Loretta Chase

Dukes Prefer Blondes

Becky A

There was so much that I enjoyed about this one (really it should be three and a half stars) but I also have some quibbles.

The excellent part was the characters and their relationship, which is obviously the MOST important part in a romance. Clara is smart and wanted to make a difference but is slowly losing her mind, stifled by her social position, and furious that no men ever took her seriously. Raven is a lawyer who's too smart and prickly for his own good, and doesn't care about social niceties at all. They collide when she seeks his help trying to save a street kid from a bad fate, and he quickly learns that she's smarter than she appears, and that's what draws him to her. Their relationship was incredible, especially once he realized that she *is* smart and observant and that never being taken seriously is genuinely hard for her to live with. The closer they got (as she started sassing him and throwing things like "Are you doing being dramatic yet?" back in his face) the more delightful the book was. I have zero complaints about the romance.

The actual plot just was not very well integrated into the romance. It would vanish for a hundred pages at a time and then the villain would come out of nowhere, which threw off the pacing. There as no particular rising tension, he just sort of bided his time until it was time to have a climax in the book.

I'm also a little disappointed with this (obvious spoiler, but still a spoiler): (view spoiler)[I thought the most interesting tension in the romance came after they were married as they were trying to figure out how to find a lifestyle that would suit them both. Clara had never been on a budget or lived without a whole bunch of servants before, and accepted she'd need to cut back quite a bit; Raven had no interest in society, but accepted he'd have to make an effort for her sake. The pieces where they were fighting about and figuring out all of that were really interesting! And then it was immediately undermined when his cousin died and his father became the duke, so it turns out, nah, they're gonna be rich and he'll have to change careers but can still make a difference. That felt a lot like taking the easy way out of a really interesting conundrum, so I was disappointed. (hide spoiler)] That's the main reason the book didn't get rounded up to four stars for me, tbh.

But overall: REALLY enjoyable, and I love Clara so much.

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

Dukes Prefer Blondes is the first book I’ve read by Loretta Chase, and I adored it! The banter in this was an absolute delight to read – if her other books are anything like this one, I’m excited to read them all! As for the story in Dukes Prefer Blondes, I really enjoyed Clara and Raven’s romance. These two are highly intelligent people who couldn’t be more different, and yet feel so right together. There was a lot more depth to the both of them that surprised me, so if you love characters who are more than meets the eye, I highly recommend this book.

Her beauty surrounded her like a great stone wall. Men couldn’t see above, beyond, or through it. They certainly couldn’t think past it.
This was because men only looked at women. They didn’t listen to women, especially beautiful women.

Lady Clara Fairfax is tired of the rules of society that suffocate her because she’s a woman of status and beauty. No one sees past her outer looks, so when she gets biweekly proposals from men who don’t really want or know her real self, she rejects them all. She wants a husband who appreciates her brains more than her looks, one who will stimulate her mind and not make her go crazy with boredom. And the only person who seems to fit this bill is Oliver ‘Raven’ Radford, a barrister she asks for help to find a missing orphan.

Raven may be related closely to a duke, but he’s firmly a man of the working class. He’s dedicated to his work as a barrister and has always prized intelligence above all else. So he’s pleasantly surprised that the beautiful Lady Clara can keep up with his sarcasm and banter. The witty remarks between them are probably my favorite part of the book – the two of them had me giggling so much! You can also feel a certain chemistry between them through the banter, which sets up the romance for them perfectly.

Her Raven. Brusque and caustic. And funny. Unlike her, he said whatever he wanted to say. It didn’t matter where he was or with whom.
She, meanwhile, had to closely inspect in advance every gesture, act, and word for possible violations of ladyship rules. Except with him.

I loved how Raven was the only man to appreciate Clara for who she really was. She never had to pretend with him – she came alive around him, and vice versa. It’s a very slow, gradual romance that develops between these two characters, in between witty dialogue and sweet, more tender moments. There are also some great adventures as they try to find Clara’s missing orphan, and they come across some dangerous gang members. Overall, Dukes Prefer Blondes is a highly satisfying story, with fantastically well-written characters and even better banter. I can’t wait to read more from Loretta Chase!

Thanks to the publisher for generously providing me an ARC to review.

Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change in the final version.

Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/1Ib3wQV
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1GrloVt
Audible: http://amzn.to/1Ug5kJY

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Dukes Prefer Blondes

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