Bedding the Heiress
by Cathy Maxwell
Avon, 2007, ISBN #978-0-06-112180-7
Historical Romance
When a loathsome rake steals one of her most cherished family heirlooms –and nearly her virtue as well! –Francesca Dunroy devises the perfect plan to put him in his place. At a ball being held in her honor –she didn’t ‘take’ in her first season, now her family is determined to get her a match in her second –she’ll offer him a clandestine kiss sure to convince him to return what is rightfully hers. But in the dark hallways surrounding the ballroom, Francesca makes a terrifying mistake. She seduces the wrong man!
The recipient of Francesca’s caresses is none other than Justin Maddox, London’s newly titled duke and most eligible bachelor. A defiant Scotsman who disdains London society, he’s sworn to steer clear of the ladies of the ton, but he can’t escape the memory of Francesca urgently pressing her lips upon his… and neither can she. But when a shocking and dangerour secret from Justin’s past resurfaces, the couple will have to risk tattered reputations and treacherous enemies to nurture what has quickly become true love.
While this book is clearly one from the middle of a series, it does read just fine as a stand alone title.
The hero is a charming fellow, and his story is a true fish out of water story. He was stolen from his family when he was an infant, and he was raised in a remote town in Scotland. He became a skilled and proud blacksmith named Tavis. Then (sometime in a prior book of the series) he was reunited with this twin brother and returned to his destiny –as the eldest twin, and christened Justin, he’s the true duke! In this story, Justin has been back in London for about two weeks and, while he displays general discomfort and confusion over courtesy and rules, he’s generally doing just find. He does bring with him and hides a sword that serves only to bring in Scottish rogues desperate to get it, but the sword is clearly a plot device for a future story (or a common thread in the series, that won’t be resolved till the end).
The heroine is another matter. Francesca is a somewhat older debutante, due to the untimely death of her mother and subsequent mourning period, and she is a major heiress. She is also a seriously spoiled brat who spends half of the book angsting about how awful her dad is for having remarried before formal mourning was over and behaving spitefully toward her new stepmother (who is younger than Francesca). I’ve never seen a heroine behave so nastily and unremorsefully. Lest you think I exaggerate, here is a prime example:
While she’d [Francesca] dressed, Regina had been twirling and arranging her own blond curls. Francesca had caught her admiring herself before. It was all part of her stepmother’s silliness. She was like a child.
Francesca walked right over to the vanity, picked up the brush, and shouldered Regina out of the way of the mirror.
Somehow we’re supposed to think that this behavior is acceptable because she’s been so poorly treated by her dad getting remarried? I found that I couldn’t.
Not for me.
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