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Duke Undone #2
The Runaway Duchess
A runaway bride dumps a duke and rewrites her own love story in this enchanting Victorian historical romance from the author of The Duke Undone.
Pretty and pampered, Lavinia Yardley always dreamed of becoming a duchess. But family disgrace forces her into marriage with the most vile duke in England, and she finds herself desperate for a way out. When a rustic stranger mistakes her for globe-trotting botanist Muriel Pendrake at a train station, Lavinia has a split second to decide whether to submit to her fate or steal someone else's.
Neal Traymayne spent his youth traveling the world as Varnham Nursery's most daring plant hunter. Now he runs the nursery and is ready to settle down with a like-minded wife who'll fit right in with his large, happy, down-to-earth family. His correspondence with Muriel Pendrake proved they're the perfect match. Odd that the woman in the flesh seems more like a society belle than a scientist.
As they tramp the Cornish moors together, Lavinia and Neal discover a wild and rare desire. But this blossoming love is rooted in lies, and when the real Muriel Pendrake shows up, they can't hide from who they are. The truth may wither their hopes of happiness, or it may bloom into the sweetest love of all.
Pretty and pampered, Lavinia Yardley always dreamed of becoming a duchess. But family disgrace forces her into marriage with the most vile duke in England, and she finds herself desperate for a way out. When a rustic stranger mistakes her for globe-trotting botanist Muriel Pendrake at a train station, Lavinia has a split second to decide whether to submit to her fate or steal someone else's.
Neal Traymayne spent his youth traveling the world as Varnham Nursery's most daring plant hunter. Now he runs the nursery and is ready to settle down with a like-minded wife who'll fit right in with his large, happy, down-to-earth family. His correspondence with Muriel Pendrake proved they're the perfect match. Odd that the woman in the flesh seems more like a society belle than a scientist.
As they tramp the Cornish moors together, Lavinia and Neal discover a wild and rare desire. But this blossoming love is rooted in lies, and when the real Muriel Pendrake shows up, they can't hide from who they are. The truth may wither their hopes of happiness, or it may bloom into the sweetest love of all.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 18, 2022
About the author
Joanna Lowell
8 books365 followersJoanna Lowell lives among the fig trees in North Carolina, where she teaches in the English department at Wake Forest University. When she’s not writing historical romance, she writes collections and novels as Joanna Ruocco. Those books include Dan, Another Governess / The Least Blacksmith, The Week, and Field Glass, co-authored with Joanna Howard.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 293 reviews
April 8, 2023
One of the things we love about historical romance is the ridiculous situations our heroes find themselves in. Kidnapped by pirates? Masquerading as a nobleman's mistress? Dressing up like a harlequin to fight crime in Georgian England? We've read them all and loved them. The Runaway Duchess takes a similarly ridiculous setup - a young woman, desperate to escape her unhappy marriage, is mistaken for a plant hunter and instead of denying it, goes along with the charade.
What's different about this book (and Lowell's previous romance, The Duke Undone), is how seriously it treats the subject matter. What could have been a romp turns into a sublimely angsty romance. The Runaway Duchess also features a heroine who could have been incredibly unlikeable. Indeed, for the first third of the book (at least!) while we were interested in Lavinia's plight, we weren't particularly sympathetic to her. But that's what makes the book so special: its insistence on humanizing Lavinia despite her unsympathetic actions and off-putting interior thoughts.
We'll close with 2 final thoughts:
1. Yes, it made (one of) us cry;
2. Neal's lovemaking can only be described as "earthy." (That's figurative AND literal - he's a botanist, after all!)
34-Word Summaries:
Laine: The hottest person ever was ruined by her first love, so she agrees to marry an old gross dude to save her shitty parents. Despite the lies they tell themselves and each other, their chemistry is super hot.
Meg: Sometimes when you make an impulsive decision, you just have to roll with it. For Lavinia, that means masquerading as a botanist, getting down and dirty with a plant hunter, and falling in love.
This objective review is based on a complimentary advanced reader copy of the novel.
What's different about this book (and Lowell's previous romance, The Duke Undone), is how seriously it treats the subject matter. What could have been a romp turns into a sublimely angsty romance. The Runaway Duchess also features a heroine who could have been incredibly unlikeable. Indeed, for the first third of the book (at least!) while we were interested in Lavinia's plight, we weren't particularly sympathetic to her. But that's what makes the book so special: its insistence on humanizing Lavinia despite her unsympathetic actions and off-putting interior thoughts.
We'll close with 2 final thoughts:
1. Yes, it made (one of) us cry;
2. Neal's lovemaking can only be described as "earthy." (That's figurative AND literal - he's a botanist, after all!)
34-Word Summaries:
Laine: The hottest person ever was ruined by her first love, so she agrees to marry an old gross dude to save her shitty parents. Despite the lies they tell themselves and each other, their chemistry is super hot.
Meg: Sometimes when you make an impulsive decision, you just have to roll with it. For Lavinia, that means masquerading as a botanist, getting down and dirty with a plant hunter, and falling in love.
This objective review is based on a complimentary advanced reader copy of the novel.
January 19, 2023
Okay upon reread I’m sobbing??? Which apparently happens whenever I finish a book now which is very tiring. But I definitely wasn’t paying enough attention the first go around because I LOVED THIS. No notes.
Also it’s funny bc I read this so I could read book 3 to see if that’s the one I want Berkley to send me this year lol.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️/3
_______
Initial review:
Overall quick thoughts: super cute I loved them both!!! They were an adorable couple
The “lie” went on for about 50% of the book but it was fun and never really seemed deceitful. They didn’t bang it out until after the big reveal so no issues there. This says runaway bride but unlike the movie she actually got married, she just fled before the consummation. It was fine with me bc he was an ancient old cur and an abuser. He deserved zero respect married or not. Obviously I get pressed about cheating in other books but it literally bothered me 0% here. 🤷♀️
This definitely felt lighter in tone than book one which is funny and curious since Lavinia was technically a villain-adjacent character in book one. But it was definitely still emotional especially her reconciliation with the fact that her mother is a wild boar.
Maybe read the first book before this bc I couldn’t remember her character/couldn’t remember enough to dislike her… so I started the book liking her just fine. I missed a bit of that villain to heroine arc here because she didn’t really feel like a villain at all.
But on the flip side, I loved that she wanted to change and be different pretty much from the start. It was nice to see that she wasn’t enamored of her old life!!! It was rare that she truly despised where she came from and really didn’t make excuses, especially with her parents.
The humor was light and breezy. The writing was clever and the narrator was fantastic!
I maybe missed something but her mother deserved worse and so did the moldy old duke. But I am violent and chaotic when it comes to justice in books so maybe it’s just me.
I thiiiink this was lighter steam than book 1 but I really don’t remember that all too well, I’m just going from my old review which is probably entirely unreliable. The tension and passion was there and the scenes were open door but there were only two. The first scene however was super long and it was definitely hot. I liked seeing Neal’s transition from a lil ol botanist to a big ol naked man. The scenes definitely made me fluttery I’d have just liked a few more.
If I end up reading this again, I’ll consider bumping this to 4.5⭐️s. I know that’s not far from 4.25⭐️s so why does it matter, but 4.25⭐️s seems right because I’m not sure it has the sticking power with me of a 5⭐️ read (hence a desire to reread will be telling) buuuuut it was very enjoyable and no one made me mad or made terrible choices so it deserves more than 4⭐️s flat.
I’m absolutely kicking myself because I gave Berkley the choice of sending me this book or the Mimi matthews one bc I didn’t know which to choose and now I REGRET MY LIFE because this one was so much more my speed.
I really recommend listening to the audio because the Mary Jane Wells brought a lot of life to the story. I’m not sure if I’d have enjoyed it as much in paperback. It is very long but I didn’t marathon it and listened to it over a few days during work. There were slow parts but then it would inevitable hook me and I wouldn’t want to go to bed.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5 🌶🌶🌶.25/5
Also it’s funny bc I read this so I could read book 3 to see if that’s the one I want Berkley to send me this year lol.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️/3
_______
Initial review:
Overall quick thoughts: super cute I loved them both!!! They were an adorable couple
The “lie” went on for about 50% of the book but it was fun and never really seemed deceitful. They didn’t bang it out until after the big reveal so no issues there. This says runaway bride but unlike the movie she actually got married, she just fled before the consummation. It was fine with me bc he was an ancient old cur and an abuser. He deserved zero respect married or not. Obviously I get pressed about cheating in other books but it literally bothered me 0% here. 🤷♀️
This definitely felt lighter in tone than book one which is funny and curious since Lavinia was technically a villain-adjacent character in book one. But it was definitely still emotional especially her reconciliation with the fact that her mother is a wild boar.
