Dukes Prefer Blondes (Dressmakers Series #4)

by Loretta Chase

Overview

USA Today Bestseller

Biweekly marriage proposals from men who can't see beyond her (admittedly breathtaking) looks are starting to get on Lady Clara Fairfax's nerves. Desperate to be something more than ornamental, she escapes to her favorite charity. When a child is in trouble, she turns to tall, dark, and annoying barrister Oliver Radford.

Though he's unexpectedly found himself in line to inherit a dukedom, Radford's never been part of fashionable society, and the blonde beauty, though not entirely bereft of brains, isn't part of his plans. But Clara overwhelms even his infallible logic, and when wedlock looms, all he can do is try not to lose his head over her . . .

It's an inconvenient marriage by ordinary standards, but these two are far from ordinary. Can the ton's most adored heiress and London's most difficult bachelor fall victim to their own unruly desires?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062100344
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	12/29/2015
Series:	Dressmakers Series , #4
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	346,810
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 6.80(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Loretta Chase has worked in academe, retail, and the visual arts, as well as on the streets—as a meter maid—and in video, as a scriptwriter. She might have developed an excitingly checkered career had her spouse not nagged her into writing fiction. Her bestselling historical romances, set in the Regency and Romantic eras of the early nineteenth century, have won a number of awards, including the Romance Writers of America’s RITA®. For more about her past, her books, and what she does and doesn’t do on social media, please visit her website. LorettaChase.com

Editorial Reviews

★ 10/12/2015
Chase’s fourth entry in the Dressmakers Series (after Vixen in Velvet) is a scintillating and sensual read. Thirteen years after Oliver “Raven” Radford and Lady Clara scuffled with Raven’s cousin Bernard, Lady Clara and Raven are reunited at his London law office. Clara wants to find Toby, a pauper boy. Raven knows this involves infiltrating the dangerous street gang run by the notorious Jacob Freame (who already has a vendetta against Raven), but he realizes that he faces an even greater peril—that of falling in love with the beautiful, blond Clara. What ensues is a blend of action and suspense set amid Clara and Raven’s witty banter and increasing sexual tension, as they scheme against shady characters and navigate their growing love for each other. In addition to the powerful social commentary on women’s role in society and the life of youth in London’s poverty-ridden back alleys and schools, Chase’s tongue-in-cheek tone captures tender and humorous nuances in character descriptions and actions, creating fully realized characters and a rich plot. Agent: Nancy Yost, Nancy Yost Literary Agency. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

Queen of love and laughter Chase returns with a laugh-out-loud novel destined for the keeper shelf. There’s hardly time to breathe between giggles and guffaws...The result is perfection.” — Romantic Times, TOP PICK

“Two refreshingly original, superbly matched characters clash with splendidly sexy results in the always inventive Chase’s latest deliciously witty and satisfying romance.” — Booklist (starred review) on Don't Tempt Me

Quinn of love and laughter Chase returns with a laugh-out-loud novel destined for the keeper shelf. There’s hardly time to breathe between giggles and guffaws as a delightful cast of characters romp through the countryside to an ancient Scottish castle inhabited by ghosts. The result is perfection. — Romantic Times TOP PICK

“There’s something so enchanting about the story, the characters and their relationships that makes Vixen in Velvet more than a love story; it’s joyous.” — Romantic Times BOOKclub, 4.5 stars

Chase moves beyond the couture Noirot sisters in her historical Dressmakers series, and the unconventional pairing of an aristocrat and a barrister, plus an exploration of London poverty and the well-intentioned “ragged schools,” adds fascinating social and historical texture. Chase retains her well-earned star status. — Kirkus Reviews, praise for DUKES PREFER BLONDES

“In addition to the powerful social commentary on women’s role in society and the life of youth in London’s poverty-ridden back alleys and schools, Chase’s tongue-in-cheek tone captures tender and humorous nuances in character descriptions and actions, creating fully realized characters and a rich plot.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review), praise for DUKES PREFER BLONDES

RITA Award-winning Chase...deftly stitches together superbly nuanced characters, a captivating plot that realistically deals with both the glitter and grime of the Regency era, and a graceful writing style fueled by a resplendent sense of wit to create a romance to cherish. — Booklist (starred review) for DUKES PREFER BLONDES

With flawless research, exquisite sensuality, and brilliant repartee that extends to the bedroom, this is another unforgettable winner from the impeccable Chase. — Library Journal (starred review) for DUKES PREFER BLONDES

“One of the best writers in the genre...This is romance as it should be: a lush tale that is really about much more than love - it’s about womanhood, social issues and happiness.” — All About Romance praise for DUKES PREFER BLONDES

As always, Chase crafts an intelligent, witty, sexy romance with two well-matched characters ... The tinge of mystery that thrusts the storyline forward - along with the sharp repartee, laugh-out-loud humor and steamy sexual tension - make this a stand-out read. — Romantic Times BOOKclub, 4 1/2 stars, Top Pick, praise for DUKES PREFER BLONDES

“...a lingering, sensual romance set against a rich backdrop of pre-Victorian London in all its glamour and grime. This is romance as it should be: a lush tale that is really about much more than love - it’s about womanhood, social issues and happiness.” — NYT bestselling author Sarah MacLean in the Washington Post

From the Publisher

Queen of love and laughter Chase returns with a laugh-out-loud novel destined for the keeper shelf. There’s hardly time to breathe between giggles and guffaws...The result is perfection.

