The Duke of Olympia Meets His Match by Juliana Gray

Juliana Gray’s The Duke of Olympia Meets His Match is a delightful and charming novella! The fast- paced story takes place during an eight- day voyage from the United States to England on the White Star oceanliner Majestic. The Duke of Olympia is one of my favorite characters from the authors A Princess in Hiding series and I was excited to read a novella devoted entirely to him! 

The novella contains the expected shipboard romance between two couples with a bit of intrigue added to make the transatlantic voyage exciting! Olympia needs to locate a portfolio of papers and a female French undercover agent before the ship docks in London. He has eight days to figure out which of the guests is the spy and he encounters several roadblocks while on his quest. Mrs. Laura Morrison is one of the obstructions as she has decided that the Duke of Olympia is going to marry her daughter Rose. During the course of the voyage , she plots and schemes to get the couple together. Unbeknown to Mrs. Morrison, Robert Langley, Rose’s suitor from New York, booked a last minute berth on the ship and the couple is meeting in secret. And to complicate matters, Olympia is attracted to Rose’s companion Penelope Schuyler, a widow and poor relation to the Morrison family.

Olympia knows that Penelope has papers hidden in her trunk and suspects that she may be the foreign agent he has been asked to locate and capture! The author does a fabulous job balancing the couple’s growing attraction towards one and another and the Duke’s mission. The dialogue between the Duke and Penelope is very witty and affectionate as their relationship progresses. The author tucks in a bit of history and social commentary throughout the novella as well. The secondary characters are well developed and each plays an important role in the storyline. The conclusion to the novella was fabulous and the author kept me guessing as to the identity of the spy until the very end! The novella reads like a full length novel—great story, well developed characters and great descriptive writing infuses with humor!

Will the Duke of Olympia determine the identity of the spy before the ship docks?
Is Penelope working for the French government?
Read Duke of Olympia Meets His Match and find out! 

 
Reviewed by: Susan Gorman
Book purchased on Amazon

From The Reviewer's Desk - How To School Your Scoundrel

From The Reviewer's Desk of Susan Gorman

I enjoyed this book very much. I was in the mood for a bit of fun and espionage! 

How To School Your Scoundrel by Juliana Gray

The relationship between Somerton and Princess Luisa drew me into the story and kept me reading. I was intrigued by their relationship and surprised that this unlikely couple was at the heart of the novel. Somerton is an edgy man with trust issues. He is paired with the loyal, practical Princess Luisa who has known only kindness in her life. After several close calls with death, it became clear that Olympia made a wise choice placing Luisa in the home of the master spy after the political coup de'etat.

I enjoyed all of the scenes with the Duke of Olympia. What a cagey and humorous character! His plans and schemes drove the storyline forward. There is just the right amount of subterfuge , adventure and romance in the novel and Olympia is at the heart of it all! Just when I thought I knew what Olympia was planning, our hero and heroine were presented by an unexpected obstacle that they needed to overcome. Nothing went smoothly for them.

Juliana Gray has written a fast-paced adventure about a Princess in hiding which takes place in Germany, England and Italy. I loved the descriptive tone, the attention to details, the espionage , the romance and ALL of the characters. I was invested in the characters and their story. I read the last four chapters in one sitting to finish the book. I will mention that Ms. Gray added a special character in the novel, Luisa's corgi, Quincy. I own several corgis and the author was spot on with her description of the inquisitive nature of the breed ,their loyalty and humor. This is the first novel by Juliana Gray that I have read . How To School Your Scoundrel is the final book in the series. It can be read as a stand alone novel I plan to purchase the other two books in the series. 

Rose-Haven's Two Sweet "Beanie" photo by Susan M. Gorman

Please read my full lenth review on Fresh Fiction