Sense of judgement

The Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I first read this one a couple of years ago now, but I keep coming back to it. It certainly began my love for historical romance anew and, more specifically, works by Meredith Duran.

The writing is beautiful. It has the ability to transport you – it certainly did me. More than that, the period is well-researched, the characters complex and captivating, the dialogue clever, feeling authentic and at times truly hilarious, and the story-line intense. I honestly read this book and then dove into the historical romance genre looking for similar reading experiences.

She did not feel anything so boring as beautiful. She felt fierce.

It has both the playful subtle flirtation such as found in a work by Jane Austen, and the more feminist/social/political slant and fast pace that a modern reader might crave. I found the stark depiction of colonised India and a romantic heroine deeply impacted by the varying degrees of discrimination truly gripping. I was also deeply moved by the ways in which the romantic protagonists navigated their affection for one another through politics, personal trauma, societal expectation and historical understanding.

I definitely recommend this book, and this author, to any historical romance readers out there.

(A quick note on on the cover and the title. I don’t really get either. Which is also why my title for this review is a bit off. The cover doesn’t at all seem in keeping with the tone or complexity of the story and the title is weirdly skewed towards the duke when the work seems far more intricately centered around Emma. I feel like romance covers may need a bit of a revolution, but if not all of them, then this one for sure.)

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