Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Bennett (How to Catch a Devilish Duke) underwhelms in the Victorian romance that launches her Byronic Book Club series. The inconsistently characterized heroine, Artemis Jones, teaches at a finishing school by day and writes salacious Gothic romances by night. She views both gigs as stepping stones to her dream of opening a women's college. However, when Artemis's shy friend Lucy is forced by her father into looking for a husband, Artemis quits her job to return to the London society she's shunned in support of Lucy. She falls in love at first sight with the Byronic hero of her dreams: Dominic Winters, "the Dastardly Duke of Dartmoor," whom society believes to have murdered his wife as the result of a smear campaign by his wife's brother, the cartoonishly villainous Guy de Burgh--who, coincidentally, is also the scoundrel who seduced Artemis during her first season. Artemis hatches a bizarre plot to avoid marriage by ruining her reputation, a half-baked scheme that ends with her in an engagement-of-convenience to Dominic, who wants Artemis's help managing his rebellious daughter. There are some sizzling sex scenes along the way, but the story is loaded with subplots that go nowhere and illogical character beats. It's a shoddily constructed, broadly drawn melodrama. Agent: Jessica Alvarez, BookEnds. (July)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Secrets abound in Bennett's (Lady Beauchamp's Proposal) first "Byronic Book Club" novel. The well-written book is stuffed to the brim with soapy subplots and features several reliable romance tropes that many readers will find delightful. Artemis Jones, a gothic novelist, dreams of opening a college for women, but needs a patron. She also would like for her aunt to stop trying to marry her off. A chance encounter introduces her to "the Dastardly Duke," widower Dominic Winters, who is searching for a new wife amid rumors that he murdered the previous Duchess of Dartmoor. Among the novel's other plot threads are the secret of Artemis's scandalous first Season, a revenge scheme by Dominic's brother-in-law, a disastrous courtship for Artemis's sister, a scheming governess, even a sickbed scene. With a headstrong heroine and a head-over-heels hero at the core, the book shines. VERDICT Bursting at the seams with delicious drama and tropes, and the solid central couple and well-crafted prose will satisfy choice historical romance readers.--Jenny Kobiela-Mondor
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A teacher must educate herself on matters of the heart after she bargains for her future with an ostracized duke. When she learns that her friend Lucy needs her help, Artemis Jones quits her job at a finishing school and travels to London. While she hopes her presence will make Lucy's experience of her first season more bearable, Artemis has an ulterior motive: She aspires to find a wealthy and progressive benefactor willing to fund her dream of opening a ladies' college. And Artemis has another secret: In addition to being a teacher, she's the author of a series of popular Gothic romance novels. Given her circumstances, Artemis is perhaps the least suitable candidate for Dominic Winters, the widowed duke of Dartmoor, who's looking for a wife to give him an heir and help handle his teenage daughter, Celeste--but his task is complicated by rumors that he had a hand in his first wife's death. When Dominic and Artemis find themselves inexorably attracted to one another, they hatch a plan: She will help him reach Celeste, and he will, in turn, fund her school. When the plan leads to a fake engagement and real emotional attachment, Artemis must decide if she trusts the duke enough with her secret identity, and her future. The first installment of the Byronic Book Club series is not only peppered with meaningful references to books by Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters, but also borrows significantly from their aesthetic. As Artemis negotiates with a Byronic hero, windy moors, and the threat of ruin, she sets herself apart from the heroines who have inspired her with her fierce ambition and lack of inhibition. But even as Artemis emerges as a well-rounded, if slightly indecisive, character, Dominic seldom gets the opportunity to cast aside his solemnity. What Dominic and Artemis' interactions lack in wit and humor, though, they make up for with heat and sexual chemistry, and their romance unfolds credibly in a skillfully woven plot. An undemanding romance enlivened by an unconventional heroine. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
