The Irish Duke

The Peers of the Realm Trilogy #2

by Virginia Henley

A sweeping historical romance from the New York Times bestselling author of The Decadent Duke .

Lady Louisa scoffed when Lord Abercorn of Ireland first asked for her hand. She will be the mistress of her own destiny and no man can change that. As the greatest young beauty in all of England, she is pursued by every titled bachelor in the land, and refuses everyone, including the Irish lord. But a family scandal soon throws Louisa reluctantly into his arms, bringing consequences she never expected.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Fiction, Irish Literature

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Virginia Syddall was born on December 5, 1935 in England, where her father, Thomas Syddall, taught her to love history. She obtained a degree in History in the University. In 1956, Virginia married Arthur Henley. They moved to America, and now they live most of the year in St. Petersburg, Florida, and they spend the hot summers in Ontario, Canada, where they have their two adult children and three grandsons.

Virginia Henley is a New York Times bestselling writer of historical novels. Her work has been translated into fourteen languages. She is the recipient of more than a dozen writing awards, including a Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award, a Waldenbooks' Bestselling Award, and a Maggie Award for Excellence from the Georgia Romance Writers.

Reviews

[Regan Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful Late Regency/Victorian Romance

Ever since James Hamilton, the Irish Marquis of Abercorn was 9 and Lady Louisa, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Bedford, was 7, James has wanted to marry her. She turned him down then (1819), and now that she is 19 and on the marriage block (1830), nothing has changed. Lady Louisa dreams of a life as a dancer, a life she can never have as a duke’s daughter, but in no event does she want to wed. Still, her beauty and her virtue attract all the ton’s would be suitors. But James is not worried. What he wants, he gets.

Meanwhile the beautiful virtuous Louisa has a sister, Georgy, who is quite the opposite: a selfish, whiny tart, she is plain and promiscuous. Georgy manages, unsurprisingly, to get pregnant, and the ever-protective Louisa allows their mother to think the miscarriage is Louisa’s. (I wanted to slap Georgy for saying nothing, and slap Louisa for taking a fall she did not need to take—it was only their mother involved after all!) Their mother the duchess assumes, of course, that James is the father of the miscarried child and forces a marriage to Louisa—all the while Georgy and Louisa say nothing (which was out of character for Louisa not to think of a way out of it). James now believes Louisa is not the virtuous woman he thought she was and their relationship quickly deteriorates. (I must say, that whole scenario was very hard to believe.)

Henley used both real life and fictional characters in this period story. The cast was so large I sometimes found it difficult to hold them all in my head (especially since some have the same name which Henley could hardly avoid since they are real persons). The facts roll out furiously and one has to have a good memory to remember them all. Still, the story held my interest and, though I hated the contrived misunderstanding, I wanted to hang in there to see how it ended. I loved that this was a fictional account of the love between two historical people who were married for over 50 years.

It’s quite different from Henley’s more serious historical romances (each of which I’ve rated 5 stars), but if you like lighter Regency era fare, you will enjoy it.

This is part of Henley’s Peers of the Realm Series:

THE DECADENT DUKE (2008) – Romantic Times’ British Isle-Set Romance Nominee
THE IRISH DUKE (2010) – Romantic Times’ Historical Fiction Nominee
THE DARK EARL (2011) – Romantic Times’ British Isle-Set Romance Nominee
LORD RAKEHELL (2013)

[Claire Robyns · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I love about Virginia Henley is the seamless way in which she embeds her characters into real life history. The Irish Duke is set mainly in the Georgian era with glimpses into the lives of all those decadent dukes and duchesses :)

James Hamilton proposes to Louisa at the age of 9, and he never changes his mind about wanting to marry her. This is one of the constants throughout this book that was really refreshing ~ no matter what she says about him, no matter what she does, even when he is forced to marry her because of scandal in which he is wrongly accused ~ he continually forgives her throughout. This is one of my fav heroes, a man who is so incredibly strong (and handsome) and who can gently understand, forgive and always love.
Louisa is vivacious and fascinated by James from early on, her rejections come from a fear of marrigage rather than not loving James.

Another enticing read

[Paige]

DNF at 40%

Switched to another audiobook for a few days and can barely even remember what’s going on here. Just not very interesting.

10.13.25

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story. I was laughing. Smiling. Crying. Wonderful story. Then at the end to find out the main heroine was actually a real person. A great love story.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful Virginia Henley romance! THE IRISH DUKE is a fast-paced, adventurous, battle-of-the-sexes romance! The heroine, although capable of being a thoroughly stubborn twit, provides enough fire to keep the romance burning chapter after chapter. The hero isn't just your typically rugged, handsome, wealthy, regency male, but a devoutly, determined and faithful pursuer of one woman. It is his faith and constancy that really stands out and makes him so utterly lovable. The many battles between the hero and heroine are so entertaining, even when so tragic. Their relations represent misunderstanding at its worst and at its best! Henley just has a way of making the characters leap off the page. Her characters are always the unforgettable variety. Her romances are always history rich as well, and this one is no different. THE IRISH DUKE is the next volume to be added to "My Favorites" shelf! :-)

[Jena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Took me 2 weeks to get through HALF of this book. She's known for her fierce, bawdy, strong heroines. Not here though, unfortunately.

