Full disclosure: I’m not at my cognitive best (stupid fibro fog). The other day I tried to open a box of sidewalk chalk and you’d have thought I was cracking the combo to a safe. I went to the pharmacy and was asked for my birthdate and the spelling of my last name, and I was sorely tempted to say, “Look, if I could do all that, I wouldn’t need to be here.” So I’m truly baffled – does The Illegitimate Duke raise many odd questions in the first 100 pages, or do I just need another nap? Please do give this book the benefit of the doubt as I ask the hard questions like, “who are these people?” and “isn’t this villainous plot a bit much?” and “where are my glasses?” (on my head).
This is the third book in the “Diamonds in the Rough” series. I loved the first book, A Most Unlikely Duke, but didn’t read the second book. Somewhere along the line I must have missed a LOT of plot, because this book does not work well as a stand-alone. Either too much of the plot references previous books, or the plot is all new but too confusing for my fibro fogged brain (which would of course not be the fault of the book).
Why is Florian a Duke? How many Dukes can there possibly be at one time? Why is some guy doing elaborate mind games and attempting mass murder? There seems to be an awful lot of back story here and do we really need a typhus epidemic AND a greedy killer who is trying to steal real estate AND a doppelgänger AND a kidnapping? No wonder I need a nap.
The plot is: Florian is a physician who is also the new Duke of Redding. This makes my fibro-addled brain giggle because Redding is the name of a lovely town a couple of hours from where I live and it’s a very nice town but when I drive by it on the freeway I’m all, “Ok, yeah, Duke of Redding.” Redding has also gotten hit really hard by wildfires this year so if you want to make a contribution to those affected here’s a link.
Anyway, Florian is all grumpy and just wants to deal with typhus and stuff. Then he meets Juliette, who grew up poor but who, thanks to the events of A Most Unlikely Duke, is now rich and bored. She decides she wants to help with the typhus project and so she comes into Florian’s orbit and Florian is all, “Oh no I must fight this attraction!” Eventually his reluctance to have a relationship with Juliette is explained but I spent far too much of the book going, “What the hell, dude?” which made for frustrating reading. There’s a whole thing with Florian’s father who was hanged for being a criminal but who actually faked his death using a look-alike (??) and who is deliberately worsening the typhus epidemic so he can steal real estate (???) while also gas-lighting Florian (????). Honestly, I did a lot of skimming after about 70 pages (hence the DNF).
Incidentally, the symptoms of typhus are not romantic and are described in unflinching detail. When the hero had to shave the sick heroine because her hair was full of lice I was thrilled. Realism! Of course this caused me to say “Well ACTUALLY, typhus is caused by body lice, not head lice” but it’s still an accurate scene because the Victorians didn’t know that and even if they did I doubt they wanted to take any chances, plus shaving a head was thought o help bring down a fever. I know way more about the various types of lice, not to mention typhus, than anyone here could possibly want to hear about. The Author’s Note has a lot of cool medical info if you are interested in Victorian medicine, which I certainly am.
Plot issues aside, there were a few points made by characters in the book that were quite off-putting.
- Donating money vs time:
Juliette donates her yearly allowance to an effort to prevent a typhus epidemic from spreading and to treat the sufferers. However, she’s adamant that she wants a consulting role so she can know the money is spent wisely. She tells Florian:
Donating vast amounts of money to worthy causes is what rich people do to feel better about themselves. They do it because they want to help without actually helping, because it facilitates involvement at a safe distance, thus making it a selfish act of kindness.
Well. That’s quite a philosophical bomb to drop on Page 60. Juliette wants her donation to be contingent on her having an advisory role. This, she thinks, will give her real purpose. But isn’t that also selfish? As someone who has been involved in many nonprofits, the involvement of people who want status but don’t actually have expertise in the issue at hand can also be a huge problem. Sometimes we want volunteer board members but sometimes we really could use a big bag of money.
Why does Juliette think she’s qualified to decide whether funds are being spent wisely, other than watching for obvious signs of outright embezzlement? Surely there are many different and legitimate kinds of contributions that people can make (time, money, skills, publicity, goods, knowledge, etc.) without devaluing the contributions of others.
- How to achieve satisfaction in life:
Juliette visits her sister Amelia, who is pregnant and has a young stepson, and her sister-in-law Gabriella, who has infant twins. Instead of being exhausted, the moms are glowing and over the moon about their perfect husbands and their perfect babies. I loved having a baby (overall), and my husband is indeed a gem, but the unadulterated bliss of Amelia and Gabriella made me want to crawl into the pages of the book and beat them both senseless with copies of Goodnight Moon.
