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Desperate Duchesses #6
A Duke of Her Own
A duke must choose wisely . . .
Leopold Dautry, the notorious Duke of Villiers, must wed quickly and nobly—and his choices, alas, are few. The Duke of Montague's daughter, Eleanor, is exquisitely beautiful and fiercely intelligent. Villiers betroths himself to her without further ado.
After all, no other woman really qualifies. Lisette, the outspoken daughter of the Duke of Gilner, cares nothing for clothing or decorum. She's engaged to another man, and doesn't give a fig for status or title. Half the ton believes Lisette mad—and Villiers is inclined to agree.
Torn between logic and passion, between intelligence and imagination, Villiers finds himself drawn to the very edge of impropriety. But it is not until he's in a duel to the death, fighting for the reputation of the woman he loves, that Villiers finally realizes that the greatest risk may not be in the dueling field . . .
But in the bedroom. And the heart.
Leopold Dautry, the notorious Duke of Villiers, must wed quickly and nobly—and his choices, alas, are few. The Duke of Montague's daughter, Eleanor, is exquisitely beautiful and fiercely intelligent. Villiers betroths himself to her without further ado.
After all, no other woman really qualifies. Lisette, the outspoken daughter of the Duke of Gilner, cares nothing for clothing or decorum. She's engaged to another man, and doesn't give a fig for status or title. Half the ton believes Lisette mad—and Villiers is inclined to agree.
Torn between logic and passion, between intelligence and imagination, Villiers finds himself drawn to the very edge of impropriety. But it is not until he's in a duel to the death, fighting for the reputation of the woman he loves, that Villiers finally realizes that the greatest risk may not be in the dueling field . . .
But in the bedroom. And the heart.
404 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 28, 2009
664 people are currently reading
5355 people want to read
About the author
Eloisa James
123 books9,537 followersNew York Times bestselling author Eloisa James writes historical romances for HarperCollins Publishers. Her novels have been published to great acclaim. A reviewer from USA Today wrote of Eloisa's very first book that she "found herself devouring the book like a dieter with a Hershey bar"; later People Magazine raved that "romance writing does not get much better than this." Her novels have repeatedly received starred reviews from Publishers' Weekly and Library Journal and regularly appear on the best-seller lists.
After graduating from Harvard University, Eloisa got an M.Phil. from Oxford University, a Ph.D. from Yale and eventually became a Shakespeare professor, publishing an academic book with Oxford University Press. Currently she is an associate professor and head of the Creative Writing program at Fordham University in New York City. Her "double life" is a source of fascination to the media and her readers. In her professorial guise, she's written a New York Times op-ed defending romance, as well as articles published everywhere from women's magazines such as More to writers' journals such as the Romance Writers' Report.
Eloisa...on her double life:
When I'm not writing novels, I'm a Shakespeare professor. It's rather like having two lives. The other day I bought a delicious pink suit to tape a television segment on romance; I'll never wear that suit to teach in, nor even to give a paper at the Shakespeare Association of America conference. It's like being Superman, with power suits for both lives. Yet the literature professor in me certainly plays into my romances. The Taming of the Duke (April 2006) has obvious Shakespearean resonances, as do many of my novels. I often weave early modern poetry into my work; the same novel might contain bits of Catullus, Shakespeare and anonymous bawdy ballads from the 16th century.
When I rip off my power suit, whether it's academic or romantic, underneath is the rather tired, chocolate-stained sweatshirt of a mom. Just as I use Shakespeare in my romances, I almost always employ my experiences as a mother. When I wrote about a miscarriage in Midnight Pleasures, I used my own fears of premature birth; when the little girl in Fool For Love threw up and threw up, I described my own daughter, who had that unsavory habit for well over her first year of life.
So I'm a writer, a professor, a mother - and a wife. My husband Alessandro is Italian, born in Florence. We spend the lazy summer months with his mother and sister in Italy. It always strikes me as a huge irony that as a romance writer I find myself married to a knight, a cavaliere, as you say in Italian.
One more thing...I'm a friend. I have girlfriends who are writers and girlfriends who are Shakespeare professors. And I have girlfriends who are romance readers. In fact, we have something of a community going on my website. Please stop by and join the conversation on my readers' pages.
After graduating from Harvard University, Eloisa got an M.Phil. from Oxford University, a Ph.D. from Yale and eventually became a Shakespeare professor, publishing an academic book with Oxford University Press. Currently she is an associate professor and head of the Creative Writing program at Fordham University in New York City. Her "double life" is a source of fascination to the media and her readers. In her professorial guise, she's written a New York Times op-ed defending romance, as well as articles published everywhere from women's magazines such as More to writers' journals such as the Romance Writers' Report.
Eloisa...on her double life:
When I'm not writing novels, I'm a Shakespeare professor. It's rather like having two lives. The other day I bought a delicious pink suit to tape a television segment on romance; I'll never wear that suit to teach in, nor even to give a paper at the Shakespeare Association of America conference. It's like being Superman, with power suits for both lives. Yet the literature professor in me certainly plays into my romances. The Taming of the Duke (April 2006) has obvious Shakespearean resonances, as do many of my novels. I often weave early modern poetry into my work; the same novel might contain bits of Catullus, Shakespeare and anonymous bawdy ballads from the 16th century.
When I rip off my power suit, whether it's academic or romantic, underneath is the rather tired, chocolate-stained sweatshirt of a mom. Just as I use Shakespeare in my romances, I almost always employ my experiences as a mother. When I wrote about a miscarriage in Midnight Pleasures, I used my own fears of premature birth; when the little girl in Fool For Love threw up and threw up, I described my own daughter, who had that unsavory habit for well over her first year of life.
So I'm a writer, a professor, a mother - and a wife. My husband Alessandro is Italian, born in Florence. We spend the lazy summer months with his mother and sister in Italy. It always strikes me as a huge irony that as a romance writer I find myself married to a knight, a cavaliere, as you say in Italian.
One more thing...I'm a friend. I have girlfriends who are writers and girlfriends who are Shakespeare professors. And I have girlfriends who are romance readers. In fact, we have something of a community going on my website. Please stop by and join the conversation on my readers' pages.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 814 reviews
May 17, 2012
Well, I just finished this book and maybe I should take a few days off to think things through. It's made me come to this conclusion: Men are idiots. Completely. Totally. All of them. Especially Villiers. I've read the entire series and really thought I got to know and understand him. But he's not as smart in life as he is at playing chess. Too bad.
All I can say is, Eleanor is a much more patient and forgiving person than I am. She's a great heroine despite the mistakes she's made. She has an intrinsic weakness for men - dukes specifically - and had been in love with her childhood friend Gideon forever, even after he married another. He loved her too, supposedly, but not enough to fight his father's will which arranged his marriage to Ada, a woman he didn't know or love. Eleanor is a kind, generous and loving woman, but unfortunately for her, both Gideon and Villiers don't love her enough. Her sister, Anne, is wonderful and I loved their relationship. Anne always had her back. After Eleanor was dumped by Gideon, she became somewhat matronly and had almost given up on marriage. But Anne helped her to get her groove back, getting her to dress and put on makeup to be more appealing. Villiers is a dandy and takes impeccable care in his appearance. As was learned in previous books, Villiers has been rounding up his illegitimate children - six of them - and so far has three. His oldest son, Tobias, who looks and acts just like him, is a great kid and I loved him in the story. Turns out, Tobias is actually smarter and acutely aware of things that Villiers should realize - which proved to be very annoying because I kept saying to myself, "HOW IN THE WORLD CAN VILLIERS BE SO BLIND!"
So to make things even more annoying, there are two love triangles in this story: Villiers/Eleanor/Lisette and Eleanor/Villiers/Gideon. Lisette and Eleanor are childhood friends and both daughters of dukes. Lisette has a dirty little secret that isn't fully revealed until the end. But even before that, I could not stand her. I lost a lot of respect in Villiers seeing how he made so many foolish decisions. While it was laudable that he wanted to assume responsibility for his children, his desperate quest for a mother for them was rather sad. Once everything "hit the fan," poor Villiers realizes his mistakes (took him long enough) and I actually started crying - mostly crying for poor Eleanor, her dog and Tobias. This is the first Eloisa James book that made me cry so I guess that says something. Then I even started feeling a slight twinge of pity for Villiers.
He does explain things at the end to Eleanor and he does some pretty heavy duty groveling, though I still needed more.
As all the dukes are very starchy and think very highly of themselves, Villiers didn't give Eleanor the credit she deserved soon enough. When he saw how she took charge of the situation at the orphanage and the situation involving the kitchen maid/cook, that was enough evidence that she cared very much for his kids and was looking out for their best interests. So she didn't play dolls and sing songs for the little girls. But he could see clear evidence that she got along well with them and was a very good example for them and would love them. Honestly, I think he was attracted to both of them and probably more so to Eleanor, but just didn't see things clearly about Lisette. Maybe her beauty and creativity blinded him.
