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Scandalous Brides #3
Rules to Catch a Devilish Duke
SHE BREAKS ALL THE RULES…
Sophia White knows she will never marry into polite society. The illegitimate daughter of a nobleman, she works at the Tantalus Club, a discreet establishment for gentlemen—and her only suitor is a pastor who wants to save her soul. So when Sophia is invited to spend the holidays at the estate of Adam Baswich, the devilishly handsome Duke of Greaves, she is delighted—and determined to enjoy her last nights of freedom before surrendering her hand…
TO CAPTURE A NOBLEMAN’S HEART
Inviting Sophia for Christmas is a daring courtesy on Adam’s part, but he soon finds the pleasure is all his. Sophia is beautiful, courageous, and stubbornly self-sufficient despite her scandalous circumstances—and not at all the kind of woman he could possibly marry. Adam knows he must find a wife by his thirtieth birthday or he will lose his fortune. But can he defy convention—and convince Sophia—to risk it all in the name of true love?
Sophia White knows she will never marry into polite society. The illegitimate daughter of a nobleman, she works at the Tantalus Club, a discreet establishment for gentlemen—and her only suitor is a pastor who wants to save her soul. So when Sophia is invited to spend the holidays at the estate of Adam Baswich, the devilishly handsome Duke of Greaves, she is delighted—and determined to enjoy her last nights of freedom before surrendering her hand…
TO CAPTURE A NOBLEMAN’S HEART
Inviting Sophia for Christmas is a daring courtesy on Adam’s part, but he soon finds the pleasure is all his. Sophia is beautiful, courageous, and stubbornly self-sufficient despite her scandalous circumstances—and not at all the kind of woman he could possibly marry. Adam knows he must find a wife by his thirtieth birthday or he will lose his fortune. But can he defy convention—and convince Sophia—to risk it all in the name of true love?
343 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 25, 2012
53 people are currently reading
1681 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Enoch
102 books2,627 followersSuzanne was born in Southern California sometime in the latter half of the 20th century. In the way that some people are born knowing they want to be astronauts or cellists, Suzanne always knew she wanted to be a writer. Early dreams of becoming a zoologist and writing true stories about her adventures in Africa were crushed, however, after she viewed a television special about the world’s most poisonous snakes; she did NOT want to write about how she’d been bitten and lost a limb to a cobra. Thankfully at the same time the movie “Star Wars” premiered, and she realized that she could make up adventures and write about them, and not be eaten by deadly predators while doing research.
She dabbled in romantic fantasy writing for a year or two after graduating with a degree in English from the University of California, Irvine, until her affection for traditional Regency romances led her to write one for fun. After several encouraging rejections from publishers, she snared the interest of the world’s best and most patient literary agent, who advised her to revise the manuscript. This ultimately led to the publication of her first book, The Black Duke’s Prize, from Avon Books in the Spring of 1995. A second Regency, Angel’s Devil, followed that Fall.
When Avon folded its traditional Regency line, Suzanne was encouraged to try her hand at historical romance. As she remained keenly interested in England’s Regency period, she decided to attempt another manuscript set in that time. Lady Rogue hit the shelves in March of 1997. She wrote a total of 29 books for Avon, including two anthologies and a five-part contemporary series which received a pair of starred reviews from Publishers Weekly. One of those books, Twice the Temptation, was named one of the five best romances of the year by PW in 2007.
In 2002 her well-known love of all things “Star Wars” led to an invitation to appear on the E! channel in the television special “Star Wars: The Force Is Back”, where she discussed the romance in the movie series and ended up with more air time than George Lucas.
In 2010 Suzanne left Avon Books for St. Martin’s Press, where she continues to pen historical romance novels. Her 31st book, Taming an Impossible Rogue, is set to arrive in March 2012.
Suzanne is known for her humorous characters, sexy bad boys, and whip-sharp, witty dialogue. She currently resides in Placentia, California with several hundred guppies and various other tropical fish, and handful of very loud, spinach-loving finches. And her collection of action figures and statues from “Star Wars”, “Lord of the Rings”, “X-Men”, and “Pirates of the Caribbean”. Everybody needs some inspiration, after all.
www.facebook.com/SuzanneEnoch
She dabbled in romantic fantasy writing for a year or two after graduating with a degree in English from the University of California, Irvine, until her affection for traditional Regency romances led her to write one for fun. After several encouraging rejections from publishers, she snared the interest of the world’s best and most patient literary agent, who advised her to revise the manuscript. This ultimately led to the publication of her first book, The Black Duke’s Prize, from Avon Books in the Spring of 1995. A second Regency, Angel’s Devil, followed that Fall.
When Avon folded its traditional Regency line, Suzanne was encouraged to try her hand at historical romance. As she remained keenly interested in England’s Regency period, she decided to attempt another manuscript set in that time. Lady Rogue hit the shelves in March of 1997. She wrote a total of 29 books for Avon, including two anthologies and a five-part contemporary series which received a pair of starred reviews from Publishers Weekly. One of those books, Twice the Temptation, was named one of the five best romances of the year by PW in 2007.
In 2002 her well-known love of all things “Star Wars” led to an invitation to appear on the E! channel in the television special “Star Wars: The Force Is Back”, where she discussed the romance in the movie series and ended up with more air time than George Lucas.
In 2010 Suzanne left Avon Books for St. Martin’s Press, where she continues to pen historical romance novels. Her 31st book, Taming an Impossible Rogue, is set to arrive in March 2012.
Suzanne is known for her humorous characters, sexy bad boys, and whip-sharp, witty dialogue. She currently resides in Placentia, California with several hundred guppies and various other tropical fish, and handful of very loud, spinach-loving finches. And her collection of action figures and statues from “Star Wars”, “Lord of the Rings”, “X-Men”, and “Pirates of the Caribbean”. Everybody needs some inspiration, after all.
www.facebook.com/SuzanneEnoch
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 216 reviews
July 24, 2021
“Ducesa desculță” este povestea uneia din fetele clubului Tantal, Sophia White, fiica ilegitimă a unui duce și a unei cameriste, nerecunoscute niciodată; dar și a unui duce ieșit din tipare: Adam Baswich, duce de Greaves.
O poveste despre două suflete bântuite, cu un trecut nu tocmai fără pată, care încearcă să-și găsească drumul.
El este nevoit să se căsătorească pentru a-și păstra titlul și averea. Ea a acceptat căsătoria aranjată de tatăl ei pentru a salva clubul și familia pe care a descoperit-o acolo.
Acceptă să aiibă o ultimă vacanță fericită înainte de a se căsători, tocmai pentru a-și crea propriile amintiri care să o încălzească în timpurile negre ce vor urma.
Cum planurile îi sunt date peste cap de un pod năruit și de pierderea bagajelor ei, Sophia se trezește singurul oaspete în casa lui Adam.
Astfel, cei doi petrec mult timp împreună, se descoperă unul pe celălalt, se împrietenesc și decid să aibă o aventură.
O carte care te face să râzi și să plângi, să suferi alături de personaje. Suzanne Enoch a oferit cititorilor o poveste de dragoste plină de piedici care odată depășite, oferă fericirea până la adânci bătrâneți.
Adam și Sophia sunt două suflete pereche ce nu par a vedea o rezolvare la problema lor. Dar luminița de la capătul tunelului pare a oferi soluția salvatoare atunci când totul pare pierdut.
O poveste de dragoste plină de pasiune și emoție, pe care nu o vei uita niciodată!
O poveste despre două suflete bântuite, cu un trecut nu tocmai fără pată, care încearcă să-și găsească drumul.
El este nevoit să se căsătorească pentru a-și păstra titlul și averea. Ea a acceptat căsătoria aranjată de tatăl ei pentru a salva clubul și familia pe care a descoperit-o acolo.
Acceptă să aiibă o ultimă vacanță fericită înainte de a se căsători, tocmai pentru a-și crea propriile amintiri care să o încălzească în timpurile negre ce vor urma.
Cum planurile îi sunt date peste cap de un pod năruit și de pierderea bagajelor ei, Sophia se trezește singurul oaspete în casa lui Adam.
Astfel, cei doi petrec mult timp împreună, se descoperă unul pe celălalt, se împrietenesc și decid să aibă o aventură.
O carte care te face să râzi și să plângi, să suferi alături de personaje. Suzanne Enoch a oferit cititorilor o poveste de dragoste plină de piedici care odată depășite, oferă fericirea până la adânci bătrâneți.
Adam și Sophia sunt două suflete pereche ce nu par a vedea o rezolvare la problema lor. Dar luminița de la capătul tunelului pare a oferi soluția salvatoare atunci când totul pare pierdut.
O poveste de dragoste plină de pasiune și emoție, pe care nu o vei uita niciodată!
January 16, 2025
2.5 stars
The book begins with a bang: Sophia finds herself dumped into an icy river when a bridge collapses under the mail coach in which she’s traveling to a Christmas house party. She’s rescued by her host, Adam, the Duke of Greaves, although her luggage and half of the Christmas turkeys on the coach are casualties of the accident.
