The Duchess (Montgomery/Taggert)

Love Scenes: one
Tone: tense, rich, dramatic

This was a book that I picked up on a whim on a morning I had nothing else to read. I picked it up reluctantly because Jude Deveraux wrote books a while ago, and while the older Romance writers have some very good qualities, they sometimes have books which seem unbelievable or over-the-top. This one did not have this problem, but another one which I found even harder to forgive. Spoilers follow.

Since I just finished the book two minutes ago and it is still rattling around in my head, I have to write what I disliked first. The hero, trying to win the heroine, cannot promise fidelity and repeatedly tells her of his exploits with other, numerous other, women. This is not a new theme in romance novels; the heroes are expected to be experienced. But they are expected to give up these impulses when they met the heroine. Trevelyan does not feel the need to do this and seemingly can offer Claire very littler. And Claire never comments on this. She does have other issues to work out with Trevelyan, very big issues, and these are settled in the last paragraph. These issues, which have been building over the whole book, BEG for further discussion. The epilogue does not help either. It tells us that they live happily ever after, but that Trevelyan DOES go off exploring on his own (probably meeting more women) and living a very separate life from Claire.

But these flaws, which are quite large in my opinion, do not overshadow the book (well, they did for me but until I got to this part I was utterly enchanted). The characters are among the best written I have ever read. They are complex and they get to know each other as individuals. They have adventures and drama and intense/emotional experiences. Neither is the most beautiful of their sex, both are occasionally jealous, and flawed in perfect ways. And while there is very little in the book in terms of love scenes or even sexual/romantic encounters, the book doesn't need it. The delicious tension that builds completely separate from physical love scenes is so enchanting that I wouldn't have been disappointed if it never happened (and this is coming from someone who basically reads these books for the love scenes).

And not only are the main characters complex (he is an explorer, something Deveraux may have gone over the top on but makes for a superbly interesting read despite that, while Claire is well-educated and spirited, yet not completely negligent of societal and personal rules, different from the usual heroine who breaks every rule she encounters), but the side characters are as well. I have never read (or remember reading) a story with a side-character like Nylla (although I thought her miraculous resurrection on the final page took away from her story line), and Claire's sister is practically psychotic, though everyone loves her.

I don't have time to say much more, but this book left me conflicted. On the one hand it had the potential to be one of the best romance novels I ever read, but the end was so startling and disturbing that I am not sure what I think anymore. Other readers will probably not be as disturbed by the ending as I, and in other circumstances I may have not even picked up on this theme (although it is a fault of romance writers during this period and I was hyper-aware of its possible occurrence). Deveraux was writing along the same guidelines as other romance authors of her generation, which sometimes is simply brilliant and sometimes heart-wrenchingly horrible. Because I loved so much of the book at first and Trevelyan was the first hero I have fallen in love with in so long, the ending ruined the story. But again, I am over-sensitive to these things and others probably won't notice. Anyway, I should get back to the work I was supposed to be doing. Maybe tomorrow this book won't be in my head so much and I will love it.

I bought The Duchess because my local Borders was running pretty low on JD novels. I thought, "ah, why not?"
Why not? Indeed!! I wish I would have purchased this book long before now!! To put it simply, I really have not sat down to read a book and not put it down until it was finished since JD's A Knight in Shining Armor!!
The story flowed so well. The friendship between Trevelyan and Clair happened so naturally that it made it so believable!
I loved the exchange of words between Trevelyan and Clair. The wit that JD gave to both her characters was priceless! I do have to say, though, that much of the funny lines come from Clair.
What I also loved was that with a lot of JD novels, her main characters love each other, hate each other, love each other again, you get the picture. This was not the case in The Duchess. I did not feel as though I was reading the same ol' novel with new setting and new characters. This was unique in so many ways!
I do hope you take the time to read it! Buy it new... buy it used... it does not matter. Just buy it!! It's good to read JD at her best! :)

