Cinderella and the Duke

Rosalind Allen, along with her brother Freddie, is keeping a low profile in Buckinghamshire, where she is known as Mrs Pryce, a widow. The deception is in order for Rosalind’s beloved stepsister Nell, who along with her brother, is in London in hope of finding a suitable husband, and not have to marry the horrible man Nell’s guardian has in mind for her. Rosalind and Freddie have been in the countryside only a fortnight, when Rosalind comes across some riders, obviously well-heeled men, and Rosalind is captivated by one of them who proves to be quite the gentleman: Mr Leo Boyton. Leo is visiting his cousin Anthony Lascelles incognito, using one of his lesser titles, that of Viscount Boyton, to avoid marriage-minded ladies. However, Leo had not anticipated meeting the beguiling widow Pryce. After Lady Cecily and the Mysterious Mr Gray, book 3 of The Beauchamp Betrothals, I knew I would have to read Leo’s story because he had made an indelible impression on me: I thought the Duke of Cheriton positively terrifying. CINDERELLA AND THE DUKE is a romance, but it is one of the most extraordinary character studies I have ever read. Janice Preston’s characters are exceedingly complex, so alive and vibrant, flawed and also very human. Rosalind is thirty, firmly on the shelf, and dedicated to her twenty five year-old brother Freddie, who is physically challenged. Rosalind is an admirable woman, but she is terribly overprotective, and is smothering Freddie, ignoring the fact that he is not a child anymore. She is proud, honourable, fearless in her devotion to her siblings, and very stubborn. She doesn’t realise how she and Cheriton are so very much alike, because while Leo is sweet, lovely, and charming, Cheriton is still quite terrifying. The Duke was certainly born to the role: the man disappears behind the power his title gives him. Fortunately, it is for the good, and my goodness, seldom have I ever read a character taking ownership of his allotted pages as he does. I cannot believe how bigger than life he is, which I’m sure is how dukes really behave, but is he ever intimidating! It was quite a nice change as well that Leo is forty, and a widower with older children than we are used to. CINDERELLA AND THE DUKE is a romance with so many twists and turns, so many unexpected turns of events, I was glued to the page because I never knew what would happen next, let alone how in the world Leo and Rosalind would ever find their HEA. Ms. Preston’s sumptuous writing and sharp dialogues give this fictional world an entirely mesmerising tone: we are not reading about the Beauchamps, we are living alongside them. The attraction between Leo and Rosalind shimmers, their interactions go from quiet and tender to explosive. There is a defining moment in the story that left me speechless – and as a reader, elated and delirious with glee, and seething at the same time – because of Ms. Preston’s courage as a writer to dare explore a very uncomfortable situation in a very realistic way. And I will rave again about those incredibly well-written characters: I adored Freddie, I commiserated with his situation; Anthony Lascelles is one of the most enigmatic, intriguing, mystifying characters I have ever come across; I could go on for ages about those incredible fictional people. And Leo Beauchamp, Duke of Cheriton? Leo is a lovely man, but when he’s in duke mode, beware! He still terrifies me! Do I need to mention that I am over the moon that this series will continue for a good while!