She’s the first to arrive at the house party and, with the bridge gone, she’s stranded with the duke and his unbearable, malicious sister on one side of the river while the duke’s other guests, including a dozen prospective brides, are on the other. The duke must marry before his 30th birthday according to his father’s will, you see, or he forfeits half the dukedom’s money and assets to his sister’s son, so the Christmas house party is actually a bride parade. Totally ineligible as a bride because of her illegitimacy and her employment at a scandalous gaming club, Sophia charms the cynical duke by speaking her mind, wearing servants’ clothes with good humor, and playing strip piquet with him, which leads where you might expect. By the time the other guests arrive, Sophia is in the Duke’s head and the Duke is in her bed and the angst begins.
On a surface level, this book is entertaining and I did enjoy it. But the farther I read the more I realized the setup has pretty large loopholes, Sophia is either feisty or a doormat depending what page you’re on, the Duke is fearful, selfish, stupid, or all-powerful depending what page you’re on, the repetition begins to grate, the side characters are caricatures, and the solutions are so obvious—and eventually so easily accomplished—that the angst seems wasted and the reader feels a little resentful for being asked to buy into it.
The book begins with a bang: Sophia finds herself dumped into an icy river when a bridge collapses under the mail coach in which she’s traveling to a Christmas house party. She’s rescued by her host, Adam, the Duke of Greaves, although her luggage and half of the Christmas turkeys on the coach are casualties of the accident.
She’s the first to arrive at the house party and, with the bridge gone, she’s stranded with the duke and his unbearable, malicious sister on one side of the river while the duke’s other guests, including a dozen prospective brides, are on the other. The duke must marry before his 30th birthday according to his father’s will, you see, or he forfeits half the dukedom’s money and assets to his sister’s son, so the Christmas house party is actually a bride parade. Totally ineligible as a bride because of her illegitimacy and her employment at a scandalous gaming club, Sophia charms the cynical duke by speaking her mind, wearing servants’ clothes with good humor, and playing strip piquet with him, which leads where you might expect. By the time the other guests arrive, Sophia is in the Duke’s head and the Duke is in her bed and the angst begins.
On a surface level, this book is entertaining and I did enjoy it. But the farther I read the more I realized the setup has pretty large loopholes, Sophia is either feisty or a doormat depending what page you’re on, the Duke is fearful, selfish, stupid, or all-powerful depending what page you’re on, the repetition begins to grate, the side characters are caricatures, and the solutions are so obvious—and eventually so easily accomplished—that the angst seems wasted and the reader feels a little resentful for being asked to buy into it.
September 25, 2012
Posted on Under the Covers
Sophia White was born into the world as an illegitimate daughter of a duke, so her tarnished reputation precedes her. Living her entire life under that stigma has caused her to find refuge at the Tantalus Club, an establishment for gentlemen. Yet Sophia is able to make friends and find people to call her family there. Unfortunately, society still deems her unworthy and to save her soul, a vicar has volunteered to marry her. Horrified yet optimistic, Sophia is determined to make the last few weeks of her freedom count before she is forced to marry someone she does not care for.
When she is invited to spend the holidays at the Duke of Greaves’ estate, Sophia is thrilled at the prospects of seeing her friend Camille Blackwood again. However, her trip to Adam Baswich’s estate soon turns into an embarrassing accident. The bridge they travel on collapses, causing Sophia and the coach she is in to submerge into the freezing, icy water. Adam is there to save her, but it is in that time that Sophia notices much more than Adam’s warm embrace. She realizes her time with him alone may lead to trouble.
Adam and Sophia are absolutely amazing together. Despite the fact that Sophia is dreading the coming weeks of her life, there is this spark in it that makes present company smile. She has such a zest for life and each page that Enoch writes, you see it more and more. Adam is a hard man, but while in the presence of Sophia, he seems enlightened, teasing. Enoch weaves together a spectacular love story within the first half of the book. It will have readers melting with its romantic elements. And yet, the latter half of the book will have readers rooting for the hero and heroine, hoping that true love has what it takes to prevail.
Enoch really captured my heart with this book and transported me into the Duke of Greaves estate. When the book was finished and I wanted more, I found that Enoch managed to evoke a myriad of emotions from me. Suzanne Enoch is easily becoming one of my new auto-buy authors!
Readers will be thrilled to note that Keating Blackwood and Camille are very much present in this book. Enoch writes such memorable characters that I couldn’t help but let out an excited squeal whenever she mentions Blackwood. He certainly brings forth a dark menacing aura to the book, yet the things he does and says are comical and makes me love him more.
Humor, heat and heart – Suzanne Enoch has it all in RULES TO CATCH A DEVILISH DUKE! Fit for the holidays, this red hot read is sure to keep you warm through the winter months!
*ARC provided by publisher
Sophia White was born into the world as an illegitimate daughter of a duke, so her tarnished reputation precedes her. Living her entire life under that stigma has caused her to find refuge at the Tantalus Club, an establishment for gentlemen. Yet Sophia is able to make friends and find people to call her family there. Unfortunately, society still deems her unworthy and to save her soul, a vicar has volunteered to marry her. Horrified yet optimistic, Sophia is determined to make the last few weeks of her freedom count before she is forced to marry someone she does not care for.
When she is invited to spend the holidays at the Duke of Greaves’ estate, Sophia is thrilled at the prospects of seeing her friend Camille Blackwood again. However, her trip to Adam Baswich’s estate soon turns into an embarrassing accident. The bridge they travel on collapses, causing Sophia and the coach she is in to submerge into the freezing, icy water. Adam is there to save her, but it is in that time that Sophia notices much more than Adam’s warm embrace. She realizes her time with him alone may lead to trouble.
Adam and Sophia are absolutely amazing together. Despite the fact that Sophia is dreading the coming weeks of her life, there is this spark in it that makes present company smile. She has such a zest for life and each page that Enoch writes, you see it more and more. Adam is a hard man, but while in the presence of Sophia, he seems enlightened, teasing. Enoch weaves together a spectacular love story within the first half of the book. It will have readers melting with its romantic elements. And yet, the latter half of the book will have readers rooting for the hero and heroine, hoping that true love has what it takes to prevail.
Enoch really captured my heart with this book and transported me into the Duke of Greaves estate. When the book was finished and I wanted more, I found that Enoch managed to evoke a myriad of emotions from me. Suzanne Enoch is easily becoming one of my new auto-buy authors!
Readers will be thrilled to note that Keating Blackwood and Camille are very much present in this book. Enoch writes such memorable characters that I couldn’t help but let out an excited squeal whenever she mentions Blackwood. He certainly brings forth a dark menacing aura to the book, yet the things he does and says are comical and makes me love him more.
Humor, heat and heart – Suzanne Enoch has it all in RULES TO CATCH A DEVILISH DUKE! Fit for the holidays, this red hot read is sure to keep you warm through the winter months!
*ARC provided by publisher
January 20, 2016
While I love this series and the women of the Tautlus House, this book didn't work as well for me. I liked Sophie, Adam didn't work as well for me here. I liked him in the other books, but here in his own story, he came off as rude and borish. Sophie after being given an ulitmatium from her sperm donor father, the Duke of Hennessey, that she is to marry a vicor out in the hinterlands or he will destroy the Tautlus House. Sophie can't have that so she agrees, but he has given her until the new year to get married. Adam has invited her to his hourse for his Christmas party and Sophie wants some sweet memories to take with her to her new life.
Adam for his part has to be married by his next birthday or he looses everything to his sister's son. So he also invited some eligible ladies to look over as well. But a freak accident leaves Sophie and Adam there at the house practically by themselves. They enjoy themselves and start to deepen their relationship that had been sparking for awhile. Adam loves Sophie's zest for life and falls into making her holiday bright. Once everybody else shows up though Adam reverts back to being a Duke instead of loving all the sides of Sophie.
Keaton and Cammy are also there and are trying their best to come up with someway to save Sophie from her fate. Even Adam is wracking his brains to come up with a way, but his only solution is one that Sophie can't live with and soon leaves to meet her new life. Of course it is the worst sort of hell on earth for Sophie as she meets her fiance. But soon Adam wakes up and realizes that there is only one solution that will allow Sophie to stay in his heart and life.
Things that didn't work for me was the love scenes were at the 10,000 feet level and not SE's usual attention to that kind of detail. The ending was also extremely short and abrupt. I wanted to see Sophie to tell her fiance to go suck the Devil's toes and take his troll of a mother with him. But I am just mean like that. Plus Adam needed to do a bit more groveling in order for me to believe in his redemption. Still looking forward to the next in the series.
