It's rare to read a book in this genre that understands the complexity and the history of India. I've read several books more recently that were set in exotic settings that had a lot of stereotypes and a lack of understanding for those settings and the characters therein. I don't always mind it if the book is written well, but I was still so very delighted and impressed by Meredith Duran's writing here. And for a debut novel, doubly so. Yes, the book does have some well used romance tropes and the book does have some flaws, but it didn't take away the overall enjoyment of the book, in my opinion. I really liked this one. I read two reviews at Dear Author that said they thought the first half was weak but the second half stronger; for me, it was the other way around. I thought I was on my way to a five star review when I finished the first part. The second part didn't appeal to me as much, but I still really liked the book overall.The part I didn't like about the second half, I think, was the way the hero treated the heroine. He thought something along the lines of "she doesn't even know her own mind", and he said and did a lot of other really patronizing things. I feel like she'd proved her strength over and over in the first part of the book and he should have been a bit more compassionate about her weakness in the second. And given the way he'd been running around being crazy in the second half, I thought he should be a bit more understanding of HER crazy moments, too.So, overall, a really good read. I just wish the hero had been as super-excellent in the second half as he was in the first.
Do You like book The Duke Of Shadows (2008)?
I think I need to add a shelf for books that made me cry. This one definitely did.
—kush
