THE LOST DUKE OF WYNDHAM by Julia Quinn Book Review
Series: Two Dukes of Wyndham, #1
Publication Date: May 27th 2008 by Avon

Book Summary: Jack Audley has been a highwayman. A soldier. And he has always been a rogue. What he is not, and never wanted to be, is a peer of the realm, responsible for an ancient heritage and the livelihood of hundreds. But when he is recognized as the long-lost son of the House of Wyndham, his carefree life is over. And if his birth proves to be legitimate, then he will find himself with the one title he never wanted: Duke of Wyndham.

Grace Eversleigh has spent the last five years toiling as the companion to the dowager Duchess of Wyndham. It is a thankless job, with very little break from the routine… until Jack Audley lands in her life, all rakish smiles and debonair charm. He is not a man who takes no for an answer, and when she is in his arms, she’s not a woman who wants to say no. But if he is the true duke, then he is the one man she can never have…

Heroine: Unfortunately, sometimes a hero or a heroine just does not stand out to me as a reader. After reading so many romance novels, it’s easy for a hero or heroine to blend in with all the others. In THE LOST DUKE OF WYNDHAM by Julia Quinn, it was Grace who was the forgettable character. I think it was due to the fact that despite Grace’s intelligence and wit, she was overshadowed by the Dowager Duchess. She had things to say but she constantly held it back. Furthermore, this was Jack’s story more than anyone’s. On the bright side, a forgettable character makes it easier for me, the reader, to pretend I’m in the shoes of the heroine.

Hero: I honestly cannot remember the last time I was able to empathize with a hero. Jack is positively charming, but Julia Quinn lets the readers know that sometimes, it’s just a front. Deep down, Jack buries a deep resentment towards his past, and it’s part of the reason why he has not gone back home to Ireland. Yeah, usually every hero is brooding about a dark past. But the difference here is that Julia Quinn made me care a lot more for Jack than other authors have done for their heroes.

Supporting Cast: I can’t talk about THE LOST DUKE OF WYNDHAM by Julia Quinn without talking about the Dowager Duchess. Seriously, she is such a huge character in the book. The Dowager basically controls Grace’s life. As the Duchess’s companion, Grace feels that she should be thankful to the Duchess for rescuing her from having to marry her horrid cousin, but at the same time, the Dowager is a hard woman to please. I loved reading about the Dowager just because I wanted to see her icy facade crack. Futhermore, there’s Thomas and Amelia. Thomas, the current Duke of Wyndham, really gets the low end of the deal here. The dukedom that he had worked so hard for his entire life might be taken away from him. As much as I loved Jack, I felt bad for Thomas. And there’s Amelia … the girl who’s been betrothed to Thomas since she was born. I can’t wait to see more of her in the next book.

Plot: This was just one of those romance novels that completely revolved around a plot. I loved it. I thought it was engaging and I was hooked. I just wanted to know what was going to happen next and I didn’t want to put my book down. The characters pretty much accepted that Jack was the proper Duke of Wyndham, but even more so than evidence, I was interested in how their characters were going to accept the sudden changes in their lives. Family drama is fun to read about. It’s like a soap opera on pages.

Romance: Honestly, I thought the romance was a bit secondary to all the family drama that was happening in THE LOST DUKE OF WYNDHAM by Julia Quinn. I wasn’t even sure if I was going to like Jack/Grace together because I thought everything just happened way too quickly. Okay, they had instant attraction. I can’t doubt that doesn’t happen in real life. I always stop to look at a hot guy on the street. (Okay, out of topic …) But marriage after three days of knowing someone? Wow, that’s a bit extreme. Still, I think that Grace and Jack made a good couple in the way that they understood each other. But the timeline was too quick for my liking.

Love Potion Strength:

- Exceeds Expectations

Am I going to read the next book of the series? You bet. I really enjoyed THE LOST DUKE OF WYNDHAM – yet another fabulous book by Julia Quinn.

Post written by Muggle-Born.net

I’ve obviously read a lot more books in the last year, so I’ll be curious to see how the numbers have or have not changed.

