**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
The Duke and the Enchantress by Paullett Golden Series: The Enchantresses #2
on March 1, 2019
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Historical Romance
Pages: 440
Format: eBook
Source: ARC
Goodreads
Some fairy tales begin with the kiss. Drake Mowbrah, the Duke of Annick, needed a wife. After choosing an acceptable bride, he traps himself in a marriage of convenience and must tap his creativity to woo his frigid wife and fuel her passion. Drake battles scandals, duels, and his own carefully crafted reputation to win her heart. Charlotte Trethow dreamt of a fairy tale marriage to the perfect man. When she marries the Duke of Annick, all her dreams should have come true, but no one told her happily ever after doesn't start with wedding bells. Charlotte is thrust into a world with a plotting housekeeper, an interfering despot, and an unconventional husband.This is the love story of Charlotte and Drake as they turn a marriage of convenience into a fairy tale romance.
The Duke and the Enchantress picks up where the happily ever after for Drake and Charlotte ended in the first book in the series, The Earl and the Enchantress. I’ll be the first to admit that I wasn’t looking forward to this particular story. I didn’t care for Charlotte in the first book and would have been happy to condemn her to a loveless marriage since she appeared to be dead set on obtaining a title through marriage. Paullett, the minx that she is, lured me in through the teasers included in her monthly newsletters. I knew that I didn’t want to wait to get to know Drake! This novel includes a lot of musical terms so I recommend, for the musically challenged like myself, you keep a dictionary nearby.
The Duke and the Enchantress is a quick paced, sweet historical romance between two individuals that desire love and understanding. We meet the couple just after their wedding and, despite their nuptials, it is clear that Drake and Charlotte don’t know each other or harbor the same expectations for their marriage.
Paullett Golden specializes in creating charmingly flawed characters and she did not disappoint in this latest enchantress novel. Often their realistic thoughts and actions drove me crazy, but if I’m being honest, I often feel that way about the people around me so kudos to Paullett for authenticity! Drake presents himself as an incorrigible rake; always dressed in pompous finery, and making risqué comments. Behind this facade, Drake is a sensitive, artistic individual that desperately yearns for love and companionship. Charlotte, like Drake, was written to be a complex young woman with an internal war between her desire to experience fairy tale romance and her desire for perfection because apparently the two are mutually exclusive. She also has a knack for misunderstandings and ridiculous sheltered thoughts. “Oh! How could he press his man bits against me! What a scoundrel!” You were wondering if he was attracted to you Charlotte, calm down. Occasionally, she would engage in some hare-brained schemes, one of which I was completely expecting to end as a departure from regency romance to morph into an episode of Scorned: Love Kills.
As frustrating as Drake and Charlotte could be, the angst in this installment didn’t rankle me nearly as much as Ol’ Sebbie from the first book. Drake showed steady slow progress with only minor slips on his journey towards being a decent husband. Charlotte was my Sebastian in this story. Flitting from on extreme to the other due to some serious lack in self-confidence. Their romance was sweet and by the end of the book I wasn’t as unforgiving toward Charlotte.
I thoroughly enjoyed the steamy portions of the relationship. It was clear to me that the author had a bit more fun with the intimate details of Charlotte and Drake’s relationship. Too often in regency romance, our favorite characters are forced into the same situations over and over. My favorite scene is towards the end so I can’t ruin it! Let’s just say, I would love to read a honeymoon phase novella to see just how much Charlotte grows as her own brand of duchess and as a partner in the bedroom. Don’t argue with me about how this book was the honeymoon, because we both know that these two didn’t truly end up a couple until the end of this book.
Paullett Golden has truly started to find her stride with this series and I am anxious to read the next story that will center around Lilith, Sebastian’s long-lost sister. Drake is my favorite hero so far, though we still have several enchantress novels on the horizon! I have been promised an Aunt Hazel novel after all.
**Thank you to the author for sending an ARC of this book for an honest review; all opinions are my own.
About Paullett Golden
Paullett Golden is a Houston, Texas native who now divides her time between Northumberland, England and her hometown. She has been a university professor for over 20 years. When an oncologist told her she had three months to live, she decided it was time to fulfill her dream of being a novelist. After defying the odds, she now focuses her attention on her writing. Her debut novel has hit the Amazon bestseller list multiple times and has won a Reader Views Literary Award.
She loves historical fiction of all kinds as a way to transport us to a different time and place. All research comes from authentic resources of the time and from scholarly and peer-reviewed articles from researchers specializing in the time. Though she may take liberties with the fictional aspects, she does aim for the fiction to reflect the mores, culture, laws, and environment of the time. When not writing, she can be found in her butterfly garden or on a race track.