I have no idea why she decided to create a heroine so unlike her other books. In this story, the heroine is a spoiled, whiny, stupidly naive, prude who will drive you crazy from... boredom. Moreover, the hero makes it all the worst by having no passion what so ever... Combine these 2 elements and you get a very dull romance...

I'm a bit of a romantic, I truly believe in love at first sight and all that, however, in this book, I say BS...Didn't believe it at all. Perhaps this is why I just couldn't get into this story.

My least fav from this very talented author.

[Elizabeth Kuetemeyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first Virginia Henly book I have read. Wonderful romantic novel, quick enjoyable read about an English Dukes daughter whom is strong willed and full of life. I absolutely love her will of who she wants to become, which does not follow the marriage laws of the 1800's of betrothal. I love her devotion to her family. I love the chase that Lord Abercorn has to go through to even get Lady Louisa's attention. What a great romantic read! Looking forward to reading " The Decadent Duke" read some reviews not rated to well, but I'm also not a familiar reader of Virginia Henly yet so I'm sure I won't be as biased on my review:)

[Nadine in NY Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

REALLY lame. This is everything that is WRONG with the romance genre. THIS is why I'm embarrassed to admit that I like romance novels. Why is this book so popular? Why are there five other holds on it at the library? Who ARE these people that think this is good reading?

One of the more egregious words found in this book: "titties." Used TWICE. And it was not tongue-in-cheek, or "colorful" dialogue... Does anyone over 12 REALLY use that word seriously?

[Loretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fire and passion that warms the heart. This story made my heart smile and I only hope that when I am well into my dotage that I can reminisce of such sweet memories with my grandchildren and great grandchildren.

[Cindy Hughes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very hard to follow with all the names in the book. felt like it was very slow moving. I was so caught up in trying to remember how the characters were related that It was hard to follow.

[Maitê · Rating 3 out of 5]

Virginia Henley's respect for historical accuracies is breath of fresh air. And I love that she tries to integrate her plot into actual historical events, and how careful she is with the passage of time (something that is often really not realistic in the genre).
The thing that I didn't like was the fact that she sometimes would show us the main character in the far future, that worked in the begging and in the end, but all the in-between interruptions were completely useless and took away from the rhythm of the story.

[Joy Shadid · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’re reading this for the “romance” aspect, you won’t be disappointed. Personally, I found it to be a decent novel. However, upon realizing it was historical fiction, which was very much embellished upon, I was even more frustrated with the story. It was confusing to jump between generations at the beginning and did nothing to promote the narrative. The ending left me searching online to find out the fate of a major character. I give it 1 star because I read it to completion, 1 star because I spent time on the internet inspired to do searches, and a third out of goodwill.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

James and Louisa

Tropes: Duke's daughter, childhood friends

James fell in love with Louisa at 11 and so has waited many years for a chance to wed her. Louisa is afraid to get married. Louisa ends up being "forced" to marry James because of her sister Georgy's mistake. Before marriage- Louisa is a reasonable, loving young woman. After marriage- Louisa is changed and is this loud, kinda crazy woman with issues. Interesting book.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the books I've gotten from the escape collection on audible, this has to be one of my favorites. I liked the slow build of romance between the main character and her love interest. I thought the explicit scenes were done well. I liked the narration a lot, and I loved the imagery of the book. I would listen again in a few months no problem.

[Twilla Wickedly Sweet and Synful Book Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it. Virginia Henley is a favorite of mine. I just wanted to say that I'm a woman and I even got blue balls waiting for Louisa to let James consummate their marriage. Dang

[Karen Darling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. I enjoyed it.

[Bookish · Rating 1 out of 5]

Audiobook. DNF

[Daenerys Targaryen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lady Louisa and Lord Abercorn -not much chemistry there. The storyline lacked depth despite the meandering plot line and the villain's lacked sufficient "villainess". Overall 3 stars.

[Angelyn Alt · Rating 3 out of 5]

More sedate than the typical Henley book. Suggestive dialogue is a scream! The heroine's sister Georgy steals the show.

[Brahmini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this 😍😘

Although it is very slow burn I mean they were really together from 70% of the book still all the interactions between the leads from the starting were really good. And the Hero he was like once he sets his brain he will achieve it no matter what it takes. He was such a gentleman and really really loved the heroine from the moment he first saw her at the age of 9.
And also the most important part of the book that I loved is the interactions of siblings I think they were 13 🤔and also with parents such a bubbly and very close knitted family.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good read....I enjoyed it this raining afternoon

[Elis Madison]

This follows The Decadent Duke; it’s the story of Georgiana’s daughter Louisa.

