Boxed Set containing books 1-4 of the bestselling Dukes of War series:
#1 The Viscount's Christmas Temptation #2 The Earl's Defiant Wallflower #3 The Captain's Bluestocking Mistress #4 The Major's Faux Fiancee
The Viscount's Christmas Temptation
Certain individuals might consider Lady Amelia Pembroke a managing sort of female, but truly, most people would be lost without her help. Why, the latest on-dit is that rakish Viscount Sheffield is canceling the fête of the year because he hasn't time for silly soirees. He doesn't need time—he needs her!
The Earl's Defiant Wallflower
Oliver York returns from war to find his father dead, his finances in arrears, and himself the new Earl of Carlisle. If he doesn't marry an heiress—and fast!—he and his tenants are going to be pitching tents down by the Thames. He definitely shouldn't be trading kisses with a penniless debutante... no matter how captivating she is!
The Captain's Bluestocking Mistress
Spinster Jane Downing wants off the shelf and into the arms of a hot-blooded man. Specifically, the dark and dangerous Captain Grey. She may not be destined to be his wife, but nothing will stop her from being his mistress. She could quote classical Greek by the age of four. How hard can it be to learn the language of love?
The Major's Faux Fiancee
Miss Daphne Vaughan hates that crying off her fake betrothal will destroy Major Blackpool's chances of finding a real bride. She plots to make him jilt her first. Who cares if it ruins her? She never wanted a husband anyway. But the major is equally determined that she break the engagement. With both of them on their worst behavior, neither expects their fake betrothal to lead to love...
Erica Ridley is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of historical romance novels, including THE DUKE HEIST, featuring the Wild Wynchesters. Why seduce a duke the normal way, when you can accidentally kidnap one in an elaborately planned heist?
In the 12 Dukes of Christmas series, enjoy witty, heartwarming Regency romps nestled in a picturesque snow-covered village. After all, nothing heats up a winter night quite like finding oneself in the arms of a duke!
Two popular series, the Dukes of War and Rogues to Riches, feature roguish peers and dashing war heroes who find love amongst the splendor and madness of Regency England.
When not reading or writing romances, Erica can be found eating couscous in Morocco, zip-lining through rainforests in Costa Rica, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest.
The Viscount's Tempting Minx This was a fun short story. It goes by perhaps a bit too quickly because I’m not sure I really got to know either of our two leading characters. I quite liked Benedict. He seems to be a noble man as well as being a nobleman. Amelia is where it starts to break down for me. I don’t like “managing” heroines. I fully realize that for most women of the time this was the only control they had in their lives, but I still don’t enjoy reading about them. I’m just not a fan of manipulation. I did like seeing that Amelia got a taste of her own medicine and that Benedict was just as capable of managing her as she was of him. I’m intrigued by the concept and look forward to reading more about the Dukes of War. The Earl's Defiant Wallflower I liked this book, but I wasn’t able to fall in love with it. I think the lion’s share of my issues can be traced back to the overall length of the book. There just wasn’t enough time to dig deeper into these characters or their motivations. I thought Grace and Oliver were charming, though not particularly accurate for the time period. And the deus ex machina ending to the story is perfectly lovely, but it left me gnashing my teeth in frustration. The Captain's Bluestocking Mistress Being quiet and bookish myself, it was so easy for me to connect with Jane. And despite his own fears, Xavier is everything noble and lovable about a military hero. I wanted to hug the stuffing out of this pair while at the same time I wanted to bang their heads together. They both have such deep feelings of inadequacy that it hurt my heart to see them fight their connection so hard. However, I don’t understand their reconciliation scene. I know Say anything has made it iconic, but it didn’t really fit this story. On the flip side of the coin, I particularly loved the element of humor the hell-cat adds. The Major's Faux Fiancee This didn’t completely work for me. I adore Bartholomew. My heart hurt for him and all of the negative emotions he surrounds himself with. Daphne made me want to throw heavy objects at breakable things. At first, I thought I was going to like her, but very quickly she started coming across as a sanctimonious prig. I admire her drive to make her world a better place, but I just don’t understand what Bartholomew sees in the woman she’s become. However, this book has one of the most spectacular, emotional proposal scenes I’ve ever read. (I could have done without the schmaltzy parental flip-flop at the end, though.) I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author.
This is an interesting series about friends who went to war and how they find love when they return home scared, on the inside and some on the outside. The women who capture their hearts are interesting and varied but they all share one thing in common – they are smart, determined, strong and stubborn. The stories are interesting and varied. I enjoyed reading them, though I did have a harder time connecting with some of the stories. There is something in this box set for every Historical Romance reader.
I narrator did a good job and was understandable despite the speed at which I listened.
This get 4* vs 3* because each story had a very happy and satisfying HEA . Unfortunately each book was slow and a bit repetitive by stating the same thing over and over again. I will continue to read the rest of the series.
The Viscounts Christmas Temptation - #1 Short and sweet, clean Historical Romance. Two can play the same game - it seems. But both can win.
The Earls Defiant Wallflower- #2 Lovely story, well written and easy to read with a beautiful ending. I loved the compassion and determination that was woven into every turn of the pages. This made both of the main characters very lovable. The grandparents, grandmother in particular was a horrid person and Erica Ridley has such a knack with words that I found granny extremely hateable and loathsome. Cupid was very active in this story and even though the hero and heroine didn't want to fall in love, they couldn't dodge his arrows. I loved this story and recommend that you read it.
The Captain's Bluestocking Mistress - #3 This was a very clever, well thought out Historical Romance. It had me in stitches of laughter most of the time. At other times I was routing for the heroine, hoping that what she so fervently wished for would happen so that all her conniving and devious actions would end in success and in fulfillment of her dreams. I'm very happy to recommend this book to you and wish you a good reading experience.
The Major's Faux Fiancé - #4 This was every bit as good, if not better than the previous three books in this series. He is a man back from the war and missing part of his leg and she is a young lady who is being forced to marry within a month by her guardian or face being locked up. Of course she immediately turns to a man she knew when they were both younger and the story unfolds..... With many a good chuckle and surprises in store for the reader. Both characters have been written as strong people yet with obvious flaws and this makes this story very readable and most enjoyable.
I hope you enjoy this box set of books as much as I have
The first story was nice. The second story, with a few left-over characters, was abit deeper, nicer. The story that came next left me gasping, laughing, tears rolling down my face. The characters were great! I particularly liked (get this) ......THE CAT! There were hints of this humor in the previous stories, but this was phenomenal. And the last story brought more tears, but of a different sort. The story was, in many ways, the deepest. The characters are all now fully formed, and the author has even colored most of them. And I am totally in love. Off to get the next set of stories, rather.
I've read all four of these. It's a fantastic, well-written series. If you like regency romances with good plots and strong, independent heroines, pick up this boxed set. For this price, it's really a steal!
This series of books has a lot of emotional stories in it. Following not only the stories about the soldiers return from war but their women's stories.