The never ending quest.
Even though I know better, sometimes in my never-ending quest for a book I really like I
pick up an anthology. You just never know what you may find. You might find an author who can write really good short stories or you may find a new author who entertains you enough you will want to give one of their bigger books a try. Weeeel, while I found all three stories pleasant, there was nothing in any of the three stories which would draw me in for more. The premise which runs through all three stories is that three guys who are friends and also allll dukes decide to go incognito. You see, one of their members was shot in the but-tocks, so he doesn't want anyone to know that - and that is the foundation which all three novellas builds on.The first story is by Grace Burrows, entitled The Duke of Lesser Puddlebury. I actually thought the title was rather amusing. This is the duke who was shot in the rear-end. This hero is having a hard time. Nothing he does works out. He's misunderstood by his family, especially his uncle who for some reason controls his money. He doesn't want his uncle to find out about his bulleted-butt, so he's hiding out. Connor, Duke of Mowne, decides to recover at the home of his mother's friend, Jules St. Bellan, only to find out that Jules is really Julianna. Julianna has her own problems trying to keep the village wolf away from her door. This story was a pleasant read, but the back story that was hinted at for Julianna needed a longer format to work.
The second story is Duchess of Light by Susanna Ives. This one introduces the Duke of Lucere who may have a witty tongue but he also jumps to conclusions. He jumps to the conclusion that our heroine, Estella, is a prostitute just because she's trying to earn a living and she has big bazookas. He is pretty much an immature guy who is a jerk. This story is also pretty similar to the first story, but it is a lot weaker - especially when there isn't enough time to change the "hero" into a nice guy.
The third story is by Emily Greenwood called Kiss Me Your Grace. I've never read any of Ms. Greenwood's stories before and while this short story was ok, I'm not sure it would encourage me to pick up one of her full-length novels. In this story we have a heroine pretending to be someone she's not and the hero pretending to not be a duke. Claire is our heroine and she cannot say no - but in this story she gives it a good try. Rowan is the hero who finds her irritating because she is constantly disagreeing with him. There isn't really too much to this story and I was glad when I was finished.
Overall, this was an anthology which filled in some time, but I had a hard time remembering what the stories were about and it's something I really can't recommend.
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Supposed to be hot
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