The Lost Duke of Wyndham (Two Dukes of Wyndham, Book 1)

Ahhh, Julia Quinn. She never fails to make me smile, page after glorious page.

The Lost Duke of Wyndham is Quinn's first novel in a new series about the Cavendish family. In this particular novel, Jack Audley is believe to be the long lost son of a prior Wyndham duke. It's a bit of a prodigal son tale, if you will. Jack was raised in Ireland by his aunt and uncle and carries a bit of a haunted past himself.

The dowager Duchess of Wyndham, August Cavendish, is convinced that Jack is her favorite son's heir--even when no one else wants to believe it, including Jack. The dowager is the devil incarnate...or at least, everyone seems to think she is. But she may have more layers than meets the eye at first glance.

Grace Eversleigh is the dowager's lovely, witty, and underestimated companion. How she puts up with the dowager's tantrums and tangents is anyone's guess. But she feels beholden to the dowager and has nowhere else to go, so she remains at Belgrave, the Cavendish family home.

It's clear from the beginning that Grace and Jack have a connection. And despite their best intentions, they can't seem to stay away from each other. In the search for Jack's true identity, they fall in love. A bit of a love triangle is created since--by all indications--Thomas Cavendish, the current Duke of Wyndham, seems to fancy Grace at least a little. Even worse, Thomas is betrothed to Amelia Willoughby, Grace's childhood friend. It's a tangled web that does eventually sort itself out by the end of the novel.

Ever since I discovered Quinn's novels several years ago, I haven't failed to read them as they're released. During this particular story, I found myself smiling and laughing out loud at Jack's outrageous and charming sense of humor. Quinn has a witty repertoire she manages to keep up throughout the entire book. Actually, most of her novels carry this same vibe, which is why I like them so much. I can always count on a lighthearted, comfortable read. She obviously heavily researches the novels before she writes them as I found myself looking up references to Boucher and Watteau.

I find both the 1 star and the 5 star reviews way out of line. I found the book OK, niether great nor awful. For me,5 stars means I'll probably be reading a book again. 1 star means I regret wasting the time I spent reading it. The 3 star average seems about right to me. No, our hero,Jack, wasn't really charming. Yes, our heroine, Grace, was dumb as a brick. Are either of those faults unusual in Regency romances? Absolutely not. As an American, I find the whole idea that someone with a title is superior to someone without one to be stupid. Why would anyone, especially their grandmother, care which grandson was a duke? If Julia Quinn is from the Pacific northwest, why does she care? I skip over the sex and seduction scenes,too. I think I must be a failure as a romance fan.

I just finished reading some of poor reviews and I am not sure I read the same book. This novels was great, Jack was very charming and when he fell in love it was hard (he left you with a smile!). Grace had such loyality and I wanted everything to work out for these characters. Grace and Jack's story had humor,romance and some great supporting characters. If you love this genre and want a enjoyable escape for a afternoon - pick-up this book.

I am looking forward to her next novel; Mr. Cavendish, I Presume (Two Dukes of Wyndham, Book 2) due out September 30, 2008 Amelia & Thomas' story! On her website she reports a another new book due out July 2009 - I can't wait!!!!!

Fans of JQ should enjoy this one. The story is sweet, romantic, and character-driven, with a little bit of action. The heroine is intelligent and sweet-natured, but lives in unfortunate circumstances (poor and the companion of a terribly unkind lady). The hero is one of my favorite kinds - a charming rascal with a shady past, who is reluctant to play the hero. Their attraction is electric and fun to watch unfold. They are very unhappy in their respective situations, and being together is destined to bring they happiness. I really enjoyed this story and can't wait for the sequel.

This book has received some really poor reviews. I, however enjoyed it. It's a bit predictable, but it's also funny (I laughed out loud more than once) and the characters are surprisingly engaging. I'm looking forward to the 2nd book in this new series.