REVIEW: Worth More Than Rubies by Grace Burrowes
All the Duke of Dunfallon wants this holiday season is a respite from the machinations of the matchmakers. When pursued by a particularly determined would-be duchess, he ducks into the West Bartholomew Street Lending Library. Librarian Emerald Armstrong sees a dapper gent in a bit of a hurry and mistakes Dunfallon for a curate overdue for his assignation with West Bart’s theological collection.
Dunfallon is intrigued by Emmie’s love of books, her disdain for society’s games, and her ferocious generosity of spirit toward all of the library’s patrons. She has no patience with posturing, and thus he takes the risk of admitting his true identity. To his surprise, Emmie doesn’t mind all that much that he’s a duke—some things cannot be helped—but she is far less willing to keep silent about Dunfallon’s other secret, the one he has been guarding from even his fellow peers.
If an honorable woman is worth more than rubies, what will a duke sacrifice to earn her love?
Note: This story was half of Yuletide Gems, a novella duet originally published as a web store/library exclusive in 2022.
Dear Ms. Burrowes,
What a delight. Another book loving couple and more cats! And what a silly widgeon I’ve been to not have been reading your books up until now.
I hope that Miss Minerva Peasegill gets an invitation to the wedding of the Duke of Dunfallon and the Hon. Emerald Armstrong because Minerva is the cause of their romance. If he hadn’t ducked into the West Bart. Street Lending Library, to avoid her and her mama and been mistaken for the budding curate in need of Welsh language skills, would these two have found each other?
Dunfallon’s best hope lay in the fact that Bellefonte, being as tall as a lighthouse, would hold the ladies’ attention. Dunfallon himself could steal away unseen if he moved with the purpose and stealth of a border reiver beneath a quarter moon.
Dane, or Mr. Dunn, or the Duke of Dunfallon and Emmie, or the Honorable Miss Armstrong have much in common. They both love to read, they can interact well with children, and they’re hiding. Dane, the second spare who ended up inheriting after his elder brother died of the cliched “tragic accident” and the spare died of consumption, has been husband-hunted by marriage minded misses and their mamas. Emmie was guilted into entering the London marriage mart, didn’t take for five years and then when a second son did offer for her, she allowed intimacies (common among even the upper classes?) before her betrothed threw her over for a woman with a larger dowry. Then her brother, along with Society, viewed her as being the problem.
They both have had family issues. Dane’s father was a tyrannical martinet who belittled his son, forced him into the Army, and then ultimately did something Dane found unforgettable. Emmie’s father (very) quickly remarried after her mother’s death in order to get his heir and Ambrose was willing to believe his school chum rather than his sister about their broken betrothal.
Not all the things they have in common are dire. They both enjoy discussing books, debating finer points, cats, and reading aloud – which the street children and pensioners who routinely inhabit the library also enjoy. Ah, yes. The story is full of street children but rather than find them cloying or overdone heartstring tuggers, I enjoyed them, too. They are not plot moppets either. Little bits of information here and there reveal the tough life they lead and though they’re canny about survival, they can gather to hear the beloved books written by one Mr. Christopher Dingle about four kittens who work together and think their way through problems on the mean streets of London.
“You mustn’t blame them for trying,” Mr. Dunn said when Emmie reshelved the book. “You have a way with a tale.”
“Mr. Dingle has the way with a tale,” she said. “The children love his kittens, and what they love, they can learn from. Do you enjoy fiction, Mr. Dunn?”
He paused in his dusting. “As a lad, I did.”
There are also some wonderful secondary characters who have had their own book which I want to read.
As (initially) Emmie and Dane don’t know the particulars about each other, they can ignore the dictates of Society and sit together, enjoying lunch or tea in Emmie’s office. This also gives them time to get to know each other far more than if they had merely waltzed together at Almacks.
Miss Armstrong set down her sandwich and bestowed on Dunfallon a smile of such delighted sweetness that had she shot him in the bum with an arrow, he could not have been more astonished. When she smiled like that, Miss Armstrong barreled right past beguiling and galloped into the nearer reaches of fascinating.
The slight detachment that she carried around like a banner when executing her librarian’s duties was exchanged for the pennant of the prettiest lady in the shire, the most warmhearted, intelligent, alluring, unexpected…
God have mercy, he wasn’t the only one dissembling. Miss Emerald Armstrong wasn’t what she appeared to be, not at all, and that pleased Dunfallon as spirited debate, hot soup, and bachelor freedoms never had.
They are widely read and take delight in a rousing debate (not mansplaining) – something Emmie tells her friend Leah with wonder. Her (boorish) betrothed had boasted about having never finished a book (so we know he’s a caddish clod from the get go). She and Dane also discuss the Dingle book felines and how those kittens teach the children valuable life lessons. There is also a delightful discussion about the differences between men and women and societal expectations.
