A review by deannasworld
How to Capture a Duke by Bianca Blythe
4.0
Biance Blythe has written a fun-filled historical which will not only make you giggle at the hilarity of the story but also shed a tear at some of the more poignant moments.
This was a fun book to read. The first half was filled with shenanigans and misunderstandings and hijinks. Fun. Fun. Fun. Then the second half of the book turn a bit of a turn as the hijinks turned into a horrible confrontation which made me SO angry. I think I stayed angry for a large part of the remainder of the book and then I felt sad, and then happy again. This story, which was supposed to be a lighthearted fun read for me turned into a roller coaster of emotions I was not prepared for. I didn't want that. I had just come off reading some very emotional stories and I was tired of being jerked around on an emotional chain. I wanted something to lighten my heard and make me feel good. This story managed to do that for the most part, but man, some things happened in it which really pissed me off. At one point, I got so angry, I had angry tears in my eyes. It's a good thing Percival redeemed himself in the end.
Let's talk about Percival then, shall we? He's your classically handsome duke, though a rather reluctant duke, only inheriting the title after the unfortunate death of a cousin. He's also a war hero. He's missing a leg and I rather imagined him like Alex Minsky (perhaps without all the tattoos!) in one of Michael Stokes' fabulous photos of veterans, only more handsome! Percival is coming to terms with becoming a duke and all the responsibilities it entails when he's accidentally kidnapped by Fiona who is mistaken for a highwaywoman. Percival finds himself enchanted by this refreshingly honest, funny and intelligent woman as escape attempts, misunderstandings and hijinks ensue. I felt a lot for Percival. He was being forced in a position he didn't want to be in but he was determined to do right by his title and the estate. He's such an honorable man. An rake and a rogue trying to do what's right. It did annoy me somewhat that Percival felt since he was missing a leg, he needed to be forced to do what others expected of him. I'm glad he managed to work through his own self worth to determine what was right for himself and what he needed to do for his own happiness.
As for Fiona, she's a delightfully fun heroine. She's your typical wallflower and bluestocking with a penchant for archeology, more at home digging in holes than in drawing rooms and ballrooms. I liked that about her. I liked how honest she was and how much she tried at all times to do the right thing. It slayed me, absolutely slayed me when she was treated very poorly and very unfairly at one point in the story. It brought angry tears to my eyes. I wanted to rail and yell and holler about how unfair and horrible everyone was being. If I was there, I would have smacked some sense into all those people. Nasty rabbits! Still, Fiona was a far stronger woman than anyone gave her credit for, even in the face of terrible loss. She went off and followed her dreams, and achieved great things. It made me very happy when the nasty rabbit had to eat crow at the end.
I think this is a debut novel for Ms Blythe and it is an excellent effort. I'm looking forward to other stories from her in the future ... especially now that I know what to expect from them. :-)
This was a fun book to read. The first half was filled with shenanigans and misunderstandings and hijinks. Fun. Fun. Fun. Then the second half of the book turn a bit of a turn as the hijinks turned into a horrible confrontation which made me SO angry. I think I stayed angry for a large part of the remainder of the book and then I felt sad, and then happy again. This story, which was supposed to be a lighthearted fun read for me turned into a roller coaster of emotions I was not prepared for. I didn't want that. I had just come off reading some very emotional stories and I was tired of being jerked around on an emotional chain. I wanted something to lighten my heard and make me feel good. This story managed to do that for the most part, but man, some things happened in it which really pissed me off. At one point, I got so angry, I had angry tears in my eyes. It's a good thing Percival redeemed himself in the end.
Let's talk about Percival then, shall we? He's your classically handsome duke, though a rather reluctant duke, only inheriting the title after the unfortunate death of a cousin. He's also a war hero. He's missing a leg and I rather imagined him like Alex Minsky (perhaps without all the tattoos!) in one of Michael Stokes' fabulous photos of veterans, only more handsome! Percival is coming to terms with becoming a duke and all the responsibilities it entails when he's accidentally kidnapped by Fiona who is mistaken for a highwaywoman. Percival finds himself enchanted by this refreshingly honest, funny and intelligent woman as escape attempts, misunderstandings and hijinks ensue. I felt a lot for Percival. He was being forced in a position he didn't want to be in but he was determined to do right by his title and the estate. He's such an honorable man. An rake and a rogue trying to do what's right. It did annoy me somewhat that Percival felt since he was missing a leg, he needed to be forced to do what others expected of him. I'm glad he managed to work through his own self worth to determine what was right for himself and what he needed to do for his own happiness.
As for Fiona, she's a delightfully fun heroine. She's your typical wallflower and bluestocking with a penchant for archeology, more at home digging in holes than in drawing rooms and ballrooms. I liked that about her. I liked how honest she was and how much she tried at all times to do the right thing. It slayed me, absolutely slayed me when she was treated very poorly and very unfairly at one point in the story. It brought angry tears to my eyes. I wanted to rail and yell and holler about how unfair and horrible everyone was being. If I was there, I would have smacked some sense into all those people. Nasty rabbits! Still, Fiona was a far stronger woman than anyone gave her credit for, even in the face of terrible loss. She went off and followed her dreams, and achieved great things. It made me very happy when the nasty rabbit had to eat crow at the end.
I think this is a debut novel for Ms Blythe and it is an excellent effort. I'm looking forward to other stories from her in the future ... especially now that I know what to expect from them. :-)