London 1814…
Drake, Duke of Manchester is searching the Marriage Mart for a perfect bride. He wants a woman who is poised, sophisticated, and worthy of the title Duchess. But most of all, he wants a woman who does not want the useless emotion of love.
Socially awkward Miss Penelope Clayton isn’t meant for marriage. A serious botanist, she has no desire to wed, so being forced by her guardian to participate in the Season to find a husband is torture. She’ll never fit in with the ton, especially if they discover she’s been pretending to be a man within the scientific community.
As Drake’s family makes over Penelope, turning her from naive bluestocking to enchanting debutante, he is put upon to introduce her to society and eligible bachelors. Despite dance lessons and new gowns, Penelope is the opposite of poised and sophisticated as she stumbles from one mishap to the next. Why then, does he find it so hard to resist her?
This book was even more entertaining than The Elusive Wife (probably because I didn’t have any issues with its plot) and I just felt so bad for Penelope living in a man’s world. However, I will say that as much as I love Drake, and I do (you can see it in my review of The Elusive Wife ), his condescending attitude toward Penelope drove me nuts. I know it was common at the time, but no one wants to read a romance where the guy doesn’t acknowledge the validity of his love’s personal pursuits and aspirations
In the end, Drake does become better in the area of my complaint, and they seem so happy together, who am I to judge how their relationship started out?