A Good Day to Marry a Duke by Betina Krahn

January 13, 2018
Welcome back Betina – it’s been a while…

https://betinakrahn.com/
Let me see, the last time I read a new book by Ms. Krahn was Make Me Yours in 2009. You know, I’ve actually seen some authors in their human forms, so I know they are not robots or aliens or something not of this earth. And, because they are human I know they all have trials and tribulations just like everyone else. So, even though I periodically checked Ms. Krahn’s website I had arrived at the conclusion that she was going to join that list of authors who have vanished from Romanceland. (That list makes me cry.) Imagine my delight when I discovered she had taken up her quill again! While I was excited, I also had some trepidation. Would the old Krahn spark still be there? Well, glad to say, yes it is! While this story does not reach the level of my alllll-time favorite Krahn, Behind Closed Doors, it is a most welcome endeavor. It is a nice to have Ms. Krahn back.

A Good Day to Marry a Duke begins the new series Sin and Sensibility by Betina Krahn. We are introduced to Daisy, a rich American heiress and also a heroine who is mighty hard to like – just so you know. Not only is she hard to like, but her reasoning at times is childish and she’s somewhat selfish. Yes, yes, everyone is selfish because we are all “self” centered but she is a harebrained selfish and that was my one quibble with this book. So, let’s get it over with.

Rant. The problem I had with Daisy was how could she not know that going against the conventional standard established for women of her time period would eventually hurt her and her family? Hanging out with the guys, passing the flask between the fellas, being out-spoken, and riding astride would all be cause for censure. Daisy’s stubbornness in flaunting the rules was irritating. It actually reminded me of an old movie with Bob Hope and Lucille Ball called Fancy Pants. Lucile Ball did the things she did because supposedly she didn’t have the proper know-how because she lived in some podunk town in the old west. Now, we are creeping up on one of my pet-peeves: the representation of “hicks” in movies, literature, news, etc. I have always been insulted when I am bombarded with images/written words which love to make out that the only culture we have is in the large cities and that country-folks are just morons who wouldn’t know a Seurat from a Delacroix. Sure, they are not exposed to some “cultural” items on a daily basis, but that doesn’t mean they can’t think. So, for this book to imply that Daisy did the things she did “because she didn’t have no learnin” pressed by buttons. I digress. I rant.

Anyway, it’s too bad that Ms. Krahn picked a heroine who triggered one of my aversions because the guys in the book were so very interesting.  First of all we have the hero of the story, Ashton. Ashton is the wastrel-black-sheep of the family. Hardly anyone in the family likes him; he’s someone that the rest the family cannot control. But, Ashton has a weakness - his brother Arthur. He will do anything to protect his brother and if that means seducing that flamboyant American heiress Daisy away from his brother, so be it.

Secondary guys. Arthur. I loved Arthur. He was a sweet nerd – he likes flowers and bugs. Arthur could expound on any kind of bug that flew past. His mind was filled with all of those wonderful flying insects, he had no time for anything else and that included his estates, his servants, and his maybe fiancé. The only person he held in high esteem was his brother, Ashton. Arthur has been so busy with the bugs, he is still a virgin. Daisy actually is good for him and they do become friends. I loved watching Arthur emerge from his cocoon, so to speak. I also thought Ms. Krahn did an excellent job with the tangled web of Ashton, Arthur and Daisy.

Then we have Reynard, a gossip, a rake, and a man who avoids matrimonial women of all kinds. I hope we get to see him get what he deserves. There was also something going on between Daisy’s uncle Red and her chaperone. But just what that was never was explored – maybe there will be room in a novella for them. 

Overall, I thought this book was a fine beginning to a series and a lovely return of an author who has been gone for a while. While I found Daisy to be irritating and the solution to Ashton and Arthur’s problem eyebrow raising - I’m not sure if legally Ashton and Arthur could do what they did, but hey, I’m not a lawyer - I do recommend this book. I think that we will probably see some pretty good writing in the books that are to follow.

Time/Place: 1880s England
Sensuality: Subtle