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The Duke's Return
When Trevor Phillips finally returns home to claim his inheritance, he's astonished to find the estate in shambles. Still, he has no great desire to be rusticating in the country and it's only the enchantingly beautiful--and shockingly young--Dowager Duchess, Sara, who captures the rake's very masculine interest. But while Trevor is determined to lure Sara into his arms, she is equally determined to entice this confirmed bachelor into doing his duty by finding him a bride. Trevor has made it quite clear that nothing could be more boring than to marry a nice debutante and produce an heir. And in Sara he discovers a passionate woman who is unlike any other he's ever known. But what he hasn't yet told her is that he has a plan of his own...and her future depends on her answer to his proposal.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 1999
8 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Malia Martin
4 books9 followersRaised on Hawaii, Malia Martin grew up listening to stories rich in culture and history. From the moment she could read and write she has been doing both in great abundance. She majored in English just so she could read her way through college. And she married a man who loves to cook and can do his own ironing so she could spend every spare moment writing. When the children came she found that the hours she spent pushing swings, watching ballet classes and driving carpools lent themselves marvelously well to plotting.
Malia now lives in California with her three small children and extremely supportive husband. When she is not reading, writing or plotting, she loves to ski, play tennis and take her children to the beach.
Malia now lives in California with her three small children and extremely supportive husband. When she is not reading, writing or plotting, she loves to ski, play tennis and take her children to the beach.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 25, 2013
DNF.
Suffered through three chapters before my eyes cramped from rolling them and lips cramped from grimacing. Had to give up.
Spoliers follow:
Hero can't read very well or do math. He paid someone to do his assignements for him so he could get through Eaton (not certain that's possible since Eaton is like grade school, he couldn't have paid someone to take his in-class exams, supervised by instructors, and the difference in quality between homework and classwork would have been obvious, giving away his deceit.)
The hero joins the army. Then he sets up a new life in Paris as a gambler (no idea how old he is). The boy he paid in Eaton, now a solicitor, suddenly shows up (the man is described as rat-like) and declares that the hero has inherited an impoverished dukedom.
The hero does not want any responsibilities. He certainly does not want to have to deal with the written word or ledgers required of a Duke. The solicotor claims he will help the Duke with the responsibilities -- for the rest of his life.
Switch to the heroine, the Dowager Duchess of the estate the hero inherited. (Fact check: she becomes the Dowager Duchess when the current Duke marries, not when her husband dies.) She's 34 and in prison for treason because she gathered the people of the estate to confront the new Duke for his lack of attention.
The old Duke's mistress had the heroine arrested on charges of treason for revolting against the new Duke. (Who, BTW, was in Paris at the time of the event. How could they gather and revolt against a man who wasn't there?)
Wouldn't more evidence be required to charge a *peeress* of the realm than the word of a fallen woman and a constable? Due to her title, The Duchess would be tried in the House of Lords, not the lower courts.
The heroine is released because the new Duke came to a hearing and claimed she was insane. On his word alone, she was released to return to the Duke's impoverished estate.
After the French revolution, Eurpoean Aristocrats feared insurrection in their own countries. They would not have taken the charge of treason (or insanity) lightly.
Okay, would a traitor (if anyone really believed the accusation) be released based soley on the word of a new Duke, a man who never even met with the woman? (A man who has been living in Paris and not suspected of treason by associateion?)
Wouldn't a doctor need to examine and then certify her insane and then the Duke must promise to incarserate the insane traitor to make certain she did not incite the people to revolt? Would she even be allowed to return to the estate? Or would special hospitalization be required (not Bedlum which was for the lower classes and the poor).
On the way from the prison, (in a coach and eight???) with the help of a grubby boy from the estate, the heroine slips out of the carriage and walks to the Duke's townhouse. (A Duchess, even an impoverished one, with loyal servants, would have more resources available than one grubby boy).
She assumes the man who opens the door to the townhouse is the butler(the most beautiful butler she has ever seen). (It's the hero. Surprise!!). He assumes she is the whore he ordered (he sleeps with a different woman every night).
While sharing chicken soup and bread, made by the Duke, they both realize their errors. (Chicken soup from scratch takes hours to boil a flavorful broth before deboaning the chicken, condensing the broth and adding chopped vegetables. Making a stew is easier than soup since it doesn't require making broth first. Bread takes around four hours - a little less when using a bread machine. At this time in history, there are no canned foods, refrigeration, preservatives, plastic bags or plastic containers to keep food fresh for months. Bread was made daily because it became stale by the next. Did the Duke slave over a hot stove/oven the entire day? But I digress.)
