BOTM - December 2019 - The Ugly Duchess

[Joanna Loves Reading, Bluestocking of HR novels]

Discussion thread for December 2019 BOTM. Please remember to use the spoiler tags when necessary! (Please see 'some html is ok' for instructions.)

Happy Reading!


The Ugly Duchess by Eloisa James

Theodora Saxby is the last woman anyone expects the gorgeous James Ryburn, heir to the Duchy of Ashbrook, to marry. But after a romantic proposal before the prince himself, even practical Theo finds herself convinced of her soon-to-be duke's passion.

Still, the tabloids give the marriage six months.

Theo would have given it a lifetime... until she discovers that James desired not her heart, and certainly not her countenance, but her dowry. Society was shocked by their wedding; it's scandalized by their separation.

Now James faces the battle of his lifetime, convincing Theo that he loved the duckling who blossomed into the swan.

And Theo will quickly find that for a man with the soul of a pirate, All's Fair in Love — or War.

[Mariana]

I did NOT like this book. Hope others enjoy more than I did.

[Joanna Loves Reading, Bluestocking of HR novels]

Who plans to join in this read? I read it many years ago so may give it a go.

[Joanna Loves Reading, Bluestocking of HR novels]

Mariana wrote: "I did NOT like this book. Hope others enjoy more than I did."

:-/ I am thinking it won’t hold up well on a reread.

[Jan]

I haven't really liked any of the several Eloisa James books I've tried so I'm going to give this one a miss.

[Petra]

I’m joining in. Eloisa James is funny. I’ll wait a little though

[Cath]

This is a reread for me.

My one overwhelming impression of this book the first time I read it was how much I hated it b/c to me it seemed Daisy was so obsessed with how she felt about her looks, growing up, that she became bitter and self-absorbed. I really disliked her.

Curious to see, this go-round, if my impression will have changed.

Thru Chapt 1, and my impressions are:
-as usual I always think Eloisa James writes well

- I find James to be likeable and sympathetic. (view spoiler)[I know I should hold it against him that he's willing to pull a fast one over Daisy & trick her into thinking he's fallen in love with her and yes, that's cruel - but I can rationalize it away that he's not doing it to be cruel and also, since this is a romance, I know they're going to get a HEA and this is just a device to get them together!... (hide spoiler)]

- James' father, Ashbrook, is wonderfully awful, what a horrible man and a horrible parent!

[Preeti ♥︎]

Eloisa James' Hs always manage to ruin their book except in exceptions like When Beauty Tamed the Beast
Her Hs are ... I don't know ... just not there (many a times, literally). They seem to levitate around in the story as do their emotions (if they have any). Superficial, self-seeking, fickle and mostly immature and careless.
Never touching down or connecting with their woman or the reader. And they evoke disgust and disdain in equal measures.
If the author could just improve on her Hs, her books would be 5 starrer because she does right well.

[Joanna Loves Reading, Bluestocking of HR novels]

Preeti ♥︎ wrote: "Eloisa James' Hs always manage to ruin their book except in exceptions like When Beauty Tamed the Beast
Her Hs are ... I don't know ... just not there (many a times, literally). They..."

Astute observation :)...I have tended to have issues with James but never quite sure why. This is probably part of it.

[Cath]

Enjoying your comments, Darbella. And also everyone's comments about James and EJ's heroes. Interesting idea about James being a follower-type of hero; I'm going to have to be on the lookout for that!

Chapt 2-6 at this point my impressions:
- I like how comfortable James & Daisy are around each other; I see what companionable friends they are and also what each is like as an individual personality. Nice job by author of showing, not telling.

- I agree with Daisy that James seems young for his age. (view spoiler)[Hard to imagine him squiring a mistress around & surely he doesn't have her squirreled away in a house somewhere like Daisy implies? Where would he get the money? (hide spoiler)]

- There's so much I like about Daisy in these chapters. She's honest; she has a nice blend of confidence mixed with the ability to be self-deprecating. She's fairly matter-of-fact about her looks & her focus on her "ugliness" isn't unbearable to me at this point - yet. I do wish they would stop talking about how she looks like a boy or looks mannish though. I like how Daisy bosses James around.

- As far as Daisy and Geoffrey: (view spoiler)[ugh I don't like that one of the things Daisy likes about Geoff is his maliciousness; and I note it's mentioned that James doesn't like when Daisy is being malicious. I think Daisy is drawn to this kind of behavior b/c she is insecure about her looks and this is a way to compensate, but I still don't like this quality in her. (hide spoiler)]

End of Chapt 5:
(view spoiler)[Yuck. Okay I get that James is going to woo Daisy b/c of the situation with his father & finances; but suddenly at end of chapt 5 am I supposed to think he's now decided to marry her to save her from Geoffrey? Not buying it; that's too convenient. I mean, I think this is what James really thinks, but seems like too much a device on the author's part to find some way of trying to preserve James' honor with readers - so that we don't see him as a total jerk motivated by financial pressures but instead as a would-be noble protector of Daisy (hide spoiler)]

Chapt 6:
(view spoiler)[Total yuck. As far as I'm concerned this totally went off the rails when James gives Daisy his speech about how he's not her brother, she shouldn't say he's like her brother and they're not like siblings. I think I'm supposed to believe that James is now attracted to Daisy & aware of his attraction. It's just too much too soon for me. Yes, I can see where he became more aware of her physically in the preceding chapter, but I'm not buying that laid-back James suddenly went from 0-60 in about one day. I'm rolling my eyes when he says he loves Daisy and "I didn't know it but you were mine." That's all just too fast as far as I'm concerned; not believable. (hide spoiler)]

[Priya]

Interesting comments. I read it more than a year ago and gave it 3 stars. I don't remember much though. I could vaguely recall James but nothing of Theo. I feel like re-reading it after going through these comments.

