Let me be clear about one thing: Rhys is cynical in his pursuit of Prudence and that doesn’t really change until late in the book, making our hero closer to an anti-hero for a good chunk of the story. Of course, the richest heiress and a Duke in desperate need of one are bound to cross paths and, when they do, the Duke leads Prudence to believe he doesn’t know about her newly found fortune – a deception the reader knows will devastate Prudence when she discovers the truth. With her suddenly “loving” aunt and uncle pushing her along, Prudence begins to take part in the London social whirl as the season’s number one heiress. Soon after their first meeting, Prudence’s life undergoes a massive change when she learns she has inherited a large fortune from her father, a man she never knew. When Prudence sees him rescuing a young woman from her attacker later that very same evening, our heroine comes to the erroneous conclusion that the Duke is a noble hero who selflessly assists damsels in distress with no thought of “payment”. The Duke – in a casual way – is also attracted to Prudence. Supplementing her income one evening by working at a ball mending the torn hems of the ladies in attendance, Prudence meets the Duke and immediately thinks he’s the most beautiful man she’s ever seen. Raised by her middle class and disapproving aunt and uncle following the death of her unwed mother, Prudence makes a modest living working as a seamstress in London while living in a boarding house with other late Victorian-era working women. Still, there is much to like here, chiefly the author’s likable and resourceful heroine. Since Prudence buys his entire performance hook, line, and sinker, this is one of those books in which the big blow-up is inevitable hundreds of pages before it occurs – something that, quite honestly, isn’t my favorite plot device. Cyres, cynically and deliberately leads heroine Prudence Bosworth to believe he’s falling in love with her when, in fact, his goal is getting his hands on her very large fortune.
So, just what took some of the edge off my fun? Rhys de Winter, Duke of St. Still, even though I very much enjoyed The Wicked Ways of a Duke, it didn’t manage to reach the heights of And Then He Kissed Her, the first entry in the series. Laura Lee Guhrke is definitely onto something with her Girl Bachelor series.
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