Review & Giveaway - - Not That Duke

Not That Duke

by Eloisa James

Publisher: Avon

Release Date: July 25, 2023

Reviewed by Santa

Bespeckled and freckled, Lady Stella Corsham at least has a dowry that has attracted a crowd of fortune-hunting suitors—which definitely doesn’t include the sinfully handsome Silvester Parnell, Duke of Huntington, who laughingly calls her “Specs” as he chases after elegant rivals.

And then—

The worst happens. Marriage.

To the duke. To a man marrying her for all the wrong reasons.

How can Silvester possibly convince Stella that he’s fallen in love with the quirky woman he married?

Santa says:

I’m back with an exciting review of Eloisa James’ latest book, Not That Duke. This five star read was a triumph! I fell in love with Silvester and Stella from the very first pages. It's a slow burn romance of friends to lovers. But that trope over simplifies how these two people fall in love - and kind of out of love - on Stella’s part while our hero is in hot pursuit of this year’s original, Lady Yasmin who we met in the previous book in this series, The Reluctant Countess. 

Silvester believes in love and fancies himself in love with Lady Yasmin. He decides to court her. It’s what any steadfast Duke would do. She’s a safe bet. Not one to call attention to herself in Silvester’s eyes, her beauty speaks for itself. And that should be enough, right? 

Stella for all her intellect and forthright opinions struggles to not knock over everything in sight. In her eyes, she is the exact opposite of Yasmin. She’s ‘sturdy’ and freckled. She sees Silvester and Yasmin as a golden couple. 

Stella is a not too reluctant wallflower. It’s safe there against the wall. No chance of knocking into someone, spilling something or trodding on anyone’s feet on the dance floor. But when disaster strikes Silvester is right there ready to help her along. 

However, his teasing and alleged barbs - fed to her by a particularly vicious cat of the ton, Lady Lydia - hurt Stella as she has been half in love with him for quite some time. She tries to hate him and rebuffs his attempts at befriending her but they reach a tentative friendship over their daily games of chess. 

Over time, Silvester’s feelings change. He finds himself lustfully attracted to Stella. He is desperate to have her in his life and in his bed. And not necessarily in that order. He proposes to Stella in the most unromantic way. Stella wants someone to be in love with her and she feels that Silvester is still in love with Yasmin.

They marry much to Stella's chagrin. But as time goes by Silvester realizes that he was only in love with the idea of Yasmin who turns out to be in love with his best friend, Giles.

Can Silvester convince Stella that he really does love her? It takes the concerted efforts of Silvester’s unconventional mother, the dowager duchess, and Stella’s aunt, with just a bit of groveling at the end. 

Once again, it’s time to run and devour another Eloisa James novel. I guarantee you will be as delighted as I was. Be prepared to laugh out loud, to sigh with joy and you may even shed a tear or two!

PJ here. I hope you enjoy this book as much as Santa and I did. It really is a treasure.

What's the last book that made you shed a tear, sigh with joy, and laugh out loud?

One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, July 29 will receive a print copy of Not That Duke.

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

Review - - The Reluctant Countess

The Reluctant Countess

by Eloisa James

A Would-Be Wallflowers Novel

Publisher: Avon

Release Date: November 29, 2022

Reviewed by PJ

Giles Renwick, Earl of Lilford, has never made a fool of himself over a woman—until he meets Lady Yasmin Régnier. Yasmin is ineligible for his attentions in every way: not as a wife, certainly not as a mistress (she is a lady!), nor even as a friend, since they vehemently dislike each other.  Her gowns are too low, and her skirts are dampened to cling to admittedly lovely thighs. She loves to gossip—and giggle. 

She isn’t dignified, or polite, or even truly British, given that her father’s French ancestry clearly predominated. Not to mention the fact that her mother had been one of Napoleon’s mistresses, a fact she makes no effort to hide.

So what—in heaven’s name—possesses him to propose?

And what will he do if she says yes?

PJ's Thoughts:

James brings witty banter, emotional depth, well-developed characters and superb writing to this newest novel in her Would-Be Wallflowers series. 

Yasmin turned out to be a heroine who won both my affection and support. I enjoyed her determination to be true to herself and admired her ability to continue moving forward in the face of much negativity. Each time she was confronted by those who looked down upon her, she chose to smile in response to their pettiness, to choose kindness as a counterbalance to their cruelty. Needless to say, I was in her corner cheering her on the entire way. I loved her relationship with her English grandfather (one of my favorite secondary characters) as well as her best friend, Cleo (heroine of How to Be a Wallflower). 

Giles was a harder sell. He's a product of his class, as well as his family and that's reflected in his attitude toward Yasmin. While he desires her, and comes to begrudgingly admire her, he views her as inappropriate, not worthy of being his countess even though she is a lady. That's not a deal breaker for me as James uses it to create conflict and give his character an opportunity to evolve. My issues with him occur when - in my opinion - he crosses the line in holding her responsible for the actions of others (her very visual response is pure gold). Kudos to the author for crafting this story - and character - in a way that allowed me to be happy for the HEA he and Yasmin ultimately share because halfway through I wasn't sure that was possible. Because of his apologetic accountability for the way he had previously behaved, because I believed he was truly repentant and had grown into a man worthy of Yasmin, and because he finally put her first, I was able to happily celebrate their love. 

If you like historical romance with wit, humor, well-developed characters, hard-won happy endings, a wonderful supporting cast, plus a self-centered, despicable (female) villain, give this book a go. I enjoyed it.  

Cover Reveal and Giveaway - - The Reluctant Countess

The Reluctant Countess

by Eloisa James

Publisher: Avon

Release Date: November 2022

Giles Renwick, Earl of Lilford, has never made a fool of himself over a woman—until he meets Lady Yasmin Régnier. Yasmin is ineligible for his attentions in every way: not as a wife, certainly not as a mistress (she is a lady!), nor even as a friend, since they vehemently dislike each other.  Her gowns are too low, and her skirts are dampened to cling to admittedly lovely thighs. She loves to gossip—and giggle. 

She isn’t dignified, or polite, or even truly British, given that her father’s French ancestry clearly predominated. Not to mention the fact that her mother had been one of Napoleon’s mistresses, a fact she makes no effort to hide.

So what—in heaven’s name—possesses him to propose?

And what will he do if she says yes?

Have you read the first book in Eloisa James' new Would-Be Wallflowers series yet? How to be a Wallflower was released March 29th and is garnering rave reviews, including Santa's 5-star review here at The Romance Dish (click to read). 

Today, it's my pleasure to share with you the beautiful cover for book two in the series: The Reluctant Countess. Aren't those colors gorgeous? And just look at Yasmin, our next heroine. She's lovely!

The Reluctant Countess will be released in November but is currently available for pre-order at your favorite online book buying site. 

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Have you read How to be a Wallflower yet?

Do you pre-order books you want to read or wait until publication day to buy?

One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, April 15 will receive a signed, hardback copy of Wilde Child by Eloisa James.

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

*Void where prohibited