Not That Duke

Not That Duke (Would Be Wallflowers #3)- Eloisa James

HarperCollins/Avon Books

Release Date: July 25, 2023

Rating: 📚📚📚

Synopsis: Bespeckled and freckled, Lady Stella Corsham at least has a dowry that has attracted a crowd of fortune-hunting suitors--which definitely doesn't include the sinfully handsome Silvester Parnell, Duke of Huntington, who laughingly calls her "Specs" as he chases after elegant rivals.

And then--

The worst happens. Marriage.

To the duke. To a man marrying her for all the wrong reasons.

How can Silvester possibly convince Stella that he's fallen in love with the quirky woman he married? Especially after she laughingly announces that she's in love--but not with that duke.

Not with her husband.

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This was a book I definitely had mixed feelings about. On the one hand, I loved Stella and felt for her throughout the entire book. Stella is short, plump, red-haired, freckled, wears glasses, doesn't hide that she's smart, and doesn't play the games the superficial women of Society play. She's no one's first choice and her aunt is always harping on about what she needs to do differently if she wants to get a man to propose to her. She has no friends, and is miserable all the time. Kind of like what I imagine I'd be like if I were dropped into a Regency ballroom. But she also doesn't let any of that affect how she treats other people. She's kind instead of cruel or bitter, even though privately Stella watches the beautiful people like Lady Yasmin and her ardent suitor the Duke of Huntington and wishes she was like them. Or that the Duke would look at her the way he looks at Yasmin. 

The Duke, Silvester, was harder to get my mind around and I'm still not actually sure if I liked him. He spends the first half of the book chasing Yasmin and when she marries Silvester's best friend, Silvester decides to marry Stella instead. Why? Maybe he realizes he never really had more than superficial feelings for Yasmin and at least is in serious lust for Stella. He does like the conversations they have when they play chess and that she actually challenges him and sees him as a person and not as a way to be a duchess. Are these reasons to basically blackmail her into marriage? No. Why doesn't he court her the way he did Yasmin? Show Stella that he actually cares for her? No idea. Since we see things mostly from Stella's point of view Silvester seems to go from tolerating her while he pursues Yasmin, to saying cruel things about her to make Yasmin laugh, to apologizing and treating her as if they are siblings, to kissing her, to running off with Yasmin, to coming back and proposing to her. Then he doesn't even have the decency to listen to her when she says no and work on courting her- he goes to her aunt, tells the aunt they've kissed and now must marry, running over Stella's feelings on the subject. Once and a while he seems to panic at the idea that he might be in love with Stella, though we never find out why, and he shoves the idea away and decides it must be lust instead. 

So there were lots of questions here and I felt like Stella kind of deserved more. But I was proud of her- she stands up to Silvester and tells him she deserves to be first for someone. That she won't settle for less than anyone else, no matter what she looks like. I also loved that it wasn't just Silvester and his rather obvious appreciation for Stella's body that made her feel more confident in herself but her friend Merry and Silvester's mother and their positive and obvious love for Stella as she is that helped her begin to feel confident in herself. 

On their own, there were pacing issues and Silvester issues that made this not my favorite of James' books. But in the end, it is Eloisa James' sparkling, witty writing that won the day and charmed me with this book.

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

 

 

Wilde Child

Wilde Child (Wildes of Lindlow Castle #6)- Eloisa James

Avon/HarperCollins

Release Date: March 30, 2021

Rating: 📚 📚 📚 📚 📚

Synopsis: Already notorious for the golden hair that proves her mother’s infidelity, Lady Joan can’t seem to avoid scandals, but her latest escapade may finally ruin her: she’s determined to perform the title role of a prince—in breeches, naturally.

She has the perfect model for an aristocratic male in mind: Thaddeus Erskine Shaw, Viscount Greywick, a man who scorned the very idea of marrying her.

Not that Joan would want such a dubious honor, of course.

For years, Thaddeus has avoided the one Wilde who shakes his composure, but he’s horrified when he grasps the danger Joan’s putting herself in. Staring into her defiant eyes, he makes the grim vow that he’ll keep her safe.

He strikes a bargain: after one performance, the lady must return to her father’s castle and marry one of three gentlemen whom he deems acceptable.

Not including him, of course.

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Lady Joan Wilde is known for being blonde (proof of her illegitimacy), bold (because when you don't care what people say to you, why not enjoy yourself?) and in love with acting.  She'd rather be part of an acting troupe than a Wilde of Lindlow Castle.  And finally her father has agreed to let her perform the title role in Hamlet with a troupe of real actors- at Lindlow Castle before family and friends only and as long as a friend plays Ophelia. Joan sees this as a start to a new life as an actress.  Family friend Thaddeus Shaw, Viscount Greywick, sees it as a path to social ruin. Especially when Joan tells him she plans to perform in town in front of a 'real' audience. They make a deal- he'll keep her secret, and keep her safe, then they'll help each other find spouses. But the longer they spend together, the more they realize they might like each other too much for that deal to work.

Joan and Thaddeus are very much a case of opposites attracting. Joan has lived her whole life knowing she is illegitimate and knowing that everyone knows it- and since her family doesn't treat her any differently that's all she cares about. She finds it freeing to not worry about what everyone in Society thinks (and says) about her. Thaddeus constantly worries about what people say and how he and his actions reflect on the duchy that he will inherit.  He doesn't understand Joan's approach to life and doesn't approve.  She thinks Thaddeus is stuck up, disapproving, and shallow, and doesn't understand why he is concerning himself with her life choices.  Epic clashes ensue- often with Shakespearean insults thrown in.

What's fun is, like all Eloisa James' books (Say Yes to the Duke) Wilde Child goes past the outer, 'social' layers of the characters to discover who they really are. Particularly in Thaddeus' case, there are a lot of layers to a very complicated person.  In between their fighting, Joan and Thaddeus find they can talk to each other as they've never been able to talk to others and their secrets- and delightful chemistry- blossom.  Both are trying to deny their parental examples when it comes to running away with emotions (or having emotions run away with them) while seeing if they can balance their own happiness with family responsibilities.  I loved revisiting Lindlow Castle and seeing characters from previous books, although anyone new to the series won't be lost starting here.  The loving Wilde family seems to embrace the reader as much as the characters as a part of the family, and James' entertaining, emotional, delightful writing and sparkling humor ensures this will be a book you'll want to reread regularly.

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

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