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| UP ALL NIGHT WITH A GOOD DUKE - Amy Rose Bennett England - 1858 Miss Artemis Jones has big plans for her future, but first, she must navigate the present. Her hopes are to start a ladies college, however she has to find some way to finance it. As a secret aside, Artemis writes Gothic romances under the name of Lydia Lovelace, but the income from these books, as well as her salary as a teacher at the Avon Academy for Young Ladies of Quality, will never be enough to open her own school. She must find a wealthy donor to help her. That opportunity may come along when Artemis receives a letter from her close friend, Lucy, begging for Artemis to join her in London as Lucy's father is forcing her to have a Season, and hopefully procure a suitable husband. So Artemis tenders her resignation, departing for London on the next train. Upon arrival at Paddington Station, Artemis attempts to hire a cab to take her to her Aunt Roberta's house, where Artemis' sister, Phoebe resides. But she runs into a large man who causes her carpetbag to fall open, spewing her books onto the street. The man begs her pardon, and, for a moment, Artemis is stunned by the handsome devil bowing before her. He insists that she take the cab, and she does, but she'll not easily forget the man's face. Dominic Winters, the fifth Duke of Dartmoor, is intrigued by the lovely red-haired bluestocking. But he has other things he needs to concentrate on. A widower who is known in the ton as the Dastardly Duke for the wrongful rumors that he murdered his ailing wife, Dominic has an adolescent daughter in dire need of a woman's influence. Celeste is fifteen and a veritable handful for her governess. But with his reputation, finding a wife willing to take on his daughter as well as his past, Dominic isn't too hopeful. He is curious, however, to discover that his daughter seems to have an interest in the same books that the red-haired beauty was stuffing back into her bag. But life has a way of finding answers at times, and when Dominic and Artemis run into each other at her friend's family's bookstore, it's apparent that both have similar interests in one another. Later, at a ball that Artemis is forced to attend, she and Dominic dance, sending the rumor mill into a tizzy. This sets Artemis to thinking about a plan to show her aunt that Artemis needs to be off the matrimonial scene. When she gets Dominic to agree to her idea, as well as to help her with her future plans, Artemis thinks everything will be wonderful. What could go wrong? Book one of the Byronic Book Club, UP ALL NIGHT WITH A GOOD DUKE is a lively trip through the London society scene where a woman's reputation can destroy her future, but a man's antics are brushed aside. Although Dominic's public persona has been trashed by rumors, he is still a duke. For Artemis, at almost thirty years old, and a bluestocking, rumors are not helpful. How these two work out various issues makes for a fun read. Well written, with great, well-rounded characters, UP ALL NIGHT WITH A GOOD DUKE is delicious! Jani Brooks |
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