When the Duke Returns (Desperate Duchesses #4) by Eloisa James

Jan 26, 2009 Julie (jjmachshev) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: queuemyreview, 2009-reads

Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Dec08

Just how long is ‘too’ long to wait for your man? In times of yore (it’s a historical!) there existed a practice of marriage by proxy. Meaning one member (usually the man) wasn’t actually present at the ceremony but the couple was considered legally wed. Then once the absent member showed up and consummated the marriage, all was normal. Eloisa James uses the concept of a proxy marriage in her latest book, “When the Duke Returns”. Her heroine has...more Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Dec08

Just how long is ‘too’ long to wait for your man? In times of yore (it’s a historical!) there existed a practice of marriage by proxy. Meaning one member (usually the man) wasn’t actually present at the ceremony but the couple was considered legally wed. Then once the absent member showed up and consummated the marriage, all was normal. Eloisa James uses the concept of a proxy marriage in her latest book, “When the Duke Returns”. Her heroine has waited twelve years for her husband the Duke to return and validate their marriage. Twelve years?!

Isidore is a Duchess…well, kind of…and she’s fed up with waiting for her errant husband to come home to England. Her plan is fairly simple. She will feign misbehavior to bring him home and then seduce him. It doesn’t really matter what he looks like, after all he is a Duke. She won’t have any problems seducing him, after all she’s been lauded as a beauty since she first put her hair up. She’ll have her children, do Duchessy things, and then, as far as Isidore is concerned, her husband the Duke can go right back to Africa or wherever. She’ll continue her London life fully invested as a Duchess. See, simple plan. What man doesn’t want to ‘do it’?

Simeon has returned to England to take over his duties as the Duke. His first duty is to take charge of his wife, er…future wife. See, Simeon wants to get to know and develop feelings for his ‘wife’ and then remarry before consummating their union. He has held on to his chastity to stay healthy but he has always dreamed of what his wife would be like. She’ll be quiet, demure, and docile and he’ll have no problems keeping to the philosophy of ‘the Middle Way’…no strong feelings like anger, lust, or fear. When he first catches sight of his ‘wife’, he’s pretty sure he just lost the ‘lust’ part of his ‘Middle Way’. And after only a few meetings, he’s pretty sure that with Isidore, anger and fear won’t be far behind.

I spent quite a bit of time laughing as I read about the titanic struggle between these two. Their verbal exchanges were sharp and scintillating, but it was the author’s revelation of their inner dialogues that explained the most about their motivations and intentions. The plot intensifies as each character figures out what they really want as opposed to what they’d always ‘thought’ they wanted…and why. Very nicely done. There are also several appearances by (mostly) heroines from earlier books who help move the plot along. An evolving secondary romance is just the icing on the cake.

Eloisa James’ historical romances are always a treat to read. The witty wordplay between primary and secondary characters and her wonderfully descriptive period vocabulary draws the reader into the world of her heroes and heroines…and it’s a very fun place to visit. “When The Duke Returns” is another engaging story from one of historical romance’s bigger names.(less)

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Jan 06, 2012 Zumbagirl rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arranged-marriage-tricked-into-marr, big-separation, favorite-author, friendship, georgian-romance, problem-marriage, spunky-heroine, sweet-and-steamy-romance, virgin-hero, 2012

3.5/3.75 stars
When the Duke Returns kept me engaged from start to finish and I read it in a day - but it was my least favorite in the series so far. Maybe it was because I just didn't like the premise and the hero. Isidore and Simeon were married by proxy 12 years earlier - she was 12 and he was 18. He then left to go to Africa and kept no contact with her and virtually no contact with his mother. Isidore is Italian, both her parents died suddenly and she was left alone in the world, save for he...more 3.5/3.75 stars
When the Duke Returns kept me engaged from start to finish and I read it in a day - but it was my least favorite in the series so far. Maybe it was because I just didn't like the premise and the hero. Isidore and Simeon were married by proxy 12 years earlier - she was 12 and he was 18. He then left to go to Africa and kept no contact with her and virtually no contact with his mother. Isidore is Italian, both her parents died suddenly and she was left alone in the world, save for her aunt, and her "husband," who was off on his travels. She came from money and the marriage was arranged by the parents. Isidore is beautiful, independent and spunky - but when Simeon meets her, she is not the docile, biddable, agreeable wife he envisioned. Honestly, Simeon just annoyed me - he didn't take care of any of his responsibilities for 12 years. His father died three years before this and he still didn't even bother to return to England and care for his family/estate. He was caught up in this Middle Way philosophy which taught he shouldn't fear, get angry, have lust -- blah, blah, blah. I hate to sound so rude, but after a while, it was just too much. I wanted to reach into my kindle and strangle him. He had all sorts of preconceived ideas of what a successful marriage would entail - and his wife, who had so patiently awaited his return, didn't fit into the picture. He was ready to annul the marriage. Yeah, great guy. (Like anyone really knows what they want in marriage and get everything they want. This guy was delusional). Isidore wanted to be his partner; he wanted a wife who was blindly devoted to him and did everything he asked and had no opinions of her own. She made decisions impulsively; yet he never realized that it was his fault she did that - if he had returned when she was 17 or 18 and assumed a married life, she would have followed his lead. Instead, she had to manage her estates and her own life, basically like a widow, since he was nowhere in sight. She had to make her own decisions and lived an independent life. The melding of these two lives would not be easy (Is marriage ever easy?) - but the problem I had is that it took the entire book for Simeon to realize that. He was too quick to give up. (view spoiler)

