Review of What a Difference a Duke Makes

What a Difference a Duke Makes

 by Lenora Bell

About the Book
Wanted: Governess for duke’s unruly children
Edgar Rochester, Duke of Banksford, is one of the wealthiest, most powerful men in England, but when it comes to raising twins alone, he knows he needs help. The only problem is the children have chased away half the governesses in London. Until the clever, bold, and far-too-enticing Miss Mari Perkins arrives.

Lost: One heart to an arrogant duke
Mari knows how to wrap even the most rebellious children around her finger. But their demanding, wickedly handsome father? He won’t be quite so easy to control. And there’s something else she can’t seem to command. Her heart. The foolish thing beats so wildly every time the duke is near.

Found: A forbidden passion neither can deny
As his employee, Mari is strictly off-limits. But what if she’s the one breaking all his rules? In the game of governess versus duke, how can Edgar maintain his defenses when the only thing he wants to do is let the tempting beauty win . . .?

What a Difference a Duke Makes by Lenora Bell is the story of a novice governesses foray into the world of the Banksford household in London. Mari is a young lady with a good head on her shoulders and a strong backbone. She was raised in an oppressive charity school and there is some mystery regarding her parentage. Down to her last chance, Mari boldly seizes an opportunity and finds herself in the household of the Duke of Banksford. The Duke has recently acquired two children who excel at running off governesses. Mari may not be the governess that Edgar wants but she is definitely the governess his family needs.

Edgar and Mari are charming and sympathetic characters. I loved their scenes together as they met, struggled with attraction and fell into something more. They lit up the page with their conversations.The Banksford household is a terrific place to spend time in with excellent secondary characters and interesting insights into the beginning of industrial change in England.

Lenora Bell has written a fun, poignant and truly heartfelt book with nods to Mary Poppins and other literary classics. I highly recommend this book to readers who like clever humor, witty dialogue and a household of lively and unusual folk who seem to leap off the page. What a Difference a Duke Makes is a joy to read. This is the first book I have read written by Lenora Bell, but I know it won't be the last. I'm looking forward to the follow-up in this series For the Duke's Eyes Only.

I received What a Difference a Duke Makes from Lenora Bell as a random winner at Night Owl Romance Chat. I recently started attending the chats at Night Owl Romance after I met some of the featured authors at The Historical Romance Retreat in Spokane. I met Lenora Bell at last years retreat, but we didn't actually talk about books, primarily we had a conversation about her bonnet, which was fabulous! 

Review by Kixcatmom aka Gayle Cochrane

Susan's Review of The Prince by Katharine Ashe

The temptation of her lips…

Libby Shaw refuses to accept society’s dictates. She’s determined to become a member of Edinburgh’s all-male Royal College of Surgeons. Disguising herself as a man, she attends the surgical theater and fools everyone—except the one man who has never forgotten the shape of her exquisitely sensual lips.

…will make a prince say yes to her every desire

Forced to leave his home as a boy, famed portraitist Ziyaeddin is secretly the exiled prince of a distant realm. When he first met Libby, he memorized every detail of her face and drew her. But her perfect lips gave him trouble—the same lips he now longs to kiss. When Libby asks his help to hide her feminine identity from the world, Ziyaeddin agrees on one condition: she must sit for him to paint—as a woman. But what begins as a daring scheme could send them both hurtling toward danger…and an unparalleled love.

Katharine Ashe’s The Prince is an elegantly written historical novel. The mystery surrounding Ziyaeddin Mira and his friendship with Libby Shaw drew me into the story which features fabulous dialogue, unique characters and political intrigue.

I was fascinated that the author chose to have both main characters assume secret identities in the novel. Ibrahim Kent is a talented portrait artist who has many friends and social connections throughout Europe. The mystery surrounding Ibrahim’s true identity is revealed piece by piece in the story. As Prince Ziyaeddin Mira of Tabir, Ibrahim endured hardships and loss before he reinvented himself as an artist to separate himself from the political drama in his homeland. Libby Shaw is determined to be the first female doctor and is presented with an opportunity to study medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons. By day, Libby masquerades as Joe Smart while she attends medical lectures.

