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Book Review By Amanda Cherniske
The Runaway Duke by Julie Ann Long

Connor is the son of a Duke but their relations were always strained. He fought in the war with France, and when he was wounded he was accidentally mistaken for a friend of his who had actually died. For the next few years he worked as a groom for the wealthy Tremaine family in Northern England.

There were two daughters, one of whom was Rebecca, who Connor became friends with. When Rebacca attempted to spy on her sister when she snuck out to meet a man, Rebecca was caught in a compromising situation instead. Her father was going to make her marry the man, who only wanted her for her money, but she realized she couldn't marry him, so Connor agreed to help her run away.

He was going to bring her to his aunt's home in Scotland but along the way he and Rebecca fell in love and he discovered that his younger brother, who became the Duke when their father died, had been murdered. He also discovered that his brother had been married to a woman who had been Connor's mistress before the war. He kept what was happening from Rebecca, and all she knew was that highway-men had tried to kill them for a locket, which showed the Duchess nude.

The duchess wanted them both killed when she realized Connor was the man with Rebecca, because he knew her secret. Connor and Rebecca joined a gypsy troop who's leader had been a friend of Connor's. He still kept the truth from Rebecca, and left her with the Gypsy's with the intention of returning by the next day, so he could sort out the trouble with the Duchess. However he got caught up in London, and Rebecca's fiancee found out where she was and told her that Connor was going to marry his brother's widow, and that he gave the two of them, Rebecca and her fiancee, his blessings. Connor caught up with them and told her it was all a lie, that he loved her, but she didn't want to hear it so eventually he left. Rebecca went after him eventually and they ended up happily ever after.


Plot & Themes
Time/era of story
Action/suspense subplot? Yes
Action:
Hidden Identity/Secret Motive Yes
Is really... - an imposter

Main Male Character
Profession/status:
Age/status: - 20's-30's

Main Female Character - a teen
Profession/status:
Effect of sexing

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK
Forest Yes
Misc setting - Fancy Mansion

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
What % of story is romance related? - 60%
How explicit is the sex? - descript of kissing - touching of anatomy - Boob talk - Vagia talk - Weiner talk
Focus of story - equally on him and her
How much dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
How much sexing? - 3-4 sex acts
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