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The Duke of Dark Desires

(The Wild Quartet #4)

3.59  ·  Rating details ·  865 ratings  ·  184 reviews
Wanted: Governess able to keep all hours . . .
Rebellious Julian Fortescue never expected to inherit a dukedom, nor to find himself guardian to three young half-sisters. Now in the market for a governess, he lays eyes on Jane Grey and knows immediately she is qualified—to become his mistress. Yet the alluring woman appears impervious to him. Somehow Julian must find a way
...more
Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages
Published December 30th 2014 by Avon
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Average rating 3.59  · 
Rating details
 ·  865 ratings  ·  184 reviews


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Caz
Jul 24, 2014 rated it it was amazing
I've given this an A- at AAR, so 4.5 stars.

Miranda Neville’s books have been a bit hit and miss for me in the past. I wasn’t too keen on the first book in this series (The Importance of Being Wicked), although I loved the prequel novella (The Second Seduction of a Lady) and while it had its weaknesses, I enjoyed her last book (Lady Windermere's Lover). But The Duke of Dark Desires hands down worked for me and then some. It doesn’t hurt that the story pushes some of my favourite buttons; bad boys
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Bj
May 27, 2015 rated it it was amazing
*I gave this audiobook an A- for the story and B for the narration at AudioGals*

The Duke of Dark Desires proved to be a delightful mix of a historical romance (poised among the backdrop and life-changing consequences of the French Revolution) and an intriguing romantic suspense title. Do not be fooled by blurb though, there is so much more to this addicting romance than just the duke and the nanny seduction story that is immediately apparent from the book’s description. Moreover, Shaun Grindell’
...more
Lily (Night Owl Book Cafe)
Oh I love a good Governess story. This might actually be only my second one that I have read in my lifetime and I am oh so glad that I did.

Jane Grey is really Lady Jeanne de Falleron, a woman who is out for revenge after witnessing the fall and death of her family, including her little sisters. She finds herself at Fortescue home posing as a governess because she remembers that it was a member of that family that has betrayed her family and sent them to their deaths.

Julian inherited dukedom beca
...more
kris
Apr 16, 2022 rated it it was ok
Julian Fortescue, Duke of Denford, hires "Jane Grey" (actually Lady Jeanne de Falleron) as governess for his sisters. She's super sexy and mysterious and awakens his boners. Jane, meanwhile, is on a mission for revenge? But she def has time to get jiggy with the hot emo duke, so: benefits?? They end up falling into FEELINGS between all the historical angst.

1. Too much angst, ugh. I kind of knew what I was getting into because this is a revenge story, but still: Jane/Jeanne's tragic history and
...more
Crystal Cook
Sep 29, 2021 rated it liked it
Shelves: read-in-2021
This had such a great concept but it felt like it was trying to do too much and underdelivered on both the plot and the romance.
Alyssa
Nov 09, 2014 rated it really liked it
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

The Duke of Dark Desires by Miranda Neville
Book Four of The Wild Quartet series
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: December 30, 2014
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from Edelweiss

***Warning: this is an adult book, and for the eyes of mature readers***

Summary (from Goodreads):

Wanted: Governess able to keep all hours . . .

Rebellious Julian Fortescue never expected to inherit a dukedom, nor to find himself guardian to three young half-sisters. Now in the mark
...more
Annie ⚜️
Jul 09, 2020 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
It was different to finally read about a non-virginal heroine with a dark past.
Haselbrox
Jan 03, 2015 rated it it was ok
This is my first full length Neville (reading out of order) - I finished novella The Second Seduction of a Lady last night, and it was ok - although there was A Big Misunderstanding that kept the MCs apart for 5 years, not my favorite trope. I was really excited to start The Duke. The description sounded like something I could really sink my teeth into - a wronged lady seeks vengeance for her dead family! Should have been awesome - I was hoping for a Shana Galen or Joanna Bourne type story, but ...more
Zoe
Jun 02, 2015 rated it it was ok
Shelves: no-can-do
I think this particular plotline is just not my cup of tea. a governess who was hired on the spot because the hero has decided to sleep with her from the moment he sets eyes on her. out of nowhere the author flings 2 ex- lovers from the heroine, to give her more depth as a character. but I was just unprepared for it. and how is the hero thinking something like: "she is definitely not a virgin" romantic? I mean, is that supposed to be hot???
I stopped at 40% and have no intention of going back to
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October
Jun 22, 2017 rated it liked it
Recommended to October by: Jo
The summary makes the book sound a lot more interesting than it actually is. If the plot had a tighter pacing and the characters were more adventurous, it could've been a 4 star read.