Adam for his part has to be married by his next birthday or he looses everything to his sister's son. So he also invited some eligible ladies to look over as well. But a freak accident leaves Sophie and Adam there at the house practically by themselves. They enjoy themselves and start to deepen their relationship that had been sparking for awhile. Adam loves Sophie's zest for life and falls into making her holiday bright. Once everybody else shows up though Adam reverts back to being a Duke instead of loving all the sides of Sophie.
Keaton and Cammy are also there and are trying their best to come up with someway to save Sophie from her fate. Even Adam is wracking his brains to come up with a way, but his only solution is one that Sophie can't live with and soon leaves to meet her new life. Of course it is the worst sort of hell on earth for Sophie as she meets her fiance. But soon Adam wakes up and realizes that there is only one solution that will allow Sophie to stay in his heart and life.
Things that didn't work for me was the love scenes were at the 10,000 feet level and not SE's usual attention to that kind of detail. The ending was also extremely short and abrupt. I wanted to see Sophie to tell her fiance to go suck the Devil's toes and take his troll of a mother with him. But I am just mean like that. Plus Adam needed to do a bit more groveling in order for me to believe in his redemption. Still looking forward to the next in the series.
January 6, 2020
This is the third book of the Scandalous Brides series. I would say this book would be okay as a standalone. It's probably a bit more enjoyable knowing the last book, but not necessary. The characters from the previous story, Camille and Keating, have quite a bit of page time, but you won't be lost or miss anything if you skip it. Sophia has a bit of page time as well as Adam in the previous book so you get to know their personalities a bit.
Sophia is our heroine and I did like her. I enjoyed her dialogue. She was quick, witty, optimistic and funny. Her life hasn't been the best. She's the illegitimate daughter of a nobleman and his maid and has never been allowed to forget it. Eventually, she came to find a place at the Tantalus Club. However, her father is done with dealing with the embarrassment and demands she leaves the club and marries a vicar. Sophia is invited to the Duke of Greaves holiday house party and she longs for once last chance for fun before she's married off and forgotten about.
Adam has a family problem that he finally must resolve. He has to marry by the age of 30 and sire an heir by 31 or all his unentailed property and wealth will go to his extremely unlikable viper of a sister and her son. Unfortunately the time has come, so he invites a hoard of eligible women to his Christmas house party.
So I think I liked the previous book in the series more than this. I still liked this one more than book one though. There's plenty to love about this book and so many adorable scenes. Yet something happened to not pull it together as strongly as it should have for me. It was low on feels and tension for me.
I think you will like this book if:
-you love a duke!
-you prefer an experienced heroine
-you loved those big house parties (I do!)
-forced proximity
-a bit of humor, lower on angst
-sex scenes but nothing overdone or super explicit
There was something about this book that had almost a contemporary feel for me. The hero referenced a naked pillow fight as a joke. Was that a thing back then? Probably. But it just brought to mind little teenagers with braces for me. They jump into sex pretty fast, some of the dialogue felt a little modern, there's condoms. None of these things bother me but just added up together in this book I think it just wasn't grabbing me like I wanted it to.
Still enjoyable! I have the final book in the series to read, but I'll probably wait a few weeks before picking it up.
Star rating: 3 1/2 round to 4
Number of books read by this author (including this one): 4 and 1 novella
Sophia is our heroine and I did like her. I enjoyed her dialogue. She was quick, witty, optimistic and funny. Her life hasn't been the best. She's the illegitimate daughter of a nobleman and his maid and has never been allowed to forget it. Eventually, she came to find a place at the Tantalus Club. However, her father is done with dealing with the embarrassment and demands she leaves the club and marries a vicar. Sophia is invited to the Duke of Greaves holiday house party and she longs for once last chance for fun before she's married off and forgotten about.
Adam has a family problem that he finally must resolve. He has to marry by the age of 30 and sire an heir by 31 or all his unentailed property and wealth will go to his extremely unlikable viper of a sister and her son. Unfortunately the time has come, so he invites a hoard of eligible women to his Christmas house party.
So I think I liked the previous book in the series more than this. I still liked this one more than book one though. There's plenty to love about this book and so many adorable scenes. Yet something happened to not pull it together as strongly as it should have for me. It was low on feels and tension for me.
I think you will like this book if:
-you love a duke!
-you prefer an experienced heroine
-you loved those big house parties (I do!)
-forced proximity
-a bit of humor, lower on angst
-sex scenes but nothing overdone or super explicit
There was something about this book that had almost a contemporary feel for me. The hero referenced a naked pillow fight as a joke. Was that a thing back then? Probably. But it just brought to mind little teenagers with braces for me. They jump into sex pretty fast, some of the dialogue felt a little modern, there's condoms. None of these things bother me but just added up together in this book I think it just wasn't grabbing me like I wanted it to.
Still enjoyable! I have the final book in the series to read, but I'll probably wait a few weeks before picking it up.
Star rating: 3 1/2 round to 4
Number of books read by this author (including this one): 4 and 1 novella
October 25, 2012
Another great book in Suzanne Enoch's Scandalous Brides series, focusing on the women of "unfortunate circumstances" that work at the gentlemen's gaming establishment known as the Tantalus Club.
Sophia White, the bastard daughter of a duke, has been forced to quit her employment at the Club because her father has surfaced for the first time in her life and demand she marry a country vicar he has chosen, thereby removing the blemish on his "good" name. Fortunately, Sophia has a short reprieve before her impending doom and has been invited to a Christmas house party being hosted by Adam, the Duke of Greaves. On her way to the party, a bridge leading to the estate collapses and Sophia's carriage plunges into an icy body of water. Sophia is rescued by the Duke and taken to his home; however, she is his only guest for 2 weeks, as the fallen bridge makes it impossible for the other partygoers to join them.
Adam has arranged this Christmas party for the sole purpose of finding a suitable wife - not that he wants a wife, mind you - but he will turn 30 in less than 3 months and it is stipulated in his father's will that he must marry before then or lose all of his holdings to his sister's 9yr old son. Sophia is far from a suitable wife but Adam invited her on a whim one night at the Club. She is a beauty, after all, with her brilliant red hair ...but it is her uninhibited, carefree nature that pique's Adam's interest. Deliberately ignoring Adam's attempt to adhere to social propriety, Sophia treats him as if he was her equal...shocking him when she shows up in a pair of borrowed trousers and - gasp! - pelting him with snowballs. Eventually, Adam relaxes and truly enjoys the fortnight he spends with Sophie...both in and out of bed.
Unfortunately for the new lovers, the bridge is repaired and their idyllic paradise is interrupted by 20 now-unwanted guests. Working at the Tantalus Club has saddled Sophia with the false reputation of being a woman of ill repute and she is given the cut direct by all of the attendees except for Cami & her husband Keating (H/h from book #2). Sophia tries to remain unaffected by all the snide remarks from the ladies and the lewd advances from the men, but watching Adam parading around with his potential brides-to-be...loving him yet knowing they both must marry others...the light in her eyes is soon distinguished. Making matters worse, Adam sets his cap on the most beautiful of the purebred ladies and then asks Sophia to be his mistress. Terribly hurt but resigned to her fate, Sophia slips away from the estate on Christmas Day and sets off for Cornwall where the unknown vicar resides.
As always, Suzanne Enoch breathes life into an interesting cast of characters with a worthwhile story to tell. Sophia is lighthearted and fun...one of the few heroines that I've truly enjoyed. She brings the best out of Adam when they are together, and for the first time in 30 years he is content and enjoying life. Therefore, when he realizes the horrible truth of what his actions have done to Sophie, he kicks all of his guests to the curb and tears up the countryside is his quest to find her, beg her forgiveness and bring her home.
Rules to Catch a Devilish Duke is historical romance at its finest. Highly recommended!
5 stars
The Duke of Greaves - off to bring back the woman he loves
Sophia White, the bastard daughter of a duke, has been forced to quit her employment at the Club because her father has surfaced for the first time in her life and demand she marry a country vicar he has chosen, thereby removing the blemish on his "good" name. Fortunately, Sophia has a short reprieve before her impending doom and has been invited to a Christmas house party being hosted by Adam, the Duke of Greaves. On her way to the party, a bridge leading to the estate collapses and Sophia's carriage plunges into an icy body of water. Sophia is rescued by the Duke and taken to his home; however, she is his only guest for 2 weeks, as the fallen bridge makes it impossible for the other partygoers to join them.
Adam has arranged this Christmas party for the sole purpose of finding a suitable wife - not that he wants a wife, mind you - but he will turn 30 in less than 3 months and it is stipulated in his father's will that he must marry before then or lose all of his holdings to his sister's 9yr old son. Sophia is far from a suitable wife but Adam invited her on a whim one night at the Club. She is a beauty, after all, with her brilliant red hair ...but it is her uninhibited, carefree nature that pique's Adam's interest. Deliberately ignoring Adam's attempt to adhere to social propriety, Sophia treats him as if he was her equal...shocking him when she shows up in a pair of borrowed trousers and - gasp! - pelting him with snowballs. Eventually, Adam relaxes and truly enjoys the fortnight he spends with Sophie...both in and out of bed.
