Movie / Story Retelling – Page 4 – Flippin' Pages Book Reviews

You’re the Duke That I Want by Lenora Bell

Tracy’s rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: The Thunderbolt Club, #1

Release Date: December 26, 2023

Sandrine Oliver lives in the quiet village of Squalton-On-Sea and is a devoted and dutiful daughter to her mother who is a paranoid pessimist who spouts the dangers of men and life in general, and who is bent on seeing Sandrine married to the town’s vicar. So when Sandrine is not being lectured by her mother, or pressured to marry the village vicar, she spends her time researching the crumbling Manor house that used to be owned by her father’s family but was lost centuries ago to the Duke of Rydell. Sandrine has tried to contact the duke many times, hoping he will fix up the house or give it to the Squalton Historicial Preservation and Improvement Society (of which she is the secretary), but much to her dismay, he has ignored her. But all that changes one hot afternoon when Sandrine uncharacteristically defies her mother and takes a dip in the sea, only to be accosted by a man claiming to be saving her from drowning. She soon finds herself falling for Danny, who disappears without a word. It is also the same man she sees later in London with a group of rakes, but this man is not the sweet, man she met in Squalton-on-Sea, nor is he Danny Smith, no, he is Dane Walker, the presumed Duke of Rydell and it that is not bad enough, he is pretending to not to know her!

Lord Dane Walker is the “spare heir” to his brother, the Duke of Rydell, and a founding member of the Thunderbolt Club, a group of young rakes who like racing carriages and fast women. He is in the sleepy town of Squalton-on-Sea to check out Squaltonn Manor, a property his father left him, but it is not long before he realizes his family is hated in the small town, so he tells the locals his name is Danny Smith. He sees the manor and knows that it is not the windfall he believed it to be, it is in dire need of repair and anyone buying it will probably want to raze the building and start from scratch, especially given the general air of neglect and disrepair of the entire town. Disappointed, he plans to return to Brighton but is stymied when his horse comes up lame. Instead, he wanders down to the manor and is shocked to see a woman splashing alone in the sea, he promptly saves her and finds himself captivated. Maybe staying in Squalton for a few days won’t be too bad. Sandrine is lovely, smart, and not his type at all, meaning, she is too good for him, yet that doesn’t stop him from craving her. But when he receives notice that his brother has died, he leaves without a second thought, never expecting to see her again.

When I saw that Lenora Bell was launching a new series I was excited. And when I read the blurb and requested this book from NetGalley, I was under the impression that this book was “Grease-inspired”, but a few chapters in I realized that was a huge understatement, this is a straight-up retelling of the 1970 movie classic set in Georgian England with only a few deviations. That said – if you have ever seen Grease then you will immediately see the similarities, from Danny to the Pink Ladies. And if you are a fan of the movie, you will probably be highly entertained. As for me, I liked the movie but didn’t LOVE it, and I felt the same as this book, it was OK, the writing was good and the love scenes were definitely steamier than the movie, but after waiting over a year for a new story, I felt a bit let down and wished Ms. Bell had put her own spin on the story instead of making minor alterations to adapt a well-known movie into an historical romance novel.

3 stars

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

Taming the Savage Duke by Barbara Russell

Tracy’s rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Victorian Outcasts, #1

Release Date: December 12, 2023

Madeline Debenham is just days away from realizing her dream of not only meeting her idol, artist Bridget Blanchet and if Bridget likes her work, she will help Maddie receive a full fellowship to the Royal Women’s Art Academy, which includes a stipend of six thousand pounds per year, which would give her freedom from her domineering mother. But when Lord Hector Wentworth, the younger brother of the Duke of Blackburn, crashes through her bedroom window and ruins her dreams. With her painting destroyed and her hand injured, Maddie is at first angry, but eventually comes to terms with it and even forgives Hector. Hector feels horrible about what happened and offers to help Maddie, he offers marriage, which Maddie declines, and then he promises to help her become independent. She agrees to accept his help and even encourages him to go on the expedition that started this mess. He agrees to go, telling her that when he returns in a year, he will make good on his promises. But sadly, his ship is lost in a storm, just days after leaving and Hector is declared lost. Eight years later, while returning from a visit to the Bahamas with her sister Verity and her mother, Maddie spies a man on a raft in the water and raises the alarm. To her utter shock, it is Hector, and has changed a lot from the sweet, young man she knew. But she can’t help but feel protective of him and promises to help him reacclimate to civilization.

Lord Hector Wentworth’s world has turned upside down, not only has he been shipwrecked on a deserted island for eight long years, where he had to struggle to live, having to find food, and shelter, battle loneliness, and survive against aggressive primates. But being rescued has its own struggles, primarily dealing with the death of his brother and mother, and learning how to function in society. Hector is no longer the starry-eyed young man who was consumed by his love of botany, now he is flinching at noise, feeling chafed by wearing shoes and clothes, and seems to have forgotten even the most basic of manners. So he clings to Maddie like a lifeline, needing her to help him find his way, especially when they return to London and he has to fight to regain his life, title, and sanity.

This was an interesting story with a strong “Castaway” vibe, but thankfully for Hector and Maddie, it has a happier ending. I wanted to love the book, but the first half of the story was so contrived and unbelievable that I almost quit reading, but once they returned to London the story changed and then there was so much going on that I almost lost sight of Maddie and Hector’s romance. The story has great characters, tears, mean mothers, nasty cousins, warmish love scenes, blackmail, racy photos, art thieves, a bit of heartache, and finally a HEA. Overall, the book held my attention and had the makings of a great story, but for me, it was just OK, not bad, but not a keeper. This is the first book in what appears to be a new series, and since this is a new to me author, I will definitely give the next book a try.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

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