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A review by balletbookworm
Say No to the Duke by Eloisa James
4.0
I started reading this as a galley last year and just couldn't get into it. So I put it aside. I'm glad I did because I think it was a case of "it's not the book, it's me" - for whatever reason, it just wasn't grabbing me and since I don't get paid to review, I hit pause.
Since Eloisa's next Wilde installment is due out this month, I picked this back up. I really liked it. The plot is mostly internal, with both Betsy and Jeremy having to deal with some mental stuff before they can truly come together (Betsy, the internalized misogyny that desire means she's going to abandon her family like her mother did; Jeremy, his guilt over the deaths of his men in battle and his ongoing struggle with PTSD). They bicker delightfully, especially at the beginning. There is some external plot that feels shoehorned in to tie-up a plotbunny at the end but that's minimal.
I would definitely like a book for Aunt Knowe (ok, so her first name is Louisa and the family last name is Wilde and she's the duke's twin sister....so if she hadn't ever married (or married a commoner) she would be Lady Louisa or (at a stretch) Lady Wilde, not Aunt or Lady Knowe. Am I missing something??? She's a fun character and there's definitely a story there!!)
Since Eloisa's next Wilde installment is due out this month, I picked this back up. I really liked it. The plot is mostly internal, with both Betsy and Jeremy having to deal with some mental stuff before they can truly come together (Betsy, the internalized misogyny that desire means she's going to abandon her family like her mother did; Jeremy, his guilt over the deaths of his men in battle and his ongoing struggle with PTSD). They bicker delightfully, especially at the beginning. There is some external plot that feels shoehorned in to tie-up a plotbunny at the end but that's minimal.
I would definitely like a book for Aunt Knowe (ok, so her first name is Louisa and the family last name is Wilde and she's the duke's twin sister....so if she hadn't ever married (or married a commoner) she would be Lady Louisa or (at a stretch) Lady Wilde, not Aunt or Lady Knowe. Am I missing something??? She's a fun character and there's definitely a story there!!)