Maybe read the first book before this bc I couldn’t remember her character/couldn’t remember enough to dislike her… so I started the book liking her just fine. I missed a bit of that villain to heroine arc here because she didn’t really feel like a villain at all.
But on the flip side, I loved that she wanted to change and be different pretty much from the start. It was nice to see that she wasn’t enamored of her old life!!! It was rare that she truly despised where she came from and really didn’t make excuses, especially with her parents.
The humor was light and breezy. The writing was clever and the narrator was fantastic!
I maybe missed something but her mother deserved worse and so did the moldy old duke. But I am violent and chaotic when it comes to justice in books so maybe it’s just me.
I thiiiink this was lighter steam than book 1 but I really don’t remember that all too well, I’m just going from my old review which is probably entirely unreliable. The tension and passion was there and the scenes were open door but there were only two. The first scene however was super long and it was definitely hot. I liked seeing Neal’s transition from a lil ol botanist to a big ol naked man. The scenes definitely made me fluttery I’d have just liked a few more.
If I end up reading this again, I’ll consider bumping this to 4.5⭐️s. I know that’s not far from 4.25⭐️s so why does it matter, but 4.25⭐️s seems right because I’m not sure it has the sticking power with me of a 5⭐️ read (hence a desire to reread will be telling) buuuuut it was very enjoyable and no one made me mad or made terrible choices so it deserves more than 4⭐️s flat.
I’m absolutely kicking myself because I gave Berkley the choice of sending me this book or the Mimi matthews one bc I didn’t know which to choose and now I REGRET MY LIFE because this one was so much more my speed.
I really recommend listening to the audio because the Mary Jane Wells brought a lot of life to the story. I’m not sure if I’d have enjoyed it as much in paperback. It is very long but I didn’t marathon it and listened to it over a few days during work. There were slow parts but then it would inevitable hook me and I wouldn’t want to go to bed.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5 🌶🌶🌶.25/5
January 18, 2022
⭐️⭐️1/2
I had high hopes for The Runaway Duchess; however, I was disappointed. I'm not too fond of both Neal and Lavinia and had difficulty warming to them. Neal seemed one-dimensional at times, and Lavinia was spoiled and vapid. The character’s personalities developed more past the fifty percent mark; for me, it was too late. Neal and Lavinia did have believable chemistry. The second half of the book was more interesting yet I still couldn’t get past disliking Lavinia and her choices. I also felt the novel could have been shorter and conveyed the same message. By the end the characters did redeemed themselves and there was a happily-ever-after. Unfortunately ,this book was not for me.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book through Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I had high hopes for The Runaway Duchess; however, I was disappointed. I'm not too fond of both Neal and Lavinia and had difficulty warming to them. Neal seemed one-dimensional at times, and Lavinia was spoiled and vapid. The character’s personalities developed more past the fifty percent mark; for me, it was too late. Neal and Lavinia did have believable chemistry. The second half of the book was more interesting yet I still couldn’t get past disliking Lavinia and her choices. I also felt the novel could have been shorter and conveyed the same message. By the end the characters did redeemed themselves and there was a happily-ever-after. Unfortunately ,this book was not for me.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book through Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
March 3, 2024
I skipped around in the reading order of this series but am now caught up. Joanna Lowell is an author I just kind of dig! She is eloquent in her prose, well-researched in her history, interested in human complexities, and maybe most intriguing, eager to put her characters in morally messy situations and let the chips fall. Each of her books features at least one major character in a quagmire of murky ethical behavior that asks us as readers to go on a journey with them to see how they will emerge from the predicaments they get themselves into. I'm completely fascinated by the plotting of Lowell's novels, even when at times, the predicaments give me anxiety. The anxiety-inducing events in The Runaway Duchess are just as anxiety producing as the other two books in this series but are also always completely captivating.
Lavinia is a self-acknowledged spoil brat, a perfect product of the London haute ton for whom she has her parents to thank for raising her with a profound sense of entitlement and pride in her beauty and social skills. Reading other reviews of this book, I note that self-centered female protagonists are not everyone's favorite. I think many reviews though are shortchanging the complexity of life for a society belle such as Lavinia. She is a minor character in the first book and tended to be a bit one dimensional there, but in her own book, I found her to be as complicated and fascinating as other main Lowell characters. Lavinia might be beautiful and know how to wield her assets to her advantage, but from the beginning, she is also naive and even self-destructive at times. She secretly becomes the mistress of a renowned rake and gladly relinquishes her virginity in the hopes that they will one day have a loving marriage. Of course, that's not what happens, and as Lavinia's prospects one by one dwindle, she becomes increasingly desperate. Her story feels like an Edith Wharton novel at times, though thankfully with a happy ending. The main plot of the book sees Lavinia fleeing an arranged marriage to a ghoul of an aristocrat, assuming a false identity, and ensnaring the hero here in a romance built on lies.
Some of the lies are quite funny as Lavinia tries to stay one step ahead of Neal in her pretense that she is a renowned botanist. Taking her identity at face value, Neal is confronted with his own problematic assumptions about the basis for a successful romance. I wondered how long the book could reasonably allow Lavinia to maintain her false identity given how ridiculous a figure she paints of an intrepid outdoorsy person who lives for erudition. I laughed at the scenes of Lavinia enthusiastically writing her pirate romance novel while Neal assumes she's avidly notetaking on the ferns and shrubs they encounter on their daily hikes. Lavinia and Neal disagree on many things, and one of the intriguing questions raised in the book involves the dilemma of how much our interests need to align with our significant other to be happy with someone in the long term. Lavinia's facade falls apart half way through, and the second half of the book allows the main couple to work through issues that could keep them apart. Lavinia and Neal have fabulous chemistry together, and I found myself thinking about them when I wasn't reading and wanting to get back to my book as soon as possible.
I hope the author continues to write historical romances, as all of her books have worked for me. I loved her third book Artfully Yours a little more than this one, and it was one of my very favorite books last year. I highly recommend all three in the series.
Lavinia is a self-acknowledged spoil brat, a perfect product of the London haute ton for whom she has her parents to thank for raising her with a profound sense of entitlement and pride in her beauty and social skills. Reading other reviews of this book, I note that self-centered female protagonists are not everyone's favorite. I think many reviews though are shortchanging the complexity of life for a society belle such as Lavinia. She is a minor character in the first book and tended to be a bit one dimensional there, but in her own book, I found her to be as complicated and fascinating as other main Lowell characters. Lavinia might be beautiful and know how to wield her assets to her advantage, but from the beginning, she is also naive and even self-destructive at times. She secretly becomes the mistress of a renowned rake and gladly relinquishes her virginity in the hopes that they will one day have a loving marriage. Of course, that's not what happens, and as Lavinia's prospects one by one dwindle, she becomes increasingly desperate. Her story feels like an Edith Wharton novel at times, though thankfully with a happy ending. The main plot of the book sees Lavinia fleeing an arranged marriage to a ghoul of an aristocrat, assuming a false identity, and ensnaring the hero here in a romance built on lies.
Some of the lies are quite funny as Lavinia tries to stay one step ahead of Neal in her pretense that she is a renowned botanist. Taking her identity at face value, Neal is confronted with his own problematic assumptions about the basis for a successful romance. I wondered how long the book could reasonably allow Lavinia to maintain her false identity given how ridiculous a figure she paints of an intrepid outdoorsy person who lives for erudition. I laughed at the scenes of Lavinia enthusiastically writing her pirate romance novel while Neal assumes she's avidly notetaking on the ferns and shrubs they encounter on their daily hikes. Lavinia and Neal disagree on many things, and one of the intriguing questions raised in the book involves the dilemma of how much our interests need to align with our significant other to be happy with someone in the long term. Lavinia's facade falls apart half way through, and the second half of the book allows the main couple to work through issues that could keep them apart. Lavinia and Neal have fabulous chemistry together, and I found myself thinking about them when I wasn't reading and wanting to get back to my book as soon as possible.
I hope the author continues to write historical romances, as all of her books have worked for me. I loved her third book Artfully Yours a little more than this one, and it was one of my very favorite books last year. I highly recommend all three in the series.
Shelved as 'dnf'
December 9, 2021DNF @ 18%
Thank you so much to Berkley and Netgalley for providing an e-arc copy. All thoughts and opinions are still my own.
Unfortunately this historical romance just did not work for me in any capacity. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, The Duke Undone, and I know going into this that this would probably have a similar, serious tone. But for me, this was missing any of the charm book 1 had.
This follows the ex-fiancé of the hero from book 1. And I found her such a difficult heroine to read from and root for. In fact I found her to be quite insufferable (hence the dnf). Lavinia is going through a lot and has suffered a lot of trauma so I tried giving her a chance. Not only has she experienced an emotionally abusive relationship, but also the death of her first fiancé. Her father recently went to prison and with him went her entire livelihood. On top of all of that, she feels pressured into a marriage with a man who treats her terribly.
