England, 1815

Miss Deirdre Cantor just suffered through the most excruciating weeks of her life. It was pure torture when her cousin Phoebe became engaged to Calder Marbrook, Marquis of Brookhaven and the man Deirdre has secretly loved for years. However, she could not fault her cousin; after all, their grandfather, a bitter man to be sure, stipulated in his will that the only way for any of his three granddaughters to inherit his vast wealth is to marry an English duke. Deirdre, Phoebe, and their cousin Sophie would all like that trust fund for their own reasons, but more than that, Deirdre wants Calder. And now that Phoebe has chosen to wed his brother instead, Deirdre’s not willing to wait for Calder to notice her.

Determined to snare Calder, Deirdre boldly proposes to him and, much to her surprise and delight, he accepts. But just hours after their wedding, she is shocked and upset to learn that Calder harbors a huge secret that he should have told her about before they married. Now she wonders if she has made a mistake and decides to make her bridegroom suffer for his deceit. However, the rift between the two also causes Deirdre anguish for she, too, has a secret she has yet to share with Calder. She loves her husband and, no matter how much she wishes otherwise, Calder will always own her heart.

Calder will admit that marrying Deirdre was an impulsive act, which is very rare for him. He prefers to run his life like his many factories, in an orderly and unemotional fashion. But his broken engagement has him rattled. All of London is calling him “the Beast of Brookhaven” again, a moniker he received five years ago when it was discovered his wife was killed while fleeing from him. Now the gossipmongers are delighted to speculate on what he could have done to make another woman run from him. Perhaps when Deirdre proposed, Calder thought he could stifle some of the rumors, and after all, he could hardly do worse in a wife. Deirdre’s upbringing and manners are impeccable, and she is incredibly beautiful. Calder is now regretting his decision to withhold his secret from her for he longs very much for his wedding night. However, he quickly finds that he cannot win his way into his wife’s good graces in the same method he uses to solve problems at his factories. He might have to let Deirdre into his heart or risk losing another woman.

THE DUKE NEXT DOOR picks up where the previous book in this series left off. Calder has just been stood up at the altar and he is the talk of London. Deirdre, more savvy and determined than most young chits, knows that Calder, all that is proper, detests being the center of a scandal and so she decides to make a move to fulfill her dream of marrying him. It’s a bold action and one that displays her character, but if readers have already enjoyed DESPERATELY SEEKING A DUKE, they know there is more that motivates Deirdre to propose and Calder to accept. Not only does she love Calder, but Deirdre is desperate to escape her vile stepmother, while Calder, although a wealthy marquess, is rather insecure and unsure of himself, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. Both have emotional baggage from past hurts and, as a result, they cannot seem to help hurting each other. Their romance is rocky but quite moving because both really want to get it right but don’t seem to know how.

It is not necessary to read DESPERATELY SEEKING A DUKE before reading THE DUKE NEXT DOOR because the author does a splendid job of recapping what has already transpired to bring Calder and Deirdre to their hasty marriage. In just a few short pages, they come across as real, three-dimensional characters whose emotional story easily captivates. Secondary characters are also noteworthy. Lady Margaret is vivacious and particularly charming, while Deirdre’s cousin, Sophie, is shy and reserved but it’s clear there is more to her than her plain appearance. Her story is next in The Heiress Bride Series, following what have been two exceedingly well written romances. THE DUKE NEXT DOOR, and DESPERATELY SEEKING A DUKE for that matter, are exactly what romance readers are looking for; they're poignant, passionate, and memorable.

Sandra Brill