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Desperate Duchesses #4
When the Duke Returns
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?
384 pages, Hardcover
First published November 25, 2008
392 people are currently reading
3595 people want to read
About the author
Eloisa James
123 books9,510 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 619 reviews
November 12, 2011
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 meet, they're not what the other expects.
It turns out this is part of a series, which means that a minor character's romance acts a subplot that's almost entirely unrelated to the main story, and which is unresolved at the end of the book. This was jarring for me, but the minor character is a good female friend of the heroine, which I liked, and I think that if I were reading the whole series in order the subplot would be much more enjoyable.
James writes romance very well, and after the first couple of chapters I found it difficult to put the book down (except when the subplot showed up). The hero and heroine are complex personalities whose characters both develop in the course of the story, and they face some quite original situations that were fun to read about. My favorite of these was an exploration of what can go wrong when eighteenth-century innovative indoor plumbing isn't properly maintained! It takes guts to write extensively about shit in the middle of a romance novel and James totally pulls it off.
The book also contains what is possibly my new favorite first-time sex scene ever. It's believable, sweet, and funny. It's the first time for the hero as well as for the heroine, which I love because that's so rare in romance novels. And it contains the following exchange:
The worst part, I think, is the hero's backstory. The reason the hero is absent for years is that he's busy exploring parts of Africa and India. I don't know of a single romance novel (in fact: I don't know of a single novel written by a white person, period, although this is probably due to selection bias) in which this is handled from an intelligent anti-colonial point of view, so this was bad from the start. Indeed, it's worse than Loretta Chase. She at least seems to research pretty thoroughly, although I think a lot of it is within primary sources by European adventurers. In the historical note at the end, James says that she based the hero on a Scottish explorer who published a book called Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile (she in fact says he discovered the source of the Blue Nile, which would be a red flag if it weren't at the very end of the book). However, she also "made up many of my duke's experiences" (while fabricating her hero's exciting meeting with a real, historical Ethiopian political leader).
One major part of the hero's character arc is discovering the limitations of the approach to life he developed partly in response to his parents' chaotic, unpleasant way of living and partly through exposure to (of course) "Eastern" religion. James has the hero refer to this as the "Middle Way" and says he learned it from a "great teacher" in India, Valamksepa (not a historical figure), about whom we're told very little except that he lives in a tent by the Ganges. According to the hero, the Middle Way consists of always being in control of oneself and not succumbing to anger, fear, or lust. This is a problem for the hero because in the heroine, for the first time, he's met a woman who inspires passionate emotions in him. The way that the hero's character develops in response to his relationship with the heroine, therefore, is to reject [his conception of] the Middle Way as inadequate: On the final page of the story, he reflects that the problem with his former approach was "No life. Real life. In other words, no love."
I know almost nothing about Buddhism and even I could tell that this was a stupid, insulting mischaracterization. How cruel for an author to use a religion she clearly has no part in, to present it falsely and then throw it away, merely as a prop to illustrate how the hero realizes he really does want to have sex with the heroine!
In her historical note, James writes:
2. James really thought that a Rudyard Kipling novel was a good source of information on Buddhism? REALLY? (Did she even realize that the Middle Way is actually a part of Buddhism and not just some pretend spiritual-sounding thing?)
3. Flotsam and jetsam? Bowdlerized? (I do not think that word means what she thinks it means. In fact I have no idea what she thinks it means.) What isn't based in reality, the teachings, or her representation of them? If this is a disclaimer, it might actually be the rudest disclaimer I have ever seen!
On top of this we find out that part of the conflict between the hero and heroine--the fact that the hero thinks that the best marriages are the ones in which the husband is in charge--is something that he learned in "the East!" Because what this book really needed was a casual reminder that (even to an English lord in 1784!!) "Eastern" women are especially submissive. (Mary Wollstonecraft begs to differ.) Oh, and also, the reason the hero is still a virgin is only partly due to his respect for his wife--it's also because "a man has only to be in the East for a day before he becomes aware of just what a syphilitic face looks like without a nose."
You know, there were some other things that bothered me about this book, like the way that the Thames-dredgers from London (who were brought in to clean out the sewer!) were portrayed, and how the hero's mother, whose age- and mental health-related issues had potential for interesting characterization, was shuffled offstage too quickly. But you know what, I don't need to write about them. These are symptomatic of problems I've noticed in many romance novels. Many romance novels have problems with Orientalism, too, but that seems to be this book's specialty, and so I'll let that be the note this review ends on.
In short: If I ever find another Eloisa James novel (and I'm not going to be looking very hard), I'm going to screen it for setting beforehand. The actual romance part of it was outstanding, but reading the book was like looking for a diamond in a privy.
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 meet, they're not what the other expects.
It turns out this is part of a series, which means that a minor character's romance acts a subplot that's almost entirely unrelated to the main story, and which is unresolved at the end of the book. This was jarring for me, but the minor character is a good female friend of the heroine, which I liked, and I think that if I were reading the whole series in order the subplot would be much more enjoyable.
James writes romance very well, and after the first couple of chapters I found it difficult to put the book down (except when the subplot showed up). The hero and heroine are complex personalities whose characters both develop in the course of the story, and they face some quite original situations that were fun to read about. My favorite of these was an exploration of what can go wrong when eighteenth-century innovative indoor plumbing isn't properly maintained! It takes guts to write extensively about shit in the middle of a romance novel and James totally pulls it off.
The book also contains what is possibly my new favorite first-time sex scene ever. It's believable, sweet, and funny. It's the first time for the hero as well as for the heroine, which I love because that's so rare in romance novels. And it contains the following exchange:
"One of the things that's odd is that we were so intimate," Simeon said, realizing he really meant it. "We joined our bodies together, and yet I don't truly understand your body."But I found as many things to hate about this novel as I did to love, which I had to skim over and pretend I hadn't seen in order to keep reading.
"How could you understand it?"
"Well," he said, reaching out delicately, "how does it feel to have breasts?"
She started laughing.
The worst part, I think, is the hero's backstory. The reason the hero is absent for years is that he's busy exploring parts of Africa and India. I don't know of a single romance novel (in fact: I don't know of a single novel written by a white person, period, although this is probably due to selection bias) in which this is handled from an intelligent anti-colonial point of view, so this was bad from the start. Indeed, it's worse than Loretta Chase. She at least seems to research pretty thoroughly, although I think a lot of it is within primary sources by European adventurers. In the historical note at the end, James says that she based the hero on a Scottish explorer who published a book called Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile (she in fact says he discovered the source of the Blue Nile, which would be a red flag if it weren't at the very end of the book). However, she also "made up many of my duke's experiences" (while fabricating her hero's exciting meeting with a real, historical Ethiopian political leader).
One major part of the hero's character arc is discovering the limitations of the approach to life he developed partly in response to his parents' chaotic, unpleasant way of living and partly through exposure to (of course) "Eastern" religion. James has the hero refer to this as the "Middle Way" and says he learned it from a "great teacher" in India, Valamksepa (not a historical figure), about whom we're told very little except that he lives in a tent by the Ganges. According to the hero, the Middle Way consists of always being in control of oneself and not succumbing to anger, fear, or lust. This is a problem for the hero because in the heroine, for the first time, he's met a woman who inspires passionate emotions in him. The way that the hero's character develops in response to his relationship with the heroine, therefore, is to reject [his conception of] the Middle Way as inadequate: On the final page of the story, he reflects that the problem with his former approach was "No life. Real life. In other words, no love."
I know almost nothing about Buddhism and even I could tell that this was a stupid, insulting mischaracterization. How cruel for an author to use a religion she clearly has no part in, to present it falsely and then throw it away, merely as a prop to illustrate how the hero realizes he really does want to have sex with the heroine!
In her historical note, James writes:
I make no claim to historical versimilitude in Simeon's recollections of Valamksepa's teachings. The term "Middle Way" is drawn from Rudyard Kipling's novel Kim, in which the titular hero meets a Tibetan holy man who seeks freedom from the "Wheel of Things." [...] I drew Valamkempsa's wisdom from the flotsam and jetsam of bowdlerized Eastern teaching, and they have no basis in reality.1. Kim was published in 1901 and is set in the 1890s. When the Duke Returns is set in 1784.
