Rating: 
Summary: Wonderfully refreshing
Review: A very nice love story by one of my favorite romance authors. The Duke's Double can be read in one afternoon and what a great way to spend the afternoon.
Rating: 
Summary: The man she loved dragged Joanna's name through the mud.
Review: After the death of her beloved second husband, Joanna Sherwood must return to England for the sake of her two young sons. The last thing she wants to do is run into her spiteful first husband, who, at his mother's instigation, had divorced her for adultery with his best friend and forced both of them into exile.But that was over six years ago, and Joanna's successful second marriage had left her with two sons to raise, one of which bore a striking resemblance to her first husband, the Duke of Roxbury. However, Joanna was told that the Duke never visited his estate anymore, so she felt safe in making the decision to return to her second husband's neighboring estate to raise her two boys. Nevertheless, the Duke happens to be home at the time and during the inevitable unpleasant encounter with his ex-wife, he glimpses his son...a son he never knew he had...a son who looks enough like him to be his double and yet bears the name and title of his wife's second husband. The Duke's ham-handed attempts to gain access to his only son only succeed in frightening Joanna into a hasty betrothal to a kindly lord who reminds her of her beloved second husband and who promises to take her and her children with him to his estates in Ireland. The Duke realizes that he still loves Joanna and finds that he is willing to forgive her for her past unfaithfulness. However, the shoe, so to speak, is on the other foot. Joanna was innocent of wrongdoing, and she cannot forgive HIM until he admits it. There are a lot of issues involved in this potential reconciliation that unfortunately remain unresolved at the end (like a final confrontation with the duke's poisonous mother), but I found the romance quite enjoyable, if a little intense for my taste. The duke's betrayal and cruelty to Joanna made me wonder how anyone could forgive such behavior, but I suppose one must consider such factors as the manipulating mother and his extreme youth at the time. In any case, this very unusual romance between the Duke of Roxbury and his former wife is definitely worth further exploration.
Rating:
Summary: The man she loved dragged Joanna's name through the mud.
Review: After the death of her beloved second husband, Joanna Sherwood must return to England for the sake of her two young sons. The last thing she wants to do is run into her spiteful first husband, who, at his mother's instigation, had divorced her for adultery with his best friend and forced both of them into exile. But that was over six years ago, and Joanna's successful second marriage had left her with two sons to raise, one of which bore a striking resemblance to her first husband, the Duke of Roxbury. However, Joanna was told that the Duke never visited his estate anymore, so she felt safe in making the decision to return to her second husband's neighboring estate to raise her two boys. Nevertheless, the Duke happens to be home at the time and during the inevitable unpleasant encounter with his ex-wife, he glimpses his son...a son he never knew he had...a son who looks enough like him to be his double and yet bears the name and title of his wife's second husband. The Duke's ham-handed attempts to gain access to his only son only succeed in frightening Joanna into a hasty betrothal to a kindly lord who reminds her of her beloved second husband and who promises to take her and her children with him to his estates in Ireland. The Duke realizes that he still loves Joanna and finds that he is willing to forgive her for her past unfaithfulness. However, the shoe, so to speak, is on the other foot. Joanna was innocent of wrongdoing, and she cannot forgive HIM until he admits it. There are a lot of issues involved in this potential reconciliation that unfortunately remain unresolved at the end (like a final confrontation with the duke's poisonous mother), but I found the romance quite enjoyable, if a little intense for my taste. The duke's betrayal and cruelty to Joanna made me wonder how anyone could forgive such behavior, but I suppose one must consider such factors as the manipulating mother and his extreme youth at the time. In any case, this very unusual romance between the Duke of Roxbury and his former wife is definitely worth further exploration.
Rating:
Summary: Wow. The reviews written here are each so different! But....
Review: each of them has some merit from my perspective. First, the plot itself was unique. It wasn't the same old regency stories we've read so often. The characters are wonderful. Dree was deceived by his snobby mother who thought Joanna was beneath his heritage and set out to break up the marraige, which she did. The whole book you hope Dree will not only catch on but "reward" his mother as she so richly deserves. That wasn't ever done in a way that vindicated Joanna or punished the dowager for the heartache she'd caused so many people. (a minus in my mind).
