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The Dreadful Duke
First published 1985 · 325 pages
A sparkling, battle-of-wills Regency romance where an immovable, independent lady meets an unstoppable, arrogant duke.
What it feels like
Reading this classic Regency romance feels like stepping into a brightly lit ballroom where the sharpest weapons are words. The narrative moves at a brisk, entertaining clip, driven by the crackling tension of a true battle of wills between two fiercely stubborn protagonists. The prose is crisp and arch, leaning heavily into the delightful mannerisms and witty repartee of the era. Beneath the sparkling surface and the duke's arrogant entitlement lies a surprisingly tender emotional core, as the heroine's icy defenses are slowly melted by genuine vulnerability and trust. It is a deeply satisfying read for fans of old-school historical romance who crave the delicious friction of enemies-to-lovers dynamics, where fierce independence and undeniable attraction collide in a flurry of silk and scandal.
- Mood
- sparkling
- tension-filled
- opulent
- Tone
- witty
- arch
- playful
- romantic
- dramatic
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- battle of wills · fear of intimacy · enemies to lovers · vulnerability beneath armor · taming the rake
- The writing
- Crisp, dialogue-heavy, and infused with classic Regency mannerisms and arch wit.
- The arc
- From icy defensiveness and arrogant entitlement to mutual vulnerability and passionate surrender.
- Who it's for
- Fans of old-school traditional Regency romances who love a stubborn heroine and an arrogant duke brought to his knees.
Content notes
- past trauma
- period-typical sexism
About the book
Can a man-hating beauty and a pleasure-loving lord make the inconceivable happen? He was a lord she would hate to love. There seemed no reason why Lady Juliet Manchester should not be wed. She was beautiful, well born, witty, charming, intelligent. But this Juliet allowed no male to play Romeo to her. For reasons that she kept very much to herself, she vowed that no man would ever have her as a woman or as a wife. The Duke of Severn was a gentleman who had never known denial or defeat. His slightest wishes were others' commands, and society's most ravishing belles were his for the asking. It was unthinkable that Juliet could long resist his advances or refuse his proposal. But when this iron-willed lord attempted to storm the defenses of this unyielding lady, the unthinable did happen—first to him...and then to her.
Description from Open Library.
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