2. James really thought that a Rudyard Kipling novel was a good source of information on Buddhism? REALLY? (Did she even realize that the Middle Way is actually a part of Buddhism and not just some pretend spiritual-sounding thing?)
3. Flotsam and jetsam? Bowdlerized? (I do not think that word means what she thinks it means. In fact I have no idea what she thinks it means.) What isn't based in reality, the teachings, or her representation of them? If this is a disclaimer, it might actually be the rudest disclaimer I have ever seen!
On top of this we find out that part of the conflict between the hero and heroine--the fact that the hero thinks that the best marriages are the ones in which the husband is in charge--is something that he learned in "the East!" Because what this book really needed was a casual reminder that (even to an English lord in 1784!!) "Eastern" women are especially submissive. (Mary Wollstonecraft begs to differ.) Oh, and also, the reason the hero is still a virgin is only partly due to his respect for his wife--it's also because "a man has only to be in the East for a day before he becomes aware of just what a syphilitic face looks like without a nose."
You know, there were some other things that bothered me about this book, like the way that the Thames-dredgers from London (who were brought in to clean out the sewer!) were portrayed, and how the hero's mother, whose age- and mental health-related issues had potential for interesting characterization, was shuffled offstage too quickly. But you know what, I don't need to write about them. These are symptomatic of problems I've noticed in many romance novels. Many romance novels have problems with Orientalism, too, but that seems to be this book's specialty, and so I'll let that be the note this review ends on.
In short: If I ever find another Eloisa James novel (and I'm not going to be looking very hard), I'm going to screen it for setting beforehand. The actual romance part of it was outstanding, but reading the book was like looking for a diamond in a privy.
April 16, 2023
2.75 Stars
February 24, 2022
✨I am delicious. I am expensive.✨
I mean at this point thank god I didn’t like that one Eloisa Rapunzel book bc I SWEAR I’m not biased and being like every Eloisa book is the greatest and deserves five stars for shits and giggles bc she’s Eloisa like no they’re actually SO GOOD (sans Rapunzel sorry babes) and it’s a lil cheeky bonus that they’re all by Eloisa. I really mesh with her humor and writing style and the SEX I love that she full sent back then (sad that era is over but at least we have these beauties).
Cosway definitely had a temper as soon as he met Isidore idk why she was like he doesn’t have a temper! He’s so mild! The man’s been a boiling pot of passion the entire book??? He’s been Darcy’s flexed hand for as long as we’ve known him.
Also this is exactly how to write two virgins having sex! It was HOT because they TALKED and the man had enough faculties to understand that she still needed to COME and I loved how he went about 🤌finessing🤌 a do-over. They took turns learning what pleasured the other and yup it was hot as shit. It was so much better than the horrible situation in Eloisa’s Rapunzel book that also includes two (unfortunate) virgins. I also loved their first kiss and second kiss the revelations they brought on🕺 I think it could’ve used one more scene all together.
Ballomal? (Idk how to spell it I listened to the audiobook) Hot girl shit. It’s like an uno reverse safe word so whenever they’re in public and he says the word she’s gotta drop everything now and meet her lord of the bedchamber in the pouring rain.
I loved when Villiers tricked Cosway that he was going after Isidore. Like yes that’s so hot sorry I’m very attracted to cavemen (thank you Brendan Fraser) and the whole possessive jealous she’s MINE men.
Also I loved the audiobook and the narrator and will be listening to every Eloisa audio from now on. I think I was able to enjoy the ride that this book was as an audiobook. I was never bored and had Great Fun listening to sex scenes at the grocery store. Milk. Eggs. Big horny virile virgin.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶🌶🌶.5/5
I mean at this point thank god I didn’t like that one Eloisa Rapunzel book bc I SWEAR I’m not biased and being like every Eloisa book is the greatest and deserves five stars for shits and giggles bc she’s Eloisa like no they’re actually SO GOOD (sans Rapunzel sorry babes) and it’s a lil cheeky bonus that they’re all by Eloisa. I really mesh with her humor and writing style and the SEX I love that she full sent back then (sad that era is over but at least we have these beauties).
Cosway definitely had a temper as soon as he met Isidore idk why she was like he doesn’t have a temper! He’s so mild! The man’s been a boiling pot of passion the entire book??? He’s been Darcy’s flexed hand for as long as we’ve known him.
Also this is exactly how to write two virgins having sex! It was HOT because they TALKED and the man had enough faculties to understand that she still needed to COME and I loved how he went about 🤌finessing🤌 a do-over. They took turns learning what pleasured the other and yup it was hot as shit. It was so much better than the horrible situation in Eloisa’s Rapunzel book that also includes two (unfortunate) virgins. I also loved their first kiss and second kiss the revelations they brought on🕺 I think it could’ve used one more scene all together.
Ballomal? (Idk how to spell it I listened to the audiobook) Hot girl shit. It’s like an uno reverse safe word so whenever they’re in public and he says the word she’s gotta drop everything now and meet her lord of the bedchamber in the pouring rain.
I loved when Villiers tricked Cosway that he was going after Isidore. Like yes that’s so hot sorry I’m very attracted to cavemen (thank you Brendan Fraser) and the whole possessive jealous she’s MINE men.
Also I loved the audiobook and the narrator and will be listening to every Eloisa audio from now on. I think I was able to enjoy the ride that this book was as an audiobook. I was never bored and had Great Fun listening to sex scenes at the grocery store. Milk. Eggs. Big horny virile virgin.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶🌶🌶.5/5
September 22, 2023
Why are these grown-ass adults in the 18th century having a conversation two modern day 14 year olds would have?
Pizzle. I’m done.
Pizzle. I’m done.
January 27, 2009
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.
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.
May 24, 2010
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
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
August 25, 2022
Reread-8/25/2022- I decided to go up to 3⭐'s because I think it deserves it... and I liked that the H also remained a virgin... because I don't think this h could've tolerated it if he hadn't. But, I still didn't love it, and I skipped over the next mc's chapters.
***Original Review***
Book was ok, not what I was expecting. It definitely has a silly feel to it. Isidore has been waiting for years for her hubs (who she married via proxy) She's lonely and tired of being a virgin. Simeon has finally returned from a decade of traveling, and is super bummed that Isidore is not the meek little wifey he expected.
He's not the typical leading man, his personality was odd. He was very stuck to his ideals, stiff and pretty socially stunted. He had some "training" while traveling in Africa and India that has given him some pretty uptight ideas. She's outgoing, stubborn and quite feisty, but also a tiny bit annoying.
This is the first book I read, I guess it's a series, but I didn't see any of the previous characters mentioned in the book. It does have chapters dedicated to the characters that will be in books 5 and 6. I thought that was a bit confusing at times. I understand introducing them , but they had their own subplots that looks like it will overlap book 5.
I couldn't relate to the characters. I found it boring at times...there was waaayy too many pages dedicated to shit, water closets and odors. Bottom line, I didn't hate it, it just wasn't for me :)
***Original Review***
Book was ok, not what I was expecting. It definitely has a silly feel to it. Isidore has been waiting for years for her hubs (who she married via proxy) She's lonely and tired of being a virgin. Simeon has finally returned from a decade of traveling, and is super bummed that Isidore is not the meek little wifey he expected.
He's not the typical leading man, his personality was odd. He was very stuck to his ideals, stiff and pretty socially stunted. He had some "training" while traveling in Africa and India that has given him some pretty uptight ideas. She's outgoing, stubborn and quite feisty, but also a tiny bit annoying.
This is the first book I read, I guess it's a series, but I didn't see any of the previous characters mentioned in the book. It does have chapters dedicated to the characters that will be in books 5 and 6. I thought that was a bit confusing at times. I understand introducing them , but they had their own subplots that looks like it will overlap book 5.