But despite all of that, I could not listen to Lavinia complain and place blame for her life on other people for another page. Lavinia takes absolutely zero responsibility for her life and circumstances. She lets things happen and then complains about it without putting forth an iota of effort. I just found being in her head to be beyond frustrating and made it not a fun reading experience.
On top of that, while I like this premise in theory, I was struggling with the fact that both characters were consciously lying to each other. Not just in the way of keeping their real identities from each other, but fabricating entire backstories to maintain the lies. As well as hiding their actual intentions for each other. And the more they chose to lie, the more I struggled to connect to the idea of their romance (since nothing about it would be based on who they actually were).
In the end, I just wasn't enjoying the reading experience for this one and decided it wasn't for me. And despite enjoying book 1, I don't think I'll be picking up anything else in this series.
Thank you so much to Berkley and Netgalley for providing an e-arc copy. All thoughts and opinions are still my own.
Unfortunately this historical romance just did not work for me in any capacity. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, The Duke Undone, and I know going into this that this would probably have a similar, serious tone. But for me, this was missing any of the charm book 1 had.
This follows the ex-fiancé of the hero from book 1. And I found her such a difficult heroine to read from and root for. In fact I found her to be quite insufferable (hence the dnf). Lavinia is going through a lot and has suffered a lot of trauma so I tried giving her a chance. Not only has she experienced an emotionally abusive relationship, but also the death of her first fiancé. Her father recently went to prison and with him went her entire livelihood. On top of all of that, she feels pressured into a marriage with a man who treats her terribly.
But despite all of that, I could not listen to Lavinia complain and place blame for her life on other people for another page. Lavinia takes absolutely zero responsibility for her life and circumstances. She lets things happen and then complains about it without putting forth an iota of effort. I just found being in her head to be beyond frustrating and made it not a fun reading experience.
On top of that, while I like this premise in theory, I was struggling with the fact that both characters were consciously lying to each other. Not just in the way of keeping their real identities from each other, but fabricating entire backstories to maintain the lies. As well as hiding their actual intentions for each other. And the more they chose to lie, the more I struggled to connect to the idea of their romance (since nothing about it would be based on who they actually were).
In the end, I just wasn't enjoying the reading experience for this one and decided it wasn't for me. And despite enjoying book 1, I don't think I'll be picking up anything else in this series.
January 17, 2022
Heartwarming Victorian romance of a ‘mean’ girl of the ton!
Lavina Yardley, once the unlikeable yet reigning belle of the ballroom, has been brought low. That blow forces her to reevaluate her life. The woman they called Perfection is now:
Forced by the incarceration of her rogue father currently residing in Holloway Prison.
Forced by the loss of the rake who touted marriage, evinced seduction and managed to die.
Forced by the pleas and machinations of her mother to marry a pig of a man—a sexually repulsive overweight old duke
Now cut off from Society, removed from her home and living in a less salubrious hotel, what were the alternatives for Lavina? Governess…Shopgirl…Parlourmaid? Lavina chooses Duchess to the gross Duke of Weston.
And then, enroute to the Duke’s country home, after the wedding ceremony, Lavina walks across the rail tracks, and hidden from view, meets Neal Traymayne, an intrepid plant hunter, who mistakes her for a fellow botanist. Lo and behold, Lavina, boldly and desperately, assumes the identity of Mrs Muriel Pendrake.
And ‘just like that’ Lavina discovers her worth, her true grit, as she steps out across the Cornish moors.
Oh sure, this make believe pirate captain that Lavina sees herself as has setbacks, but she sails through them—until she can’t. Until the true Muriel and Lavina’s past catches up with her.
I was uttterly captivated by Lavina, her struggles to find her own voice and where she belongs. Not what she wants to do but who she really is.
A Berkley Group ARC via NetGalley
Lavina Yardley, once the unlikeable yet reigning belle of the ballroom, has been brought low. That blow forces her to reevaluate her life. The woman they called Perfection is now:
Forced by the incarceration of her rogue father currently residing in Holloway Prison.
Forced by the loss of the rake who touted marriage, evinced seduction and managed to die.
Forced by the pleas and machinations of her mother to marry a pig of a man—a sexually repulsive overweight old duke
Now cut off from Society, removed from her home and living in a less salubrious hotel, what were the alternatives for Lavina? Governess…Shopgirl…Parlourmaid? Lavina chooses Duchess to the gross Duke of Weston.
And then, enroute to the Duke’s country home, after the wedding ceremony, Lavina walks across the rail tracks, and hidden from view, meets Neal Traymayne, an intrepid plant hunter, who mistakes her for a fellow botanist. Lo and behold, Lavina, boldly and desperately, assumes the identity of Mrs Muriel Pendrake.
And ‘just like that’ Lavina discovers her worth, her true grit, as she steps out across the Cornish moors.
Oh sure, this make believe pirate captain that Lavina sees herself as has setbacks, but she sails through them—until she can’t. Until the true Muriel and Lavina’s past catches up with her.
I was uttterly captivated by Lavina, her struggles to find her own voice and where she belongs. Not what she wants to do but who she really is.
A Berkley Group ARC via NetGalley
September 1, 2021
Lavinia is a spoiled, (formerly) rich girl. Now in reduced circumstances, she's forced to marry a lecherous old duke to save her family. But she quickly realizes things are going to be much worse than she expected, and when the chance comes to flee, she takes it. Neal is a passionate botanist who has decided to propose marriage to Muriel Pendragon, a fellow scientist--as soon as he meets her. When Neal mistakes Lavinia for the intrepid Mrs. Pendragon, Lavinia doesn't correct him. Instead, she hops into his carriage for a botany expedition in the opposite direction from her loathsome husband. But now she has to pretend to actually *be* a world-traveling plant expert.
I was not expecting to like Lavinia's story. She is the unpleasant fiancee of the hero from the previous book in this series, and she didn't seem to deserve redemption. But after getting her comeuppance and learning some hard truths about the world, the former heiress grows up and changes her priorities. Meanwhile, Neal is extremely likable and loyal. A mostly charming adventure, with only a few extraordinary coincidences to help the plot.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.
I was not expecting to like Lavinia's story. She is the unpleasant fiancee of the hero from the previous book in this series, and she didn't seem to deserve redemption. But after getting her comeuppance and learning some hard truths about the world, the former heiress grows up and changes her priorities. Meanwhile, Neal is extremely likable and loyal. A mostly charming adventure, with only a few extraordinary coincidences to help the plot.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.
January 8, 2022
I absolutely despised the beginning of this book. Lavinia Yardley is a mean, vapid, shallow brat who I hated reading about. I wanted to quit reading this within the first 20 percent, but I stuck it out. I'm glad I did because while I'm conflicted about it, there was something really special about Lavinia and Neal. He changed her, and truly by the end I was rooting for her.
Will be reviewed further at smittenbybooks.com
Will be reviewed further at smittenbybooks.com
November 8, 2021
I don’t know where to begin to describe how much I adore this book.
Quick summary. A newly married duchess runs away from her old goat of a husband and is assumed to be a world travelling botanist by the handsome and charming owner of a nursery. As they travel across the British countryside, Lavinia Yardley sheds the smallest, worst parts of herself that have been twisted by society and her family to make her into the quintessential marriageable lady. Her companion, Neal Traymayne, also finds himself readjusting his misconceptions along the way as they bring out the best and the worst in one another.
The prose – the gorgeous, intelligent, mesmerizing prose, my friends. You will revel in Lowell’s pitch perfect descriptions of both the mundane and the wonderous. I would say she is much like Sherry Thomas in how you can admire her wordsmithing without being overwhelmed by it and distracted from the story.
The story – the heartbreaking, uplifting, seriously romantic story. How Lavinia finds her way back to herself in the most absurd situations but never becomes a paragon is amazing. Each of the characters you encounter is fully realized and perfectly imperfect.
I have read hundreds of historical romances and always go back to a handful of authors who I hold up as stellar examples of the craft – not just of writing romance but of writing incredible fiction overall – and with The Runaway Duchess, Joanna Lowell has become one of them.
Quick summary. A newly married duchess runs away from her old goat of a husband and is assumed to be a world travelling botanist by the handsome and charming owner of a nursery. As they travel across the British countryside, Lavinia Yardley sheds the smallest, worst parts of herself that have been twisted by society and her family to make her into the quintessential marriageable lady. Her companion, Neal Traymayne, also finds himself readjusting his misconceptions along the way as they bring out the best and the worst in one another.
The prose – the gorgeous, intelligent, mesmerizing prose, my friends. You will revel in Lowell’s pitch perfect descriptions of both the mundane and the wonderous. I would say she is much like Sherry Thomas in how you can admire her wordsmithing without being overwhelmed by it and distracted from the story.