Meanwhile, the boy who came to help the heroine sets fire to the townhouse by tipping over a lamp.
After accusing the duchess of setting the fire (though the H/h had been in each other's company since she arrived), the hero refuses to fight the fire. He would rather see the place burn than take responsibility for the place.
The heroine rushes in to put out the blaze. Of course, the hero must then rush in to save her and reluctantly help put out the fire, if only to make certain the entire city of London does not become ablazed.
After the fire is out, the duke insists that the heroine take a bath. Really? That is all he has to say for himself? Insensitive coward.
Oh, yeah. There is some type of curse mentioned, not well described. But it's soemthing like: the New Duke will die within one year of gaining the title.
So, of course, the heroine wants him to return to the estate, marry and procreate before the year is up, even though she does not believe in the curse. Yeah, and if this curse is thrue, he must be something like the 3675t Duke since a new one would take posession every year.
So here's a question: Why did the old Duke marry a 33 year old woman, one never married before, one not guaranteed to be fertile, in order to sire an heir? Women over twenty five were considered beyond the marriagelable age for the aristos because the younger the woman, the more fertal. Modern women can argue differently. But the truth is, a woman's fertility rate drops the older she gets. At age 34, it drops significantly, especially if she has never carried a child to full term before. And that is the fact of being a woman. So if the old Duke loved his mistress, why did he marry a 33 year old spinster to beget an heir?
My eyes are rolling again.
I don't like heros who refuse to take care of their responsibilites. I don't like heros who are cowards or weak in character. I don't like heros who lack self-confidence especially after they have reached 25 years of age. I don't like heros who are not intelligent enough to read and do math (unless they have a medical or physical condition, such as blindness or dyslexia), or too weak to overcome the affliction, or too cowardly to find ways to cope with the affliction. Giving up never solves anything.
So, I did not like this hero.
I didn't much like the heroine either.
And it's obvious the solicitor is taking advantage of the hero's learning disability to embezzle the Dukedom's funds. Too obvious for me to wonder how the book ends. The solicitor did it.
Most of all, I didn't like the logical and histoical errors.
I prefer historical romances that try to recreate the society and values of the time. This novel has aristos behaving like common laborers, without servants, with bad manners. All in all these nobles lack nobility.
Suffered through three chapters before my eyes cramped from rolling them and lips cramped from grimacing. Had to give up.
Spoliers follow:
Hero can't read very well or do math. He paid someone to do his assignements for him so he could get through Eaton (not certain that's possible since Eaton is like grade school, he couldn't have paid someone to take his in-class exams, supervised by instructors, and the difference in quality between homework and classwork would have been obvious, giving away his deceit.)
The hero joins the army. Then he sets up a new life in Paris as a gambler (no idea how old he is). The boy he paid in Eaton, now a solicitor, suddenly shows up (the man is described as rat-like) and declares that the hero has inherited an impoverished dukedom.
The hero does not want any responsibilities. He certainly does not want to have to deal with the written word or ledgers required of a Duke. The solicotor claims he will help the Duke with the responsibilities -- for the rest of his life.
Switch to the heroine, the Dowager Duchess of the estate the hero inherited. (Fact check: she becomes the Dowager Duchess when the current Duke marries, not when her husband dies.) She's 34 and in prison for treason because she gathered the people of the estate to confront the new Duke for his lack of attention.
The old Duke's mistress had the heroine arrested on charges of treason for revolting against the new Duke. (Who, BTW, was in Paris at the time of the event. How could they gather and revolt against a man who wasn't there?)
Wouldn't more evidence be required to charge a *peeress* of the realm than the word of a fallen woman and a constable? Due to her title, The Duchess would be tried in the House of Lords, not the lower courts.
The heroine is released because the new Duke came to a hearing and claimed she was insane. On his word alone, she was released to return to the Duke's impoverished estate.
After the French revolution, Eurpoean Aristocrats feared insurrection in their own countries. They would not have taken the charge of treason (or insanity) lightly.
Okay, would a traitor (if anyone really believed the accusation) be released based soley on the word of a new Duke, a man who never even met with the woman? (A man who has been living in Paris and not suspected of treason by associateion?)
Wouldn't a doctor need to examine and then certify her insane and then the Duke must promise to incarserate the insane traitor to make certain she did not incite the people to revolt? Would she even be allowed to return to the estate? Or would special hospitalization be required (not Bedlum which was for the lower classes and the poor).