Unfortunately for the new lovers, the bridge is repaired and their idyllic paradise is interrupted by 20 now-unwanted guests. Working at the Tantalus Club has saddled Sophia with the false reputation of being a woman of ill repute and she is given the cut direct by all of the attendees except for Cami & her husband Keating (H/h from book #2). Sophia tries to remain unaffected by all the snide remarks from the ladies and the lewd advances from the men, but watching Adam parading around with his potential brides-to-be...loving him yet knowing they both must marry others...the light in her eyes is soon distinguished. Making matters worse, Adam sets his cap on the most beautiful of the purebred ladies and then asks Sophia to be his mistress. Terribly hurt but resigned to her fate, Sophia slips away from the estate on Christmas Day and sets off for Cornwall where the unknown vicar resides.
As always, Suzanne Enoch breathes life into an interesting cast of characters with a worthwhile story to tell. Sophia is lighthearted and fun...one of the few heroines that I've truly enjoyed. She brings the best out of Adam when they are together, and for the first time in 30 years he is content and enjoying life. Therefore, when he realizes the horrible truth of what his actions have done to Sophie, he kicks all of his guests to the curb and tears up the countryside is his quest to find her, beg her forgiveness and bring her home.
Rules to Catch a Devilish Duke is historical romance at its finest. Highly recommended!
5 stars
The Duke of Greaves - off to bring back the woman he loves
October 18, 2012
I am cheap, and Enoch is one of the few authors that can get me to crack my wallet open. Unfortunately, I should've just stuck with the public library waiting list. This one was a real clunker. How can you mess up a story that takes place at Christmastime?! Everybody loves a good seasonal read.
Neither hero nor heroine are particularly likeable. It's repetitive, especially at the beginning. Yes, we get it: Sophia just wants to have one more wonderful Christmas before getting hitched to the vicar. Yes, we get it: Adam's gotta get hitched before he turns the big 3-0. There's no need to repeatedly beat us over the head with it.
I think another problem of this book is that there's not much of a storyline, because there's not much in way of tension. If your book starts out with:
"Hey pretty lady, I dig you."
"You're not so hard on the eyes either, handsome."
"Are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"
"Yup. Let's do it!"
...then there's isn't really anywhere for it to go. Except for downhill. If there was anything redeeming, the book did feature two mastiffs. I give a star for the mastiffs.
I am still waiting on Jenny's (Genevieve) book. Please say that one is next, and that it won't be a dud. Like this one.
Neither hero nor heroine are particularly likeable. It's repetitive, especially at the beginning. Yes, we get it: Sophia just wants to have one more wonderful Christmas before getting hitched to the vicar. Yes, we get it: Adam's gotta get hitched before he turns the big 3-0. There's no need to repeatedly beat us over the head with it.
I think another problem of this book is that there's not much of a storyline, because there's not much in way of tension. If your book starts out with:
"Hey pretty lady, I dig you."
"You're not so hard on the eyes either, handsome."
"Are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"
"Yup. Let's do it!"
...then there's isn't really anywhere for it to go. Except for downhill. If there was anything redeeming, the book did feature two mastiffs. I give a star for the mastiffs.
I am still waiting on Jenny's (Genevieve) book. Please say that one is next, and that it won't be a dud. Like this one.
December 6, 2012
OMG i usually LOVE LOVE LOVE Suzanne Enoch... but i'm building up a healthy disrespect for the Tantalus Club books...
I've mentioned in another review I really loathe historicals that have h's with modern day values and this book was chock a block full of them...
I had a huge problem at the beginning of the book when the H walks in on the h having a bath and the h didn't seem to care, and i was ready to give up the book then, but i persevered hoping that somehow the h and H would change. She didn't and i skipped to the end to see how the situation was going to resolve itself. Meh.
I hope Suzanne Enoch finishes with the Tantalus Club books soon and starts a new series and i can go back to enjoying her work again.
I've mentioned in another review I really loathe historicals that have h's with modern day values and this book was chock a block full of them...
I had a huge problem at the beginning of the book when the H walks in on the h having a bath and the h didn't seem to care, and i was ready to give up the book then, but i persevered hoping that somehow the h and H would change. She didn't and i skipped to the end to see how the situation was going to resolve itself. Meh.
I hope Suzanne Enoch finishes with the Tantalus Club books soon and starts a new series and i can go back to enjoying her work again.
September 29, 2012
couldn't put it down . . . not that I wanted to. Best of the series so far :-)
May 24, 2020
OMG OMG OMG!!!! This book!!!! AHHHHH!!!! It took my breath away!!! When I first read its plot, I immediately knew that I must read it, so I put it there, on my "to-read" shelf waiting for the day when I could finally get my hands on it. After many times searching for a source to read this book online, or at least an epub file that I could download, finally my call was answered! I finally found the epub file of "Rules to Catch a Devilish Duke", and immediately started to devour it.
This book is the third book of the "Scandalous Brides" series, whose second book I'm also currently reading. And judging from the speed in which I finish this third book, I must say it is the best of the series ha ha :)))) Gosh, it has everything I love to read about in a historical romance. The two main characters had such depths to their personalities and life stories that I felt my heart ache for them so many times.
Adam - the Duke (gosh, I LOVE DUKES!!! BRING THEM ON!!!), and Sophia - the bastard daughter of a Duke, came from different backgrounds, but at the same time, they were so alike. They both suffered from the prejudice and judgment of other people. And throughout the course of the story, they both learned how to put those things aside and truly embrace their true selves, while falling in love with each other. And Sophia, you go girl! She is one of the most impressive female heroines I have ever read in historical romance genre. How the Society viewed her was shaped by her birth - which was NOT her fault. And she didn't let that view affect her life and personality. She grew up like sunshine, paved her own way in the world and lived her life as she wanted. Gosh, I, like Adam, really admired that. What's better than a storng female lead? :)) And I absolutely HATE HATE HATE her father, who never owned up to his mistake of fathering a bastard, who didn't care anything about Sohpia, who used his power to try to control her!
As much as I LOVED this book, I felt like the ending was little bit rush and abrupt. I wish there were an epilogue, so that we could know how happily ever after Adam and Sophia's marriage was, and how they both dealt with the reaction of the Society once they were married. But as we all know, Suzanne Enoch NEVER writes epilogues (which is her signature thing). It would be a miracle if she wrote one. However, I still gave this book 5 twinkling stars thanks to its characters' depth and development, and their both hilarious, both heartbreaking journey to find love.
"Yes, we could argue that you’re a duke’s daughter and then a maid’s daughter, and all the messy details about your birth. But I don’t care about that, other than it made you who you are. I want you to be a part of my life, and I would like to be a part of yours. I want to live my life with you, and I want to have children with you, and I want them to be good-humored and strong like you are. I love … I love you, Sophia. I think I have since you wore that silly yellow dress. If you think perhaps you could care for me the way I c—”
“I love you, too, Adam,” she whispered, more tears running down her face.
He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again to look up at her face. “Then marry me, Sophia. Be my wife. Be my duchess. Be anything you want, but do it with me. Save me. Save us both.”
What's better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than finishing such a beautiful, uplifting and romantic book like this :)) SWOON SWOON SWOON :D
This book is the third book of the "Scandalous Brides" series, whose second book I'm also currently reading. And judging from the speed in which I finish this third book, I must say it is the best of the series ha ha :)))) Gosh, it has everything I love to read about in a historical romance. The two main characters had such depths to their personalities and life stories that I felt my heart ache for them so many times.
Adam - the Duke (gosh, I LOVE DUKES!!! BRING THEM ON!!!), and Sophia - the bastard daughter of a Duke, came from different backgrounds, but at the same time, they were so alike. They both suffered from the prejudice and judgment of other people. And throughout the course of the story, they both learned how to put those things aside and truly embrace their true selves, while falling in love with each other. And Sophia, you go girl! She is one of the most impressive female heroines I have ever read in historical romance genre. How the Society viewed her was shaped by her birth - which was NOT her fault. And she didn't let that view affect her life and personality. She grew up like sunshine, paved her own way in the world and lived her life as she wanted. Gosh, I, like Adam, really admired that. What's better than a storng female lead? :)) And I absolutely HATE HATE HATE her father, who never owned up to his mistake of fathering a bastard, who didn't care anything about Sohpia, who used his power to try to control her!
As much as I LOVED this book, I felt like the ending was little bit rush and abrupt. I wish there were an epilogue, so that we could know how happily ever after Adam and Sophia's marriage was, and how they both dealt with the reaction of the Society once they were married. But as we all know, Suzanne Enoch NEVER writes epilogues (which is her signature thing). It would be a miracle if she wrote one. However, I still gave this book 5 twinkling stars thanks to its characters' depth and development, and their both hilarious, both heartbreaking journey to find love.