The story – the heartbreaking, uplifting, seriously romantic story. How Lavinia finds her way back to herself in the most absurd situations but never becomes a paragon is amazing. Each of the characters you encounter is fully realized and perfectly imperfect.
I have read hundreds of historical romances and always go back to a handful of authors who I hold up as stellar examples of the craft – not just of writing romance but of writing incredible fiction overall – and with The Runaway Duchess, Joanna Lowell has become one of them.
July 1, 2024
Lavinia is a darling of the ton… until her father betrays her finance’s family. Her father is imprisoned. She and her mother are outcasts.
A horrid touchy old Duke offers for Lavinia and Lavinia’s mother agrees. Having avoided her wedding night by making herself ill, Lavinia gets off the train taking her to her honeymoon to get some fresh air.
A young man approaches. Neal Traymayne, he says he is, and she must be Mrs. Pendrake. He’s mistaken her for someone else. Lavinia does not correct the mistake.
The lie has quite the snowball effect. A break from the train turns into a week on the run with a man who thinks she’s someone else but has somehow fallen in love with the real Lavinia anyway.
Secrets are revealed. Feelings are hurt. Lies are forgiven.
A number of shocking events follow their week together. New friends are made, villains are vanquished, self-doubt attacks, and family obligations get in the way.
But somehow Lowell gets Neal and Lavinia back together with neither having sacrificed any of the best parts of themselves.
This is a delightful opposites attract, secret identity, class differences, “ruined” woman, bad family vs. amazing family, historical romance.
A horrid touchy old Duke offers for Lavinia and Lavinia’s mother agrees. Having avoided her wedding night by making herself ill, Lavinia gets off the train taking her to her honeymoon to get some fresh air.
A young man approaches. Neal Traymayne, he says he is, and she must be Mrs. Pendrake. He’s mistaken her for someone else. Lavinia does not correct the mistake.
The lie has quite the snowball effect. A break from the train turns into a week on the run with a man who thinks she’s someone else but has somehow fallen in love with the real Lavinia anyway.
Secrets are revealed. Feelings are hurt. Lies are forgiven.
A number of shocking events follow their week together. New friends are made, villains are vanquished, self-doubt attacks, and family obligations get in the way.
But somehow Lowell gets Neal and Lavinia back together with neither having sacrificed any of the best parts of themselves.
This is a delightful opposites attract, secret identity, class differences, “ruined” woman, bad family vs. amazing family, historical romance.
May 21, 2022
5 Stars of... I just weirdly love these books!
I just realized this review has been sitting as a draft for ages (I’m finally catching up on my reviews) so here we are! I simply have to say: Joanna Lowell just gets my historical romance needs.
To me, they don’t fit in a neat trope, they don’t quite slot common genre expectations. The characters have lots of flaws that Lowell never seeks to resolve, the romance development follows an a-typical arch, and the stories themselves are rather unique. I do see why a lot of people don’t like these books, I do. But for whatever reason, they tick most if not all boxes for me. This story, like it’s predecessor, was delightful. It was sad, frustrating, hilarious, and authentic.
Neal was this strong, confident man wearing a cinnamon-roll facade. Lavinia was this vain, haughty little thing that I couldn’t help but love.
It’s a slow start, and takes a lot of unexpected (possibly unwelcome, to some readers) turns. But give it a chance! I personally look forward to the next installment in the series.
I just realized this review has been sitting as a draft for ages (I’m finally catching up on my reviews) so here we are! I simply have to say: Joanna Lowell just gets my historical romance needs.
To me, they don’t fit in a neat trope, they don’t quite slot common genre expectations. The characters have lots of flaws that Lowell never seeks to resolve, the romance development follows an a-typical arch, and the stories themselves are rather unique. I do see why a lot of people don’t like these books, I do. But for whatever reason, they tick most if not all boxes for me. This story, like it’s predecessor, was delightful. It was sad, frustrating, hilarious, and authentic.
Neal was this strong, confident man wearing a cinnamon-roll facade. Lavinia was this vain, haughty little thing that I couldn’t help but love.
It’s a slow start, and takes a lot of unexpected (possibly unwelcome, to some readers) turns. But give it a chance! I personally look forward to the next installment in the series.
January 31, 2022
DNF at 33%. Reviewed with Layla.
The review continues here:
https://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/d...
Janine: The Runaway Duchess is the story of Lavinia Yardley, who was engaged to Anthony, Duke of Weston and hero of The Duke Undone (book #1 in this series), much against his will. When we last saw Lavinia, Anthony had just freed himself from the engagement and exposed her father’s crimes. Lavinia disavowed her father, but she and her mother were left without resources.
As The Runaway Duchess begins, Lavinia is waiting for her mother to come up with a plan B when the lecherous, much older and creepy Duke of Cranbrook comes to propose marriage and she realizes that she is her mother’s plan B. She doesn’t view herself as having other alternatives so she says yes.
Lavinia is not a nice person initially. She begins the book a snob who feels superior anyone below her station, vain of her considerable beauty, spoiled, and nasty to her maid. It’s impossible to like her at first but you can see that Lowell is setting her up for a reformation.
Years earlier, Lavinia was seduced by George, Anthony’s late brother and a rakish duke who promised to marry her. It’s not clear he would have, and he died young, leaving Lavinia unmarried but no longer a virgin. She thinks Cranbrook won’t mind, but shortly after her wedding she overhears him laughing with and gloating about how much he’s looking forward to divesting her of her virginity. On top of being repulsed by Cranbrook, Lavinia now has a second reason to be anxious about her wedding night. She’s so dreading it that she eats a strawberry after the wedding knowing she is terribly allergic to them and hoping her reaction will stave off the horror to come. It does.
Lavinia and Cranbrook take the train to his country estate the following day, but at a train stop in Cornwall, Lavinia gets off the train to use the bathroom. She can’t find it, and when she is mistaken for a widowed collector of rare and foreign plants, Mrs. Muriel Pendrake, by Neal Traymayne, she jumps into his carriage and gets away.
Neal is a plant collector and botanist himself, as well as head gardener of nurseries at a company (the owner is the father of a late friend and grooming Neal to take over). Neal has never met Muriel before, but he’s heard the widow is pretty and after corresponding with her, has invited her to Cornwall to explore the countryside and its plant life.
Neal has a history of relationships driven by attraction and later gone awry, including a broken engagement to a society woman from a middle-class background. His mother’s marriage to his father is much different because of their shared interests in scientific studies. With his mother now dying, Neal has decided to find a woman she’ll approve of and marry her not because he is attracted to her but because of things they have in common. He anticipates that this will be a more successful basis for marriage, so he has an ulterior motive for inviting Muriel Pendrake to Cornwall—to woo her and convince her to marry him.
Muriel and her late husband collected plants in China in rough conditions, so Neal is surprised when “Muriel” turns out to be afraid during a dicey carriage ride, picky about their lodgings and food, and dressed impeccably. He assumed that she was intrepid and adaptive, and so Lavinia is thrust into a fish-out-of-water “fake it till you make it” situation. The mutual attraction between her and Neal helps but that she pulls it off for as long as she does is a bit of a stretch to believe.
Layla: I stayed up until 1 am (unheard of me I’m usually in bed by 9!) because I was so consumed by this book.
The writing—emotional, crisp, elegant and with a lot of beautiful scenes and descriptions. She did a great job setting up atmosphere—the feeling of intimate family life in a small community.
Janine: I had an opposite reaction. Even after Muriel started learning that there’s more to life than pretty dresses and looking down her nose at others, I still had difficulty connecting with her, and I quit around a third of the way in. Lowell’s characters often think about one thing while conversing about another and that distracts me from what they are feeling and from the connection between them. More importantly, after the first few chapters, there also wasn’t much happening besides the romance in the first 33%. The book dragged for me.
Layla: I love a road trip romance and a heroine in disguise. Both of these conceits allow for the couple who might not ordinarily meet or know each other, to spend a lot of time together in a period when men and women’s interactions were socially constrained. This worked wonderfully because you see the couple gradually move from awkward strangers to sort of friends, to lovers.
The review continues here:
https://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/d...
February 7, 2022
I was on the fence on if I wanted to read this, The Duke Undone had potential but over all disappointing. I was happily surprised by how much I ended up liking it. I will admit I was tempted to DNF it at the beginning like many of my fellow readers, but I decided to press on.
We are reintroduced to Lavinia from book one. Her spoiled and superficial nature is still front and center, even after her families fall from grace. She feels that marriage to an old and lecherous duke is the only option, but after saying "I do" she bolts. Neal mistakes Lavinia for Muriel Pendrake, a like-minded botanist he correspondences with and is determined to marry. Lavinia takes her chances for escape and joins Neal. A story of mistaken identity, opposites attract, and coming to terms with your past. I really felt this was a unique take on historical romance and once the initial dislike of Lavinia faded I really enjoyed the journey.