On the way from the prison, (in a coach and eight???) with the help of a grubby boy from the estate, the heroine slips out of the carriage and walks to the Duke's townhouse. (A Duchess, even an impoverished one, with loyal servants, would have more resources available than one grubby boy).
She assumes the man who opens the door to the townhouse is the butler(the most beautiful butler she has ever seen). (It's the hero. Surprise!!). He assumes she is the whore he ordered (he sleeps with a different woman every night).
While sharing chicken soup and bread, made by the Duke, they both realize their errors. (Chicken soup from scratch takes hours to boil a flavorful broth before deboaning the chicken, condensing the broth and adding chopped vegetables. Making a stew is easier than soup since it doesn't require making broth first. Bread takes around four hours - a little less when using a bread machine. At this time in history, there are no canned foods, refrigeration, preservatives, plastic bags or plastic containers to keep food fresh for months. Bread was made daily because it became stale by the next. Did the Duke slave over a hot stove/oven the entire day? But I digress.)
Meanwhile, the boy who came to help the heroine sets fire to the townhouse by tipping over a lamp.
After accusing the duchess of setting the fire (though the H/h had been in each other's company since she arrived), the hero refuses to fight the fire. He would rather see the place burn than take responsibility for the place.
The heroine rushes in to put out the blaze. Of course, the hero must then rush in to save her and reluctantly help put out the fire, if only to make certain the entire city of London does not become ablazed.
After the fire is out, the duke insists that the heroine take a bath. Really? That is all he has to say for himself? Insensitive coward.
Oh, yeah. There is some type of curse mentioned, not well described. But it's soemthing like: the New Duke will die within one year of gaining the title.
So, of course, the heroine wants him to return to the estate, marry and procreate before the year is up, even though she does not believe in the curse. Yeah, and if this curse is thrue, he must be something like the 3675t Duke since a new one would take posession every year.
So here's a question: Why did the old Duke marry a 33 year old woman, one never married before, one not guaranteed to be fertile, in order to sire an heir? Women over twenty five were considered beyond the marriagelable age for the aristos because the younger the woman, the more fertal. Modern women can argue differently. But the truth is, a woman's fertility rate drops the older she gets. At age 34, it drops significantly, especially if she has never carried a child to full term before. And that is the fact of being a woman. So if the old Duke loved his mistress, why did he marry a 33 year old spinster to beget an heir?
My eyes are rolling again.
I don't like heros who refuse to take care of their responsibilites. I don't like heros who are cowards or weak in character. I don't like heros who lack self-confidence especially after they have reached 25 years of age. I don't like heros who are not intelligent enough to read and do math (unless they have a medical or physical condition, such as blindness or dyslexia), or too weak to overcome the affliction, or too cowardly to find ways to cope with the affliction. Giving up never solves anything.
So, I did not like this hero.
I didn't much like the heroine either.
And it's obvious the solicitor is taking advantage of the hero's learning disability to embezzle the Dukedom's funds. Too obvious for me to wonder how the book ends. The solicitor did it.
Most of all, I didn't like the logical and histoical errors.
I prefer historical romances that try to recreate the society and values of the time. This novel has aristos behaving like common laborers, without servants, with bad manners. All in all these nobles lack nobility.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2018
I like this book and I thought that the author made the book interesting by not using people that were "bread" for the positions they took on. Trevor never wanted to deal with anything that could show he didn't read well or was any good at numbers. But Sara needed him to take his place and to help the people that were struggling. Trevor needed to marry and he wanted Sara but Sara didn't think she would be able to give him an heir so she kept trying to find him a younger woman to be his Duchess. I thought the book was well worth reading.
Read
December 31, 2022I have no idea how I managed to stick with this one and finish it. Full of tropes but not in a good way, poorly paced, so many loose ends, 2D characters, and missed potential. Particularly disappointed because I have a weak spot for dyslexic characters.
May 3, 2020
Entertaining
October 11, 2023
Liked unconventional hero who loves to cook. However, lack of detail in the plot set up, and a complete lack of believability in the development of any emotional connection and real relationship in main characters- the only connection they shared was physical, and her resisting or resenting the whole time- which made him seem gross. The heroine was also super critical of him constantly and just bitchy and her reasons for staying away from hero were ridiculous. I was hoping for more and it was just ok.
