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The Hazards of Hunting a Duke
(Desperate Debutantes #1)
by
When the three young ladies of the Fairchild family learn that their stepfather has absconded with their late mother's fortune, Ava, the eldest, hunts down the notoriously wealthy rakehell Jared Broderick, the Marquis of Middleton and heir to a dukedom. Much to her shock and delight, the marquis sweeps her into a whirlwind romance and proposes marriage. But after their pas
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Mass Market Paperback, 374 pages
Published
June 1st 2006
by Pocket Star
(first published April 6th 2006)
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Start your review of The Hazards of Hunting a Duke (Desperate Debutantes, #1)
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England 1819. Skipped ahead and back on this one.
Jared was a Marquis w/ Daddy issues. He and Dad had
horrible verbal rows, accomplishing nada. Ava, sister
Phoebe & cous Greer all lived w/ their greedy stepfather
who warned he'd disown them & they'd be homeless.
Or she'd wed the 1st man who asked stepda to marry
her. The 3 needed a plan.
The author described Jared as reckless & "he adored all
women." I'd question the latter b/c he ran hot/ cold with
women & shut-down emotionally or avoided women.
H ...more
Jared was a Marquis w/ Daddy issues. He and Dad had
horrible verbal rows, accomplishing nada. Ava, sister
Phoebe & cous Greer all lived w/ their greedy stepfather
who warned he'd disown them & they'd be homeless.
Or she'd wed the 1st man who asked stepda to marry
her. The 3 needed a plan.
The author described Jared as reckless & "he adored all
women." I'd question the latter b/c he ran hot/ cold with
women & shut-down emotionally or avoided women.
H ...more
This is evidence I can't begin to trust the reviews on this site. This may be one of the most poorly written books I've ever read. The plot, what there is of it, is all over the place. The author has no feel at all (and apparently has done no research) for the period. No understanding of the social structure or norms. None of manners. Just dreadful. Not sure I'll make it through. Although when I pay for a book, I like to feel I've gotten something out of it.
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It's possible I'm feeling harsher than usual because I've read a few books by this author in a row and this one is so much worse than the others. Among other things, this story was a classic, painful Quest for the Three Magic Words. (Followers of my reviews know that I have just inserted an eye roll here.) But I think the thing that really took this from meh to active dislike was the heroine, Eva, who I found to be painfully annoying and melodramatic. More than once, I found myself thinking that
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Seriously, Ms Julia London and I are not exactly getting started on good terms. Second book by her I read, second book that fails to engage me and keep me interested and rooting for the characters all throughout the book.
Ava, the female lead is a sweet character. She's a normal girl of her time and station. She's flirtatious and kind. She's beautiful and cares about her family in every regard. She also is inventive and tries to make the best of the cards life has dealt her.
Jared, however...
*le ...more
Ava, the female lead is a sweet character. She's a normal girl of her time and station. She's flirtatious and kind. She's beautiful and cares about her family in every regard. She also is inventive and tries to make the best of the cards life has dealt her.
Jared, however...
*le ...more
What can I say she has written another great novel!! Hot and Sensual the way I like them those authors that think you can write romance novels without the spice are wrong. They need to learn from London. She makes reading her novels so fluid and smooth pulling you right into the time period, the places and the people. The beautiful way she describes the love scenes, the beautiful Ball Gowns and the Estates and their Gardens is amazing; she makes you feel like you are their. London has NEVER ( so
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1,5
Well, this was disappointing, to put it mildly.
Almost 2 stars rating because I didn't hate it from the bottom of my heart and I found some of the secondary characters tolerable.
I haven't read a good historical romance book for quite some time. The main reason I find them unpleasant are usually the characters.
The same happens with this book. Our hero Jared is an ass and immature one but at least he is consistent in his ass-holery, at least till the last chapter or two where he becomes enlighte ...more
Well, this was disappointing, to put it mildly.
Almost 2 stars rating because I didn't hate it from the bottom of my heart and I found some of the secondary characters tolerable.
I haven't read a good historical romance book for quite some time. The main reason I find them unpleasant are usually the characters.
The same happens with this book. Our hero Jared is an ass and immature one but at least he is consistent in his ass-holery, at least till the last chapter or two where he becomes enlighte ...more
Handsome rake 1819 English Lord Jared, 30, harassed by his stern father to produce an heir, meets Ava, eldest of the beautiful bright brave Fairchild girls, suddenly at the mercy of a selfish stepfather. The flirting fun start is my favorite part. I basked in descriptions of her loving childhood and aristocratic luxury. Explicit bedroom scenes and a couple unhappy when lust becomes "love" {years of this genre have not quenched my real-life cynicism, but I prefer hope to despair and continue} are
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I always love a good "love at first sight" moment but this book didn't have it. In fact, there was a year that passed before they got together again.
