Give the Devil His Duke

June 26, 2023
Bradley (The Virgin Who Captured a Viscount) launches her Drop Dead Dukes series with a sexy but occasionally frustrating Regency about feuding families who plan to reconcile through marriage. Lady Francesca Stanhope’s world collapsed 10 years ago when her mother was “ruined” by the late Duke of Basingstoke, who then killed her father in a duel. Franny’s Uncle Edward inherited her father’s estate, forcing his sister-in-law and niece to leave London for remote Herefordshire. Now Franny accepts an invitation to participate in the London season, planning to confront Edward and persuade him to support her ailing mother. When she first goes to visit him, however, she runs into the new Duke of Basingstoke, who, to distance himself from the earlier generation’s scandal, plans to propose to her cousin, Susannah. Upon meeting Franny, however, he reevaluates which Stanhope woman is right for him, much to Edward’s chagrin. When scandal strikes anew and the Basingstoke reputation is at stake once more, he proposes to Franny in a panic—but to make the marriage work, the lofty duke must learn to put someone else first. Though the chemistry between the leads is undeniably strong, the characters’ motivations are not always intelligible, leading to some unfortunate plot holes. Bradley’s off to a rocky start. Agent: Marlene Stringer, Stringer Literary.

July 1, 2023
It is certainly true that Francesca "Franny" Stanhope's ball gown is a disastrous shade of pink. But that still doesn't give Giles Drew, the duke of Basingstoke, the right to refer to Franny as a "radish plucked from the country mud." While Giles' accurate though unkind remark on her appearance means that Franny is now under much greater scrutiny by the ton, the gossipy blowback against Giles is even worse. Now if Giles wishes to keep his engagement to Franny's cousin Susannah on track, he will need to initiate some societal d�tente with Franny. Fortunately for Giles, if he is willing to pay her price, Franny is more than happy to kiss and make up with Giles in public. Bradley debuts her new Drop Dead Dukes series with a brilliantly conceived Regency-set romance that not only effectively makes use of her almost Heyeresque command of the high-society world but also smartly showcases her flair for brilliantly combining glowing sensuality with delectably sharp wittiness.

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