Customer Reviews

A Duke of Her Own

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Leopold Dautry, Duke of Villiers' story has threaded through each book of the Desperate Duchesses series. And with this, the final book in the series, Eloisa James delivers her most delightful tale yet. Taken separately each element is nothing new, but James breathes new life into old tropes, weaving a tale of secret babies, secret lovers and just plain secrets with lyrical and at times blunt prose. The interaction between Villiers and his son Tobias is funny, but also sweet in that way only dialogue between fathers and sons can be. I won't spoil who the heroine is, but she is more than strong enough to deal with Villiers. After four books of watching him grow from cold, bored aristrocrat into something infinitely more caring and more human, it is a delight to watch Villiers fall in love. I closed the book with a smile on my face. And have been grinning all day at the memory of it. If that's not a great read, I don't know what is.

I was less than thrilled with James' last book. For the first half of that story, This Duchess of Mine (Desperate Duchesses), I entertained the notion that it might be my last in this Duchess series. But, lo and behold, James began to include quite a bit of the Duke of Villiers background and dilemma in the latter half of that book. He was one of her more interesting heroes in this series. So, I bought A Duke of Her Own and started reading with cautious hope. With each page I turned, I was enthralled more and more. This book is brilliant. James is back to her very high standard of writing with this final story in the series. Leopold is a marvelously complex, virile, masculine hero...totally yummy. And the true heroine (like the other reviewers, I won't provide a spoiler here) is one of the most courageous, strong yet vulnerable, wonderful heroines I've enjoyed in a long time. Villier's choice between two women for the role of wife provides the tension in this book, and I'll warn you, it lasts throughout the story. But, the ending is completely satisfying. The plot does include the Duke's search and rescue of his children, but most of the storyline centers on the love story. This is a touching, well-written, stand alone romance. There's no need to backtrack and read the others in this series if you haven't already. A Duke of Her Own is truly one of the best books I've read this year.

I've read many of Ms. James books, and although I enjoy them I always feel that they require a real commitment. Her novels are usually interwoven, and you often have no idea what is happening unless you have read them all. It can be quite exhausting, and not always fun. Are these stories well written? Yes. Are they historically accurate? Yes. Can you tell that Ms. James is a well known Shakespearean professor and expert? Yes. Do these stories always work as romance? No. So you can understand why I put off reading a "A Duke of Her own", not because I didn't think it would be great, but because I don't look to her for romance, for great storytelling definitely, but romance, she is often a hit or miss.

A Duke of Her own was a pleasant surprise. The book is extremely well-paced and focused on the couple at hand. Although Villiers feels confusion, his confusion is paced on his sense of duty and honor, not on his feelings. Our heroine is amazing, and realistic. The book really explores love, and what it means to have a broken heart, in a way that is intimate and realistic. This is a romance novel in the best possible sense. It's one of those books that reminds you of your first love, and may help you realize that first love doesn't always mean best.

This is a book for your keeper shelf. The romance isn't scorching, but its heat will keep you warm for days, and the insights into love will last with you much longer.

P.S. Although the back of the book doesn't make it clear who Villiers belongs with, YOU will know within the first few chapters.

I loved this book. I meant to 'just start it' but instead I was up till 5 am finishing it. I don't want to spoil any of it for you, which makes it difficult to review. Let's start with what is different about this book, compared to the prior novels. For one thing, Jemma isn't in the focus - she's done, we can move on, and Villiers does. Chess isn't the focus either. With his new interest in life, Villiers isn't filling his hours with the game, as he once did. Reading the series informs your knowledge of Villiers and his history, but the Desperate Duke in these pages isn't tied to the world of the Desperate Duchesses. Most of the book takes place away from London.

Eleanor and Lisette have nothing Desperate about them, either. Both are strong willed, with different faults. Both of them decide they want Villiers, which is handy since they're the only women his self imposed rules will allow him to choose a bride from. (Villiers habit of becoming engaged to a woman just as she runs off with her true love isn't forgotten.) It wouldn't be a proper story for Villiers if he wasn't completely confused about which direction to go and stumbling about trying to keep his emotional life tightly contained while indulging his attractions. This is a proper wrap up for him and completely in his character. Eleanor and Lisette are compelling, realistic and fascinating. I know women like both of them, and they are a different type of heroine.

If you're coming at this book without having read the series, the quick and dirty summary would be -Villiers is a rake changing his life after a series of disappointments and a near death experience. Having rounded up his six missing children (and no, their parentage isn't confirmed in these pages) he is in need of a mother. Given the disappointments of the past and the social needs of forcing his children into the society in which he lives, only the daughter of a duke will do. Unfortunately, there are only two available.

The book is perfect until the last few pages, my only complaint is tiny and miniscule and unfair indeed - in the final pages only 4 of the children are mentioned. I want a series about Villiers children and I want it now!

I gave this book 3 stars for its clever repartee and funny dialogue. But if I were to rate it on plot alone I would probably give it 1 star. Although the premise is interesting, the execution is poor. The protagonist, Villiers, needs a mother for his many children and has to decide between two aristocratic ladies, Lisette and Eleanor. Supposedly the duke is undecided, though there is NO doubt from the beginning who the ultimate winner is. Somehow all parties meet at Lisette's manor and hilarity ensues. It is clear from the beginning that Lisette is not just eccentric, but totally unhinged and Villiers, a supposedly brilliant man, is unable to detect this. All he ends up doing is parading around aimlessly like a peacock in his ducal finery looking fierce and curling his lip with amazing frequency. Eleanor walks around with the male equivalent of a constant boner and is indiscriminate in her actions. Lisette behaves in a manner not appropriate for a scullery maid, let alone a duchess, yet everyone thinks she is charming. The visit to Lisette's manor is interminable, it drags on and on and I thought they would never go home. The dog, the mother and the sister are equally annoying, all cardboard figures without depth.
Readers are supposed to suspend disbelief in regencies, but even so some of the characters' behavior in this book is implausible even by today's standards. I read another book from this series, When the Duke Returns, which I enjoyed. I abandoned another one, This Duchess of Mine, after reading the sample and did not bother to download. I think I am done with this series.