Jemma and Villiers are in the book often and I loved every scene with them. Jemma is back in love with her husband - even though still slightly attracted to Villiers. Villiers was great in this book (can't wait to read his book!!) and I loved how much he cared for his friend Elijah (who seemed to be on death's door). So next week - finally!!! - Jemma's book for me:)(less)

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Dec 09, 2008 Eviltwinjen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

I guess I must have liked this book, because I read it straight through in one sitting (forsaking various useful tasks). James' books can seem scattered, and this one is no exception--the constant jumping between characters and locations can be maddening, but it keeps you turning pages. Isidore is alternately charming and grating, as is her maybe/maybe not husband (although he's been laden with all sorts of anachronistic new-agey beliefs he picked up in foreign climbs). What makes James' books s...more

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Oct 24, 2010 Tammy Walton Grant rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hr-georgian, 2010-september, tropes-marriage-of-convenience, romance-series-must-read-in-order, romance-historical, tropes-virgin-hero, tropes-been-gone-so-long

I like this author, I liked the story, I even liked the premise - both virgins. I was surprised how sexy she was able to make Simeon -- and how sensible his decision to remain chaste was. Their scenes together were well done but the dirty girl in me would have liked it a bit steamier. I wondered too, how the author would explain Simeon's knowledge of things like oral sex and where his fingers should go, when the author told us next to nothing about him. Guess he was born knowing; this is fiction...more

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May 23, 2010 Mistress ~ ♠ Mistral's Kiss ♠ ~ (Mist) rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, 2010, bleh, just-get-over-it-already-jeeze, painful-to-finish, series, when-plots-get-tedious

Isadora has been married to the duke of cosway for 11yrs
never in that span of time has he bothered to meet the young lady he married by proxy. She played the meek wifely role for sometime
waiting for his return but as the years passed she said to hell with it
and indulged in seemly wicked activities to get his attention.
Well it worked, his Duke-i-ness has finally decided to make his presence known.

The very beginning of the story is enchanting which was entriely unexpected; since I hadn't cared for...more Isadora has been married to the duke of cosway for 11yrs
never in that span of time has he bothered to meet the young lady he married by proxy. She played the meek wifely role for sometime
waiting for his return but as the years passed she said to hell with it
and indulged in seemly wicked activities to get his attention.
Well it worked, his Duke-i-ness has finally decided to make his presence known.

The very beginning of the story is enchanting which was entriely unexpected; since I hadn't cared for isadora in the slightest in previous duchess novels. She always reminded me of "Samantha from Sex in The City". Flamboyant, selfish, hussyrific, occasionally quite amusing in small doses. Simeon on the other hand is a freakazoid. He comes across sexy as hell once or twice. But mostly he's just full of hot air, vague eastern spiritual woo woo, and constant whining/yapping on about how he needs to be in control/his manhood. I'm all for He-man HULK SMASH types of heroes, but Alpha our Simeon ain't. He's more of a petulant Beta with a complex. There's also a sub plot involving Jemma which is yawn city, so I wont even waste your time summarizing it.

