Anna and the Duke (The MacLaughlins, #1) by Kathryn Smith

Anna and the Duke (The MacLaughlins, #1) Reviews

• 
  kris

  Anna Welsley is going to marry Richard Fitzgerald, presumed heir to the Duke of Brahm—until Ewan MacLaughlin shows up and inherits it all! SCANDALOUS. Soon, Richard's out the title, the money, the lands, and the fiancee, since Anna's got the hots for the Scot. OOOH YEAH.
  
  (THESE PUNS IDK.)
  
  1. omg this was RIDICULOUS.
  
  The plotting is absolutely bananas: after a few weird comments, Anna and Ewan are CONVINCED there are terrible plots afoot. But then two pages later they're second guessing themselves, and two pages later they're back to convinced that Richard's OUT TO GET EWAN DUN DUN DUN.
  
  It's the same deal with the emotional shit, too: Anna loves Ewan but she's marrying Richard but she can't marry Richard because she doesn't love him but maybe Richard loves her but she doesn't know what love is except that she feels like marrying Ewan might not be too bad but she can't marry Ewan because she's marrying Richard even though she doesn't love him and there's no way that Ewan can love her so clearly he doesn't care about her at all so she should probably just marry Richard.
  
  I MEAN WHAT THE FFFF—
  
  2. So anyways: it's terrible.
  
  3. Also, these dang villains need to COMMIT. Anna's mother is a goddamned MONSTER but she does a complete 180 in the last third of the book and supports Anna throwing over Richard and it's just RIDICULOUS. NONE OF IT IS EARNED: SHE WAS SET UP AS A VILLAIN, SHE SAID SOME VILLAINOUS SHIT, I DO NOT ACCEPT HER THIRD ACT TURNAROUND IT IS BULLSHIT.
  
  Also: Richard, the fuck. What a soft-shoeing butthead: I NEED TO BE THE DUKE but I can't hurt Ewan that's not nice :((((
  
  4. That said, there's flirting over poetry at a bookshop, and lots of sneaking away for make-outs, both of which are clearly integral to the reader that is kris.
• 
  Lisa

  (un 2.5 algo dudoso)
  
  Después de leer «El club Saint Row»de la misma autora, había empezado el libro con altas expectativas. Mal.
  Lo cierto es que «Ana y el duque» es una historia la mar de sencilla y previsible en los que los protagonistas no me han transmitido el suficiente feeling entre ellos. Me ha faltado que se profundizara algo más en los sentimientos para poder así llegar a sentir esa conexión que parecía inexistente. Además, en la novela encontramos un deseo y rencor profundo del antagonista por avaro, que es en lo que se podría resumir el libro: los deseosde ese malvado, como Richard, en hacer caer en desgracia a su "nuevo" hermano Ewan, el que sin quererlo, le ha arrebatado todo lo que él había ansiado durante tantos años.
  
  En resumen: previsible y poco profundo.
• 
  Amy

  What an absurd book. It is a starter drug for real romance novel addicts: the teen version of a much more lascivious tale. I hesitate to even tag it as Regency because it is so historically inaccurate; I don't even know where to begin. There is no way a girl like Anna would be allowed in Almack's. Her Mama's vulgarity alone would keep her out. Or this nonsense about the Duke's step-mother and sister going into 'half mourning' and out in public before the full year concluded. I don't care what the Duke wished, not happening! And also, special licenses aren't just some piece of paper you fill in after the wedding. The fact of having a special license in no way means you can just marry wherever you please.
  Ugh.
  Historical inaccuracy aside, these characters. Where to begin. First of all, they're sugar sweet. Like, even the semi-villainous ones are good people. And not good people in that they generally make positive life decisions. I mean, they haven't a single flaw. Anna and her Scottish lord are horrendously perfect people who read poetry and moon over one another (which someone everyone misses?!)
  They are really quite terrible at hiding their love for one another. They also jump to the most random conclusions. There is literally no proof the Duke's brother is plotting against him; a few veiled comments from Anna's mother about how it would be better if the title went to the brother and Anna is sending panicked messages to the Duke letting him know his life in danger. But she bases it on literally nothing.
  You might say that of all the emotions in this book. The characters' innate and unexpected goodness, the alarm about a possible attack, the romance (which, arguably, comes off the best because it stems from physical attraction...) all comes out of nowhere.
  But overall, the story kept things clean. Loads of kissing but not a hint of anything else. I guess that was nice. And I'll probably read the sequel because A. I have it and B. I do love a terrible Regency novel.
• 
  Stephanie

