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A review by janellsutherland
The Duke of Dark Desires by Miranda Neville
4.0
I love a good woman-in-disguise novel. Jeanne, aka Jane, is a member of a French nobility family that was killed in the Revolution. She has vowed to track down the man responsible for their betrayal and then kill him. I was impressed with her singular focus and her commitment to murder. She wasn’t just out for revenge, which could be carried out in some vague way to be determined later. No, she has a knife and she plans to use it, once she finds the right man.
Julian is a rebellious man who recently inherited a dukedom after the death of a distant cousin. Even more recently, he’s inherited the care of his three stepsisters, because his mother has decided to go off to America with her new husband for a year or two. He’s got a wonderful sarcastic with and absolutely no desire to interact with his sisters, so he hires a governess.
Jane knows that someone in Julian’s family is her intended victim. She gets the governess job because, well, Julian wants her for his mistress. He barely interviews her for her credentials and experience, hires her, and eagerly awaits her eventual surrender. He hasn’t got much else going on, except for figuring out how to get some paintings into England.
The paintings are a big deal. This is the fourth book in a series, and sadly I haven’t read the previous three. I’m not sure if Julian’s exploits in France were detailed in prior books, but I believe art is a common thread throughout the series. Basically, Julian was involved in rescuing a family from France. Someone betrayed him, and he didn’t get the family out. But he did end up with their large and valuable art collection. Now he needs to get the paintings into England.
While Jane is busy trying to discover Julian’s ancestor, and Julian is busy trying to move some paintings, they settle into a surprisingly domestic routine. Jane reports to Julian every evening to discuss her three students. While Julian’s main motive is seduction, he finds himself caring about what Jane has to say. She encourages him to develop a closer relationship with his siblings. The letters that the girls write to Julian were a highlight for me, because they displayed each girl’s personality so well, and they were also hilarious. His responses were equally charming.
Luckily for Julian, Jane does not resist him forever, and the payoff is sensuous. They even manage to make use of a chaise lounge that Julian has always fantasized about. Their lust brings them closer, until they realize that — gasp — they have feelings for each other. This is bad news for Jane when she’s got a murderous secret.
This story had charm and wit, two of my favorite things. I’m also a fan of stolen kisses, the Versailles glide, and groveling, so this book hit lots of sweet spots. It’s a great addition to the Woman in Disguise genre.
This review was originally posted on Romance at Random: http://romanceatrandom.com/the-duke-of-dark-desire-by-miranda-neville/
Julian is a rebellious man who recently inherited a dukedom after the death of a distant cousin. Even more recently, he’s inherited the care of his three stepsisters, because his mother has decided to go off to America with her new husband for a year or two. He’s got a wonderful sarcastic with and absolutely no desire to interact with his sisters, so he hires a governess.
Jane knows that someone in Julian’s family is her intended victim. She gets the governess job because, well, Julian wants her for his mistress. He barely interviews her for her credentials and experience, hires her, and eagerly awaits her eventual surrender. He hasn’t got much else going on, except for figuring out how to get some paintings into England.
The paintings are a big deal. This is the fourth book in a series, and sadly I haven’t read the previous three. I’m not sure if Julian’s exploits in France were detailed in prior books, but I believe art is a common thread throughout the series. Basically, Julian was involved in rescuing a family from France. Someone betrayed him, and he didn’t get the family out. But he did end up with their large and valuable art collection. Now he needs to get the paintings into England.
While Jane is busy trying to discover Julian’s ancestor, and Julian is busy trying to move some paintings, they settle into a surprisingly domestic routine. Jane reports to Julian every evening to discuss her three students. While Julian’s main motive is seduction, he finds himself caring about what Jane has to say. She encourages him to develop a closer relationship with his siblings. The letters that the girls write to Julian were a highlight for me, because they displayed each girl’s personality so well, and they were also hilarious. His responses were equally charming.
Luckily for Julian, Jane does not resist him forever, and the payoff is sensuous. They even manage to make use of a chaise lounge that Julian has always fantasized about. Their lust brings them closer, until they realize that — gasp — they have feelings for each other. This is bad news for Jane when she’s got a murderous secret.
This story had charm and wit, two of my favorite things. I’m also a fan of stolen kisses, the Versailles glide, and groveling, so this book hit lots of sweet spots. It’s a great addition to the Woman in Disguise genre.
This review was originally posted on Romance at Random: http://romanceatrandom.com/the-duke-of-dark-desire-by-miranda-neville/