seen in previous books – which are not
necessary to read before this one, as it is adequately represented in this text
– he isn’t comfortable taking on the role he has been groomed for and takes it
on reluctantly.
Lark does a good job of showing John’s reluctance to take on
this role, but having read the previous books I didn’t feel that his actions
fit with his personality in previous books.
I didn’t get the impression in the previous books that he was all that
unhappy with his life once he was living with his Mom, and this book makes it
seem like he was always unhappy. I think
the distance he felt from his much younger siblings was accurately portrayed,
but I think the distance from his Mom and Step-father hadn’t been present in
the previous books.
The romance between the characters was well done and felt
realistic. I liked John and Katherine as
a couple, and felt their character growth was well written. I recommend this book for anyone who likes a
good historical romance.
About the Author
Jane is a writer of authentic, passionate and emotional Historical and New Adult Romance, and a Kindle top 25 bestselling author.
She began her first historical novel at sixteen, but a life full of adversity derailed her as she lives with the restrictions of Ankylosing Spondylitis.
When she finally completed a novel it was because she was determined not to reach forty still saying, I want to write.
Now Jane is writing a Regency series and contemporary, new adult, stories and she is thrilled to be giving her characters life in others' imaginations at last.
You might think that Jane was inspired to write by Jane Austen, especially as she lives near Bath in the United Kingdom, but you would be wrong. Jane's favourite author is Anya Seton, and the book which drew her into the bliss of falling into historical imagination was 'Katherine' a story crafted from reality.
Jane has drawn on this inspiration to discover other real-life love stories, reading memoirs and letters to capture elements of the past, and she uses them to create more realistic plots.
'Basically I love history and I am sucker for a love story. I love the feeling of falling in love; it's wonderful being able to do it time and time again in fiction.'
Jane is also a Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel and Development in the United Kingdom, and uses this specialist understanding of people to bring her characters to life.
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