I was happy when Eleanor decided she still wanted to get married, but not to either of her love interests. I really wanted her to find someone special, who would love her with the same generosity and passion that she gave. When "Mr. Ormston" starts to pursue her, I was thrilled! A new contender, even a total stranger, would be better than the two she just recently left behind. Things played out very nicely from this point. And I love Eleanor's betrothal ring and her betrothal gift!! Again, Eleanor is a very forgiving person, so I totally understand her decision. Maybe it was the right decision. I am not sure and would like to have seen more proof
As with all of Ms. James' books, I read them very quickly and find them totally engaging - even if I don't necessarily love the book. This one is not my favorite and it could have been so much more considering how much I liked Villiers in the previous books. But I really liked Eleanor, her sister Anne, Tobias, and Oyster, the dog. Glad I finished up the series!
All I can say is, Eleanor is a much more patient and forgiving person than I am. She's a great heroine despite the mistakes she's made. She has an intrinsic weakness for men - dukes specifically - and had been in love with her childhood friend Gideon forever, even after he married another. He loved her too, supposedly, but not enough to fight his father's will which arranged his marriage to Ada, a woman he didn't know or love. Eleanor is a kind, generous and loving woman, but unfortunately for her, both Gideon and Villiers don't love her enough. Her sister, Anne, is wonderful and I loved their relationship. Anne always had her back. After Eleanor was dumped by Gideon, she became somewhat matronly and had almost given up on marriage. But Anne helped her to get her groove back, getting her to dress and put on makeup to be more appealing. Villiers is a dandy and takes impeccable care in his appearance. As was learned in previous books, Villiers has been rounding up his illegitimate children - six of them - and so far has three. His oldest son, Tobias, who looks and acts just like him, is a great kid and I loved him in the story. Turns out, Tobias is actually smarter and acutely aware of things that Villiers should realize - which proved to be very annoying because I kept saying to myself, "HOW IN THE WORLD CAN VILLIERS BE SO BLIND!"
So to make things even more annoying, there are two love triangles in this story: Villiers/Eleanor/Lisette and Eleanor/Villiers/Gideon. Lisette and Eleanor are childhood friends and both daughters of dukes. Lisette has a dirty little secret that isn't fully revealed until the end. But even before that, I could not stand her. I lost a lot of respect in Villiers seeing how he made so many foolish decisions. While it was laudable that he wanted to assume responsibility for his children, his desperate quest for a mother for them was rather sad. Once everything "hit the fan," poor Villiers realizes his mistakes (took him long enough) and I actually started crying - mostly crying for poor Eleanor, her dog and Tobias. This is the first Eloisa James book that made me cry so I guess that says something. Then I even started feeling a slight twinge of pity for Villiers.
He does explain things at the end to Eleanor and he does some pretty heavy duty groveling, though I still needed more.
As all the dukes are very starchy and think very highly of themselves, Villiers didn't give Eleanor the credit she deserved soon enough. When he saw how she took charge of the situation at the orphanage and the situation involving the kitchen maid/cook, that was enough evidence that she cared very much for his kids and was looking out for their best interests. So she didn't play dolls and sing songs for the little girls. But he could see clear evidence that she got along well with them and was a very good example for them and would love them. Honestly, I think he was attracted to both of them and probably more so to Eleanor, but just didn't see things clearly about Lisette. Maybe her beauty and creativity blinded him.
I was happy when Eleanor decided she still wanted to get married, but not to either of her love interests. I really wanted her to find someone special, who would love her with the same generosity and passion that she gave. When "Mr. Ormston" starts to pursue her, I was thrilled! A new contender, even a total stranger, would be better than the two she just recently left behind. Things played out very nicely from this point. And I love Eleanor's betrothal ring and her betrothal gift!! Again, Eleanor is a very forgiving person, so I totally understand her decision. Maybe it was the right decision. I am not sure and would like to have seen more proof
As with all of Ms. James' books, I read them very quickly and find them totally engaging - even if I don't necessarily love the book. This one is not my favorite and it could have been so much more considering how much I liked Villiers in the previous books. But I really liked Eleanor, her sister Anne, Tobias, and Oyster, the dog. Glad I finished up the series!
June 7, 2011
Bastards! Bastards all over the place!
I hate heroes with bastards.
I hate heroes with bastards.
October 2, 2009
A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James
I am seriously going to have to enter a 12-step program to get over my addiction to A Duke of Her Own. I cannot stop re-reading this sucker. I just re-read it for the third time in a matter of weeks.
It doesn't look like anything special (cheesy pastel romance cover).
It doesn't sound like anything special (book blurb on the back turned me off--I hate books where the hero is trying to choose between 2 women, and the whole duel thing sounds trite).
But Holy Christ On A Crutch, this book is pretty damned close to flawless. The only other time I have finished a novel and thought, this is a totally perfectly written, constructed, and characterized book, was when I finished Loretta Chases' Lord of Scoundrels. A Duke of Her Own has everything that I adore in a historical romance...incredible characters, a beautiful story, lots of humor, sexy interludes that create a nice slow burn throughout the novel, and a wonderfully satisfying ending.
Thank you, Eloisa James for the most exquisite dialogue, with banter so sharp it cuts like a knife. The dialogue between the hero and heroine is wicked, funny, sexy --it literally sparkles with energy. In fact, in my not so humble opinion, James' dialogue is right up there among the best written in a historical romance novel.
Thank you, Ms. James, for a perfectly constructed novel....the pacing is perfect, the characters are original, the writing is flawless.
Thank you, Ms. James, for creating Villiers...a flamboyant, and yet very masculine, smart, fascinating, commanding, sexy hero.
Thank you for Eleanor, who is one of my favorite heroines ever! I love the scene in the orphanage where she kicks butt. I love the scene with Mrs. Busy where she is caressing her riding crop while kicking butt. I love the scene where she is plopped on the floor in her beautiful gown, playing knucklebones with Villier's bastard son, and growing more competitive by the minute! I love....well, every scene. But the scene at the end of the book with Oyster her pug is so freaking great, that I think I have re-read that scene about twenty times (so far). Absolutely. Wonderful. Thank you!
Thank you to all of the readers and reviewers who recommended this book, so that I read it in spite of the cheesy cover and off-putting book blurb, including Carolyn Hughe's Romance Reviews.
This book is part of a series, which I found rather uneven. However, this book can totally stand alone (although to truly appreciate the depth of Villier's chess obsession, you may want to read the others in the series, too). Eloisa James definitely saved the best for last, because A Duke of Her Own is perfection. Grade: A+++++ (OK, just one plus!)
Penelope
I am seriously going to have to enter a 12-step program to get over my addiction to A Duke of Her Own. I cannot stop re-reading this sucker. I just re-read it for the third time in a matter of weeks.
It doesn't look like anything special (cheesy pastel romance cover).
It doesn't sound like anything special (book blurb on the back turned me off--I hate books where the hero is trying to choose between 2 women, and the whole duel thing sounds trite).
But Holy Christ On A Crutch, this book is pretty damned close to flawless. The only other time I have finished a novel and thought, this is a totally perfectly written, constructed, and characterized book, was when I finished Loretta Chases' Lord of Scoundrels. A Duke of Her Own has everything that I adore in a historical romance...incredible characters, a beautiful story, lots of humor, sexy interludes that create a nice slow burn throughout the novel, and a wonderfully satisfying ending.
Thank you, Eloisa James for the most exquisite dialogue, with banter so sharp it cuts like a knife. The dialogue between the hero and heroine is wicked, funny, sexy --it literally sparkles with energy. In fact, in my not so humble opinion, James' dialogue is right up there among the best written in a historical romance novel.
Thank you, Ms. James, for a perfectly constructed novel....the pacing is perfect, the characters are original, the writing is flawless.
Thank you, Ms. James, for creating Villiers...a flamboyant, and yet very masculine, smart, fascinating, commanding, sexy hero.
Thank you for Eleanor, who is one of my favorite heroines ever! I love the scene in the orphanage where she kicks butt. I love the scene with Mrs. Busy where she is caressing her riding crop while kicking butt. I love the scene where she is plopped on the floor in her beautiful gown, playing knucklebones with Villier's bastard son, and growing more competitive by the minute! I love....well, every scene. But the scene at the end of the book with Oyster her pug is so freaking great, that I think I have re-read that scene about twenty times (so far). Absolutely. Wonderful. Thank you!
Thank you to all of the readers and reviewers who recommended this book, so that I read it in spite of the cheesy cover and off-putting book blurb, including Carolyn Hughe's Romance Reviews.
This book is part of a series, which I found rather uneven. However, this book can totally stand alone (although to truly appreciate the depth of Villier's chess obsession, you may want to read the others in the series, too). Eloisa James definitely saved the best for last, because A Duke of Her Own is perfection. Grade: A+++++ (OK, just one plus!)
Penelope
October 20, 2015
Written October 20, 2015
3.8 Stars - Well made, entertaining audiobook HR with a light comic touch
A Duke of Her Own, a since a few weeks downloaded pretty cheap "Whispersync for Voice" audiobook, and also my very first historical by Eloisa James pen. — 11:30 hrs narrated by Susan Duerden in a splendid good way (she was simply great).
And? ~ Was it worth the time and money?
Oh yes, absolutely nothing to complain about. This is just good HR in a old-school, adorable steamy, funny romantic style. It will for sure be more books by Ms. James. She knows how to write.