"Yes, we could argue that you’re a duke’s daughter and then a maid’s daughter, and all the messy details about your birth. But I don’t care about that, other than it made you who you are. I want you to be a part of my life, and I would like to be a part of yours. I want to live my life with you, and I want to have children with you, and I want them to be good-humored and strong like you are. I love … I love you, Sophia. I think I have since you wore that silly yellow dress. If you think perhaps you could care for me the way I c—”
“I love you, too, Adam,” she whispered, more tears running down her face.
He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again to look up at her face. “Then marry me, Sophia. Be my wife. Be my duchess. Be anything you want, but do it with me. Save me. Save us both.”
What's better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than finishing such a beautiful, uplifting and romantic book like this :)) SWOON SWOON SWOON :D
October 17, 2012
Ngeri dan deg2an bacanya, takut ga suka sama heroine nya
[image error]
Ini ceritanya tentang 2 orang yg kepepet kawin,karena keadaan dan warisan blablabla, Adam harus kawin sblm usia 30, 2 bulan lagi, biar dia tetap jd Duke dan warisannya gak lari ketangan ponakannya, sementara Sophia mesti kawin dan keluar dari pekerjaannya yg hina di klub kalo mau di aku anak sama bapaknya yg Duke juga, secara dia anak haram....nah...the power of kepepet ini yg akhirnya mempertemukan 2 orang yg kasian deh ini....hihihihihihi......
Sophia White , di undang natalan di rumah si Duke of Graves, Adam.
nah waktu on the way ke York rumah Adam, jembatan rubuh, hampir tenggelam dia kalo gak di tolong Adam..ehem ehem.... [image error]
Saat mandi berendam [image error] after sampai di rumah Adam, Adam main masuk aja ke kamar Sophia tanpa ketuk pintu,Sophia masih naked di bak mandi,biarpun napsu liat Sophia, dia masih pura2 sopan dan beradab deh ...sementara.....
Sebetulnya mereka udah kenal lama sih , Sophia ini kerja di Tantalus Club, klub para gentleman yg suka bersenang2, main judi, minum, dan karyawan nya cuma cewek2 cantik dari kalangan elite dan berpendidikan,kayak escort high class gitu deh [image error] ..Sophia adl kawan dari istri teman ada (buku 1)
Sayangnya kedatangan Sophia di acara "keluarga" di anggap aib..yah tau sendirilah.... (oya Klub ini karyawan cewek nya bukan whore ya, malah mereka untouchable, tapi kalo ada yg punya love affair,itu harus di luar klub gitu) [image error] Mana di pesta itu da sederetan calon istri potensial yg harus dipilih Adam, pikir kakaknya yg jahat si Eustache, gak pantes amat bawa whore ke pesta, Adam bilang dia bukan whore,tapi tamu dan teman...ngotot banget deh si Adam.... [image error]
Adam selalu berusaha menyenangkan hati Sophia,apalagi after Sophia cerita tentang masa lalunya....
Hm, banyak oralitnya..sampe setengah buku, mereka "melakukan ITU" biasanya di bak mandi sih hihiihihhi [image error]
Seri ini kan Scandalous Brides, jd emang cewek2nya bukan cewek ninggrat biasa yg pemalu dan virgin, lbh ke cewek2 terbuang, ada yg anak haram duke dll, mrk kerja di klub, namanya Tantalus, disana cewek nya cantik2, tapi gak bisa di bawa2..tapiiii kehidupan mrk lumayan bebas buat jaman itu, jd mrk biasanya diceritain punya lover sebelum ketemu heronya...
...
Sepuluh hari mereka cuma berdua, tanpa tamu2 lainnya...berteman, makelove,berantem, makelove,berteman,makelove...sampai akhirnya tamu2 datang...mulailah dramanya..... [image error]
Saat para calon istri potensial buat Adam berdatangan, dan masa lalu Sophia mulai menjadi halangan dia mencintai Adam...hicks....aku deg2an bacanya.... [image error]
Nah disana ada yg namanya Lady Caroline yg potensial banget yg bisa mentolerir kalo Adam gak akan setia, karena Adam gak bisa hidup tanpa Sophia,makanya Adam kayak ngejanjiin gitu sama Caroline (tersirat doang sih) kalo dia yg bakal di pilih, sementar Adam , malah tidur sama Sophia tiap malam. Satu malam, eh pagi, after sneaking dari kamar Sophia, Adam nemuin si Caroline di tempat tidur dia, naked dan siap "menyambut" adam...ge-er banget deh dia...kagetlah Adam ... [image error]
Disini aku sukanya sama Adam, dia gak bisa mengkhianati "his encounter" dengan Sophia dengan tidur dengan perempuan lain, so, dia bilang ke Caroline, dia mau ganti baju,mau breakfast, baiknya Caroline segera berpakaian dan keluar dari kamarnya.... [image error]
Ada juga penghinaan dari cewek2 lain dan tawaran jadi mistress dari tamu2 Adam, yg bikin Adam penegn ninju orang itu..tapi dengan begitu, Adam kan akan buka rahasia kalo dia ada apa2nya dengan Sophia...
[image error]
Emang dilema banget deh si Adam, cuma menurut aku, dia terlalu pengecut buat meraih impian dia dan membohongi diri sendiri dengan mencari calon istri dari kalanagan terhormat,sementara dia udah jatuh cinta berat sama Sophia, yg namanya jelek cuma karena masa lalunya doang...Sophia juga dilema, antara pengen sama Adam, sama menyelamatkan Tantalus dengan menikah dengan pria pilihan ayahnya...Galauers nih dua2nya [image error]
Lalu saat malam natal dan saat hadiah natal di bagikan, dan Sophia ditawari lagi buat jadi mistress Adam, Sophia kabur, ke Cornwall, buat menikah dengan sang pendeta...
Paniklah si adam, padahal malam itu dia mau mengumumkan siapa pilihannya..iiiih..kayak cerita Cinderella ya hhahhaha....
Lalu, jadikah Adam mengumumkan pertunangannya dengan Lady caroline? atau dia menyusul Sophia demi cinta? (cieee..narasinya udah kayak ripiu2 terjemahan dah) [image error]
Gak udah spoiler ya, karena endingnya ketebaklah pastinya...hehhehehe [image error]
Ayo dibaca....jarang2 nih aku kasih cerita model gini 4 bintang.... [image error]
Oya, ada juga 2 anjing unyu yg jatuh cinta sama Sophia, dan para pelayan yg top abis kesetiaan dan loyalitasnya ke Sophia....hmpfffttt....
Oya, buat penggemar Virgin heroine dan SAM MoC...this book is not suitable for you... [image error]
Ini ceritanya tentang 2 orang yg kepepet kawin,karena keadaan dan warisan blablabla, Adam harus kawin sblm usia 30, 2 bulan lagi, biar dia tetap jd Duke dan warisannya gak lari ketangan ponakannya, sementara Sophia mesti kawin dan keluar dari pekerjaannya yg hina di klub kalo mau di aku anak sama bapaknya yg Duke juga, secara dia anak haram....nah...the power of kepepet ini yg akhirnya mempertemukan 2 orang yg kasian deh ini....hihihihihihi......
Sophia White , di undang natalan di rumah si Duke of Graves, Adam.
nah waktu on the way ke York rumah Adam, jembatan rubuh, hampir tenggelam dia kalo gak di tolong Adam..ehem ehem.... [image error]
Saat mandi berendam [image error] after sampai di rumah Adam, Adam main masuk aja ke kamar Sophia tanpa ketuk pintu,Sophia masih naked di bak mandi,biarpun napsu liat Sophia, dia masih pura2 sopan dan beradab deh ...sementara.....
Sebetulnya mereka udah kenal lama sih , Sophia ini kerja di Tantalus Club, klub para gentleman yg suka bersenang2, main judi, minum, dan karyawan nya cuma cewek2 cantik dari kalangan elite dan berpendidikan,kayak escort high class gitu deh [image error] ..Sophia adl kawan dari istri teman ada (buku 1)
Sayangnya kedatangan Sophia di acara "keluarga" di anggap aib..yah tau sendirilah.... (oya Klub ini karyawan cewek nya bukan whore ya, malah mereka untouchable, tapi kalo ada yg punya love affair,itu harus di luar klub gitu) [image error] Mana di pesta itu da sederetan calon istri potensial yg harus dipilih Adam, pikir kakaknya yg jahat si Eustache, gak pantes amat bawa whore ke pesta, Adam bilang dia bukan whore,tapi tamu dan teman...ngotot banget deh si Adam.... [image error]
Adam selalu berusaha menyenangkan hati Sophia,apalagi after Sophia cerita tentang masa lalunya....
