Review: The Dueling Duchess

The Dueling Duchess by Minerva Spencer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second in the new series about a group of extraordinary women performing in an all-female circus called Farnham's Fantastical Female Fayre in the early 1800s. This novel features Cecile, the French sharp-shooter, and Lord Guy Darlington. The events of this book crossover with the events in the previous book (as indeed will the third book) but it isn't necessary to have read that to enjoy this.

In the first book the Fayre travelled to France on tour with Darlington and two of his aristocratic friends (Sin, the Duke of Staunton and Elliott) in attendance, disguised as workers. During their time in France Cecile and Guy became lovers, but agreed that their liaison would end once they returned to England. Guy needed to marry an heiress to rescue his destitute family and he could never marry a penniless circus performer.

It's a year later and things have changed drastically for Guy, a long-lost cousin, and the rightful heir, has returned to claim the dukedom and all the entailed property. Suddenly at one fell swoop Guy has lost his wealthy fiancé, his title, his home, and most of his so-called friends. But strangely Guy finds it liberating, free from his duty, and secure in the knowledge that his mother and unmarried sisters are well-provided for, he can follow his heart, if Cecile can ever forgive him. So he signs up to be one of the workers at the Fayre (again), secure in the knowledge that Cecile will make him suffer before she even contemplates forgiving him.

I really enjoyed this, as with the first book there are a myriad of storylines interwoven in the book, including: the strange romance between Elliott and Josephine Brown (better known as Blade for her skills in throwing knives); an orphan child; a missing heir; a white marriage; a governess in disguise; and a raven.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.

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