Middleton is so one-tracked minded that it annoyed me and of course I still end up loving him. Although, I don't have a care for the ending that much. There's not really that big conflict (well, there was but it was just a big fight) or climax in the story that made it more entertaining.
I love Ava's character though. She was a drama queen but I blam ...more
Middleton is so one-tracked minded that it annoyed me and of course I still end up loving him. Although, I don't have a care for the ending that much. There's not really that big conflict (well, there was but it was just a big fight) or climax in the story that made it more entertaining.
I love Ava's character though. She was a drama queen but I blam ...more
Nice & easy read. This is my first Julia London book, and I like the way she writes historical romance (but I still like Julia Quinn's style better...). I think the feelings & portrayals of Jared&Ava were very realistic and that's one of the reasons I liked this book.
The characters development was quite interesting. Especially, seeing Jared mature and grow to love someone :)
On to the sequel now ! ...more
The characters development was quite interesting. Especially, seeing Jared mature and grow to love someone :)
On to the sequel now ! ...more
I enjoy Julia London's novels and as this is an earlier edition of her works, I decided to take a chance on listening to this story. No, it is not a great story but good. Do I like the characters...I thought they were passable for cliched writing. For the most part, I rated this the way I did because of the narration. I think Anne Flosnik, one of my favorite narrators did a wonderful job of narrating this story and which continued me to finish it out. Contrary to the reviews that I've read, I pr
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Mar 20, 2016
♥ℳelody
marked it as did-not-finish
DNF @ 15%ish
Honestly I maybe could have finished this but there was just nothing interesting or exciting to hold my interest long enough. And I had this backburned for 5 weeks. That should say enough. lol
There were one too many predictable cliched tropes in here that I didn't care for. But what really killed it for me (and surprised me the most) was the writing in this. This was my first Julia London book, who I've been meaning to give a try for sometime, but oh man not sure if this was an ...more
Honestly I maybe could have finished this but there was just nothing interesting or exciting to hold my interest long enough. And I had this backburned for 5 weeks. That should say enough. lol
There were one too many predictable cliched tropes in here that I didn't care for. But what really killed it for me (and surprised me the most) was the writing in this. This was my first Julia London book, who I've been meaning to give a try for sometime, but oh man not sure if this was an ...more
Audio with annoying narrator. I just keep hearing that woman in Friends, Monica and Phoebe’s friend, who speaks with an exaggerated British accent: “That is positively ghAstly!” and “I feel like a perfect arrrse!”
The book is ok, the best I’ve read by this author, almost a 4. Marriage of convenience, heroine wants more, hero can’t love until he can.
The book is ok, the best I’ve read by this author, almost a 4. Marriage of convenience, heroine wants more, hero can’t love until he can.
Traditional early 1800's romance novel. Not many surprises in the plot. Typical characters. Not much support for the declarations of love, but I've read worse.
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The heroine was too melodramatic for my liking. Both parties knew what they were getting into when they agreed to the marriage. Right after the wedding things started going downhill when Ava started demanding Jared love her. This is one book that has a happily ever after -- for now. Not the type of couple I'd envision together in the long run.
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I NEVER WANT TO READ/LISTEN TO THIS BOOK AGAIN.
I’ve been on a Julia London STREAK lately. I’ve fallen in love with her stories & character development. I especially liked the heroines as they were practical and not foolish like most in the historical romance genre. Also, if there were misunderstandings, they were mostly solved fairly quickly and not overly tedious. My streak ended with this book. Sure Ava was great for most of the book but alas she changed and in a bad way. I think what ticked m ...more
I’ve been on a Julia London STREAK lately. I’ve fallen in love with her stories & character development. I especially liked the heroines as they were practical and not foolish like most in the historical romance genre. Also, if there were misunderstandings, they were mostly solved fairly quickly and not overly tedious. My streak ended with this book. Sure Ava was great for most of the book but alas she changed and in a bad way. I think what ticked m ...more
What a delightfully humorous book! I daresay, I haven’t read anything so enjoyable in at least a good week. As my search slowly begins to wane to fruitlessness, I had all but succumbed to the idea that no other book would be capable of evoking my fervent attention. Julia London has thankfully proven me wrong and I should be glad to peruse her backlist for any other title that successfully appeals to my 3 Ps criteria (Peers, Power Pounds).
