Monday, July 25, 2011

Review: What I Did For A Duke (Pennyroyal Green, #5) by Julie Anne Long

For years, he's been an object of fear, fascination . . . and fantasy. But of all the wicked rumors that shadow the formidable Alexander Moncrieffe, Duke of Falconbridge, the ton knows one thing for certain: only fools dare cross him. And when Ian Eversea does just that, Moncrieffe knows the perfect revenge: he'll seduce Ian's innocent sister, Genevieve—the only Eversea as yet untouched by scandal. First he'll capture her heart . . . and then he'll break it.

But everything about Genevieve is unexpected: the passion simmering beneath her cool control, the sharp wit tempered by gentleness . . . And though Genevieve has heard the whispers about the duke's dark past, and knows she trifles with him at her peril, one incendiary kiss tempts her deeper into a world of extraordinary sensuality. Until Genevieve is faced with a fateful choice . . . is there anything she won't do for a duke?
What I Did For A Duke by Julie Anne Long is a May/December romance with one of those memorable, hilarious first chapters that hooked me. What I found after that is a historical romance with some fabulous wit and snappy dialogue between the two main characters that kept me reading. That hilarious first chapter sets the stage for subsequent scenes that continue in this same amusing vein, although not as extreme or memorable, but then there's more.

What happens in that first chapter? Well, Ian Eversea messes with the wrong Duke by seducing his fiancee, and gets caught with his hands in the wrong cookie jar. What a scene! Moncrieffe doesn't kill him but decides to make Ian sweat by obtaining an invitation to a house party taking place at the Eversea's country home. His plan is to seduce Ian's younger sister Genevieve to get even. Surprisingly, Genevieve turns out to be a smart cookie and figures him out, but there are other reasons for Moncrieffe and Genevieve to team up, and for seduction to take place... plus Ian still needs to suffer.

Moncrieffe is old, and by that I mean he's almost forty! He has the "been there, done that" type of attitude and frankly, he has done it all. He's a Duke, rich, doesn't owe anyone anything, has loved and lost and knows tricks the younger men and women around him can't even fathom. He has a reputation for being intimidating, arrogant and calculating and he loves it. Moncrieffe is actually a mature man who knows himself and his own nature quite well, both flaws and vulnerabilities. He is ohhhh so seductive and passionate, and sneaky and lovable. I fell in love with the man. Once he sees Genevieve for who she really is, his yearning and passion for her are sigh worthy. Best of all the two of them sizzle when together.

Genevieve is a young woman, but she gives Moncrieffe a run for his money when it comes to being brilliantly cunning. I love that she figures him out and calls him out on all of his crap. Genevieve doesn't let him get away with anything, even when she's kind and naive to a certain extent. She's slowly seduced by Moncrieffe and doesn't even realize it, while still pining for her one and only love Harry. Genevieve's one flaw is the longevity of her self-imposed blindness when it comes to her feelings for Harry and his feelings for her.

What I Did For A Duke is a passionate May/December historical romance where Julie Anne Long effectively combines angst, yearning and humor. I laughed out loud more than once throughout the story while loving the seductive dance, the passion and romance. And even at the end when the romance is at its peak, the fun didn't stop. (Bastard!)

Category: Historical Romance
Series: Pennyroyal Green
Publisher/Release Date: Avon, February 22, 2011
Grade: A-

Visit Julie Anne Long here.

Series:
The Perils of Pleasure, #1
Like No Other Lover, #2
Since The Surrender, #3
I Kissed An Earl, #4
What I Did For A Duke, #5
How The Marquess Was Won #6 - Releases January 2012

11 comments:

  1. I love the Pennyroyal Green series, Hils. What I did for a Duke is one of my favorites in the series. All of the books are witty and humorous. I am awaiting the next book now.

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  2. I read this one a couple of months ago and I agree with you, though I don't think I gave it as high a rating.

    I liked both leads and all, but Genevieve's blindness annoyed me a lot more than she did you.

    :D

    Still, it was a lovely book and I LOVE May/December romances.

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  3. Ah, this is a series on the tbr pile that I'll eventually get to. So many good books, so little time. :)

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  4. Reny, I haven't read the other books in this series, but I definitely enjoyed this one. It left me with a smile at the end and that's always a good thing. :)

    Alex, I love, love May/December romances too and I think this one was very well done. I do understand how Genevieve's feelings for Harry would come off as annoying and agree it did go a bit long. But the rest was a fun ride for me, it left me with a smile and this is a book I will re-read. ;P

    Leslie, lol! I know what you mean. I've had this book in my TBR since approximately February/March and it took me this long to read it. But, FYI... you don't have to read the rest of the series to enjoy it. I did! *g*

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  5. Glad you liked this one so much, Hils. I'm not a fan of May/December romance ^_^; and Genevieve pining for Harry just got on my nerves. There were some nice elements though, but not enough to overcome the issues I had.

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  6. I haven't read any of this series and was starting to roll my eyes at the whole 'you seduced my fiancee so I'll seduced your (innocent) sister' right up until I read that the sister worked it all out! So...tempted :) Thank you Hils!

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  7. Aww, Nath it sounds as if this book was not for you. ;P Sometimes it's tough to get through a trope that you dislike, it happened to me with another book I read this month.

    Orannia, I know what you mean. ;P I almost did that myself and then I was pleasantly surprised. :)

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  8. Some of the funniest reading I have encountered in romance historicals have been from the pen of Julie Ann Long--this looks like such a good book. I think some of the old gals that hung around the ton ballrooms were a hoot. Thanks for the good review.

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  9. Dr J, this is the first book I read by Julie Anne Long! Now I have to get my hands on more. Thanks for the heads up. I love a good romance with great humor. :)

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  10. I STILL have to read this! I enjoyed the first in the series, and keep being told (by Holly and Tracy) to just skip right to this one, it's so good.

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  11. Oh Renee, at least you read the first book in the series. I haven't read any of them and I enjoyed the heck out of this one. I don't think it's necessary to read the other ones to do so. *g* BUT, I will go back and read the others now... I'm hoping to enjoy more of Long's writing. :)

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