Scan barcode
januaryf's review
3.0
This is the third book in this series that I've read, and I've enjoyed them all. This would be my favourite, as it's always good to see the rogue of another story (or two) finally fall in love. Very satisfying.
inniebin's review
5.0
Heartbreakingly romantic
One of my very favourite historical romance authors, Eloisa James does not disappoint with this heartbreakingly beautiful romance.
There were scenes and feelings in this book that left me feeling raw... Just wishing for Leopold to stop being such an idiot. For Eleonore to just grab him and elope!
Their romantic suspence nearly slayed me. Other times I was laughing and giggling over the scenes.
This book had everything I love and I am on to the next. I could not get enough and I found myself just wishing they had more books. I didn't want it yo end.
5 wonderful star crossed lovers stars from me!
One of my very favourite historical romance authors, Eloisa James does not disappoint with this heartbreakingly beautiful romance.
There were scenes and feelings in this book that left me feeling raw... Just wishing for Leopold to stop being such an idiot. For Eleonore to just grab him and elope!
Their romantic suspence nearly slayed me. Other times I was laughing and giggling over the scenes.
This book had everything I love and I am on to the next. I could not get enough and I found myself just wishing they had more books. I didn't want it yo end.
5 wonderful star crossed lovers stars from me!
balletbookworm's review against another edition
5.0
After the resolution of [book:This Duchess of Mine|5742909], another book just seems like an extra to tie up Villiers's storyline, introduced in [book:An Affair Before Christmas|896595] as a really distracting side-plot with Charlotte Tatlock (whom we never see again, not even in the extra chapter for this book on James's website). Eleanor makes a nice heroine. On the literary tie-in side, the scenes at the orphanage wonderfully echo scenes from Charlotte Bronte and Charles Dickens (the headmistress's name is Minchem, a play on the awful Miss Minchin in Burnett's [book:A Little Princess|3008]. On the minus side for this book, we find out who is the mother of Damon's child (an unresolved plot point from [book:Desperate Duchesses|641455]) and it makes no sense - I had it pegged in one sentence at the beginning of this book and I'm surprised that Damon wasn't forced to marry the girl given her rank (doubly surprised that Eleanor's MOTHER knew about this when even Damon's sister Jemma didn't know).
As a comment on the series as a whole, I'm a bit annoyed that the previous couples from books 1-5 just drop out of the narrative. Villers gets six books to get his act together but not even Gemma and Elijah make much of an appearance here.
Edit:
So, given the above review written right after I had finished, do you think this would be my favorite Eloisa James novel? Me neither, but that's exactly what happened. The story of Villiers and Eleanor is one that I've come back to many times and while I still wish the previous five couples made some appearance it is my very favorite.
As a comment on the series as a whole, I'm a bit annoyed that the previous couples from books 1-5 just drop out of the narrative. Villers gets six books to get his act together but not even Gemma and Elijah make much of an appearance here.
Edit:
So, given the above review written right after I had finished, do you think this would be my favorite Eloisa James novel? Me neither, but that's exactly what happened. The story of Villiers and Eleanor is one that I've come back to many times and while I still wish the previous five couples made some appearance it is my very favorite.
winterreader40's review
4.0
Leopold the Duke of Villiers needs to find a mother for his 6 illegitimate children, someone high in society that can help his kids integrate into high society in spite of their birth. His choice is between the beautiful and intelligent Eleanor or the outspoken, flighty Lisette. He proceeds to spend a few days with both women at Lisette's home because it's next to an orphanage where 2 of his children are supposedly living.
Lisette is definitely off her rocker but Villiers doesn't see it and Eleanor has been burned by love before, both women are interesting for obviously different reasons and Villiers has more personality than I've seen from him so far in this series(keeping in mind I DNF'd book 1 at page 105 because we hadn't spent anytime with the MC's yet)
So far this is the best book from this series for me, the characters were interesting, no one was stupid or incredibly unnecessary and we've run out of side characters/story arc's to distract from the story.
Lisette is definitely off her rocker but Villiers doesn't see it and Eleanor has been burned by love before, both women are interesting for obviously different reasons and Villiers has more personality than I've seen from him so far in this series(keeping in mind I DNF'd book 1 at page 105 because we hadn't spent anytime with the MC's yet)
So far this is the best book from this series for me, the characters were interesting, no one was stupid or incredibly unnecessary and we've run out of side characters/story arc's to distract from the story.
sammishgirl's review
3.0
I really enjoyed the middle third of this book, but I didn't love the beginning and ending.
The beginning felt like it was just pages and pages of Eleanor, her sister, and their mother sniping at each other. It was endless dialogue, without a lot of plot moving forward, or introspection on the part of the main characters.
I never really understood why Eleanor didn't tell Villiers what kind of person Lisette really was. She kept saying if he couldn't figure it out on his own, that was his own fault. It just smacked of "if you don't know why I'm angry, I'm not going to tell you."
But worst of all was
The beginning felt like it was just pages and pages of Eleanor, her sister, and their mother sniping at each other. It was endless dialogue, without a lot of plot moving forward, or introspection on the part of the main characters.
I never really understood why Eleanor didn't tell Villiers what kind of person Lisette really was. She kept saying if he couldn't figure it out on his own, that was his own fault. It just smacked of "if you don't know why I'm angry, I'm not going to tell you."
Spoiler
Also, E. giving her puppy to T. just felt out of left field, and way too abrupt. Not a big deal, but it pulled me out of the story and really bothered me.But worst of all was
Spoiler
V. acting like someone completely other than himself in order to win E. back. It was all very "ending of Grease" of him, and irritating - she fell in love with him as he was, why would she want him to change, and why would he want to??gotobedmouse's review
5.0
I love how this series ended. Everything was tied up in a nice little bow, and they all lived happily ever after.....
seeinghowitgoes's review
4.0
Villiers finally gets his happy ending, in the end he chose a woman who was in love with another man, in such denial about herself and in true Desperate Duchesses style, had a terrible mother.
Deciding to get his life and 6 bastards in order, Villiers has decided to marry, and along the way ends up trying to choose between two women, Eleanor, beautiful and passionate and broken when the man she loved married another woman, and Lisette, more than a little crazy but seemingly with no care about the ton and the implications for the bastards that come with the Duke.
How these women survive these upbringings you have to wonder in this series. As is the case with many romance novels featuring offspring there's a delicate balance between how much they feature, here I wish they had been more prominent considering how important they were in Villiers choice. Eleanor, I really enjoyed as a character! She came off rather limp at the beginning but came into her own towards the end, Lisette was just a nightmare.
This series won't be the same again without the spectre of Villiers floating around all the time. Also, how is everyone in this series a Chess Master, c'mon!
Deciding to get his life and 6 bastards in order, Villiers has decided to marry, and along the way ends up trying to choose between two women, Eleanor, beautiful and passionate and broken when the man she loved married another woman, and Lisette, more than a little crazy but seemingly with no care about the ton and the implications for the bastards that come with the Duke.
How these women survive these upbringings you have to wonder in this series. As is the case with many romance novels featuring offspring there's a delicate balance between how much they feature, here I wish they had been more prominent considering how important they were in Villiers choice. Eleanor, I really enjoyed as a character! She came off rather limp at the beginning but came into her own towards the end, Lisette was just a nightmare.
This series won't be the same again without the spectre of Villiers floating around all the time. Also, how is everyone in this series a Chess Master, c'mon!