  This historical teen,ya romance starts off when Ewan McLaughlin, who has lived with his Grandmother all his life in a small Scottish village where his family's Castle lies falling into dilapidation receives a letter to say that he must go to London at once because his father (who he has never had contact since baby and early toddler hood) has died and has left him the title of Duke. Angry and wondering why his father left the title to him, Ewan is reluctant to go to London but goes to meet his Father's new family who have been left behind. There are many challenges along the way such as the hostility of his half brother Richard towards him and the new ways of London society but when Ewan meets Anna Welsley and unsuspectingly falls in love with her, that just anger's his brother more as she is her fiancee. The story follows what happens to all the character's relationships between eachother and the obstacles that they have to overcome to follow their hearts.
  
  I have heard from other people that this plot has been done several times before but this didn't spoil my enjoyment as I had never read a book like that before, but even if that is the case for the reader, I think the well developed and unique characters make up for this as I really cared about what happened to them.
  I *loved* the romance between Anna and Ewan, it was so cute and just what I was looking for- a clean teen romance as many of the adult historicals are unsuitable. Anna's shy but bubbly occasionally, kind personality and the things that she did reminded me a bit of myself and Ewan was a great hero, tall and handsome but with flaws too so that he seemed human. You get to know both Ewan and Anna well by the end of the book as each chapter, although written in the third person, follows what happens to either Anna or Ewan. Right from the beginning I thought they would be great together, especially with their love of books and poetry.
  However, this book doesn't just focus on love as there is an element of adventure and mystery to it that adds an extra dimension to the book and makes you desperate to find out what happens at the end as it is quite unpredictable.
  
  I would recommend this to anyone who wants a light hearted book with an adorable romance set in the past that keeps your heart fluttering and makes you sigh! If you have never tried reading a historical romance before but enjoy modern day romances, this would be a great innocent read to start with.
  
• 
  Jennifer Lichtenwalner

  Anna and the Duke is one of those random finds at a used bookstore (2nd & Charles) that I didn’t know I needed to read. This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it. I didn’t want to put it down to go to bed or to answer chats at work because I wanted to know what was going to happen next.
  
  In this book, we follow Anna Wesley, Ewan McLaughlin, and Richard Fittzgerald as they make their way through a rough week full of various trials. Anna is engaged to Richard, but finds herself falling in love with Ewan, Richard’s new-found half-brother, after meeting him in her favorite bookstore. As the week progresses, a plot on Richard’s part is revealed to Anna and Ewan, a plot to take Ewan’s rightful inheritance of a dukedom and lots of money away from him. They work together to foil Richard’s plan and find a way for Anna to break off her engagement to Richard so she can marry Ewan instead.
  
  I don’t read too many of these types of romance novels, but this is one of the few that I wanted to read after reading the back cover in the middle of 2nd & Charles several months ago. I only regret that I didn’t read it sooner!
• 
  Sandra

