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Title: The Decadent Duke
ISBN: 0451225422
Author:
Virginia Henley
Publicate Date: 2008-11-04
Publish: 2008-11-04
List Price: $7.99
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $2.90
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $3.50
Amazon Merchant Price: $7.99
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1: Another must read from Virginia Henley
Virginia Henley's The Decadent Duke is a must read. This historical fiction novel is sensuous and relates to the culture of that period. Her novels have encouraged me to read more about these historical periods.
Lady Georgina is a wonderful character, so full of love and passion, who finds herself forced to marry the Duke of Bedford. Her family plots to have her engaged to the Duke, however, she is drawn to the Duke's brother. There is a big age difference between Lady Georgina and the Duke's brother but they both have the same ideals and they are also both loving and compassionate about life and the people around them.
Who will Lady Georgina end up marrying? The story that leads of the altar is worth reading.
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2: Rich historical detail?
I'll take the Booklist praise of Virginia Henley's writing as having "rich historical detail" with an entire salt shaker. When I read that "The Decadent Duke" heroine Georgina went to Holyrood and "stared at the bloodstain on the wooden floor where Mary's husband, Darnley, had reputedly been murdered" I laughed out loud. That was Mary's secretary David Rizzio who was cruelly murdered in front of her at Holyrood. Lord Darnley was blown up at Kirk 'o Field. One who sprinkles Scottish history in her books should surely know these facts.
Sadly, this book was my first of Ms. Henley's and I found the plot to be slow. I'll probably try one more, but I'll do my research first and look for one without so many 'details'.
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3: The Perfect Marriage of History and Romance...
Having read Ciji Ware's ISLAND OF THE SWANS, I have been a longtime fan of the wickedly unique Scottish heroine, Jane Maxwell, Duchess of Gordon. Finding that Virginia Henley, "the queen of sensual historical romances" has chosen Jane's youngest daughter as her latest heroine is exciting because no other "romance" author is able to create the most deliciously satisfying reads by blending the "real" history with a romance. THE DECADENT DUKE is one such book.
Not only is this the fictionalized account of the romance of Georgina Gordon and John Russell, Duke of Bedford but a gritty honest look at the mores and political side of marriage of this period, which is Georgian not Regency. Ms Henley sugarcoats nothing. Georgina is a youthful, saucy heroine who understands the desires of a mother who wants her daughter to be well-settled like her sisters as she balances it with her need to find a love match all her own. The reader is taken on a romp that is both fun and heartbreaking at times but always sensual if at times is understated. Georgina is her mother's daughter knowing how to play the marriage game even when it becomes more than she can handle thanks to her mother and a sister.
John Russell, our hero, has demons of his own: a wife who has addictions and a young son who has his own troubles. Yet when he meets Georgina the sparks fly and causes our hero, the most honorable of men, to question his own desires for the bawdy lass who is child romping with his sons one minute to a saucy tease in the next. His brother, Francis, Duke of Bedford is the target of Georgina's mothers plan for Georgina and though his intentions are not as honorable he quickly succumbs to the heroine's charms. Never fear, Georgina is wise the ways of men, except maybe not to men as honorable as John. John is bothered by his brother's intentions toward Georgina Gordon, and his own desires for the "little girl" who calls him "old man".
The story has many historical characters of the period and their subplots add to and at times can distract from our hero and heroine. For the history purest, Ms Henley has taken a few departures from actual history: John Russell's wife's first name has been changed probably because her real name would have been confusing for the reader with Georgina and when Duchess Jane provides a number of people with shipments of Scotch Whisky it would never be whiskey. This story is not for the reader who expects a traditional "regency period" romance because the actions of the heroine and her family are bawdy and probably reflect a truer picture of the Georgian period. Virginia Henley has the unique ability to merge the history and personas of the period with need for the reader to experience a satisfying romance. THE DECADENT DUKE is another winner, can we say a RITA is on MS Henley's horizon.
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4: Not My Favorite
I picked up this book at the bookstore about a week ago when I was looking for some light reading. I haven't read very much Virginia Henley in the past, but I remembered enjoying what I HAD read, so I thought that this might be an enjoyable book. Now, let me first start out by saying I am not a terrible stickler for EXTREME historical accuracy - I feel as though I am not alone in saying I do not read regency romances in order to learn about early nineteenth century England; however, I feel as though this book really didn't even make an attempt to portray society as it would have been (I feel as though one must at least pay lip service to the social mores of the time). The heroine, for example, engages in activities that would be completely unacceptable for ANY unmarried noblewoman during that era (telling raunchy jokes, kissing gentlemen, flirting absolutely SHAMELESSLY) and the fact that everyone in society seems to adore her seems a bit off. Obviously, one expects some license (I would most probably be equally put off if the heroine were to act exactly as early nineteenth century debutantes would), but I felt that this was a bit too much. In this particular novel, it was especially odd to me, because the author put in a subplot that was heavily political and one that was very faithful to the actual historical events.
***Warning May Contain Spoilers***
More than that, however, I feel that the plot was a bit too muddy. The book was endlessly involved in subplots with the heroine's family (in some cases even involving the heroine walking in on several of her sisters and their faithless husbands in flagrante) as well as the hero's wife (who is still alive in the first third of the book) and brother. These plots don't really go anywhere, and tend to detract from the hero and heroine. By the end of the novel, I still feel as though I do not know the main characters, especially the hero, because so much time is taken up by side stories.
I was not a particular fan of this book, and personally cannot recommend it.
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5: A book by Henley is always a pleasure to read.
Lady Georgina "Georgy" Gordon's sisters have all married dukes or earls. As the last unwed daughter, Georgy knew that her mother, Jane, would now begin a campaign to win an even better match for her. How true! The manipulative matchmaking woman has already picked out Francis Russell, Duke of Bedford, for Georgina. Problem is that Georgy is more interested in the duke's younger brother, John.
**** To quote a sentence from within the book, "There is nothing more hypocritical than the British aristocracy." I have no idea about today, but the author clearly showed how true that was in the past.
During this story, King George is on the throne and slowly slipping into madness. I found myself having to read slowly at first because many named their children after the king. George, Georgina, Georgianna, Georgy, and more variations are found in the story. There are minor characters with the same names as the key characters. Georgina has a niece named after her and Georgianna has a daughter with the same name, but (thankfully) that daughter goes by her middle name instead. Having to keep them all straight took a lot of enjoyment out of the first section for me. As soon as the minor characters faded into the shadows a bit, I had no troubles. The games, scandals, and plots kept me intrigued and John's children were so delightful to read about. Many of the problems faced were due to simple miscommunications or pride though.
For those history buffs out there, the author made sure to include historical people and events. Prime Minister William Pitt entered the spot light a few times as he worked for the Act of Union. This is but one example of why I enjoy books by Virginia Henley.
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
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