I couldn't relate to the characters. I found it boring at times...there was waaayy too many pages dedicated to shit, water closets and odors. Bottom line, I didn't hate it, it just wasn't for me :)
November 26, 2022
This one was very very entertaining.
The heroine married the hero when she was a teenager and basically never saw him.
It’s ok because she has to grow up and then she thinks he’ll come back to her.
But she waits and waits and waits… and waits… until she thinks he won’t be coming back anymore.
So she decides to live a little bit and to let some rumors get around hoping her estranged hubby will return.
And so he does.
As soon as he hears that maybe she has a lover he’s back like a dog for a bone.
This hero is atypical and quite anachronistic for that time and age.
He’s not a manwhore who screw anything with a hole, just the opposite.
He’s basically an ascetic kind of man with a passion for wellness since he wakes up every day very early and goes running barefoot and without a shirt. Remember that it’s the 18th century. Gentlemen stayed up partying all night long and slept during the day so his behavior is very peculiar.
He’s also a virgin since he’s been following some oriental guru that believes in meditation and mortification of the flesh.
Cute isn’t it?
So the heroine, young yet mature for the picking as she is, tries to seduce him in order to have a normal marriage and maybe some children too.
Of course he eventually gives up his celibacy and all is well.
After there have been many fun adventures as the breaking of all the hydraulic system of their sewer system, an almost drowning and some very nice misunderstandings.
This is one of EJ old and good ones, where she could still write some very passionate stories with interesting MC and focus on the main couple.
I loved the heroine, feisty and passionate and the hero, a man who basically was afraid of responsibility coming with his rank (he’s a duke). She shamed him letting him know how during the years he was away meditating his ass away and basking in the sun, she, a young and lonely woman, managed his business to perfection and worked her ass out.
The man was cute though with his virginity and his vote of celibacy. Not everyday you find such a hero, and he was not so bad because it is understandable that he panicked and wasn’t so keen on becoming a duke, since he was a very serious and responsible man.
The book is clean and safe and that was good.
The heroine married the hero when she was a teenager and basically never saw him.
It’s ok because she has to grow up and then she thinks he’ll come back to her.
But she waits and waits and waits… and waits… until she thinks he won’t be coming back anymore.
So she decides to live a little bit and to let some rumors get around hoping her estranged hubby will return.
And so he does.
As soon as he hears that maybe she has a lover he’s back like a dog for a bone.
This hero is atypical and quite anachronistic for that time and age.
He’s not a manwhore who screw anything with a hole, just the opposite.
He’s basically an ascetic kind of man with a passion for wellness since he wakes up every day very early and goes running barefoot and without a shirt. Remember that it’s the 18th century. Gentlemen stayed up partying all night long and slept during the day so his behavior is very peculiar.
He’s also a virgin since he’s been following some oriental guru that believes in meditation and mortification of the flesh.
Cute isn’t it?
So the heroine, young yet mature for the picking as she is, tries to seduce him in order to have a normal marriage and maybe some children too.
Of course he eventually gives up his celibacy and all is well.
After there have been many fun adventures as the breaking of all the hydraulic system of their sewer system, an almost drowning and some very nice misunderstandings.
This is one of EJ old and good ones, where she could still write some very passionate stories with interesting MC and focus on the main couple.
I loved the heroine, feisty and passionate and the hero, a man who basically was afraid of responsibility coming with his rank (he’s a duke). She shamed him letting him know how during the years he was away meditating his ass away and basking in the sun, she, a young and lonely woman, managed his business to perfection and worked her ass out.
The man was cute though with his virginity and his vote of celibacy. Not everyday you find such a hero, and he was not so bad because it is understandable that he panicked and wasn’t so keen on becoming a duke, since he was a very serious and responsible man.
The book is clean and safe and that was good.
November 19, 2019
..
When the Duke Returns was the fourth book of the Desperate Duchesses series. It focuses on Lady Isidore, who had submitted to an arranged marriage, by proxy no less, at a very young age. This was definitely a unique look at the journey this exquisite and alluring woman experienced as she rejects the unwanted attention of all other men Instead, she spent all her time longing for her husband to be at her side. What can she do to ensure her husband's return?
This series is suitable for
*** MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY ***
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
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?
Lady Isadora, bathed in an exotic allure, garnered amorous attentions of an army of a gentleman while she patiently waited for her Duke to return from his travels abroad. Since they had married by proxy, she anticipated the consummation of their marriage with anticipation and trepidation. From my recollection, this is the only the second book that I have read from the historical era that addresses both parties being a virgin. However, they were demonstrated acute perception and learned quickly. This book portrayed the learning curve in a positive connotation, while the previous one I recall definitely fell more in a negative light.
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 a part of.
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.
---------------------------------------
When the Duke Returns
(Desperate Duchesses Book 4)
- Kindle Edition
by Eloisa James (Author)
Print Length: 386 pages
..
When the Duke Returns was the fourth book of the Desperate Duchesses series. It focuses on Lady Isidore, who had submitted to an arranged marriage, by proxy no less, at a very young age. This was definitely a unique look at the journey this exquisite and alluring woman experienced as she rejects the unwanted attention of all other men Instead, she spent all her time longing for her husband to be at her side. What can she do to ensure her husband's return?
This series is suitable for
*** MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY ***
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
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?
Lady Isadora, bathed in an exotic allure, garnered amorous attentions of an army of a gentleman while she patiently waited for her Duke to return from his travels abroad. Since they had married by proxy, she anticipated the consummation of their marriage with anticipation and trepidation. From my recollection, this is the only the second book that I have read from the historical era that addresses both parties being a virgin. However, they were demonstrated acute perception and learned quickly. This book portrayed the learning curve in a positive connotation, while the previous one I recall definitely fell more in a negative light.
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 a part of.
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.
---------------------------------------
When the Duke Returns
(Desperate Duchesses Book 4)
- Kindle Edition
by Eloisa James (Author)
Print Length: 386 pages
..
March 16, 2022
my second Eloisa James book, sadly it didn't work for me, I found the writing style more rigid than the hero dick 😬
the second romance in historicals is usually so cute and sweet but here it just made me lose interest in the entire story, but still, the book got dual virgins which made me so happy, love to read more about this trope in historicals.
I'm not giving up on you MS James, hopefully, the next book I pick will be as great as the first book I read by this author.
the second romance in historicals is usually so cute and sweet but here it just made me lose interest in the entire story, but still, the book got dual virgins which made me so happy, love to read more about this trope in historicals.
I'm not giving up on you MS James, hopefully, the next book I pick will be as great as the first book I read by this author.
January 17, 2011
This wasn't quite a 4 star read, but the ending of it was just fabulous, so I bumped it up.
I haven't read the rest in the series (I know, I know, bad Highland Hussy! Read in order!) so I'm hoping that would help as well.
I think that from the first page I just adored Isadore. She is beautiful, spunky, witty, and fun to read about.
I didn't like our Duke, though.
I liked him in the first few pages, but then as I got to know him, I began to dislike him. A lot. And not because he's a virgin at 30 (See, they married when she was 12 but the Duke was already traipsing about Africa/Middle East, so it was done by proxy-but my point is that he has stayed faithful to her, so that's actually a point in his favor). I don't like how he has all these weird tendencies. He runs-I like it. He used martial arts (kicking not just punching in a fight), I liked that. What I didn't like was all the "Middle Way" stuff. He kept saying he had to keep strict control over his body and his mind, and he couldn't allow himself to show his anger, lust, passion, emotions. It was annoying, rather than quirky.
Well, Isadore has been waiting for the duke to come and get her for over 8 yrs. I think they've been married for 11 yrs at this point. At one point she was asking Simeon if he'd ever even thought about her, and what his waiting had done to her...he shrugs and says no. Of course not, he just wanted as far away from his crazy overly rigid mother.
I really didn't like him until after they'd had sex. Which was by the way, hysterical. For Simeon it was earth-shattering, and for Isadore, it was meh. OMG I was cracking up during the part where Simeon realized she didn't want to do it again that night and that she wasn't nearly as overcome as he. THAT was true Eloisa James. Witty and well-written.
