Review: How To Capture A Duke (Matchmaking for Wallflowers #1) by Bianca Blythe

How To Capture A Duke (Matchmaking for Wallflowers #1) by Bianca Blythe
Purchase link: Amazon

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All she had to do was find a fiancé. In four days. In the middle of nowhere.

One reclusive bluestocking...
Fiona Amberly is more intrigued by the Roman ruins near her manor house than she is by balls. When her dying Grandmother worries about Fiona's future, Fiona stammers that she's secretly engaged. Soon she finds herself promising that she will introduce her husband-to-be by Christmas.

One dutiful duke...
Percival Carmichael, new Duke of Alfriston, is in a hurry. He's off to propose to London's most eligible debutante. After nearly dying at Waterloo, he's vowed to spend the rest of his life living up to the ton's expectations.

One fallen tree...
When Fiona tries to warn a passing coach about a tree in the road, the driver mistakes her for a highwaywoman. Evidently he's not used to seeing women attired in clothes only suitable for archaeology waving knives. After the driver flees, Fiona decides she may as well borrow the handsome passenger...

Biance Blythe has written a fun-filled historical which will not only make you giggle at the hilarity of the story but also shed a tear at some of the more poignant moments.

This was a fun book to read. The first half was filled with shenanigans and misunderstandings and hijinks. Fun. Fun. Fun. Then the second half of the book turn a bit of a turn as the hijinks turned into a horrible confrontation which made me SO angry. I think I stayed angry for a large part of the remainder of the book and then I felt sad, and then happy again. This story, which was supposed to be a lighthearted fun read for me turned into a roller coaster of emotions I was not prepared for. I didn't want that. I had just come off reading some very emotional stories and I was tired of being jerked around on an emotional chain. I wanted something to lighten my heard and make me feel good. This story managed to do that for the most part, but man, some things happened in it which really pissed me off. At one point, I got so angry, I had angry tears in my eyes. It's a good thing Percival redeemed himself in the end.

Let's talk about Percival then, shall we? He's your classically handsome duke, though a rather reluctant duke, only inheriting the title after the unfortunate death of a cousin. He's also a war hero. He's missing a leg and I rather imagined him like Alex Minsky (perhaps without all the tattoos!) in one of Michael Stokes' fabulous photos of veterans, only more handsome! Percival is coming to terms with becoming a duke and all the responsibilities it entails when he's accidentally kidnapped by Fiona who is mistaken for a highwaywoman. Percival finds himself enchanted by this refreshingly honest, funny and intelligent woman as escape attempts, misunderstandings and hijinks ensue. I felt a lot for Percival. He was being forced in a position he didn't want to be in but he was determined to do right by his title and the estate. He's such an honorable man. An rake and a rogue trying to do what's right. It did annoy me somewhat that Percival felt since he was missing a leg, he needed to be forced to do what others expected of him. I'm glad he managed to work through his own self worth to determine what was right for himself and what he needed to do for his own happiness.

As for Fiona, she's a delightfully fun heroine. She's your typical wallflower and bluestocking with a penchant for archeology, more at home digging in holes than in drawing rooms and ballrooms. I liked that about her. I liked how honest she was and how much she tried at all times to do the right thing. It slayed me, absolutely slayed me when she was treated very poorly and very unfairly at one point in the story. It brought angry tears to my eyes. I wanted to rail and yell and holler about how unfair and horrible everyone was being. If I was there, I would have smacked some sense into all those people. Nasty rabbits! Still, Fiona was a far stronger woman than anyone gave her credit for, even in the face of terrible loss. She went off and followed her dreams, and achieved great things. It made me very happy when the nasty rabbit had to eat crow at the end.

I think this is a debut novel for Ms Blythe and it is an excellent effort. I'm looking forward to other stories from her in the future ... especially now that I know what to expect from them. :-)

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About the author

Born in Texas, Wellesley graduate Bianca Blythe spent four years in England. She worked in a fifteenth century castle, though sadly that didn't actually involve spotting dukes and earls strutting about in Hessians.

She credits British weather for forcing her into a library, where she discovered her first Julia Quinn novel. Thank goodness for blustery downpours.

Bianca now lives in Massachusetts with her boyfriend, though she will admit to craving warm scones and clotted cream. She's not certain she can admit to reading about handsome, roguish dukes, at least in a location where her boyfriend might stumble upon the fact.

But if any readers are stumbling upon this, rest assured that she does write about rather swoon worthy heroes :-)

Author links: Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads


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