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Product Details
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Product Description
Book Description
When the outrageously wealthy Duke of Castleford is bequeathed a small piece of property that houses a modest flower shop, he encounters its owner, the mysterious Daphne Joyes-a budding rose who quickly becomes the object of his seduction.
About the Author
Madeline Hunter has published twenty-one critically acclaimed historical romances. Her books regularly appear on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. More than five million copies of her books are in print, and her books have been translated into twelve languages. She has won two RITA awards and is a seven-time RITA finalist. Madeline holds a PhD in art history, which she teaches at the university level. She loves to hear from readers and can be contacted through her website: www.MadelineHunter.com.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.7 out of 5 stars (37 customer reviews)
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved the hero, Castleford!, April 27 2011
By Romanzwriter - Published on Amazon.com
I've been waiting for Castleford's story and I wasn't disappointed. I liked Daphne too, but not as much as I enjoyed him. His dialogue and manner was reminiscent of the character "Algie" in "The Importance of being Earnest". It was witty, sarcastic, yet lovable! I do agree with one reviewer about disliking the Manchester uprising. It was almost odd and felt like it didn't belong, but other than that, I love the way he pursued Daphne. She has all these secrets that made her feel like she couldn't share her life with anyone, but she couldn't help but give in to Castleford when he'd kiss her. Frankly, I don't know what woman could! If this was a real man, he would be downright irresistible.Kudos to Ms. Hunter for writing both Characters so well and not giving away Daphne's secret until the very end. I couldn't figure it out (well, the last secret, anyway), so it made me want to keep reading until I discovered all. On the other hand, I didn't want it to end because it meant saying goodbye to the duke of Castleford. :-)
I do recommend reading the rest of the books in this series. You might, like me, want to go back and reread them to get the full effect. Madeline Hunter is one of my favorite authors and she never leaves me disappointed.
30 of 36 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Major Disappointment After Major Anticipation, May 3 2011
By JuJuBee - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Dangerous in Diamonds (Mass Market Paperback)
I'd been eagerly anticipating Castleford's story since book 1. What a letdown! Books 1 & 2 were quite good, the 3rd not so great, so I shouldn't be surprised the 4th & final was a disappointment. First of all, Ms. Hunter apparently forgot she placed Castleford at Rarest Blooms at the end of book 3, and although one of his friends believes Castleford stayed in his carriage the whole time, she hinted (I thought) that he briefly met, or had at least gotten an eyeful, of beautiful Daphne while all the other characters were running around in the garden wrapping up the book 3 storyline. How sly, how clever, how subtle, I thought, of her to drop these hints, igniting Castleford's appetite for Daphne and the reader's for book 4. I for one was waiting impatiently to find out exactly what happened between them that afternoon that gets the ball rolling on their romance. Instead I got book 4 opening with Castleford inheriting the Rarest Blooms property (okay, I can live with that scenario) but when he shows up to inspect the place he acts like he's never been there before and has no prior knowledge of the Rarest Bloom's existence. Huh? Then a few pages later he's acknowledging to his friends he's aware Daphne is linked to their wives, all of whom lived and worked at Rarest Blooms. On top of the sloppy continuity, there's a build-up with the Manchester subplot that just peters out, the villain comes home from the Continent and then returns to the Continent but there's no resolution (the reader never gets the payoff of seeing him suffer for his villainy, although Castleford half-heartedly parts him from some of his $). The sex scenes are a bore, the std thing was anachronistic, the chemistry between the two lovers nonexistent, and the Big Secret at the end (** SPOILER ALERT**) was that tired old romance novel cliche the Secret Baby, or in this case, the Secret Teenager. Unfortunately, not only was the father unaware of the child's existence, so was the reader! Here was my biggest beef. Ms. Hunter devotes all of 3 or 4 sentences at the end to a major revelation about the major character-- what was she thinking, hey on the last page of the book I'll let the reader in on the fact that the central focus of Daphne's life has been her sacrifice of living apart from her daughter in order to keep her safe. The whole thing comes off as strangely cold and unemotional. And Daphne's reason for revealing a teenage daughter now, makes no sense. It's because the father fled to the Continent, but that's where he was for the child's entire life, except for a brief period. He's barely present in England, or the story for that matter, and then back he goes to France. This book was just a mess, nothing explored or resolved in any satisfactory way.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Couldn't wait to read it--wasn't quite what I thought, April 27 2011
By HR Reader - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Dangerous in Diamonds (Mass Market Paperback)
I have been looking forward to this book since the start of the series, rather hoping Castleford would be much like Sebastian in Kleypas' Devil in Winter. Castleford wasn't quite the same, but he came very close. I enjoyed this book, but am not dying to reread any parts, although I will definitely reread it at some point. I agree with the reviewer who said it seems less of a romance and more of a journey of self-discovery novel. Not that that is bad; it is just not what I was expecting. Tristan's move to sobriety was actually more believable than I thought the author would be able to convey--I mean come on, the guy was drunk every day but Tuesday for years, pretty hard core alcoholism. But the self-reflection his sobriety forces on him goes along way to explaining that sobriety. Daphne seemed rather toned down from previous books--just not quite as strong, but of course, her background as a victim is revealed, which must naturally convey a vulnerability that readers didn't see before. Overall, definitely worth reading!
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