But I did like the plot, love Eloisa James' writing, loved the heroine, and I LOVED the ending.
There was a small subplot that I didn't quite "get" at first, and I'm wondering if it's been on-going throughout the whole series? But as there was no closure between Jemma and Elijah, it might not be til the next book.
Overall, a fun read, but I just couldn't get into the hero's character. The writing saved him...anyone else, and I'd have docked it a star, but EJ has such a way with words, that even not liking our "meh" hero, I still enjoyed the book.
I haven't read the rest in the series (I know, I know, bad Highland Hussy! Read in order!) so I'm hoping that would help as well.
I think that from the first page I just adored Isadore. She is beautiful, spunky, witty, and fun to read about.
I didn't like our Duke, though.
I liked him in the first few pages, but then as I got to know him, I began to dislike him. A lot. And not because he's a virgin at 30 (See, they married when she was 12 but the Duke was already traipsing about Africa/Middle East, so it was done by proxy-but my point is that he has stayed faithful to her, so that's actually a point in his favor). I don't like how he has all these weird tendencies. He runs-I like it. He used martial arts (kicking not just punching in a fight), I liked that. What I didn't like was all the "Middle Way" stuff. He kept saying he had to keep strict control over his body and his mind, and he couldn't allow himself to show his anger, lust, passion, emotions. It was annoying, rather than quirky.
Well, Isadore has been waiting for the duke to come and get her for over 8 yrs. I think they've been married for 11 yrs at this point. At one point she was asking Simeon if he'd ever even thought about her, and what his waiting had done to her...he shrugs and says no. Of course not, he just wanted as far away from his crazy overly rigid mother.
I really didn't like him until after they'd had sex. Which was by the way, hysterical. For Simeon it was earth-shattering, and for Isadore, it was meh. OMG I was cracking up during the part where Simeon realized she didn't want to do it again that night and that she wasn't nearly as overcome as he. THAT was true Eloisa James. Witty and well-written.
But I did like the plot, love Eloisa James' writing, loved the heroine, and I LOVED the ending.
There was a small subplot that I didn't quite "get" at first, and I'm wondering if it's been on-going throughout the whole series? But as there was no closure between Jemma and Elijah, it might not be til the next book.
Overall, a fun read, but I just couldn't get into the hero's character. The writing saved him...anyone else, and I'd have docked it a star, but EJ has such a way with words, that even not liking our "meh" hero, I still enjoyed the book.
August 12, 2017
Lady Isidore Del'Fino's husband-by-proxy returns to England from far away lands. Simeon, Duke of Cosway, decides that Isidore won't do as his wife because she dares think she's her own person with ideas and opinions like some kind of man or something. Also, his boners are uncomfortable because his bastardized """Eastern""" religion says that he should not succumb to lust. Except he totally does and they bone. The end.
1. I'm going to address the shit-covered elephant right away: I'm pretty sure that house needs to be CONDEMNED and BURNT TO THE GROUND.
Now—and I could be understanding this incorrectly, so please let me know if you have a different idea of things—it sounds as though there are multiple water closets in the house, connected by pipes with running water that feed to a central pit under the "main" closet on the ground floor. The pipes were made of wood and are rotten, meaning that...for ~5 years of people using the water closets, waste was just...piling up? In the house?
2. Now, the romance! MEH.
3. The handling of the Far and Middle Easts, as well as Africa! HUGELY PROBLEMATIC.
4. The horrifying misogyny! DISGUSTING.
5. Overall reaction! THROW IT IN A SEPTIC PIT!
1. I'm going to address the shit-covered elephant right away: I'm pretty sure that house needs to be CONDEMNED and BURNT TO THE GROUND.
Now—and I could be understanding this incorrectly, so please let me know if you have a different idea of things—it sounds as though there are multiple water closets in the house, connected by pipes with running water that feed to a central pit under the "main" closet on the ground floor. The pipes were made of wood and are rotten, meaning that...for ~5 years of people using the water closets, waste was just...piling up? In the house?
"[Honeydew] pointed to the ceiling. Simeon looked up and saw a dingy stain that stretched from one corner over approximately a third of the room. 'I'm afraid that when the water closet pipes leaked, they inundated the study, causing the rot of a number of books.'"THAT IS DISGUSTING. I don't even mean this in a "ewwww" way but in a "Your house is a hazard and will cause you many horrifying diseases if you continue to live there. GET OUT NOW." way. Like, I am not playing.
2. Now, the romance! MEH.
3. The handling of the Far and Middle Easts, as well as Africa! HUGELY PROBLEMATIC.
4. The horrifying misogyny! DISGUSTING.
5. Overall reaction! THROW IT IN A SEPTIC PIT!
March 26, 2019
From the start of this book I found that I liked it the best of all the books. Interesting plot and Isidore and her Duke, Simeon Jermyn, make for a very interesting couple. I loved his harridan of a mother and sympathized whole heartedly with Simeon's dismay after being gone so long, both with his mother, his estate and his bride, who turned out to be nothing at all like he imagined. Ongoing sub-plot about Jemma and Villiers and the chess match. Jemma's husband is having regrets about how he has treated her and that their problems may not get resolved, in this book at least.
Lady Isidore married Simeon Jermyn, the Duke of Cosway, by proxy when she was 12 years old and had just lost her parents. As a married person (can't really call her a lady or a woman at 12) she conducted herself with propriety as befitted her married state and waited, and waited, and waited for her Duke to return. She got tired of acting with propriety and decided to raise a little Hell to see if she could get the Duke's attention. Mission Accomplished. Now, all she wants to the be bedded and get pregnant, and be loved. Problem, big problem.
Having traveled the world and seen a lot of stuff, Simeon Jermyn had made his mind up about what kind of marriage and life he was going to have on his return to England. He had been lead to believe by his mother that his child bride was meek, mild and biddable. Just what Simeon wants, but defiantly not what he gets. His world philosophy had taught him a man must control his anger, lust and fear. Isidore is three for three in testing Simeon's control! His solution to this unexpected problem is to suggest they get an annulment. Not happening and Isidore is not going down without a fight and she fights dirty.
Lady Isidore married Simeon Jermyn, the Duke of Cosway, by proxy when she was 12 years old and had just lost her parents. As a married person (can't really call her a lady or a woman at 12) she conducted herself with propriety as befitted her married state and waited, and waited, and waited for her Duke to return. She got tired of acting with propriety and decided to raise a little Hell to see if she could get the Duke's attention. Mission Accomplished. Now, all she wants to the be bedded and get pregnant, and be loved. Problem, big problem.
Having traveled the world and seen a lot of stuff, Simeon Jermyn had made his mind up about what kind of marriage and life he was going to have on his return to England. He had been lead to believe by his mother that his child bride was meek, mild and biddable. Just what Simeon wants, but defiantly not what he gets. His world philosophy had taught him a man must control his anger, lust and fear. Isidore is three for three in testing Simeon's control! His solution to this unexpected problem is to suggest they get an annulment. Not happening and Isidore is not going down without a fight and she fights dirty.
June 15, 2022
Two virgins are married. I thought it was a great idea but it ended up being lots of talk about “embarrassing” inexperience of our hero who ended up being fantastic. Heroine was annoying but I could understand.
It was fine but nothing original.
It was fine but nothing original.
July 2, 2016
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, anger and lust. Isidore however is a passionate young lady who has had to run an estate alone after her parents death and without her husband. So, she's grown quite independent. The sparks fly of course. The second part of the story involved Isidore's good friend, Jemma and her husband, Elijah. (these two will be featured in the next book in line in this series.) Jemma advised Isidore when all hope seems lost.
The story is really light, no dark, heavy drama. There are laugh out loud moments involving awkward first time attempts at lovemaking. The sensuality is PG13/R. Very little violence.
The moral of the story for me is was that even though Simeon was calm and thought matters through, and Isidore made impulsive decisions, the still loved each other and would work through those differences. Everyone has insecurities and we must all be sensitive to those in our relationships with others.
