From Goodreads:
"A handsome and reclusive horse breeder, Spencer Dumarque, the fourth Duke of Morland, is a member of the exclusive Stud Club, an organization so select it has only ten members — yet membership is attainable to anyone with luck. And Spencer has plenty of it, along with an obsession with a prize horse, a dark secret, and, now, a reputation as the dashing “Duke of Midnight.” Each evening he selects one lady for a breathtaking midnight waltz. But none of the women catch his interest, and nobody ever bests the duke — until Lady Amelia d’Orsay tries her luck.
In a moment of desperation, the unconventional beauty claims the duke’s dance and unwittingly steals his heart. When Amelia demands that Spencer forgive her scapegrace brother’s debts, she never imagines that her game of wits and words will lead to breathless passion and a steamy proposal. Still, Spencer is a man of mystery, perhaps connected to the shocking murder of the Stud Club’s founder. Will Amelia lose her heart in this reckless wager or win everlasting love?"
In a moment of desperation, the unconventional beauty claims the duke’s dance and unwittingly steals his heart. When Amelia demands that Spencer forgive her scapegrace brother’s debts, she never imagines that her game of wits and words will lead to breathless passion and a steamy proposal. Still, Spencer is a man of mystery, perhaps connected to the shocking murder of the Stud Club’s founder. Will Amelia lose her heart in this reckless wager or win everlasting love?"
I don't know how eloquent of a review I can write for this book. At multiple points during my reading I was yelling out loud with displeasure! It's hard for me to put into words what drove me up the wall exactly. Well...there are two words: Amelia d'Orsay. UH! The heroine in this story deserved a good smack as far as I'm concerned!
Now with that off my chest I can hopefully give a more clear-headed review. Everything starts off well enough. I love the 'spinster becoming the Duchess' type stories. I actually liked Amelia quite a bit for most of the story. She was clear-headed and knew herself. She wasn't a great beauty by Society standards. She knew her strong points and wanted to be of use. I felt the story stayed true to it's time period in the sense that what Amelia was good at was being a wife. She loved caring for others and being in charge of a household. She was well-read and intelligent and didn't want to change herself just to suit a man.
As for the hero, I LOVED Spencer Dumarque aka The Duke of Midnight. He was in no way perfect but really what good romance hero is? We love them because they AREN'T perfect. In his defense, Spencer also had a firm grasp on himself and his faults and also his admirable qualities. He never tried to be something he wasn't and he quite often made an effort to change when he realized he was in the wrong. Which actually made him perfect...sigh! :)
The interplay between Amelia and Spencer was a good thing indeed! Neither one shied away from the other or held back. They were honest and up front and all the sexy time scenes were scorching! It took me back to some of my favorite romances of old where I would get butterflies in my stomach from a conversation between the two! Not the sex mind you, just the words the hero and heroine would SAY to each other. Getting inside their heads and seeing how desperate they were for each other. This book has that in spades!
Now that we've covered what I liked, I'd like to address what had me yelling out loud. Amelia is described as a nurturer and giver. Her joy comes from her family and taking care of others. She has a brother, Jack, who quite frankly I don't think added ANYTHING to the story. His character fell flat for me and just felt like someone there to stir up trouble between Spemelia. He is a wastrel and pathetic and I didn't care one way or the other what happened to him. Throughout the book Amelia goes on and on and ON about helping her brother find his way and "if only Spencer would help him!" but it's NOT Spencer's job to help Jack. Jack made his bed and it's HIS problem to try and figure out how to sleep in the mess! Amelia frequently gets upset with Spencer and claims he is making her choose between her family and him. As far as I could see...not the case in the slightest! Spencer could see how Jack was taking advantage of Amelia and wanted to save her heartbreak! He never said she had to give up her family, (she had 2 other brothers) he merely wanted to know that HE came first in her love. Instead she kept picking her brother who, not once was given a redeemable quality.
The clearheaded part of me said, "Megan, this is a book! Deal!" With that I tried to decipher how irrational I was being. If I was Amelia and it was my brother and my life, what would I do? If I had a husband who wasn't always the most forthcoming with information and tenderness, how would I interpret it? The answer was: not too much differently. Family has a way of getting under your skin like no one else. From a young age she had to become mother to her younger siblings and for reasons discussed at the end of the book, she feels guilt and that she owes them much. As the reader I was allowed inside Spencer's head and saw how much she mattered to him but she had a slower journey to that discovery. I still felt that for as much as she was supposed to be a nurturer, she sorely neglected how her siding with her family might affect her husband. The man who is her new family! When all was said and done, I liked Amelia better by the last page but she still wasn't a heroine I could completely sympathize with.
I wish I could give half stars. As of right now I want to give One Dance with a Duke 3 and half stars but I decided to go with 4. The writing was excellent! Spencer was a magnificent hero and I enjoyed most of the side storylines. I think that my problems wouldn't effect everyone reading the book. It would be very easy for anyone else to find no fault with this book. I definitely recommend it if you are a fan of historical romance and I'll certainly be seeking out the rest of this trilogy.
