Say Yes to the Duke

Say Yes to the Duke (Wildes of Lindow Castle #5)- Eloisa James
Avon/HarperCollins 
Release Date: May 19, 2020

Rating:
📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Miss Viola Astley is so painfully shy that she’s horrified by the mere idea of dancing with a stranger; her upcoming London debut feels like a nightmare.

So she’s overjoyed to meet handsome, quiet vicar with no interest in polite society — but just when she catches his attention, her reputation is compromised by a duke. 

Devin Lucas Augustus Elstan, Duke of Wynter, will stop at nothing to marry Viola, including marrying a woman whom he believes to be in love with another man. 

A vicar, no less.

Devin knows he’s no saint, but he’s used to conquest, and he’s determined to win Viola’s heart.

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After an incident at her first ball years ago, Viola Astley is so shy around men that she can't even contemplate having a Season and finding a husband.  Her happy discovery of a vicar who doesn't terrify her is overshadowed by meeting the stern Duke of Wynter.  But both of them have hidden depths- and the overbearing and seemingly hard duke may be exactly what a shy wallflower needs.

Say Yes to the Duke continues Eloisa James' Wildes of Lindow Castle series with Wilde stepdaughter Viola- who has never really felt like one of the Wildes.  Overshadowed by her taller, more confidante step-siblings, the cripplingly shy Viola is happy to liver her life outside of Society, where only her family and immediate friends can really know the intelligent, witty person behind her quiet facade.  She may be one of my favorite characters of all time- completely relatable, kind, compassionate, and quiet, but willing to stand up for her family and loved ones when needed.  She may not have much self-confidence, but she's stronger than she thinks she is and becomes a delightful surprise to herself and Devin, as well as the reader.  Devin, the Duke of Wynter, starts off as the stereotypical nobleman, confident that he can do whatever he wants and get whatever he wants because he's a duke- and supremely uninterested with most of Society and their ways.  But when Viola goes and does the one thing a woman should absolutely never do if she doesn't want to catch a duke's attention- telling him exactly how rude and overbearing he is and then walking away- Devin finds he has a lot more interest in finding a wife than he had expected.  

Devin and Viola might seem to be opposites on the surface, but still waters run deep and they are completely perfect for each other.  He excels at solving problems, she excels at trying to make people happy.  When they are tested by a vicar and his horrible fiancée on what is right for the people of their entire parish, Wilde hijinks may ensue but true love eases all wounds.  Although Book 5 in a series it will be easy for new readers to start with this as a standalone, and James' brilliant writing and sparkling humor will capture new fans with every page.  A lovely book with passion and sparkling chemistry between Devin and Viola, rapier wit, laugh out loud humorous moments, and an army of cats, Say Yes to the Duke is a perfect must read!    

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review