Mo Daoust
Well, for the second time this year, I have a two-part review, another five-star review that wasn't. HOW TO LOVE A DUKE IN TEN DAYS has one of the most breathtaking epilogue and first chapter of a book I have read in years, regardless of the genre! Those few pages hold more drama and excitement than most thrillers. The three female characters are so sharply defined, you feel you know them already, and what highly appealing characters they are! And it only gets better from there, as Kerrigan Byrne weaves a very intricate plot around these three amazing women. How does one express one's ecstasy at being properly shown that your heroine is brave and resourceful, that she is one to be admired! Ms. Byrne does it with assured style and considerable panache: we experience every emotion and gesture through vibrant descriptions, stunning imagery, and dynamic writing. The writing in HOW TO LOVE A DUKE IN TEN DAYS is phenomenal, the vocabulary exquisite, the flow impeccable, and the characters so extraordinarily crafted, they immediately became real to me. Unfortunately, after this wondrous magnificence which consumed me came the dreaded *misunderstanding* around the halfway mark, which I had not anticipated because the story was going so well. Alexandra could have told Piers a partial truth. I think the author lost a golden opportunity to write a four-hanky scene in the way she chose to deal with the secret Alexandra had withheld from Piers. What could have led to memorable and very emotional scenes turned out to be, as far as I'm concerned, very anticlimactic. I was disappointed with how Alexandra acted with Piers. He's justified in being angry, and he is not to blame. I feared much unpleasantness, but it was partially set aside for some seduction. The usual he hates her, he doesn't trust her, but he wants her. Neither did she seem to mind how he had treated her. I wasn't onboard, my interest dwindled, and I started reading distractedly. I found myself not caring much anymore because the lack of communication goes on and on; why not tell him it was ten years ago! It had the potential for an extremely moving story without that misunderstanding. Pity. I found myself not caring about the romance, the mystery, I just wanted the book to end. The traumatising event was handled well. As for the happily-ever-after, I'm not convinced. I don't believe Piers will ever entirely trust Alexandra, and with him being jealous... Apart from one, the villains were no big surprise, and there was a whole lot of melodrama. The epilogue reveals a tad too much, to my liking, and as delirious as I was to read Cecelia's and Francesca's stories, now I don't feel the need to read Cecelia's book. Some things are better left unsaid...
1 person found this review helpful
Becky Baldridge
How to Love a Duke In Ten Days opens with an intense scene that certainly pulled me into the story. From that point, I had to know what would come of Alexandra and what her future would hold. We do know a bit of that going in just from reading the blurb, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Kerrigan Byrne balances darkness and light so well, and she draws her characters equally well. There's no sitting back and watching this one unfold. The writing style pulls you in and makes you experience the emotions along with the characters. The chemistry between Alexandra and Piers is off the charts and I love that Alexandra is such a strong woman. The story is almost fairy-tale like, and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing.
CoLe
Overall nicely done. The prologue is very dark and violent. The rest is not quite so dark (fortunately) however murder attempts are made; the question is who is supposed to be the victim. There are nasty relations, some great friends, and a lot of jealousy. Call it a pet peeve, but I extremely dislike dialogues being interrupted by overly long thoughts or memories of the characters. In one rather heated scene, Piers thinks back to his parents marriage while arguing with Alexandra. While these memories provide some information which helps the reader understand Piers and his angry reaction, the length of the interruption is so long I was tempted to skim (I didn't) but went back to re-read the earlier portion of the dialogue. This cost a star. I received a free advance copy via netgalley and voluntarily post my review.
5 people found this review helpful