The book in paperback format is 373 pages long.
There are some interesting historical facts in this novel as well, regarding " water closets". These gave our Duke a great deal of problems in this story. I had never heard of this attempt at indoor plumbing before reading this book.
Clearly, I love this book and intend to add more historical romances from this series to my list.
The story is really light, no dark, heavy drama. There are laugh out loud moments involving awkward first time attempts at lovemaking. The sensuality is PG13/R. Very little violence.
The moral of the story for me is was that even though Simeon was calm and thought matters through, and Isidore made impulsive decisions, the still loved each other and would work through those differences. Everyone has insecurities and we must all be sensitive to those in our relationships with others.
The book in paperback format is 373 pages long.
There are some interesting historical facts in this novel as well, regarding " water closets". These gave our Duke a great deal of problems in this story. I had never heard of this attempt at indoor plumbing before reading this book.
Clearly, I love this book and intend to add more historical romances from this series to my list.
February 17, 2020
It was ok. Hero was in most my kind of hero and even heroine was quite nice. That Eastern teachings thing was a bit stupid because she jumped from Africa to India like it was few hours ride, and like it was the same thing. In other words, adventureous side of the duke didn't impress me and I like adventureous characters (and I mean real adventures, not sexual ones). I still don't understand "no hair" insistence, and expected his hair to be frail too, then. Some of this little things were a bit too modern for me, the representation of male beauty (mostly that no hair thing) and that muscled form from running (you don't get muscled body from running, look at all the marathon runners). But still, I kind of liked the story, it was a bit different and finally both of them were virgins. Even the story about Jemma was nice.
January 7, 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 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.
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:)
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.
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:)
October 25, 2010
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 after all, lol!
I liked both characters very much. The whole water closet subplot was very amusing as well. I also really like Eloisa James' writing style - I hadn't read any of her books until A Kiss at Midnight, which I loved. As much as I liked this book I probably wouldn't re-read it (and that factors into how I rate them) unless I start the series at the beginning and need to re-read the parts about Jemma and her husband.
Jemma, Villiers and her husband - their storyline is my only real complaint about the book. I know it's a series, and I should have known better, but if you're standing in a book store it doesn't SAY it's a series. I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out what was going on with them. Hard to care about them when you're left with cryptic passages about affairs, lovers, weak hearts and asking your former best friend (until he let your dog die, WTF?!) to woo your wife. Huh?
That starts another lament of mine, called "why can't anyone write stand-alone romance novels anymore?".
3.5 stars
I liked both characters very much. The whole water closet subplot was very amusing as well. I also really like Eloisa James' writing style - I hadn't read any of her books until A Kiss at Midnight, which I loved. As much as I liked this book I probably wouldn't re-read it (and that factors into how I rate them) unless I start the series at the beginning and need to re-read the parts about Jemma and her husband.
Jemma, Villiers and her husband - their storyline is my only real complaint about the book. I know it's a series, and I should have known better, but if you're standing in a book store it doesn't SAY it's a series. I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out what was going on with them. Hard to care about them when you're left with cryptic passages about affairs, lovers, weak hearts and asking your former best friend (until he let your dog die, WTF?!) to woo your wife. Huh?
That starts another lament of mine, called "why can't anyone write stand-alone romance novels anymore?".
3.5 stars
June 13, 2009
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.
April 3, 2021
This is my 2nd read of the author and I am not sure how to express my feelings. I have started the book knowing that the couples were married on poxy when the heroine was just a child. I just could not understand the hero what was he thinking... He just literally spend his 10 years of life traveling. After that, Suddenly he feels he should return and completes his duty. But the hero seems to forget that he has a wife. He wants to divorce her and marry again reason he not a more suitable lady for him... I mean seriously, without spending time with her how he can judge her????
And the heroine was strong but I can't understand her reason for sticking to the marriage while the hero was not interested.
A lot of the things seem to confuse me but still, I have given it three stars. The reason is, both of them were celibate during their separate time and they were virgins also. It's quite unusual for historical romance.
And the heroine was strong but I can't understand her reason for sticking to the marriage while the hero was not interested.
A lot of the things seem to confuse me but still, I have given it three stars. The reason is, both of them were celibate during their separate time and they were virgins also. It's quite unusual for historical romance.
January 1, 2021
The thing is, I was more interested in the long term secondary romance (what can I say - I'm intrigued by Jemma and Elijah, and the world in general). And this is a reuniting spouses book, so my inability to really engage in the main couple is saying something.
I'm basically giving this two stars for the world, because the Eloisa James fuzziness/hand-waveyness in plot does not serve this one well. In so many ways.
I just, I can't with the Duke of Coway. Simeon comes back after ignoring both his child bride and his life for years, and expects to have it all his own way. While that may be historically accurate, it sure isn't accurate to the tone of the rest of this series, which makes this particularly tedious. Particularly as his Duckess has been running her own damn estate for years (not something he bothers to figure out on his own, obviously).
I mean, the thing is, Simeon basically says that he wants a docile wife who never speaks back, and Isidore doesn't fit the bill. At one point he even admits that he considered taking a bride who didn't speak English to help that along. It's one heck of a hurdle to overcome if you want me to invest in a relationship. Dude needs to acknowledge his wife's strengths at minimum. Unfortunately, given that starting point, the resolution of this thing is underhwelming to say the least. So basically, to deal with the fact that they both have brains, Simeon says there are situations where she needs to do what he says without question - e.g. when she's in phsyical danger, because he's better equipped to deal with those. I think I would have been okay with that, if there'd ever been any reciprocity. For example, given it's finally been drummed into his thick skull that she's been managing a massive and incredibly solvent estate for years, perhaps he would agree not to through a mental hissy fit any time she made a decision to a) help improve the running of the village on his incredibly disfunctional estate, b) fix the many issues around the furnishing/decoration/functioning of his house (which P.S. would have been entirely within her purview as his duchess in any reaosnable scenario), c) really any decision about his estate or dealing with his mother, given that the place is literally a shambles bcause his father never bothered to pay his bills, and he never bothered to come back to England and see what was going on.
And dude throws a mental hissy fit every time. She's buying new furniture, she's paying his debts in the village and buying extra goods to get people on-side, and he had no say in any of it. The horrors. While in her head, she's trying to become a partner in trying to fix things, and help him, something that is never acknowledged. Ever. The closest they come is him saying he can't live without her, so they'll have to fight about everything. Erm, no, sorry, not good enough. If there are scenarios where she should defer to you (and I'll agree there should be), there are scenarios where you should probably defer to your Duchess as well. I am just saying.
It would have been such an easy fix. She defers to him on scenarios of physical danger, he defers to her on areas of decoration/day to day estate running.
Unfortunately, there's a second area of hand-waveyness superimposed over this which doens't help. Simeone has spent years travelling "in the East," and picked up all sorts of things there. And just, le sigh. It's not done well. The vague aura of potential-Eastern-religion made me uncomfortable. It might have been salvageable by specifics, but because there are none it feels a bit generic, and problematic. I have no issue with some of the things (he wears trousers instead of breeches, and has no time for some of the impracticalities of English fashion), but any time things stray into a sort of quasi-religious area, it felt problematic. Mainly because it didn't really feel grounded in an actual religion. I will readily acknowledge world religions are not one of my areas of expertise - which is kind of my point. I'm not sure they're one of James' areas of expertise, and it felt a bit disrespectful, in how generic and hand-wavey it all is. Like look, he's special and different and exotic. I'm fine with all the stuff about prefering specific customs (e.g. exercise, clothing, etc.), but any time the teacher came up, things got weird.
Because for example, one thing dude seemed to have learned was the importance of remaining calm, and never giving in to one's passions, such as lust. Except that - and as I said, I'm no expert - is that really such an issue when the woman in question is your wife?