The drama (?) here is that , at 3 years old “Lady Lu” witnessed her mother’s miscarriage, and it gave her a horror of marriage and children. Which is just too bad, because when he met her at age 9 (she was 7), James Hamilton (eventually to become the titular Irish Duke), proposes marriage…



Years later, the answer still hasn't changed.

Meanwhile, Lu’s sister Georgiana (yeah, another "George" name) is the town bicycle, if you get my drift. And their interfering mama, who seems to have turned a bit gormless between the last book and this, jumps to some obtuse conclusions, and voila! Like it or not, Lu’s a married woman. One whose husband, when she has a quite reasonable misunderstanding, thinks it’s a great idea to lock her in her room until she “begs his pardon.”



Until he does this, I thought he was a really nice guy.

From the credits it sounds like Henley did a considerable amount of research, and I don't know much of the real story,so I won’t guess what parts of the book are taken from letters, journals and other sources, and what parts are totally out of her…uh, hat.

This one isn’t the most exciting story, but it’s OK. 2.5.

Unnecessary adverb award: "She pretends her farts smell of roses," Mary said vulgarly. (cuz we'd never know that was vulgar if the author hadn't told us).

[Annah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was relatively impressed with The Irish Duke. It had its own twists and turns different from a lot of other generic historical romances. My favorite part was actually when Lu allowed her mother, and then James to believe it was her that had a miscarriage and not her selfish sister Georgy. Obviously I didn't like Georgy much. She was incredibly selfish, rude, and quite the whore. I was a little surprised at how much of a tart she was considering the year. Lu was kind of like that too even though she acted very naive at first, it didn't take her long to get over it. I liked the history and the was it was written with the characters. I didn't feel like I was getting a history lesson but I learned a lot. I was shocked when the story was almost over and Kitty Kelly waltzed in. She was rather cruel for no reason and I still wonder why. I didn't love or hate James. There wasn't anything about him that really stood out to me. I absolutely loved the family unity of the Russels. All in all this wasn't one of my favorites by Virgina Henley but I did enjoy it.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to champion Lady Lou, hoping throughout the book that she would grow more outward courage, but towards the end of the book I just wanted to smack her across the head. Her character was both endearing and infuriatingly immature. The one good thing is that the characters in the book are based on actual historical figures who are related to the Princes William and Harry, and they were interesting enough for me to do some digging through archived records. I chanced upon this as an audiobook from a digital library download, which I think made the book more tolerable than if I had actually read this in print.

[Linda Harkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't read romance novels, but needed an audiobook when I saw this. Set in the early Victorian era, this is the story of Louisa Russell, second eldest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Bedford, and James Hamilton, heir to the Abercorn dynasty in Ireland. When scandal occurs in her family, Louisa is rushed into marriage with the Duke of Abercorn who had actually proposed to her when she was only seven years old. It was easy to guess that all obstacles would be overcome and that Louisa and James would fall in love and have a large family. I must admit that I did listen to the entire book.

[Rebecca Huston · Rating 3 out of 5]

The follow up to The Decadent Duke, this time the story is around Georgina's daughter, Louisa Russell and her adventures in getting married to James Hamilton, the duke in question. I wanted to like this one, but by the end, I felt very let down, despite knowing that this was historical romance, and that I shouldn't get my hopes up too high for the content. Oh well. I have no idea if there is going to be a third one in this series.

For the complete review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/Book_T...

[ReadKnitHoard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damn, I love it when VH tells the story of real historical women. Love! She writes it rich, lush, sensual and fascinating. Real historical characters, relationships, monarchs, Parliament bills and votes, and not to forget, real historical gossip. Full of win!

Yes, it took me two weeks to read the book, but I blame Georgie. I was sure her promiscuity was going to ruin it for Lu, and the apprehension spoiled my pleasure. I'm sure I'll enjoy the book a lot more (and up the grade) when I reread.

Also, the hymen was in the correct place. :)

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book but this book frustrated me beyond belief. Once Lady Lou married James, she stopped dancing/singing even though James had always encouraged her. What happened to Georgie, her stupid sister? Why did James only start liking Lou once he read her diary and found out she wasn't the one who had the miscarriage?

I wanted to punch both James and Lou a couple of times in the face. But other times, I wanted to hug them both.

[Angelyn Schmid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sedate and historically accurate--not as erotic as I recall from Henley's other works. Lots of "telling" in the beginning but finally gets going, which is forgiveable with an established author in this genre. Not many readers like the supporting character Georgy but frankly this book would be soon forgotten without her fabulous, suggestive dialogue.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a sweet book

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