Daring the Dukeby Anne Malloryreviewed by Valarie PelisseroAugust 2005, 375 pages, Publisher: Avon, ISBN: 0060762233 Back Cover Blurb: For years dire circumstances forced Audrey Kendrick to lead a dangerous double life as London's most legendary thief. Finally free, she has escaped her past – or so she believes, until a family crisis draws her back. But one man is more determined than ever to bring her to justice – and the dashing, somewhat notorious Duke of Marston has set the perfect trap.
A gentleman spy, Stephen Chalmers is as close as a kiss to unmasking the brazen thief who has long been the scourge of the London ton. He suspects the spirited Miss Kendrick of being the infamous Hermes, but the duke never dreamed that, by keeping the remarkable lady near, he would himself fall victim to her sensual charms. Laying Audrey's mysteries bare will only place his own dangerous secrets – and his heart – in jeopardy. For there is peril in the passion that enflames them both … and no risk is greater than love.
Stephen Chalmers, spy and the newly inherited Duke of Marston, has big problems. Not only is someone wreaking havoc with London's docks by re-routing cargoes and bringing in illegal shipments, someone is also trying to de-fraud his estates. Stephen is hot on the trail of the notorious thief "Hermes" who disappeared from his radar over a year ago, but now Hermes is back and he has been stealing confidential shipping documents along with their seals so that new documents can be forged. Stephen intends to see Hermes in jail for his crimes. During Stephen's investigation of Hermes he discovers that Hermes is actually a woman, one Miss Audrey Kendrick, and he realizes that Audrey seems to be a pawn in an even bigger game. Stephen begins a cat and mouse game of his own with Hermes which he hopes will lead him to the mastermind of the shipping fraud and possibly the one who has been stealing from his estates. But it might lead him to a love he can't live without.
Audrey Kendrick is indeed the notorious thief Hermes, and even though she hung up her hat over a year ago, she is now being blackmailed to come out of retirement. With her sister's life hanging in the balance, Audrey has no choice but to steal whatever is demanded of her in order to keep her sister Faye alive. Raised as a gentlewoman until her parents died and Audrey and her sister sold to the leader of a ring of thieves, Audrey has no trouble leading a double life as Miss Audrey Kendrick and the thief Hermes – Until she is suddenly caught by Stephen Chalmers. Unable to believe that she was caught so easily, Audrey is even more dumbfounded when, instead of arresting her, Stephen lets her go and then calls on her at her home as any gentleman caller would. As Stephen plays the game of pretending to court Audrey. when she expects him to arrest or interrogate her, Audrey realizes that she may have met her match, but she also recognizes that working with Stephen may be her only hope of freeing her sister Faye. As Audrey works with Stephen she finds not only a duke that she can trust, but a man who could steal her heart.
Daring the Duke is made up of multiple layers of intrigue, which kept this reviewer guessing who the villain was until the very end. Every time I thought I had it figured out, Ms. Mallory would throw in another twist. Ms. Mallory has written a wonderfully witty and humorous tale with thoroughly engaging characters and a heart-wrenching romance at its center. From the first time he discovered the identity of Hermes, Stephen was captivated by Audrey, not just by her beauty, but by the layers that she keeps so carefully hidden. She is a mystery to Stephen and one that he intends to unravel. Stephen was surprised to discover why someone with the manners of a lady would become a thief but, he was even more surprised to discover a thief that he doesn't want to turn over to the authorities, for his sense of justice is strong. When Stephen was eleven, his parents were killed by street thugs and his obsession to stop London's criminal element has been his driving force ever since. This has earned him a lot of enemies, yet he can't bring himself to turn in Audrey because he recognizes in her the same darkness he sees within himself and he wants to overcome that darkness with Audrey by his side.
Audrey is a uniquely complex heroine with many facets. Stephen slowly breaks down all of her barriers and reveals the woman that she longs to be with him. Audrey is a thief with a conscience; she doesn't like to steal, but the person controlling her has discovered her Achilles heel, her sister Faye, the only person in the world that Audrey cares about, and Audrey has no choice but to be the pawn in the criminal's quest for fortune and power. Audrey is smart and clever and she always has a plan – that is until she meets Stephen Chalmers and he immediately gets the best of her, which has her trying even harder to outwit him and, on the one occasion that she truly does, the results are hilarious.
Daring the Duke kept me quickly turning the pages to discover what would happen next. With the right blend of humor, mystery, and romance, you won't want to miss this wonderfully entertaining book.
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