January 16, 2008
The Duke's Return - VG
Martin, Malia
From MrsGiggles...Trevor Phillips, black sheep rake of his family, has just been appointed Duke of Rawlston, much to his shock. He has been estranged from his family because he's dyslexic and was a flop in Eton. Needless to say, he ignores his duties and continue his wine, woman, and song tour of duty in France.
Not if Sara, the young Dowager Duchess has her way. She leads a minor protest among the staff of Rawlston Hall, hoping to get the absent Duke's attention, only to have herself thrown into jail. Upon release, she seeks him out and demands that he does his duty to the estates, which are falling apart from neglect. Unfortunately, first impressions are total failures, as he mistakes her for a ladybird and she him a cook. Make no mistake, Trevor is a useless wastrel, so she decides that the best way to reform him is to get him shackled with a proper - and moneyed, of course - woman. However, there's this annoying attraction she has with this man...
It was nice having a protagonist who is older than the love interesting. Very enjoyable.
Martin, Malia
From MrsGiggles...Trevor Phillips, black sheep rake of his family, has just been appointed Duke of Rawlston, much to his shock. He has been estranged from his family because he's dyslexic and was a flop in Eton. Needless to say, he ignores his duties and continue his wine, woman, and song tour of duty in France.
Not if Sara, the young Dowager Duchess has her way. She leads a minor protest among the staff of Rawlston Hall, hoping to get the absent Duke's attention, only to have herself thrown into jail. Upon release, she seeks him out and demands that he does his duty to the estates, which are falling apart from neglect. Unfortunately, first impressions are total failures, as he mistakes her for a ladybird and she him a cook. Make no mistake, Trevor is a useless wastrel, so she decides that the best way to reform him is to get him shackled with a proper - and moneyed, of course - woman. However, there's this annoying attraction she has with this man...
It was nice having a protagonist who is older than the love interesting. Very enjoyable.
July 5, 2013
I love to read and I love romances. This was the epitome of everything I don't like in stories. It starts with the 'hero' trying to slip out of a prostitute's bed before dawn, and just goes down hill from there. With absolutely no discretion, he views every woman he meets as a conquest. After three interrupted trysts, he finally succeeds in all but forcing himself on the heroine - she repeatedly asked him to leave her alone. This was not a gentleman or a person I could remotely like, regardless of his painful childhood or his disabilities. The heroine eventually sluts herself, without any thought of the consequences, so she could have the memory of being loved in her old age. Really? She then refuses to marry him, repeatedly, even after discovering she's - GASP - pregnant. (FACEPALM)
I skipped a lot and only finished it 'cause I wanted to see how these stupid, selfish idiots would get themselves out of the hole they dug. Could've been a cute, fabulous story. Instead, it was smutty raunch that made my skin crawl.
I skipped a lot and only finished it 'cause I wanted to see how these stupid, selfish idiots would get themselves out of the hole they dug. Could've been a cute, fabulous story. Instead, it was smutty raunch that made my skin crawl.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2015
Historical English romance with a older widow finds love with the new inheritor that hides his dyslexia which makes for more problems then one would have thought.
Trevor Phillips is not your usual rich English gentleman, we first meet him sneaking out of his mistress's bed in France on the night he finds out that he is the long lost Duke and must return to England to claim his title and completely indebted estate. Turns out that he also inherited the very young and beautiful Dowager Duchess, Lady Sara. Lady Sara is the strongest toughest lady that I've read in a long time, she is always sacrificing her happiness for the betterment of her beloved home town.
Lots of bitterness and misunderstandings, but over all a good story that makes sense even though you want to shake everyone at some point in this story (except Helen, she knows what she wants and takes it!). Fun 90's style of historical romance which was a quick fluff read!
352 pages and kindle freebie
2 and half stars
Trevor Phillips is not your usual rich English gentleman, we first meet him sneaking out of his mistress's bed in France on the night he finds out that he is the long lost Duke and must return to England to claim his title and completely indebted estate. Turns out that he also inherited the very young and beautiful Dowager Duchess, Lady Sara. Lady Sara is the strongest toughest lady that I've read in a long time, she is always sacrificing her happiness for the betterment of her beloved home town.
Lots of bitterness and misunderstandings, but over all a good story that makes sense even though you want to shake everyone at some point in this story (except Helen, she knows what she wants and takes it!). Fun 90's style of historical romance which was a quick fluff read!
352 pages and kindle freebie
2 and half stars
July 25, 2013
okay, nothing great
July 14, 2015
I tried but I couldn't do it. I have better things to read.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews