Duke Darcy's Castle is the third book in the series Dare to Defy by Syrie James, but it is a story you can read and enjoy independently from the previous instalments.
It's been my happy place for a few days, a pleasant reading reminding me of a splendid tour in Cornwall a few years ago. The action takes place, in fact, in a remote, enchanting tidal island inspired to real Mount St. Michael, St. Gabriel's Mount.
The novel is set in the late Victorian Age and it has all the elements an engaging historical romance can offer: a captivating hero, a brilliant heroine, a steaming love story.
Kathryn Atherton arrives at St Gabriel's Mount unexpected - well, they weren't expecting a lady - and with one purpose in mind: to be appreciated as an architect by the Tenth Duke of Darcy, Lance Granville, whose ancient castle needs renovation and refurbishment. Her professional success, in a world exclusively inhabited by male architects, is very difficult to achieve, but that is just what Kathryn wants to pursue and she will not let any distraction or obstacle to lead her astray.
Lance Granville has just left his own career in the Royal Navy to inherit the family title and become the Tenth Duke of Darcy, something he has never wished for himself. When a very attractive woman architect appears in his residence, he just can't believe his eyes.
Kathryn and Lance will hit it off immediately and the attraction between them will not make things easy for either of them.
This is the premise to a delightful love story that will keep you intrigued and excited till the last page.
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| Mount St. Michael, Cornwall, UK |
READ AN EXCERPT
The moment Kathryn entered the drawing
room, her eyes were drawn to the duke like a magnet. He was standing by a
window, sipping sherry from a crystal goblet. He had changed into formal wear—a
gorgeous black dinner jacket with waistcoat and bow tie—and, if possible,
looked even more handsome than he had at their earlier meeting.
At the sight of him, the now-familiar
sparks started zinging again through Kathryn’s body. Her
heart raced while her mind warned: Ignore. Ignore. Ignore.
“Ah, Miss Atherton. We were just speaking
about you.” The duke gestured to the tiny, elegantly dressed woman who sat on a
wingback chair nearby, her snowy hair swept up in a becoming, old-fashioned
style.
“Grandmother, may I present Miss Kathryn
Atherton? Miss Atherton, this is my grandmother, the Dowager Duchess of Darcy,
Honora Granville.”
The dowager duchess turned in her seat,
her pale blue eyes gleaming with interest as she studied Kathryn. “It is a
pleasure to meet you, Miss Atherton.”
“The pleasure is mine, Duchess,” Kathryn
replied with a curtsy. It occurred to her that the duke’s grandmother might be
his only close living relative—he’d said his parents had died years ago, and
now his only sibling was gone. How sad, she thought, that both of these people
were so alone in the world.
The dowager duchess’s brow furrowed as
she looked up at her. “Atherton,” she murmured, letting go of Kathryn’s hand. “I
feel as though I have heard that name before.”
Kathryn froze. If the duchess realized
that Kathryn was an Atherton heiress, it could change everything. The duke
might only see her as a woman with a fortune, instead of an architect. He’d
think it nonsensical that she was bothering with a career. Every conversation
would come back to that; it almost always did. He might even end their
association.
Desperate to redirect the conversation,
Kathryn glanced around the room. It was a good-sized chamber with elegant
architectural details, but the blue silk wallpaper was faded and the
furnishings were in need of refurbishing. “The ceiling and crown moldings in
this room are lovely,” she commented abruptly. “They are Wedgwood, I believe?”
“Indeed they are,” the dowager duchess
replied with a proud smile. “One of Wedgwood’s earlier commissions. The fifth
duke had them installed in 1774. The room itself dates back to the time that
St. Gabriel’s was a monastery in the tenth century.”
“The tenth century!” Relieved to have
successfully changed the subject, Kathryn accepted a glass of sherry from the
footman and took a sip. It was of fine quality and truly delicious. “In
America, we think a place ancient if it’s a hundred years old.”
The duke laughed. It was a deep, hearty,
gloriously masculine sound, and it seemed to resonate through Kathryn’s entire
being. Their gazes caught and held for a moment. The interest in his sent
another shiver up her spine. Look away. Look away.
“I understand you are here from London to
make alterations to St. Gabriel’s Mount, Miss Atherton?” the dowager duchess
commented. “Something my grandson Hayward set in motion?”
“Yes,” Kathryn replied, grateful for the
distraction. “That is my hope.”
Her eyes suddenly grew misty. “He was
such a lovely man, our Hayward. I miss him dearly.”
“I am very sorry for your loss, Duchess,”
Kathryn replied with sympathy.
“Thank you.” Composing her features, the
dowager duchess went on, “How marvelous that your firm sent you, my dear. It is high time women were given a chance to show what
they are capable of in the professions.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.” It was unusual,
Kathryn had discovered, for anyone, man or woman, to be so open-minded about
such things—most people still clung to the old ways of thinking. She found it
refreshing and pleasant to have an ally.
“I admit, I had no idea Hayward was
contemplating anything of this nature,” the duchess added.
“Perhaps he intended to surprise you,”
Kathryn ventured.
The duke’s features hardened at her
statement, and he downed a long swig of sherry. Kathryn wondered what was
behind his reaction, but had no time to contemplate it, for his grandmother
went on:
“Lord knows, something needs to be done
with this place. The last time any alterations were made was in 1832, not long
after I married the seventh duke and came to live here.” Turning to her grandson,
she added, “I do hope, Lancelot, that I will finally get new carpets in my
room.”
