Reviews

When the Duke Returns by Eloisa James

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kblackmon's review

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Honestly not sure why I keep reading this series, but here we are. So many damn epilogue babies.

spiringvenus's review

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4.0

I really liked Cosgrove and Isabel! This was a sweet and slow building relationship.

librovert's review against another edition

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4.0

Of the first 4 books, When the Duke Returns comes in as my second favorite after Desperate Duchesses.

Isidore is my favorite lead heroine thus far in the series (though I suspect Jemma might oust her from that position as I continue to her book), she's a fiery Italian with a big heart and some realistic insecurities about her husband of eleven years that she's never met! Simeon has spent those years adventuring in Egypt and picking up some eccentric behaviors (in the mind of the English court at least).

I liked that this was an atypical scenario for romantic fiction. Rather than the love-at-first sight trope, the book focuses more on Isidore and Simeon working each other into the control they each possess over their separate lives.

carriejadud's review

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adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The hero has returned to England from travels in Asia and Africa having adopted a mishmash of practices only partly based in cultural specifically. I didn't love that part and imagine that James would write those bits differently now. To her credit she treats him like the most irritating study-abroad returnee ever.

robynrussell's review

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5.0

Simon made me want to slap him half the time.

fainting_couch's review

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Ok so I liked this starting premise and then very little else lmao. There was no real movement from Simeon on his reductive concept of marriage and I find “discovered eastern mysticism” distinctly uncharming. I like Isidore throughout the books and liked her still here but I can’t say I understand when she fell in love with him she just seemed a little dickmatized lol. Idk I think I would’ve overlooked the character flaws if he had like grown? But it didn’t feel enough to me

anzuk's review

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3.0

I was so curious to see how Isidore and Simeon's story will end up. The previous book gave us a nice peek of how the great explorer came home to fetch his wife. So, of course, my thought was wow a mouth-watering rebel will surely provide the best of entertainment for such a well-mannered lady.

My sincere apologies for letting you know that the story took another twist. And it was not a good one... At least for me it wasn't...

All my dreams of rebels, lion tamers, men that spit in the face of wigs, cravats and hair powder, wild animal sex and maybe a few sparring... they all faded since the first chapters of the book. Well not all... the part with the wigs, cravats and hair powder stayed, but still didn’t make up for the disappointment.

Simeon is such a boring person! BORING BORING BORING!!! He made me want to throw away my damn Kindle in some scenes. And I have to tell you, the whole concept of this poor woman waiting for him for so many years ended up being stupid and not even close to romantic. I respect Eloisa James but WTF?! My feelings may be a bit too harsh, mainly because I had some serious PC problems and I was formatting while reading this. It may not be such a crucial thing for you, but being a graphic designer puts you in some serious shit regarding the amount of programs existing in your system.

Aaanyways, back to our book. At a first glance I thought Simeon was a shy, emotional person. Maybe even melancholic. He is so much more similar to a boy than a man, always obeying his mum, looking down, not fighting for anything. Not to mention that his mum might as well be the most annoying person on this planet. Tsk tsk tsk…

I still can't figure out how Isidore could wait for him for so many years, especially since she didn't have any direct contact with him. And after all that he proves that he doesn't even care and is asking for an annulment. What - the - hell?! So this poor woman ends up old (23 lol exactly my age... makes me feel great about myself) and desperate for some love and affection and she gets the Zen Master of the East. Suicide much?

Read this:

He would center himself in the universe, remember that anger is a force for evil and that the waters of the ages washed against the pebbles of eternity.

Are you serious my dear Simeon? How much time did you spend with Yoda last summer at camp? A bit too much I presume...

The book made up for all this chagrin towards the end. Phenomenal action scenes, a nice twist of events and an amazingly sweet epilogue. Now I ask myself, why wasn’t the story like this since the beginning? It really had potential but everything just flew out the window. Wilson! Fetch my shotgun! We’re going hunting tonight.

Top 5 quotes

#5 Isidore opened her mouth, shut it, opened it again and said: “Pizzle.”
“Right. Well, my pizzle is a pizzalone, in Italian. A big pizzle, Isidore.”

#4 “I have to know that you’re mine, Isidore.”
“I am. According to English law, I am one of your possessions, just like a cow or a privy house.”

#3 A man always has choices. If you tell yourself you have no choice, you lie…you lie in the worst possible manner: because almost always a man who tells himself that he has no choices has already made up his mind to the wrong choice.

#2 If he hadn’t been chasing all over Africa looking for the source of the Blue Nile, we could be utterly bored with each other, like other well-bred English couples.

#1 “There’s been nothing romantic about your marriage.”
“What marriage?”
“Exactly.”