Although this book was interesting enough for me to read until the end and kept me up at night to finish, it wasn't as entirely absorbing or heartfelt as some of her other books, such as Knight in Shining Armor.
The characters were colorful and interesting, although at times I found myself to be annoyed with Claire for being so closed minded about Nyssa's religion, and also for thinking she "should" love Harry when in fact its quite obvious she had a better and more open relationship with Trevelyan. I don't know, Claire wasn't the best character to me.. I didn't tend to Trevelyan was the typical male romantic hero: tall, dark, mysterious, a man who "gets all the ladies" but then gives them all up for his one "true love."
For the most part, the plot was interesting enough, it was entertaining, however, it wasn't as funny, and the chemistry between them wasn't as passionate as it could have been. Deveraux has the potential to do so much better, but its obvious this isn't her best work.
The ending was an utter disappointment. I was hoping for some closure, and I expected some kinda "thing" to happen to the old bag duchess. Instead, I get stuck with a hastily put together reunion and an even hastier epilogue. It left a lot of questions unanswered.
I would reccommend this book if you're bored... it's not a boring book, its just a bit more bland than other books I've read. The plot kind of keeps you going, but you end up waiting for some big, emotional scene where you cry your eyes out... and it never happens. For books like those, i definitely and highly reccomend McNaught. But this isn't a review about her, is it? Oh well, this book has its good and bad points... take it or leave it, I guess.

Trevelyan was/is one of the most arrogant men there ever was but I still loved him. I think deep in all of our romantic hearts we dream of having a man like him love us as he loved Claire and to believe we have that something about us that can conquer someone as hard as him. His declaration of love to the "Pearl" was one of the most romantic and deeply passionate declarations I've ever read in any book. That in itself made me want to love him. Noone is perfect but love can sometimes conquer all and I think it did for Claire and Trevelyan.

'the duchess' is alright, i think, for jude's standard. i mean, she writes all these books about diff kind of ppl in different timelines and you wonder how she doesn't get mixed up.
claire is you typical dumb heiress, with the spendrift, rather [stupid] parents and a bratty sister. she thought she fell in love with harry, and if you knock her head with a box of romance books she coudn't see his obvious flaws. then she goes to that god forsaken house full of cold family members, and ends up spending her time with trevalyan. they suit each other. the dumb heiress and the even dumber duke/traveller/spy/writer/soldier/wanderer/whatever else. by the time they realized their feelings for each other the readers will be groaning "about time!" and flip to the next page.
and for a well-read lil miss, claire is quite closed up about everything else isnt she? she insists that christianity is the true religion, and doesnt respect other people's beliefs. i find it real irritating. she should read more books, i say, and stop reading them frank bakers. she's getting mentally unwell reading them all.
conclusion, in most parts the characters are unlikable, but the storyline's okay. i'd read it if only for the story. an okay read overall.

I am a Deveraux fan from "Knight in Shining Armor" and "Rememberance" and have been slowly going through Ms. Deveraux's library of books. I just finished this one and was highly unimpressed. *SPOILER ALERT* It would have been a tolerable book had the "hero", Vellie, declared his fidelity to Claire, the heroine. He is quick to tell her of his "love", but tells her that it will be extremely challenging for him to keep faithful to her if they were to get married. (Of course, this is the same man who boasts of being with over 20 women in one night. I cannot begin to imagine what STD's he has...) I think it is fair for men to look (they aren't dead), but to actually make excuse that they CANNOT give up other women is unacceptable in a marriage. Claire is only 19 years old and believes herself to be in love with Vellie's brother for 3/4 of the book. She is a weak woman who only does what others tell her to do (Her greedy parents want her to marry a man with a title so she does. She does not tell Vellie that she loves him and just waits around for him to come get her. She doesn't marry Harry not because she discovers that she's not in love with him, but because he does not want to marry the woman that his older brother loves.) Claire is suppose to be so well read, but is very close minded (only believing that there is one "correct" religion so she does not support Leticia's and James' marriage or Nyssa's sacrificial duties.) The ending is so abrupt. It isn't clear when Harry marries Brat, but in this book, she is only 14 years old. The ending wasn't clear, but I assumed that they married pretty soon after Claire and Vellie got married. Also, how is it in the end that Harry's mom (who was so powerful for the entire book), resigned quietly and moved out of the castle without a fuss? Harry had been her faithful little boy for all of his life and all that was needed for him to turn against his dear mom was a note from someone that she tried to kill Vellie? He has always defended his mom in the past, why didn't he do that this time? In the beginning of the book, it clearly states that Harry didn't know his brother very well and his brother had left when he was 2 years old. Then in the end of the book, they talk of his great love for his brother and would die for him? This makes no sense.