*Minor spoilers ahead.*

The heroine is the only surviving member of her family, her parents and sisters were cruelly guillotined during the French revolution. She believes one of the hero's relatives is responsible for her family's deaths and poses as an English governess for the hero's family to investigate the cul
...more
Angelc
Aug 24, 2014 rated it it was amazing
4.5 Stars

This was a very enjoyable historical romance. The plot and time period were just different enough to stand out from the pack of historical romances. A lot of times with romances, I find the 'mystery' plots so forced and over the top. However, in this book, I genuinely cared about just who was truly responsible for what happened to Jane's family, something that Julian had always blamed himself for. I also was on pins and needles waiting for the moment that Jane and Julian would discover
...more
Manda Collins
Apr 12, 2014 rated it it was amazing
Satisfying end to The Wild Quartet, with equal parts humor, drama and poignancy. It's one of those books where the romance just feels inevitable. Only Jane could have managed to bring the wicked, worldly Julian to his knees and only he could lift Jane from the darkness that had followed her since the nightmare of the Revolution. I especially enjoyed the comic relief Julian's sisters brought to the story and how despite the way they paralleled Jane's own sisters they were dull characters in and o ...more
Keri
Apr 12, 2014 rated it really liked it
3.75 Stars. It took me awhile to warm to Julian and Jane for some reason. Once the story caught me though, it was a really good read.
Maya Rodale
Duke + Governess + Dark Secrets From The Past = Win.
Esme Brett
Apr 15, 2018 rated it did not like it
The most important part of this book is that rebellious duke Julian Fortescue hates his Mum.

I figure this is the most important part because Miranda makes this point about 1,000 times in the first two chapters.

His Ma is shallow and mercenary, sure, but I ain’t got no patience for men who hate their mothers. Julian, she pushed your fat head out of her lady parts, for Christ’s sake. Get over yourself.

As soon as the female and male protagonists meet we have a problem.

I really, really detest the
...more
Ilze
Feb 20, 2015 rated it it was ok
Shelves: miranda-neville
The storyline was quite interesting and had lots of potential, but the story didn't grab me emotionally for some reason. Maybe because the hero Julian left a negative impression on me right from the start - the only reason he hires the heroine as the governess for his half-sisters is to make her his mistress. (He has no real interest in his sisters at first, because his mother basically dumped them at his house so she could go off to America with her latest husband.) And the heroine initially is ...more
LibraryDanielle
Jul 02, 2015 rated it it was ok
Shelves: 2015
blah blah blah. he wants to bone her she wants to kill him.
Kate Crowe
Mar 19, 2017 rated it it was ok
It was okay. Duke, governess, mystery. All good in theory, but *meh* in practice.

The author told us how they felt instead of showing it, and as a result I didn't feel it.
...more
Johanna
Sep 27, 2017 rated it liked it
This book has some definite pluses including a heroine that is not a virginal ingenue. But the plot kind of fizzled 2/3 way through.
Jessica Adams
May 11, 2019 rated it liked it
Had no idea that I read this so out of order , but I started with the last. Oops. Didn’t seem to matter. Only met the previous characters non the epilogue. This book had a good plot and the characters were fine. I feel like I should have liked it more, I can’t pinpoint anything negative , just didn’t love it. Not sure I’ll start over for the series either.
BJ
Jul 03, 2021 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Interesting story about the h who lost her family to the the French terror, now trying to fight for the last of her family's possessions. The H is angsty and a push over for women. His mother and sisters manipulate him and he's hopelessly enamoured with the h. It's a good plot, the characters are a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. I did skip a lot of pages as it veered into Telling, so only just 4 stars. ...more
Tabetha Waite
Apr 27, 2019 rated it liked it
This book started off and ended strong, but I felt it sagged a bit in the middle. Jane/Jeanne wants revenge on the person responsible for the betrayal and ultimate death of her family. In the interim, she falls for her employer under the guise of a governess. The ending heats up as foes are revealed and emotions run high.
Late To Romance
Mar 03, 2017 rated it really liked it
Shelves: 2017
I was pretty bowled over by this book- I picked up a copy for $1 at my local Op Shop. I thought given the cover that I was going to get a frothy, sexy romp (and nothing wrong with that!) but instead I found myself reading a very engaging, heart-rending emotional journey of 2 people whose lives have been overshadowed by tragedy.
Set in the aftermath of one of the French Revolutions. The hero Julian had promised to arrange the safe passage of heroine Jeanne and her family. However someone betrayed
...more
Melody  May (What I'm Reading)
Posted on What I'm Reading