  Una novela romántico/histórica que me encantó.
  Los protagonistas son dos jóvenes (ella 18 y el 24) que viven su primer amor.
  Hay romance mezclado con un poco de acción y algo de intriga.
  En este libro, Ewan un lord escocés descubre que su padre (un inglés) le ha dejado como herencia el título de Duque, además de mucho dinero y una mansión en Londres. Ewan tiene pésimos recuerdos de su padre y cree que éste los abandonó a él y a su madre. Vive con su abuela en un castillo escocés que casi está en ruinas y decide aceptar la herencia solo para poder reconstruir el hogar de su madre y de su infancia. Cuando va a Inglaterra a posesionarse de su título conoce a Anna en una librería, y cuando llega a su nuevo hogar descubre que tiene un medio hermano Richard , una media hermana Emily, además de una madrastra Hester. Esta es la historia de la pelea entre Ewan y su medio hermano Richard por el Ducado y por el amor de Anna quien está prometida en matrimonio con su medio hermano Richard.
  Anna es una chica joven y divertida, con mucha personalidad, bonita pero no demasiado y es buen partido a pesar que su padre no es un noble pero si tiene mucho dinero, es atrevida para su época, no solo lee a Byron, sino que es capaz de comportamientos prohibidos para la sociedad en que vive (por ejm. besa a un hombre que no es su prometido) y de un cierto apasionamiento producto de su descubrimiento del primer amor.
  Ewan no piensa en casarse aún ni tampoco ostentar de su título, solo quiere rescatar el castillo para honrar a su madre y poder ayudar a la gente que depende de él. Es un joven atractivo, simpático, inteligente, honesto, buenazo de corazón y que también lee poesía (como Anna).
  Ewan sin querer se enamora de Anna y trata de evitar este sentimiento porque ella es la prometida de su medio hermano y no quiere hacerle daño, pero ¿que siente realmente Anna por él? ¿amará realmente a Richard o solo está obligada a casarse con él? Anna se siente atraída por Ewan a pesar de sentir cariño por su prometido, pero ¿que hará cuando descubra cuales son sus verdaderos sentimientos?
  Una novela dulce, romántica, encantadora, muy rosa pero sin caer en la cursilería o en remilgos. Predecible como casi todas las novelas románticas, pero me gustó como está escrita. Sus protagonistas son muy queribles y se engancha rapidísimo con la historia.
  Los personajes secundarios no son muchos (madre y padre de Anna, Richard y Emily hermanos de Ewan y Hester su madrastra), la madre de Anna una mujer ambiciosa que busca para su hija escalar posición dentro de la alta sociedad londinense, ella y Richard los conspirarán contra Ewan para arrebatarle el título de Duque. ¿lo lograrán o se arrepentirán de su maldad?
  Una novela ingenua y nostálgica con ese romance de época en que los protagonistas solo pueden expresar su amor con gestos, miradas, con frases leídas entrelíneas. No hay escenas de erotismo, solo un romance que sellan con un par de besos. Una novela romántica que le prestaría a mi hija de 13 años para que la leyera.
  Una novela ideal para leer entre un parón literario, o para una tarde de pereza en verano, para subir el ánimo si estas melancólica. Está catalogada como romance juvenil y te hará recordar con nostalgia romances al estilo de Mujercitas o de Anne de Green Gables, una novela para el alma romántica ... como la mía.
  
  Reseña en el blog
  http://perezosa69.blogspot.com/2018/0...
• 
  Alyssa Nelson

  Anna and the Duke packs tons of drama into a quick-paced, cute romance. This isn’t a groundbreaking story by any means, but the main characters are highly likeable and the villains are a delight to despise. The plot itself is full of twists and turns, and there’s tons of drama. There were some unexpected things that I really enjoyed; Ewan’s stepmother is welcoming and loving towards him despite the fact that he is a child of her late husband’s previous marriage. This was nice, because it would have been so easy to despise Ewan’s father’s second family, but his stepmother and half-sister were way too loveable to do that.
  
  There were a couple of moments where I felt like the conflict was frustrating because it came about from simple lack of communication, and there would have been far more interesting ways for the plot to develop, but other than those small moments, I was overall intrigued. I love how the revelations about various characters came in small amounts so that I kept getting surprised as I read along.
  
  This is a sweet romance with lots of intrigue and thriller elements to keep it interesting. If you can find yourself a copy of this and want some light reading, this is definitely the perfect book to do that with.
  
