Why Dukes Say I Do (Wicked Widows, #1)

by Manda Collins

When Lady Isabella Wharton receives a summons from her godmother, the dowager Duchess of Ormonde, she knows the news won't be good. From her disastrous marriage, to her reckless widowhood, she and the duchess have never seen eye to eye. But this time the old woman has gone too far. Not only is she demanding that Isabella leave town at the height of the season, she wants her to convince the new Duke of Ormonde, who lives in obscurity as a gentleman farmer in the wilds of Yorkshire, to give up his rustication and come to London. Prepared to give the duchess a polite but firm no, Isabella is stunned when the older woman tells her that she knows what she, Georgina Mowbray and the duchess' own daughter-in-law, Perdita, did last summer and she's prepared to tell all if Isabella refuses to perform her task. Since she would do anything to protect their secret, Isabella swallows her bile and packs for Yorkshire. But not before warning Georgina and Perdita that their secret is out.

• ISBN13: 9781250023834
• Publish Date: 30 July 2013
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 11 June 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amanda]

This is the second book I've read by Manda Collins, and the second time I've easily guessed who was behind the dastardly deeds. Which is no fun for me, really. But at least it provides outside forces to keep the couple in trouble.

Speaking of the couple. Two books isn't enough for a pattern (another one, for sure), but I find it odd that the marriage portion happens somewhere in the middle of the book. I'm always a little leery of these books because I prefer marriage (or proposal of marriage) to be the end point or goal. The "I love you" seems to be it here.

Why Dukes Say I Do is certainly enjoyable, but it doesn't always fully engage my brain. Like realizing after hearing "Lady Wharton" only and no further introductions, Trevor presents her as "Lady Isabella Wharton." It doesn't work like that. I also saw a then/than error and a formatting/punctuation issue. Which was enough to pull me out of the story.

But I liked the sisters (Trevor's and Isabella's) and do plan on picking up more Manda Collins books, especially since I still have time to wait until the next Tessa Dare or Sarah MacLean book.

[Cocktails and Books]

Lady Isabella Wharton is a women who has thru hell at hands of an unkind men and her sister go thru the same. Hoping live life as she pleased. Her Godmother however, had an agenda of her own. Sending Isabella to bring home her long lost grandson. However, she was not kind in doing so.

I personally loved this book. I thought the characters and plot were well developed. I did feel that the end of the book was a little rushed. A lot happened at the end and after the climax of the story the plot seemed to fall a little shy of all the excitement it started with. In saying this, the book kept my attention and left me wanting to know more. While reading Why Dukes say I do i was wishing for more down time so i could finish it faster, but every night I looked forward to reading more about Isabella and the Duke who was not what he seemed. I would recommend this book to anyone who loved historical romance books. Why Dukes Say I Do also has strong feminism undertones which i loved.

Reviewed by SammySosa for Cocktails and Books

[Linda]

*I received a free ARC of Why Dukes Say I Do via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.*

Why Dukes Say I Do had all the ingredients I look for in a historical romance - love, spunk, mystery, humor and a lady that knows how to get what she wants!

Full review to come soon.

This and all other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews