Title: Four Night with the Duke
Series: Desperate Duchesses by the Numbers bk 2
Author: Eloisa James
Genre: Historical Romance
Blurb:
As a young girl, Emilia Gwendolyn Carrington told the annoying future Duke of Pindar that she would marry any man in the world before him—so years later she is horrified to realize that she has nowhere else to turn.
Evander Septimus Brody has his own reasons for agreeing to Mia’s audacious proposal, but there’s one thing he won’t give his inconvenient wife: himself.
Instead, he offers Mia a devil’s bargain…he will spend four nights a year with her. Four nights, and nothing more. And those only when she begs for them.
Which Mia will never do.
Now Vander faces the most crucial challenge of his life: he must seduce his own wife in order to win her heart—and no matter what it takes, this is the one battle he can’t afford to lose.
This is my second book of Eloisa James and I now can confirm that she is an author I would very much like to hear more from. I loved this book, especially the heroine.
Emilia Carrington, when she was a young girl, had the misfortune of learning that the boy she was in love with, was nothing more than an insensitive toad.
Years later, after claiming that she would never marry him, even if he was the last man in England, she finds herself, asking him to marry her.
Evander Brody cannot believe that this little scrap of a girl dared to propose marriage to him, a Duke. After he refused her, she pulled out the big guns which, if exposed, would revoke his title.
Vainly thinking that this is some pay back for what happened all these years ago, Vander tries to shock her enough to back out of this foolish idea.
When that did not work, he thought he would deny her what she wants, and only allows her four nights a year to go to bed with him and only if she begs for it.
Outraged by his words, but knowing that she would never claim any of those nights. She just has to remember who she is doing all this for. Besides, it’s not as if they will be married for long. Things don’t go as plan when Vander makes it very clear that they will stay married and that she must give him an heir.
Outraged by his demands, Emilia tries everything in her power to change his mind, even telling him of her frown upon profession. When Vander showed that he did not care, Emilia was at a lost at what to do.
Would the unexpected heat that Vander feel for his wife threaten to make him want more than four night a year? Would the love that Emilia thought dead, rise again? Would Vander ever get over his enormous ego? Find out in the eight installment of the Desperate Duchess Series, Four Nights with the Duke.
Eloisa James has done it again. She blew me away with an amazing story that had me on edge. I liked how she portrayed her main characters and I was quite frankly not really interested in the villain in this story.
Even though Vander was a big fool, he is weak to love. After seeing his mother parade her lover in front of the ton, dishonoring her vows to his father, (even though his father was stark, raving mad). When he started to have feelings for his unlikely wife, his only way to combat these feelings, was to lash out whenever the feeling overwhelmed him.
Or course this made Emilia feel horrid, since all her life, she has been made fun of for developing faster than other girls. She made it a habit to dress in such a way to hide her curves, but all that did was make her look frumpy looking. Any compliment that Vander said to her, she thought that he was mocking her and would become hurt and retreat into herself.
I shake my head at the obvious flaw in their marriage. They do not communicate at all. They make their own assumptions on things and believe that it is so and act on it. The one who is most to blame for this is Vander and his huge ego.
I love how Emilia had the power to send Vander away, even though she loves him. It showed a tremendous strength within her, since even though she loved him, he threw her away like mouldy bread. Wondering about that part, you HAVE to read the book to find out.
Thoughts: Men can be so full of themselves.
Grade: B+
