The Duke is Mine by Eloisa James

Title: The Duke is Mine

Series: Fairy Tales #3

Author: Eloisa James

Genre: Historical, Regency

Tarquin, the powerful Duke of Sconce, knows perfectly well that the decorous and fashionably slender Georgiana Lytton will make him a proper duchess. So why can’t he stop thinking about her twin sister, the curvy, headstrong, and altogether unconventional Olivia? Not only is Olivia betrothed to another man, but their improper, albeit intoxicating, flirtation makes her unsuitability all the more clear. 

Determined to make a perfect match, he methodically cuts Olivia from his thoughts, allowing logic and duty to triumph over passion…Until, in his darkest hour, Tarquin begins to question whether perfection has anything to do with love. 

To win Olivia’s hand he would have to give up all the beliefs he holds most dear, and surrender heart, body and soul…

Unless it’s already too late.

I haven’t read the first two books in this series, although I know the second one, When Beauty Tamed the Beast, comes highly recommended. And though I had every intention of reading the other books before, after this one I’m definitely hesitant.

It’s very difficult for me to dislike a hero or a heroine. I love flawed characters, people who are more complex than the typical goody-two-shoes. But my main issue with this book stems from the fact that Olivia, the supposed heroine, is unlikable due to the way she treats her fiance, Rupert, the Duke of Canterwick (a man who has obvious mental issues). No, let me amend that–it’s not just how poorly she treats him, but also how after he goes off to the war to win glory for England, suddenly history of the first part is rewritten and in fact it’s as if she’d been his best friend all along. There are mentions of how kind she was to him, and of what a dear friend she was, when in the beginning of the book she constantly made fun of him in her sister’s company. I can understand that she didn’t want to marry him and was only doing so as part of an arranged marriage brought on by her father and Rupert’s father, but the fact remains that her cruel comments later followed by statements of how nice she’d always been to him really ruined her character–and this book–for me.

If those issues had been different, I probably would have given The Duke is Mine a B- (due to plot contrivances at the end of the book I felt were forced, as well as a major lust-suddenly-turning-into-love relationship). However, because of these issues with the heroine I could not enjoy the rest of the book and had to force myself to finish. Not recommended.

Grade: D-