Surprising Lord Jack (Duchess of Love, #2)

by Sally MacKenzie

• ISBN10: 1420132024
• ISBN13: 9781420132021
• Publish Date: 5 March 2013 (first published 1 January 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Zebra Books
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amanda]

Y'all, this is the old people fornicating series. Not surprising, considering that, despite being about the Duchess of Love's boys, the series title is the Duchess of Love herself. While there's less fornicating in book 2, it's hinted at enough to make me think mom and dad are getting it on more than their children.

Which is... well, we all have parents. I won't say more than that.

Surprising Lord Jack begins almost exactly where Bedding Lord Ned (again, where there's less bedding of Lord Ned than bedding of his parents) leaves off, though of course from Jack's (and Frances's) POV.

Jack, while not cookie cutter historical romance hero material, isn't outside the realm of what you'd expect a hero to be. He hides his activities (saving women and children from poverty, death, and other unsavory happenings) under a carefully cultivated rakish reputation. Jack worked. He was kind and sweet, and his devotion to Frances was completely in line with his character.

Frances, on the other hand, deals with a lot of upheaval and change -- to the point that I had to wonder if she was romance heroine material. Everything she learns about how she grew up throws her into turmoil, making her question who she is and her values.

Can you fall in lasting love when you're still figuring out who you are? It's not impossible, of course, but I had my doubts at the end of the book. I don't like being left to entertain doubts at the end of a book.

Not mentioned in the synopsis is the murders of women of ill-repute that Jack is determined to solve. It's a rather important plot thread that was surprisingly easy to figure out. But as a long-time mystery reader who also studies how to construct stories, well, it was easy to piece things together.

[kimbacaffeinate]

When I requested Surprising Lord Jack I was intrigued by the synopsis. A girl disguised as a man who ends up sharing a bed with a Duke? I am all in! I didn’t realize at the time that this was book two in the Duchess of Love series but I am delighted to report that this works as a standalone. From the very first page MacKenzie had me swept up in Frances Hadley's story and I enjoyed every minute of this delightfully captivating and suspenseful tale. Three word review: Funny, romantic, suspenseful.

Frances escapes her childhood home disguised as a lad and heads off to London to request her dowry and escape her Aunt’s dastardly plans to marry her off. When her horse becomes lame she is forced to stop at an inn. The inn is full except for the room reserved for Valentine family. Since the family is hosting a ball, the landlady takes pity on the poor lad and offers him (her) the room. Exhausted and fearful of being discovered she climbs under the covers fully dressed and promptly drifts off to sleep. When Lord Jack shows up requesting his room, he discovers it is occupied. When the landlady informs him of the young lad, Lord Jack agrees to share the bed and see that the lad safely arrives in London. The tale that unfolds while predictable was fast paced, romantic, and completely enjoyable!

Frances is twenty-four and has lived with her Aunt since her mother’s passing at the tender age of twelve. Her twin brother went off to London and her father traipses the world studying flora. Both have shown no interest in her well being. I instantly liked Frances and the more I discovered about her the more I liked her. She is smart, quick witted, naïve, and slightly damaged. Her past has left her with a lot of misconceptions and watching her sort things out was a pleasure. Lord Jack rumored to be a rogue is handsome, caring and a humanitarian. He is honorable and you cannot help but fall in love with him. The interaction between the two of them was quite enjoyable, and as their relationship developed it felt sweet, passionate and genuine. I adored Jack’s parents especially the Duchess. (The Duchess of Love).

I will admit to loving this type of plot where a girl trying to escape ends up being ruined unless the man who accidentally became involved steps in and does the honorable thing. MacKenzie added a few twists to make the tale fresh and I loved it. There is also a murder mystery threaded into the tale. Lord Jack and his friends are working to solve the case and guard the woman as well. It added a nice suspense level to the tale and I loved guessing whodunit. Shakespeare a clever dog won my heart and I enjoyed all of the secondary characters as well. The tale flowed wonderfully and the romance developed slowly. I plan to go back and read book one Bedding Lord Ned, which deals with Lord Jack’s older brother and will continue the series.
ARC received in exchange for unbiased review and originally published Caffeinated Book Reviewer