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When the Duke Returns (Desperate Duchesses Book 4) by [Eloisa James]

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Eloisa James

When the Duke Returns (Desperate Duchesses Book 4) Kindle Edition

by Eloisa James (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

297 ratings

Book 4 of 10: Desperate Duchesses

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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?

Print length

386 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Avon
Publication date

October 6, 2009
File size

581 KB
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Eleven years after their wedding by proxy, Lady Isidore, Duchess of Cosway, finally meets her husband, Simeon Jermyn, Duke of Cosway. Simeon had left England for a life of adventure and travel in the Middle East and India. Now he has returned and intends to “claim” his wife. Isidore had hoped for a genuine marriage, but Simeon is nothing like what she expected. Not only does her surprisingly sexy husband have the audacity to comment on her lack of domestic skills but he seems more than willing to give Isidore an annulment if she wishes to end their marriage. But Isidore isn’t about to give up on her dreams of a life together, and she is willing to fight anyone, including Simeon, to see them fulfilled. James puts a clever spin on a classic romantic plot in the latest scintillating installment in her superbly entertaining Georgian-era Desperate Duchesses series, once again beguiling readers with wonderfully original characters, wickedly witty writing, and lusciously sexy romance. --John Charles --This text refers to the mass_market edition.

About the Author

Eloisa James is a USA Today and New York Times bestselling author and professor of English literature, who lives with her family in New York, but can sometimes be found in Paris or Italy. She is the mother of two and, in a particularly delicious irony for a romance writer, is married to a genuine Italian knight. Visit her at www.eloisajames.com.

--This text refers to the mass_market edition.

Product details

ASIN : B001652I3A
Publisher : Avon (October 6, 2009)
Publication date : October 6, 2009
Language : English
File size : 581 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 386 pages
Lending : Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #26,476 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #82 in Read & Listen for $14.99 or Less
- #155 in Read & Listen for Less
- #770 in Regency Historical Romance

Customer Reviews:
297 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		65%
4 star		22%
3 star		9%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Patricia M

Oh, la,la!!

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2019

Verified Purchase

Characters with character, love that's hidden, never ending. A child-bride, abandoned - the groom was not even AT the altar.
So, add in some friends who truly want to help, an overbearing mother, and a lot of humorous misunderstanding, and you have, once again, a triumph.
The best way to read this author is to get her first book, go ahead and binge read until, alas! There are no books left, and all you can do is join the rest of us, waiting anxiously for the next epic love story to tell from her pen.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kari

Good reading

Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2020

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Simeon has been married to Isidore since they were children. While he spent the years since in the Wilds of Africa, Isidore waited for him. He comes back with a plan to remarry her only to find a women to break his need for total control. But they soon find out that together in chaos is better then control with out each other. I really enjoyed this story!

One person found this helpful

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Jezebel

Not Her Best

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2013

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While I am a huge fan of Eloisa James, I did not like When the Duke Returns for one reason only.... she had two different stories going on in the same book. That bothered me. I had read Jemma's story in another book so having her chapters interrupting the good story of the Cosway's to me was irritating. Then to top it off when you get to the end of the book there was no solution to Jemma's problem with her husband. It is left up in the air. Maybe done on purpose so everyone will buy Jemma's story. Sure enough, the last page of the book has an add... "See Jemma's story available in June". So I was disappointed with the book. As usual though the writing is suburb and I loved the Cosway's story... I just didn't like the interruptions.

4 people found this helpful

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Michelle A.

Very amusing tale

Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2013

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I really loved this book. I read one of the reviews of a person who was disappointed, but glad that she had taken it out of the library rather than bought it. I don't know what to even say about that. I can say that I laughed a bunch of times during the reading of this book. I really liked the line to describe how crazy the dowager duchess had become by saying that she was throwing pancakes at the ceiling. I would love for this whole series to be made into a miniseries. I would love to see Villiers trying to convince Simeon that he is glad that Simeon doesn't want Isadore, because he wants to marry her so she can be mother to his 6 illegitimate children. Too funny! The love scenes were a bit rushed and there wasn't very much anticipation, but I still thoroughly enjoyed them.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Bravo! Immensely Entertaining 4.5 Stars

Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2008

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I will start out by saying this was so much an improvement over the last book in this series I can't believe it includes many of the same cast of characters. The conversations in this one were much more clever and more meaningful. It was just written much better and this is definitely a recommended read.

