Say No to the Duke
by Eloisa James
The Wildes of Lindow Castle - Book 4
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: June 25, 2019
Reviewed by PJ
Could she possibly refuse a duke’s hand—in favor of a sardonic, sinful rake?
Lady Betsy Wilde’s first season was triumphant by any measure, and a duke has proposed—but before marriage, she longs for one last adventure.
No gentleman would agree to her scandalous plan—but Lord Jeremy Roden is no gentleman. He offers a wager. If she wins a billiards game, he’ll provide the breeches.
If he wins…she is his, for one wild night.
But what happens when Jeremy realizes that one night will never be enough? In the most important battle of his life, he’ll have to convince Betsy to say no to the duke.
My thoughts:
I've so enjoyed the first four books in the Wildes of Lindow Castle series, becoming more invested in this family with each book published. Each featured couple brings something unique and special to the series but Betsy and Jeremy just may be my favorites. I adored these two!
In this book, James has created two characters with an enormous amount of emotional baggage. Both Betsy and Jeremy have been impacted by events from their past. In Betsy's case, it's the actions of her mother, a woman who abandoned her family for a lover, by whom Betsy is now (unfairly) judged, that have shaped Betsy's actions in society. For Jeremy, who lost all of his men on the battlefield, survivor's guilt is a daily struggle. Both carefully control what they allow others to see and, consequently, very few really know them. Only with one another do they eventually let those masks slip and once they do...let the fun begin!
I couldn't turn the pages of this book quickly enough but then, once I had finished, I returned to the beginning and read it again, this time slowly savoring each delicious word. The banter between Jeremy and Betsy is fast, fun, and plentiful, and the intimate scenes are filled with emotion and heat. The rawness of Jeremy's anguish is so vivid as is the PTSD he battles but the fears Betsy has dealt with most of her life are no less real. All of that is dealt with head-on but James infuses plenty of sass, humor, and passion to keep the story from becoming dark or angst-ridden. And romance. The declarations between these two are so deeply romantic, I defy anyone to not sigh with sheer, heart-tugging delight. I sure did.
I can't wait to find out what Eloisa James has in store for the Wilde family next!
Are you reading this series?
Do you have a favorite Wilde couple?
In this book, James has created two characters with an enormous amount of emotional baggage. Both Betsy and Jeremy have been impacted by events from their past. In Betsy's case, it's the actions of her mother, a woman who abandoned her family for a lover, by whom Betsy is now (unfairly) judged, that have shaped Betsy's actions in society. For Jeremy, who lost all of his men on the battlefield, survivor's guilt is a daily struggle. Both carefully control what they allow others to see and, consequently, very few really know them. Only with one another do they eventually let those masks slip and once they do...let the fun begin!
I couldn't turn the pages of this book quickly enough but then, once I had finished, I returned to the beginning and read it again, this time slowly savoring each delicious word. The banter between Jeremy and Betsy is fast, fun, and plentiful, and the intimate scenes are filled with emotion and heat. The rawness of Jeremy's anguish is so vivid as is the PTSD he battles but the fears Betsy has dealt with most of her life are no less real. All of that is dealt with head-on but James infuses plenty of sass, humor, and passion to keep the story from becoming dark or angst-ridden. And romance. The declarations between these two are so deeply romantic, I defy anyone to not sigh with sheer, heart-tugging delight. I sure did.
I can't wait to find out what Eloisa James has in store for the Wilde family next!
Are you reading this series?
Do you have a favorite Wilde couple?
One randomly chosen person posting a comment before 11:00 PM, June 26 will receive a print copy of Say No to the Duke. (U.S. only)
Excerpt
Say No to the Duke
Say No to the Duke
They moved toward each other as if they were following the steps of a very slow, very grand country dance. One that was danced by kings and queens and countryfolk alike.
When they were beside each other, she squared her shoulders and met his eyes. “I decided to come to you. I hope that is all right.”
“I do believe that you are the bravest woman I’ve ever met,” he replied.
He couldn’t have said anything better; Betsy felt herself begin to glow. “I haven’t been brave to this point, but I have made up my mind to change. I outlawed being nervous, but now I need to outlaw being afraid.” She hesitated. “I have chosen courage, and now I choose happiness.”
“I love you as you are,” he whispered, and then his mouth came down on hers.
Her breath caught in her throat because their tongues met as if they kissed every day, every night. He tasted right, which sent a shiver through her whole body, and pushed her against him gently, the way a pebble might roll up a beach when the tide comes in.
One doesn’t fight the tide.
~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