In my opinion, this is just a poorly written book by a authoress who was possibly rushed or burnt out.

Trevelyan steals the heart of Harry Montgomery's bride-to-be. Arranged marriages are never what they seem and Claire Willoughby must find her own way in a Scottish castle that is desperately in need of money, her money!
THE DUCHESS is one of Jude Deveraux's all time favorite romances, which has stood the test of time. An excellent summer read.
Nash Black, author of Indie finalists WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and HAINTS.

Normally, Deveraux's novels are so interesting and captivating that I read two a day. It took me almost a MONTH to sludge through this one, and I almost threw the book away in disgust. It begins interestingly enough, then moves on to idle chit-chat about Trevalyn's travels. When they finally do hit the sheets, it's as unromantic as Jude Deveraux's scenes get. If anything, their encounters were mechanical. The epilogue also left the reader hanging, if they bothered to read to the end.

This is definitly my favorite book by JD. Some people said it was slow and the hero was too mean and had a dry sense of humor. For me, this is closer to what a guy really acts like instead of the everyone-loves-me and I-am-beyond-every-other-guy kind of attitude. I don't like reading most romance novels because the heriones are annoying and the guys are buffed up to be so much more than what any guy can be, and it's just disappointing. This story, in my opinion, you can almost relate to. Claire and Trevelyan are a perfect match; they have a kind of relationship that you could probably see happening, besides the heiress part. All the characters are odd-balls and highly entertaining, which is almost always lacking in other romance novels. I absolutely loved it. I also recommend the Conquest.

Jude Deveraux is a really good writer, but this is NOT her best work. The heroine, Claire, was fairly likable because she was such an educated woman. (I enjoyed the fact that she loved to read, read, read.) The hero, Trevelyn, was a disappoinment. I like a strong Scot, and he fell short. (He was plagued by malaria.) Deveraux did not spend as much time on detailing the characters as she usually does. Harry, Trevelyn's brother and Claire's fiance, is a total bore. There is also one scene with Harry's and Trevelyn's mother and Claire. You would think that if there is supposedly so much hate and anger in this woman that there would have been more than one scene with her. She just fades away later in the story. It's almost like Deveraux was told that she had to turn in her finished book right away, so she had to wrap up the ending right then and there. It's a shame. Don't waste your time on this book. Instead, read Knight in Shining Armor by this author. Now, THAT'S a keeper!

While the plot is interesting enough, the characters fall flat and fail to impress me. Often, Claire's closed mindedness frustrates me beyond belief. There are no characters in this book that I can say that I like, except for maybe the butler. I also felt uncomfortable at times because I felt there were underlying tones of incest and pedophilia. (p.192 "He crawled in bed with her, as much like a lover as a brother", p.215 "'Why don't you come and sit on my lap, you pretty child, and I'll tell you anything you want to know.'", p.166 "The woman's face softened when she looked at her son. Her eyes looked younger, almost like those of a girl who looked on the face of her lover.") While to others these sentences might not be such a big deal, it left me with a sour taste in my mouth, not at all something I like to experience while reading a romance novel. I'm only halfway through but I just can't finish it. I would feel like I was wasting more time than I already have. This book just doesn't do it for me. There's no passion between the main characters or even the author for her book. I've read JD's other books and they've been better but if you really want something beautiful, breathtaking, humorous and moving, I recommend any of Lisa Kleypas's books or Teresa Meideros.

This is among my favorites by Jude Deveraux.
Claire is marrying someone from a long prestigious line of history, and she is well read and know a lot about the family. Harry could care less about the history of his family. Harry didn't care about much of anything but hunting. Claire sets out to make things better, and in the process, meets Trevelyan. This opens her eyes to a whole array of new thoughts and love. I love hearing more about The Brat (Claire's little sis), Trevelyan's sister, and the exotic Nyssa. Such a great story.
If you like any of the other historicals by Jude Deveraux, add this to your wishlist.