Early on in the novel, there are about 2-3 chapters full of way too many irksome side characters being introduced to the story and massive info dumps disguised as casual conversation. I skimmed like the dickens to get through this novel towards the end, and threw the paperback at the wall when the couple had a serious conversation about the need to have a silly foreign sounding secret code word when she needed to meekly acknowledge or comply to his demands, no matter the request or the terrorists win. With the exception of a sparse handful of delightful moments James is known for, the book sucked....hard. I'd advise skipping directly from 'Duchess By Night'(bk3) to 'A Duke of Her Own' (bk6).

a 1 star rating for me means literally what it flashes when you hover over it, "Didn't like it". And I didn't like this book, but I don't hate it. I try to use a crap load of tags to differentiate/give additional insight as to what level of non-like I felt while reading it/why. In this case, I enjoyed a few aspects of this book but the majority of its execution was WEAK. Maybe I'll continue reading some of the books in the series, maybe not. There so many really great books out there and this isn't one of them.

Happy Reading Folks(less)

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Dec 06, 2008 Jen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance

I read another review from a reader stating that James's "Desperate Duchesses" series improves with each book. I think she finally hit her peak with this one. It really was the perfect historical romance with a hot blooded Italian and an eccentric, reluctant duke who runs about the countryside in short trousers (oh, the scandal!).

I loved that our heroine, Lady Isidore, was completely unwilling to compromise her beliefs, opinions, and ideas because a man and--more specifically--her husband told h...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Rowena rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, hopeless-romantic-corner

Since I was down with a flu, I promised myself yesterday that I should get some rest BUT, unknowingly, my hands (like they have a mind of their own) grabbed this book from my head board and read the flu away.

Any Ho!If you want to have some Victorian (or "Antoinette-ian" since this was set in France in the 1700s and I know I suck at making up words) Romance, then "When the Duke Returns" by Eloisa James is your fix. Not to mention such adorable and delicate cover for a paperback.

When Simeon aka T...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Carrie Olguin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not as good as the pervious "episode" but still entertaining enough to compel me to read to the end.

This book explores the story of the duke and duchess of Cosway. They were engaged as infants and married by proxy when she was twelve and while he was traveling in exotic places from which he finally has returned.

At 23, Isadora is tired of waiting for her husband to return and claim her so she creates a scandal to bring her errant husband home. She's a hot blooded Italian and still a virgin - not...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Cheryl rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

This is actually 3.5 to 3.75 stars. I would have marked it 4 stars, but something about the end turned me off a bit.

Isadore was more fun than I would have imagined after the last book, and Simeon was seriously drool-worthy.
(view spoiler)...more

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Oct 07, 2012 May Mostly Romance rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

When the duke returns ของเอลอยซ่า เจมส์

หนังสือเล่มนี้เป็นเล่มที่สี่ในชุด Desperate Duchesses ที่เล่าเรื่องเหล่าบรรดาดัชเชสจอมวุ่นทั้งหลาย และเล่มนี้ก็เป็นเรื่องราวของไอสิดอเร่ ผู้ที่เป็นดัชเชสตั้งแต่อายุสิบสองปี (โดยการแต่งงานด้วยตัวแทน) และรอคอยการกลับมาของดยุคของเธอจนกระทั่งบัดนี้เธอก็อายุได้ยี่สิบสามแล้ว

ตอนต้นของเรื่องนี้เป็นฉากหนึ่งในเรื่อง Duchess by night (ซึ่งเป็นเล่มที่สามในชุด) แต่ไม่จำเป็นต้องอ่านเล่มก่อนหน้าทั้งสามเล่มหรอกนะคะ เพราะยังไงก็รู้เรื่อง มันไม่ได้เกี่ยวพันกันมาก อาจจะยกเว้น...more When the duke returns ของเอลอยซ่า เจมส์

หนังสือเล่มนี้เป็นเล่มที่สี่ในชุด Desperate Duchesses ที่เล่าเรื่องเหล่าบรรดาดัชเชสจอมวุ่นทั้งหลาย และเล่มนี้ก็เป็นเรื่องราวของไอสิดอเร่ ผู้ที่เป็นดัชเชสตั้งแต่อายุสิบสองปี (โดยการแต่งงานด้วยตัวแทน) และรอคอยการกลับมาของดยุคของเธอจนกระทั่งบัดนี้เธอก็อายุได้ยี่สิบสามแล้ว

ตอนต้นของเรื่องนี้เป็นฉากหนึ่งในเรื่อง Duchess by night (ซึ่งเป็นเล่มที่สามในชุด) แต่ไม่จำเป็นต้องอ่านเล่มก่อนหน้าทั้งสามเล่มหรอกนะคะ เพราะยังไงก็รู้เรื่อง มันไม่ได้เกี่ยวพันกันมาก อาจจะยกเว้นก็ตรงเรื่องราวของตัวละครรองอย่างเจมม่า และวิลาดย์ (ซึ่งจะเป็นนางเอกเล่มห้า และพระเอกเล่มหกตามลำดับ) ที่คนอ่านอาจจะงงบ้าง Edited to Add: หลังจากถามคนแต่งมาแล้ว Villiers อ่านว่า วิลิเยร์