The hero and heroine in this story have been married by proxy for many years while the hero (the Duke of Cosway) is traveling abroad. The heroine is 23 years old and is tired of being a married virgin so she forces the return of her husband, who turns out to be a virgin as well. He has found peace in his life (after a tumultuous childhood)and does everything he can to avoid any form of chaos. This includes abstaining from sexual encounters, even with his wife for the time. They go back and forth in determining whether they are meant to be together and whether they should stay married or should follow through with an annulment. There are moments that are a bit silly, but the strength of the book overall outweighs them. The eccentric hero and the impulsive heroine are charming in their attempts to learn how to properly love one another. I would have liked to have seen a little more of the growth of the emotional love between the two but it was still pleasurable.

Very enjoyable in the book as well is the interplay between the Duke and Duchess of Beaumont. I enjoyed their interactions and found them as entertaining as those between the hero and heroine. I can't wait to read their story and Villers' as well (This Duchess of Mine, out in May, 2009 and A Duke of Her Own out in July, 2009). It definitely leaves you wanting more.

17 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Always a pleasure

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2021

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Eloisa James novels are full of interesting details of period clothing and culture along with her delightful characters and the stories themselves.

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Karoline Michaelis

A marriage by proxy!

Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2019

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This is Isidore and Simeon's story. A slow read that is not as good as the others I have read, in this series. Hard to relate to or believe he is, at almost 30 years old, a virgin! Nice ending.

Helpful

Kat123

Love this series

Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2017

Verified Purchase

I have recently discovered this author and the desperate duchess series. I really enjoy them all. Other than Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Rachel Gibson I find most of these books boring and the male characters jerks. Not so with This author. This hero was a bit different but equally enthralling. The story was great and I highly recommend this book and this series.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Alison10

I Struggled A Bit

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2020

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I struggled a bit with this book, which is unusual for those by Eloise James. My favourite character was Sebastian, the strange Duke, returned from many years travelling in the East. I warmed more to Isidore as the story progressed, but I didn't feel very attracted to the era or the supporting cast.

The story was about what happened when the Duke returned, after thirteen years away, to meet the girl he had married by proxy. She, of course, was now twenty-three and totally frustrated that her husband had never bothered to return to England to visit her during this time.

If you are a fan of Eloisa James, I am sure you will not wish to miss this book. If you are not already a reader of Ms James' books, I would suggest that there are very many other books by her that you should start off with.

Light-hearted, witty and fun.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 15, 2008

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I enjoyed this book. It's a well written tale about Isidore and Simeon, the Duke and Duchess of Cosway: "Married by proxy as a child, Lady Isidore has spent years fending off lecherous suitors while longing for her husband, Simeon Jermyn, the Duke of Cosway, to return." A light hearted story about what happens when a passionate, head-strong and beautiful woman collides with her calm, dispassionate (on the surface) and in-control husband. A lot of the story takes place on his country estate, which has been sadly neglected. There is lots of choice detail about Georgian plumbing! I didn't find it hugely emotionally intense but their developing relationship was well described and there is some good, snappy dialogue.

I can't help it though, I confess that in all the books so far I have been distracted by the parts featuring Jemma Beaumont and her husband Elijah. It is very tantalising - I want to read their story and because of the way it's been set up I'm guessing theirs will be one of the darkest books of the series. I'm also looking forward to finding out what happens to the Duke of Villiers.

I do like how Eloisa James writes and "When the Duke Returns" is definitely better than the last two in this series.

10 people found this helpful

hayley loader

FAB!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 15, 2016

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A GREAT BOOK FROM ONE OF MY FAVORITE AUTHORS, THIS IS PART OF THE DESPERATE DUCHESSES SET.

THE BOOK ARRIVED THE DAY AFTER ORDERING (WITH PRIME DELIVERY) AND CAME WELL PACKAGED.
THE CHARACTERS MAINLY ALL FEATURE IN THE SET, BUT EACH BOOK CAN BE READ AS STANDALONE BOOKS. THE STORY IS VERY ENTERTAINING, WITH A PLOT THAT KEEPS YOU ENGROSSED FROM BEGINNING TO END. THE CHARACTERS ARE INTERESTING AND I ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK AND THE REST OF THE SET!

Tigerlily101

Very Very Disappointed.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2009

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I am a big fan of Ms James and have all her books. I am very very disappointed with this long-awaited new Duchess book. Without repeating what other reviews already written about the story outline, I will go straight to the problem: there is no "romance" in this "romance" novel. No chemistry, barely any interactions between H/H. It reads like a build-out to the next book in the Duchess series. I think like so many romance authors (no names here) who have written many books and series in a short period of time (due to publishers' demands?), Ms James needs a writing holdiay to recharge her battery.

4 people found this helpful

Olly99

Still good, but not as gripping as the others

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 17, 2014

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I have read all 6 in this series and this was the slowest of them all. Still good, but not as gripping as the others. However if you are reading them in order (as you should) do not miss this one out, as it contains details/facts you will find usedul/necessary in future books. On the plus side it does liven up during the second half.