Last Year’s Most Read Authors:

1. Meg Cabot – 28
2. Julia Quinn – 12
3. Charlaine Harris – 10
4. Philip Reeve & J.K. Rowling – 8
5. Diana Gabaldon – 7
6. Megan McCafferty – 5
7. Libba Bray, Anna Godsbersen, David Levithan – 4

Most Read Authors of 2012 So Far

1. Meg Cabot – 29: I think it will be a long time before someone takes the number one spot from Meg Cabot. I basically spent my entire teen years reading her books. And of course, I can now say my “entire teen years” because I am no longer, unfortunately, a teenager since I turned 20. But that’s off-topic.

2. Julia Quinn – 15: I fell in love with historical romance through Julia Quinn. I’m still making my way through all her books so it might take a while, but I think Julia Quinn has the best shot of dethroning Meg Cabot as my most read author.

3. Charlaine Harris – 11: Since I really did not like the latest Sookie Stackhouse book, I’m a little bit embarassed to have read them all. Alas, I can’t hide that fact and so, Charlaine Harris has made my list.

4. Philip Reeve – 9: I honestly hold all other science fiction – especially steampunk! – books up against Philip Reeve’s novels. If you have not heard of him, look up his Mortal Engine series. They are so hard to find in the US, but they are worth searching for.

5. J.K. Rowling – 8: Harry Potter + Beedle the Bard. I guess i did not include Quidditch Through the Ages nor Fantastic Beasts on GoodReads.

6. Richelle Mead & Diana Gabaldon – 7: Well, I read the entire Vampire Academy series last year, so this isn’t too surprising. I do plan on reading more Gabaldon in 2012, but I also do plan on continuing Richelle Mead’s spin-off series so we’ll have to see if we break this tie next year!

7. Anna Godbersen, David Levithan, Megan McCafferty & Rick Riordan – 6: I will always read a book by David Levithan. I know there are still some older books that I haven’t gotten to yet. I guess I’ll read more Anna Godbersen when the next Bright Young Things book comes out, but it’s not really high on my priority. On the other hand, Rick Riordan’s books have been put on hold until he completes another series. I’d rather just read all of his books straight through! Rick Riordan is the only new author to make the list this year. Sorry, Libba Bray! You’ve been booted.

GoodReads Source

Post written by Muggle-Born.net

TO CATCH AN HEIRESS by Julia Quinn
Series: Ex-Spies, #1
Publication Date: July 1st 1998 by Avon

Summary: Caroline Trent is fed up with her greedy guardian, Oliver Prewitt, and his nitwit son, Percy. With only six weeks to go until she can claim her inheritance and rid herself of them, Percy attempts to forcibly seduce her. Fortunately, Caroline has a pistol at hand and she uses it–wounding the annoying man just enough to allow her to escape. Fuming, she flees the dark manor house determined to find employment and hide from her guardian for six weeks. But a bad night turns worse when a tall, dark stranger accosts her. Blake Ravenscroft thinks Caroline is a female spy, part of Oliver Prewitt’s smuggling activities that include spying for Napoleon. He kidnaps Caroline, ties her to a bed at his nearby home, and grills her unsuccessfully before a friend arrives and tells Blake that he’s captured the wrong woman. Caroline explains her predicament and, given what he knows of the larcenous Oliver Prewitt, Blake has no option but to offer her shelter. Caroline isn’t a woman accustomed to sitting in the parlor sipping tea, especially while Blake’s investigation has him involved in far more exciting, life-threatening activities. Blake isn’t a man accustomed to having a woman ignore his commands. Sparks fly and passion sizzles between these two characters while a cast of endearing characters provide well-meaning assistance.

Heroine: I loved Caroline. She’s witty and clever. I was so impressed by her actions in the first few chapters, and I knew immediately that I would like her character immensely.

Hero: Of course Blake has his flaws. He can’t quite let go of the guilt he feels for the death of his fiancee. Truly understandable, but after a while I just really wanted him to get over it already.

Supporting Cast: This book would be nothing without the supporting cast. Mrs. Mickle and Perriwick were not your stereotypical servants. They added so much humor to the story. And of course… there’s James, the Marquis of Riverdale. Charming and quite the matchmaker. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series when he is in the spotlight.

Plot: My only wish is that there was more spying and espionage! Truly.

Romance: I’m not a huge fan of instant attraction, but it worked out in this one. Though Caroline and Blake had an immediate attraction for one another, the progression of the romance was still slow. The tension built up between them for quite a long time.