  Also posted on
  Purple People Readers.
• 
  Savannah

  This a an Avon Teen Romance so it's a sweet, clean romance book. There's no 40 page sex scenes, so I think that it's appropriate for any age.
  Anna Welsley is a sweet, kind girl who is engaged to a man who grew up thinking that he was going to be a duke after his father died only to find out that his father had been married before and he had an older half brother from Scotland who would actually become the duke, Ewan MacLaughlin hates his father for leaving him and his mother to fend for themselves when he was a small child. He goes to England to claim his inheritance inky because he needs the money to save his lands and his people. He has no wish to be a duke, but in order to take the money he has to take the title. He is surprised to find a sweet and loving stepmother, Hester, with an equally sweet and loving half sister, Emily. He is not surprised to find a bitter and angry half brother, Richard, who thinks that he is entitled to the dukedom. The book goes on with Anna eventually realizing what a spiteful man her fiancé really is and what a kind man Ewan is. She can't help but fall in love with him, and Ewan can't help but fall in love with her. Imagine how angry that made Richard!
  This book was very well written and I plan on reading more books by Kathryn Smith.
• 
  Ana Antígona

  Cuando era pequeña ir a la librería era una de mis actividades favoritas. Si íbamos con mi madre, muchas veces le resultaba difícil decirnos que no a algún libro, así que la mayoría de días, mi hermana y yo, salíamos con alguno entre las manos.
  Recuerdo el día en el que encontré este libro en las estanterías. Todavía era una lectora un poco inexperta para leerlo, pero me llamó la atención su título. Ponía mi nombre. En seguida fui a buscar a mi madre para preguntarle si podía quedármelo. Recuerdo que ella me preguntó si sólo me gustaba porque mi nombre salía en la portada, me pareció increíble lo rápido que me había descubierto, pero aún así yo le aseguré que no. Me preguntó si me gustaban las historias románticas, de época, y le dije que creía que sí, así que finalmente me lo compró.
  No fue hasta años después cuando por fin conseguí pasar de las primeras páginas y entender qué estaba ocurriendo en realidad. Tendría unos 12/13 años y los disfruté como nunca. Había descubierto el que sería uno de mis géneros favoritos a día de hoy.
  Al releer este libro me doy cuenta de que aquel fue el momento perfecto para leerlo, resulta estupendo para iniciarse en el mundo de la literatura romántica del siglo XIX. Sin embargo, como lectora algo más avanzada, este libro resulta demasiado juvenil (y algo rosa) para disfrutarlo del mismo modo.
  
  Os voy a explicar porqué utilizando un formato breve y muy productivo: una lista de cosas buenas y cosas malas de este libro. Vamos a ello.
  
  Puntos positivos:
  1. Los protagonistas. Ana es una mujer con carácter, decidida y algo romántica, capaz de tomar sus propias decisiones y salvar la situación si es necesario, a la que Ewan respeta y admira.
  2. El romance. El primer encuentro y el desarrollo son geniales.
  3. Es una buena historia. La historia es interesante, muy dinámica y sencilla, y pasan cosas constantemente. A pesar de que esto puede sobrecargar en ciertos momentos, está llena de giros y prevalece una acción continua que te mantiene leyendo.
  4. El narrador es omnisciente e intercala las perspectivas de ambos protagonistas, por lo que terminamos conociéndolos muy bien.
  
  Puntos negativos:
  1. "I'm not like the other girls". Pobres y tontas niñas ricas que nunca entenderán la profundidad de los poemas de Byron.
  2. "I'm so tiny, he's so strong". Por ejemplo, en la página 182, Ana dice: "Le hacía sentirse pequeña y a salvo solo con estar cerca". No sé, quizás no.
  Bring back manly man yo.
  3. Very poor character building. Los personajes (en especial los secundarios) cambian de manera radical de una página a la siguiente sin una justificación convincente. Además una gran parte carece de dimensionalidad.
  4. El final es demasiado precipitado. Los problemas se resuelven de manera excesivamente rápida y conveniente.
  
  Puntos neutros:
  1. Historical inaccuracy. Se mantiene en una discutible línea de la verosimilitud. Es posible que se salten unas cuantas normas de comportamiento de la época y tampoco les importe mucho.
  2. Mantiene algunos clichés típicos de la novela rosa que, personalmente, no me encantan.
  3. No deja mucho margen para la imaginación del lector. Se revelan los acontecimientos y las intenciones de los personajes continuamente, por lo que no es capaz crear momentos de verdadera tensión y no consigue sorprender con una gran revelación final.
  