*********************************************************
London England, spring 1784
Leopold Dautry, the notorious Duke of Villiers needs a wife. He must wed quickly. He needs a wife to take care of his to take care of his six illegitimate children. The wife must be a noble, most preferably a Duke's daughter.
The Duke of Montague's daughter, Lady Eleanor, is both exquisitely beautiful and fiercely intelligent. After a couple of years licking wounds (the man she wanted chosed another young lady) Eleanor declare she only accept the hand of a man of at least a duke's rank.
Excellent, here we have two from the ton with similar ambitions for marriage. But ... is she the right one to choose as a future stepmother ... and is he good enough for a young woman like Eleanor?
A Duke of Her Own is truly a delightfully easy-listening story. As much a comedy as a sweet romance. Add a bunch of subtle fun and very sympathetic heroes and heroines. A little bit like a traditional chamber play with a grand HEA end. I chuckled and enjoyed much.
*********************************************************
I LIKE - comic hilarious HR in old-times castles
3.8 Stars - Well made, entertaining audiobook HR with a light comic touch
A Duke of Her Own, a since a few weeks downloaded pretty cheap "Whispersync for Voice" audiobook, and also my very first historical by Eloisa James pen. — 11:30 hrs narrated by Susan Duerden in a splendid good way (she was simply great).
And? ~ Was it worth the time and money?
Oh yes, absolutely nothing to complain about. This is just good HR in a old-school, adorable steamy, funny romantic style. It will for sure be more books by Ms. James. She knows how to write.
*********************************************************
London England, spring 1784
Leopold Dautry, the notorious Duke of Villiers needs a wife. He must wed quickly. He needs a wife to take care of his to take care of his six illegitimate children. The wife must be a noble, most preferably a Duke's daughter.
The Duke of Montague's daughter, Lady Eleanor, is both exquisitely beautiful and fiercely intelligent. After a couple of years licking wounds (the man she wanted chosed another young lady) Eleanor declare she only accept the hand of a man of at least a duke's rank.
Excellent, here we have two from the ton with similar ambitions for marriage. But ... is she the right one to choose as a future stepmother ... and is he good enough for a young woman like Eleanor?
“I am not trying to seduce you,” Eleanor stated.
All the higher parts of his brain were considering the logistics of making love in the midst of a river, and he barely understood her. “You aren’t?”
“No.”
“Life doesn't always gives us the choices that we want”
A Duke of Her Own is truly a delightfully easy-listening story. As much a comedy as a sweet romance. Add a bunch of subtle fun and very sympathetic heroes and heroines. A little bit like a traditional chamber play with a grand HEA end. I chuckled and enjoyed much.
*********************************************************
I LIKE - comic hilarious HR in old-times castles
August 20, 2017
Lady Eleanor is still pining for a former lover so she won't marry anyone less than a Duke. The Duke of Villiers is in need of a wife and won't settle for anyone less than a Duke's daughter. Obviously there needs to be more angst, so let's throw in the "mad" Lisette and Eleanor's former lover and animal cruelty and bastard children to make things more exciting.
1. The handling of Lisette, the "mad" rival, was...not great. The text seems to lean heavily on the idea that Lisette is unable to form lasting attachments to things (both people and ideas), but then goes on to allow for some shaming of Lisette as if she chooses to behave in such a way. You can't have it both ways.
2. The fact that Eleanor knows of Lisette's changeable attitudes and does not bother to even address it to Villiers is just... kind of ridiculous? I mean, I get that she doesn't want to speak harshly of Lisette, but a word of warning, or an attempt to draw attention to it, to protect the children from Lisette's flights wouldn't be amiss.
3. Villiers was just a mess in this. I know we've allegedly seen a great awakening in him since his wounding and fever, but to believe that he would give up all claims to society's approval by courting a woman who doesn't care even an iota was impossible to swallow.
(Honestly, I thought that we were being set up for a very different book: that Eleanor would be the straight-laced prideful monster that would have no affection for the children while Lisette was the misunderstood heroine who would fight for and find her place in society for love of Villiers and the children. This...was not that book.)
4. Eleanor deserved a better book. Villiers deserved a better book. I deserved a better book.
5. Fucking love rhombus/triangle mashup disaster. There's nothing I quite hate as much as a former lover returning to """reclaim""" their lost love and the wavering that the hero/ine does while realizing that their first love is nothing in the face of their new forever love. Ugh.
6. The puppy betrothal gift lost this book at least 2 stars.
7. Honestly, it just wasn't that good. Villiers is a shadow of the Duke from former books and Eleanor spent far too much page time numbly moping about being second best and being passed over. (And me saying that should be a sign because that sense of inferiority usually slays me like nothing else.) The plot itself was way too messy, resulting in scenes where multiple people are yelling and nothing is being accomplished.
A super disappointing ending to the series.
1. The handling of Lisette, the "mad" rival, was...not great. The text seems to lean heavily on the idea that Lisette is unable to form lasting attachments to things (both people and ideas), but then goes on to allow for some shaming of Lisette as if she chooses to behave in such a way. You can't have it both ways.
2. The fact that Eleanor knows of Lisette's changeable attitudes and does not bother to even address it to Villiers is just... kind of ridiculous? I mean, I get that she doesn't want to speak harshly of Lisette, but a word of warning, or an attempt to draw attention to it, to protect the children from Lisette's flights wouldn't be amiss.
3. Villiers was just a mess in this. I know we've allegedly seen a great awakening in him since his wounding and fever, but to believe that he would give up all claims to society's approval by courting a woman who doesn't care even an iota was impossible to swallow.
(Honestly, I thought that we were being set up for a very different book: that Eleanor would be the straight-laced prideful monster that would have no affection for the children while Lisette was the misunderstood heroine who would fight for and find her place in society for love of Villiers and the children. This...was not that book.)
4. Eleanor deserved a better book. Villiers deserved a better book. I deserved a better book.
5. Fucking love rhombus/triangle mashup disaster. There's nothing I quite hate as much as a former lover returning to """reclaim""" their lost love and the wavering that the hero/ine does while realizing that their first love is nothing in the face of their new forever love. Ugh.
6. The puppy betrothal gift lost this book at least 2 stars.
7. Honestly, it just wasn't that good. Villiers is a shadow of the Duke from former books and Eleanor spent far too much page time numbly moping about being second best and being passed over. (And me saying that should be a sign because that sense of inferiority usually slays me like nothing else.) The plot itself was way too messy, resulting in scenes where multiple people are yelling and nothing is being accomplished.
A super disappointing ending to the series.
February 4, 2021
Georgian hero with a very, very, very bad reputation wants to make amends to his small army of illegitimate children. He’s found the cynical chip off the old block who really needed more page time because their relationship was pretty entertaining as he tries to wangle together the rest of his children. When I say children I’m not talking three or four, but six I believe. The hunt for his own von Trapp family is hampered because his children were from different mistresses.
He’s also in search of a nice and connected woman to be Duchess to help launch his little brood into the social whirl. Normally bastards are beyond the pale, but a man as powerful as Leopold could get it done to some degree. He picks two women as prospects and they could not be more different. Eleanor is rational and cool except when she and the H are rendezvousing aka having sex, and the other is Lisette, a fey, childlike creature that is insane in the membrane.
The dumb Duke makes the error in thinking that because Lisette is a free spirit and can relate to the children at their level she might be a better choice.
Eleanor has to deal with the Duke, mercurial Lisette and an old love who’s wife has conveniently died.
All in all a good read. I enjoyed reading about all of Leopold’s costume changes as he is a Georgian dandy of the first order. Jeweled buttons go by the wayside as his children laugh at him and as he decides how to woo the girl he really loves. His self absorption with his wardrobe reminds me of Valentine in Duke of Sin without all the murdering.
The concept of a powerful man trying to do the right thing was as appealing as the romance as Leopold has absolutely no idea what in the hell he’s doing.
He’s also in search of a nice and connected woman to be Duchess to help launch his little brood into the social whirl. Normally bastards are beyond the pale, but a man as powerful as Leopold could get it done to some degree. He picks two women as prospects and they could not be more different. Eleanor is rational and cool except when she and the H are rendezvousing aka having sex, and the other is Lisette, a fey, childlike creature that is insane in the membrane.
The dumb Duke makes the error in thinking that because Lisette is a free spirit and can relate to the children at their level she might be a better choice.
Eleanor has to deal with the Duke, mercurial Lisette and an old love who’s wife has conveniently died.
All in all a good read. I enjoyed reading about all of Leopold’s costume changes as he is a Georgian dandy of the first order. Jeweled buttons go by the wayside as his children laugh at him and as he decides how to woo the girl he really loves. His self absorption with his wardrobe reminds me of Valentine in Duke of Sin without all the murdering.
The concept of a powerful man trying to do the right thing was as appealing as the romance as Leopold has absolutely no idea what in the hell he’s doing.
August 7, 2024
I've been waiting for five books to see who Villiers--one of my fave rakes of all-- will finally fall for... and Ms James chose well for him.
Delightful romance from start to finish!
(reviewed 3/26/17)
Delightful romance from start to finish!
(reviewed 3/26/17)
January 29, 2021
I came to this book from one that I found incredibly boring. So straight from the beginning I found our heroine very interesting. The book starts with a spunky dialogue between two sisters about the looks and dress of our heroine (one of the sisters) and it is not flattering.
