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The Duke and the April Flowers
Unknown Binding
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About the author
Grace Burrowes
192 books2,914 followersGrace Burrowes started writing as an antidote to empty nest and soon found it an antidote to life in general. She is the sixth out of seven children, raised in the rural surrounds of central Pennsylvania. Early in life she spent a lot of time reading romance novels and practicing the piano. Her first career was as a technical writer and editor in the Washington, DC, area, a busy job that nonetheless left enough time to read a lot of romance novels.
It also left enough time to grab a law degree through an evening program, produce Beloved Offspring (only one, but she is a lion), and eventually move to the lovely Maryland countryside.
While reading yet still more romance novels, Grace opened her own law practice, acquired a master's degree in Conflict Transformation (she had a teenage daughter by then) and started thinking about writing.... romance novels. This aim was realized when Beloved Offspring struck out into the Big World a few years ago. ("Mom, why doesn't anybody tell you being a grown-up is hard?")
Grace eventually got up the courage to start pitching her manuscripts to agents and editors. The query letter that resulted in "the call" started out: "I am the buffoon in the bar at the RWA retreat who could not keep her heroines straight, could not look you in the eye, and could not stop blushing--and if that doesn't narrow down the possibilities, your job is even harder than I thought." (The dear lady bought the book anyway.)
To contact Grace, email her at graceburrowes@yahoo.com.
It also left enough time to grab a law degree through an evening program, produce Beloved Offspring (only one, but she is a lion), and eventually move to the lovely Maryland countryside.
While reading yet still more romance novels, Grace opened her own law practice, acquired a master's degree in Conflict Transformation (she had a teenage daughter by then) and started thinking about writing.... romance novels. This aim was realized when Beloved Offspring struck out into the Big World a few years ago. ("Mom, why doesn't anybody tell you being a grown-up is hard?")
Grace eventually got up the courage to start pitching her manuscripts to agents and editors. The query letter that resulted in "the call" started out: "I am the buffoon in the bar at the RWA retreat who could not keep her heroines straight, could not look you in the eye, and could not stop blushing--and if that doesn't narrow down the possibilities, your job is even harder than I thought." (The dear lady bought the book anyway.)
To contact Grace, email her at graceburrowes@yahoo.com.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 15, 2023
It seems likely that far more Dukes appear in Regency novels ans novellas than have ever walked the earth, even were I to throw in fakes and pretenders on the side of once living. Without bothering to look it up, I am going to guess that maybe 1,000 such titles have ever existed and most of those titles haven't had 10 office holders. Against that we have one of the most popular character titles in English literature in the most popular fiction genre with the highest sales. While not all authors are half so prolific as Burrowes, a few are, so again, without doing the simplest googling, I am guessing that more than 20,000 fictional dukes have been published in this century.
Anyone with free time and the inclination is welcome to explain to me all the ways in which my assumptions are laughably bad.
This is a charming story with a resolution I find particularly satisfying.
The actual business of having titled people with considerably more than their fair share of land, wealth, and influence offends my every notion of how humans should organize themselves, what justice and equity require, and then to throw sexism on top and prohibit females from inheriting? Has no one noticed that the reigns of English queens have been quite amazingly long and productive, no matter how ill the gains are gotten and how poorly distributed?
Despite my issues with how poorly societies are managed in the real world, this story is sweet and amusing and clever.
Come to think of it, my issues with society are probably why I sit here reading so often: I want happy endings and virtues rewarded.
Personal copy
Anyone with free time and the inclination is welcome to explain to me all the ways in which my assumptions are laughably bad.
This is a charming story with a resolution I find particularly satisfying.
The actual business of having titled people with considerably more than their fair share of land, wealth, and influence offends my every notion of how humans should organize themselves, what justice and equity require, and then to throw sexism on top and prohibit females from inheriting? Has no one noticed that the reigns of English queens have been quite amazingly long and productive, no matter how ill the gains are gotten and how poorly distributed?
Despite my issues with how poorly societies are managed in the real world, this story is sweet and amusing and clever.
Come to think of it, my issues with society are probably why I sit here reading so often: I want happy endings and virtues rewarded.
Personal copy
September 1, 2022
March 2022: My favorite trope: Cinderella
This is an excellent variation. I absolutely loved it. So clever. Instead of evil stepsisters and evil stepmother, there's a evil father who doesn't believe his eldest daughter is his and has punished her for that her entire life. He wants the duke to marry one of his three remaining daughters. The duke wants a wife not just a duchess. And Iris, she wants to be loved. The duke is clever, he needs to be, because Iris is loyal to her sisters and wouldn't be happy if they are unhappy. So he goes about finding suitors for them first. Because of the story being short, the additional characters are well described but not fully fleshed out. Kudos to the author for achieving this with so few pages. Currently my favorite Cinderella story.
July 2022: I love this story. Onto the Comfort Reads shelf it goes.
This is an excellent variation. I absolutely loved it. So clever. Instead of evil stepsisters and evil stepmother, there's a evil father who doesn't believe his eldest daughter is his and has punished her for that her entire life. He wants the duke to marry one of his three remaining daughters. The duke wants a wife not just a duchess. And Iris, she wants to be loved. The duke is clever, he needs to be, because Iris is loyal to her sisters and wouldn't be happy if they are unhappy. So he goes about finding suitors for them first. Because of the story being short, the additional characters are well described but not fully fleshed out. Kudos to the author for achieving this with so few pages. Currently my favorite Cinderella story.
July 2022: I love this story. Onto the Comfort Reads shelf it goes.
June 24, 2021
Nice short story. Entertaining. 3.5☆
March 20, 2023
A quick read with a smart and clever Duke looking to marry the woman of his choice in spite of a promise his deceased father made to an earl. As always with Ms. Burrowes, characters, dialogue and plot twists make for a charming read.
March 17, 2022
Another excellent tale from the talented Grace Burrowes who was born to tell stories.
May 16, 2022
So cleverly written for such a short novella—excellent characterisation and a cute twist.
September 5, 2022
This is the 2nd book I read by Grace Burrowes. This book's storyline was okay. The characters were okay. The ending was okay.
May 2, 2023
Cute, quick read. Very sensible main characters
Quote:
I was raised to expect that I'd find a partner though, and I'm not ashamed to long for that.
Quote:
I was raised to expect that I'd find a partner though, and I'm not ashamed to long for that.
March 29, 2024
A cute, short read.
April 26, 2025
Short but so very sweet
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews