Duchess By Night

The latest book in Eloisa James' Desperate Duchesses series is a page-turner.

I loved Harriet's character...a woman before her time with her ideas about wearing breeches and riding astride a horse as opposed to a side saddle. And how you could not love her when she expressed concern for Jem Strange's daughter, Eugenia?

And what about Jem Strange and his odd generosity? His concern for those who would be turned away elsewhere and his curious disdain for the ranked nobility?

James has once again managed to create a formidable, unique cast of characters. And, as always, the Duke of Villiers is present and accounted for. While I didn't care much for him in the first couple of books as a background character, I find myself anxiously awaiting James to tell Villiers's story because it seems he wants to fall in love but has horrid luck at finding the right woman. As such, the supporting characters are--at times--almost more interesting than the hero and heroine.

During most of the novel, I found myself wondering why Jem Strange would invite such a hodgepodge group of people to his home but yet ignore the lot of them nearly all the time. And Harriet--our heroine--wondered the same thing many times over. She seemed to have no objection to it...right up until she was ready to return to her own home.

I wondered how a woman could pose for a man for so long and no one be the wiser with the exception of a very few. I suppose it's possible but not likely, particularly with one as feminine as Harriet is reputed to be.

Jem Strange was certainly not my favorite hero of all-time, but he wasn't the worst, either. I admired his intelligence and wit as well as his spontaneous ways. Harriet's seriousness and desire for normalcy balanced out his flamboyance.

One of my favorite things about reading a James novel is her heavy research and intricate detail. For instance, we find out that the Game being played is primero, a 16th century card game. Personally, I'd never heard of it before reading this novel. I also enjoy the brief mentions of historical figures I'd forgotten like Guy Fawkes. I'd certainly chalk this up to James' real-life role as an English professor at Fordham University and her desire for literary accuracy.

All in all, this was a highly enjoyable read--as usual, and I am looking forward to the follow-up, When the Duke Returns.

After the last one, I thought this book would be different. But, this will be the last Eloisa James that I buy. After the 1st Chapter, I was bored and really didn't care for the characters.
There were to many things going on at once and the main charcters in the story were boring.
I stopped midway and put the book away. This was a waste of money!

This is a good read and great fun. I'll be looking for the rest of her books soon.

I would absolutely have to agree with Queen Margo "Buttercup's" comment 100%, I couldn't say it any better. I painfully read the book hoping it'd get better and... oh my goodness, I just kept getting more disgusted with the book. I finally gave in and stopped on page 241. I did like the cover though, very pretty.

I've read all of Ms. James' books, starting with Potent Pleasures, as soon as each was published. I made the switch to the very different Duchess series and really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I did not love Duchess By Night, and I think this would have to be the first James book that I would not recommend - particularly to someone who has never read the author before. I did appreciate the lessened focus on chess, and readers who complained will also appreciate that this book pretty much just focuses on the two main characters (though I'm biding my time for Jemma's book!), but I found this book lacking in the spark I've come to expect from Ms. James. The plot was on the side of contrived, even for a historical romance (where contrived plots don't bother me as much), the first several chapters were boring, and the romance didn't--and couldn't, as the hero thought the heroine was male!--pick up until over halfway into the book. I'll keep it, because it goes with my collection, but unless you're a die-hard fan of the author, skip this for one of her better novels.