If, by the sad chance, this is the only book which falls ...more
If, by the sad chance, this is the only book which falls ...more
If we could give half stars this would get 3.5. It's better than the last series in terms of building good conflict between the characters and giving a satisfying resolution(view spoiler)
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Second time reading this, and I didn't like it quite as much as the first time around... Maybe it was Jared's complete obtuseness at his wife's feelings, or Ava's reactions (especially at the beginning), but I had a hard time enjoying the relationship between husband and wife. I felt like it actually went from a courtship where they knew nothing of one another (1/3 of the book), to a marriage where Jared didn't want to get to know Ava (1/3 of the book), to a marriage where some kind of feeling i
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October 15, 2016
Just read this book again after a long time. I almost didn't read it because it I enjoyed it the first time and I wasn't sure if I would still do seeing as I have read a lot of books since then and I an now a bit less carried away but it is still as great as before.
There were a couple things that could have been avoided seeing as the problem between the Hero and Heroine could have been solved with a sit down talk and a bit of trust but the plot is as great as I remember it. ...more
Just read this book again after a long time. I almost didn't read it because it I enjoyed it the first time and I wasn't sure if I would still do seeing as I have read a lot of books since then and I an now a bit less carried away but it is still as great as before.
There were a couple things that could have been avoided seeing as the problem between the Hero and Heroine could have been solved with a sit down talk and a bit of trust but the plot is as great as I remember it. ...more
It's my first Julia London book. I think she's a good writer and I like how she manages to render emotions in a very realistic way. But I have to admit the heroine started to annoy me towards the end. At first I quite liked her, but she changed and started behaving like a spoiled brat. Yes, the hero wasn't perfect, in fact he had big "daddy issues", and I understand that the heroine was upset about his confused feelings, but I can't help thinking that her reactions were exaggerated just for crea
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The first of Julia London's that I read.. Quite entertaining actually, but I have to admit that this one is not very original, kinda reminds me of some of Marriage of Convenience books I read before..
Jared - Ava are two people with their own flaws, but as the story move along I found that they are quite likeable characters.. Nothing really special about them actually but still enjoyable ^0^ Hey what could I say, I'm a sucker for Marriage of Convenience kind of story LOL ...more
Jared - Ava are two people with their own flaws, but as the story move along I found that they are quite likeable characters.. Nothing really special about them actually but still enjoyable ^0^ Hey what could I say, I'm a sucker for Marriage of Convenience kind of story LOL ...more
Ava Fairchild, her sister and cousin are in shock after the untimely death of her mother and her stepfather's departure with their money. He promises to marry them off when he returns so Ava decides to take matters into her own hands and set's her sights on the Marquis of Middleton. He has family obligations and needs a wife and heir so they marry and then the fun begins. This is a normal historical romance and #1 in the series.
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"When the young ladies of the Fairchild family learn that their stepfather has absconded with their late mother's fortune, Ava, the eldest, hunts down a wealthy rake, the Marquis of Middleton who after a whirlwind romance proposes marriage." This is a familiar story, but with a twist about a marrige of convenience, which turns out not to be too convenient. Lovely story with great characters.
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Another cheesy, sappy love story from Julia. And I should be ashamed that I am reading all these and reading most in a matter of days but I am not, I just am not. There are entertaining and easy to read and the last 2 in this series will be read on the beach this week and I will enjoy every second! :-)
I just could not help reading and reading this novel until the last page. When I first spotted it in a nearby bookstore and read the review story at the back cover, I thought it had to be an intriguing story as a lady of quality working as a seamstress for a Viscount. Never had I found such a topic.
For those who love historical-romance novels, this one is a must !
For those who love historical-romance novels, this one is a must !
This book took me a little while to get in to. I think my biggest issue was that I didn't like the characters. They were a little too shallow for me. However, as the book went on, I found myself liking them a little better. There really wasn't much to the plot either. The book description made it seem like there was going to be a big revenge plot line, but alas, there wasn't.
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A stupid heroine, an egocentric hero and completely ununderstandable plot make for a bad book. I have just one question - when, oh when and how, oh how did they fall in love?
And he isn't a duke at all yet. ...more
And he isn't a duke at all yet. ...more
Not as witty as i have expected, but overall a cute story nonetheless.
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Julia London is the New York Times and USA Today best selling author of more than two dozen romantic fiction novels. She is the author of the popular historical romance series, the Cabot Sisters, including The Trouble with Honor, The Devil Takes a Bride, and The Scoundrel and the Debutante. She is also the author of several contemporary romances, including Homecoming Ranch, Return to Homecoming
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Desperate Debutantes
(3 books)
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