Hm, banyak oralitnya..sampe setengah buku, mereka "melakukan ITU" biasanya di bak mandi sih hihiihihhi [image error]
Seri ini kan Scandalous Brides, jd emang cewek2nya bukan cewek ninggrat biasa yg pemalu dan virgin, lbh ke cewek2 terbuang, ada yg anak haram duke dll, mrk kerja di klub, namanya Tantalus, disana cewek nya cantik2, tapi gak bisa di bawa2..tapiiii kehidupan mrk lumayan bebas buat jaman itu, jd mrk biasanya diceritain punya lover sebelum ketemu heronya...
...
Sepuluh hari mereka cuma berdua, tanpa tamu2 lainnya...berteman, makelove,berantem, makelove,berteman,makelove...sampai akhirnya tamu2 datang...mulailah dramanya..... [image error]
Saat para calon istri potensial buat Adam berdatangan, dan masa lalu Sophia mulai menjadi halangan dia mencintai Adam...hicks....aku deg2an bacanya.... [image error]
Nah disana ada yg namanya Lady Caroline yg potensial banget yg bisa mentolerir kalo Adam gak akan setia, karena Adam gak bisa hidup tanpa Sophia,makanya Adam kayak ngejanjiin gitu sama Caroline (tersirat doang sih) kalo dia yg bakal di pilih, sementar Adam , malah tidur sama Sophia tiap malam. Satu malam, eh pagi, after sneaking dari kamar Sophia, Adam nemuin si Caroline di tempat tidur dia, naked dan siap "menyambut" adam...ge-er banget deh dia...kagetlah Adam ... [image error]
Disini aku sukanya sama Adam, dia gak bisa mengkhianati "his encounter" dengan Sophia dengan tidur dengan perempuan lain, so, dia bilang ke Caroline, dia mau ganti baju,mau breakfast, baiknya Caroline segera berpakaian dan keluar dari kamarnya.... [image error]
Ada juga penghinaan dari cewek2 lain dan tawaran jadi mistress dari tamu2 Adam, yg bikin Adam penegn ninju orang itu..tapi dengan begitu, Adam kan akan buka rahasia kalo dia ada apa2nya dengan Sophia...
[image error]
Emang dilema banget deh si Adam, cuma menurut aku, dia terlalu pengecut buat meraih impian dia dan membohongi diri sendiri dengan mencari calon istri dari kalanagan terhormat,sementara dia udah jatuh cinta berat sama Sophia, yg namanya jelek cuma karena masa lalunya doang...Sophia juga dilema, antara pengen sama Adam, sama menyelamatkan Tantalus dengan menikah dengan pria pilihan ayahnya...Galauers nih dua2nya [image error]
Lalu saat malam natal dan saat hadiah natal di bagikan, dan Sophia ditawari lagi buat jadi mistress Adam, Sophia kabur, ke Cornwall, buat menikah dengan sang pendeta...
Paniklah si adam, padahal malam itu dia mau mengumumkan siapa pilihannya..iiiih..kayak cerita Cinderella ya hhahhaha....
Lalu, jadikah Adam mengumumkan pertunangannya dengan Lady caroline? atau dia menyusul Sophia demi cinta? (cieee..narasinya udah kayak ripiu2 terjemahan dah) [image error]
Gak udah spoiler ya, karena endingnya ketebaklah pastinya...hehhehehe [image error]
Ayo dibaca....jarang2 nih aku kasih cerita model gini 4 bintang.... [image error]
Oya, ada juga 2 anjing unyu yg jatuh cinta sama Sophia, dan para pelayan yg top abis kesetiaan dan loyalitasnya ke Sophia....hmpfffttt....
Oya, buat penggemar Virgin heroine dan SAM MoC...this book is not suitable for you... [image error]
December 26, 2012
I knew I'd love this book! The story was really absorbing that I actually stayed up all night just to finish this book (how do I get rid of the dark circles around my eyes?). Loved this book!
Adam Baswich, the Duke of Greaves
I'd loved Adam from the moment I first read about him in the previous book. I loved him even more in this book! He was a great man. He was caring, funny, handsome, sexy, generous and so much more. I loved, loved, loved him! He was so kind and passionate towards Sophia I just couldn't help but swoon over him *sigh*
Sophia White
I really, really adored Sophia. She went through so much in her life because of what she was; an illegitimate daughter of a duke. She was a kind-hearted girl, she knew what kind of life she was leading. She was very admirable. And I really loved how very carefree, easy-going, strong-willed she was despite all the obstacles she had to face.
Other characters that I really, really grew to like
Udgell; the butler. He's really adorable. There were not so many lines by him in the book but still, he had my attention. I found him really, really cute.
Mrs. Brooks; the head housekeeper. Oh Mrs. Brooks is so lovely! I looooooved her so much. She was so sweet and kind and so motherly and funny at times too!
Okay no I loved all Adam's servants. I loved them because they treated Sophia verrrryyyy niceeeeelyyyy!
Adam Baswich, the Duke of Greaves
I'd loved Adam from the moment I first read about him in the previous book. I loved him even more in this book! He was a great man. He was caring, funny, handsome, sexy, generous and so much more. I loved, loved, loved him! He was so kind and passionate towards Sophia I just couldn't help but swoon over him *sigh*
Sophia White
I really, really adored Sophia. She went through so much in her life because of what she was; an illegitimate daughter of a duke. She was a kind-hearted girl, she knew what kind of life she was leading. She was very admirable. And I really loved how very carefree, easy-going, strong-willed she was despite all the obstacles she had to face.
Other characters that I really, really grew to like
Udgell; the butler. He's really adorable. There were not so many lines by him in the book but still, he had my attention. I found him really, really cute.
Mrs. Brooks; the head housekeeper. Oh Mrs. Brooks is so lovely! I looooooved her so much. She was so sweet and kind and so motherly and funny at times too!
Okay no I loved all Adam's servants. I loved them because they treated Sophia verrrryyyy niceeeeelyyyy!
November 4, 2012
The newest title in Suzanne Enoch’s Scandalous Brides series moves the action away from London and the gaming tables of the Tantalus Club and gives us a more personal look at two characters that on the surface seem so wrong for one another, yet when they are matched everything becomes perfect.
Sophia White, a dealer at the Tantalus Club, presents herself as just another pretty face and rarely allows the patrons of the club see her true personality. As the illegitimate daughter of a Duke, Sophia has long held herself above stigmas that society places on natural children and has even thrived when she found her place within the walls of the Tantalus. When Sophia’s employment at the club comes under scrutiny by her birth father, she is forced to sacrifice her own future by agreeing to marry a man chosen by her father or else he will use all of his power and influence to force the Tantalus Club closed. Knowing that her time was short before her father’s deadline, Sophia grabs on to one last opportunity for happiness by accepting an invitation to the Duke of Greave’s Christmas house party along with her closest friend Camille.
For the full review, please go to http://thewindowseat13.blogspot.com/2...
Sophia White, a dealer at the Tantalus Club, presents herself as just another pretty face and rarely allows the patrons of the club see her true personality. As the illegitimate daughter of a Duke, Sophia has long held herself above stigmas that society places on natural children and has even thrived when she found her place within the walls of the Tantalus. When Sophia’s employment at the club comes under scrutiny by her birth father, she is forced to sacrifice her own future by agreeing to marry a man chosen by her father or else he will use all of his power and influence to force the Tantalus Club closed. Knowing that her time was short before her father’s deadline, Sophia grabs on to one last opportunity for happiness by accepting an invitation to the Duke of Greave’s Christmas house party along with her closest friend Camille.
For the full review, please go to http://thewindowseat13.blogspot.com/2...
May 7, 2013
My favorite in the series so far. Could not put this one down. Although I knew they had to end up together in the end, I did not know how they were going to get there. The Duke of Greaves has been a mysterious character in the 2 previous books, and I couldn't wait for his story. He and Sophia had been sort of thrown together in the previous book, and I was hoping for their pairing. Sophia, the unacknowleded illegitimate daughter of a Duke, has been working in the Tantalous club. Adam, the Duke of Greaves invites her to the large Chrismas party he always holds, but a bridge breaks and she almost drowns. He, of course saves her, no other guests can get there , so they spend a week alone together. The character development and the backstories are very well written, the dialogue is witty, and several mysteries are solved. I loved that Sophia was older, not a virgin, and though society has always seen her as notorious, she is relatively unscathed. I highly recommend this one.
October 4, 2012
I listened to this book and would have loved to give it 5 stars, but I didn't like the ending. I felt like the book ended WAY too abruptly. The Duke of Greaves asked Sophia to marry him, she says yes and it's finished. The ending would have been much better if the Duke would have arrived with a special license, made the self-important, pretentious Vicar marry them, then put him on a ship to India and put his mother in a convent. They introduced that nasty young Vicar and then nothing. Greaves should have confronted him in some way.
I loved Sophia. She was like a breath of fresh air. I loved the interactions between her and the servants and Greaves. Of course, I also love Keating - he doesn't take any crap off of anyone. I guess he's a bit hot-headed, but for all the right reasons.
I really enjoyed this book and I will listen to it over and over again.
