How to Marry a Duke

Vicky Dreiling
Forever (2011)
ISBN 9780446565370
Reviewed by Tiffany Schlarman for Reader Views (2/11)


Tristan, Duke of Shelbourne, is determined to find a wife.  Since acquiring his father’s estate he has focused his energy on clearing the debt his father left behind.  Now that the estate is clear of debt Tristan is determined to find a woman he can tolerate, for life, and produce an heir to his fortune.  Tristan’s strict list of must have guidelines for a wife do not fit the young but wealthy, witless young women looking to wed this season.  He soon realizes he’d rather be done with the search rather than continue so he hires Tessa, London’s infamous spinster matchmaker, to find him a bride.  The problem is he can’t keep his eyes of Tessa.

Tessa is determined to make the match of a lifetime and increase her popularity as a matchmaker.  Her life has sealed her fate as a spinster but that doesn’t mean others can’t find love.  Soon Tessa finds herself in the midst of Tristan’s courting candidates and all she can focus on is the groom-to-be.  While she longs to win his heart for herself, she must not break the cardinal rule of matchmaking.  Never fall in love with the groom.

“How to Marry a Duke” is a wonderfully delicious debut!  I felt the storyline was highly original and enjoyed reading about Tristan and Tessa’s love match.  It was ironic that Tessa, as a matchmaker, seemingly makes a match for herself without even realizing what she has done.  I loved the dialogue between these two characters.  It added to the heat of the attraction between them.  The story was filled with humor and I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times.

The novel is a great mix of romance and story.  It transfers the reader from the couch to 18th century London with all its splendor, beauty and hardships.  I enjoyed the title immensely.  My only quibble with the novel was its lack of honesty sooner in the story.  I figured out Tessa’s secrets quite a long time before she finally told them.  It would have been nice if she admitted them in her own thoughts or to a trustworthy friend earlier on in the story rather than refusing to say anything until Tristan must find out in the end.  It was a little annoying.

Overall, I enjoyed this romance and would recommend “How to Marry a Duke” to others.  The heat level in this book is about a three.  The love scenes are minimal yet descriptive and steamy when they arrive.  It was quite the enjoyable read.  Readers of romance and historical fiction will greatly enjoy this one!

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