Anyway, they expound on how there is surely no higher bliss than to be a mother with a perfect husband (and, they fail to mention, a large household staff). Juliette says, “I believe a similar kind of joy can be found in achieving one’s goals.”
Amelia and Gabriella shared a dubious look. “Doing so can be rewarding,” Amelia agreed, “but it will not satisfy your soul in quite the same way.”
FOR FUCK’S SAKE, PEOPLE.
Clearly, Amelia and Gabriella are on the “everyone must have babies” train. It’s a dumb train, Amelia and Gabriella. Enjoy your own babies and stop pressuring other people to have them. There are many ways to lead a happy life.
By about page 100 I was so annoyed with the baby pressure and Juliette being judgmental and the lack of coherent character motivation that I gave up on a thorough reading and just skimmed until the end. While doing so, I encountered two amazing quotes:
Luck is an illusion created by man to explain the inexplicable.
and:
She is a woman of pleasing anatomical configuration whose ability to find solutions in a crisis deserves any man’s admiration.
So those were awesome moments.
Other than that, I wanted to kick Florian all the time, even after I knew why he didn’t want to marry Juliette, and I wanted to kick Juliette for making snap judgements about medical policy (she does get better).
I found this book to be confounding. Why is everyone acting so weird? Amelia and Georgiana appear in other books and are delightful – why are they suddenly mommy cultists? Why does Florian have such a huge stick up his ass? Why does the otherwise very intelligent Juliette say such weird shit about selfishness? What could possibly possess anyone on this medical board to make the decisions they make?
Perhaps, were I not in the midst of a fibro flare, all of this would make more sense. In my current state, alas, I found these characters, their inconsistent behavior, and the plot points to be incomprehensible.
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Thanks!
*gurgles* I have no answers to your questions but as someone with CFS/ME I very much understand the feeling of ‘Is it the book or is it me?’ Usually I hand the book over to Mum and after a few pages she’ll be going ‘WTF’, so that’s reassuring.
I think (and I say this with the only good intentions) that maybe this review shouldn’t have been published right now.
It seems to me that this was an unfair review of the book given that Carrie wasn’t feeling well (physically and mentally) while reading it AND it was the third in a series where she read the first but not the second. I can’t see how the book could have been fairly evaluated under these circumstances. I put a lot of trust into what the SBTB reviewers say about any given book and I take their reviews seriously. To me, this review is too skewed by outside circumstances to be helpful.
I’d like to see Carrie take another shot at reviewing the book when she is feeling better (and maybe after reading Book Two, especially since she enjoyed Book One).
As someone who is infertile, the mommy cultist attitude bugs me to no end. I saw a fresh wave of it yesterday with the Prince Harry/Meghan Markle announcement. Not everyone can have a Babies Ever After epilogue, and don’t try to force it down the throats of people who can’t have kids or choose not to have them. As you rightfully put it, there are many ways to lead a happy life.
But maybe read book 2 when you’re feeling better, then come back to this one, especially because you’re wavering on it. Even so, the attitude about your soul not being satisfied unless you have children is enough to put me off the book.
I agree with Jennifer in GA. The books in the series are definitely linked and the second book is packed with plot.
Carrie S., I hope you feel better soon.
It drives me nuts when characters (and let’s be honest, it’s almost always female characters) insist on being involved in endeavours they know nothing about. Always with the best of intentions or because they’re bored and want to do something meaningful. Of course they must care for the orphans themselves because that’s what virtuous women do.
I have to say though, if I’d had a day nanny, a night nanny, a wet nurse, and someone to do all my cooking and housework, I’d have been a glowing perfect mommy too. But virtuous women do all their own childcare and it’s never onerous because loving mothers love changing diapers.
I’d really like to see more childfree women in fiction who aren’t viewed as unnatural or uncaring.
I’m recovering from a nasty cold so thanks for this. The series was on my radar, “was” being the operative keyword. As a happy childfree person who thinks babies are the closest thing to demons that exist on earth, I believe I would have thrown this book across the room.
I might have had a problem with this review if there hadn’t been a full disclosure statement in the very beginning. As it is,the reviewer has given us her impressions when reading the book and the context in which she read it. That is essentially what reviews are supposed to be. I don’t think the come back when you’re healthy arguments are fair. However, I do agree that if this series is supposed to have connected plots, then skipping book 2 might be a tad unfair.
