Follow My Lead by Kate Noble
Historical Romance
May 3, 2011
Paperback
Berkley

Reviewed by Mandi

Favorite Quote: So. This is hell, Jason thought. A garden party, being backed into a corner by three of the most baldly opportunistic furies to have been formed in the British system of wealth and aristocracy. Who knew?

Jason Cummings (who has red hair, swoon), Duke of Rayne is 30 and ready to get married, because well, that is what one does when one turns 30. Being a very wealthy Duke however means the marriage mart is more of a war (one that he is losing badly) than an actual task. He finds young women throwing themselves at him. Thankfully he has his sister Jane who is somewhat orchestrating his quest for a wife because Jason is drowning in the sea of eligible women.

However, when he meets Winnifred Crane (and by meets, I mean gets whacked in the nose by her) he meets someone very different than the other debutants. Winn recently lost her father who was a great art historian. Unknown to everyone, Winn has published three papers under the pen name C.W Marks but now that she admits this fact, no one believes her. Now that her father has died, Winn’s inheritance is tied up in his collection of paintings rather than money. There is a particular painting hanging in the head of the Historical Society’s office that she knows is not an original Durer. To prove she really is C.W. Crane and this painting is not authentic, she sets off abroad to track down very old letters. Thereby letting her inherit her father’s artwork, rather than the university, so she has some type of inheritance to live on.

They take off abroad to track down these papers. Jason intending only to see her  safely to her ship, but a string of unforeseen events are about to take place. Winn is sneaky, and soon Jason finds the two of them, by themselves, on quite an adventure.

Kate Noble writes such adorable books. Two of her previous books,  Revealed and The Summer of You always make me smile when I think of them. We first meet Jason in the The Summer of You, where he is a bit more immature but in this book, we meet a Jason who has taken the responsibility of being a Duke very seriously. He meets all of his duties with care, and has great fondness for his sister Jane. What is different about this book is that there is no instant lust or physical attraction from either Winn nor Jason. We actually explore each character for about 100 pages before the first spark of attraction hits.

It really lets us learn who Winn and Jason are. Even then, the romance is very slow to build. Winn really has no plans to marry, and Jason has his eye on a woman back in England (really the only sane one he could find), so these two have a very easy, laid back friendship. It is a nice change from the instant “mine” many romance books have. And when the romance starts it is so darn cute:

She giggled – Winn Crane giggled! Like the coquettish child she hadn’t known how to be, and for the briefest of moments, Jason was completely certain his heart had stopped beating. Just a second, frozen still, the world around them lost, and the only thing that occupied it was Winn’s happy, girlish laugh.

So. This is trouble, he thought, his body slowly catching up to the rest of his life. Slowly drifting down into someone’s laugh, until you realize you’re stuck.

That being said, it did take me awhile to warm up to Winn. Where Jason comes across very easy going and charming, Winn was a little more of a mystery for me to figure out. She is very independent and has a strong academic background. But – as you learn quickly, she is quite naïve when it comes to traveling the world. Which is where Jason comes into play. I honestly was a tiny bit bored with her at the beginning. There is a very minor character in this book, Sarah who catches Jason’s eye at the beginning and I was much more intrigued by her than Winn to start. (Luckily, Sarah is the heroine in the next book!). But once these two start their journey, and they both get taken out of their element – Jason out of his role of duke and Win away from her books and papers, we have quite an adorable couple. The strength of this book comes from the conversations between Jason and Winn. And we get extensive conversations because most of this book is just the two of them traveling and searching for documents. Very sharp wit and engaging conversations that eventually lead to a romance that I really liked.

Besides the romance we get a glimpse into Winn’s life as she struggles being a woman in the early 1800’s. She reminds Jason, she can’t proceed in life without money, friends or standing – for a woman that is pretty much impossible. So her desperation to prove to the men who rule the historical society that she is C.W. Marks is very important to her.

Kate Noble again gives us a sweet romance book that just makes you smile.

Rating: B

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