The annoying thing is that this also feels like another potentially easy fix. Just make the self-control thing personality based. Explicitly tie it to resulting from the father's unpredictability/irresponsibility/ whatever, and the general lack of sexual experience to the not wanting to catch any sort of illness. I just think this whole thing needed some details pinned down to make it work. There are some areas where hand-waviness doesn't serve the story.
Also, for some reason, this decided to have two sentimental epilogues, because one just wouldn't do?
I was much more intrigued by Jemma and Elijah. Really enjoying their relationship progressing in the background. Although, if this series goes against type in the next book and decides not to skew to the fairy tale happy ending in their case, I'm going to be annoyed.
I also really enjoy how Jemma has continued in her role as confidante and problem-solver. It's weirdly appropriate. Really entertained that her solution is to just throw Villiers at the problem and stir things up. It made me laugh. But as I said, problematic that I as more intrigued by the secondary characters.
I'm basically giving this two stars for the world, because the Eloisa James fuzziness/hand-waveyness in plot does not serve this one well. In so many ways.
I just, I can't with the Duke of Coway. Simeon comes back after ignoring both his child bride and his life for years, and expects to have it all his own way. While that may be historically accurate, it sure isn't accurate to the tone of the rest of this series, which makes this particularly tedious. Particularly as his Duckess has been running her own damn estate for years (not something he bothers to figure out on his own, obviously).
I mean, the thing is, Simeon basically says that he wants a docile wife who never speaks back, and Isidore doesn't fit the bill. At one point he even admits that he considered taking a bride who didn't speak English to help that along. It's one heck of a hurdle to overcome if you want me to invest in a relationship. Dude needs to acknowledge his wife's strengths at minimum. Unfortunately, given that starting point, the resolution of this thing is underhwelming to say the least. So basically, to deal with the fact that they both have brains, Simeon says there are situations where she needs to do what he says without question - e.g. when she's in phsyical danger, because he's better equipped to deal with those. I think I would have been okay with that, if there'd ever been any reciprocity. For example, given it's finally been drummed into his thick skull that she's been managing a massive and incredibly solvent estate for years, perhaps he would agree not to through a mental hissy fit any time she made a decision to a) help improve the running of the village on his incredibly disfunctional estate, b) fix the many issues around the furnishing/decoration/functioning of his house (which P.S. would have been entirely within her purview as his duchess in any reaosnable scenario), c) really any decision about his estate or dealing with his mother, given that the place is literally a shambles bcause his father never bothered to pay his bills, and he never bothered to come back to England and see what was going on.
And dude throws a mental hissy fit every time. She's buying new furniture, she's paying his debts in the village and buying extra goods to get people on-side, and he had no say in any of it. The horrors. While in her head, she's trying to become a partner in trying to fix things, and help him, something that is never acknowledged. Ever. The closest they come is him saying he can't live without her, so they'll have to fight about everything. Erm, no, sorry, not good enough. If there are scenarios where she should defer to you (and I'll agree there should be), there are scenarios where you should probably defer to your Duchess as well. I am just saying.
It would have been such an easy fix. She defers to him on scenarios of physical danger, he defers to her on areas of decoration/day to day estate running.
Unfortunately, there's a second area of hand-waveyness superimposed over this which doens't help. Simeone has spent years travelling "in the East," and picked up all sorts of things there. And just, le sigh. It's not done well. The vague aura of potential-Eastern-religion made me uncomfortable. It might have been salvageable by specifics, but because there are none it feels a bit generic, and problematic. I have no issue with some of the things (he wears trousers instead of breeches, and has no time for some of the impracticalities of English fashion), but any time things stray into a sort of quasi-religious area, it felt problematic. Mainly because it didn't really feel grounded in an actual religion. I will readily acknowledge world religions are not one of my areas of expertise - which is kind of my point. I'm not sure they're one of James' areas of expertise, and it felt a bit disrespectful, in how generic and hand-wavey it all is. Like look, he's special and different and exotic. I'm fine with all the stuff about prefering specific customs (e.g. exercise, clothing, etc.), but any time the teacher came up, things got weird.
Because for example, one thing dude seemed to have learned was the importance of remaining calm, and never giving in to one's passions, such as lust. Except that - and as I said, I'm no expert - is that really such an issue when the woman in question is your wife?
The annoying thing is that this also feels like another potentially easy fix. Just make the self-control thing personality based. Explicitly tie it to resulting from the father's unpredictability/irresponsibility/ whatever, and the general lack of sexual experience to the not wanting to catch any sort of illness. I just think this whole thing needed some details pinned down to make it work. There are some areas where hand-waviness doesn't serve the story.
Also, for some reason, this decided to have two sentimental epilogues, because one just wouldn't do?
I was much more intrigued by Jemma and Elijah. Really enjoying their relationship progressing in the background. Although, if this series goes against type in the next book and decides not to skew to the fairy tale happy ending in their case, I'm going to be annoyed.
I also really enjoy how Jemma has continued in her role as confidante and problem-solver. It's weirdly appropriate. Really entertained that her solution is to just throw Villiers at the problem and stir things up. It made me laugh. But as I said, problematic that I as more intrigued by the secondary characters.
May 23, 2018
This wasn't bad but wasn't great either. There were things that didn't work for me and just a few inconsistencies that didn't add up and kept throwing me off...
-Simeon’s tyrannical lunatic mother is so severe in formality and propriety that she doesn’t even address her own son by his given name in her own bedchamber. She’s the worst kind of penny pincher who is convinced people are out to scam the ducal family into paying outrageous bills. So obsessed that she doesn’t lift a finger to get the water closets in the house fixed for years. Because of this the entire house smells like a sewer.
You’re telling me the same woman who screeches and has a near apoplexy at the sight of Simeon’s bare knees, is humiliated when her son saves her life in an "uncouth" way, and doesn’t let a swathe of Indian silk in the house is totally fine living in a house that reeks of shit?!
Yeah. Right.
-Jemma & Elijah. I’ve already read their book, thought it would help to go back and read this since I was left floundering in Book 5. Turns out it didn’t help. lol Still totally at a loss as to why Elijah cheated on Jemma. His perfect gorgeous sparkling wife who is smart as a whip and makes his heart stop every time he sees her. A man this infatuated and besotted by his wife--since Day 1--needs a much better reason to step out on his wife. How about don't do it? Someone so forthright, serious and gentlemanly like Elijah doesn’t cheat on his wife much less screw his mistress on his desk "just because she’s there" (are you fucking kidding me?). RME. Absurd. I find this story arc the most contrived thing in this entire series and so arbitrary. From all that I’ve seen it goes against Elijah’s staunch honorable character entirely. They do have their sweet moments in here but I still struggle to understand how Jemma could forgive him and accept his reasons for doing it. I didn't. And still don't. *shrugs*
-Villiers has blue eyes. Why the hell does he have black eyes in here?? I distinctly remember him having ice blue eyes in the book following this, Jemma’s story. And his own son Thorn is described endlessly in the later books as being the spitting image of his father, black hair and intense blue eyes. Why am I making such a big deal about this? Because a character's eye color is as integral as their hair color, body build and just overall character makeup. It's very jarring when one of those things changes especially in a wide arc series. This kind of inconsistency is a big pet peeve of mine. EJ did the same thing with Thorn's best friend Vander in Three Weeks With Lady X, Vander goes from having ice blue eyes in the beginning of the book to brown eyes in the end. *grumbles* I really hate slip ups like this. Authors PLEASE BE CONSISTENT! Editors do your damn job.
-Where was the chemistry?
Didn't find it, didn't feel it.
-I found Simeon a little flat as a hero. A first for me with an EJ hero. I felt a big part of that was because of his controlled, awkward, emotionally-stunted personality. I loved the idea of him and how eccentric he was considered for a Duke and that he was a virgin who never met his wife by proxy for 11 years. So fun and very refreshing. But it all just went downhill with the stale stagnant pacing that seemed to focus more on the plumbing issues in Revel House (seriously Eloisa? O_o) than the h/hr actually connecting. The only thing I found 'eccentric' about Simeon was the way he dressed, everything else just seemed dull I'm sorry to say. I didn't really feel like I got to know him as well as I did with Isidore which was strange. I also felt a lot of the conversations they managed to have went in circles, contradicted each other or were oddly unclear. Ever feel like you just walked in on a conversation where two people share this inside joke you aren't a part of? Well there were a few moments in here I felt like that. :/ Totally adrift. To me there seemed to be much more telling instead of showing.