[Mariana]

Darbella, thank you for your comments. Reading them reminds me how much I dislike James. He was the reason I had to give this book only one star.

[Cath]

Chapt 7: (view spoiler)[I hate the description of D&J's wedding night, seen only from D's point of view. I understand that J is probably struggling w/ guilt re: the circumstances that led, in part, to the marriage, and that's probably part of why he acts as he does. But, if I'm supposed to believe, from previous chapter, that J does feel passionate love for D, then I'd like this section better if I had access to J's thoughts during the lovemaking - and that his thoughts would reveal that he was feeling a blend of guilt but also passion for D. Instead we have only D's view which makes the encounter seem totally awkward & clinical.

- I love D's declaration of fashion independence now that she is a married woman - good riddance to ruffles & frills!

- One of the things I like about J here is his respect for D's intelligence and his desire for their marriage to be a partnership. He can't imagine not including her in running the estate.

- I've been skeptical abt J's sudden passion for D up 'til now (from earlier chapt), but I found the passion in their kiss at the end of the chapt to be convincing, tender & romantic. First time I could really see them in my mind's eye as a romantic couple w/ chemistry.
(hide spoiler)]

[Cath]

Darbella wrote: "Cath: [spoilers removed]"

Thanks Darbella! I'm looking forward to reading more of your comments as I progress. I'm trying to read the book as if it's my first time (as much as possible) so I'm only reading spoiler comments after I get thru each particular chapter!

[Cath]

Darbella wrote: "Cath, that is perfect because my spoilers would indeed spoil things since it is your first time reading it. I am enjoying your thoughts and your reactions as your read it too."

Oops! I need to clarify that this is my second read of the book, but first time I really hated it. Tho' I still remember why I hated it and remember a few general things about the story, I have since forgotten lots of details. Now I'm curious to see what I'll think this go-round, so I'm trying to read it as if it's my first time, and thus avoiding spoilers :)

[Cath]

Chapt 8 & 9:
I loved the detailed accounting of the estate's finances. Daisy has quite a head for business!

Darbella, I agree with you that James, while plagued with guilt, is not taking responsibility for doing what he knows he needs to do to make things right w/ Daisy. Hmm... how do you think Daisy would react if he told her? I think: not well!

Despite all this, I find James very likeable & sympathetic in these chapters for the following reasons:

(view spoiler)[Despite Daisy's earlier characterization of J as someone whom everyone loves, as the perfect scion and as someone with allure which she sees as an almost magical quality, turns out James is really quite insecure, and in that way, seems to me, he parallels Daisy, who is also insecure (though obviously for different reasons).

James could have every reason to be arrogant & cocky (he's good-looking, titled, has "allure" etc) yet he sees himself as an idiot b/c of his difficulty with numbers and his inability to sit still long enough to concentrate or to read (sounds to me like he's got ADHD & dyslexia ). He doesn't give himself credit for his agricultural knowledge nor for his ability to get along well with laborers, two skills which are actually quite valuable if one is running an estate. (I love that Daisy does see that he is gifted though...)

Then of course there's his horrible father. I admire that J has consciously decided he will not be like his father and give in to his temper. As a handsome titled aristocrat, James could be a spoiled narcissist, but instead he has a kind of honorable nature, and he is not willing to let himself off the hook for what he considers his betrayal of Daisy. At this point in the story, he has two reasons by which he could use to justify to himself why it was for the best that he marry Daisy: one, he has likely saved her from the fate of a malicious husband like Geoff, and two he genuinely loves her. However, his strong conscience will not allow him to gloss over the fact that the origins of his proposal are tainted by his agreement with his father to wed her for financial reasons. And this is what I really like about him - he will not absolve himself of his betrayal of Daisy, even if things seem to be working out okay at this time ... (hide spoiler)]

[Petra]

Here I am reading this book for the first time and I am enjoying it very much. I like to know as little as possible when going into a book because I like this feeling of being taken for a ride.
From what I read of Eloisa James before - I knew she was more conventional regency romance writer but this is getting to be more adventurous. I like it.
I’m on Chapter 14 and contrary to others - I like the trope of separation. It gives chance for characters to mature.
Can’t wait what coming next.

[Joanna Loves Reading, Bluestocking of HR novels]

That’s great Petra! I prefer to go in mostly blind to a book too, so I sometimes skip or wait until the hype dies down when it’s not possible.

[Petra]

Yes Joanna I try to avoid even blurbs. Sometimes I think it would be cool if the main characters who fall in love would be different people.

[Petra]

Darbella wrote: "Petra-She really is a talented author. I wish she would have done much more groveling by James because for me the bath was not enough. However, she does have a way with words and emotions. The foll..."

Hi Darbella, I finished the book and finally got a second to read through all your comments with spoilers. I agree the ending was a bit rushed - I was hoping for more relationships development. (view spoiler)[ although I found the bathtub scene interesting and untraditional but genius in its way of allowing our heroine to relax in James’ presence. Because I can see how Theo could have freezes up her sexuality over the years and specially towards James. (hide spoiler)]