The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

It is a sad but true fact that just because a book is widely loved, this does not necessarily mean it is actually good. I can think of two such books off the top of my head. "Flowers From the Storm" being one. Utter trash that book. I am VERY happy to report that "The Duke and I" really IS an excellent book!! Whew! Relief. What a FUN book! I tell you, as I read this book I was either smiling, laughing, or crying. The hero, Simon, had a stuttering problem as a child and his idiot father pretty much ignored his very existence because his long awaited son was not perfect. The poor child worked tirelessly to improve himself and work past his awful stutter. Even as an adult he would struggle with it when in distress or angry. The heroine, Daphne, is one of 8 children and her adorable mother (seriously, I loved this mom, she was a riot) is determined to see her oldest daughter married. To get the mom and society off of their backs, so to speak, the two make a deal to pretend an attachment. All is well until they actually begin to fall for each other and things start to get complicated and sticky. Frankly, I was surprised at the depth of this story. I have read Julia Quinn's books before and usually found them pretty light, but this one definitely had some bite to it. I pretty much read it in one day (ok, a day plus one evening), and I enjoyed every second of it. I know the plot is not entirely original, but you easily forget that as you get caught up in the charm of this story!!!