Love Potion Strength:

- Exceeds Expectations

I’m definitely looking forward to the second book in this series and in general – reading more Julia Quinn novels!

Post written by Muggle-Born.net

So I haven’t been home for more than 24 hours in a while. Which means that I haven’t had the time to actually record an IMM vlog from my house. I’ve gotten quite the collection of books at home that I have yet to show you all, but I think I want to save it for when I can actually take a picture or record a vlog. Hopefully, I’ll find the time to cross the Hudson River in a few weeks. But for now, you’ll have to settle for my reading pile!

Top of the Shelf / Currently Reading
What’s next on my to-read list for the upcoming week. I’m doing a blast from the past. I doubt any of you [devoted] followers remember this mini-feature that I used to do along with my Top of the Shelf posts. But since I am somehow finding time to squeeze in reading in between all the school work, I decided to bring it back. Also, because I feel like I need a lot more variation in my reading.

To make my to-read list a little more interesting and varied, each of the books must fall under a certain category:

Young at Heart – Young adult novel. Well, it seems more appropriate if this was a middle grade novel…
Not Your Sister’s Book – Adult novel that a six-year-old wouldn’t touch
Market Fresh – Recently released or soon to be released book.

• Young at Heart – The Shadows by Jacqueline West. This is the first book in the Books of Elsewhere series. I heard about this book when I interned at a literary agency in the spring. I haven’t read a middle grade novel in a while so I’m really excited for the change of pace! Borrowed from the NYPL ebook library.
• Not Your Sister’s Book – To Catch an Heiress by Julia Quinn. This is also a first in a series. I have not read a Julia Quinn novel in a while ever since I finished the Bridgerton series earlier this year. I can’t wait to dive back into the work of one of my favorite authors, but this will probably be the last of the three that I will read. Mostly because I just requested it through my library. The good news is that I’m first on queue. Will also be borrowed from the NYPL ebook library.
• Market Fresh – The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. The amount of positive reviews this one has is a bit worrying. Can it really be that good? I guess I’ll find out soon… Borrowed from the NYPL ebook library.

Post written by Muggle-Born.net

1. Meg Cabot

This comes to be as a surprise, not because she’s number one, but because of the amount of books I’ve read. I loved Meg Cabot in my early teen years and to this day, I do still continue to read her books even if I’m no longer as much as a fan of the contemporary genre. But seriously… 28 books?!

2. Julia Quinn

Well this just goes to show that I have to explore other historical romance authors. I do love Julia Quinn but I’m getting to the point that I can recognize her writing style. I did read the entire Bridgerton series, which contributes to the whopping 12 books that I have read. But that’s nothing close to Meg Cabot’s books.

3. Charlaine Harris

This one wasn’t a surprise at all since I do read the Sookie Stackhouse series. There’s ten books in counting so she’ll remain to be one of my most read authors.

4. Philip Reeve & J.K. Rowling

How awesome is it that two of my favorite authors are tied for fourth place with 8 books? I actually never realized how much I’ve read of Philip Reeve’s books until now.

6. Diana Gabaldon

Again, not surprising. Hopefully Diana Gabaldon will bump up the rankings as more books come out, but that can take a couple of years.

7. Megan McCafferty

Five books. The Jessica Darling series. It’s a series so it wasn’t too surprising.

8. Libba Bray, Anna Godsbersen, and David Levithan

Three-way tie! Libba Bray and Anna Godsbersen aren’t too much of a surprise because they wrote series, but I’m very glad that David Levithan made the list! Of course, Anna Gosbersen will probably get bumped up ahead of Levithan and Bray very soon because of BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS (which I’m currently reading).

I’m very happy that GoodReads added this new feature! It’s certainly fun to keep track of what you’ve read in various ways. I love checking out my statistics.

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Who are your favorite authors?

My favorite authors span across all genres. J.K. Rowling will be my favorite author of all time just because of Harry Potter. For chick lit and contemporary YA, I love Meg Cabot and Sarah Darer Littman. Philip Reeve is my pick for anything science fiction. Diana Gabaldon and Julia Quinn hit the spot for historical fiction. I will read anything by David Levithan. There are some books out there that I absolutely love, but I don’t call anyone my favorite until I’ve read most of their books and enjoyed them a lot.

Post written by Muggle-Born.net