I loved Sophia. She was like a breath of fresh air. I loved the interactions between her and the servants and Greaves. Of course, I also love Keating - he doesn't take any crap off of anyone. I guess he's a bit hot-headed, but for all the right reasons.
I really enjoyed this book and I will listen to it over and over again.
July 14, 2014
I really liked Sophia in book two of this series, but man, her martyr bullshit got old quick. Graves was cool for the most part, but his inability to see what was right in front of him was a bit off-putting. On the whole, I have to say I'm not a huge Suzanne Enoch fan.
December 21, 2019
Good, enjoyable story. 4☆
February 22, 2022
I enjoyed this book very much! It was also sweet and a bit steamy. I believe 3 love scenes? The only thing I wish was that there was an epilogue.
May 31, 2021
3.5 stars
it's been a while since i've read Suzanne's books so i decided to pick up her books again.
i really liked Sophia because since she already had a shit reputation due to her birth, she does as she pleases and doesn't give a shit about anyone's opinion. hence, her actions come off as original, honest and without pretense. i find that aspect of her super refreshing. she speaks her mind, she is bold in her actions and that wins the affection of Adam. i enjoyed their candid conversations and great chemistry up until Adam's other guests arrived, which was when the book started going downhill for me. when they were both alone in each other's company only, they had a good bonding going out and they got along very well. it was very cute to see them alone together.
but the other guests came, and as expected their interaction was cut down and Adam came off as a little controlling about Sophia's actions. they clashed, they did not get along well and everything kinda went downhill also because Adam tried to make Sophia his mistress as he could only think of that way to keep her by his side. i mean... what about marriage? i was frustrated that he didn't think of that option for Sophia. i felt bad for her as Adam only wanted her as a mistress and felt it was right of her to leave. after all the horrible talk of illegitimacy, the least she deserves is marriage and not being a mistress to a guy.
however, i did like how the book wrapped up with Adam finding ways to remove the need for Sophia to marry the vicar, save the club and marry her himself.
but there wasn't an epilogue where how the vicar reacted to this, a marriage between Sophia and Adam and any possible children, the society's reaction to Sophia's and Adam's marriage. also, i thought it was way too fast for them to be having sex at chapter 5.
i shall be reading the other 2 books in this series.
it's been a while since i've read Suzanne's books so i decided to pick up her books again.
i really liked Sophia because since she already had a shit reputation due to her birth, she does as she pleases and doesn't give a shit about anyone's opinion. hence, her actions come off as original, honest and without pretense. i find that aspect of her super refreshing. she speaks her mind, she is bold in her actions and that wins the affection of Adam. i enjoyed their candid conversations and great chemistry up until Adam's other guests arrived, which was when the book started going downhill for me. when they were both alone in each other's company only, they had a good bonding going out and they got along very well. it was very cute to see them alone together.
but the other guests came, and as expected their interaction was cut down and Adam came off as a little controlling about Sophia's actions. they clashed, they did not get along well and everything kinda went downhill also because Adam tried to make Sophia his mistress as he could only think of that way to keep her by his side. i mean... what about marriage? i was frustrated that he didn't think of that option for Sophia. i felt bad for her as Adam only wanted her as a mistress and felt it was right of her to leave. after all the horrible talk of illegitimacy, the least she deserves is marriage and not being a mistress to a guy.
however, i did like how the book wrapped up with Adam finding ways to remove the need for Sophia to marry the vicar, save the club and marry her himself.
but there wasn't an epilogue where how the vicar reacted to this, a marriage between Sophia and Adam and any possible children, the society's reaction to Sophia's and Adam's marriage. also, i thought it was way too fast for them to be having sex at chapter 5.
i shall be reading the other 2 books in this series.
March 5, 2016
A Beginner's Guide to Rakes made me a Suzanne Enoch fan, to the tune of suggesting her name when Mr Boffin had to read Romance for work. Like you do. A ludicrous amount of time has passed since I read that first book, but I still remember Diane's fierce personality and that one time that Oliver broke in through the floor.
Thanks to Enoch being awesome and a good rec, Mr Boffin kindly donated a few of her books to the Cookiemonger Never Stops Reading Foundation. This is one of them. Oh, and please pardon the fact that all of my romance summaries tend to look like "She's a sharp-shooting mechanic with a heart of gold. He's a genetically engineered single father. They fight crime!"
Sophia White, as the illegitimate daughter of a duke, has never expected to be treated well by Society with a capital S, and her expectations have certainly been met with consistency. Employment at the Tantalus Club has at least kept her safe and even happy, until her ducal father devised an ironclad plan to remove her to a place where she . Now she simply wants to have one last--first--happy Christmas before meeting his demands.
Adam Baswich has not always been the most correct of dukes, with his devious plans and ingenious scheming. But inviting Sophia to join the large Christmas party, while seemingly a harmless courtesy, results in a friendship he could never have countenanced. Particularly when the venomous behaviour of his sour sister and her set stimulate the roiling resentment that he does his best to master. Add to that the fact that he must marry in a month.
Both Sophia and Adam featured fairly prominently in the previous book, Taming an Impossible Rogue. While Sophia's character as presented therein is more expanded on than anything, Adam's is opened up a great deal for deeper scrutiny. He's much less in control, and there is a lot more to him. I'm still not sure if I preferred him a little more mild, although I did think his intellectual capabilities showed up better then.
The bang with which the story starts off is also a great character establishing moment. The mail coach on which Sophia was travelling fell through the ice, thanks to the collapse of the bridge. But Sophia doesn't let this, or almost anything else get her down. She trods on a drowning turkey and just keeps on going. As much as she thinks how much she should have made different choices, she just keeps moving forward.
Then Adam swoops in and saves her. The moment is utterly saved from being cliché by the fact that he has to yank the back of her dress down over her bum, as it had ridden up while she trudged through the water.
After they are home and dry, they soon find that the many guests expected to share Christmas with them won't be arriving for some time. The bridge is out, and it was the only way in. There follows a comfortable fling. Sophia is a breath of fresh air, befriending the servants, taming the MASSIVE dogs, and gallivanting around in clothes she thinks are borrowed and trousers that are borrowed.
I make it sound like a montage, but really, it's lovely. Adam keeps trying to give her things, and she refuses. Sophia will not be a 'kept' woman. When he tries to give her a horse, and she doesn't allow him, he says that he has sold it to her for the price of the pocket money she had told him she had.
But when the rest of the party does arrive, things change. Adam's foul sister Eustace is from the start vile and openly poisonous, both to Sophia and to Adam, and her friends are as bad as she is. Whispers and open insults abound. And Adam changes from her friend to a stodgy, angry duke looking for a suitable wife. But he still wants Sophia. Basically, he keeps trying to have his cake and eat it too.
The theme of not caring what others think is interesting. Sophia genuinely does not worry about what other people think of her, but not in that unrealistic Manic Pixie Dream Girl way that some girls pretend at. Sophia doesn't run around fulfilling all her whims, oblivious to others; she lives true to herself while respecting the consequences in regards to their cost.
Contrast these two scenes: while the nasty people are being generally nasty, and Adam is starting to stiff up (not in the sexy way) Sophia takes it upon herself to act in exactly the way she had been acting before the others had arrived. She dons clothes borrowed from a footman and plays in the snow with the two mastiffs, Caesar and Brutus. The other guests are scandalised, and Adam throws a mardy.
Later, the entire party is playing snapdragon, with the boon being a necklace with a diamond the size of a chestnut. When Sophia gets the button, she panics a little, and then puts it back in the bowl. Adam caught her at it, and she explains that she weighed the consequences against the price of the diamond and found the diamond was not worth it.
The first was a harmless show of being herself, and was also an attempt to make a private point to Adam. The second was a very public display that would have opened her up to abuse and future problems that she did not deem worth it. Adam didn't seem to understand either situation. This is because he turned out to be kind of a prat about public opinion.
At first he seems to share her idea of not caring what other people think, but it's a different story whenever Eustace gets a chance to dig in and pour vitriol into his ear. These encounters leave him in a black rage that eats him up.
A lot of the obstacle keeping them apart were Sophia's insistence that she honour the agreement she made, and Adam's idiocy in trying to balance what was expected of him and what he wanted. I'm not entirely happy with the way the resolution came about, since it was mostly action on Adam's part, but I don't see how either of the characters could have acted any differently.
I also loved the sentiment that they saved each other. They did, but it was also a running concept. I would recommend this whole series, but this book can certainly be read on its own.
Thanks to Enoch being awesome and a good rec, Mr Boffin kindly donated a few of her books to the Cookiemonger Never Stops Reading Foundation. This is one of them. Oh, and please pardon the fact that all of my romance summaries tend to look like "She's a sharp-shooting mechanic with a heart of gold. He's a genetically engineered single father. They fight crime!"
