Mo Daoust
From the age of eight, Lady Amarantha Vale knew she would marry for love. At first, it’s not what happened and her sense of adventure took her to Jamaica with her betrothed, Reverend Paul Garland. Mere days after her arrival, a hurricane hit the island, she took refuge in a cellar where she met the man who would own her heart… THE DUKE is the long-awaited story of the Devil’s Duke, Gabriel Hume as we finally get to know the man who struck fear in the hearts of his countrymen. He was actually quite different than what I expected, from his brief appearances in the previous books, and alas, there were few glimpses of the dark, dangerous, and mysterious eccentric he appeared to be, apart from the gossip. I always find Katharine Ashe’s books extremely difficult to review, so enrapt do I become in her otherworldly prose, her extraordinarily vibrant descriptions, and her unforgettable characters. Ms. Ashe’s incomparable talent in setting the mood, in conveying feelings and emotions, and nearly provoking cases of the vapours in modern readers with sentences such as these: “She smelled like a memory”… THE DUKE is a very intricate story, where several characters’ lives intertwine, and Amarantha and Gabriel’s passion smoulders over years and oceans. It does indeed take them what seems like “a desert of years” to truly reunite. The inclusion of abolitionism was brilliant, and in fact, I was utterly captivated with everything in the story that revolves around that theme, even more so than the romance. I felt that a little episode towards the end was rather unnecessary, and its sole purpose seemed mostly to delay the inevitable, that is Amarantha and Gabriel’s happy ever after. On the other hand, the secondary characters are exquisitely drawn, and I am pleased that the extraordinary Libby Tate will have her own story next. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. I give 3 ½ stars
Gaele Hi
Amarantha Vale and Gabriel Hume met years before in Jamaica – she was engaged to marry and he was a naval officer. Despite the difference in circumstance and place – the two found a connection that neither could forget. Now years have passed, and Amarantha, now widowed is in search of her sister in law – a trek that carries her to Scotland, where she hears tales of the “Devil’s Duke” with a dark reputation that keeps people at bay. But, on learning the Duke’s name, Amarantha can’t make the two pieces of this puzzle connect – the Gabriel she knew with the man people claim he has become doesn’t mesh. And, discovering that he is still alive – the hurt and anger she felt at what she believed was his loss, and the steps her life took her through since that information came to her all create a firestorm. She must reunite with Gabriel – get answers to questions she’s had for all those years, and possibly find happiness. For his part: Gabriel is content to let tales of his ‘dangerous nature’ take hold – he’s nothing like that as a kindly and caring man – interested only in keeping his people safe and his secret hidden. He’s never forgotten Amarantha – but can’t believe that her life didn’t follow the path set before her, including forgetting him. He’s never quite let go of that yearning though – and when the two actually do face one another, his kindness and obvious affection for her makes him a wonderful hero. And with this sweeping romance – as he tries to ignore Amarantha’s rather dismissive and quick to anger temperament, her character is difficult in her often mercurial (and not so nice) reactions when her plans or views of the world are challenged. I honestly wasn’t a huge fan of hers, even the multiple opportunities to watch her interactions with the multitude of secondary characters were up and down for me – some good, some not so. But, to his credit – Gabriel’s affections and even his honest and open reveal of the secret that had a big hand in separating them years before are honorable – and his worry that she’s hardened her opinions of men and marriage so much as to shut her out won’t work in his favor. For Amarantha loves her rather sweeping proclamations of her decided opinions. And I often wished she didn’t. But, this story has all of the appeal and ‘long lost love’ sighs that will appeal to most readers – with only moments of confusion arriving with the many secondary characters – making this a story best read in series order. I love Katharine Ashe’s ability to make her heroines stand from a feminist perspective – one that is often more modern in thought and custom than the era – but never shying away from showing that even the determined and self-defining Amarantha isn’t always one who is easy to get on with, reasoned or even reasonable as her story unfolds. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review; all conclusions are my own responsibility.
S M (MaChienneLit)
I am voluntarily submitting my honest review after receiving an ARC of this ebook from the author. In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I am a huge fan of Katharine Ashe's novels. I started this book with high expectations, and I am happy to say that The Duke did not disappoint--this is a great read! As always, the characters are developed with great sensitivity and care so that by the end of the first few chapters, they feel like personal friends, so I truly cared about what happened to them and felt invested in the events of the book as they unfolded. While many of the people in the book make appearances in earlier installments in the series, this book can easily be read as a standalone novel. (That said, I encourage everyone to read all the books in the series--they are all delightful!) But as strong, compelling, flawed and human as the characters are, what really makes this book work is the plot. The author does a fantastic job of combining romance, strife, drama, racial and social injustice and historical events into a whirlwind that kept me reading long into the night because I just couldn't put the book down. This book is a great read that fans of historical fiction will devour with great relish!