She is described as someone who doesn't care about her looks because her heart has been broken so she is not at all interested in attracting anyone. I honestly can't think of a time I've read that in romance. Plus it is not done in this melodramatic way but pretty straightforward. It made heroine look modern and real to me.
I didn't read any previous books from this series so I didn't know anything about Villiers and therefore he strikes me as cold and uninteresting.
So when I got to about 20% of the book and they kept on going about the outfits I become impatient.
But as soon as our MCs start interacting, the story goes on fire! They are so good together. Eleanor (they make fun of her name all the time) is not your traditional heroine. Still half in love with a man who rejected her and at the same time someone who is fully aware of her sexuality and desire. She is not perfect and that's why I loved her.
The story continues to go on and the plot thickens. They both have “other options” when it comes to marriage and both consider them on a very rational basis.
And there we have the tension between the heart and desire and rationality. That was very romantic to me.
Although some might say it didn't quite fit but I get what the author was trying to create.
I enjoyed it. I went into it thinking this is going to be an easy read that I will be able to put down and just read for a few minutes before bed but oh no, I stayed up till 2 am when I had to be up at 4:30 am.
She is described as someone who doesn't care about her looks because her heart has been broken so she is not at all interested in attracting anyone. I honestly can't think of a time I've read that in romance. Plus it is not done in this melodramatic way but pretty straightforward. It made heroine look modern and real to me.
I didn't read any previous books from this series so I didn't know anything about Villiers and therefore he strikes me as cold and uninteresting.
So when I got to about 20% of the book and they kept on going about the outfits I become impatient.
But as soon as our MCs start interacting, the story goes on fire! They are so good together. Eleanor (they make fun of her name all the time) is not your traditional heroine. Still half in love with a man who rejected her and at the same time someone who is fully aware of her sexuality and desire. She is not perfect and that's why I loved her.
The story continues to go on and the plot thickens. They both have “other options” when it comes to marriage and both consider them on a very rational basis.
And there we have the tension between the heart and desire and rationality. That was very romantic to me.
Although some might say it didn't quite fit but I get what the author was trying to create.
I enjoyed it. I went into it thinking this is going to be an easy read that I will be able to put down and just read for a few minutes before bed but oh no, I stayed up till 2 am when I had to be up at 4:30 am.
April 17, 2011
The “Desperate Duchesses” series was very up and down for me and this last book was the most up and down of all; one minute I enjoyed it, the next I was bored, the next I wanted to throw it against the wall.
The book starts off with a bang, a dramatic, sensual moment between the Duke of Villiers, who is looking for a mother for his numerous illegitimate children, and Eleanor, a spinster who has never recovered from her first love marrying another woman. This mislead me about how the rest of the book was going to go and I kept thinking of a favorite quote from “The Simpsons”: “when are they going to get to the fireworks factory?!” After a fair bit of tedium -- how odd it seems to me that so many reviewers praise the construction and pacing of this book, talk about different strokes! -- it became clear that this was actually a triangle story rather than a marriage of convenience story. That understanding improved the book, but there was still much up and down til the end, and not just the good kind.
The pluses: Enjoyably bawdy humor. Heartbreaking, touching angst. An smouldering hero matched with a smouldering, intelligent heroine. Interesting themes. All of those kept me reading, even when I was most disliking the book.
And there were times I was disliking it plenty. I normally love stories in which a hero believes he has to choose another woman rather than the heroine, but this one was just messed up. It reminded me somewhat of James’ A Kiss at Midnight, except that Villiers’ behavior is far more caddish and -- even worse -- stupid. It also reminded me a bit of my favorite Edith Layton book, False Angel, and if you'd like to see a similar theme of a man attracted to a very sensual woman but being misled by another, I highly recommend that story.
By the end, my heart was truly wrung for Eleanor. And as always, James does wonderful interactions between the hero and heroine -- not just sexual, but through revealing banter and conversation. So, definitely worth reading, and in some ways a better end for the series than I expected.
The book starts off with a bang, a dramatic, sensual moment between the Duke of Villiers, who is looking for a mother for his numerous illegitimate children, and Eleanor, a spinster who has never recovered from her first love marrying another woman. This mislead me about how the rest of the book was going to go and I kept thinking of a favorite quote from “The Simpsons”: “when are they going to get to the fireworks factory?!” After a fair bit of tedium -- how odd it seems to me that so many reviewers praise the construction and pacing of this book, talk about different strokes! -- it became clear that this was actually a triangle story rather than a marriage of convenience story. That understanding improved the book, but there was still much up and down til the end, and not just the good kind.
The pluses: Enjoyably bawdy humor. Heartbreaking, touching angst. An smouldering hero matched with a smouldering, intelligent heroine. Interesting themes. All of those kept me reading, even when I was most disliking the book.
And there were times I was disliking it plenty. I normally love stories in which a hero believes he has to choose another woman rather than the heroine, but this one was just messed up. It reminded me somewhat of James’ A Kiss at Midnight, except that Villiers’ behavior is far more caddish and -- even worse -- stupid. It also reminded me a bit of my favorite Edith Layton book, False Angel, and if you'd like to see a similar theme of a man attracted to a very sensual woman but being misled by another, I highly recommend that story.
By the end, my heart was truly wrung for Eleanor. And as always, James does wonderful interactions between the hero and heroine -- not just sexual, but through revealing banter and conversation. So, definitely worth reading, and in some ways a better end for the series than I expected.
August 9, 2022
Reread August 2022 3.5 stars. Eleonore and Leopold. Not as romantic to me this time. Both seemed to fall in love with each of at the drop of a dime. Maybe due to their sexual chemistry with each other. I do hope that this author writes stories for all of Villiers children soon.
4.25 stars. Eleonore and Leopold. Eleonore and Leopold have great chemistry. The story is quirky. Starts out with Leopold hunting for a wife for his 6 children by his mistresses and Eleonore still "in love" with the guy she had sex with years ago.
4.25 stars. Eleonore and Leopold. Eleonore and Leopold have great chemistry. The story is quirky. Starts out with Leopold hunting for a wife for his 6 children by his mistresses and Eleonore still "in love" with the guy she had sex with years ago.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2019
..
A Duke of Her Own is the sixth installation of the 'Desperate Duchesses' written by Eloisa James. Leopold Dautry, the notorious Duke of Villiers, made a choice the changed his circumstance, which required that he marry right away. The Duke of Montague's daughter, Eleanor, accepts his proposal and their lives changed forever.
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
A DUKE MUST CHOOSE WISELY...
cho
Leopold Dautry, the notorious Duke of Villiers, must wed quickly and nobly—and his choices, alas, are few. The Duke of Montague's daughter, Eleanor, is exquisitely beautiful and fiercely intelligent. Villiers betroths himself to her without further ado.
After all, no other woman really qualifies. Lisette, the outspoken daughter of the Duke of Gilner, cares nothing for clothing or decorum. She's engaged to another man and doesn't give a fig for status or title. Half the ton believes Lisette mad—and Villiers is inclined to agree.
Torn between logic and passion, between intelligence and imagination, Villiers finds himself drawn to the very edge of impropriety. But it is not until he's in a duel to the death, fighting for the reputation of the woman he loves, that Villiers finally realizes that the greatest risk may not be in the dueling field...
But in the bedroom. And the heart.
Most of the books in this series were filled with interesting and entertaining side characters. However, this installation disappointed me in that aspect. Although the hero and heroine were engaging, the other characters were controlling, selfish, and obstinate most of the time. The most aggravating were the heroine's mother, sister, and a female friend. It left me feeling less than satisfied, after all the pomp about the heroine's previous installations.
This is NOT a clean series. Those who actually prefer steamy to clean and sweet might not view it as flawed. Due to this aspect, I recommend it with reservations. If you prefer clean and sweet reads, avoid this book. It is not fair to an author when readers provide bad reviews about steamy scenes if they know they are included in advance. I have been guilty of this offense myself. It takes a lot of time and effort for an author to research and write each book. And there are readers who prefer the material included in this one to a clean and wholesome read. However, I actually prefer the latter. This does have steamy sex scenes, so if you like a sex-free book this is not it. If you enjoy steamy reads, jump into this book looking forward to plenty.
This book is able to stand on its own, but if you read them in order, you will be more familiar with some of the characters that carry over. Each story does include its own H.E.A., which is always a good way to conclude the adventure he reader entrusts their time to and have chosen to become involved with.
--------------------------------------
A Duke of Her Own
(Desperate Duchesses #6)
by Eloisa James (Goodreads Author)
Print Length:
...
A Duke of Her Own is the sixth installation of the 'Desperate Duchesses' written by Eloisa James. Leopold Dautry, the notorious Duke of Villiers, made a choice the changed his circumstance, which required that he marry right away. The Duke of Montague's daughter, Eleanor, accepts his proposal and their lives changed forever.
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
A DUKE MUST CHOOSE WISELY...
cho
Leopold Dautry, the notorious Duke of Villiers, must wed quickly and nobly—and his choices, alas, are few. The Duke of Montague's daughter, Eleanor, is exquisitely beautiful and fiercely intelligent. Villiers betroths himself to her without further ado.
