Duel of Hearts - Softcover

When I started writing DUEL OF HEARTS, I wanted to play with a concept that had intrigued me for a while: what happens when two "alpha" personality types are irresistibly attracted to each other? The adage has always been that opposites attract ... but that’s not always true. Sometimes like is drawn to like. It was easy for me to picture two gentle and retiring souls living happily together. But two fiery, dominant personalities? Falling in love requires surrender. Falling in love means that someone else’s wishes become more important to you than your own. How could two people who have never compromised on anything, commit to that? It was like the old joke that asks how porcupines make love. The answer? "Very carefully."The resulting book was wonderful fun to write. Drake and Delilah are (literally) made for each other ... much to their dismay. They fight their mutual attraction tooth and nail, with no success whatsoever. I do hope readers laugh at them as heartily as their author did.

Two strong-willed people learn that they do not always know best in Farr's formulaic romantic comedy, which is ostensibly set in the 19th century. When Delilah Chadwick learns of her father's hasty plans to remarry, she becomes concerned that he is being manipulated by a scheming harpy, especially since the hitherto pragmatic Sir Horace hasn't even given his daughter a chance to meet his fiancee. Lilah reluctantly joins forces with Adam "Drake" Harleston, the earl of Drakesley, who is convinced that his young cousin has been seduced by the much older Sir Horace. Together they journey to Wexbridge Abbey in the hopes of stopping the impending nuptials, but their partnership is not at all harmonious. To the reader's frustration, Drake and Lilah manage to engage in a battle of wills over the smallest of decisions, even as they are irresistibly drawn to each other. Although occasionally interspersed with witty dialogue, the book on the whole misses its mark. Drake comes across as overbearing, and Lilah is given to childish tantrums. At one point, she even exclaims "I wish to return to Wiltshire with Papa and go on just as we always have!" It's clear that Drake and Lilah are meant for one another, but there's little incentive for readers to stick with the story and see that they get it right.
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