The Duke's Proposal [Mass Market Paperback]

I may be a man, and not just a man, but a blue-collar, construction-working man, but even I sometimes pack an historical romance in my lunch pail and sneak off somewhere private during my lunch hour so I can enjoy my turkey-avocado sandwich while reading the latest Victorian bodice-ripper from the breathless, heated pen of Leslie Lafoy.

"The Duke's Proposal" finishes the trilogy of novels detailing the life and loves of Caroline, Simone and Fiona, the three illegitimate daughters of Geoffrey Turnbridge, the fifth Duke of Ryland. I am the second son of Ma. Caroline and Simone's stories are chronicled in "Her Scandalous Marriage" and "The Rogue's Bride", respectively, both of which I enjoyed immensely, and now the Lady Fiona Turnbridge must consider her future as she too becomes entangled with a wealthy, handsome gentleman of means. I once got entangled in some electrical cable. The other guys were mean, and certainly not gentlemen.

The young gentlemen of the novel consider Lady Fiona Turnbridge eccentric and unmarriageable, despite her fair looks, green eyes, and large dowry. Fiona seeks happiness elsewhere, studying medicine and caring for sick animals, leaving her content if not entirely fulfilled, like a jelly donut.

One night Fiona finds her beloved cat severely injured and shows up at the doorstep of the tall, dark, and handsome Lord Ian Cabott, Duke of Dunsford and former military surgeon, for help. Ian, himself something of an outcast from his peers, and despite Fiona's arming herself with a pistol, spends the night with her saving her cat. Ian sees qualities in Fiona that mirror his, and furthermore realizes the practical benefits of having her in the home to assist in the rehabilitation of his sickly ward Charlotte. Ian makes a marriage proposal to Fiona, who, to his surprise, turns him down. Now Ian has to convince Fiona of his honorable intentions, but she will require much more before she can agree to his proposal. My wife eventually agreed to my proposal after many, many years of begging, so I can relate.

Leslie Lafoy has again written a thrilling romance between two very strong, independent-minded characters who challenge and frustrate each other, making their final union all the more satisfying. I may be a rugged man, work with power tools, and wear a hard hat, but by the end of the novel, I too was hoping, with a quavering heart, that Fiona would finally accept, dare I say it, the Duke's proposal.

I've read several of Lafoy books before and have generally liked them. This one bored and annoyed me at times. I think that the pairing of animal loving heroine and the hero surgeon is brilliant and they have decent chemistry and story flows well. My main problem was with an incident that happened in the beginning of the novel and referred to often which casts a less than romantic shadow on the rest of the story. The poor hero is constantly fumbling and apologizing for things he said/done to the heroine. NOT romantic IMHO. And the heroine is constantly annoyed with him and ready to throw in the towel and give up on him. I could understand this happening once, but multiples times? That's just annoying. And the worst was the love scene or should I say lack of it. There was a lead into and an after but no middle. Huh? The other books in this series had plenty of love scenes so why didn't this one? Just doesn't make sense.

Just an OK book. Not enough action, drama, or romance for that matter, to keep me flipping the pages. A decent read if you want to finish the series, but if I read this one first I don't think that I would have read the others.

Fiona Turnbridge is the youngest of three sisters. The illegitimate daughter of a duke, she has been cared for by her older sisters ever since they were found by her father's heir years ago. Tender hearted toward animals, Fiona finds her prized pet injured and in need of medical attention. Having no other option but to take her pet to the one man she knows can help, Fiona demands admittance to Ian Cabott's household. She won't take no for an answer, and the gun in her hand helps. Hours later, Fiona's feline is on the mend but her reputation is in tatters.

Lord Ian Cabott, the Duke of Dunsford would rather be doing anything other than looking for a wife. Promising his mother that he will marry before the end of the season, Ian can't imagine tying himself to any of the young misses he meets night after night. Then he comes in contact with Lady Fiona Turnbridge. While she grabs his attention, she is stubborn to the core, and Ian ignores his feelings and dismisses her without another thought. His disregard comes to an end when she arrives at his house in the dead of night pointing a gun at him and demanding his surgical skills. When the sun rises, Fiona's pet is recovering. Unfortunately, Ian knows it is only a matter of time before scandal hits, so he does the only thing a true gentleman would do. He proposes.

THE DUKE'S PROPOSAL by Leslie LaFoy is tremendously entertaining. Having been introduced to the quirky Fiona in Her Scandalous Marriage, I couldn't wait for Fiona's story to hit the shelf. Breathing a sigh of relief when I finally got my hands on this book, I happily began to read. Fiona's characterization is full of life, energy, and completely captivating. I adored her and especially liked how Ms. LaFoy characterized her. I thought her innocence the perfect foil to Ian's stubbornness and I most especially loved how Fiona wholeheartedly loved him.

For a great third installment to a wonderfully written trilogy, THE DUKE'S PROPOSAL is the perfect book for any lover of historical romances.