REVIEW: Better Than a Duke by Suzanne Enoch
It takes more than Cupid to arrange a marriage in this sparkling Regency romcom where The Parent Trap crashes into Bridgerton as two precocious children decide to play matchmaker for their unsuspecting single parents.
Beckett Raines, the Marquis of Hentrose, needs a wife, and he’s resigned to participating in the Season to search for a suitable mother for his young daughter Rebecca. Beckett is determined to wed for practicality rather than love—and he thinks he’s found the perfect, proper woman for the job.
Instead, he’s stunned when his new next door neighbor Iris Silbern bursts into his London home in pursuit of her mischievous son Edmund. Her ferocity, sharp wit, and humor charm him, but she is by no means proper. Meanwhile, Iris’ relations are trying to set up a match with a wealthy, elderly duke—an answer to her financial troubles, if not her resistant heart.
Rebecca and Edmund have no interest in practical plans, not when the perfect father and mother are right in front of them. With only one Season to summon Cupid, they scheme to bring their parents together. But will Beckett realize how perfect a messy life can be? And will Iris open her heart to a man who may not be a duke, but something even better?
Dear Ms. Enoch,
Of course I’ve heard your name but this is the first book of yours that I’ve read. The blurb sounded cute and there were already some good reviews for it so I thought, “WTH, why not?” I definitely have some issues with it as I’ll mention later but there is so much charm that I was willing to power through the annoying stuff.
All the debutantes with their shining faces and dreams of romance and first kisses and true love—she wished them well, but they seemed a different species. Had she ever been that young and naïve?
The Marquis of Hentrose and Mrs. Silbirn have something in common – he’s a single father and she’s a single mother. He married for love but realized his flibbertigibbet wife was only that. She married because she thought she needed to marry to fix someone but found she couldn’t fix her husband’s gambling. Now living side by side in London – he in his townhouse and she on the sufferance of relatives – they’re first brought together by their offspring. But despite enjoying each other’s company, they don’t seem to notice how well they fit together while they pursue – or are pursued – by others. Can Rebecca and Edmund plus a houseful of servants change that before it’s too late?
The Annoying Stuff –
These are twenty-first century people in Regency dress – far too modern in actions and speech. Nine and ten year old children are using swear words and phrases and men are using such in front of Iris. Iris punches annoying men at balls and teaches Becks (her prefered nickname) about the patriarchy. So many people almost immediately jump to calling each other by first names. Giggling debs march up to a man they don’t know, introduce themselves, and then ask him for dances.
“Don’t bow,” she muttered. “You outrank me.”
He straightened again. “I was bowing to your considerable wit and ability to flay all adversaries with your tongue.”
“With my tongue? I nearly punched both of them. With my fist. Because I didn’t have a shovel.”
History is wallpapered on – during an introduction, a titled host shakes hands with Beckett at a soiree, Beckett immediately after asks a footman for a whiskey (which we never see him receive) as soon as he arrives at the soiree, Iris drinks vodkas at this soiree, and there is a weird fixation on Iris and Becket being widow/widower in an age when death was far more common than today.
The way they talk while trading child-raising stories, you’d think that Beckett never had nursery maids to help take care of Baby Becks but was up changing her nappies himself at all hours. The final dinner party would never have taken place in Regency London in a million years. Oh, and Iris and Beckett make a habit of meeting in the evenings at the fence between their properties to slug back wine, whiskey (yep, with an “e”), and bourbon straight from the bottle while moaning about their day.
“She makes me want to throw sticky, messy things at her. Like honey with bees in it.”
Now I usually DNF a book that gets its historical facts so wrong so often. History is real so why not get it correct when you can. Yet I was willing to let all the above coast because of the good stuff.
The Good Stuff –
I actually laughed out loud late in the book when one character muses that there aren’t all that many dukes in the country. Yes, regardless of what romance books would have us believe, this was/is true.
“Yes, and Mrs. Brubbins and I thought you were where?” He held a hand to his ear.
Sighing, she glanced back at him. “You thought I was in the kitchen, helping Mrs. Harley bake biscuits.”
“And what did I do when you weren’t in the kitchen with Mrs. Harley baking biscuits?”
“You lost ten years off your life, had an apoplexy, and all of your hair turned gray.”
“Precisely.”
“Except your hair didn’t turn gray, because it’s still black.”
“Shoe polish.”
She snorted. “Papa.”