หลังจากรอคอยมานานสิบกว่าปี ในที่สุดซิเมียน หรือดยุคแห่งคอสเวย์ก็กลับมาจากการผจญภัยอันยิ่งใหญ่ของเขา แต่ซิเมียนไม่เหมือนดยุคผู้เหมาะสมแห่งอังกฤษคนอื่น ๆ เขาผ่านการผจญภัยไปทั่วโลก และได้เรียนรู้วัฒนธรรมที่แตกต่าง จนทำให้เขาแตกต่าง เขาไม่สวมวิก ลงแป้ง (บนผม) และชอบวิ่งออกกำลังกาย เขาเป็นสิ่งที่แปลกที่สุดที่ไอสิดอเร่เคยเห็น

แต่กระนั้นก็ไม่อาจทำให้เธอละทิ้งความคิดที่เป็นดัชเชสได้หรอก แม้ว่าซิเมียนจะเปิดโอกาสให้เธอยกเลิกการแต่งงาน เพราะเห็นว่าทั้งเขาและเธอไม่เหมาะสมกันเลย เขาต้องการดัชเชสที่สงบเสงี่ยม และอยู่ในทีทางของเธอ ในขณะที่ไอสิดอเร่เป็นทุกอย่างนอกจากนั้น เธอเป็นลูกครึ่งอิตาเลี่ยนที่อารมณ์ร้อน และเธอก็เคยชินกับการเป็นดัชเชสเสียแล้ว

ปัญหาของซิเมียนยังไม่จบแค่นั้น เขาต้องจัดการกับความวุ่นวายที่ทั้งพ่อและแม่ของเขาทิ้งไว้ ด้วยเหตุบางอย่างพ่อและแม่ของเขาซึ่งเป็นหนึ่งในขุนนางที่ร่ำรวยที่สุดในราชอาณาจักร ไม่ยอมจ่ายเงินให้กับเจ้าหนี้ของพวกเขา และยังไปไกลขนาดไม่ส่งน้องชายของเขาเข้าโรงเรียน ด้วยอ้างว่าสิ้นเปลือง นั่นยังไม่ใช่เรื่องเลวร้ายที่สุด ความขี้เหนียวของพ่อและแม่ยังส่งผลไปถึงห้องน้ำในบ้าน

มุขเรื่องส้วมตันในเรื่องนี้มันฮามากนะคะ เพราะความงกทำให้ท่านดยุคคนก่อนไม่ยอมเสียเงินเรียกคนมาดูแลรักษาห้องน้ำ ทำให้เกิดเรื่องใหญ่ส่งกลิ่นเหม็นไปทั่ว เดือดร้อนซิเมียนต้องมาจัดการ

ท่ามกลางความวุ่นวายทั้งหมดนั่น ซิเมียน และไอสิดอเร่ เรียนรู้ที่จะตกหลุมรักกัน และพิสูจน์ว่า การจับคลุมถุงชนก็ทำให้เกิดความรักขึ้นมาได้

เมื่อปรากฎตัวในหนังสือเล่มก่อนหน้า ไอสิดอเร่ดูเป็นผู้หญิงไร้สาระ หญิงสาวที่ทำตัวให้ฉาวโฉ่เพื่อเรียกร้องความสนใจเพื่อให้ดยุคของเธอกลับมาเสียที แต่ในเล่มนี้เราได้เห็นอีกด้านของเธอ และอย่างที่เราพูดเสมอ แม็กซ์รู้สึกว่า มีแต่เอลอยซ่าคนเดียวที่เขียนตัวละครนิสัยแบบนี้ แล้วทำให้เรารักพวกเธอได้ (ทั้งที่ไม่ชอบนิสัยหรอกนะ)

ที่สำคัญเล่มนี้เราจะได้อ่านพระเอกที่ยังบริสุทธิ์อยู่อีกหนึ่งเล่ม (ถือเป็นของหายากมากนะคะ) เพราะซิเมียนคิดว่าตัวเองแต่งงานแล้ว และไม่ต้องการติดโรคจากผู้หญิงคนอื่น เขาจึงดำรงตนในกรอบ ไม่ยุ่งเกี่ยวกับหญิงอื่นใด แต่หากจะคิดว่าพระเอกของเราไม่ประสา ก็จงคิดใหม่ค่ะ เพราะซิเมียนผ่านประสบการณ์ในฮาเร็มมาหลายแห่ง ทั้งยังท่องโลกอินเดียอันเป็นแหล่งกำเนิดตำรากามสูตรหลายเล่ม