Sophia White, as the illegitimate daughter of a duke, has never expected to be treated well by Society with a capital S, and her expectations have certainly been met with consistency. Employment at the Tantalus Club has at least kept her safe and even happy, until her ducal father devised an ironclad plan to remove her to a place where she . Now she simply wants to have one last--first--happy Christmas before meeting his demands.
Adam Baswich has not always been the most correct of dukes, with his devious plans and ingenious scheming. But inviting Sophia to join the large Christmas party, while seemingly a harmless courtesy, results in a friendship he could never have countenanced. Particularly when the venomous behaviour of his sour sister and her set stimulate the roiling resentment that he does his best to master. Add to that the fact that he must marry in a month.
Both Sophia and Adam featured fairly prominently in the previous book, Taming an Impossible Rogue. While Sophia's character as presented therein is more expanded on than anything, Adam's is opened up a great deal for deeper scrutiny. He's much less in control, and there is a lot more to him. I'm still not sure if I preferred him a little more mild, although I did think his intellectual capabilities showed up better then.
The bang with which the story starts off is also a great character establishing moment. The mail coach on which Sophia was travelling fell through the ice, thanks to the collapse of the bridge. But Sophia doesn't let this, or almost anything else get her down. She trods on a drowning turkey and just keeps on going. As much as she thinks how much she should have made different choices, she just keeps moving forward.
Then Adam swoops in and saves her. The moment is utterly saved from being cliché by the fact that he has to yank the back of her dress down over her bum, as it had ridden up while she trudged through the water.
After they are home and dry, they soon find that the many guests expected to share Christmas with them won't be arriving for some time. The bridge is out, and it was the only way in. There follows a comfortable fling. Sophia is a breath of fresh air, befriending the servants, taming the MASSIVE dogs, and gallivanting around in clothes she thinks are borrowed and trousers that are borrowed.
I make it sound like a montage, but really, it's lovely. Adam keeps trying to give her things, and she refuses. Sophia will not be a 'kept' woman. When he tries to give her a horse, and she doesn't allow him, he says that he has sold it to her for the price of the pocket money she had told him she had.
But when the rest of the party does arrive, things change. Adam's foul sister Eustace is from the start vile and openly poisonous, both to Sophia and to Adam, and her friends are as bad as she is. Whispers and open insults abound. And Adam changes from her friend to a stodgy, angry duke looking for a suitable wife. But he still wants Sophia. Basically, he keeps trying to have his cake and eat it too.
The theme of not caring what others think is interesting. Sophia genuinely does not worry about what other people think of her, but not in that unrealistic Manic Pixie Dream Girl way that some girls pretend at. Sophia doesn't run around fulfilling all her whims, oblivious to others; she lives true to herself while respecting the consequences in regards to their cost.
Contrast these two scenes: while the nasty people are being generally nasty, and Adam is starting to stiff up (not in the sexy way) Sophia takes it upon herself to act in exactly the way she had been acting before the others had arrived. She dons clothes borrowed from a footman and plays in the snow with the two mastiffs, Caesar and Brutus. The other guests are scandalised, and Adam throws a mardy.
Later, the entire party is playing snapdragon, with the boon being a necklace with a diamond the size of a chestnut. When Sophia gets the button, she panics a little, and then puts it back in the bowl. Adam caught her at it, and she explains that she weighed the consequences against the price of the diamond and found the diamond was not worth it.
The first was a harmless show of being herself, and was also an attempt to make a private point to Adam. The second was a very public display that would have opened her up to abuse and future problems that she did not deem worth it. Adam didn't seem to understand either situation. This is because he turned out to be kind of a prat about public opinion.
At first he seems to share her idea of not caring what other people think, but it's a different story whenever Eustace gets a chance to dig in and pour vitriol into his ear. These encounters leave him in a black rage that eats him up.
A lot of the obstacle keeping them apart were Sophia's insistence that she honour the agreement she made, and Adam's idiocy in trying to balance what was expected of him and what he wanted. I'm not entirely happy with the way the resolution came about, since it was mostly action on Adam's part, but I don't see how either of the characters could have acted any differently.
I also loved the sentiment that they saved each other. They did, but it was also a running concept. I would recommend this whole series, but this book can certainly be read on its own.
March 25, 2017
I had a decent reading experience. The only thing that annoyed me was how long it took Adam to come to the conclusion .
September 27, 2020
3 stars - Historical Romance
July 6, 2022
DNF.
I figure that, when I feel like maiming the main male character, it's probably better to move on!
December 29, 2023
This book was so fun! It was such an improvement over the first in this series. The chemistry was amazing, the setting was great and I loved the main character Sophia.
May 31, 2017
After 2 months of reading three fantasy series ( yes Throne of Glass, ACOTAR, Red Queen Series) and some of the contemporary novels I went and read this book for mindless entertainment. And I enjoy this book. I really do.I finished it like in a day really .I also have a soft spot for girls with red hair (yes I have problem sue me). I really like the female protagonist character, she does thing that she like and doesn't care about what people think about her. She didn't let their parents fault defined her choices or her character.
The steamy scenes in this novel are not every much which I really enjoy about it. I just wish the author can just mention it rather than adding it in this book.
The steamy scenes in this novel are not every much which I really enjoy about it. I just wish the author can just mention it rather than adding it in this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2019
3.5 Stars
A delightful story of how a duke falls in love with an independent but bastard woman.
Sophia is the result of a Duke and a lady's maid. Her father has never acknowledged her so she is shunned from society. She worked a gaming hell but is invited to the Duke of Greaves for a Christmas house party. On the way, a bridge collapses and she loses all of her belongings but is saved by Adam, the Duke of Greaves. Because the bridge is uncrossable, she is Adam's only guest until the bridge can be rebuilt. She finds out that the reason for the house party is so that Adam can choose a bride and he initially invited her to liven up the party and knew that Sophia would upset Adam's uptight sister.
While the bridge is being built, Adam and Sophia become friends and then lovers. When the bridge is built, the house party guests arrive and Adam must choose a bride and Sophia is counting down the days until is forced to marry a rector that her father has choosen for her. When Adam asks Sophia to be his mistress, she runs away to get married to the rector. Adam has someone watch her and delay her wedding while he decides that he loves and will marry Sophia, but first he has to clear his path so that he can propose to her - like letting people know that he's not choosing one of the other house guests to get married, confronting Sophia's father, etc.
When Adam gets to Sophia, he says a pretty little speech and proposes. She agrees and the book ends abruptly. I wish there was more of an ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2018
It's been a while since I've read Suzanne Enoch and I forgot how much I like her books. This was engaging and enjoyable. Sophia was strong, funny, and genuine. Adam was strong and passionate, if a little temperamental and misguided at times. Their relationship was so easy and I was surprised it took him so long to realize that not only did he love her, but that they could solve each others problems by getting married. I loved his confrontation with her father, who was even more pompous than we were led to believe. I was surprised that the Duchess of Hennessy was the one who had looked out for Sophia all those years. I am glad that Adam and Oliver started to make up, and that Blackwood and Camille were back and still happy. Love this series and this author!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2014
In Camille's story, Adam treats Sophia with courtesy and respect any time their paths cross including some of what we'd call double dates. In Adam and Sophia's story that same public kindness is less obvious until nearly the end of the book.
I really like this heroine but for most of this book she seems more spineless than before. Again, at the end all is fine. At the start, she allows Adam to walk in on her in the bath--something he would never do to any other lady and from there on it just rankles me to see him oversexed in private and frigid for the most part in public.
Weakest of the three books so far for me.
I really like this heroine but for most of this book she seems more spineless than before. Again, at the end all is fine. At the start, she allows Adam to walk in on her in the bath--something he would never do to any other lady and from there on it just rankles me to see him oversexed in private and frigid for the most part in public.
Weakest of the three books so far for me.
October 9, 2018
Reviewed 10/8/2018
I love these types of books, where the hero does something entirely too stupid but thinks he's right, and then later realizes he was dead wrong and he has to grovel his way back into the heroine's good graces.
Sophia and Adam develop an unlikely relationship and end up liking each other much more than they thought they would. But Adam already has his own plans for marriage and it doesn't involve Sophia. Sophia, on the other hand, is being forced to marry a vicar who will change who she fundamentally is because he believes only he can redeem her fallen soul.
It's a great book and I frequently go back to reread sections of it.
I love these types of books, where the hero does something entirely too stupid but thinks he's right, and then later realizes he was dead wrong and he has to grovel his way back into the heroine's good graces.
Sophia and Adam develop an unlikely relationship and end up liking each other much more than they thought they would. But Adam already has his own plans for marriage and it doesn't involve Sophia. Sophia, on the other hand, is being forced to marry a vicar who will change who she fundamentally is because he believes only he can redeem her fallen soul.
It's a great book and I frequently go back to reread sections of it.
August 30, 2022
Lovely, sexy character-driven story. No mention of any rules, though ... Maybe the book's title was composed by somebody in the publisher's office pulling some "historical romance"-type words at random out of a bag.
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