Blame it on Bath
4.5 Stars

Series note: There is an ongoing story arch involving the deceased Duke of Durham's secret and as such it is recommended that the books be read in order.

As a third son, Captain Gerrard de Lacey always knew he would have to marry an heiress, and this is only reinforced by the revelation of the Durham Dilemma. Thus, when he is approached by Lady Katherine Howe with the proposition of a marriage of convenience, he is only too eager to accept.

Kate and Gerrard's opposites attract romance is delightful. Honorable, courageous and daring, Gerrard is a bit of a hot head, who never encountered a challenge he could refuse. Kate is reserved and shy, but shows a great deal of strength when provoked. Their chemistry is intense and their love scenes sensual and scorching.

There are some minor developments in the ongoing blackmail plot, but obviously Linden is leaving the majority of the twists as well as the resolution for the final installment.

My one small nitpick is the contrived separation at the end, which goes on a tad too long for my tastes.

In sum, an excellent follow-up and I am looking forward to Charles meeting his match in the last book. ( )

Kate almost deserves to be on the abused heroine shelf, with the way her mother, previous husband, and his son have treated her. Plain heroine with a nice dash of insecurity while not being a doormat. I liked this and am contemplating going back to the beginning to read the series.

Upon reread, adding her to the abused shelf. Her first husband hit her, and her husband, son in law, and mother were all emotionally abusive. ( )

A little bit 'meh' for me. The hero never really won me over, and the plot was a little precarious. ( )

Kate almost deserves to be on the abused heroine shelf, with the way her mother, previous husband, and his son have treated her. Plain heroine with a nice dash of insecurity while not being a doormat. I liked this and am contemplating going back to the beginning to read the series. ( )

This is a delightful follow-on to [b:One Night in London|11315200|One Night in London (The Truth About the Duke #1)|Caroline Linden|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327928210s/11315200.jpg|16243181], part of The Truth About the Duke trilogy. The three deLacey brothers, sons of the late Duke of Durham, are trying to find a blackmailer and secure evidence to show whether their father was a bigamist. If he was, they will be considered bastards and lose virtually all of their inheritance.

What I Liked
• Captain Lord Gerard deLacey. He's handsome (of course), brash, adventurous, and loyal. He's the youngest son, serving in the wars against Napoleon. Under any circumstances his fortune will be relatively small, so he's decided to be on the lookout for a rich bride while he travels to Bath to track down information on the blackmailer. When a perfectly strange wealthy woman proposes a marriage of convenience, he barely hesitates before deciding to take on the challenge.

• Kate deLacey. You can't help but feel sorry for her at first. She's hardly had an enjoyable life, despite her wealth. Her vain, narcissistic mother has convinced her she's too plain to attract a man and married her off to a middle-aged viscount, who ignored and abused her. Now that he's dead, her mother is pressuring her to marry the viscount's odious heir, convinced that nobody better will ever come along. Kate is such a doormat that she doubts her ability to withstand her mother's pressure. The most enjoyable part of the book is watching her emerge from her shell, in response to Gerard's kindness and attention. She doesn't become a "beauty," but rather simply a beautiful person.

• Sexytimes. Gerard wants to break down Kate's defenses, and she discovers her previously unknown wanton side. Excellent love scenes.

• The love story. Kate harbors a childhood passion for Gerard, but he has no memory of meeting her. Linden does an excellent job of showing Gerard's surprise and wonder as he gradually finds himself falling in love with his wife. This is just a very sweet story.

What I Didn't Like
• Not a lot of progress is made toward resolving the mystery, but after the first book, I came to realize that it wouldn't be wrapped up until the third.

• As a 21st century woman, I often have trouble understanding an 19th century woman's desperation to get married. Linden mentions several times that a widow was almost as independent as a man, so it was difficult to see why Kate thought marriage, or death, was her only way to avoid the odious heir. It was hard to believe that she was so cowed by her mother. She was so spineless in this regard, but yet showed great spirit elsewhere.

• It appears that the old duke's first wedding was performed by a charlatan who was not a clergyman. How could this have been legal? If his records show that he did indeed conduct the ceremony, how could that be used as a basis for invalidating his subsequent marriage?

These two volumes of The Truth About the Duke were my first Caroline Linden reads, and I find her writing crisp and witty. She does not indulge in one of my pet peeves, namely using an abundance of one-word sentences and one-sentence paragraphs. It's a pleasure to read someone who knows and uses the English language so well. ( )