Let me express how much I loved The Duke of Dark Desires. What a fantastic story about one woman's pursuit for vengeance and a man living by his own rules. Oh my goodness, I didn't know what to expected when I started to read this book, other than "Yes, Julian's story." Seriously, an incredible journey. Okay, I better get on with the rest of my thoughts and why I thought this was fantastic.

LOVE Julian! He's a marvelous character. I mean he paints himself as this dark,
...more
Farrah
Aug 12, 2014 rated it liked it
Started off slow, but turned out to be a lovely read, The Duke of Dark Desires was a great historical romance. Though it didn't engage me fully at first, it gained momentum as it went along and I ended up quite liking it.

Jane was a determined heroine, to say the least. After someone betrayed her family and sent them to the guillotine, she was determined to have her revenge. Even if it meant years of tracking down the mysterious Mr. Fortescue. I liked her. I appreciated that she wasn't prone to o
...more
Isha Coleman
Feb 14, 2017 rated it really liked it
Jane is a woman of many secrets. Haunted by tragedy, she needs answers. Will the clues she follows lead her to yet another heartbreak? Julian is in over his head. This Duke is drowning in responsibility and lusting after the help does not a good Duke make. Can he rise above his past, to build a better future? Or is he doomed to repeat the sins all over again? Duke of Dark Desires, should be called: Maze of Curve balls. Ms. Neville is a master manipulator with some secrets of her own. Not only do ...more
Nicole
Apr 20, 2015 rated it liked it
I had a couple of problems with this book.

The first is the tone. The heroine has had something really, really horrible and dark happen to her in the past that drives her throughout the book. But sometimes this dark thing is an all-consuming force driving her, and other times Jane just seems to forget about it. It gave me whiplash.

The second issue is that it is, in essence, a workplace romance. Jane, the heroine, is the employee and has very little power. The duke who has hired her has all the po
...more
Gail
Good read. The hero is a new duke with a dark secret. The heroine is the last surviving member of her aristocratic French family and is determined to get revenge on the man who betrayed her family and got them all guillotined. The dark secret is revealed to the reader early on, except that the entire truth doesn't come out. It's a lovely romance, a nicely handled mystery and a lovely story. I liked it a lot. ...more
Donna
Dec 02, 2014 rated it it was amazing
Miranda Neville saved the best for last. I have enjoyed this entire series and Julian has always been my favorite character. I wanted his story to answer all of the questions about him from the earlier books. It did and more! I couldn't put this book down. I do not write plot spoilers but I believe you will enjoy this book very much. ...more
Shiv
Jan 21, 2015 rated it did not like it
Oh dearie me, this was dire. Info dump exposition, no characterisation. Over the top plot, and both characters too stupid to plot their way out of a wet paper bag.

And the grasp of the historical period was very very poor.
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Sinopsis en Español // Synopsis in Spanish 1 2 Mar 02, 2015 10:08AM  

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507 followers
Miranda Neville grew up in England, loving the books of Georgette Heyer and other Regency romances. She lived in Vermont with her daughter and an immensely talented cat, who made a book trailer for her novel, The Importance of Being Wicked. Her historical romances published by Avon include the popular Burgundy Club series, about Regency book collectors, and The Wild Quartet.

Other books in the series

The Wild Quartet (4 books)
  • The Importance of Being Wicked (The Wild Quartet, #1)
  • The Ruin of a Rogue (The Wild Quartet, #2)
  • Lady Windermere's Lover (The Wild Quartet, #3)

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