Mad About the Duke

A couple of the reviews of this book weren't very good so I was hesitant to buy it, then I remembered I liked EB's other books and decided to try it. I found it fun and very realistic! After reading a few hundred Historicals (literally)- if you go with the way aristocrats where supposedly raised back then, totally catered to and never even having to open their own doors- I could just picture James being at "sixes and sevens" when left standing alone in "the Standon Widow's foyer" at the beginning of this story. Then never having been in love before- when seeing Elinor for the first time, finding her "completely enchanting", falling head over heels in love with her, but of course, denying it to himself. So it stands to reason, he's going to make "a complete cake of himself" and let her just start assuming things that aren't true, which of course will lead to a snowball effect with him fighting his own aristocratic tendencies, learning how the other half lives, doing things he's never done before, trying to help her, and still hide who he really is throughout, leading to some funny scenes. I particularly liked his stunned servants reactions to his new behaviors, but felt they over-stepped themselves at the end. I also loved when he got very put out at her reaction of why she didn't have the Duke of Parkerton (himself) on her "Duke's list" and she sputtered, "The Duke of Parkerton? He's far too old!" And then when he tells her he's got it on good authority that he's the same age as himself (forty and then some)- She says, "Really? I can hardly believe you're that old" So he says, "You don't have to make me sound like Methuselah." Ha! Ha! I can just picture him never having been spoken to like that! Especially when he knows she's 31 yrs old herself. These were two good strong leading characters, which I need in any book I read. I really enjoyed this book, waiting to see just what James would do next, and am very glad I bought it.

Gosh I loved this book. I so enjoyed reading it. I couldn't put it down. Witty, smart characters; witty, smart dialogue; a well developed storyline; finely drawn, well nuanced personalities - What a pleasure! I don't do spoilers - the book description lays out the story premise. For me, in the telling of a good story, whether for good or bad, you care about the characters. I cared about these characters.This book is most definitely on my re-read list.

After Boyle's last disaster "How I met my countess" I decided that I was not going to waste any more money buying her books. So I got "Mad about the duke" from the library.

The plot is not even new, it's quite similar to "Love letters from a duke". It looks like Boyle is under some pressure from her publisher and doesn't care to produce a GOOD book, she just produces something to meet a deadline.

I'm a huge fan of Elizabeth Boyle and have read and enjoyed all the Bachelor Chronicles books, so I didn't have a problem with characters from previous books popping up in this one, in fact I quite liked that aspect.

I just loved the way the stuffy, pompous Duke of Parkerton fell headlong in love with Elinor and found himself doing things he'd thought he would never do. Having met the Duke of Parkerton in previous books, I had always hoped he would have his own book. I thought the book was really humourous, especially his servants reactions to the Dukes 'strange behavior'.

If you are looking for a light hearted romance, I would definitely recommend this book.

good condition and i loved the book that i could not put it down while reading it becouse it was interesting

As is usual for Elizabeth Boyle, this book is a winner. She is a wonderful writer, with interesting character, riveting plots and never fails to deliver delight.

I like the book however I think the duke was doing way too much. But I must admit there were some funny scenes and unexpected scenes. I would recommend

This was a really fun book- lots of romance but silly enough to make you laugh. I love mistaken identity books where the hero behaves completely out of character in order to win over the heroine. It was a really fun read with a lot of humor. The plot is a little out there, but the characters and the romance won me over.