เล่มนี้เป็นหนังสืออีกเรื่องของเอลอยซ่าที่น่ารักมาก ๆ ค่ะ เราชอบทั้งพระเอกและนางเอกที่ดูยังไงก็แสนจะเหมาะสมกัน ที่สำคัญเราชอบความ "เข้ม" ของซิเมียน ที่แตกต่างออกไปจากพระเอกโรแมนซ์คนอื่น ๆ

คะแนนที่ 75 (less)

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Jul 22, 2012 Lita Bouquard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance

When I began reading the Duchess series it was because of a recommendation from Ilona Andrews. I was not enamored of the series but continued with the Essex sisters. Well somehow James makes the duchesses who are in all the series likeable despite the vanity and extreme wealth they all have. She even makes it possible to pity them in many ways because of the limited choices they have in English society. In When the Duke Returns, Isadora who has been married by proxy since age 13? finally meets h...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Jayne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

(From my book blog)

Yeah, there is no mention of a masked ball at any point in the book. Excellent cover choice.

Okay, so Isidore and Simeon were married by proxy when she was 12 and he was … older, and she expected him to show up and collect her when she turned 16, but Simeon was too busy off traversing the globe and learning the ~*~ways of the world~*~ to make it back. The book opens when Simeon has finally got his (sexy, sculpted) ass back to England to see Isidore. Isidore has never met Simeon...more (From my book blog)

Yeah, there is no mention of a masked ball at any point in the book. Excellent cover choice.

Okay, so Isidore and Simeon were married by proxy when she was 12 and he was … older, and she expected him to show up and collect her when she turned 16, but Simeon was too busy off traversing the globe and learning the ~*~ways of the world~*~ to make it back. The book opens when Simeon has finally got his (sexy, sculpted) ass back to England to see Isidore. Isidore has never met Simeon and is ready for the worst, but basically nothing could prepare a British lady for Simeon.

Seriously, Simeon is one of my favorite heroes ever. He has some kind of crunchy Zen aspect that is absolutely hilarious. At one point, he matter-of-factly states that he heard music in an Indian bazaar so beautiful that he started to weep. He is a virgin (well, until he and Isadore start at it), which is something that he mentions relatively often and with no shame. He has all kinds of little quirks - he runs around the estate for exercise, he wears trousers rather than breeches, eschews wigs, and is knowledgeable in the vague “Eastern Art of Defense.” There were roundhouse kicks to the face, as promised, and they were excellent.

Isidore was basically the hottest of the duchess clique, and in every other book in the series she is basically just a busty bombshell waiting for her husband. In this book, she is a busty bombshell who happens to be whip-smart and completely capable of running an estate. One thing I love about all of Eloisa’s duchesses is that they are confident, intelligent, and they have no problem taking charge of situation. Isidore can’t deliver multiple roundhouse kicks to the face like Simeon can, but she can hold her own against surly septic workers and even surlier village blacksmiths, and she can do it in panniers, heels, and a wig.

One thing that I really enjoyed about both Isidore and Simeon together was that though they were obviously intelligent people with a lot of life experience, they were both bedroom novices and the way they taught and learned from each other was completely heartwarming and adorable.

And the plot is way interesting! Simeon has returned from his travels to find that his ancestral estate is falling apart. His father was a epic cheapskate and little nuts, and refused to pay most of the bills. All of the furniture is wrecked, the gardens are overgrown, and the house is, quite literally, full of shit because of poorly-designed and totally-neglected plumbing. Simeon has to work his (sexy, sculpted) ass off to get everything back to normal. Another detail that I loved - Isidore doesn’t spend most of the book angsting about ~*~feelings~*~ and jumps into helping Simeon right the estate, EVEN BEFORE she decides she wants to stick with him. Props to Isidore.

Gripe: this is part of a series, and the secondary plot involves the most boring couple in it, the Duke and Duchess of Beaumont. I read as quickly as possible through these passages so I could get back to the good bits. In fact, having finished this book, I can now say that I loved every book in this series, EXCEPT the one about the Beaumonts, This Duchess of Mine.(less)

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Jan 13, 2012 Indiana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, historical, romance, duke

Really enjoyed it. This is the 4th book in the Desperate Duchess series and I think it is the best one yet. I actually liked both the hero and heroine in this one. Married by proxy at an early age, they haven't seen each other in years. The hero has been off exploring the world while assuming everything was running smoothly at home. Of course this is far from the case and I liked seeing the hero come home, realize he has made a series of huge mistakes, acknowledge them, and deal with them. That...more

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Nov 11, 2011 Dorothea rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

RAGE warning for: abuse of Buddhism, Orientalist stereotypes that just stepped out one of Edward Said's footnotes.