Lancelot? That’s his first
name?
The duke’s face reddened at the
appellation—but Kathryn smiled to herself. In some ways, he did resemble a
knight in shining armor. He had hired her, after all, seemingly against his
better judgment—and she had a sneaking suspicion he’d done so not just because
he’d liked her drawing of the study, but because he liked her.
(From Chapter Three, pg 49 - on)
BEING A WOMAN ARCHITECT IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
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| Ethel Charles (left) |
Ethel
completed part of the course at another school, receiving
distinctions. After passing the RIBA examination, despite
Duke Darcy’s Castle 341
opposition from many members, Ethel was finally granted
membership. She faced discrimination in the workplace, and
was forced to concentrate on modest housing projects.
Louise Blanchard Bethune, as noted in this novel, was the
first American woman known to have worked as a professional architect.
Mary Gannon and Alice Hands graduated
from the New York School of Applied Design for Women in
1892, and later opened an architectural firm focusing on lowcost residential housing. Several other American women,
including Fay Kellogg and Mary Rockwell Hook, traveled
to Paris hoping to study at the École des Beaux-Arts, but
suffered from discrimination after sitting for examinations,
and were refused admission. In spite of this, Kellogg went
on to design hundreds of buildings in the New York area,
and Hook designed a school in Kentucky and a number of
buildings in Kansas City, employing innovative architectural
techniques.
Julia Morgan was the first woman to receive a
degree in architecture from the École des Beaux-Arts (1901),
and the first woman architect licensed in California. Morgan
completed over 700 projects, including Hearst Castle in San
Simeon.
(From the Author's Note to the novel)
BOOK DESCRIPTION: DUKE DARCY'S CASTLE
Lance Granville, the Tenth Duke of Darcy, was none
too happy to give up his career in the Royal Navy to inherit the family title,
complete with an ancient castle he needs to renovate. When an architect arrives
on his doorstep, Darcy is astonished to discover that she’s a woman.
Kathryn Atherton has one goal: to become the first
woman architect in Britain. Marriage doesn’t figure in her plans. Despite the
odds, her schooling is behind her. Now she needs experience. When she’s sent to
a small tidal island in Cornwall to remodel a castle, the last thing Kathryn
wants is to be attracted to its roguishly handsome owner.
Kathryn is determined to keep things professional,
but the sizzling attraction between her and the duke quickly blazes out of
control. When Darcy learns that Kathryn is an heiress whose fortune would save
St. Gabriel’s Mount, he wages the most important battle of his life: to woo and
win the woman who’s captured his heart. But (in an homage to Austen), the
Duke’s first proposal is so Darcyesque, he is refused. In any case, duchesses
can’t be architects. And Kathryn has worked too long and too hard to give up
her career for anyone ….
PURCHASE LINKS
RUNAWAY HEIRESS BOOK
SERIES
Three American heiresses defy their family’s wishes,
and social conventions, to strike out and find their own happiness in late
Victorian Cornwall.
Runaway Heiress: A Dare to Defy Novel (Book 1)
Brainy
and college-educated, American heiress Alexandra Atherton will do anything to
avoid marriage to the English peer her mother has chosen for her—even abandon
the life of privilege she’s always known. But as her escape goes horribly
wrong, Alexandra must invent a new identity to gain the help of a handsome stranger.
PURCHASE LINKS
Summer of Scandal: A Dare to Defy Novel (Book 2)
An
American heiress and an English earl fight against the conventions of society
-- and their attraction to each other -- in the second book in the Dare
to Defy series by USA Today bestselling author Syrie
James.
PURCHASE LINKS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SYRIE JAMES is the USA TODAY and Amazon bestselling
author of thirteen novels of historical, contemporary, and young adult fiction
and romance. Her books have hit many Best of the Year lists, been designated as
Library Journal Editor’s Picks, and won numerous accolades and awards,
including Best New Fiction by Regency World Magazine (the international
bestseller “The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen”), and the national Audiobook Audie
for Romance (“The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte”, also named a Great Group
Read by the Women’s National Book Association). Los Angeles Magazine dubbed
Syrie the “queen of nineteenth century re-imaginings,” and her books have been
published in twenty languages. A member of the Writer’s Guild of America, Syrie
is also an established screenwriter and playwright who makes her home in Los
Angeles. An admitted Anglophile, Syrie has addressed audiences across the U.S.,
Canada, and the British Isles.
GIVEAWAY
Syrie James is glad to give away 1 printed copy of Runaway Heiress (Book 1 in the Dare to Defy series) + 1 printed copy of Summer of Scandal (Book 2 in the series) to one reader in the US. Take as many options as you can in the rafflecopter widget below and ... good luck!
5 comments:
Sounds interesting.
I love the idea of a castle – sounds fun!
sounds like a book I'd love!
Great excerpt. Lovely covers.
Hi Nancy! Congratulations, you are the winner of my novels Runaway Heiress and Summer of Scandal, the first 2 books in my Dare to Defy series. I put the books in the mail today. Due to the global pandemic it may take longer than usual for them to arrive, but please let me know when they do. My email is syrie@syriejames.com. I hope you and your loved one are well and safe. I'd love to friend you on Facebook but am not sure which Nancy Payette you are, so please friend me at: https://www.facebook.com/syriejames. Take care!
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