I take exception to the idea that Carrie in some way reviewed this book incorrectly. It is not unreasonable for a reader to pick up book three in a series and expect it to stand alone, especially in a romance series. Moreover, it’s not unreasonable for romance readers to turn to romance when they’re feeling poorly.
Carrie’s review did a number of valid and important pieces of work in evaluation.
1. This book doesn’t stand alone.
2. If you’re not feeling 100%, it may not work as a comfort read, as it has a LOT of plot and may confuse the crap out of you.
3. If you’re negatively affected by pronouncements about how having children is the ultimate personal fulfillment, heads up.
4. This review was framed by an explanation of the context in which she read it, and your mileage may vary.
I want to address an aspect of chronic illness that’s been overlooked in the discussion. Advising Carrie to re-read a book she didn’t enjoy when she’s feeling better is a terribly ableist thing to say. She has fibro. It’s a chronic illness. Often, there is no “better.” Her perspective is not less valid because of her illness.
Regardless of how or when a reader approaches a book, her experience with that book is her own and is not an objective enterprise. There is no “ideal” state in which to read or review a book, especially not in an examination that is entirely personal and subjective. The answer to, “I didn’t find this review edifying enough to make a decision as to whether to read this book” might be to read other reviews, or find the book and read it, but I object to the idea that the answer is for Carrie to do more work.
@SB Sarah: If my comment came off as being insensitive, I do apologize for that to you and Carrie. I should have been more careful in my word choices.
The way I read the review (which I thought was a lovely review) was that I got the impression that Carrie was wavering on whether or not to revisit the book. I’ve done this before myself, where I DNF a book at one point, then tried to do it again. And sometimes I will pick up the later book in a series then go back and catch up. But that is how I treat things personally, and it is not how everyone else would do so.
Regardless, the points she brought up are extremely valid, especially the parts about you’re not a fulfilled woman if you don’t have a child.
Different readers enjoy/need different kinds of reviews. This review works perfectly for me exactly *because* Carrie gave me her context of “not her cognitive best” – my morning commute is 2 hours, I get up way too early and I’m still half asleep when I read on the train. I wouldn’t want to tackle “The Illegitimate Duke” in that state of mind. I might enjoy the book on the way home after some endless day of meetings, when a messy/absurd plot will fit in perfectly with my by then messy/absurd mental processes.
Thank you Carrie, for writing this highly entertaining and informative review. It’s awesome that you manage to write so engagingly while under the weather. I hope you get better soon!
Carrie, I really appreciated you calling out how Juliette privileges her own experience and expertise over the people who actually know what to do, and that the idea that money isn’t “real” helping is pretty ridiculous. The assumption that the donor is best suited to know how money should be used is really toxic. It’s a donation. Give it to an organization you trust, and if in the long term you don’t think they’re making good use of your resources, give that money elsewhere. If you want to micromanage that money, start your own charity.
Personally, I cackled through most of this review. I don’t have fibromyalgia, but I do know that feeling of being too ill to concentrate and baffled by a plot. Also, I live close enough to Redding that the “Duke of Redding” made me snort-laugh loud enough to startle the cat. I’m assuming this book is not the reason for the current proliferation of little girls I know named Juliette (including my god-daughter) but I found that kind of amusing as well. And she’s also overbearing in spite of being 5! Maybe it’s the name?
Also, I ended up reading and loving the ENTIRE Vorkgosigan saga because of trying to read and DNF – due to being dropped in the middle of the plot – A Civil Campaign. So, a well-written book won’t discourage people from going back and reading more but it doesn’t sound like this is that book.
Shout out to Redding, I grew up there and now also live a couple hours away! A Duke of Redding is actually a very good idea and I would like to see one there. 🙂
Carrie, thank you for writing this review–I enjoyed reading it!
I wish people remembered that women were expected to have children back then, and I don’t have any and never had the inclination to be a mother. This said, I read all 3 books in order and loved them all. We all have our moments; recently I DNF a book after chapter 2! Very popular and famous author, the book was getting rave reviews, and I thought the hero sounded like a flesh-toned version of the Incredible Hulk. I thought it was so ridiculous, I just couldn’t go on. Another one, famous and popular author, I hated her heroine so much, I wanted someone to kill her, lol!
I too enjoyed this review, and it helped me decide whether to read the book, which I can figure out separately from whether or not you enjoyed it. I thought you did a good job with the context. Unfortunately, we can’t only read when we are in the perfect mood for that exact book.
Your brain can’t be doing too bad a job if you were able to note and logically explain the problem with Juliet’s attitude about charity. But I’m sorry you are not feeling well, and even sorrier that medicine hasn’t figured out a cure or even good maintenance for this.
