The Unexpected Duchess-Valerie Bowman

The Unexpected Duchess Valerie Bowman St. Martin’s, Apr 29 2014, $7.99 ISBN 9781250042071 In 1815, Lady Lucy Upton is very protective of her shy best friend Lady Cassandra Monroe. At a gala, Lucy hides nearby in the bushes in order to whisper responses for Cassandra to use while chatting with men. However, war hero and recently named the Duke of Claringdon Derek Hunt exposes Lucy and worse shows a desire to court Cassandra. Feeling he is not good enough for Cassandra, Lucy plans to prevent the unacceptable duke from hurting her buddy. Derek conceals from both women a death bed reason to go after Cassandra; while in battle against Napoleon, he promised his mortally wounded comrade in arms Julian he would protect Lady Cassandra. However, though his brain says demure Cassandra will give him the quiet life he needs after his harrowing war experiences, to his chagrin his betraying heart prefers the rude spitfire whose family even wants her to keep away from them. The Playful Brides opening act is an amusing lighthearted Regency romance. The lead couple is a fabulous pairing of enemy combatants (with Cassandra as the battlefield) falling in love. With her BFFs pushing these deniers together, the journey turns into a fun read. Harriet Klausner