Beckett Raines is such a devoted father and his nine year old daughter Lady Becks (yes, yes, I know …) is wonderful. Iris Silbern is such a devoted mother and her ten year old son Edmond is wonderful. I’m not the biggest fan of children in books due to the fact that they’re often nothing but plot moppets or they speak in Toddlerese but these two children are such fun. Both parents are fiercely proud of their children, especially Iris as Edmund has had to deal with a lot of cr*p since his father died.
“Papa!” Rebecca’s yell echoed all the way up the stairs and down the hallway. “Come see the garden!”
Ah, the dulcet tones of his delicate, fainting violet.
Becks is exuberant while Edmond is thoughtful but they’ve both been raised to appreciate the efforts of others and be kind to staff. When they realize what they’re up against as their parents contemplate marriage to totally wrong people (and not very nice people) they put their heads together, think, and plan. Their plans are elementary but they’re children after all and they use what they’ve got. One thing that they make full use of are the servants who are devoted to them and to their parents.
“I believe,” Iris interrupted, kneeling to be at eye level with the nine-year-old, “that your father wants you to grow up to be the sort of lady who values her own life and her own happiness enough to be a little more sensible in her choices than Juliet was.”
Becks reached out to put a hand on Iris’s shoulder. “Thank you,” the little girl said solemnly. “Sometimes I don’t know what he’s talking about, though I do try to be patient with him.”
Behold servants who take an active part in what goes on. Edmond and Becks learned to be kind to staff from their parents and it pays off. When the chips are down, and to be fair also in their own defense, these people are willing to risk unemployment because they know they have it good and they also know that if these incorrect marriages occur, they’ll all probably be sacked because of the ‘not very nice people’ mentioned above. Their efforts are what servants can do but as the Butler (whose last name is really Butler), Becks and Edmund know, the staff keeps the house running smoothly and can finagle a lot when needs must.
Finally Beckett and Iris are fun to get to know. Beckett knows he chose badly for his first wife – not that she was awful but just they weren’t well matched. His manipulative mother has been throwing debutants at him for years but now Beckett is willing to entertain one who seems to be what he wants: nice, knowledgeable about Society, able to be a hostess, teach Becks what she needs to know about Society, and hopefully give him an heir. He’s not looking for love.
“You’re extraordinary. Sharp-witted, quick-tongued, and deadly in an argument.”
Iris married okay but whoever should have managed her dowry and widow’s portion should be shot. In fact, there was no mention at all of her parents, not even that they had died years ago. It was like she was brought by the stork. She reminds Beckett that they met during a Season but knows that they would not have suited at that time. The years have aged them to be perfect for each other but alas, she knows he’s going to marry (bitchy) Pauline. When a possible match appears for Iris, she weighs the good and the bad and what it will allow her to do for her son. But she also doesn’t take shit from some idjuts at ton balls.
As for the romance, these are two nice people who like each other, worry about each other, and enjoy each other’s company but who seem determined to refuse to see the perfect relationship that’s staring them in the face. Well if the relationship has to take its gloves off and knock some sense into them, it will.
“I would marry a walrus if it meant protecting Edmund. But—we should never have gotten drunk in the garden, Beckett. And we should never, ever, have done that other thing. Because before that I could be the one thing I needed to be. A mother. But you reminded me—”
“That you’re also a woman,” he finished, face-to-face with her now, warm and heavy atop her. “You did the same to me. Not the woman part, of course, but the me being more than a father. And yes, we should definitely have done the other thing. And we should definitely be here together, now.”
The finale is fantastic as those who are in on the plan use what they’ve got to twist and thwart the intentions to force marriage proposals. Let’s just say there’s going to be some juicy goss being whispered and discussed across London.
Had the duke turned up his toes in the morning room? Good God, he would have to move if he ended the evening with a dead duke on his davenport.
After a while I just winced every now and then as the charm swept me along and I think the Biscuitses will live happily ever after. And I’ll let readers figure out what that means. B
~Jayne
Oh, okay I’ll give a spoiler
Spoiler: Show
“I admire … you, Iris. The way you treat others. Honestly, decisively, and fairly. My point being … when I’m in your company, I don’t feel like I’m settling. When I think about Rebecca as an adult, I would prefer that she state her annoyance with someone rather than scheme behind their back to see them ruined. When I think about myself, I don’t want to be sharing a household or a bed or a life with Pauline Grenedy. I want that with you.”
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