Romantic Times

There’s something so enchanting about the story, the characters and their relationships that makes Vixen in Velvet more than a love story; it’s joyous.

Romantic Times BOOKclub

RITA Award-winning Chase...deftly stitches together superbly nuanced characters, a captivating plot that realistically deals with both the glitter and grime of the Regency era, and a graceful writing style fueled by a resplendent sense of wit to create a romance to cherish.

Booklist (starred review) for DUKES PREFER BLONDES

One of the best writers in the genre...This is romance as it should be: a lush tale that is really about much more than love - it’s about womanhood, social issues and happiness.

All About Romance praise for DUKES PREFER BLONDES

Quinn of love and laughter Chase returns with a laugh-out-loud novel destined for the keeper shelf. There’s hardly time to breathe between giggles and guffaws as a delightful cast of characters romp through the countryside to an ancient Scottish castle inhabited by ghosts. The result is perfection.

Romantic Times TOP PICK

Two refreshingly original, superbly matched characters clash with splendidly sexy results in the always inventive Chase’s latest deliciously witty and satisfying romance.

Booklist (starred review) on Don't Tempt Me

...a lingering, sensual romance set against a rich backdrop of pre-Victorian London in all its glamour and grime. This is romance as it should be: a lush tale that is really about much more than love - it’s about womanhood, social issues and happiness.

NYT bestselling author Sarah MacLean in the Washington Post

Two refreshingly original, superbly matched characters clash with splendidly sexy results in the always inventive Chase’s latest deliciously witty and satisfying romance.

Booklist on Don't Tempt Me

★ 12/01/2015
While Lady Clara Fairfax was raised to be a duchess, that's the last thing the intelligent, well-read, and stunningly beautiful young woman wants to be. Stifled by both her sex and her station, she yearns for adventure and to make a difference. When the opportunity to help lands in her lap, she embraces it with both hands—and ends up embracing nobly born barrister Oliver Radford as well. With action that flows from the crime-filled London rookeries to the glittering upper-class ballrooms, this cleverly plotted, vividly descriptive historical evokes the flavor of pre-Victorian England with flair, precision, and all the appropriate class clashes. VERDICT This exceptional romance features a heroine who only wants the freedom to be herself and a strong, insightful hero who encourages her. With flawless research, exquisite sensuality, and brilliant repartee that extends to the bedroom, this is another unforgettable winner from the impeccable Chase. Chase (Vixen in Velvet) lives in Worcester, MA.

Library Journal

2015-10-07
Beautiful heiress Lady Clara Fairfax is getting tired of proposals from men she doesn't want, so when she meets brilliant, compelling barrister Oliver Radford, she is intrigued, then enthralled as the two attempt to save an urchin and survive the dangerous aftermath of their benevolent alliance. Lady Clara is the catch of the season, but so far no one has tempted her to be caught. To escape the endless line of suitors vying for her hand in marriage she has become involved in the Milliners' Society for the Education of Indigent Females, which "housed and educated girls determined, against prodigious odds, to be respectable." Tired of being a society ornament, she finds great pleasure in improving lives, and when one of the society's protégées asks for help retrieving her brother from a sordid street gang, Clara approaches Oliver Radford, a barrister well-known for his powerful legal mind and his flexible social connections from all walks of life. Radford is a perfect ally for the task. However, rescuing the boy puts them all in unexpected danger from both a risky illness and a vicious enemy. At first drawn to Radford's intelligence, which too often swings toward impatience, Clara is torn between putting him in his place and rising far above his low expectations, but once he understands that her outer beauty and fashion-plate style are simply window dressing to a bright mind and conscientious spirit, they understand they have met their matches—and perfect mates—in each other. Now all they have to do is outwit their enemies and settle into an unexpected social position, both of which are complicated obstacles to a happy future. Chase moves beyond the couture Noirot sisters in her historical Dressmakers series, and the unconventional pairing of an aristocrat and a barrister, plus an exploration of London poverty and the well-intentioned "ragged schools," adds fascinating social and historical texture. Chase retains her well-earned star status.

Kirkus Reviews

Narrator Kate Reading skillfully lays out the unique romance of Barrister Oliver Radford and the forthright Lady Clara Fairfax. Oliver is argumentative, condescending, and overly fond of lists, but he has the wit to appreciate Lady Clara’s intellect even more than her admirable figure. With their shared love of debate, both characters might have come across as prosy, but Reading avoids this trap, hinting at Oliver’s vulnerability and voicing Lady Clara with melodious humor and just the right touch of firmness. Reading keeps the pace moving through Oliver’s and Lady Clara’s many trials, literal and otherwise. Her delightfully acrobatic renderings of the verbal sparring between the protagonists are the high points of the production. T.M.D. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2016 - AudioFile