But the author dealt wonderfully with the emotions of everyone
involved and gave each character great depth. Jo and Dree's great love for each other permeates the story even if there is only one brief love scene. The children added a dimension that really made this special. I would have rated this a 5 except that the ending was too quick. I felt there should have at least been an epilogue....unless of course the author planned a sequel which I have never heard of. What became of the boys? Were they ever told the truth? How did they react? Who inherited what? Did Johnny and charlotte marry? How did the evil mother in law get her come uppance in society ( I hope)......etc........There was enough left unanswered for an epilogue. I read Bittersweet by this author and it was wonderful so I know she is capable of a better ending.I don't understand the reviewer who said it left her feeling "dismal"...There were sad parts in the book and a lot of angst but I never found any of it dismal. In fact it had an enormous amount of affection, concern and humor in it also.
But the reviews on this book as written above reflect how our individuality makes the world go round....(I fell asleep at phantom of the opera in toronto!!)
Rating: 
Summary: Odd man out....
Review: I guess I'm the odd man out but I cannot agree with all these 5 star ratings. I thought this book was very poorly written and had 2-dimensional, cardboard style characters. The only reason I got as far as I did in the book was that the plot had so much promise. But Mills' writing style was so stilted that I just couldn't finish the book.(eg...."with black hair that curled just enough to give him naturally what many a Corinthian spent hours to achieve...") Sheeesh! Wazzat mean? I wasn't sympathetic to either "Jo" or "Dree" and knew they were going to be uncompromisingly obstinate the whole way through. Maybe I didn't give this book a fair chance, but I have just recently read 3 masterpieces: The Outsider by Penelope Williamson; Heart of Deception by Taylor Chase and McClairen's Isle: The Reckless One by Connie Brockway. Anyway - read Duke's Double at your own risk (or just try the 3 I mentioned and don't waste your time on this one.)
Rating:
Summary: Good but not great!
Review: I thought the book moved too slow. Dree had to drag his feet to figure out his mother was lying. Also it ended wrong - It left you with a sense it was not completed. (I hate books that are good but have a stupid ending. They should have at least told the boys what was going on)
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful tale of a love triangle, mistrust and betrayal
Review: The other reviews have explained as much as I would have needed to about the plot of this book, so I can skip that part of this review. We meet Joanna Sherwood almost a year after the death of Gary, the Earl of Crewe, the childhood friend who married her after Adrian, the Duke of Roxbury, divorced her for alleged adultery. We are told that Joanna's eldest son looks very like Adrian, so much so that Gary used to refer to him as 'Duke's Double.' It is seeing Justin which first makes Adrian wonder whether it's possible that he misjudged Joanna. It's obvious early on that both Adrian and Joanna still love each other, though both feel they have much to blame the other for. The author carries off this sense of betrayal extremely well, allowing us glimpses into both protagonists' feelings and thought processes along the way. One thing I found a little odd was Adrian's persistence, when talking to Joanna, in believing that she was unfaithful, when we know that from early on in the book he was reassessing his earlier belief in that regard; but on the other hand, it's possible that he actually wanted her to tell him herself that she wasn't unfaithful. That aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost a ho-hum novel, just barely 3 stars
Review: The writing is good, but the characters don't engage me. It was an OK read, but 4 or 5 stars? Nope. If I were grading it as if it were a school paper, I'd give this book a 75 out of 100. The plot had potential, but the author never quite developed it into something really moving & meaningful. And the portrayal of the child Justin, frankly, annoyed me. "Papa loved me best" whined over and over. Jeez-Louise, way to give your little brother a complex. A keeper? I think not!
Rating:
Summary: Almost a ho-hum novel, just barely 3 stars
Review: The writing is good, but the characters don't engage me. It was an OK read, but 4 or 5 stars? Nope. If I were grading it as if it were a school paper, I'd give this book a 75 out of 100. The plot had potential, but the author never quite developed it into something really moving & meaningful. And the portrayal of the child Justin, frankly, annoyed me. "Papa loved me best" whined over and over. Jeez-Louise, way to give your little brother a complex. A keeper? I think not!
Rating:
Summary: Have you read Kathleen Harrington's Promise Me?
Review: The writing was good, BUT the story were almost the same as Kathleen Harrington's Promise Me.
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