This is the first book I've read by Eloisa James, so I don't know whether it's representative of her work.

I bought it randomly at a used book store because I'd heard good things about James's writing and the premise appealed to me: The heroine was married to the hero by proxy as a child, but it's been years and they haven't met. She has been waiting patiently for him, but when they m...more

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Oct 12, 2011 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

The Duchess of Cosway yearns for a man she has never met . . . her husband.
Married by proxy as a child, Lady Isidore has spent years fending off lecherous men in every European court while waiting to meet her husband. She's determined to accept him, no matter how unattractive the duke turns out to be. When she finally lures Simeon Jermyn back to London, his dark handsomeness puts Isidore's worst fears to rest—until disaster strikes.
The duke demands an annulment.
Forsaking his adventuresome pas...more The Duchess of Cosway yearns for a man she has never met . . . her husband.
Married by proxy as a child, Lady Isidore has spent years fending off lecherous men in every European court while waiting to meet her husband. She's determined to accept him, no matter how unattractive the duke turns out to be. When she finally lures Simeon Jermyn back to London, his dark handsomeness puts Isidore's worst fears to rest—until disaster strikes.
The duke demands an annulment.
Forsaking his adventuresome past, Simeon has returned to London ready to embrace the life of a proper duke, only to find that his supposed wife is too ravishing, too headstrong, and too sensual to be the docile duchess he has in mind. But Isidore will not give up her claim to the title—or him—without a fight.
She will do whatever it takes to capture Simeon's heart, even if it means sacrificing her virtue. After all, a consummated marriage cannot be annulled.
Yet in forcing Simeon into a delicious surrender, will Isidore risk not only her dignity—but her heart?

I love historical romance novels. This book is was not a disappointment and I enjoyed it very much. I loved the heroine (Isidore) she is very self-efficient and witty. She has a very passionate and determined nature which you don’t see very much in historical romance novels. Now Simeon on the other hand wasn’t your average male hero that you would find in a romance story at all. I loved him from the beginning even though he did have his hang ups. He was a gentlemen even if he didn’t know what he really wanted in a wife and to top it all off he was a virgin. This was so neat to me because your average male character is usually a sex GOD in these romance novels with beautiful virginal maidens. Given this aspect of the story, the sex scenes were realistic but just as enjoyable. The two characters are exact opposites but sparks fly between them the moment they first meet. Over all I would recommend this book as a fun light read. (less)

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Jul 28, 2011 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, reviewed

A friend of mine once commented that James has an uncanny ability to make her supporting cast more interesting than the leads in her novels. I find this hard to dispute, especially given that Isidore was such an intriguing character in the previous novel but manages to fall flat in this one. Interestingly enough, however, this still isn't the primary problem with this novel, which is twofold in nature. First, much of the first few chapters of this novel hinge heavily on having read 'Duchess by N...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Ummu Auni rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2013, e-book, historical-romance

Despite the lower rating compared to Duchess By Night, I found myself enjoying reading this book.

Isidore had been married by proxy at the age of 12, and her husband, the duke, at the age of 18. For such at tender age, the marriage was never consummated and the duke never returns home. He went adventuring somewhere in the Sahara dessert, or at Nile river. Isidore got tired of waiting and coveted for her husband to return to her, went to Lord Strange's scandalous home in ensuring that the duke ret...more

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Nov 23, 2012 Mademoiselle Charlotte rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books_that_my_library_has, books_with_awesome_plots_mild_chara, chick_lit_mild

Awesome book< that brings a massive goofy smile to my face for I-don't-know-what reason:D

Isidore is beautiful,23-year-old,probably-a-little-less-wealthier-than the-queen-herself duchess,who has waited for her husband to come home since she was 12 years-old.Think she's patient?Wait for it...

Simeon,the famous husband,has been spending time with lions and crocodiles in the wildest wilderness of Africa,and who knows where else since he was 18 years-old,meaning he had no encounters with women at a...more Awesome book< that brings a massive goofy smile to my face for I-don't-know-what reason:D

Isidore is beautiful,23-year-old,probably-a-little-less-wealthier-than the-queen-herself duchess,who has waited for her husband to come home since she was 12 years-old.Think she's patient?Wait for it...

