Ashley March

I liked this one because it was different from the usual HR books that I read. And that first chapter where she is kidnapped by her husband was just great. But their love story is a messy one, and a sad one.

Why is then their story such a mess? Well Phillip whispered words of love and got her to marry her. Everything was perfect, their wedding night was perfect, until next morning when he told he he had only used her for revenge and he packed up and left her to go to his mistress. Poor Charlotte was left with a broken heart and during the years that followed she has tried everything to get the cold Duke to divorce her.

What saves Phillip for me is how he is presented from now on. We meet a man who knows what he did was wrong, he knows that he ruined her life, and during these horrible years he has started to fall for her. They used to be friends when they were smaller, and that is what he remembers. If we would have met the coldhearted bastard that took her innocence and spit upon it, then yes I would not have forgiven him.

Charlotte is the talk of London, she is rumored to have bed half the ton (and more), and she is quite the scandal. She just wants out, she is hurting and her family is not talking to her since she married him. Since I knew how much it must have hurt I did approve of her petty remarks, because she is changing too. That is what this whole book is about. Does she dare to trust him again? Because she does love him, and hate him.

Phillip tries to win her back, and he has a long way to go. And there will be misunderstandings, but come one, this is a HR, you know it will end with happy tears instead of sad ones. I am just saying that the road there is long. And sometimes you do forgive and forget.

Conclusion:
After having finished this book I did want to read more of her books. The writing was good and I liked the story of these two broken souls.
… (més)

I read this book during a flurry of reading and writing activity, and put off my Goodreads review for a week. Had I rated [b:Seducing the Duchess|8205558|Seducing the Duchess|Ashley March|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1332137496s/8205558.jpg|13052613] immediately after I put it down, and before I picked up the next volume in my TBR stack, I would probably have given it five stars and a glowing review, a reflection of the pleasure it gave me.

Several days of sporadic contemplation later, I find myself agreeing with some of the very perceptive negative comments posted by other Goodreads reviewers.

My conclusion? Ms March is a consummately skillful storyteller who can take a flawed and flaky narrative and make it seem compulsively exciting. I'll stick with my initial evaluation -- my enjoyment of the book was very real -- but at the same time I'd encourage prospective readers to scan some of the other reviews before committing themselves.… (més)