Duke’s Project
Sharon LanerganHistorical romance
Available from Cerridwen Press
ISBN: 9781419915963
April 2008
| Dani is a young woman who lives in the streets of London’s East End. One day while foraging in an inn’s trash for food, she stumbles across the corpse of a young aristocrat. Figuring that she can make some money from her knowledge, she goes to the home of the dead man’s cousin, the Duke of Stratford and finds herself one of his “projects”. Apparently the duke has a habit of taking in strays of all kinds. It rapidly becomes apparent that there is some mystery about Dani and about the young man’s murder. The corpses pile and the mystery deepens as the duke and Dani try to find out exactly who the murderer is and why.
Ms. Lanergan combines a very good historical romance with a suspenseful mystery in this book. The setting both in the fashionable and unfashionable areas of London are described vividly. Dani’s transformation from urchin to lady is a little too easy (a hint from the author perhaps?), but the characters are very likable, except for the villains of course. It is fun to read about the doings of the aristocracy from the viewpoint of a woman who was very recently picking through garbage. That Dani should fall in love with her duke is inevitable, but his love for her and the twists and turns that bring us to a surprising and satisfying ending kept me glued to my bookreader long past my bedtime.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Maura Frankman |
