Call Me Duchess by Maggie Dove

Back Cover Blurb:

A rapist is loose in London…and he has plans for Marguerite Wiggins.

Grippingly suspenseful and romantic, CALL ME DUCHESS is one young woman’s stunning journey to find love in 1870s London while a dashingly handsome chaperone, a heinous villain, and her own lofty aspirations stand in her way.

Armed with a list from their father of “acceptable” men to marry, the four Wiggins sisters go to London to debut in society and make advantageous marriages. Marguerite had decided years ago that she would marry no one but the Earl of Wallingford. However, because of a serial rapist attacking women of the ton, the sisters’ uncle hires a bodyguard to protect them. Marguerite is attracted to their bodyguard, Ashton James. When she has the opportunity to further her acquaintance with the Earl, she seems to ruin her chances with him and in society. Will she get the opportunity to make amends with the Earl? Will she forget the Earl and choose Ashton? Will any of the sisters marry at all?

Call Me Duchess is the second novel in the Windword Trilogy Series. The beautiful cover drew me to the book and made me eager to read it. This historical romance takes place during the London Season in the late nineteenth century. It is a tale for four sisters whose father has squandered the family wealth. The sisters must find wealthy husbands during the London season or they will face severely reduced circumstances. Each sister sets out on her own search for a husband, but it is Marguerite who sets her sights higher than the others. She plans to become the wife of Phillip Lancaster Phillip Lancaster, the Duke of Wallingford, with whom she has been in love with since a child. With their Aunt Elizabeth’s help, they attend London’s most exclusive balls and parties, chaperoned by the handsome Aston James. Aston performs his duties as chaperone well, but it is Marguerite whom he is drawn to, but Marguerite is in pursuit of the Duke and rejects all other interested gentlemen, especially Aston.

Call Me Duchess by Maggie Dove has a nicely developed plot with plenty of subplots and twists that keep the reader guessing and turning pages. The secret rapist adds plenty of suspense and mystery. The various characters and their colourful antics keep the story interesting. For lovers of the historical romance genre, this one is very well done! I highly recommend it.