Ms Deveraux has written a real winner as usual. She revisits the age old question of love or money in this wonderfully written novel. Claire Willoughby has the decision made for her however by her greedy parents.

This was a moving story, full of wit, humor, love, betrayal, adventure and surprises. It kept me reading hour after hour. I was simply unable to put it down until I had read it from cover to cover. My congratulations to Ms. Deveraux on another job well done.

Jude Deveraux s masterpiece. With The Duchess Deveraux shows her readers what romance is all about. A great heroine, full of energy and strength. A hero who you wish would come to life and sweep you off your feet. I stayed awake all night just to wish the book had never ended.

I read this book for the first time several years ago. Any time I am looking for a good read, I find myself looking for this book. Its is light and engaging and I could not put it down the first time I read it and still have trouble putting it down once I have started rereading it.

I am writing this review because I am annoyed by some of the negative comments about this book. I think they are unfounded. We are not talking about an earth shattering biography or an epic tale. It is what it is, a Romance Novel.

The plot is interesting and the characters are lovable.

I have read many different novels with all types of writing styles and I must say that this is one of my favorite books for this particular category of writing. I Highly Recommend it!

Love Scenes: one
Tone: tense, rich, dramatic

This was a book that I picked up on a whim on a morning I had nothing else to read. I picked it up reluctantly because Jude Deveraux wrote books a while ago, and while the older Romance writers have some very good qualities, they sometimes have books which seem unbelievable or over-the-top. This one did not have this problem, but another one which I found even harder to forgive. Spoilers follow.

Since I just finished the book two minutes ago and it is still rattling around in my head, I have to write what I disliked first. The hero, trying to win the heroine, cannot promise fidelity and repeatedly tells her of his exploits with other, numerous other, women. This is not a new theme in romance novels; the heroes are expected to be experienced. But they are expected to give up these impulses when they met the heroine. Trevelyan does not feel the need to do this and seemingly can offer Claire very littler. And Claire never comments on this. She does have other issues to work out with Trevelyan, very big issues, and these are settled in the last paragraph. These issues, which have been building over the whole book, BEG for further discussion. The epilogue does not help either. It tells us that they live happily ever after, but that Trevelyan DOES go off exploring on his own (probably meeting more women) and living a very separate life from Claire.

But these flaws, which are quite large in my opinion, do not overshadow the book (well, they did for me but until I got to this part I was utterly enchanted). The characters are among the best written I have ever read. They are complex and they get to know each other as individuals. They have adventures and drama and intense/emotional experiences. Neither is the most beautiful of their sex, both are occasionally jealous, and flawed in perfect ways. And while there is very little in the book in terms of love scenes or even sexual/romantic encounters, the book doesn't need it. The delicious tension that builds completely separate from physical love scenes is so enchanting that I wouldn't have been disappointed if it never happened (and this is coming from someone who basically reads these books for the love scenes).

And not only are the main characters complex (he is an explorer, something Deveraux may have gone over the top on but makes for a superbly interesting read despite that, while Claire is well-educated and spirited, yet not completely negligent of societal and personal rules, different from the usual heroine who breaks every rule she encounters), but the side characters are as well. I have never read (or remember reading) a story with a side-character like Nylla (although I thought her miraculous resurrection on the final page took away from her story line), and Claire's sister is practically psychotic, though everyone loves her.

I don't have time to say much more, but this book left me conflicted. On the one hand it had the potential to be one of the best romance novels I ever read, but the end was so startling and disturbing that I am not sure what I think anymore. Other readers will probably not be as disturbed by the ending as I, and in other circumstances I may have not even picked up on this theme (although it is a fault of romance writers during this period and I was hyper-aware of its possible occurrence). Deveraux was writing along the same guidelines as other romance authors of her generation, which sometimes is simply brilliant and sometimes heart-wrenchingly horrible. Because I loved so much of the book at first and Trevelyan was the first hero I have fallen in love with in so long, the ending ruined the story. But again, I am over-sensitive to these things and others probably won't notice. Anyway, I should get back to the work I was supposed to be doing. Maybe tomorrow this book won't be in my head so much and I will love it.