Regency in Color: Book 3
Publication Date: January 21, 2022
Marry or find herself penniless and ousted from her aunt and uncle’s home. Those are Miss Juliana Drake’s current options. Having never felt the need to know how long she could survive without basic provisions, she chooses the latter. Only she knows as much about charming a suitor as she does about charming a snake.
Nothing.
The solution? Colin Lewis Francis Latham, Duke of Herstshire. The man who offered her marriage years ago, then vanished without as much as a by your leave. When he returns to London and offers to instruct her in the art of husband hunting, Juliana is both insulted and desperate enough to accept his offer.
She’s no longer the gullible young woman of her youth. She can handle being near him without losing her head. Although, it would be much easier if she could finally expel him from her heart.
Designing His Duchess by Gabrielle Carr is the third book in the multi-author Regency in Color series. What a terrific idea to develop a series of books that highlight characters of color in Regency Britain! History tells us that persons of color were there, so it makes sense to use romance novels to illustrate this fact. In the case of Designing His Duchess, the heroine has a Jamaican mother.
After losing her parents, Julianna Drake lives with her aunt and uncle until she finds a husband. Colin Lathan never expected to become the Duke of Herstshire, but fate had other ideas. Julianna and Colin had fallen in love and planned to elope four years earlier, but Colin never showed up, and Julianna was left with a broken heart. Now he is back, and old feelings have resurfaced. Can Julianna forgive him? Can Colin put his past aside in exchange for a future with her?
Designing His Duchess is a short book originally published as a novella. It is a pleasant story, but there was not a lot of character development. That is always my complaint with novellas. Both Julianna and Colin were likable and sympathetic characters, but their conflicts were resolved without much difficulty. I love the concept of the “Regency in Color” series, and this was a nice addition to the series. I liked that the diversity element was treated as a natural occurrence without special emphasis.
Designing His Duchess is an enjoyable story offering a refreshing viewpoint of the Regency era.
Gabrielle Carr is the author of Regency Romances featuring casts of diverse characters, that are full of heart, hope, and happily ever after. She has always enjoyed indulging in her imagination. At a very young age she had a thirst for reading and the many possibilities it helped bring to life in her mind’s eye. Ms. Carr can normally be found locked away with a good book in her home in Charlotte, NC or traveling the globe to places like India, Bali, Tokyo, or London.
Monday, February 28
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