Also, I'm not sure why those two even liked each other. They hadn't much in common and never really spent time together developing camaraderie.

At times the problems she faced seemed insoluble yet, with her unstoppable energy and talent for thinking on the hoof, she won through, inspired by the vision and passion of those Rutland duchesses in whose footsteps she trod, and indeed the redoubtable and resourceful women who forged her, whose homes were not castles but remote farmhouses in the Radnorshire Hills. Through her hard work, the Belvoir Estate has been rejuvenated. She discovered original designs for the gardens that were drawn up by Capability Brown, renovated dilapidated rooms and ultimately turned the estate into a thriving business.

Shooting: A Season of Discovery

There are many reasons for me to recommend this well-crafted, interesting and romantic story to you; but the biggest is that I loved it and didn’t want to put it down at all! I have come to believe that if I forget to take notes while I read then a book is so good, I get so caught up in it that I just read and enjoy it. And, that more or less happened here! She coped with five boisterous children – including the future Duke of Rutland – while faced with a vast estate in desperate need of modernisation and staff who wanted nothing to change. Rarely have I encountered such interesting and untypical characters nestled in a fabulously unique plot with links to badness, treasonous behavior, and taking advantage of a young woman. In addition the role of male relatives and husbands is explored in regards to their control over their sisters and wives in day to day movement, financial matters and allowed behaviors. But, while the men are in control they don’t act as if the women are dolts. The Duchess does indeed seem a remarkable woman . . . this is an engaging book' Lynn Barber, Daily Telegraph

But as Birgitte knows, succession is never straightforward and there was a time when she might have been crowned Queen. It's complicated but if the Queen and her sister Margaret had not been born, husband Richard could have been crowned King. What next? The Duchess does indeed seem a remarkable woman . . . this is an engaging book' – Lynn Barber, Daily Telegraph Senior members of the royal family made the journey to Northumberland for the wedding, but it wasn’t a big state occasion. The public and press turned up on the day but it was suggested they they more interested in playboy brother William than the quiet studious younger brother Prince Richard. At the time her father-in-law’s health was failing and dashing William was due to inherit the Duke of Gloucester title when his father died. How did she become the Duchess of Gloucester? It's been a while since I read a historical romance. Some may even wonder why I do read this genre, given I tend to write horror. Well, dear friends, sometimes we need a break from what we write, and read something that is relaxing, fun and whimsical.Madeline Hunter is a fantastic writer. She deserves props for that and I am a huge fan of hers. I have struggled writing this review because I am not used to feeling this way about her work. In 2009, she invited 320 guests for a sit-down dinner to celebrate David’s 50th birthday. It was all going swimmingly until she asked her husband to dance. He said “I’m busy” and walked away. Later she saw him dancing and laughing with another woman, “And then I knew.” The studious young man she married was a ‘spare’ who ended up on the front line so this is the fascinating story of the accidental Duchess of Gloucester. Just months before ‘Capability’ Brown died in 1783, England’s greatest landscape architect, wrote these poignant words in a rare letter to one of his last patrons, the 4th Duke of Rutland.

Alexander is next in line for the Gloucester title,, followed by his son Xan Windsor, known as Lord Culloden. But the royal dukedom will devolve into an ordinary one because he will only be the great-grandson of a sovereign. There is a word for this. It is stubbornness. Or obstinacy. Or ostrich syndrome. (Yes, I know this is two words.) Regardless, it kind of kills a romantic mood when you're constantly rolling your eyes at one of the characters. The Accidental Duchess is book 4 in Madeline Hunter’s Fairbourne Quartet Series. These are not stand alone books, in my opinion. There is an underlying plot that is in each story that builds until the conclusion. This book is Emma’s own story – the daughter of a Welsh farmer who struggled with school (especially Maths!), didn’t complete college, drifted through various jobs, set up a business as an interior designer before meeting & falling in love with a man who she later discovered was heir to a dukedom! Emma settled into married life, running another small but successful business from a house on her parents-in-law estate and was enjoying being a Mum to 3 daughters and pregnant with her 4th child when her father-in-law, the 10th Duke of Rutland, died. Emma & her husband became the Duke & Duchess of Rutland and had to take on the burden of running the Belvoir Estate. Only women of royal blood are usually entitled to call themselves Princess and Birgitte was a commoner. There have been a few exceptions to this rule over the years, including for the woman she inherited the title from.Today we head to Belvoir Castle for our exclusive visit. We begin with a welcome from The Duchess of Rutland, Emma Manners, (who disguised herself as a cleaner so she could watch filming of The Crown!), before exploring the estate for ourselves. I liked Penthurst. I thought he was a good strong character and an honorable man. Lydia on the other hand was acting like a spoiled child for most of the book.