After all, no other woman really qualifies. Lisette, the outspoken daughter of the Duke of Gilner, cares nothing for clothing or decorum. She's engaged to another man and doesn't give a fig for status or title. Half the ton believes Lisette mad—and Villiers is inclined to agree.
Torn between logic and passion, between intelligence and imagination, Villiers finds himself drawn to the very edge of impropriety. But it is not until he's in a duel to the death, fighting for the reputation of the woman he loves, that Villiers finally realizes that the greatest risk may not be in the dueling field...
But in the bedroom. And the heart.
Most of the books in this series were filled with interesting and entertaining side characters. However, this installation disappointed me in that aspect. Although the hero and heroine were engaging, the other characters were controlling, selfish, and obstinate most of the time. The most aggravating were the heroine's mother, sister, and a female friend. It left me feeling less than satisfied, after all the pomp about the heroine's previous installations.
This is NOT a clean series. Those who actually prefer steamy to clean and sweet might not view it as flawed. Due to this aspect, I recommend it with reservations. If you prefer clean and sweet reads, avoid this book. It is not fair to an author when readers provide bad reviews about steamy scenes if they know they are included in advance. I have been guilty of this offense myself. It takes a lot of time and effort for an author to research and write each book. And there are readers who prefer the material included in this one to a clean and wholesome read. However, I actually prefer the latter. This does have steamy sex scenes, so if you like a sex-free book this is not it. If you enjoy steamy reads, jump into this book looking forward to plenty.
This book is able to stand on its own, but if you read them in order, you will be more familiar with some of the characters that carry over. Each story does include its own H.E.A., which is always a good way to conclude the adventure he reader entrusts their time to and have chosen to become involved with.
--------------------------------------
A Duke of Her Own
(Desperate Duchesses #6)
by Eloisa James (Goodreads Author)
Print Length:
...
March 6, 2022
I am ONLY rounding up to three stars because I loved Eleanor’s character; she was surprising and had a temper and knew her worth. Her sister was great as well and so were Villiers’s children. Everyone else can go eat a dick. Villiers had his good times but I couldn’t with him quite frequently choosing Lisette and her wench ass. I despise love triangles and this just got too angsty/ overdone for me. Y’all rate this one above 4 stars but give When the Duke Returns pennies??? Y’all are wacky.
⭐️⭐️.5/⭐️ 🌶🌶🌶/5
⭐️⭐️.5/⭐️ 🌶🌶🌶/5
October 26, 2016
The premise wasn't very romantic: the hero needs to choose a wife to be a mother to his 6 illegitimate children and he has 2 options - the heroine and another lady. And during the entire book, he's convinced that the other lady is the better option as a mother, and even considers himself engaged to her for a while, all while seducing the heroine. It is only at the very end when the other lady has a huge tantrum that he realizes his mistake. He's supposed to be this very intelligent and sharp man and he's the only one who doesn't really see that the other lady is flighty, inconsistent and not even good mother material? For goodness sake, there were so many instances where he witnessed her inability to really care for children, but he's taken with her way of dressing children in nice clothes and singing them lullabies? when they were searching for his twin daughters and found them in a pigsty, she runs home because she can't stand the smell; she can't hear talking about the orphans' plight at the orphanage and changes the subject; she even tells him at some point that the older son should become an apprentice, and those are not red flags for him?
Anyway, all this kind of ruined the book for me. The heroine was right when she said that none of her suitors (the duke and her childhood love) loved her enough or found her good enough. It just wasn't romantic enough for a romance book. Not much romance, not much passion.
Anyway, all this kind of ruined the book for me. The heroine was right when she said that none of her suitors (the duke and her childhood love) loved her enough or found her good enough. It just wasn't romantic enough for a romance book. Not much romance, not much passion.
January 29, 2024
Oh my god, this book. So many feels. I don't want to say too much and spoil, but this is a true gem. Eleanor is awesome, confident, headstrong, smart, just one of my favorite HR heroines EVER. And Leopold... at first he's so cold and reserved, almost aloof, but then he shows his true face and it's so freaking intense and hot. Don't get me wrong, there were some things that had me thinking like really, tho? and I hated that he was blind to how amazing Eleanor is for his family, how long it took him to realize that, but I still enjoyed this so much. And that speech, when Eleanor says she deserves better gave me so much satisfaction. Yeah, girl, you totally do.
August 11, 2009
Pretttty good! I love her characters, I really do. She makes all the tropes fresh with wit and humanity. Definitely a fan and was happy to see Villers in a more "humane" role, he's had quite the arc throughout these books. I enjoyed the ride!
January 3, 2021
This book has been out for a while. My thoughts are it is a funny witty book that has a reformed rake and a pretty crazy lady and the heroine. It all just works! I give it 4.5 stars and rounded up.
May 22, 2010
Pages Survived: 34
So I may or may not be jumping the gun on this one, but alas, this book just wasn't cutting it for me.
In truth, there is not that much to say as to why I didn't like it. I suppose the reality is that the novel was a bit abrasive to me. One, I found the dialogue a bit spastic. I despise when authors write the spoken word of the characters without adding any descriptions to tone, inflection, and thoughts. I also thought the dialogue was a tad bit spastic, as well. One point would be addressed in one breath, then another entirely different point would be stated in the next. This is entirely irritating, most especially when authors omit dialogue modifiers between the text.
I also have to state that it felt as if the characters were, once again, a bit one dimensional. James jumped into the plot with both feet before even trying to explore the hero or heroine. And, of course, speaking of the heroine, another vastly irritating point was the fact that I was unsure going into the book who the heroine was supposed to be. Originally I was quite sure it was going to be Lisette, and then after I start I find that it is Elanor. To me, if an author is going to write a novel, the very least they can do is make it vastly clear in the synopsis who the main players are going to be.
Yes, I'm extremely picky when it comes to my books. However, I do know what I like. As such, I allowed my fellow goodreads friends and other reviewers on GR to aid me in making the decision to abandon this book. I was completely undecided as to continue on with the reading, but when I discovered that the plot will reach a plateau and slow to a crawl, the themes of infidelity and extreme rakish behavior, not to mention the fact that the hero seems to be unable to make up his mind between two women...well, I after all that I realized I was making the right decision to let this book be a "wall-banger."
I most definitely should have realized the basis of the plot fell to the fact that Leopold was pulling the "her-or-her?" card. On further analysis, it's painfully obvious this aspect is noted in the synopsis, but sadly I had assumed a completely different plot-type was going to form. In my mind, I imagined Eleanor to be the background character, already engaged to Elanor at the start of the novel, he meets Lisette, and is eventually pulled into a desired marriage with her, rather than Elanor. In all honesty, this is the picture that the synopsis paints so clearly, for an entire paragraph is devoted to Lisette, where as barely a sentence is noted for Eleanor.
Overall, and in summation, this book was not as all what I was expecting. Yes, it is true that I have been adding to my DNF pile rather often these last few days, but I am bound and determined to only read books that are at least somewhat interesting. I don't mind reading novels that only rank as a 2 star in my opinion, so long as they contain at least some enthralling aspect- sadly, such has not been the case with this novel, at all!
So I may or may not be jumping the gun on this one, but alas, this book just wasn't cutting it for me.
In truth, there is not that much to say as to why I didn't like it. I suppose the reality is that the novel was a bit abrasive to me. One, I found the dialogue a bit spastic. I despise when authors write the spoken word of the characters without adding any descriptions to tone, inflection, and thoughts. I also thought the dialogue was a tad bit spastic, as well. One point would be addressed in one breath, then another entirely different point would be stated in the next. This is entirely irritating, most especially when authors omit dialogue modifiers between the text.
I also have to state that it felt as if the characters were, once again, a bit one dimensional. James jumped into the plot with both feet before even trying to explore the hero or heroine. And, of course, speaking of the heroine, another vastly irritating point was the fact that I was unsure going into the book who the heroine was supposed to be. Originally I was quite sure it was going to be Lisette, and then after I start I find that it is Elanor. To me, if an author is going to write a novel, the very least they can do is make it vastly clear in the synopsis who the main players are going to be.
Yes, I'm extremely picky when it comes to my books. However, I do know what I like. As such, I allowed my fellow goodreads friends and other reviewers on GR to aid me in making the decision to abandon this book. I was completely undecided as to continue on with the reading, but when I discovered that the plot will reach a plateau and slow to a crawl, the themes of infidelity and extreme rakish behavior, not to mention the fact that the hero seems to be unable to make up his mind between two women...well, I after all that I realized I was making the right decision to let this book be a "wall-banger."
I most definitely should have realized the basis of the plot fell to the fact that Leopold was pulling the "her-or-her?" card. On further analysis, it's painfully obvious this aspect is noted in the synopsis, but sadly I had assumed a completely different plot-type was going to form. In my mind, I imagined Eleanor to be the background character, already engaged to Elanor at the start of the novel, he meets Lisette, and is eventually pulled into a desired marriage with her, rather than Elanor. In all honesty, this is the picture that the synopsis paints so clearly, for an entire paragraph is devoted to Lisette, where as barely a sentence is noted for Eleanor.
Overall, and in summation, this book was not as all what I was expecting. Yes, it is true that I have been adding to my DNF pile rather often these last few days, but I am bound and determined to only read books that are at least somewhat interesting. I don't mind reading novels that only rank as a 2 star in my opinion, so long as they contain at least some enthralling aspect- sadly, such has not been the case with this novel, at all!
