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The Accidental Duchess

de Jessica Benson

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913295,242 (3.41)3
Dear Reader, I married the wrong man. I had every intention of doing the thing right. Of saying my vows and walking out on the arm of Bertie Milburn. Nice, safe, easygoing Bertie. And that is precisely what I thought I had done. But as it turned out, I'd been tricked! Tricked into marrying Bertie's twin brother Harry, the Earl of Cambourne and (as my mother would insist on reminding me at every opportunity) future Duke of Winfell! And the shocking way in which I found out -- on my wedding night, no less...well, it doesn't bear repeating here! And the truth is that Harry, who is my husband, but should not be, makes my hands shake and my heart pound in a way that Bertie never has and never will. Vexing, dangerously charming Harry, who won't tell me why he had to marry me, why he insists on masquerading about town as his brother, or most bothersome still, why he won't stop that annoying (and rather excitingly successful) habit of trying to seduce me! What is a young lady to do? Gwen… (més)
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Yes, Virginia, there is such as thing as Historical Romance Chick-Lit. The book cover should have been a giveaway but, like the heroine of the story, I missed the obvious clue and found myself in very unfamiliar territory.

Gwen has resigned herself to marrying the younger of the identical twins whose stately home neighbours her own, and with whom she's been friends since childhood. It's not until her wedding night that she discovers she is now wed to the older of the twins, who for some inexplicable reason is masquerading as his younger brother. Not being a love match to start with, and the older brother owning the family title, the switch shouldn't have made much difference, particularly as she finds herself unexpectedly attracted to Cambourne, the older brother. Her confusion turns to anger when she realises that her parents are not only aware of the switch, but approve of it.

Gwen, the first-person narrator of the story, puts an immediate stop to any further marital shenanigans and demands to know what's happening. Her husband refuses to explain, and Gwen is forced to consult with her BFFs.

Up to this point in the story, the typical chick-lit recipe of rapid-fire quips coming from a cast of colorful characters amuses and entertains. However, as Gwen begins to make less and less progress in the mystery of the switched brothers, the story begins to stall, and when the real younger brother shows up with a French nymphomaniac Barbie-doll wife in tow, it spirals out of control, eventually crashing to the ground when the two brothers agree, most improbably, to persist in the switch. Flames leap from the wreckage when the two brothers agree to slowly morph their disguises back into their original characters.

The happy ending fails to extinguish the smouldering wreckage. At the end of the story I felt like someone who has just heard a rather pointless joke and is waiting for a punchline that never comes. Awkward.

Gwen may be in a dizzy tangle about what's going on around her, but that's no excuse for the author to leave the reader in the same tangle. Probably, had I the time and patience, re-reading the last two chapters of the book would have uncovered a few more convincing and realistic pointers as to how the masquerade is supposed to play out in the future, but I'm already well into my next Goodreads recommendation and enjoying it too much to revisit old ground. ( )
  skirret | Jan 2, 2015 |
Great book, almost gave it a 5 star, but the ending left something to be desired, almost like she ran out of time to finish it properly. An absolute gem up to the last chapter, though. ( )
  CyndiTefft | Feb 7, 2014 |
Gwen has known from childhood that one day she will marry Bertie, Lord Milburn. So it comes as rather a shock when, while being seduced by her new husband on her wedding night, she finds she actually married his twin brother, Harry, Earl of Cambourne. She is futher outraged to learn that he knew the truth, her parents knew the truth and the real Bertie is missing, fate and location unknown.

Determinded not to let 'things' go any further until she knows where Bertie is and why she has been lied to, Gwen stops Cambourne in his tracks. When he refuses to explain, she sets out trying to discover the truth and avoid falling in love with the husband that affects her in a way Bertie never has.

All in all, this is pretty standard romance fare, although it has the addition of being told by Gwen, who is a fun narrator. Everything is here; identical twins, masquerades, a fiesty heroine (or at least, one who discovers she has it in herself to be so), mistresses and even the shadow of Napoleon. I don't think Benson does anything startlingly new here, but she tells a fun tale that if enjoyable to follow.

I liked Gwen and I liked Harry and I certainly wanted them to work things out. I did occasionally want to yell at them that all they needed to do was talk to each other, but I had enough fun along the way not to be too annoyed. The ending is great as the twins try to outdo each other in putting the other on the spot and Gwen takes control of matters. My biggest complaint is probably that things between Gwen's friend Cecy and Cecy's husband are never resolved, nor is the issue of Cecy's mother and the footman. It was made a significant portion of the story and seemed to be abandoned at the last minute as Gwen and Harry's HEA took over centre stage. I realise that's where the book needed to end, but couldn't we have sorted Cecy out first then?

A fun, light read that I recommend, not as something that will blow the reader's mind, but as an enjoyable way to spend an evening or two. ( )
  rocalisa | Jul 25, 2006 |
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Dear Reader, I married the wrong man. I had every intention of doing the thing right. Of saying my vows and walking out on the arm of Bertie Milburn. Nice, safe, easygoing Bertie. And that is precisely what I thought I had done. But as it turned out, I'd been tricked! Tricked into marrying Bertie's twin brother Harry, the Earl of Cambourne and (as my mother would insist on reminding me at every opportunity) future Duke of Winfell! And the shocking way in which I found out -- on my wedding night, no less...well, it doesn't bear repeating here! And the truth is that Harry, who is my husband, but should not be, makes my hands shake and my heart pound in a way that Bertie never has and never will. Vexing, dangerously charming Harry, who won't tell me why he had to marry me, why he insists on masquerading about town as his brother, or most bothersome still, why he won't stop that annoying (and rather excitingly successful) habit of trying to seduce me! What is a young lady to do? Gwen

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