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To Marry the Duke
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Plot Summary of To Marry the Duke
"

Avon, Jun 2003, 5.99, 384 pp.
ISBN: 0060527048

In 1881 at the urging of her mother nouveau riche American heiress Sophia Wilson comes to London to marry a title. Sophia hates shopping for a spouse as she has rejected proposals back home because she wants to marry for love. She believes she may have found her love when she meets the “unacceptable Duke” James Langdon.

Needing money, James is also attracted to Sophia, so he courts her. However, he vows to himself to never fall in love with her for fear he would become as out of control and abusive as his father was. James and Sophia marry and share a wonderful honeymoon. However when they reach his estate, James turns into a prim and proper aristocrat, who deserts his wife when he is not mistreating her with cold scorn. Still Sophia thinks she can reach her spouse that she loves.

When the tale focuses on the lead characters' relationship, even with James' incredulous alteration from avoidance to near worship, fans obtain a strong late Victorian romance. When the story line switches to continental suspense, it loses some of its “American invasion” momentum. In her debut, Julianne MacLean keeps her plot fresh due to the antics of the dysfunctional Langdon family that bewilder the heroine.

Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of To Marry the Duke
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story - Victorian england
Struggling with whom? - Dad
Family focus? Yes
Family, hating Yes

Main Male Character
Profession/status: - Prince/Nobleman/King
Age/status: - 20's-30's
How sexual is this person? - very picky
How romantic is this person? - very romantic
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Female Character
Age/status: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - wealthy
How sexual is this person? - very picky
How romantic is this person? - very romantic
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
What % of story is romance related? - 80%
Focus of story - equally on him and her
How much dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to To Marry the Duke
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