November 4, 2020
Love and illegitimate kids
Leopold and Eleanor gave a solid love story despite their varied past issues. Eleanor lost her love to another woman and vowed that she would not be runner up to another man that she gave herself. That’s precisely what she does when she gets involved with the Duke Leopold.
Leopold had children so marriage had to take into account his illegitimate offspring as well as his station as a Duke.
I loved Eleanor’s spirit. She definitely wasn’t conventional though she understood how the ton’s rules worked. Her pet dog added some chuckles for me as well as Leopold’s children. There was complexity to this love story.
Leopold and Eleanor gave a solid love story despite their varied past issues. Eleanor lost her love to another woman and vowed that she would not be runner up to another man that she gave herself. That’s precisely what she does when she gets involved with the Duke Leopold.
Leopold had children so marriage had to take into account his illegitimate offspring as well as his station as a Duke.
I loved Eleanor’s spirit. She definitely wasn’t conventional though she understood how the ton’s rules worked. Her pet dog added some chuckles for me as well as Leopold’s children. There was complexity to this love story.
February 23, 2022
I read this book last year, just plucked it out of the Desperate Duchesses series because why not?! Romance books should be able to be read as standalones amiright?! Villiers did not do it for me last year. Arrogant, all these bastard kids, and really stupid to not see how Lisette was wrong for him and his kids.
Reading the book now after five books of backstory? I. Loved. It. I loved it! I came into this book loving my arrogant duke and seeing his heart of stone melt for Eleanor was the BEST! I could see how she was a perfect fit for him from the beginning because I already knew this dude. Villiers is an unlikeable cold duke with six bastard children that requires some backstory. I loved that the man who is all about chess doesn’t even realize Eleanor plays until he’s already in love with her. I love how he begs. I love that Eleanor makes him beg. I even love Oyster.
I also think reading it the second time I was better prepared for the love triangles that happen in this story. I hate love triangles, but knowing full well they were coming had me much more content this time around.
Okay…but WTF, Damon???? I need a novella or a paragraph explaining why Damon had an affair with Lisette. Why. Why. Whyyyyyyyyyy. It also explains why Damon never told his wife (what’s her name? I can’t remember) even after he said he would. Dude is probably super ashamed that he took advantage of someone who is clearly “cracked” Now I like Damon less even though I liked him!
Reading the book now after five books of backstory? I. Loved. It. I loved it! I came into this book loving my arrogant duke and seeing his heart of stone melt for Eleanor was the BEST! I could see how she was a perfect fit for him from the beginning because I already knew this dude. Villiers is an unlikeable cold duke with six bastard children that requires some backstory. I loved that the man who is all about chess doesn’t even realize Eleanor plays until he’s already in love with her. I love how he begs. I love that Eleanor makes him beg. I even love Oyster.
I also think reading it the second time I was better prepared for the love triangles that happen in this story. I hate love triangles, but knowing full well they were coming had me much more content this time around.
Okay…but WTF, Damon???? I need a novella or a paragraph explaining why Damon had an affair with Lisette. Why. Why. Whyyyyyyyyyy. It also explains why Damon never told his wife (what’s her name? I can’t remember) even after he said he would. Dude is probably super ashamed that he took advantage of someone who is clearly “cracked” Now I like Damon less even though I liked him!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 8, 2009
I have never read an Eloisa James book before. My preferred romance category is the contemporary. ButLynne Connolly's Richard and Rose series has whetted my appetite again for historical romance and I had read a pretty good review of this book.
I was pleasantly surprised by it. I do think there were a couple of situations that strained credibility a bit, but over all this was a really nicely written book with great characters and excellent dialogue.
In this story the hero is a Duke, Villiers, who is out to find a wife -- a daughter of of another Duke will only suffice -- to help him raise his six bastard children. Immediately, right there, I was intrigued by this book. Any book that does not make the hero be a Male Mary Sue (Jerry Sue?) is alright by me. As it just so happens, there are two possibilities. One is Eleanor, whom we meet right away who is herself a bit sullied (LOVED her!) and the other is Lisette who is sequestered in the country and has a host of rumors swirling about her.
Most of the action takes place at the Duke of Gilner's home -- Lisette's home -- where Villiers sets out to visit in order to find the last two of his children at a nearby orphanage. In the backstory, he has always thought his children are being well taken care of but it turns out they've been scattered and in various less than wonderful places thanks to an unscrupulous solicitor. Villiers has found and is taking care of four of his kids but has discovered the last two, twin girls, are in an orphanage. While he is there looking for them, he plans to visit Lisette to see if she is a better wife candidate than Eleanor.
Not one to miss an opportunity, Eleanor's mother decides they must also visit poor Lisette so that she can't have the Duke all to herself. So Eleanor, her mother and Eleanor's sister Anne descend on Lisette as well.
What follows is the story of how a man decides who he wants to marry and for what reasons.
This book was a nice read, filled chock full with excellent characters. Eleanor, Lisette, Anne, Tobias, Astley -- every single character even very minor ones, just jumped off the page. Not one was boring or cookie cutter. James managed to create quite a rich story with a surprising amount of depth and flavor.
I only give it four stars because I really thought Villiers was a little slow on the uptake and it was all to create a plot conflict. I guess if he'd made his choice (his obvious choice) early on, there would have been no story. So the author had to drag it out to make it seem like there was actually real competition between Eleanor and Lisette. But it seems everyone in the book and out of it knew who'd make the better wife. But that is ok because it gives you time to savor the characters and the dialog which really are much stronger than the plot.
I recommend.
I was pleasantly surprised by it. I do think there were a couple of situations that strained credibility a bit, but over all this was a really nicely written book with great characters and excellent dialogue.
In this story the hero is a Duke, Villiers, who is out to find a wife -- a daughter of of another Duke will only suffice -- to help him raise his six bastard children. Immediately, right there, I was intrigued by this book. Any book that does not make the hero be a Male Mary Sue (Jerry Sue?) is alright by me. As it just so happens, there are two possibilities. One is Eleanor, whom we meet right away who is herself a bit sullied (LOVED her!) and the other is Lisette who is sequestered in the country and has a host of rumors swirling about her.
Most of the action takes place at the Duke of Gilner's home -- Lisette's home -- where Villiers sets out to visit in order to find the last two of his children at a nearby orphanage. In the backstory, he has always thought his children are being well taken care of but it turns out they've been scattered and in various less than wonderful places thanks to an unscrupulous solicitor. Villiers has found and is taking care of four of his kids but has discovered the last two, twin girls, are in an orphanage. While he is there looking for them, he plans to visit Lisette to see if she is a better wife candidate than Eleanor.
Not one to miss an opportunity, Eleanor's mother decides they must also visit poor Lisette so that she can't have the Duke all to herself. So Eleanor, her mother and Eleanor's sister Anne descend on Lisette as well.
What follows is the story of how a man decides who he wants to marry and for what reasons.
This book was a nice read, filled chock full with excellent characters. Eleanor, Lisette, Anne, Tobias, Astley -- every single character even very minor ones, just jumped off the page. Not one was boring or cookie cutter. James managed to create quite a rich story with a surprising amount of depth and flavor.
I only give it four stars because I really thought Villiers was a little slow on the uptake and it was all to create a plot conflict. I guess if he'd made his choice (his obvious choice) early on, there would have been no story. So the author had to drag it out to make it seem like there was actually real competition between Eleanor and Lisette. But it seems everyone in the book and out of it knew who'd make the better wife. But that is ok because it gives you time to savor the characters and the dialog which really are much stronger than the plot.
I recommend.
July 11, 2011
I'm sorry, Eloisa, but I just didn't care for the book. Some of the dialogue was hysterical, but the characters just didn't do it for me.
I can't get into a hero who has "6 pieces of accidental baggage" and not even the same quantity in ounces of personality. I like reading men I myself would be in a danger of falling for, and he was SO not that!
I didn't know it until now, but I much prefer stories that revolve around one man and one woman. Not a weird triangle like this had. I read to escape from that kind of realism! LOL
I don't think the Duchesses series is for me, but I will be more than happy to try out Ms. James' other characters and stories. :-)
I can't get into a hero who has "6 pieces of accidental baggage" and not even the same quantity in ounces of personality. I like reading men I myself would be in a danger of falling for, and he was SO not that!
I didn't know it until now, but I much prefer stories that revolve around one man and one woman. Not a weird triangle like this had. I read to escape from that kind of realism! LOL
I don't think the Duchesses series is for me, but I will be more than happy to try out Ms. James' other characters and stories. :-)
October 25, 2013
I loved this book, especially Villiers's children. So adorable! I think my favorite thing about Eloisa James is how every character, even the small ones, even the nasty ones, feels like a person with their own point of view and their own complete life, even if we only get to see the edges of it. This book had a fabulous cast, and I loved Eleanor and her insecurities. When she told Villiers she deserved more I cheered!
January 27, 2012
I loved the Duke of Villiers and admired his commitment to finally become a father to his six illegitimate children and enjoyed the strong, sensible Eleanor, who's still carrying a flame for her first love who dumped her for another woman.
