THE UNEXPECTED DUCHESS is Book one in Valerie Bowman's Playful Brides series. The hero of this charming historical romance, Derek Hunt, is a Duke but it's a title earned through military service. The heroine, Lady Lucy Upton, is born into the nobility but she is very blunt and more forthright in expressing her opinions than most genteel young ladies. They are both very determined and strong-willed characters. I love when Lucy's friend Garrett rightly points out to her that the Duke is just like her.

Lucy and Derek start out with an antagonistic relationship at the beginning of the book, not because they really dislike each other but because they are at cross purposes. Derek is determined to marry Lady Cassandra Monroe because of a promise to a fallen comrade. Lucy is equally determined to help her friend Cass avoid the Duke's unwanted attentions. The fiery battle of words frequently engaged in by the pair is, at times passionate, and at times very amusing. One thing I really liked about this playful antagonism is that it never got truly nasty between them. Nothing was said that was ever cruel or unforgivable. Lucy and Derek's verbal dueling closely resembles the relationship between Lucy's other best friend Jane and Lucy's cousin and good friend Garrett. I thought the romance between Lucy and Derek, once they gave in to their true emotions, was wonderful and very sexy. The chemistry between them is great.

Along with the engaging story and electric romance, THE UNEXPECTED DUCHESS is full of interesting supporting characters. Despite having a reputation for being extremely demure and kind-hearted, Cass is revealed to be more intelligent than she's perhaps given credit for. I loved Jane's acerbic wit and voice of common sense throughout THE UNEXPECTED DUCHESS. Cassandra's story of unrequited love is very compelling and you can't help but hope everything will work out for her with Julian in the future. In spite of Jane's determination to remain a spinster, she is too fabulous to remain alone and I look forward to seeing what is in store for her in future books.

Besides romance, THE UNEXPECTED DUCHESS is a story about the power of friendship. Lucy and Derek both have very tight friendships that, for better or worse, influence their actions. I loved the friendship between Lucy, Cass, Jane, and Garrett. The support they give each other is very moving to read about. THE UNEXPECTED DUCHESS is a very enjoyable, fun historical romance with great characters. I look forward to reading the next one in this series!

Book Summary

IN THIS BATTLE OF WITS

Lady Lucy Upton’s tongue may be too sharp to attract suitors but her heart is good, and when her painfully shy friend Cassandra needs help she devises a brilliant scheme to help her discourage an unwanted suitor, the Duke of Claringdon. Lucy will hide behind the hedgerow and tell Cass just what to say to discourage the Duke of Claringdon…but it turns out that he’s made of sterner stuff than either of them anticipated. And Lucy is shocked to discover that tangling with the tenacious man is the most fun she’s had in ages.

KISSES ARE THE BEST WEAPON

Lord Derek Hunt made a promise to his dying friend to marry the demure Cassandra, and for a man who wants nothing more than peace and quiet after the horrors of war, she’ll make the perfect bride. If only the impudent Miss Upton will let him court the girl! Doing battle is the last thing on his mind, but bantering with Lucy behind the bushes is too tempting to resist. And in The Unexpected Duchess, the spoils of this war just may be true love…