Despite being the illegitimate daughter of a prince, Gillian Dryden is happily ignorant of all social graces. After growing up wild in Italy, Gillian has been ordered home to England to find a suitable husband. And Charles Valentine Penley, the excessively proper, distractingly handsome Duke of Leverton, has agreed to help transform her from a willful tomboy to a blushing debutante.
Powerful and sophisticated, Charles can make or break reputations with a well-placed word. But his new protégée, with her habit of hunting bandits and punching earls, is a walking scandal. The ton is aghast . . . but Charles is thoroughly intrigued. Tasked with taking the hoyden in hand, he longs to take her in his arms instead. Can such an outrageous attraction possibly lead to a fairytale ending?
Fun book. Gillian is the illegitimate daughter of one of the princes. She was raised in Sicily by her mother and stepfather on the fringes of society. After participating in a dangerous bout of revenge that puts her life at risk, her mother and grandmother decide it's time to go home to England and find her a husband. Before they can do that, they need to find a way to smooth her rough edges. Enter Charles, Duke of Leverton and paragon of virtue. Much to his dismay, he is enlisted to provide the transformation.
I liked Gillian. She has dealt with the scornful attitudes of others all her life. Outwardly she doesn't care what they say about her, but she is very protective of her mother. It hurts and angers Gillian to see the effect the gossip has on her. She is outspoken and blunt, but never intentionally mean. She is a bit naïve in her belief that her actions in Sicily won't have long term repercussions and that she can eventually return there. She is stubborn, certain that her way of doing things is the best way for her. She can be sweet and charming when she wants to be. She also has a definite idea of what is right or wrong and feels that it is up to her to fix those things that are wrong. This can and does get her into trouble.
I liked Charles, too. At the beginning, he comes across as quite stuffy and rigid, but it doesn't take long for that to go away. His issues with his father and a love affair gone wrong have turned him into a man with the reputation of always doing the right thing. He's also well known for his unshakeable composure under any circumstances. Gillian's grandmother uses that reputation and family connection to recruit him to provide the polish that Gillian needs.
I loved the development of their relationship. Gillian challenged Charles and his composure from the very beginning. He is horrified by her outspokenness and lack of feminine accomplishments. He is used to people doing what he says and is confounded by Gillian's resistance to his instructions. I loved seeing them butt heads as he tried to bend her to his will and she refused to give in. As much as she fights him, Gillian admits to herself that she may have met her match in stubbornness. The more time they spend together, the more they are drawn to each other, which confuses them both. Gillian is not the type of woman he had seen himself with as a wife, but her honesty, character, and liveliness grow on him. In spite of her frequent success in irritating him, Gillian finds that his opinion of her matters more than she thought it would. When a public confrontation with a gentleman at a ball results in some very bad gossip, Charles whisks Gillian into the country while the furor has a chance to die down. Away from the stresses of the Season, Charles and Gillian can relax a little and get to know each other and begin to understand what makes each other tick. As Charles learned more of Gillian's background his admiration for her resilience grew. As the attraction between them grew, so did their feelings for each other. I loved Charles's confusion as all his beliefs in what he wanted in a wife went out the window, but he's still trying to protect his heart. Gillian worries about her feelings for Charles because she can't believe that a woman with her background would be an acceptable match for him and fully expects to get her heart broken. I loved when they gave in to their attraction. Gillian surprises him once again in a scene that is sweet, hot and romantic and Charles comes through in an awesome way when she shares a big fear with him. There are still some fireworks to come as Gillian and Charles try to work out their future. An encounter with smugglers brings some clarity to them both as they realize what is truly important. I loved his big moment at the end when he told her how he felt.
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