May 4, 2020
Eh, I liked the characters, but it dragged on.
February 9, 2018
A decent and ultimately satisfying wrap to EJ's Desperate Duchesses series, but like the rest of this series (& everything James in general) I found it a little windy. I appreciate the rich detail and strong sense of time & place that EJ puts into her stories, but there are times when I feel like she's talking over my head. IMO, it's tedious to have to stop & think about every subtle nuance of character dialogue and interaction, especially when she's going to rehash all of it two or three pages later through an internal monologue anyway.
As I generally find to be the case with most everything James writes, there's a little too much "richness" for my personal taste. There are times when I like to try a decadent chocolate variety of cheesecake, but there are also times when plain old cheesecake can be sinful enough. I think her romances get knocked slightly off center by just a little too much detail in setting, costume and secondary characters. She can't seem to write a story that doesn't go off into raptures over the details in a dress or frock coat or the subtleties of hair powdering - just how much is too much - and in every character's POV, at that.
I also couldn't help but feel that she rewrote Villiers for this story. He's a well-established character by this point in the series, a dandy, but a dandy with teeth; probably one of the most intelligent & observant characters she has ever written. For reasons known only to her, she saw fit to "dumb him down" into just another nitwit male who couldn't find his backside with both hands and I have to cry foul about it.
It's true that it's easier for most men to see the little character flaws in a friend's prospective mate than it is to see them in their own, but I really feel like he should have been a little smarter here. He shilly-shallies forever and has to literally have his face rubbed in the truth. Not only did I find that out of character for him, it was a bit unromantic, and didn't do much service to the heroine either.
Ultimately, I enjoyed the story overall. The ending makes up for a lot and the love scenes are steamy. I just wish she would pare her writing down to something less chatty/wordy/windy. I gave it 3 stars (B-).
As I generally find to be the case with most everything James writes, there's a little too much "richness" for my personal taste. There are times when I like to try a decadent chocolate variety of cheesecake, but there are also times when plain old cheesecake can be sinful enough. I think her romances get knocked slightly off center by just a little too much detail in setting, costume and secondary characters. She can't seem to write a story that doesn't go off into raptures over the details in a dress or frock coat or the subtleties of hair powdering - just how much is too much - and in every character's POV, at that.
I also couldn't help but feel that she rewrote Villiers for this story. He's a well-established character by this point in the series, a dandy, but a dandy with teeth; probably one of the most intelligent & observant characters she has ever written. For reasons known only to her, she saw fit to "dumb him down" into just another nitwit male who couldn't find his backside with both hands and I have to cry foul about it.
It's true that it's easier for most men to see the little character flaws in a friend's prospective mate than it is to see them in their own, but I really feel like he should have been a little smarter here. He shilly-shallies forever and has to literally have his face rubbed in the truth. Not only did I find that out of character for him, it was a bit unromantic, and didn't do much service to the heroine either.
Ultimately, I enjoyed the story overall. The ending makes up for a lot and the love scenes are steamy. I just wish she would pare her writing down to something less chatty/wordy/windy. I gave it 3 stars (B-).
June 11, 2011
The last book in the Desperate Dutchess Series. Something I very rarely do is read a book out of order. But I found myself doing so with this one. This is the only book I've read from this series and it can easily be read as a stand alone.
Lady Eleanor is certainly an intelligent beauty and I enjoyed the banter between her and the oh-so-sexy Duke of Villiers. There is no deep, dark torment involved with either the hero or heroine. Rather, a perfect mix for a truly delightful romance. There is angst, lots of laughter and enough fire and desire with steamy mild love scenes that kept me enjoying their story.
This is a wonderful historical romance that I loved. I was rooting for them to be together, to recognize their love for each other and get their HEA. I loved the ending!
A big thank you to Penny for recommending this one to me!
Note: The author has also written a final "Extra Chapter" that will catch up on every duchess and her beloved. You can find this on her website @ www.eloisajames.com.
Lady Eleanor is certainly an intelligent beauty and I enjoyed the banter between her and the oh-so-sexy Duke of Villiers. There is no deep, dark torment involved with either the hero or heroine. Rather, a perfect mix for a truly delightful romance. There is angst, lots of laughter and enough fire and desire with steamy mild love scenes that kept me enjoying their story.
This is a wonderful historical romance that I loved. I was rooting for them to be together, to recognize their love for each other and get their HEA. I loved the ending!
A big thank you to Penny for recommending this one to me!
Note: The author has also written a final "Extra Chapter" that will catch up on every duchess and her beloved. You can find this on her website @ www.eloisajames.com.
October 25, 2021
This was a lovely end to the Desperate Duchesses series. Some of the books in this series have been misses for me, but this one was a hit.
The plot is unusual and may not be to everyone's taste - the lofty Duke of Villiers is looking for a mother to his six illegitimate children (yeah, I know!), and is choosing between two equally lofty daughters of Dukes - the beautiful, but shrill and unstable Lisette, and the underestimated, but sensual Eleanor.
Given Villier's caustic wit in the previous books, there were quite a few funny bits of dialogue. The story wrapped up neatly at the end with a lovely epilogue, and I am a sucker for a good epilogue. :)
The plot is unusual and may not be to everyone's taste - the lofty Duke of Villiers is looking for a mother to his six illegitimate children (yeah, I know!), and is choosing between two equally lofty daughters of Dukes - the beautiful, but shrill and unstable Lisette, and the underestimated, but sensual Eleanor.
Given Villier's caustic wit in the previous books, there were quite a few funny bits of dialogue. The story wrapped up neatly at the end with a lovely epilogue, and I am a sucker for a good epilogue. :)
January 18, 2021
January 2021 HRBC BOTM
This. Book.
This book is an absolute mess. This book is the kind of book that gives HR a bad name amongst those who don't read it. Why? I guess I'll begin with the plot.
Eleanor is a duke's daughter in her early 20s. She fell in love with and had a romance with a duke-to-be (Gideon) as a teenager, who did not marry her, because his father died and left a will saying he (Gideon) was promised to this Ada girl. (Now, here's my first gripe...upon becoming a duke in his own right, I don't feel like anyone could have told him he HAD to marry anyone. There are not that many dukes- being a duke is a big deal, and if he didn't really want to marry Ada, he didn't have to marry Ada.) But anyway...he married her, and Eleanor's heart was broken. In an effort to somehow catch his ear and make him jealous, Eleanor announced that she would only marry a duke, nothing less. So for 3 years, she's been pining after Gideon and ignoring any man who comes her way. That's the sole reason she "needs" to marry a duke- just to be stubborn and stick to what she had said. And there is no immediate reason for her to marry quickly. She wants to marry, and her mother wants her to, but there is nothing pressing this moment.
So Eleanor is at this event, and lo and behold- the only currently available duke is also there! The duke of Villiers. They are introduced and have a conversation, which goes...fine. It's very pragmatic and practical. Turns out Villiers has 6 (yes, count them) 6 illegitimate children that he just woke up one day and decided he cares about and needs to find (because he literally doesn't know where they all are), and he wants to marry someone to mother them. So he's looking for a mom-nanny, not a romance. But he also only wants to marry the daughter of a duke, and they're in short supply. Eleanor decides she could entertain this prospect (lord knows why), and basically invites herself as well as the duke to this other girl's house for a house party. This other girl, Lisette, is...daughter of a duke. So- Eleanor gives Villiers another option that he didn't seem to know about right off the bat. Who does that?
Word on the street is that Lisette is mad (the English, crazy kind), and the street is not wrong! However, Lisette is beautiful, and only throws temper tantrums...sometimes, so for most of the book she is a valid rival for Eleanor, even though she is constantly described as literally crazy. Which makes. no. sense. Eleanor, her mother and sister, and Villiers all show up at this girl's house- her father and aunt/chaperone are both away- and settle in to hang for the foreseeable future.
The rest of the book is an insane back-and-forth of everyone constantly changing their minds over who they do or don't want to marry. Like about 17 times.
The plot is stupid, because Lisette was widely known as mad from the very beginning, and therefore should never have been in the running. It just makes no sense. But that brings me to...the characters.
Ugh. Eleanor is at best wishy-washy, hot and cold, not self-aware in the slightest, and has absolutely no idea what she's doing most of the time. She has guilt over liking sex and feeling sexy, and she really has no idea what she wants until the very end (which, thank goodness, but it shouldn't have taken that long!). She is supposedly who we're supposed to root for, but she herself sometimes acts childish and spoiled. She will go so far as to spell out that she doesn't actually love Gideon, and then says she does. She'll say she doesn't want something, but then clearly does. She says she'll marry Villiers (in fact announces it without being proposed to), and then says she wants to kiss the Roland guy. She's a mess. I don't really like her.
Villiers is first described as a reprobate rake, with his 6 illegitimate children and his "don't give an F about anything" attitude. He wears what sound to be flashy, girly clothes, and he's super pragmatic about what he wants in a wife/mother. By the end of the book, I just don't really get his deal. Why the need to round up the kids now? Why didn't he care from the start? Why doesn't he just get a governess and nannies? He's not rake-y enough nor good enough to be either, really.
