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5.0 out of 5 stars
Definitely a keeper..., Jul 29 2001
I have to agree with the reviewer below who did such a great job in outling the story. Although this is an old story, there is still so much in it to like upon a re-read. It is a story of a couple brought together by duty and love - on his part, the duty to his estates and tenants, to his family, and to his Name and Title, and on hers, to her father. In agreeing to marry, they discover firstly that they get along surprisingly well, and secondly that they love each other - but not without several hiccups. One of Tracy's problems is her post-natal depression (the baby blues) which combine with a general feeling of insecurity both as a very young wife and mother and as a foreigner and outside. Her attempts to do what she thinks her husband wants from her - to be a political hostess - only serve to create a rift between the two. This is made worse when a former suitor arrives in London and completely misread's Tracy's feelings about her marriage and about himself. But everything ends happily (this is a romance!), and the young duke and duchess realize that they are in love, and that Tracy does not in fact have to play the part of political hostess.Add to all this some delightful vignettes into the way in which American heiresses were received in British high society (well before the 1880s and 1890s when many more American heiresses arrived to win titles), and the ways in which a young Republican heroine adjusts to life at the top of the aristocratic ladder. Tracy's political beliefs are not taken seriously by the statesmen who listen to her, but then fortunately she is no firebrand, either. At least one of the love scenes were curiously reminiscent of a similar scene in THE GAMBLE (one of my favorite Joan Wolf books). This scene and other scenes are slightly more explicit than the norm for this period (early 1980s), but most of the sensuality is conveyed by such scenes as the couple fishing together, riding together, the duke lifting a heavy branch off the road, and so forth. If you like Joan Wolf, this book is a must-read. It is also a favorite choice for most Regency readers. There is no explicit adventure, but the story of a couple learning about each other and the sacrifices they have made for others.
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