Good morning! I would like to welcome Amy Quinton to my blog today. Amy will be awarding a heart shaped enamel, kiln fired copper charm on a leather corded necklace (US ONLY) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a copper fold formed quill on a leather corded necklace. (US ONLY) to a randomly drawn host. Host prize and commenter prize are designed and made by Keri Sereika at Pink Lemonade

 BLURB:

Upstanding duke desperately seeks accident-prone wife from trade…

England 1814: Miss Grace (ha!) Radclyffe is an oftentimes hilariously clumsy, 20-year-old orphan biding her time living with her uncle until she is old enough to come into her small inheritance. Much to her aunt’s chagrin, she isn’t: reserved (not with her shocking! tendency to befriend the servants), sophisticated (highly overrated), or graceful (she once flung her dinner into a duke’s face). But she is: practical and in love… maybe… perhaps… possibly…

The Duke of Stonebridge is an agent for the Crown with a tragic past. His father died mysteriously when he was 12 years old amid speculation that the old duke was ‘involved’ with another man. He must restore his family name, but on the eve of his engagement to the perfect debutante, he meets his betrothed’s cousin, and his world is turned inside out… No matter, he is always: logical (men who follow their hearts are foolish) and reserved (his private life is nobody’s business but his own). And he isn’t: impulsive or in love… maybe… perhaps… possibly…

Can he have what he wants and restore his name? Can she trust him to be the man she needs?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23927678-what-the-duke-wants

Published & Release Date: Liquid Silver, January 26, 2015

Time and setting: 1814 England  

Genre: Historical Regency Romance

Length: 322 pages

Heat Level: 1 Scorching Hot Flame

Rating: 3.75 Gold Crowns

Vikki’s Musings

I received What the Duke Wants from the publisher via Goddess Fish Promotions for an honest review. The book description sounded interesting, and I always love books set during the Regency period.

Ambrose Langtry, the tenth Duke of Stonebridge is ready to set up his nursery and chooses Lady Beatryce, the daughter of The Earl of Swindon, a longtime family friend. When he arrives at a house party the earl and his countess are giving, the last thing he expects is to stumble across Grace Radclyffe in a mud puddle needing rescue.

Grace Radclyff, the niece of the earl and cousin to Beatryce, is known for having unfortunate mishaps. In essence, she is clumsy. When she looks up into the most brilliant green eyes she has ever seen, she immediately falls under their spell.  When she finds out they belong to none other than to her cousin’s duke, she feels most embarrassed and disappointed. Why did those eyes have to belong to someone so far above her in status and almost engaged to Beatryce?

Can Grace fight the growing attraction she and the duke feel for each other and retain her honor, or will she throw caution to the wind and give into the incredible passion she feels?

What the Duke Wants has plenty of moments of hilarity and witty dialogue between Grace and Ambrose. There is also an interesting mystery running along with the romance between the duke and Grace. The pacing is excellent and the plot engaging, keeping me entertained. I enjoyed the book for the most part, but there were a few minor problems.

While I immediately fell in love with Grace’s character, I did not care for Ambrose at all. I found him, crass, rude and without honor in his dealings with Grace throughout most of the book. Personally, I have no idea why a sweet, innocent young miss would fall in love with him. I guess this is a case where youth overrides good sense and love is indeed blind.

I found Ms. Quinton’s writing style interesting, especially Grace’s internal thoughts. She had me chuckling out loud several times. I always enjoy humor in a book. However, her use of parenthesis scattered throughout the story was a bit distracting. I also would suggest she try to make her dialogue and narrative more in line for the period. Some of her phrasing sounded too modern for a Regency tale. Although quite amusing. Here is an example:

“Oh, Hello mud. Nice to meet you again. We really need to stop meeting this way.”

Nonetheless, an amusing read and I will definitely want to read, Clifford’s story. He is a delightful character and will make a great hero. If you enjoy a light-hearted tale with a bit of mystery intermingled with an outstanding ending, then you will enjoy What the Duke Wants. Happy reading!

 Excerpt:

A knowledgeable lady understands that, typically, the best way to make a good first impression is not to fall bottom first into a puddle of mud. Alas, Grace Radclyffe, with her inclination towards unfortunate mishaps, found this knowledge to be generally useless in the reality of her everyday life.

Therefore, despite the uncomfortable feeling of wetness seeping through her gown and the faint-though-nearby sound of dripping mud, she did what any sensible lady of good upbringing would do in less than ideal circumstances. She cursed. With conviction.

“Bloody hell. Not again.”

So maybe she didn’t say that. But it was something she occasionally thought in her mind, though only in her mind.

In actuality, she chuckled lightheartedly (because it’s always best to set yourself and any potential rescuers at ease in awkward situations) and graciously procured the proffered handkerchief dangling over her left shoulder. Then, after clearing the mud from her face so she could actually see and with cheeks tinged only slightly from embarrassment (because, really, that kerchief hadn’t been dangling over her shoulder on its own), she peered up to thank her would-be rescuer and

Gasped. Out loud.

For staring down at her with one eyebrow lifted in question, were a pair of eyes—emerald green eyes to be more precise. The most deeply penetrating emerald green eyes she had ever seen in all of her near twenty-one years.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Amy Quinton is an author and full time mom living in Summerville, SC. She enjoys writing (and reading!) sexy, historical romances. She lives with her English husband, two boys, and two cats. In her spare time, she likes to go camping, hiking, and canoeing/kayaking… And did she mention reading? When she’s not reading, cleaning, or traveling, she likes to make jewelry, sew, knit, and crochet (Yay for Ravelry!).

Amy has lived in or around theCharleston, SC area her entire life. When she’s not home, at the beach (weather permitting), or camping in and around the Great Smoky Mountains (Check out Mile High Campground and Devils Fork State Park!), she loves to visit the United Kingdom. She loves the history, the culture, and the people – hence her love for Scottish and Regency Romances. She especially loves to visit the Isle of Skye – in the Highlands of Scotland; where the scenery is both rugged and breathtaking.

Amy graduated from the College of Charleston, a liberal arts college located in beautiful, historic Charleston, SC. She worked 10 years in the computer industry as a software designer before becoming a full time mom and now, a full time novelist.

Buy Links

EBook:

LS Books: https://www.lsbooks.com/p986.php

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/What-Duke-Wants-Agents-Change-ebook/dp/B00RUBIDZ6/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-the-duke-wants-amy-quinton/1121008848?ean=9781622101849

Don't forget to enter the drawing via Rafflecopter. Here is the link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f877/