Miss Peasegill and her ilk could pursue only the Dunfallon tiara, because they had not bothered to acquaint themselves with the man who could offer it to them. They had not paid attention to the subtle effect of mood on his burr. They had not wondered if he liked animals or disdained to allow them into his domiciles. They had never inquired about his literary tastes.
To them, those aspects of the man were irrelevant beside the shining wealth and consequence of the duke.
To Emmie Armstrong, the ducal trappings probably wouldn’t matter all that much even if she knew of them.
I wondered when Emmie would learn the truth behind Dane’s identity, thinking this would probably lead to the proverbial Third Act breakup only to discover the story would unfold quite differently. Huzzah for something unusual and some quality intimacy that even includes heaving bosoms. No, the third section of the novella makes Dane and Emmie learn some hard truths about themselves. Listening, really listening is vital. Supporting someone’s truths and being willing to apologize when wrong make a relationship work better.
“I never want you to feel the misery that I did when my only sibling turned a deaf ear on my misfortune. I will tell you when you are wrong, Dunfallon, but I will also listen to you. Truly listen, not simply hoard up ammunition for my next volley in the argument. We can both be right, and we can both be wrong, all at the same time.
Dunfallon’s fingers stroked Emmie’s hair from her temple to her nape, a deliciously soothing touch. “You propose a sound bargain. I promise you both honesty and kindness, and that means listening to each other even when we are disappointed or dismayed, but it also means we don’t lie to ourselves.”
So all’s well that ends well. Each is now seen, loved, and cherished. I did note a few probably anachronistic decorations and “plaid” was used where “tartan” maybe ought to have been but darn it, I don’t care. This was lovely. A-
~Jayne
“I found Mr. Dingle’s stories and his unrelenting faith that there is always a way home, if only we are resourceful and true to ourselves and to our loved ones.”
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This sounds lovely, Jayne, so I’m off to get a sample.
I read your article title, and recommendation, and skipped directly to purchase. The book was delightful and I’m glad you wrote this review because it’s been awhile [so many books] since I’ve read Ms Burrowes’ books.
@LML: I’m glad the rec worked for you and that you enjoyed it. Do you have any Burrowes’ recs to offer since I’m a relative newbie to her writing?
A shorter series, such as Windham Brides, or Rogues to Riches. I’ve read Windham series (hmm.. perhaps Windham Brides isn’t a good starting place), Lonely Lords, True Gentlemen, Jaded Gentlemen. I own most of the Mischief in Mayfair titles, but haven’t started reading them yet. Burrowes’s characters weave through their respective series, but never in a “let’s go ’round the conference table (drawing room), give our name, and tell a bit about ourselves manner. Valentine Windham is my favorite character, and I never remember character names. Okay. I didn’t remember his name either, but google helped me with “Grace Burrowes’ pianist character”. I’m so glad I didn’t die before the internet came to town.
To add, Nicholas and his wife, secondary characters in Worth More Than Rubies, make their appearance in the second in the second Lonely Lords series. Also, whoever has been designing Grace Burrowes’ covers since could give lessons on how romance titles should be done. My favorite place to locate an author’s books is Fantastic Fiction. It existed long before most authors had their own sites and is concise.
I got a bit carried away and forgot to edit. Sorry.
@LML: No worries! Thanks for the starting points. I did start poking around on her website to find Nicholas and his wife. Looks like there’s a ton more books in that family alone.
I’d not read any of Burrowes’ books before this year but then went on a glom and read the True Gentleman and Mischief in Mayfair series. Probably my favorite of her heroes is Marcus, Earl of Tremont, from MISS DAUNTLESS. You really need to read the prior book, however, to truly understand Marcus and why he is such a lovely hero – not just because he is the protagonist in a romance but because he is truly heroic. Lydia, heroine of MISS DIGNIFIED, is Marcus’ sister, and she becomes housekeeper under a pseudonym while she searches for her brother, who has disappeared after Waterloo. The story is complicated, but in his book we find out that Marcus was not the coward and fool his fellow officers thought him to be, and he has a lovely romance with Matilda Merridew, vicar’s daughter and widow of a thorough-going scoundrel (although Burrowes shows that he is not a total villain, which I actually appreciated).
P.S. Addendum to my comment above: Marcus is what I’d call a beta hero, but he is a prime example of how it’s not just alpha heroes who are smart, brave, and deserving of their heroines (not to mention handsome and definitely worthy of a swoon or two).
@Susan/DC: These books sound great. But outside of KU, aren’t most heroes beta heroes these days? So I don’t think it’s contested much anymore.
@Janine Ballard: You may be right. I generally focus on beta heroes in my reading, with alpha heroes a distant second, so I’ve been fairly oblivious to the larger trends.