THE INCONVENIENT DUCHESS by Christine Merrill provides a classic early Regency period romance that can be enjoyed by any fan of romance. I give it three stars.
In the novel, Lady Miranda Grey shows up on the doorstep of Marcus Radwell, the fourth Duke of Haughleigh, in the middle of a storm, expecting to meet and possibly marry the duke. The machinations of Marcus' mother induced Miranda's visit, but unbeknownst to Miranda, the dowager duchess died six weeks before her arrival.
Stranded in the Haughleigh house with two unmarried men, Miranda has little choice but to accept Marcus' reluctant and unromantic proposal. A marriage is hastily conducted, and with only a note to inform his vulnerable new wife, Marcus immediately travels to London to take care of marriage legalities.
While Marcus is away, his exiled and bitter younger brother, St. John, uses his charm and good looks to sow discord in the already fragile marriage. When Marcus returns home, Miranda is so suspicious of him and insecure in the marriage that drama and misunderstandings abound.
For the most part, I enjoyed this novel. The marital challenges seem authentic for a hastily arranged marriage. The insecurity and uncertainty about what the other partner thinks and feels is typical for any relationship, and certainly magnified in this arranged marriage. The romance is graphic, appropriate for adults only.
The characters and dialogue tend to be believable, but there is a feeling of overreliance on narration to convey the thoughts and feelings of the characters. There is also a bit too much rumination of those thoughts and feelings (at least on Miranda's part), and occasionally, those thoughts seem contrived. For example, after a serious heart to heart conversation about how terrible Marcus' first marriage was and how shallow, deceitful and opportunistic his first wife was, Miranda walks away with the message that she needs to be more like Marcus' first wife. This just did not make sense to me, especially after Marcus repeatedly says that he wants Miranda to be herself, honest about what she thinks and feels. If I skip all the parts like this that annoy me, I have no problems enjoying the book.
I definitely enjoyed the ending - how the issue with St. John was resolved, and what Marcus gives Miranda as a Christmas gift.
If you are a fan of the classic Harlequin romance novels, this is the novel for you, and if you prefer something a bit more substantial, you can still enjoy this novel with a little self-editing.
**Review shared with The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=7923..