Simeon,the famous husband,has been spending time with lions and crocodiles in the wildest wilderness of Africa,and who knows where else since he was 18 years-old,meaning he had no encounters with women at all.

We never really meet the famous "mentor" that taught Simeon some ridiculously ridiculous stuff,but,blimey,I disliked him more than I did Simeon's mother,and she,believe me,was very easy to be disliked.

Even though I would have NEVER picked it and read it if I knew what it was about,something about this book was really engaging and entertaining and a little addictive(I read it in one read.It was simply impossible to be left for later).

I laughed a lot,especially with Simeon's weirdly bold comments(his virginity just added some really,really sweet and caring "spice" to his bold,open,a bit rough character:a purely awesome character who's just dying to jump out of the book into my possession;}.) and Isidore's quirky and rather witty humour(one of the best female characters that manage to break your heart with their thoughts and make you smile your biggest,goofiest smile because of their actions).

Simeon's younger brother was one adorable fella too(especially after he started showing some effects from wine his older brother poured him,glass after glass.Male pride,you call it?I call it male-immaturity 8-]).All of the characters in the book are easy to connect too.For example,we never meet Simeon's dad or Isidore's mother,but from the small details,it's very,very,very easy to decide who you like and who you dislike.

So,as I was saying,the book was really enjoyable,entertaining and really just cute.Up to the,hm,"bedroom scenes"?From there,I just flipped the pages until I reached the end.It was cheesy and just simply way over the top for me.And what on earth happened to the end??(view spoiler) But it was still nice,enjoyable read and I'll definitely be looking for her other books!!

xoxo(less)

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Mar 16, 2012 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ah, Eloisa James. What can you say? She knows her history. This book, " When the Duke Returns" is a part of the Duchess series. ( can be read out of order). This is a light historical romance set in the late 1700's, regency England. Lady Isidore was married by proxy as a child. Her "husband" Simeon never came to claim her on her 16th birthday. She is now 23 and the Duke has finally shown up. However, he has been changed by his "middle way" life in Africa. He attempts to control his feelings, ang...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Destiny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1700s, england, historical-romance, virgin-hero

This is my...third Eloisa James book I think? Although this book is the fourth in her Desperate Duchesses series.

In the previous book, Isidore makes her first appearance (Or so I recall) along with her duke Cosway. That little part in the book set me up for these two.

What I enjoyed about this book is how Ms. James tackled the imbalance in relationships. Simeon wanted a docile and submissive wife and of course Isidore is clearly not that. No, she's aggressive and quick to make decisions.

One thing...more

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May 27, 2012 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was my very first Eloisa James romance. Ok, I've read a short story by her, and her tag-team novel A Lady Most Likely, but those don't really count.

Let me start by saying, I never, never start a series in the middle. But, I did this time. Why? Usually with romances it doesn't matter all that much. And, I had this book and the one that comes after it on my shelf, but not the first in the series. Well, it was a mistake. This is one of the only series that seems to draw heavily on the precedin...more

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Oct 02, 2011 Kimberly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance

This novel followed Dutchess By Night, it is the story of Harriet's friend Isidore, who went to Strange's house to get the attention of her husband by proxy, who'd been gone for 10 years and never consummated the marriage. So he returns and the twist is HE is a virgin too. From his travels he has developed a lot of concepts about women, marriage life and what he imagines Isidore to be like. She isn't what he expects and his controlled life is turned upside down by her passion and his family prob...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Deirdre rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Isidore has waited for her husband to return from his travels and to claim her for himself. They were married by proxy when she was 12 and now she wants a husband, and if she has to divorce him to get one she's willing to do just that

The Duke of Cosway is different, his life abroad has taught him a lot, however it's taught him nothing about women, by his choice. Now he doesn't fit in the world of English nobility. He also finds that while his father was rich, he's left a lot of debts and a lot o...more

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Jun 29, 2012 Crystie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I like this author and I am, for the most part, enjoying this series. However, I feel pretty tired of Jemma and Elijah. They have their own book coming up and I wish they would just stick to their own book instead of popping up in every other book of the series. Their marriage is tiresome and I'd rather read more about the characters each book is supposed to be about.