  Overall, creo que este libro a pesar de tener casi 20 años (¡2002!), ha envejecido bastante bien y podría ser una gran lectura para aquellos jóvenes que quieran iniciarse en este género.
• 
  Tessa

  Releer una historia, es una gran experiencia para un lector, a pesar de no ser la primera, nos ayuda a recordar una buena historia y nos hace quedar con una fresca sensación de encontrarnos con un viejo amigo.
  
  Sin importar que tan cliché sea, creo que es una historia que siempre me deja fresca para una nueva lectura. Les dejo una crítica del libro para que puedan contextualizarse más con ella. Muchas gracias y buenas lecturas les deseo.
  :)
  ...
  
  La época de los reyes, duques y la alta sociedad siempre me han resultado fascinantes, sin importar película o libro que hablen respecto a ellos, en cada momento, me dejo llevar por un mundo fascinante que me hubiera encantado conocer por un instante.
  
  Por un lado, tener un título y tierras te hacía el ser más poderoso de todo el lugar, pero también era un momento donde si no tenías ninguno de ellos, era difícil casarte con alguien y por supuesto, por ende eras alguien muy desagradable en las reuniones.
  
  Kathryn Smith nos presenta una obra de amor de esta época, donde el amor puede surgir sin importar tu posición o tierras; sino el compartir tus deseos y sueños con una persona que este dispuesta a superar cada obstáculo y diferencia dentro o fuera de la sociedad.
  
  Ewan MacLaughlin jamás tuvo un gran aprecio por su padre, el único recuerdo que tiene de él es abandonando a su esposa el día de su muerte; por eso al obtener su título, tendrá que tomar un viaje donde conocerá a los hermanos que jamás vio en su vida, y en su camino se encuentra con la prometida de su hermano Ana Wesley, la cual, lo cautivará no sólo por su belleza, sino por esa extraña atracción que no tuvo con ninguna otra chica.
  
  En cada capítulo, nos presentan una novela sencilla, no hay palabras difíciles de comprender a pesar de hablarnos de otra época, ya que el principal objetivo de este libro es darnos una hermosa historia de amor.
  
  Cada uno de los personajes son sencillos, simples, no hay una profundidad en ellos, pero eso no es lo que la autora quiere destacar, a pesar de no profundizar más, cada uno destaca por su personalidad y da un linda historia que quisieras repetir una y otra vez. Tenemos al protagonista Ewan, que su deseo más grande es reparar el castillo donde vive, Ana que desea encontrar al fin una persona semejante a ella y comparta sus sueños.
  
  Sus objetivo son simples, pero llevarlos acabo es un obstáculo ya que por un lado Ewan necesita el dinero que dejo su padre y reclamar el título, mientras que Ana tiene que pensar en la sociedad y además ya tiene un prometido, no puede pensar en alguien más, ni siquiera si es el hermano.
  
  Su tema principal es solo contar una historia de amor, una historia que hará todo lo posible para estar juntos, así es el amor, a veces muchas veces soñamos con encontrar a aquella persona que nos hará volar, nos hace pertenecer a un lugar, no todos podemos tenerlo, ya sea por el tiempo o no darle una oportunidad, pero es algo que todo ser humano, alguna vez en su vida, desea poseer por un instante.
  
  Tal vez no sea la mejor historia, solo una simple novela, pero debo admitir que si eres nueva leyendo o solo deseas leer algún libro sin tanto drama de por medio, te aseguro que leer Ana y el Duque te transportará a un mundo de bailes y amor verdadero.
  
  Link del blog
  
  https://zonaprimetime.blogspot.com/20...
• 
  Kelli

  As book covers go, its pretty bad. And the writing isn't really great either, its cliched and cheesy. However, its an interesting story line and your sucked into the story of Ewan and his birthright as the next duke. It is most definitely no Georgette Heyer, but it serves its purpose as a light read. I read the whole avon true romance series in high school and I rate this one as one of the better ones of that grouping.
• 
  April

  I have read this book many times. It is a romance novel with a bit of action thrown in. In this book Ewan finds out that his estranged father left him a dukedom. When he go to claim it he finds out that he has a half-brother and a half-sister as well as a stepmother. This is the story of the fight between Ewan and his half-brother Richard for the dukedom and for Anna's hand in marriage.
• 
  Alyssa

