Society Author Reviews


The Naked Duke
Sally MacKenzie
ISBN# 0821778315
Zebra, February 2005, 317 pages
Historical Romance-Regency
$3.99 (US) $5.99 (CDN)

Reviewed by Laurel
March 2005

Sarah Hamilton has travelled from Philadelphia, USA to live out the promise she made on her fathers deathbed to return back to her homeland and claim her rightful place in England society under the guardianship of her uncle The Earl of Westbrooke. Stopping in an Inn on route she tries to procure a room for the night but is mistaken for a whore due to her vibrant red hair. Shown to a room, she climbs into bed and falls soundly asleep. She is unaware when a man enters the room and climbs into bed beside her. In the morning she is frightened but further humiliated when two old women come storming into the room and declare that she is about to be married to a Duke. Suddenly betrothed Sarah wishes for the simple life of being a governess where she did not have to worry about people trying to harm or worse kill her.

James, The Duke of Alvord is in quite a predicament; his cousin Richard is out to steal his inheritance by any means possible preferably by death. To protect his family lineage he must marry in a hurry and beget his wife with an heir. Having decided to marry one lady he was having his last night of freedom. Having compromised Sarah unwittingly he decides he would like to marry her, she affects him, makes his insides quiver and shake. Now to convince her that she is the woman for him and to dismiss this pesky nonsense of her being American or that someone is out to kill him or the one he loves.

I liked the interaction between the two characters, they were funny and they were sincere. Sarah realistically knew that marrying a Duke would be out of her station and was sensible to want to marry for love and not just do it for society’s sake. She made James court and pursue her like any other suitor would and she took him to task on more than one occasion for his treatment, and behaviour towards her. They mixed and blended well with each other and made a charming if not reluctant couple in this novel.

Richard the cousin is truly a vile and despicable man, there are some scenes in this novel with him that are portrayed wonderfully and give insight to his truly perverse and sick mind. They are disturbing and may not be for everyone and deal with violence towards women. He hired one man, an American by the name of Dunlap, he intrigued me even though he was a rotten person in this book, but his character carries traits for redemption and possibly his own love story. But for every bad thing that was in this novel there was a pleasant surprise. James is not your typically ordinary hero. He is compassionate; he is also very manly and skilled in the art of foreplay. I was caught quite by surprise when he made a confession in the novel that I thought really he is how weird I never would have thought that. The author did a fantastic job keeping that under wraps until it was time for James to reveal that secret.

The Naked Duke was a busy and fast paced read; it was humorous and exciting, great for curling up and passing a few hours away with. Sally Mackenzie is onto something with her mix of old and new romance styles blended together, and created a charming and entertaining first novel.