I think it would have been more successful to have Lavinia's self reflection and maturing came a little earlier in the story. The first book showed what a vain and superficial creature she was, readers need to connect to the MC quickly and the delay in her character development made her unlikable. It was easy to pity Lavinia but it was not easy to like her. Neal was a little boring, but I enjoyed a working class hero with brains. The chemistry was there but nothing that made my stomach flip. Again, like with book 1 there were many side characters that didn't add much to the story besides names and confusion. Joanna Lowell needs to stop focusing so much on minor characters. Use the opportunity to further the story and the MCs, not a random character that has one interaction, then disappears never to be seen or heard of again. The writing at times was beautiful, there were a few quotes that had me pausing and rewinding my audiobook. I enjoyed this 100x more than I expected, but I didn't fall in love with the story or the characters.
We are reintroduced to Lavinia from book one. Her spoiled and superficial nature is still front and center, even after her families fall from grace. She feels that marriage to an old and lecherous duke is the only option, but after saying "I do" she bolts. Neal mistakes Lavinia for Muriel Pendrake, a like-minded botanist he correspondences with and is determined to marry. Lavinia takes her chances for escape and joins Neal. A story of mistaken identity, opposites attract, and coming to terms with your past. I really felt this was a unique take on historical romance and once the initial dislike of Lavinia faded I really enjoyed the journey.
I think it would have been more successful to have Lavinia's self reflection and maturing came a little earlier in the story. The first book showed what a vain and superficial creature she was, readers need to connect to the MC quickly and the delay in her character development made her unlikable. It was easy to pity Lavinia but it was not easy to like her. Neal was a little boring, but I enjoyed a working class hero with brains. The chemistry was there but nothing that made my stomach flip. Again, like with book 1 there were many side characters that didn't add much to the story besides names and confusion. Joanna Lowell needs to stop focusing so much on minor characters. Use the opportunity to further the story and the MCs, not a random character that has one interaction, then disappears never to be seen or heard of again. The writing at times was beautiful, there were a few quotes that had me pausing and rewinding my audiobook. I enjoyed this 100x more than I expected, but I didn't fall in love with the story or the characters.
May 28, 2022
I adored this witty, unconventional, exquisite romance.
I loved it for so many reasons. Lavinia was raised to demand everything she ever wanted. She was spoiled and bored and needed something beyond her cramped existence and the arranged marriage that chararcterized her social station. Ina solit second decision, she takes matters into her own hands and runs away from her odious future. Although her act seems impetuous and impulsive, it is not. It is simply a woman who has reached the end of her patience. A woman who wants an adventure that mirrors the stories that she is constantly narrating in her daydreams. A woman who wants freedom and love and a happily ever after.
Lavinia assumes the identity of another woman scheduled to show up on the train platform. She becomes swept into an adventure she could not have imagined, experiences that are completely foreign to her, and an enigmatic man who draws her like no one else before – even though he would be deemed completely unsuitable. She must re-invent herself, but to do so she must confront the bleakest, most unfavorable parts of her personality. Her adventure becomes a journey of self-discovery and she begins to appreciate and love her own company as well as that of Neal Tremayne.
She begins to appreciate wild walks across the moors, the hidden beauty of the rugged landscape, noisy taverns, and raucous company. She becomes intimately familiar with blisters, damp petticoats and the singular appeal of her traveling companion.
He is everything she would not have noticed in the life she is running away from. He is solid and dependable, charismatic and blue-collar handsome. He is wind-burnt and sunburnt. He has laugh lines and muscles she can’t help noticing. She wants to appreciate the virtues of moss with him. She wants to lay her head on his shoulder during interminably long train excursions and simply wrap her hand in his while they watch the sunset.
She was convinced she preferred “Moet to ale, saffron buns to scones, novels to horticulture journals, late nights to early mornings, London to Cornwall.” Now everything she thought she knew is called into question. Her world and her words become more colorful. It’s narrowed to the tap of her feet on a barrel, and widened to seeing the everything as new and glorious and dear and precious.
When the real world intrudes on the adventure, and the actual person whose identity she assumed shows up, she is forced to come to terms with her life. She leaves Neal’s side, determined that her presence in his life will destroy his future. She leaves him convinced that she is not the partner he needs. She leaves him with the sharp imprint of his love and acceptance on her life, and the fragile hope that someday they can have an HEA.
After a series of completely unpredictable events, their HEA becomes more than hope – it becomes a possibility. The question is whether they are both free enough to embrace it.
This slow-burn, opposites attract love story completely stole my heart. Highly recommended if you love the authors Elizabeth Everett, Joanna Shupe, and Martha Waters.
I loved it for so many reasons. Lavinia was raised to demand everything she ever wanted. She was spoiled and bored and needed something beyond her cramped existence and the arranged marriage that chararcterized her social station. Ina solit second decision, she takes matters into her own hands and runs away from her odious future. Although her act seems impetuous and impulsive, it is not. It is simply a woman who has reached the end of her patience. A woman who wants an adventure that mirrors the stories that she is constantly narrating in her daydreams. A woman who wants freedom and love and a happily ever after.
Lavinia assumes the identity of another woman scheduled to show up on the train platform. She becomes swept into an adventure she could not have imagined, experiences that are completely foreign to her, and an enigmatic man who draws her like no one else before – even though he would be deemed completely unsuitable. She must re-invent herself, but to do so she must confront the bleakest, most unfavorable parts of her personality. Her adventure becomes a journey of self-discovery and she begins to appreciate and love her own company as well as that of Neal Tremayne.
She begins to appreciate wild walks across the moors, the hidden beauty of the rugged landscape, noisy taverns, and raucous company. She becomes intimately familiar with blisters, damp petticoats and the singular appeal of her traveling companion.
He is everything she would not have noticed in the life she is running away from. He is solid and dependable, charismatic and blue-collar handsome. He is wind-burnt and sunburnt. He has laugh lines and muscles she can’t help noticing. She wants to appreciate the virtues of moss with him. She wants to lay her head on his shoulder during interminably long train excursions and simply wrap her hand in his while they watch the sunset.
She was convinced she preferred “Moet to ale, saffron buns to scones, novels to horticulture journals, late nights to early mornings, London to Cornwall.” Now everything she thought she knew is called into question. Her world and her words become more colorful. It’s narrowed to the tap of her feet on a barrel, and widened to seeing the everything as new and glorious and dear and precious.
When the real world intrudes on the adventure, and the actual person whose identity she assumed shows up, she is forced to come to terms with her life. She leaves Neal’s side, determined that her presence in his life will destroy his future. She leaves him convinced that she is not the partner he needs. She leaves him with the sharp imprint of his love and acceptance on her life, and the fragile hope that someday they can have an HEA.
After a series of completely unpredictable events, their HEA becomes more than hope – it becomes a possibility. The question is whether they are both free enough to embrace it.
This slow-burn, opposites attract love story completely stole my heart. Highly recommended if you love the authors Elizabeth Everett, Joanna Shupe, and Martha Waters.
January 24, 2022
due to her father’s actions, lavinia’s forced to marry a duke whose reputation stinks to high heavens. not someone she thought she would settle down with. however, under pressure, she agreed to the union. when a stranger mistook her as a widowed botanist he was meant to meet, lavinia took this chance to escape from reality. not knowing the true identity behind lavinia, neal spends time with lavinia thinking that she’s muriel pendrake who he has plans to settle down with. of course, nothing runs smoothly and time soon runs out before the truth is revealed.
lavinia wasn’t an extremely likeable character for me initially. she was pampered, spoiled, and had a very one-dimensional thought about certain things. but once she explored things out of her norm and spoke to people who doesn’t roam in the same circles as her, lavinia’s mindset expanded a lot more. neal showed a side of people that lavinia never. although she grew up not needing much, she didn’t truly felt loved by her parents. as compared to neal’s large and lively family, lavinia’s family was cold and formal. neal was a great character. his passion about botany has send him around the world as a plant hunter. it took him a little while to realise that lavinia isn’t actually muriel though.
overall, it was an okay book. lavinia needed more perspective while neal’s just really down-to-earth and earnest. i didn’t particularly relate to any of them. i wasn’t super invested in their romance as well.
lavinia wasn’t an extremely likeable character for me initially. she was pampered, spoiled, and had a very one-dimensional thought about certain things. but once she explored things out of her norm and spoke to people who doesn’t roam in the same circles as her, lavinia’s mindset expanded a lot more. neal showed a side of people that lavinia never. although she grew up not needing much, she didn’t truly felt loved by her parents. as compared to neal’s large and lively family, lavinia’s family was cold and formal. neal was a great character. his passion about botany has send him around the world as a plant hunter. it took him a little while to realise that lavinia isn’t actually muriel though.
overall, it was an okay book. lavinia needed more perspective while neal’s just really down-to-earth and earnest. i didn’t particularly relate to any of them. i wasn’t super invested in their romance as well.
