"A Delightful Tale of Romance and Love After Marriage"

Adrian, The Duke of Windmere, is dying--at least that is what he overhears his Doctors saying. The knowledge that he will not live out the year, sparks him to take a new look at his life, responsibilities and marriage. In THE DUCHESS'S NEXT HUSBAND, Terri Brisbin brings us a fresh and fun romantic tale with wonderfully likable characters and just enough plot to keep things moving along briskly.

Adrian as a second son, was never supposed to be a Duke; and Miranda, who's antecedents are landed gentry (though wealthy) are not elevated enough for a Duke. They were only permitted to marry by the odious Dowager Duchess because Adrian was not the heir and his family needed her generous dowry to refurbish their estates. This marriage between a vivacious woman and a dashing gentleman began happily, but went downhill after Adrian's older brother died and he became the Duke. The Dowager has done her best to quell any personality in Miranda and Adrian and to overburden them with responsibility and expectations. Their marriage has deteriorated to a polite loveless encounter in bed on Thursday nights to try to procure an heir and little contact between them otherwise.

The worst part of the Thursday encounters for Miranda is that they are followed each week by a dreadful Friday meeting for Miranda with the Dowager, who simply wants to know if she is 'breeding'.

With his impending death, Adrian takes a fresh look at his wife and rediscovers the woman he fell in love with originally. For her part, Miranda has just about been beaten into the ground by the Dowager and made to feel absolutely worthless because in 7 years she has not provided an heir. As Adrian and Miranda began to know each other again, Adrian makes secret plans for her well fare after his death. He sets off a chain of events that will either divide them forever or bring them a well deserved happily-ever-after. Also, in a tale that could have been overly melodramatic, Brisbin keeps it fresh and often funny with plot twists that kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. But at it's heart, this is a quintessential tale of both love and emotional growth.--in other words the perfect romance.

THE DUCHESS'S NEXT HUSBAND is original with well developed characters I came to really care about. Miranda is achingly beautiful and vulnerable and her initial shock and then joyous response to the ending of the deadly routine of her marriage is fun to read. Her physical response to Adrian shock's both of them as the Dowager has convinced them that a 'Lady' does not enjoy sex and a man goes to his Mistress for his 'baser' needs. I also like the friendship between Miranda and her friend Sophy and their conversations are both uninhibited and fun.

Adrian is a very special hero, who has been completely overwhelmed at inheriting an estate and responsibilities he was not trained to handle. His feelings of unworthiness have allowed the Dowager to rule his life with her rules and have changed him into a man just going thru the motions of life. With his impending death, Adrian learns how to live and realizes that his wife is the most important person in the world to him. He stumbles a few times in trying to arrange Miranda's comfort and safety after his death, but his heart is always in the right place and his motives are pure.

Adrian and Miranda are well grounded in their world, the secondary characters Sophy and Adrian's friend Parker are delightful and I loved Sophy's down to earth sexuality with her husband Lord Allendale. This is one 'Lady" who truly enjoys 'the baser pleasures'.

THE DUCHESS'S NEXT HUSBAND is just a delight from beginning to end. Brisbin proves that in the hands of a skilled author even some of romance's clichéd plot points can become fresh and vital. With her last 4 books for Harlequin, Brisbin has become an author one can count on for a wonderful tale of love filled with likeable people in difficult situations--which makes her an 'autobuy' for me.

Reviewed by Linda Hurst
Posted May 1, 2005