The Duel

By Barbara Metzger

From the award-winning author of A Perfect Gentlemancomes an enchanting tale about an imperfect earl and the picture-perfect woman who teaches him that love is always worth fighting for.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451213890
• ISBN13: 9780451213891
• Release Date: February 2005
• Publisher: Signet
• Length: 352 Pages
• Dimensions: 6.7" x 1.1" x 4.6"

Customer Reviews

Another Metzger treat ........

As always with this writer, you get a clever plot, endearing main characters supported by a cleverly written supporting cast and sharp, witty writing. Although perhaps not her very, very best story, nevertheless I'm giving it 5 stars because it's way ahead of the competition! Others have summed up the plot which turns around a silly duel and the aftermath comedy of errors that ensues. Ian, Earl of Marden thinks he has accidentally shot a young lad and so takes him and his sister into his home to help along the boy's recovery. However, mistaken identities, churlish knaves and the obligatory Metzger pooch move the story along at a cracking pace. The best thing about a Metzger story is her stylish and clever writing. Here is a short excerpt to give a flavour: Our hero has just been told that the heroine, Athena, has met his discarded mistress, Lady Paige: "Athena's smile faded as she put down her fork (they are at dinner). 'Did you not like her? She seemed everything polite and charming.' "Ian would wager she did. The poisson turned to poison on his plate. The asparagus spears pierced his innards. The mousse was a noose and the boeuf was a buffet to his head. `Lady Paige?' he choked out...." And finally, I did enjoy the chapter headings - a series of quotations from Anonymous and Mrs Anonymous: "A man teaches his wife about lovemaking" (Anonymous) "A wife teaches her husband about love" (Mrs Anonymous) A great read - a light-hearted way to pass an afternoon.

laughed out loud :)

this is the first book i've read by metzger and i am looking forward to reading the rest of hers. i loved ian...he cracked me up with his thoughts...but he was still a romantic :) i liked ian's friendship with carswell, and how the story progressed. i understand the other viewer's concerns about loose ends or everything isn't tied, but it didn't bother me completely. i found myself liking and then disliking viscount rensdale. i also liked how the story wasn't overly sensuous (sp?). stories with too much of that loose their appeal to me.

Another fun regency!

THE DUEL by Barbara Metzger March 11, 2005 Courtesy of WWW.LOVEROMANCES.COM THE DUEL by Barbara Metzger was yet another fun Regency romance that this reviewer has had the pleasure to read in the past few months. In THE DUEL, Ian, the earl of Marden, finds himself facing the husband of one of his lovers, Lady Paige, in a duel to the death. Lord Paige, fortunately, was a bad shot, but he also wasn't above cheating by shooting toward Ian's back before the count of three. When Ian's wild shot intentionally goes into the trees to scare Lord Paige, it hits a young innocent boy that happened to be riding his horse nearby. Lord Paige runs away, and Ian goes to the boy and takes him to his estate, along with the boy's sister Athena. Ian lets them stay with him while the boy, Troy, recovers from his injuries. Ian is filled with guilt and will do anything to make sure that Troy gets all the medical attention he needs. What then follows is a complication that Ian does not need. Athena is not a girl, as Ian thought at first, but was really a young woman of nineteen years, and it becomes quite scandalous among the public knowing that she is living with a man in his home without an appropriate chaperone. Ian tries to right this wrong, but no matter what he comes up with to fix the problem, he finds himself even worse off than before. When his mother suggests that he wed the young gal to stop the ton from gossiping, he is not sure Athena will go for it. This is the first Regency this reviewer has read by Barbara Metzger. Last year's contemporary novel LOVE, LOUISA was very enjoyable, but one can certainly see why she's won awards for her Regencies after reading THE DUEL. THE DUEL was not only funny and witty, as the best of Regencies can be, but the story line was thought out very well. There was never any scene that felt out of place, nor were there long drawn out chapters that could have been edited out. Ian's best friend, Carswell, was the icing on the cake, as he added so much comedy to the story that this reviewer could not help but chuckle. Carswell dressed in drag to pretend to be a chaperone for Athena was classic. With that said, this reviewer highly recommends THE DUEL to all Regency fans, but also to any fan of romance novels that enjoys a little comedy in between the romance.

A good follow-up to A Perfect Gentleman

As with the previous book, the "danger" was too easily resolved. Aside from a few slow scenes and a bit of repetetiveness, that's all the bad that can be said about this novel. Ian is otherwise a compelling hero (his guilt is only a problem in its being drawn out), and Attie, who understandably mothers her little brother and nearly hero-worships Ian at first, is fresh and winsome. The secondary characters are well differentiated and fully developed. Although there's a lot of exposition, it rarely drags and usually adds much to the understanding of the characters and action. The topical quotes at the beginning of each chapter are interesting and humorous. All in all, a good book that leaves me wondering when her next will be out.