I liked Isadore and Simeon. I was irritated when their story was interrupted for more from the Beaumonts. Just have your heir and...more

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Jul 23, 2009 Ana T. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2009, e-book

Although I have already reviewed This Duchess of Mine I did read this one first and so in the correct order. Isidore has been a secondary character in the previous books but besides being very beautiful there isn't anything else to make her stand out and I must confess I had no great expectations for this book. The most original thing seemed to be the fact that the hero was a virgin at 30 which, while original if we consider the amount of romances published, sometimes works and other times doesn...more Although I have already reviewed This Duchess of Mine I did read this one first and so in the correct order. Isidore has been a secondary character in the previous books but besides being very beautiful there isn't anything else to make her stand out and I must confess I had no great expectations for this book. The most original thing seemed to be the fact that the hero was a virgin at 30 which, while original if we consider the amount of romances published, sometimes works and other times doesn't.

I must say in this case it didn't, at least for me. Isidore's husband, the Duke of Cosway, returns from his travels, only because Isidore travelled to the house of a well known debaucher, after many years of being married by proxy and decides to take his wife home. He needs to put his affairs in order because the estate has fallen into disrepair due to the mismanagement of, first his late father and then his mother. He also wants to put his marriage in order and starts by telling Isidore he wants to have a marriage ceremony. I didn't quite understand the why of this, they were effectively married and it didn't seem to me that there was a valid reason for another ceremony except perhaps to delay the intimacy between them. Which leads to the problem of him being a virgin, I never understood why he was one either, there didn't seem to be a particular motive and I found it odd that an almost 30 year old man had never felt the urge to at least experiment, especially as he seemed to have had access to beautiful women in his travels. The explanation he gave was that after a tumultuous childhood he wanted to be in control of all of his emotions, while I can understand that and in part accept it I think it was taken too far, especially as we didn't have much information on the man who helped and tutored Cosway into becoming what he is.

The conflict between him and Isidore starts because he wants a quiet, biddable wife, so he can be in control, and it is clear that she is everything except that. He starts speaking of wanting an annulment and so there's one more reason to delay their intimacy. But Isidore is quite determined and in the end she manages to conquer her husband and convince him that what he really wants is being married to her.
A big part of the story is also dedicated to the Duke and Duchess of Beaumont. So much in fact that I started wondering what they would be doing in their book as it seemed most of their problems had already been addressed in this book. Not to mention that that might also have contributed to weaken Cosway and Isidore's story...

I really hope Villiers story fulfills my expectations...

Grade: 3.5/5
(less)

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Jun 12, 2009 Felicia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, romance

Well...I think my cravings in this genre are satisfied. I was a little yawnsville because I read 3 of them in a row. Don't get me wrong, enjoyable, but not challenging. This is a series I might pick up sporadically when I'm bored because the world is interesting enough fluffy-guilty pleasure.

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Sep 09, 2010 Kit★ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, georgian-era, historical, series

I liked this story, mostly on the strength of the characters. They all had a sense of place. I also like the time period, and the author did a good job showing it. I picked this book up because I had read the first novel in the series Desperate Duchesses back when it first came out. I missed number 2 and 3 though, but even so, this novel stood on its own rather well. I was already acquainted with Jemma, Elijah, and Villiers, so it was good to see them again, though I caught myself wanting to rea...more

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Sep 11, 2010 Kerste rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: straight-laced Historical Romance fans

Recommended to Kerste by: Katherine

Shelves: challenge-books, at-the-library, historical-fiction

I used to read (and enjoy) a lot of historical romance, but I think it may be entirely possible (considering how prolific this author is) that I have read too much urban fantasy and paranormal romance because overall, this story seems like it should have been interesting, however, I just could not get into it. I read it to the "bitter" end, which of course was a very simplistic HEA, but it was not my cup of tea. I didn't really like any of the characters. I thought they were all silly, their POV...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Melodie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, good-read, part-of-series

I really enjoyed this novel. This is the second of the Desperate Duchesses series that I've read and I am really getting into it. I love all the characters--especially Jemma and Elijah. I've been looking forward to reading Isidore's story when I met her in An Affair Before Christmas and was intrigued about her story.

I have to say that I adore Simeon because he is just so different from the other English gentlemen. I think that Isidore with her fierce nature is a great fit for his controlled dem...more

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Jul 16, 2011 Stacy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book would have better if there hadn't been so many chapters devoted to the next book in the series (Desperate Duchesses - This Duchess of Mine). 10 of the 42 chapters are dedicated to being a "teaser" for the next book.

The heroine in this book is as near to perfect as I have ever found in a romance. She is a wonderful blend of strength and fragility, neither too brittle or too docile. The hero seems odd, cold and unemotional. This is not true, he just more complex than many other heroes w...more

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When the Duke Returns (Desperate Duchesses #4)

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