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Rebecca Tremaine did everything she wasn’t supposed to. She should have been born a boy. All the things a proper young lady should be accomplished in, Rebecca could never succeed at, no matter how she tried. Perfect at embroidery? Playing the pianoforte? Demure and soft-spoken? None of these could have ever been used to describe Rebecca. More often in trouble than not, Rebecca’s scheme to catch her older sister finally doing some mischief of her own, backfires and brings that mischief on to Becca. Now she’s engaged to the haughty, gambling Lord Edelston and there is nothing she can do about it.
Connor Riordan has been in the employ of the Tremaine’s since Becca was a young girl. The first time he met her she was hiding in a tree, saddened by the death of a family dog. From that moment, Becca has always held a special place in Connor’s heart. Her current predicament is not as easy to fix as getting her down from that tree had been. When she implores him to help her, he can only comply. However, rescuing Rebecca from a loveless marriage to Edelston will put Connor at great risk. He’s held a secret that becomes harder and harder to keep the longer he is with Rebecca. Her wit and beauty test his willpower to continue to see her as a silly little girl, but Rebecca is no longer a child, and that is something Connor can no longer deny.
When Fate graced Connor with a second chance at life he took it, with no hesitation. Now, to save Rebecca he must grasp that previous life and hope that Becca will love him just the same. Inept highwaymen, a vindictive woman, and a besotted Lord Edelston, all contrive to bring Rebecca back to her wedding and threaten the life of a Duke. Will they succeed, or will Connor accept who he is and have a happily ever after with his best friend, Rebecca?
THE RUNAWAY DUKE is one of the best historicals I’ve read in a long time. Julie Anne Long manages to successfully infuse humor into historical London in such a way that you’re unable to put the book down for even a moment. There’s even enough action to satisfy those hesitant to try the genre. Fast-paced and packed with laughs, THE RUNAWAY DUKE will have you begging for more from Julie Anne Long. So run along and get your copy!
Reviewed by Tina Burns
for The Road to Romance
July 13, 2004
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