Duchess Decadence by Wendy LaCapra – a Review

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Description:
Thea Worthington, Duchess of Wynchester divides her time between social engagements and playing her luck against fickle fortune. Yet every gamble is only a bluff—a means to hide from the pain deep within her, and the loss of a babe she never held in her arms. Now Thea’s luck is about to run out. Her estranged husband has returned and seeks a reunion…

Plagued with guilt over what happened to his wife three years ago, the Duke of Wynchester has kept his distance. The duke is resolved to piece his family back together, especially now that he’s discovered his beloved brother—long thought dead—still lives. But Thea’s lovely, porcelain facade is on the verge of cracking…spurred on by the duke’s brother’s secretive, malevolent animosity.

With everything riding on her future, Thea plays a daring game of chance for love and her marriage…and this time, the dice are most certainly rigged.


Review;

Duchess Decadence by Wendy LaCapra is book three of her Furies Series. This is the first book by Wendy LaCapra that I’ve read, and I wish I had read the first two books in this series before having read Duchess Decadence. There were times I felt a little lost regarding characters and back stories as I read this one. Right off the mark it’s made clear that Thea and Wyn have a history together, as well as a history with her Furies. From what I learned reading this book, the Furies are comprised of a group of women who to me seemed a head of their time. They weren’t the type of women to sit back and be dictated to by their husbands and men in general. They preferred to make their own ways, own decisions and pretty much do what they wanted whenever they wanted. I like these Furies.

As I said, there is much back story that I lacked having not read the entire series, so I tried to piece things together as best I could. Wendy did a good job at filling in the blanks for me as the story went along, but in my opinion I highly recommend that this series be read in order. I feel events, relationships and general storyline are tied together and carried on from book to book, and would’ve made more sense to me had I read the previous two books. However, that being said, I just plugged along and found the more I read, the more I enjoyed Thea and Wyn’s story. Their story is one of heartache, love lost, tragedy, angst, and second chances. Thea was a breath of fresh air in comparison to Wyn’s stuffy uptight personality. Wyn perfectly excuded the typical male of that time period where women are concerned. He constantly saw Thea as some delicate wall flower that could break at any moment if handled wrong, or worse, turn into some kind of hussy if exposed to too much ‘intimate relations’. No wonder poor Thea thought Wyn to be cold and without feeling in the beginning of their relationship. Wyn made me chuckle a few times as well was wanting to cuff him upside the head and tell him to wake up and really see his Thea Marie. I particularly enjoyed the scenes where Thea would turn sly and flirty and ask Wyn to misbehave for her. I could see the look of shock on his face perfectly in my mind’s eye and chuckled every time. I really enjoyed their scenes together and getting to know this couple.

Ms. LaCapra has a writing style that’s easy to read, and has the story flowing effortlessly from one scene to the other. Her characters were well developed, and I could easily see and feel the tight bond of friendship the Furies have for one another. As well, the angst and feeling of time and love lost is real and palpable between Thea and Wyn. Ms. LaCapra seems to have a talent for bringing such feelings to the forefront and letting them pour off the pages as the story unfolds. The overall story and plot line are entertaining and have a little bit of suspense and danger surrounding our couple thanks to Wyn’s no longer dead brother Eustace. Now there’s a character I didn’t like from the get go. He gave me the creeps from his first moment on the scene, and I knew he was up to no good. How his brother Wyn was blind to this side of his brother is beyond me, but thankfully by books end Wyn grows a brain a figures things out. Yay for Wyn!!

In the end I did enjoy Duchess Decadence and getting to meet Thea and Wyn, along with her fellow Furies. I only wish I had met them sooner and read the first two books in this series. I may just have to go backwards now and read the first two books. I can plainly see why The Furies series is a hit for Wendy LaCapra. Looking forward to more from this author.

Until next time, Happy Reading everyone.

Reviewed by Marcie

Copy provided by Publisher