Society Author Reviews


The Duke
By Gaelen Foley
ISBN# 0-499-00636-0
Ivy Books, 2000 , 396 pages
Historical Romance, circa 1814
Regency-England
$6.99 (US) $9.99 (CDN)

Reviewed by Erin
May 2004

Belinda Hamilton is beautiful, educated, and desirable but her life is spinning wildly out of control. The only person to blame is a spoiled, greedy man named Dolph Breckenridge. Dolph has had his eyes on Belinda for some time but her repeated refusal of his offer to make her a countess makes him resort to ripping her world from underneath her. First, he has her eccentric father’s debts called in and unable to come up with the necessary funds to pay them off he is thrown in jail. Then, in order to support herself and pay her father’s cell fees so he isn’t abused, she becomes a teacher at a finishing school for girls of quality. Dolph somehow gets her fired from her position so Bel resorts to working any menial job on the street just to make ends meet, all the while refusing to succumb to Dolph’s advances.

Trouble arises when she can’t pay her father’s fees on time and she asked the warden of the jail for an extension. He graciously offers the extension and a ride home for her and she innocently accepts. Little does she know, later that night he will follow her and brutally rape her. Alone, ashamed and traumatized she spends the night in a shelter when an older woman, a prostitute, gives her the idea of becoming a courtesan. A pretty young thing such as Bel could find a protector and live in style.

He is called the “Paragon Duke”. His virtuous conduct throughout society has been noted and expected from Robert Knight, the Duke of Hawkscliff. He has always done just what he should and never strayed from his self set high standards but he is hiding a great pain behind his façade of morality. He has loved a woman that he could not have. She was the wife of a fellow noble and though he desired her he never acted on the aches he felt in not having her for himself. He is devastated when she goes missing and is then found dead. The coroner called it an accident but he and his ladylove’s husband suspect foul play. The suspect in question is, none other than, Dolph Breckinridge.

Hawkscliff befriends Dolph to get into his circle and investigate for himself. When Dolph waxes the merits of his Belinda to Robert, he decides that she is the key to Dolph’s undoing and when it is found out what Bel has become, Robert accompanies Dolph to her house of sin. He does not count on being attracted to her and he finds himself enchanted with her looks and charm. Robert is witness to a spat between the two and is convinced that thought Dolph may claim to love her she does not return those feelings. It is then when he strikes up a bargain. He will protect her from Dolph while he uses her to find out if Dolph is the murderer he thinks he is and then exact his revenge.

She is his mistress in name only. As part of the bargain, she will not have to share his bed. She is relieved, not having taken any lovers after her ordeal she is frightened of the prospect of having to endure that kind of humiliation again. As their time together progresses they become more and more attracted to each other and it becomes more and more difficult to keep up their pretenses.

Full of escapades and intrigue, this story is a plethora of adventures that will keep you turning page after page if only to finally get to a peaceful end. Foley was masterful in contriving twist after agonizing twist, keeping you on your toes and never bored.

The relationship between the hero and heroine was so incredibly frustrating that I found myself cursing all men and their damnable pride. I wanted to bash my head with the book and had it been a hardcover I really would have damaged myself because the ups and downs between them just made me go insane, but in a good way. I was so attached to the characters and so interested in seeing them work everything out that when it didn’t, I was emotionally invested. When Robert and Bel were together, they were so sweet and tender together, it made my heart swell. Then when everything went wrong and there seemed like no hope for a happy ending, I felt as empty as they did. It takes a certain amount of brilliance to infuse your readers with such passion for your characters.