January 21, 2022
I was lucky to be gifted an eARC of this book to review. I was able to read the book in this series last year, and really enjoyed my time with it. When I found out there was a sequel, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. This is a great historical romance story with mistaken identity shenanigans and the steamy tension I was looking for
This follows Livinia after the events of the first book. She has been disgraced and is looking for a way out of the terrible marriage she had to get into due to her circumstances. When a young man named Neal, a budding botanist, mistakes her for a renowned botanist she sees it as her chance to escape.
Just like the first one, I’m note sure how historically accurate this story and world really is.However, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story and the characters. This was such a fun read, but I’m not sure it’s crazy memorable. If you’re looking for a good travel-like historical romance to break up some tougher books, then this book is perfect for that.
Overall, all the normal things that one would expect from a historical romance were there and I really enjoyed every second of it. Waters is definitely an author I am going to be keeping my eye out for.
This follows Livinia after the events of the first book. She has been disgraced and is looking for a way out of the terrible marriage she had to get into due to her circumstances. When a young man named Neal, a budding botanist, mistakes her for a renowned botanist she sees it as her chance to escape.
Just like the first one, I’m note sure how historically accurate this story and world really is.However, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story and the characters. This was such a fun read, but I’m not sure it’s crazy memorable. If you’re looking for a good travel-like historical romance to break up some tougher books, then this book is perfect for that.
Overall, all the normal things that one would expect from a historical romance were there and I really enjoyed every second of it. Waters is definitely an author I am going to be keeping my eye out for.
January 17, 2022
***ARC Provided by the Publisher via NetGalley***
DNF at 16%
Maybe this one gets better, but I am just not interested in staying around to find out.
Lavinia is awful. She's spoiled and I get it, she's in a tough spot, but she's awful.
I find myself thinking, while I'm reading, that her perfect match is the old, awful, lecherous Duke she married at the beginning.
I don't really care what happens to her, or if she ends up happy.
I'm unable to recommend this title.
DNF at 16%
Maybe this one gets better, but I am just not interested in staying around to find out.
Lavinia is awful. She's spoiled and I get it, she's in a tough spot, but she's awful.
I find myself thinking, while I'm reading, that her perfect match is the old, awful, lecherous Duke she married at the beginning.
I don't really care what happens to her, or if she ends up happy.
I'm unable to recommend this title.
September 3, 2022
Okay, to start, yes, I had moral issues with this book. Lavinia is running from her husband. But, I was also willing to approach the book from her perspective and understand why she makes the choices she does
So that said. I adored this book. More than I imagined I could. Can I please have a Neal?? Emotionally stable? From a good family? Soft and kind? Just? All around a good man? Like. Dang. This book went hard making him a genuinely wonderful man (which was all the more a pleasant surprise given how problematic I found Anthony in the last book xD)
I also love that he's the youngest. I identified with that aspect so much and just all around adored his family. Big family who are unproblematic and uncomplicated rep was SUPERB. I adored every second of it 💕
And Lavinia. I just. She has my whole heart. I want to wrap this woman up in my arms and protect her forever. She deserved Neal. Deserved to be loved with such soft, uncomplicated love. I loved the depth the author gave her
I also love that we didn't brush over the fact that Lavinia got married and then ran from her husband, nor was it excused. I actually loved the way it was handled. Again, it didn't necessarily align with my personal beliefs, but it was really nuanced and handled with care and I appreciated that
Also. Lucy coming to clutch? Yes. Please. The way that made my heart happy 💕
I did feel parts of the end were slightly convenient, but also, didn't care? It sort of made sense?
And the end made me cry. That last chapter went so hard 😭😭😭
All in all, it was just such a good book. I flew through it and am now sad that I did because I want to read it again. Because Neal and Lavinia are just both so so wonderful and their story was so sweet and I will definitely be revisiting it again 💕
So that said. I adored this book. More than I imagined I could. Can I please have a Neal?? Emotionally stable? From a good family? Soft and kind? Just? All around a good man? Like. Dang. This book went hard making him a genuinely wonderful man (which was all the more a pleasant surprise given how problematic I found Anthony in the last book xD)
I also love that he's the youngest. I identified with that aspect so much and just all around adored his family. Big family who are unproblematic and uncomplicated rep was SUPERB. I adored every second of it 💕
And Lavinia. I just. She has my whole heart. I want to wrap this woman up in my arms and protect her forever. She deserved Neal. Deserved to be loved with such soft, uncomplicated love. I loved the depth the author gave her
I also love that we didn't brush over the fact that Lavinia got married and then ran from her husband, nor was it excused. I actually loved the way it was handled. Again, it didn't necessarily align with my personal beliefs, but it was really nuanced and handled with care and I appreciated that
Also. Lucy coming to clutch? Yes. Please. The way that made my heart happy 💕
I did feel parts of the end were slightly convenient, but also, didn't care? It sort of made sense?
And the end made me cry. That last chapter went so hard 😭😭😭
All in all, it was just such a good book. I flew through it and am now sad that I did because I want to read it again. Because Neal and Lavinia are just both so so wonderful and their story was so sweet and I will definitely be revisiting it again 💕
January 21, 2022
I loved Lowell's first book "The Duke Undone" and was really looking forward to the "Runaway Duchess." Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. Probably because I spent a good 50% of this book hating the female lead, Lavinia Yardley.
She's a spoiled, "mean girl" who gets married off to a lecherous old duke to save her family financially (and it couldn't have happened to a nicer chit!) I didn't like the way she treated people, how she talked to Neal (her love interest), how she lied to him and his family, what a snob she was, how dumb she was, her slutty past with George (maybe if that was left out and she was a virgin marrying a lecherous old man she would have been immediately a more sympathetic and likeable leading lady). I hated how quickly Neal seemed to forgive her and how she treated him like a boy toy toward the end, I just felt he deserved so much better than her.
Neal Tramayne, botanist and sweetheart, is the reason I even finished reading this book. He was the character I rooted for to get a happy ending. Eventually Lavinia does redeem herself, but not until the very last gasps of the novel, long after you're past caring.
I think readers might give up on this one by the 40% mark, because Lavinia doesn't get likeable fast enough. It moves a little slow as you're waiting for her lies to be revealed. There are two steamy outdoor sex scenes if you do push through and Anthony and Lucy from "The Duke Undone" have some cameos in the second half.
I think I would have rather read about the real Muriel Pendrake's adventures and romances. Now there's a heroine!
She's a spoiled, "mean girl" who gets married off to a lecherous old duke to save her family financially (and it couldn't have happened to a nicer chit!) I didn't like the way she treated people, how she talked to Neal (her love interest), how she lied to him and his family, what a snob she was, how dumb she was, her slutty past with George (maybe if that was left out and she was a virgin marrying a lecherous old man she would have been immediately a more sympathetic and likeable leading lady). I hated how quickly Neal seemed to forgive her and how she treated him like a boy toy toward the end, I just felt he deserved so much better than her.
Neal Tramayne, botanist and sweetheart, is the reason I even finished reading this book. He was the character I rooted for to get a happy ending. Eventually Lavinia does redeem herself, but not until the very last gasps of the novel, long after you're past caring.
I think readers might give up on this one by the 40% mark, because Lavinia doesn't get likeable fast enough. It moves a little slow as you're waiting for her lies to be revealed. There are two steamy outdoor sex scenes if you do push through and Anthony and Lucy from "The Duke Undone" have some cameos in the second half.
I think I would have rather read about the real Muriel Pendrake's adventures and romances. Now there's a heroine!
June 12, 2023
NEW FAVE ALERT! Oh, I adored this. Every bit of it. I was in somewhat of a slump when I first read this, not doing it any justice. This reread amplified everything I missed and overlooked last time. This is definitely a top read of the year.
The first half reminded me of the movie Enchanted, if Giselle was a bit of a snob. Neal's dumbfounded reaction to Lavinia struggling at pretending to be Muriel was just like Patrick whatshisnameinthemovie. Hidden identity just never misses. Yeah, Lavinia was snobby in the start but that's... what development is for? The whole message is her realizing she's privileged and coming down from her pedestal after losing everything. And meeting Neal. He was so wholesome, funny and kinda gullible. Him and Lavinia, my new faves!
“Your best self?” He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “I enjoy all of your selves.” Slowly, he bent his arm, drew her closer. “I am enchanted by them.”
The themes of nature and familial love wrapped it neatly into a gift that kept on giving. All side characters including his family and characters from the other two books played their roles expertly.
