A charming addition to the series. Jemma and Elijah finally have their book! Married for several years, estranged for most of them, Jemma returns to her politician husband when he asks her for an heir. Despite the pain his long ago affair caused her, she's determined for them to mend fences, but when she discovers herself falling in love with him again, she fears for her heart.

Sweet and definitely sexy - recommended. ( )

This is the fifth book in the Desperate Duchesses series and I haven't read any of the previous books. I haven't read many books by James (only 2) but I really must go find some of her backlist because I enjoyed this book. This is a troubled marriage plot which is one of my favorites. As the story begins Jemma and Elijah are reunited after a 9 year separation after she catches him in the act with his mistress. Now he wants an heir and Jemma has reluctantly returned from Paris to do her "duty". The beginning of the book felt like I had jumped into the middle of the story so I have a feeling I should have read the previous books, but I did enjoy the story anyway. There is lots of sexual tension and the plot involves chess (Jemma & Elijah are both chess masters) and some issues with Elijah's heart condition which was all expertly handled in both pacing and dialogue. A thoroughly enjoyable book. A secondary character, the Duke of Villiers, has an interesting storyline involving his illegitimate children and I look forward to his book, A Duke of Her Own, which was recently released. I'm also intrigued enough to checkout the previous books in this series. (Grade: B) ( )

is Duchess of Mine' reminded me why I gave up on most romance novels. It reads as though it were outlined long ago when the series was conceived and then written quickly at a much later date.

It begins in media res - which works only if one has been reading the series. I haven't. James could easily have written a prologue catching up new readers - and perhaps she would have kept them.

The story doesn't go anywhere much, just fills the pages. Jemma and Elijah, the Duke and Duchess of Beaumont, have decided to have sex after a nine year hiatus, and James attempts to make them (and the reader) anticipate the event for a long boring while. Elijah has a fatal heart condition, but the reader who knows James knows that he may Just Manage To Live, so the suspense generated by this is limited.

This felt like the prelude to a far more interesting story - Villiers is a much more compelling character - and I sincerely hope that James takes the time to frame his story in a way that new readers can catch up. Someone will have to kindly drop me a note and tell me how things go, because I won't be taking this path in the future. ( )

Elijah and Jemma, the Duke and Duchess of Beaumont, were estranged for many years, but now they are back together and determined to make an heir before his bad heart fails him. But there are many things standing between them, including their past mistakes, his crusading spirit, the Duke of Villiers, and various chess games. Can they heal their hearts, both metaphorically and literally?

Another affecting, sexy romance from Eloisa James. ( )

This Duchess of Mine is the fifth installment in Eloisa James' Desperate Duchesses series. When I read book one I was wondering where this relationship could possibly go. Elijah and Jemma seemed so far apart but over the next three books they came closer together. I thought some of Jemma's fears about where she stood with Elijah were tied up too quickly. In some ways the book was a little morbid, but I was pulling for the couple and enjoyed the read. ( )