Confusion over the heroine? There was never any information - other than in the blurb describing the product here and presumably perhaps the back cover blurb (I wouldn't know, I read the Kindle) that offered any confusion. Hint: when you meet and enter the Point of View of Heroine Option 1 on page one, a scene in which she immediately meets and zings with the hero, and supposed Heroine Option 2 doesn't enter until a quarter of the way through the book and you *never* get her POV, guess what? There's no Heroine Option 2.

The author is not responsible for the *blurb*. The publisher is. She doesn't write the blurb.

I have never read a book by Eloisa James. This book was a very good place to start, though, as I really loved it. I loved the heroine right from the beginning. Not having read the other preceding books, Villiers' past was hard to reconcile at first, but the more I read the more I liked this character. The dialogue between the H/H, the interactions of the Hero with his son, the sister Anne (the voice of reason and instigator all rolled into one), were the highlights. It really turned into a love a story, that gradual slide from immediate, but undeniable, attraction, to sharp witted interactions to sexual tension and ultimately love, was perfect in my opinion. I was surprised that some other reviewers on romance websites disliked this book, causing me to almost disregard reading it. I laughed, I cried (Oh, Oyster!) and felt this book was a page turner for me. Would highly recommend it. Now I need to see if the other books in this series are just as good.

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that the Duke of Villiers, a single man in possession of a good fortune (not to mention six illegitimate children), must be desperately in want of a wife. But Leopold Dautry, the duke in question, knows that not just any woman will fit the bill. So that his children may be launched into society when they come of age, Leopold needs to marry the daughter of a duke, for only such a woman would hold enough clout in the eyes of London's elite to have his children be accepted by the ton. Luckily for Villiers, only two women meet his criteria. Eleanor, the daughter of the Duke of Montague, is sensible, intelligent, and irresistibly sensual. Lisette, the Duke of Gilner's daughter, is vivacious, creative, stunningly beautiful, and as far as most people are concerned, a bit mad. Torn between his instinct and his heart, Villiers must decide which woman will be the duchess he can call his own.

Eloisa James has ended her fantastic Desperate Duchess series on a high note with this engrossing story. A Duke of Her Own is an enchanting mix of romance and fun and I could not put it down.

The Duke of Villiers has grown into a fascinating character over the course of this series. I'll admit I wasn't his biggest fan when the series began, but while he grew on me throughout the books, I feel deeply in love with him in A Duke of Her Own. His transformation has been one of the finest Ms. James has ever written. As to which woman claims the heart of the worldly duke...what fun would it be if I revealed who she is? I will say that Villiers's heroine is among my favorite of Ms. James's characters. She's everything I could wish for in a protagonist and she matches Villiers perfectly; I simply adored her.

A Duke of Her Own is the sixth book in the Desperate Duchess series, but the story stands on its own. I admit that I finished A Duke of Her Own a bit sad that the series has ended and that - barring re-reads - I have to leave the Desperate Duchess heroes and heroines behind. Given the liveliness of these characters, it is my hope that Ms. James writes stories for their children one day, some of whom Ms. James has already revealed to be quite intriguing. Until that wish comes true, I'm content to hop over to the Readers' Pages on Ms. James's site and enjoy a bonus chapter for A Duke of Her Own before I curl up and lose myself in Villiers's story once more.


Shayna
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

The book is written in that light-hearted manner that one expects of James; however, it is too similar to "A Kiss At Midnight," which I read a little while ago, having never read an Eloisa James novel before (A Duke of Her Own is my second).

The whole Cinderella theme can only be played out so much.

A lot of reviewers did not want to disclose who the true female lead is, I wish they had. I started reading this book feeling as if Lissette would be the lead not Eleanor, which spoiled it even more for me, this constant anticipation -who will be the main female protagonist?

But the worst part was the competition for the male protagonist. May be I am getting old fashioned in my early thirties; however, I just do not like women competing for a man; it is not a representation of the romance genre for me. I read romances to feel chased (you know - escapism); I do not read them to want to chase a man.

Eleanor changed her dressing style - went out of her comfort zone to gain this man's affection. That is something I do not condone. It borders on desperation (and she pining away for a long lost love, determined never to marry - now after 10 min of conversation with the Duke, she is determined to change). Not my cup of tea!

If you are considering buying this book, the best advice I can give you is to ask yourself what appeals to you in a romance. Lightheartedness? O.K. you have it here. But if you like the more traditional novel where women do not compete for one man's affection, then this is not for you.

I don't always love Eloisa James' books, but this one hit all the right notes and, to my mind, is a must-read for everyone who loves historicals, and for those who might be interested in writing one. All the elements for perfection are here: likeable, but unique, leads who are smart, witty, and ready for love (even if they don't know it); a plot that lets the characters grow, change, and fall in love; great banter; and a conflict that isn't contrived or silly.

I won't go into great detail about any of these elements because others have already done so. But I will say that this is hands down the best romance I've read this year, and one I would highly recommend.

Grade: A