The Heiress Brides - Three Book Series - Celeste Bradley
Feb 27, 2019 14:16:43 GMT -7
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Post by secretromancejunkie on Feb 27, 2019 14:16:43 GMT -7
The Heiress Brides – Three Book Series – Celeste Bradley
The premise of these three books is as follows. One very crotchety man, left his entire fortune to the granddaughter that first marries a duke. If they all fail (and all their daughters) then it goes to charity. One stipulation is that they absolutely cannot let anyone know that they have a fortune coming to them.
These three cousins (Pheobe, Deirdre and Sophie) are in London, chaperoned by Deirdre’s evil step-mother, to try and catch a duke.
Desperately Seeking a Duke
3.0 / 5.0
Heat 7/10
Genre HR, Regency, some suspense
The first 2/3 of this book was not enjoyable. It suffered from three things, which in combination, ruin romance for me. 1) the H and h fall in love in the first 10 minutes after they meet, and immediately start thinking marriage 2) The h immediately becomes engaged to another man (albeit accidentally) 3) for the next 100 pages they spend no time together.
After that there are a couple of seductive encounters. They could have been good but I was squicked because she’s engaged to HIS BROTHER! There was no time spent by the couple in making that instant, love-at-first-sight meeting believable or meaningful.
The last 1/3 considerably redeemed the book. Except there is an unnecessary and illogical twist at the very end. Skipping that would not have altered the story and I would have found it more believable.
The Duke Next Door
4.5 / 5.0
7/10
Genre HR, Regency, some suspense
This book starts the day after the first one ends. The brother (who will soon be a duke) does not marry the h from book one. So the second heiress steps up and proposes. She makes it sound like a business proposition, but she’s been in love with him (from afar) for years. He accepts her proposal and they marry immediately.
Now the h tries everything she can to soften up this cold, remote man. She enlists his heathenish young daughter. There are some amusing moments and some poignant ones. The daughter is a great character. And Fortescue might be my favorite butler.
I especially like that they both admit to and own up to their faults. The growth is not just one sided, they both have to change.
The Duke Most Wanted
4.0 / 5.0
Heat 7/10
Genre HR, Regency, some suspense
Through the previous two books, the shy Sophie has developed a friendship with Tessa’s cousin Graham. Without her really realizing, the h has fallen in love with him. She’s comfortable with him because all he wants is friendship.
As this book begins, the H’s father and three older brothers (the chest beaters) are all killed while hunting in Africa. Suddenly he’s a duke and he’s faced with a crumbling estate and a mountain of debts. He has to wed a very rich heiress.
The h turns to Lementeur, the best dressmaker in London. He turns her from a gangly giraffe into a gracious swan through a combination of clothing, deportment and attitude adjustment. But the H still needs money and he believes she’s poor. So even though he starts to see her differently, he cannot consider marrying her.
I liked this book for not succumbing to the fairytale. I liked that the h was complicated and that the H saw something in her before she was transformed. I did not like how much time they spent apart during the first 60% of the book. I did not like the number of people working against her. Really, how many nemeses does one h need? It was a bit OTT.
The premise of these three books is as follows. One very crotchety man, left his entire fortune to the granddaughter that first marries a duke. If they all fail (and all their daughters) then it goes to charity. One stipulation is that they absolutely cannot let anyone know that they have a fortune coming to them.
These three cousins (Pheobe, Deirdre and Sophie) are in London, chaperoned by Deirdre’s evil step-mother, to try and catch a duke.
Desperately Seeking a Duke
3.0 / 5.0
Heat 7/10
Genre HR, Regency, some suspense
The first 2/3 of this book was not enjoyable. It suffered from three things, which in combination, ruin romance for me. 1) the H and h fall in love in the first 10 minutes after they meet, and immediately start thinking marriage 2) The h immediately becomes engaged to another man (albeit accidentally) 3) for the next 100 pages they spend no time together.
After that there are a couple of seductive encounters. They could have been good but I was squicked because she’s engaged to HIS BROTHER! There was no time spent by the couple in making that instant, love-at-first-sight meeting believable or meaningful.
The last 1/3 considerably redeemed the book. Except there is an unnecessary and illogical twist at the very end. Skipping that would not have altered the story and I would have found it more believable.
The Duke Next Door
4.5 / 5.0
7/10
Genre HR, Regency, some suspense
This book starts the day after the first one ends. The brother (who will soon be a duke) does not marry the h from book one. So the second heiress steps up and proposes. She makes it sound like a business proposition, but she’s been in love with him (from afar) for years. He accepts her proposal and they marry immediately.
Now the h tries everything she can to soften up this cold, remote man. She enlists his heathenish young daughter. There are some amusing moments and some poignant ones. The daughter is a great character. And Fortescue might be my favorite butler.
I especially like that they both admit to and own up to their faults. The growth is not just one sided, they both have to change.
The Duke Most Wanted
4.0 / 5.0
Heat 7/10
Genre HR, Regency, some suspense
Through the previous two books, the shy Sophie has developed a friendship with Tessa’s cousin Graham. Without her really realizing, the h has fallen in love with him. She’s comfortable with him because all he wants is friendship.
As this book begins, the H’s father and three older brothers (the chest beaters) are all killed while hunting in Africa. Suddenly he’s a duke and he’s faced with a crumbling estate and a mountain of debts. He has to wed a very rich heiress.
The h turns to Lementeur, the best dressmaker in London. He turns her from a gangly giraffe into a gracious swan through a combination of clothing, deportment and attitude adjustment. But the H still needs money and he believes she’s poor. So even though he starts to see her differently, he cannot consider marrying her.
I liked this book for not succumbing to the fairytale. I liked that the h was complicated and that the H saw something in her before she was transformed. I did not like how much time they spent apart during the first 60% of the book. I did not like the number of people working against her. Really, how many nemeses does one h need? It was a bit OTT.
