Today’s theme is #TBT – Longstanding Queens of Historical Romance! Be sure to check out the posts on Julia Quinn & Lisa Kleypas too!
Whether it’s the Essexes, Desperate Duchesses, Wildes or any other of her darling characters, all of Eloisa James’ characters have a special verve and vibrancy about them.
They jump off the page, fiercely intelligent and brightly ebullient, and very relatable despite ostensibly being alive 200+ years ago.
I adore all of her books, and I’ve especially enjoyed the latest series The Wildes of Lindow Castle, which has a modern celebrity vibe which the famous Wildes have to contend with.
Her May release, SAY YES TO THE DUKE, featured a wallflower, and her upcoming (October) title, MY LAST DUCHESS, is a prequel focused on the Duke and Duchess of Lindow.
I’m looking forward to MLD, but since I’ve read and loved SAY YES TO THE DUKE I’ll focus on that. (Makes sense, yes?)
Viola Astley has always felt out of place in her stepfamily, the wild and boisterous Wildes. She know she has to marry, and sets her sights on a local vicar who is, unfortunately, already engaged to a rigid, humorless social climber.
Meanwhile, she meets the Duke of Wynter, who first sets his sights on her stepsister—until he meets Viola and immediately realizes she’s the one for him.
The duke, who has never had to fight for anything, has to fight for Viola, and convince her the vicar is not for her. As painfully shy Viola navigates her relationship with the determined duke, the two are continually re-evaluating their measure of the other, and watching their devotion to one another shift and deepen is completely satisfying.
Viola is a quieter character than the Wildes, and this in many ways, is a quieter book, all to good effect, given the characters and the way their courtship progresses.
All of the books in this series are unique, but this one is a bit more different than the rest, in good and appropriate ways. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I love everything she writes.
If you’re already a fan of EJ, then you’ve probably read this. If you haven’t read her yet, then this series might be a good place to start, though you probably want to read them in order. They begin with WILDE IN LOVE.
(Having said that, a few of her series launch titles are currently $1.99 – you can find them on her Amazon page.)
Find the books:
Eloisa James @Amazon https://amzn.to/33AXaYO
Wildes of Lindow @Amazon https://amzn.to/2E3jKB6
SAY YES TO THE DUKE
A shy wallflower meets her dream man–or does she?–in the next book in New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James’ Wildes of Lindow series.
Miss Viola Astley is so painfully shy that she’s horrified by the mere idea of dancing with a stranger; her upcoming London debut feels like a nightmare.
So she’s overjoyed to meet handsome, quiet vicar with no interest in polite society — but just when she catches his attention, her reputation is compromised by a duke.
Devin Lucas Augustus Elstan, Duke of Wynter, will stop at nothing to marry Viola, including marrying a woman whom he believes to be in love with another man.
A vicar, no less.
Devin knows he’s no saint, but he’s used to conquest, and he’s determined to win Viola’s heart.
Viola has already said Yes to his proposal, but now he wants her unruly heart…and he won’t accept No for an answer.
Happy reading!
(This review is part of Read-A-Romance Month. Hope you’ll come back every day to check out my book recommendations. You can find the calendar here. Also check out The Romance of Reading, a Facebook “book club” where we’ll have great authors guest hosting every week.)
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Enjoy!