Duchess by Susan May Warren




My Thoughts:




Duchess,by Susan May Warren,is the third book in her Daughters of Fortune series. It offers an engaging combination of romance, tragedy, WWII, and the Golden Age of Hollywood.  Readers follow the dramatic life of Roxy Price, bombshell starlet, her heartbreakingly handsome husband, Dash Parks, and the enigmatic stunt pilot, Rafe Horne.  Secrets are what keep this story going- and we are slowly teased along, just waiting for the next piece of the puzzle to fall into place.  




The Golden Age of Hollywood was an exciting setting to visit in this book.  I particularly enjoyed how Susan May Warren cleverly wove her fictional characters into the lives of Joan Crawford, Olivia de Havilland, Bette Davis and the like.   The tragedy and bravery experienced in WWII was also a focus of Duchess and I truly appreciated how Ms. Warren addressed this historical period of time.  It was both exciting, but often realistically horrifying, and added a depth that was lacking in other parts of her story.  




I liked Duchess, but it read a lot like a TV mini-series.  I felt that some of the storylines were a bit too predictable and I found my attention waning.  I also had a difficult time caring for Roxy Price, for most of the book.  She's a girl with a broken heart, a few times over, and life has been quite cruel at times, which makes her strong but also cold and untrusting.  Near the end, Roxy learns to "become meek" and trust the Lord, which warms her and enriches her personality.







When her country needs her, will she have the courage to surrender her glittering world and her one true love?

The golden age of Hollywood is in the business of creating stars. Rosie Worth, now starlet Roxy Price, has found everything she’s wanted in the glamour of the silver screen. With adoring fans and a studio-mogul husband, she’s finally silenced the voices—and grief—of the past. Her future shines bright…until the fated Black Friday when it all comes crashing down. When Roxy loses everything, she finds herself disgraced and penniless. Her only hope is to join forces with Belgian duke Rolfe Van Horne, a longtime film investor. But Rolfe is not who he seems, and he has other plans for Roxy and her movies—plans to support a growing unrest in Europe, plans that could break her heart and endanger her life. Find out more about the series by clicking on these links. Heiress. Baroness.

About Susan:

Susan May Warren is the bestselling, RITA Award-winning author of more than forty novels whose compelling plots and unforgettable characters have won acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. 

She served with her husband and four children as a missionary in Russia for eight years before she and her family returned home to the States. She now writes full-time as her husband runs a lodge on Lake Superior in northern Minnesota, where many of her books are set. She and her family enjoy hiking, canoeing, and being involved in their local church. 

Susan holds a BA in mass communications from the University of Minnesota. Several of her critically acclaimed novels have been ECPA and CBA bestsellers, were chosen as Top Picks by Romantic Times, and have won the RWA's Inspirational Reader's Choice contest and the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year award. Five of her books have been Christy Award finalists. 

In addition to her writing, Susan loves to teach and speak at women's events about God's amazing grace in our lives. Visit MyBookTherapy.com to learn more. 

For exciting updates on her new releases, previous books, and more, visit her website atwww.susanmaywarren.com 




Susan May Warren is celebrating the release of Duchess with a Kindle Fire HD Giveaway.







One "glam" winner will receive:

• A brand new Kindle Fire HD


• Signed copies of Duchess, Baroness and Heiress

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 4th. Winner will be announced on 5/7/13 at Susan's blog.





Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

*I was given a copy of Duchess by Litfuse Publications in exchange for my honest opinion.  No other compensation was received.*