Libby and Ibrahim met at Haiknayes Castle and neither has forgotten their meeting. Ziyaeddin sees beauty in Libby’s body and desires to paint her. Libby recognizes that the handsome Ziyaeddin has unnerved her—and she’s not sure how to deal with her feelings. To avoid being caught masquerading as a man, Libby moves in with Ziyaeddin. Loved the poignant, honest conversations between the couple. Although the romance between the couple developed slowly, the sexual chemistry between Libby and Ziyaeddin sizzled during the course of the novel.

The Prince covers many topics in detail; politics, feminism, social conditions and medical training. The attention to detail and history is excellent. I skipped through pages which described the medical procedures and descriptions of Libby removing her whiskers and trousers because they were reiterated throughout the story. The woman disguised as a man storyline is my least favorite trope. I understand why the author chose this technique in the novel but, I feel that the disguise aspect of the story was repetitive and towards the end of the novel it was taken a bit too far. Libby was a unique character—extremely intelligent, determined and strong willed. Adding the OCD element to the storyline was unnecessary. I felt it clouded the reader’s perception of Libby instead of enhancing it.

In an unexpected plot twist, Ziyaeddin and Libby are tested at the end of the novel. Loved that the author portrayed Ziyaeddin as an honest man through the novel. He was tested and never wavered in his beliefs or in his love for Libby. Ms Ashe has created my favorite character-An honorable hero.

Katharine Ashe blends history, feminism and romance in The Prince. Ms. Ashe’s descriptive prose draws the reader into Libby and Ziyaeddin’s unique romance, The character’s passion and their poignant conversations kept me turning the pages.


Reviewed by Susan Gorman


ARC from Author


I purchased The Prince from Amazon.

Susan's Perfect Weekend at the Chatham Gables Inn

My husband and I decided to celebrate our anniversary by treating ourselves to a weekend away. We have very busy lives; both of us work, our daughter is in law school and we have 5 Pembroke Welsh corgis. We decided to spend the weekend at the Chatham Gables Inn in Chatham, Massachusetts.

Our stay at the Chatham Gables Inn (CGI) exceeded our expectations! There are so many thoughtful touches through the inn. Fresh flowers, candy and wine in the common rooms—yes there are two charming fire placed rooms perfect for reading! The coffee and tea bar with tea bread and delicious cookies caught my eye as our host showed us to our room! My husband sampled the treats and loved the cookies!

A beautiful bouquet of tulips with a card from inn owners Andrea and Dave Smith greeted us as we entered our room. I fell in love with the queen size sleigh bed the minute we entered Siasconset, our beautiful appointed and inviting first floor suite. The gorgeous floral bedding appealed to me and the sheets were buttery soft. The steam shower, high end spa products and Turkish towels were fabulous! I felt like I was at a spa! The cozy club chair with a cashmere throw by the fireplace became my reading spot. After a long drive, my husband loved the super comfortable bed and by the way, he wanted to make sure that I mentioned the delicious cookies!

Dave and Andrea went above and beyond to make sure that my husband and I were comfortable. Dave helped us in with our luggage, gave us a few dinner suggestion and directions. We enjoyed a fabulous meal at the Chatham Squire; a cosmopolitan for me, an IPA beer for my husband, shrimp scampi, haddock and dessert (of course!) Dave gave us helpful tips and great directions for the places we wanted to visit. CGI is an easy drive to Provincetown and Truro. My husband loves authentic nautical items and and vintage postcards. We enjoyed a day sightseeing and shopping in Provincetown. My husband remarked that CGI was like a vintage postcard as it reminded him of the Patti Page song "Old Cape Cod".

Each morning, we were treated to amazing breakfasts in the inn’s quaint sun room. Andrea’s gourmet breakfasts were FABULOUS! I loved the granola with whipped cream, scrambled eggs with bacon and rosemary ciabatta bread served on our first day—it looked too pretty to eat! My husband loved the sunny side eggs and toast served on Saturday. Sunday’s brunch was out of this world! Pineapple and blackberries for the first course followed by CGI scrambled eggs, sausage and French toast! My husband is not a big breakfast person and he decided to have a bagel on our last day. He regretted his choice after spotting my breakfast plate and taking a taste of my french toast!

We loved our stay at the Chatham Gables Inn—can’t thank our hosts for making our weekend special. My husband describes our stay as visiting your favorite aunt’s house where you know you will be spoiled and have the best cookies in the world!

I am planning a return trip next year for my 60th birthday and have added a Kashwere throw to my Christmas list!

SHH….. don’t tell…… my husband ........ I haven't told him yet!

Reviewed By Susan Gorman