Although each SBTB reviewer has a unique voice (both written and audio!), I do play favorites and will admit that Carrie is the reviewer for me! (This is mostly because I suspect we would be nerdy friends and teetotalers in real life.) In case she reads this – OMG! – Carrie, you are such an energetic conversationalist, and so fun, and so funny! I never skip your podcast episodes, and your personality shines in what you write. I didn’t even get past your opening paragraph before I sputtered laughing and knew I wanted to leave a comment.
As an adult, I tend to lean towards the ‘donate money, not time’ side of charity out of personal preference – I have bad childhood memories of smug church ladies showing up at our door with baskets of food for Christmas and second-hand clothes and expecting us to be loudly, eloquently grateful for their canned beans.
I was not eloquently grateful. I was a kid whose family had fallen on hard times and I very much resented having to perform gratitude so they could get a warm cosy glow for the holiday season. (Anyone see that great episode of 30 Rock where Liz Lemon is a Secret Santa who checks up on her poor family..? Very Juliette logic!) I know my MIL feels differently and appreciates making personal connections (like working at a shelter to serve Thanksgiving lunch), but my own background means that I’m more comfortable with the ‘selfish act of kindness.’ I’d really rather just give cash and trust that it will be used wisely.
As the finance director for a non-profit agency, we really, REALLY appreciate the “give money” crowd, for a couple of reasons.
First, we can’t always find something for you to do. My agency, for example, does home repairs for low-income homeowners; while we can use volunteers to help clear debris, paint walls, & so on – we have Make a Difference Day coming up soon, for example, & we have a plan in place for what we can put our volunteers to work on – the actual repairs usually take trained professionals.
And second, while we do get funding from state & federal grants, those are usually very restricted in what we can use the funds for; for example, I’m an administrative position, & grant money is notoriously stingy about paying for administrative costs, while simultaneously requiring someone with my qualifications & skill set be on staff in order to, say, pass the required annual financial audit. Cash donations help make up that funding – your check may not go directly toward fixing a hurricane victim’s home, but it’s still going toward making sure we’re able to operate to do so.
I know this kind of veered off topic, but THANK YOU to volunteers & cash donors both!
I see it as a review, and that’s what I come here for. I don’t just pick up a book based on one review, I read several. Think she did just fine! Still not sure I want to get into this one, but I might if I have nothing better. I am fully into Coming of Age in Berkeley by Jake Warner. Not at all what I expected from this book, I have been pleased for sure. If you want a bit of a forbidden romance type novel, this one is great for that.
I picked this one up without reading the other two books and had no trouble following along with it – and Carrie is 100 percent right. Florian’s backstory makes little to no sense, and the way that Juliette became rich makes absolutely no sense either (SPOILER: Her brother was a dockworker who became a duke due to the fact that a distant Uncle died, which is Not How Titles Work). The romance is nice but kind of tepid. It’s around a C or lower in my estimation.
Honestly, the best part of the book really is the medical research. The author should be writing books about doctors of the period instead of doing romance.
Hey all – just wanted to thank you all for kind words and hope those of you in or near Redding weren’t too badly affected by the fires. Also wanted to clarify that volunteers are AMAZING – my probalem is not the idea that being a volunteer is a good way to give, but rather the assumption that it’s the ONLY good way to give. Deianara, I hear you – I used to work in a shelter and we used dozens of fantastic volunteers but sometimes we just needed to hire a plumber, you know? Not to mention that some staff, such as myself, needed an actual paycheck so that we could, dare I say, eat.
With regard to the series – with most genres, I assume that a series has to be read in order. However, romance has a tradition of linked stand alones. For instance, The Bridgeron Series is all linked (shared world, shared characters, some references to past events) but the reader is supposed to be able to jump in at any point. Because of this tradiion, when I read a romance series, I treat each book as a linked stand alone unless specfically told to read them in order.
I just want pop in here to give a shout out to Redding Connecticut which is the Redding I am familiar with and also could benefit from a Duke!
There’s a town in England called Reading, which is pronounced Redding, but it is way too tiny to rate a Duke.
What is with the obsession with Dukes in current romance? How about a nice Viscount once in a while?
Hey there! I just stumbled on this site and was scanning through, and just wanted to shout-out your shout-out to Redding, CA. It’s my hometown and I had just moved away a year before the fires; in fact, my current housemates lost their home in the Carr Fire. Sorry, I know this is a bit random! I just appreciated your reference and linking to the info site.