-Simeon’s tyrannical lunatic mother is so severe in formality and propriety that she doesn’t even address her own son by his given name in her own bedchamber. She’s the worst kind of penny pincher who is convinced people are out to scam the ducal family into paying outrageous bills. So obsessed that she doesn’t lift a finger to get the water closets in the house fixed for years. Because of this the entire house smells like a sewer.
You’re telling me the same woman who screeches and has a near apoplexy at the sight of Simeon’s bare knees, is humiliated when her son saves her life in an "uncouth" way, and doesn’t let a swathe of Indian silk in the house is totally fine living in a house that reeks of shit?!
Yeah. Right.
-Jemma & Elijah. I’ve already read their book, thought it would help to go back and read this since I was left floundering in Book 5. Turns out it didn’t help. lol Still totally at a loss as to why Elijah cheated on Jemma. His perfect gorgeous sparkling wife who is smart as a whip and makes his heart stop every time he sees her. A man this infatuated and besotted by his wife--since Day 1--needs a much better reason to step out on his wife. How about don't do it? Someone so forthright, serious and gentlemanly like Elijah doesn’t cheat on his wife much less screw his mistress on his desk "just because she’s there" (are you fucking kidding me?). RME. Absurd. I find this story arc the most contrived thing in this entire series and so arbitrary. From all that I’ve seen it goes against Elijah’s staunch honorable character entirely. They do have their sweet moments in here but I still struggle to understand how Jemma could forgive him and accept his reasons for doing it. I didn't. And still don't. *shrugs*
-Villiers has blue eyes. Why the hell does he have black eyes in here?? I distinctly remember him having ice blue eyes in the book following this, Jemma’s story. And his own son Thorn is described endlessly in the later books as being the spitting image of his father, black hair and intense blue eyes. Why am I making such a big deal about this? Because a character's eye color is as integral as their hair color, body build and just overall character makeup. It's very jarring when one of those things changes especially in a wide arc series. This kind of inconsistency is a big pet peeve of mine. EJ did the same thing with Thorn's best friend Vander in Three Weeks With Lady X, Vander goes from having ice blue eyes in the beginning of the book to brown eyes in the end. *grumbles* I really hate slip ups like this. Authors PLEASE BE CONSISTENT! Editors do your damn job.
-Where was the chemistry?
Didn't find it, didn't feel it.
-I found Simeon a little flat as a hero. A first for me with an EJ hero. I felt a big part of that was because of his controlled, awkward, emotionally-stunted personality. I loved the idea of him and how eccentric he was considered for a Duke and that he was a virgin who never met his wife by proxy for 11 years. So fun and very refreshing. But it all just went downhill with the stale stagnant pacing that seemed to focus more on the plumbing issues in Revel House (seriously Eloisa? O_o) than the h/hr actually connecting. The only thing I found 'eccentric' about Simeon was the way he dressed, everything else just seemed dull I'm sorry to say. I didn't really feel like I got to know him as well as I did with Isidore which was strange. I also felt a lot of the conversations they managed to have went in circles, contradicted each other or were oddly unclear. Ever feel like you just walked in on a conversation where two people share this inside joke you aren't a part of? Well there were a few moments in here I felt like that. :/ Totally adrift. To me there seemed to be much more telling instead of showing.
January 28, 2022
Wooden piping for waterclosets .. what a great idea 🤣🤣🤣
November 5, 2016
I was so sure I was going to regret reading it. BUT NO!
Isidore was.....dumb sexually starved idiot less than perfect at first. All she's focused in on is how all the men she meets would drop at her feet and worship the dirt under her feet. Yet her husband continues to roam around the world, without sending one letter to her. I would sympathise with her, if she wasn't so solely focused on how her virginity was such a burden. Frustrating dunce, I know. I kept staring at her dialogues in the book and then turning up, looking for something to throw at her shallow head.
But with the story's progression, she changes too. Thank goodness for her, because I was extremely close to dumping the book.
Soon we learn about her strong character. She's impulsive but she's a very clear headed woman. She knows what she wishes from her life and she is capable of managing her life and everything that is under her care.
It is admirable how she deals with a reserved husband who is so different from what an ordinary english noble is like. Even when she lets go of her ego and even dignity to give one last try to saving their marriage, she's admirable. She turns to out to be quite a wonderful heroine at the end of the book.
On the other hand, I felt odd about the husband in question. And I am not sure if its his problem or James' writing. She's given him a such a diverse and adventurous back story that he becomes a cliché. It was only when he dealt with the ducal estate's matters, does the reader learn about his impressive character. It's a shame how Eloisa James overshadows it with too many adventure stories that are so typical that it sounds like a broken record that's been playing for years.
But it's their first time, that's the highlight of the book. YES! It's amazing how funny and perfect the whole encounter was. Not because it sends tingles down the spine (it does that too) but because the whole scene is wonderfully written.
Lol! I had always wondered why more of the virgin heroines with no knowledge of sex, haven't reacted the same way. Isidore's shock and slight revulsion is as funny as it is truthful.
That was a long time coming! I am so glad someone finally said it. It is weird how fixated people are becoming about sizes. Poor men and poorer women. Why is it so important that the perfect person has to be the perfect shape and size? Whether its is the waist size or chest size or anything!
In short the characters are wonderful but Eloisa James' does something of a messy job executing their story.
Isidore was.....
But with the story's progression, she changes too. Thank goodness for her, because I was extremely close to dumping the book.
Soon we learn about her strong character. She's impulsive but she's a very clear headed woman. She knows what she wishes from her life and she is capable of managing her life and everything that is under her care.
It is admirable how she deals with a reserved husband who is so different from what an ordinary english noble is like. Even when she lets go of her ego and even dignity to give one last try to saving their marriage, she's admirable. She turns to out to be quite a wonderful heroine at the end of the book.
On the other hand, I felt odd about the husband in question. And I am not sure if its his problem or James' writing. She's given him a such a diverse and adventurous back story that he becomes a cliché. It was only when he dealt with the ducal estate's matters, does the reader learn about his impressive character. It's a shame how Eloisa James overshadows it with too many adventure stories that are so typical that it sounds like a broken record that's been playing for years.
But it's their first time, that's the highlight of the book. YES! It's amazing how funny and perfect the whole encounter was. Not because it sends tingles down the spine (it does that too) but because the whole scene is wonderfully written.
"Simeon!"... "What did you do?"
"What?"
"You- you peed on me!"..."In me!"
Lol! I had always wondered why more of the virgin heroines with no knowledge of sex, haven't reacted the same way. Isidore's shock and slight revulsion is as funny as it is truthful.
"There's nothing sadder than a man who feels the need to boast about the size of his equipment."
That was a long time coming! I am so glad someone finally said it. It is weird how fixated people are becoming about sizes. Poor men and poorer women. Why is it so important that the perfect person has to be the perfect shape and size? Whether its is the waist size or chest size or anything!
In short the characters are wonderful but Eloisa James' does something of a messy job executing their story.
April 18, 2016
++Spoilers++
Pretty good considering I'm not a fan of this author. I decided to read this because it was listed as having a virgin hero.
A quick summary:
Hero Simeon and heroine Isadore were married very very young, by proxy. He left England to explore along the Nile leaving the h waiting for his return. Upon returning he finds Isadore is not the docile biddable wife his mother told him of in her letters. She is a beautiful outspoken, intelligent, hot tempered Italian. She on the other hand finds Simeon to be a very handsome, unusual and controlled. They try to make a go of it in the marriage but constantly talk of annulment due to their differences. Throughout this, Simeon comes home to also discover his estate to be in shambles, his mother practically insane, stacks of unpaid bills and disgruntled villiagers to contend with. Such is the conflict.
