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Rating: 
Summary: Definitely a keeper...
Review: I have to agree with the reviewer below who did such a great job in outling the story. Although this is an old story, there is still so much in it to like upon a re-read. It is a story of a couple brought together by duty and love - on his part, the duty to his estates and tenants, to his family, and to his Name and Title, and on hers, to her father. In agreeing to marry, they discover firstly that they get along surprisingly well, and secondly that they love each other - but not without several hiccups. One of Tracy's problems is her post-natal depression (the baby blues) which combine with a general feeling of insecurity both as a very young wife and mother and as a foreigner and outside. Her attempts to do what she thinks her husband wants from her - to be a political hostess - only serve to create a rift between the two. This is made worse when a former suitor arrives in London and completely misread's Tracy's feelings about her marriage and about himself. But everything ends happily (this is a romance!), and the young duke and duchess realize that they are in love, and that Tracy does not in fact have to play the part of political hostess.Add to all this some delightful vignettes into the way in which American heiresses were received in British high society (well before the 1880s and 1890s when many more American heiresses arrived to win titles), and the ways in which a young Republican heroine adjusts to life at the top of the aristocratic ladder. Tracy's political beliefs are not taken seriously by the statesmen who listen to her, but then fortunately she is no firebrand, either. At least one of the love scenes were curiously reminiscent of a similar scene in THE GAMBLE (one of my favorite Joan Wolf books). This scene and other scenes are slightly more explicit than the norm for this period (early 1980s), but most of the sensuality is conveyed by such scenes as the couple fishing together, riding together, the duke lifting a heavy branch off the road, and so forth. If you like Joan Wolf, this book is a must-read. It is also a favorite choice for most Regency readers. There is no explicit adventure, but the story of a couple learning about each other and the sacrifices they have made for others.
Rating:
Summary: A keeper
Review: I read this one ages ago and still read it again occasionally. William Bodmin is dying and like many self made Americans he wished to sell his fortune for a title. Eyeing the crop of eligibles he finds the poor but impressive Duke of Hastings. Tracey Bodmin, realizing that her marrying an aristocrat is her father's dying wish, is willing to do the inevitable. Adrian (the Duke) has a family to care for and an estate to finance so he looks to the current crop of heiresses. Quickly discarding most of the crop, his eye lands on Tracey Bodmin who in addition to having money is lovely and personable boot. So Tracey and Adrian do their duty. . . Duty never felt so good. Tracey, Adrian, and Tracey's father find themselves quite pleased with the results and prepare for a happily ever after. . .only reality intrudes. Tracey's democratic tendencies leave her feeling ill suited for a ton marriage--especially with someone as truly aristocratic as Adrian. Add in a difficult pregnancy and a long lost suitor determined to free her from the strict rules of English society, and Tracey's marriage is poised to fall apart. It's a tale of a totally unsuited couple that find that not only do opposites attract, they can even survive once the honeymoon is over.
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