V Londonu se strinjajo: Byroni so vsi po vrsti nori, pokvarjeni in nevarni, zato nihče ni presenečen, ko se mora Jack Byron zaradi izgubljene stave poročiti! Jack bi storil vse, da bi se temu izognil, a ga bogati trgovec, ki ga želi poročiti s svojo hčerjo, ne izpusti iz pesti. Povrh vsega bo moral – kot terja dogovor – Grace prepričati, da jo resnično ljubi! Ko pa Jack v londonski knjigarni končno sreča čutno in jezično Grace, se odloči, da jo bo spravil v (svojo) posteljo in se z njo oženil, čeprav ne sluti, da si bo želel osvojiti tudi njeno srce. Detailed Plot Summary: The book opens in 1789 at Marsden Manor, the family estate of the Earl of Edgewater. The Byron family is visiting and all the children are playing outside, except for the eleven year old Edward, heir to the Dukedom. He is called into a meeting between his father - the current Duke - and the Earl, whereby it is revealed to him that Earl's daughter Claire has been betrothed to Edward at only a month old. While there is a brief touching moment where the Claire stops crying once in Edward's arms, mostly Edward is aghast and disillusioned. Fast-fwd to Jan 1811, and with Cade and Jack happily wed, Edward decides to honor the betrothal and contact Claire. Claire meanwhile - in the two times she's meet Edward - has fallen in love with him, although given a conversation she overheard on her second meeting (when she was 16) believes that Edward will never really love her and is only marrying her to honor his 'duty.' Therefore, when Edward calls on her to initiate their formal engagement, she accepts with the condition that they not marry right away (to give her a Season in London where she can use that time to be such a terrible finance that Edward jilts her. Having been the product of a marriage where her mother loved her father but her love was not returned, she seeks to avoid that fate.)So she buys 150 dresses, shoots pistols, races phantoms, and ultimately chops off her hair to pose as a man to enter a Men's Club (with the assistance of Edwards twin brothers: Lawrence and Leo.) When her highstakes win becomes challenged and she is challenged to a dual, she reveals herself (she's now known among the Ton as Claire the Dare) and Edward's appearance ultimately deescalates the issue. But in penance for her actions, the twins are sent from London to Braebourne. Nonetheless, Edward refuses to not marry her (knowing that if he did jilt her, she would be left with nothing: her family would never accept her back and she'd be unmarriable amongst the Ton w/o a dalry). To force Edward's hand, Claire concocts a plan to leave a ball late in the evening with the company of rogue Lord Islington. While widely considered as much, he's told her it's all based on a misunderstanding: a storm caused him to spend the night with lady, and he didn't to marry her afterwards, by mutual agreement... or so he says. The real story comes out after Claire leaves with him and rather than part ways after a carriage ride, he takes her to an Inn where he attempts to rape her, confessing his early story also had more sinister undertones. Adam Gresham saw Claire depart however and had his man follow her, sending Edward on their tracks. He breaks in and confronts Islington before Claire is harmed. In discussing next steps, Claire FINALLY confesses to Edward that her antics have all been to avoid a one-sided love, so Edward says he'll release her, that makes her love him more and... they spend the night at the inn themselves in effect consumating their marriage. In the am, they set off to a nearby estate of Edwards where they are officially married in a church that evening and spend the next wk there on a honeymoon. They return to London to find the entire Byron family (many of whom Claire had not met before) and settle into a new routine in London as husband and wife.But Claire is increasingly put off by Edward's "work" or "duties." Rather than asking what they are or entail, she begins to assume he's having an affair, when actually Edward is covertly investigating the death of his brother's torturer (Everett) and trying to find both a spy and a mole that are leaking information to France. When Claire has conclusive evidence she's being lied to (she asked Edward where he was and he said 'the Library,' when she saw him leave and return to the house), on his next outing she decides to follow him, using the time/location he left on his desk (which was actually deciphered spy rendezvous instructions). Which is how she finds herself confronting Lady Philipa Stockton (Jack's former mistress), believing she to be Edward's affair, when in actually, she's the mole. In the confusion that ensures, Philipa is able to wrestle a pistol away and as Edward struggles to retrieve it and retain Philipa, the gun is fired and Claire is shot. Of course, the final words she hears are Edwards' declarations of love...But of course her wounds are dressed, she recovers, and in refusing the laudanum, reveals she's pregnant. Edwards reiterates his love and reveals his relationship with the Office of War and his responsibilities there. HEA.Other character developments: Grace has had her baby, and Mallory got word that Major Hargreaves was killed in battle in Spain. So I guess Hargreaves wasn't the uncaptured spy from B of B #1...Also, I think it was lame that they took pains to establish that Claire liked puzzles and yet she played no part in unraveling the puzzle around the hidden spies.
What do You think about Vojvodi Po Godu (2014)?
This book is not bad but it's not great whe compared to Cade and Jacks stories.
—caitlin