The single biggest character problem I have, however, is Lisette. I don't know what EJ was going for here, but we. knew. she was crazy from the very beginning. We knew. Eleanor's mom told us her backstory. And yet- we have to deal with her for most of the book acting as a potential possibility to marry Villiers. He entertains the idea very seriously for some time. At which point, you have to question his sanity. She shows just enough madness (and what exactly is Lisette's "deal"? What specific disorder or issue does she actually have?) on the regular to make any sane person aware that she is NOT okay and doesn't need to be marrying anybody. I mean, she throws a lute at someone's head in chapter 13. She has dog meltdowns and screams and cries. But...she's pretty. Barf. If she isn't aware of the things she says and does, she needs serious help, and if she is, she is downright evil. But who can tell? She's so badly crafted that I really just didn't understand what to think. And...
The secondary characters- ugh. And there are so. Many. Eleanor's mom and sister are awful (most of the time- the sister gets a bit better later on, but she is quite nasty to Eleanor at the beginning), this random lute-playing dude shows up for no apparent reason, there's a religious fanatic in the kitchen randomly, an abusive orphanage lady....I mean people just keep showing up that really didn't need to. And almost no one is likeable. Honestly, I think Tobias was the best character. He was honest and up front, and he wasn't whiny or crazy. Everyone else was so highly flawed that I didn't care much what happened to any of them.
I'm not going to go into tons of detail (see my Kindle notes if you're really interested), but the constant inconsistencies and contradictions were maddening. First and foremost, everyone was always insisting they HAD to marry one of the others for some reason or another....no one in this book HAD to marry anyone. The duke "loathed informality", but then found Lisette's wacky unconventional behavior charming. He's a freaking duke, but he has to scheme to visit an orphanage on the DL to get his own children back. Eleanor is all "must marry a duke", but is totally cool making plans with Roland. She’s supposed to be the one conscious of society, yet goes on a whole tangent about “pizzles”. (Don’t ask.) It's like while she was writing, EJ would forget she'd written something opposite like 4 pages ago. The whole point of marrying a duke's daughter was to give the illegitimate children a chance to actually, maybe join society...but Lisette was the best mothering candidate because she ignored society altogether? And what about an heir? It negates the whole point of even considering her.
There is just no much unnecessary melodrama. None of this needed to happen. The more I've thought about it, a much better book would have been Eleanor being courted by Villiers, with Gideon emerging part of the way through as a renewed possibility, so then she'd have to choose between them. Lisette didn't even need to happen. It was dumb. This was too long and badly in need of editing. You have to have someone likeable to carry the story, and no one here really was.
I realized that this is not the first EJ book to drive me nearly to insanity myself. Seems like that's a trend with her books, and I am saying right here and now that I'm done with them. They're just not for me.
So why 2 stars (actually 1.5)? No one raped anybody. I even gave The Duke and I 2 stars (1.5 actually), so I felt putting this on the same level was fair.
This. Book.
This book is an absolute mess. This book is the kind of book that gives HR a bad name amongst those who don't read it. Why? I guess I'll begin with the plot.
Eleanor is a duke's daughter in her early 20s. She fell in love with and had a romance with a duke-to-be (Gideon) as a teenager, who did not marry her, because his father died and left a will saying he (Gideon) was promised to this Ada girl. (Now, here's my first gripe...upon becoming a duke in his own right, I don't feel like anyone could have told him he HAD to marry anyone. There are not that many dukes- being a duke is a big deal, and if he didn't really want to marry Ada, he didn't have to marry Ada.) But anyway...he married her, and Eleanor's heart was broken. In an effort to somehow catch his ear and make him jealous, Eleanor announced that she would only marry a duke, nothing less. So for 3 years, she's been pining after Gideon and ignoring any man who comes her way. That's the sole reason she "needs" to marry a duke- just to be stubborn and stick to what she had said. And there is no immediate reason for her to marry quickly. She wants to marry, and her mother wants her to, but there is nothing pressing this moment.
So Eleanor is at this event, and lo and behold- the only currently available duke is also there! The duke of Villiers. They are introduced and have a conversation, which goes...fine. It's very pragmatic and practical. Turns out Villiers has 6 (yes, count them) 6 illegitimate children that he just woke up one day and decided he cares about and needs to find (because he literally doesn't know where they all are), and he wants to marry someone to mother them. So he's looking for a mom-nanny, not a romance. But he also only wants to marry the daughter of a duke, and they're in short supply. Eleanor decides she could entertain this prospect (lord knows why), and basically invites herself as well as the duke to this other girl's house for a house party. This other girl, Lisette, is...daughter of a duke. So- Eleanor gives Villiers another option that he didn't seem to know about right off the bat. Who does that?
Word on the street is that Lisette is mad (the English, crazy kind), and the street is not wrong! However, Lisette is beautiful, and only throws temper tantrums...sometimes, so for most of the book she is a valid rival for Eleanor, even though she is constantly described as literally crazy. Which makes. no. sense. Eleanor, her mother and sister, and Villiers all show up at this girl's house- her father and aunt/chaperone are both away- and settle in to hang for the foreseeable future.
The rest of the book is an insane back-and-forth of everyone constantly changing their minds over who they do or don't want to marry. Like about 17 times.
The plot is stupid, because Lisette was widely known as mad from the very beginning, and therefore should never have been in the running. It just makes no sense. But that brings me to...the characters.
Ugh. Eleanor is at best wishy-washy, hot and cold, not self-aware in the slightest, and has absolutely no idea what she's doing most of the time. She has guilt over liking sex and feeling sexy, and she really has no idea what she wants until the very end (which, thank goodness, but it shouldn't have taken that long!). She is supposedly who we're supposed to root for, but she herself sometimes acts childish and spoiled. She will go so far as to spell out that she doesn't actually love Gideon, and then says she does. She'll say she doesn't want something, but then clearly does. She says she'll marry Villiers (in fact announces it without being proposed to), and then says she wants to kiss the Roland guy. She's a mess. I don't really like her.
Villiers is first described as a reprobate rake, with his 6 illegitimate children and his "don't give an F about anything" attitude. He wears what sound to be flashy, girly clothes, and he's super pragmatic about what he wants in a wife/mother. By the end of the book, I just don't really get his deal. Why the need to round up the kids now? Why didn't he care from the start? Why doesn't he just get a governess and nannies? He's not rake-y enough nor good enough to be either, really.
The single biggest character problem I have, however, is Lisette. I don't know what EJ was going for here, but we. knew. she was crazy from the very beginning. We knew. Eleanor's mom told us her backstory. And yet- we have to deal with her for most of the book acting as a potential possibility to marry Villiers. He entertains the idea very seriously for some time. At which point, you have to question his sanity. She shows just enough madness (and what exactly is Lisette's "deal"? What specific disorder or issue does she actually have?) on the regular to make any sane person aware that she is NOT okay and doesn't need to be marrying anybody. I mean, she throws a lute at someone's head in chapter 13. She has dog meltdowns and screams and cries. But...she's pretty. Barf. If she isn't aware of the things she says and does, she needs serious help, and if she is, she is downright evil. But who can tell? She's so badly crafted that I really just didn't understand what to think. And...
The secondary characters- ugh. And there are so. Many. Eleanor's mom and sister are awful (most of the time- the sister gets a bit better later on, but she is quite nasty to Eleanor at the beginning), this random lute-playing dude shows up for no apparent reason, there's a religious fanatic in the kitchen randomly, an abusive orphanage lady....I mean people just keep showing up that really didn't need to. And almost no one is likeable. Honestly, I think Tobias was the best character. He was honest and up front, and he wasn't whiny or crazy. Everyone else was so highly flawed that I didn't care much what happened to any of them.
I'm not going to go into tons of detail (see my Kindle notes if you're really interested), but the constant inconsistencies and contradictions were maddening. First and foremost, everyone was always insisting they HAD to marry one of the others for some reason or another....no one in this book HAD to marry anyone. The duke "loathed informality", but then found Lisette's wacky unconventional behavior charming. He's a freaking duke, but he has to scheme to visit an orphanage on the DL to get his own children back. Eleanor is all "must marry a duke", but is totally cool making plans with Roland. She’s supposed to be the one conscious of society, yet goes on a whole tangent about “pizzles”. (Don’t ask.) It's like while she was writing, EJ would forget she'd written something opposite like 4 pages ago. The whole point of marrying a duke's daughter was to give the illegitimate children a chance to actually, maybe join society...but Lisette was the best mothering candidate because she ignored society altogether? And what about an heir? It negates the whole point of even considering her.
There is just no much unnecessary melodrama. None of this needed to happen. The more I've thought about it, a much better book would have been Eleanor being courted by Villiers, with Gideon emerging part of the way through as a renewed possibility, so then she'd have to choose between them. Lisette didn't even need to happen. It was dumb. This was too long and badly in need of editing. You have to have someone likeable to carry the story, and no one here really was.
I realized that this is not the first EJ book to drive me nearly to insanity myself. Seems like that's a trend with her books, and I am saying right here and now that I'm done with them. They're just not for me.
So why 2 stars (actually 1.5)? No one raped anybody. I even gave The Duke and I 2 stars (1.5 actually), so I felt putting this on the same level was fair.
February 3, 2022
Finally Leopold's story .. ooohh Leo how the mighty have fallen 😊
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