Hero Simeon, is very health conscious, and enjoys exercise which helps him maintain controll of fear, lust and anger, the three evils he learned of by some guru in his travels. This is how he was able to remain a virgin during his time away from the wife he doesn't know. Isadore also maintained her innocence, waiting dutifully for the return of her husband.
For the most part, I liked the story, and both the H & h. Simeon was a quirky kinda guy with strange beliefs and I could totally relate to Isadore since I too tend to be a hot tempered italian.
I also loved that they were both each others firsts. They both shared their first kiss as well as their first sexual experience. I also liked that neither were too fumbling or majorly awkward as most virgin tales tend to be during thier first time.
I do wish there was more romance instead of two people just arguing about how the marriage wont work because they are not suitable. There was no sweetness, no tenderness, and I truly felt this was something desperatley needed.
What I didn't care for was how the author (again, like the last book of hers I read) split the book into two separate stories. This time, however she mixed them in between chapters instead of halfing the book. The additional/separate tale is with secondary character Jemma whose husband was a manwhore. Once I saw this and realized that Jemma's story did not cross into Simeon & Isador's, I proceeded to skip it entirely. I am glad, for I missed nothing important.
All in all, except for the relatively rushed ending it was pretty good, and some aspects were actually even unique.
I was glad that we got the HEA & ILY's and even happier that the H & h are never with anyone else except each other.
It's sad really. This could have been so much better, had so much possibility, yet was only mediocre.
Pretty good considering I'm not a fan of this author. I decided to read this because it was listed as having a virgin hero.
A quick summary:
Hero Simeon and heroine Isadore were married very very young, by proxy. He left England to explore along the Nile leaving the h waiting for his return. Upon returning he finds Isadore is not the docile biddable wife his mother told him of in her letters. She is a beautiful outspoken, intelligent, hot tempered Italian. She on the other hand finds Simeon to be a very handsome, unusual and controlled. They try to make a go of it in the marriage but constantly talk of annulment due to their differences. Throughout this, Simeon comes home to also discover his estate to be in shambles, his mother practically insane, stacks of unpaid bills and disgruntled villiagers to contend with. Such is the conflict.
Hero Simeon, is very health conscious, and enjoys exercise which helps him maintain controll of fear, lust and anger, the three evils he learned of by some guru in his travels. This is how he was able to remain a virgin during his time away from the wife he doesn't know. Isadore also maintained her innocence, waiting dutifully for the return of her husband.
For the most part, I liked the story, and both the H & h. Simeon was a quirky kinda guy with strange beliefs and I could totally relate to Isadore since I too tend to be a hot tempered italian.
I also loved that they were both each others firsts. They both shared their first kiss as well as their first sexual experience. I also liked that neither were too fumbling or majorly awkward as most virgin tales tend to be during thier first time.
I do wish there was more romance instead of two people just arguing about how the marriage wont work because they are not suitable. There was no sweetness, no tenderness, and I truly felt this was something desperatley needed.
What I didn't care for was how the author (again, like the last book of hers I read) split the book into two separate stories. This time, however she mixed them in between chapters instead of halfing the book. The additional/separate tale is with secondary character Jemma whose husband was a manwhore. Once I saw this and realized that Jemma's story did not cross into Simeon & Isador's, I proceeded to skip it entirely. I am glad, for I missed nothing important.
All in all, except for the relatively rushed ending it was pretty good, and some aspects were actually even unique.
I was glad that we got the HEA & ILY's and even happier that the H & h are never with anyone else except each other.
It's sad really. This could have been so much better, had so much possibility, yet was only mediocre.
January 17, 2013
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 returns frolicking the Middle East.
And then, her husband indeed returned after much persuasion and desperation from his own mother. Despite his age, Simone, the duke was a virgin and so do, Isidore. Despite her tempestuousness, she remained a virgin and never conducted an affair. Simone famous for his reservedness, somehow found his tempers flaying or his wits challenged when he found Isidore was not what he expected.
The story delved into the duke's household especially his mother. Even though, the dowager duchess was described in such a thorough halting manner, she didn't find a spot within the second half of the book. I was left wondering what actually occurred to the dowager duchess since Simone despite his attitude, wasn't appreciated by his mother even though he saved her from villains.
I like the fact that Isidore was trying her best to tempt her husband, and then, Simone in all his life, didn't even lost control except when Isidore is concerned. A sweet bitter story, and a love story.
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 returns frolicking the Middle East.
And then, her husband indeed returned after much persuasion and desperation from his own mother. Despite his age, Simone, the duke was a virgin and so do, Isidore. Despite her tempestuousness, she remained a virgin and never conducted an affair. Simone famous for his reservedness, somehow found his tempers flaying or his wits challenged when he found Isidore was not what he expected.
The story delved into the duke's household especially his mother. Even though, the dowager duchess was described in such a thorough halting manner, she didn't find a spot within the second half of the book. I was left wondering what actually occurred to the dowager duchess since Simone despite his attitude, wasn't appreciated by his mother even though he saved her from villains.
I like the fact that Isidore was trying her best to tempt her husband, and then, Simone in all his life, didn't even lost control except when Isidore is concerned. A sweet bitter story, and a love story.
December 22, 2015
I was disappointed. I love Isidore, but I think Simeon doesn't deserve her.
Look, at the end of the day, Simeon is a selfish piece of shit. Are we supposed to feel sorry for the spoiled man-child who neglected all of his responsibilities - including a wife who was orphaned suddenly - for a decade? He is the very embodiment of pretentious, rich male entitlement. And as far as I'm concerned, this book failed because it didn't have him face that reality - that he's a spoiled, selfish, judgmental dickbag who should be begging for people to give him a chance to prove he's not so selfish anymore. To prove that he gives one shit for someone besides himself.
He didn't want to follow her like a lapdog? Fuck you, Simeon. She sat around like a bird in a cage waiting for you for over a decade. You can put some fucking effort in.
Isidore: 4 stars (she should have stood up for herself more, and valued herself better)
Simeon: 1 star
Overall: 2.5 stars
Look, at the end of the day, Simeon is a selfish piece of shit. Are we supposed to feel sorry for the spoiled man-child who neglected all of his responsibilities - including a wife who was orphaned suddenly - for a decade? He is the very embodiment of pretentious, rich male entitlement. And as far as I'm concerned, this book failed because it didn't have him face that reality - that he's a spoiled, selfish, judgmental dickbag who should be begging for people to give him a chance to prove he's not so selfish anymore. To prove that he gives one shit for someone besides himself.
He didn't want to follow her like a lapdog? Fuck you, Simeon. She sat around like a bird in a cage waiting for you for over a decade. You can put some fucking effort in.
Isidore: 4 stars (she should have stood up for herself more, and valued herself better)
Simeon: 1 star
Overall: 2.5 stars
October 15, 2018
In some ways, this book could be hard to read because of notions that do not fit with current times... and especially since those current times are in the extreme at the moment. But I felt they fit the time period, the character development, and was written at a different time about a much different time, so it all worked for me in the end. And really, the joy of this one came in going back to the earlier book formats where we continue the story of the Duke and Duchesses of Beaumont and the Duke of Villiers, so it was an overall happy experience for me. Especially knowing that the next two books are about those characters and I cannot wait.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2016
This was a pretty good one! I liked that both characters had rather wrong expectations of each other and weren't entirely sure they wanted to make their marriage work. And I liked that they were both virgins.
I liked the central conflict of the hero thinking all successful marriages involve a "biddable" wife (!!!) and the heroine being like, "Uh, no," but I don't think it was ever quite resolved. In real life, I'd need a lot more from him.
The portrayal of "The Middle Way" that the hero followed way vague and not very sensitive. So that's not good.
I liked the central conflict of the hero thinking all successful marriages involve a "biddable" wife (!!!) and the heroine being like, "Uh, no," but I don't think it was ever quite resolved. In real life, I'd need a lot more from him.
The portrayal of "The Middle Way" that the hero followed way vague and not very sensitive. So that's not good.
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