He had the inane idea that the wind might blow and take his heart along with it, like dandelion seeds. He felt as though the world were making a wish on him.
The first half reminded me of the movie Enchanted, if Giselle was a bit of a snob. Neal's dumbfounded reaction to Lavinia struggling at pretending to be Muriel was just like Patrick whatshisnameinthemovie. Hidden identity just never misses. Yeah, Lavinia was snobby in the start but that's... what development is for? The whole message is her realizing she's privileged and coming down from her pedestal after losing everything. And meeting Neal. He was so wholesome, funny and kinda gullible. Him and Lavinia, my new faves!
“Your best self?” He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “I enjoy all of your selves.” Slowly, he bent his arm, drew her closer. “I am enchanted by them.”
The themes of nature and familial love wrapped it neatly into a gift that kept on giving. All side characters including his family and characters from the other two books played their roles expertly.
He had the inane idea that the wind might blow and take his heart along with it, like dandelion seeds. He felt as though the world were making a wish on him.
April 6, 2023
I rated the previous book 4 stars but think I’m going to rate it 3.5 in actuality. I really enjoyed this sequel- the whole of it. While with the first one it was good but it was only the end that was “unputdownable”. I liked seeing the redemption of Lavinia from book one. it was smart that she wasn’t in many scenes in the previous book when she was at her most unpleasant and Neal he’s very different from the heroes I usually like but they were a great “opposites attract”. it was also refreshing to have the hero being a plant hunter and the heroine being the one familiar with society. As apposed to the usual where it’s the reverse with the man being high society.
February 2, 2022
Lavinia was raised as a spoiled, pampered mean-girl, at the top of Society. That is, until her father went to prison for fraud, leaving her and her mother destitute and ostracized. With no money and no hope for a better future, she marries a repulsive old Duke. To avoid the wedding night, she purposely eats strawberries knowing she is allergic. That's how she winds up on a train platform avoiding her new husband, blotchy faced and desperate to escape. Neal arrives mistaking her for Muriel Pendrake, botanist, and plant huntress extraordinaire. He has spent years as a plant hunter, now the head of London's largest nursery. He's never met Muriel, but from her letters, he knows they are compatible and plans to propose to her. Expecting a serious-minded scientist, he's surprised by the blonde-ringleted, pouting, crying woman he finds. Lavinia takes this chance to escape and pretends to be Muriel as best she can. As they fall in love, Lavinia displays a gut-wrenching inferiority complex knowing Neal wants a wife who loves science and botany as he does. When Neal finds out he's been deceived and the real Muriel Pendrake shows up things get interesting. Maybe Neal prefers a flibbertigibbet after all. But wait, she's married! I highly recommend this book. Lavinia was so well-written, a deeply moving character whose flaws I found delightful. I never knew I could care about a spiteful pampered character so much! I received an ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.
January 22, 2022
I added this to my TBR for the mistaken identity plot, but it was actually the least interesting part of the story. I didn’t find the characters all that likable and the first half was painfully slow. Two stars for decent chemistry.
June 20, 2023
Joanna Lowell you crazy bastard you've done it again
I loved this more than The Duke Undone. Very impressive how a character I despised in The Duke Undone became so much more fleshed out and loveable in her own story. Lavinia is delightfully insane. Girl gave herself a severe allergic reaction to avoid having sex. The lies she told were so ridiculous and I was here for every bit of it. The fact that she had sex moments after finding a dead body gave me pause but you know what, Lavinia's just crazy like that. Cannot wait for Duke Undone #3, I need to know which character gets into a wacky romantic/steamy adventure next.
I loved this more than The Duke Undone. Very impressive how a character I despised in The Duke Undone became so much more fleshed out and loveable in her own story. Lavinia is delightfully insane. Girl gave herself a severe allergic reaction to avoid having sex. The lies she told were so ridiculous and I was here for every bit of it. The fact that she had sex moments after finding a dead body gave me pause but you know what, Lavinia's just crazy like that. Cannot wait for Duke Undone #3, I need to know which character gets into a wacky romantic/steamy adventure next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2022
Ugh! I Finally finished this one. It was hard to get in to for whatever reason and I just was not super engaged with the characters or story.
August 9, 2022
Not bad. I cried a little at the end.
November 8, 2023
I found myself thinking… when will this end.
August 8, 2022
The Runaway Duchess is book two in author Joanna Lowell’s series “Duke Undone” and this is the first book I have read from this author. I have really mixed feelings about this book there were parts of the story I enjoyed; However, there were parts of the story I loathed. The characters were also 50:50 love:hate and it took me several days to read this book because of this love-hate feeling.
So, apparently book one of the series The Duke Undone introduced to MC Lavinia Yardley. Although the story is written in a manner that The Runaway Duchess can be read without first reading The Duke Undone, I believe I may have enjoyed this story more if I had read book one. As I didn’t, my first impression of Lavinia was not a good one, I found her to be a draining character - she literally zapped my desire to continue reading this story and I ALMOST DNF’d the story several times. Materialistic, superficial, tedious, haughty, and melodramatic are what come to mind when I think of Lavinia.
The second MC is Neal Traymayne - botanist extraordinaire, new owner of Varnham Nurseries, and slight adrenaline junkie - Neal is the reason I kept reading this book. Neal is the type of character that makes the reader instantly love them. He is perfectly imperfect, he loves his family, he is loving and accepting of others, and he doesn’t take himself too seriously. He is home from his last adventure collecting rare plant species to bring back to cultivate in England. He has also decided it’s time to marry - he wants a wife who will be his fellow botanist or at the very least someone with whom he can have an educated conversation, someone who will be an active partner in his life, someone who is passionate - what he doesn’t want is a beautiful society miss who will bring nothing but strife, beauty fades and Neal wants a forever relationship.
This story takes on many tropes including mistaken identity, opposites attract, romance across social classes and pretending to be someone else. Lavinia is mistakenly assumed to be Muriel Pendrake a widowed, plant obsessed, adventurous lady that Neal has been corresponding with for half a year; Lavinia allows the mistaken identity to continue and assumes (as much as she can) Muriel’s identity in order to escape her new lecherous, elderly, and very randy husband. It’s the perfect way to avoid having to consummate their marriage. I mean really what could go wrong? 😉
I think the aspect of this story that allowed me to get past the first 45% of the book was watching Neal slowly bring Lavinia to life, like he would a precious flower he “allows” her to flourish, which she totally does now that she is out from under oppressive society expectancies. Lavinia’s priorities shift, her previous viewpoint’s are altered, and she discovers herself. Neal also goes through a lot of self-contemplation and has some adjustments to make to his preconceived notions of the perfect wife.
Let’s not forget though Lavinia is already married and the real Muriel Pendrake is heading to Cornwall. 😉
Overall if you can get past the first 45% of the book by simply focusing all your attention on Neal 😍 the story does ultimately improve, the characters go through tremendous growth, and the romance flourish’s!
4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 4 Flames 🔥🔥🔥🔥
📚Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing/Berkley Romance a division of Penguin Random House via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, comments, and interpretations of the story are my own and bias free. I did not receive any money in exchange for this review. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to review. 🦄
So, apparently book one of the series The Duke Undone introduced to MC Lavinia Yardley. Although the story is written in a manner that The Runaway Duchess can be read without first reading The Duke Undone, I believe I may have enjoyed this story more if I had read book one. As I didn’t, my first impression of Lavinia was not a good one, I found her to be a draining character - she literally zapped my desire to continue reading this story and I ALMOST DNF’d the story several times. Materialistic, superficial, tedious, haughty, and melodramatic are what come to mind when I think of Lavinia.
The second MC is Neal Traymayne - botanist extraordinaire, new owner of Varnham Nurseries, and slight adrenaline junkie - Neal is the reason I kept reading this book. Neal is the type of character that makes the reader instantly love them. He is perfectly imperfect, he loves his family, he is loving and accepting of others, and he doesn’t take himself too seriously. He is home from his last adventure collecting rare plant species to bring back to cultivate in England. He has also decided it’s time to marry - he wants a wife who will be his fellow botanist or at the very least someone with whom he can have an educated conversation, someone who will be an active partner in his life, someone who is passionate - what he doesn’t want is a beautiful society miss who will bring nothing but strife, beauty fades and Neal wants a forever relationship.
This story takes on many tropes including mistaken identity, opposites attract, romance across social classes and pretending to be someone else. Lavinia is mistakenly assumed to be Muriel Pendrake a widowed, plant obsessed, adventurous lady that Neal has been corresponding with for half a year; Lavinia allows the mistaken identity to continue and assumes (as much as she can) Muriel’s identity in order to escape her new lecherous, elderly, and very randy husband. It’s the perfect way to avoid having to consummate their marriage. I mean really what could go wrong? 😉
I think the aspect of this story that allowed me to get past the first 45% of the book was watching Neal slowly bring Lavinia to life, like he would a precious flower he “allows” her to flourish, which she totally does now that she is out from under oppressive society expectancies. Lavinia’s priorities shift, her previous viewpoint’s are altered, and she discovers herself. Neal also goes through a lot of self-contemplation and has some adjustments to make to his preconceived notions of the perfect wife.