  Okay, so this is totally a YA romance novel, but I loved it! It's a good love story without any mushy adult scenes.It's good to read if one is in a nostalgic mood. FYI: I've never read an adult romance novel nor do I want to.
• 
  Katrina K

  This was a sweet and clean romance. I would definitely read more books like this. It held my attention from the beginning to the very end. The book was short and quick to get through. I would recommend this book to just about anyone.
• 
  Kathryn Cooper

  I just re-reading this one because I couldn't remember what happened. It's an easy read that has clean romance. It's connected with Emily and the Scot so read Anna and the Duke first.
• 
  Jamie

  This was a cute one. It was a romance for teens, there seems to have been a whole series of them written several years ago, an idea which is pretty smart.
  
  Ewan grew up in Scotland with his grandmother. His mom had died, and his dad had abandoned them before that. He was very happy there, but then he gets the news that his real father has died, and that he is needed in England.
  
  When he arrives in England, he finds that his father had remarried and had another son and daughter. The wife and daughter are overjoyed to find out about him, but the son is not so much. Ewan had gotten the title as first born, and Richard, from the second marriage, had been counting on that.
  
  Richard is determined to prove that Ewan is a fake. Along the way, Ewan meets Richard's fiance, Anna. As Anna spends more time with Ewan, she realizes that she has never heard Richard say I love you, and that she is no longer sure of her feelings...
  
  This is a pretty well written book for teens. I like that these books are not as centered around sex as adult romance, so sometimes the stories are better developed, if not better written. If you have a teenager who wants to read romance, these would be a great way to introduce them.
• 
  Loredelcarmen

  Hace un par de años que leí el libro por primera vez y me gusto, ahora que lo vuelvo a leer no me pareció tan bueno como la primera vez. La historia y sus personajes no me atraparon, es un libro corto, fácil de leer. Tal vez lo que no me gustó fue que en todo el libro la relación entre sus protagonistas es en escondidas y ella todo el tiempo es la prometida del hermano de él.
• 
  katya

  Would have given it a better rating if the ending didn't drag out so much. I feel like it took me forever, forever, to finally finish this book. Too insta-love, too cliché, too predictable. Just one big meh. Not unpleasant, not delightful, just meh. If someone asked me about it, I would just shrug. Meh.
• 
  Mónica Prádanos

  Leí este libro cuando era adolescente y me encantó. Varios años después lo he releído y he disfrutado mucho. Es cierto que es una novela simple y que no podría decir que tiene un gran trabajo de personajes, trama, ambientación o trasfondo, pero oye, me hace saborear la historia de amor, me mantiene en vilo y lo he pasado bien, que es lo que busco: meterme en una historia y disfrutarla.
• 
  Lola like lola nolan

  Voy a decir esto, libro romántico de época que leo, libro romántico de época que adoro. Tuve romance, tuve momentos graciosos, tuve drama, enojo, impotencia, suspenso, que más puedo pedir. Me encantó realmente y además fue un regalo de mi mejor amiga así que sabe lo que me gusta y hace que este libro sea muchísimo más especial por eso. Gracias Vic <3
• 
  Siena

  Incredibly lame but SO fun! This is the first paperback historical romance I’ve read and I totally get the appeal! Also maybe I’ve just read too much dark academia fanfiction but when love interests recite poetry to each other I cry 🥺🥰
• 
  Chandni

  This was such an overdramatic fluffy teen romance novel, but I devoured it. I know it was extremely silly, but it was really fun. I actually read the sequel first, so it was nice to see the things that were hinted at.
• 
  elstaffe

  2.5 rounds up to 3 stars for me
• 
  Jessica Hernández

  Es un buen libro solo para pasar el rato, demasiados clichés de la época y sin ningún giro en la trama.
• 
  Savanah Sutton

  Ewan Maclaughlin, a young Scottish lord, reluctantly goes to England when his estranged father, an English duke, dies and names him his heir even though he has a son with his second wife. Obviously this is not something he particularly wants to go do. He doesn't want his fathers title and he can't make himself grieve for someone he only vaguely remembers. He stops by a book store and meets Anna Welsley, a bookish young lady, and is instantly spell bound. She ends up letting him take the book that was intended for her and leaves, heading to the house of her betrothed. Ewan then goes to his late fathers house to meet his family.
  
  From here I'm pretty sure we can see what is going to happen. Sadly, I found this book very predictable, but it was still a good read.
  
  Now, Before I go into all the stuff I didn't like, I would like to give this book some praise. The book was a very nice adventure and I loved Ewan. I thought he had a couple parts in the novel where he grew up and that was quite refreshing. And you know, who doesn't love a Scotsman? I also really liked seeing Richards descent into madness and that he was a reluctant bad guy until near the end.
  
  
  I know that the above spoiler wasn't really that much of a spoiler and this is where my frustration begins. From the first ten pages you can start to get a feeling for what is going to happen in the rest of the book (unfortunately, this is often the case for romances though). It can't really be helped though so I didn't mind that bad. Something I did mind though was Anna and Ewan's behavior. I get that you're attracted to one another, but that doesn't mean that it's OK to kiss each other when Anna is betrothed to someone else. She's betrothed to your brother for god sakes!What makes it worse is that the author tries to make it OK by making Richard look like a bad guy and by making him mentally unstable. If Anna wanted to go and kiss Ewan, she should have broken up with Richard not string both of them along because she's unsure of her feelings.
  
  Rant aside this book is good, there was just parts that irked me a little. Her romance with Ewan is very sweet, aside from the cheating, and I liked that the author didn't just throw the word love into it in the first twenty pages.
  
  I would recommend this to younger kids who want to read romance especially, but this is a good read no matter the age.
  
  
• 
  Sheetal Dash

  Anna and the Duke is an intriguing book, with an interesting plot. But the book is, for lack of a better word, cheesy. The characters are interesting. Anna and the Duke is actually the first of two books that feature MacLaughlin men. Emily and the Scot is the sequel, and both books have a wonderful cast of lively, believable characters that you’ll wish are your real life friends. Ewan is the quintessential Prince Charming with a Scottish flair, and with her keen wit Anna proves herself to be more than just a damsel in matrimonial distress.It’s through-and-through romantic. This would seem like a no-brainer for a romance novel, but Anna and Ewan’s story is so heartwarmingly lovely that you won’t be able to keep from smiling at the end!As much as I liked the romance part (it's a romance after all!), I also enjoyed the other relationships. Anna and her love/hate relationship with her mother. Her father who seemed oblivious to everything but who at one point showed that he was more aware than they thought. Ewan's relationship with his stepmother and stepsister. His stepmother's love for Richard which doesn't blind her to his faults. And of course Ewan's relationship with Richard himself. I found these varying relationships just as compelling as the romantic one between Ewan and Anna. I highly recommend this sweet love story, set in England in 1818, to teenage girls who enjoy historical romances. It's a really romantic and charming story, and I truly enjoyed the characters
• 
  Books With

  The benefits of reading Anna and the Duke:
  
  It’s like Jane Austen with training wheels. You know those water wings that you strap to little kids who don’t know how to swim yet? Anna and the Duke, and by extension the entire Avon True Romance series, is like that. There are no sex scenes and very little sexual implications. The novel is a good length and does not lose steam. It gives its readers an elegant taste of the time period, with all the delicious tidbits like carriages and poetry by Byron. Think of Anna and the Duke as Jane Austen 101. Once you’ve had a taste of silk gowns, dance cards, and kisses on the hand…you’ll never go back.
  
  The characters are interesting. Anna and the Duke is actually the first of two books that feature MacLaughlin men. Emily and the Scot is the sequel, and both books have a wonderful cast of lively, believable characters that you’ll wish are your real life friends. Ewan is the quintessential Prince Charming with a Scottish flair, and with her keen wit Anna proves herself to be more than just a damsel in matrimonial distress.
  
  It’s through-and-through romantic. This would seem like a no-brainer for a romance novel, but Anna and Ewan’s story is so heartwarmingly lovely that you won’t be able to keep from smiling at the end!
  Rating: 5 Benefits
  
  ARC Provided