Let’s not forget though Lavinia is already married and the real Muriel Pendrake is heading to Cornwall. 😉
Overall if you can get past the first 45% of the book by simply focusing all your attention on Neal 😍 the story does ultimately improve, the characters go through tremendous growth, and the romance flourish’s!
4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 4 Flames 🔥🔥🔥🔥
📚Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing/Berkley Romance a division of Penguin Random House via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, comments, and interpretations of the story are my own and bias free. I did not receive any money in exchange for this review. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to review. 🦄
January 2, 2024
Source: Electronic Review Copy through Netgalley / Physical Copy Borrowed from Library
BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3/5
First book and first review of 2024! Look at me! Although Goodreads is being very strange with my currently reading shelf and I don't like it.
The Runaway Duchess is a book that I started in 2023 and finished the first day of 2024. I didn't read it in a day. It was actually a slower read for me.
The beginning of it was just a little dull. It kind of dragged along. I didn't know where we were going or what the plan was. I was excited about the synopsis of this. It sounded very cute, and while the book did follow that synopsis, it just didn't live up to what I had in my head. It's essentially a runaway bride and mistaken identity, which should be super cute, but it ended up just okay cute.
This story has dual POV, which kind of threw me off at first. We get Lavinia's at the very start, seeing her run away from her new husband, and then the POV changes to Neal. It just seemed like a weird time to do that. I wanted to see how Lavinia's brain was scrambling as she found herself to now have to pretend to be Muriel Pendrake. Neal's POV went on for two chapters at the beginning. Just strange timing.
Then we are suddenly at Neal's cousins' house with all these people. I had a hard time keeping track. I was confused. Why were we there?
The book did pick up after about 30% and I enjoyed the middle of it. That's where I felt like it got cute and more romantic. There were definitely a couple of steamy scenes in this one that involved nature.
Neal was pretty dense to not pick up that Lavinia was not Muriel. He eventually figured it out, but he should have figured it out way sooner. Lavinia was not a good actress in her role of Muriel.
The ending of this also dragged for me. I thought we had reached the happily ever after, and then they had to have another relationship problem.
Lavinia is an interesting character, because in the first book in this series she was kind of the mean girl villain, who was an obstacle for the first couple. In this sequel, her family is in disgrace and she has to marry an icky old man for money. I definitely felt bad for her, and felt the ick when it came to the old man. Nothing ever happens between them, which is good, but that's because she runs away. Even though Lavinia was a married woman when she met Neal, I still rooted for their relationship.
This review is a mess, but overall, this was an okay read more me. I wanted something a little faster and more cute, but I enjoyed this story. It's very much an opposites attract, with our characters growing and changing as the story unfolds.
BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3/5
First book and first review of 2024! Look at me! Although Goodreads is being very strange with my currently reading shelf and I don't like it.
The Runaway Duchess is a book that I started in 2023 and finished the first day of 2024. I didn't read it in a day. It was actually a slower read for me.
The beginning of it was just a little dull. It kind of dragged along. I didn't know where we were going or what the plan was. I was excited about the synopsis of this. It sounded very cute, and while the book did follow that synopsis, it just didn't live up to what I had in my head. It's essentially a runaway bride and mistaken identity, which should be super cute, but it ended up just okay cute.
This story has dual POV, which kind of threw me off at first. We get Lavinia's at the very start, seeing her run away from her new husband, and then the POV changes to Neal. It just seemed like a weird time to do that. I wanted to see how Lavinia's brain was scrambling as she found herself to now have to pretend to be Muriel Pendrake. Neal's POV went on for two chapters at the beginning. Just strange timing.
Then we are suddenly at Neal's cousins' house with all these people. I had a hard time keeping track. I was confused. Why were we there?
The book did pick up after about 30% and I enjoyed the middle of it. That's where I felt like it got cute and more romantic. There were definitely a couple of steamy scenes in this one that involved nature.
Neal was pretty dense to not pick up that Lavinia was not Muriel. He eventually figured it out, but he should have figured it out way sooner. Lavinia was not a good actress in her role of Muriel.
The ending of this also dragged for me. I thought we had reached the happily ever after, and then they had to have another relationship problem.
Lavinia is an interesting character, because in the first book in this series she was kind of the mean girl villain, who was an obstacle for the first couple. In this sequel, her family is in disgrace and she has to marry an icky old man for money. I definitely felt bad for her, and felt the ick when it came to the old man. Nothing ever happens between them, which is good, but that's because she runs away. Even though Lavinia was a married woman when she met Neal, I still rooted for their relationship.
This review is a mess, but overall, this was an okay read more me. I wanted something a little faster and more cute, but I enjoyed this story. It's very much an opposites attract, with our characters growing and changing as the story unfolds.
January 26, 2022
Complicated feelings about this one. I obviously chose to read book 2 in this series after reading the first book, despite my overall dissatisfaction with it, because I thought there was potential with Joanna Lowell. And while I enjoyed this story more than I did book 1, I ultimately found a lot of it frustrating.
The good stuff first: There were some really beautiful moments and passages in this book, primarily each of the character's ruminations over their personalities, over the situation they're each in, and about each other. One particular scene that I enjoyed was in the middle-ish of the book, when the mains are talking on a cliff about snobbishness and what the hero was seeking in a wife. The heroine's insightfulness was thoughtful to me, and the picture of that scene was painted very vividly by the author.
The bad stuff: While some of the character introspection was good, I ultimately didn't feel like it was purposeful or served a broader story goal. And despite all the introspection, I didn't have a better understanding of why Lavinia is the way she is. I was not ultimately convinced one way or the other about why she's spoiled, or what breaks her heart. We're told that she was poorly treated by her first love, and grossly mistreated by her short-lived husband, but what did she learn or make of those experiences? Not to trust men, sure, but that's so uninteresting to me. That things are "not what they seem," re: her relationship with George? Again, meh.
And then on the hero's end, I'm not sure he took away anything from Lavinia pointing out that he's snobbish over his and his family's intellectualism, which I thought was a nice theme to explore. Yes, I get that it means that what he was seeking from the real Muriel Pendrake was not ultimately what "moved" him or what he ended up loving about Lavinia, but why is he willing to forego those things? What DOES he love about Lavinia that's more important than academic rigor, which he previously so highly valued?
Feels like this book was ultimately an intellectual exercise that didn't fully connect with me, and I think the author's note at the end alludes to the fact that this story came about as a way to explore internal biases. Yes, Joanna Lowell explores why we have prejudices against women who are coded as spoiled, immature, or un-intellectual, but I'm not sure what the ultimate takeaway is, other than "things we are taught to dislike in a woman actually do not signify." Okay, and? We are at a point in which I think we should move beyond a conclusion like that.
The good stuff first: There were some really beautiful moments and passages in this book, primarily each of the character's ruminations over their personalities, over the situation they're each in, and about each other. One particular scene that I enjoyed was in the middle-ish of the book, when the mains are talking on a cliff about snobbishness and what the hero was seeking in a wife. The heroine's insightfulness was thoughtful to me, and the picture of that scene was painted very vividly by the author.
The bad stuff: While some of the character introspection was good, I ultimately didn't feel like it was purposeful or served a broader story goal. And despite all the introspection, I didn't have a better understanding of why Lavinia is the way she is. I was not ultimately convinced one way or the other about why she's spoiled, or what breaks her heart. We're told that she was poorly treated by her first love, and grossly mistreated by her short-lived husband, but what did she learn or make of those experiences? Not to trust men, sure, but that's so uninteresting to me. That things are "not what they seem," re: her relationship with George? Again, meh.
And then on the hero's end, I'm not sure he took away anything from Lavinia pointing out that he's snobbish over his and his family's intellectualism, which I thought was a nice theme to explore. Yes, I get that it means that what he was seeking from the real Muriel Pendrake was not ultimately what "moved" him or what he ended up loving about Lavinia, but why is he willing to forego those things? What DOES he love about Lavinia that's more important than academic rigor, which he previously so highly valued?
Feels like this book was ultimately an intellectual exercise that didn't fully connect with me, and I think the author's note at the end alludes to the fact that this story came about as a way to explore internal biases. Yes, Joanna Lowell explores why we have prejudices against women who are coded as spoiled, immature, or un-intellectual, but I'm not sure what the ultimate takeaway is, other than "things we are taught to dislike in a woman actually do not signify." Okay, and? We are at a point in which I think we should move beyond a conclusion like that.
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