Four Nights with the Duke

Here is a way to do misunderstandings and assumptions well--give the characters such a rich backstory, the reader can't help but think, "Oh, but that's understandable!"

Mia and Vander, by all rights, should loathe each other. After all, her father and his mother were engaged in a long, adulterous affair, and each had to deal with the consequences, personally and socially. But forced together under circumstances partly of their own making, they have to make peace. As husband and wife.

Just reading the cover you'll likely see that this requires a willingness to go along with improbable scenarios. That being said, James did a pretty good job of at least giving some reasoning behind them. I quite liked Vander in the last book, (probably more than that hero tbh) but he ended up having very little in common with his portrayal in this book. You could argue that he was able to be more thoughtful and reasonable when he only greatly admired a woman and that it all flew out the window once his feelings were really involved, (which I still wouldn't like, but you could make a case for it). But he also went from wanting 'true love or nothing' (like his friend's parents have) to being fairly attachment averse... There are show more absolutely plenty of people who have attachment issues and would prefer (at least in theory) the safety of not having their feelings exposed and vulnerable. But usually a person doesn't swing from one extreme to another without some explanation (which this never gave). He became so similar to the last hero that I wonder if it's based on some principle that men are most appealing when they have the emotions of a 12 year old. Selfish, possessive, easily angered, terrible communicators, sex obsessed... Stunted emotional maturity isn't really my cup of tea, but it's the best explanation I can come up with. It certainly leaves ample opportunity for drama! I liked his interactions with the boy, and hers with the horse. show less

Yessssssssss so much great insecurity and angst!!! Even though there is a little bit of love triangle-y stuff that I am not so fond of and the end was a wee bit over the top (though with the theme of the gothic novelist, it can be seen as appropriate). ADORED all the misunderstanding and hurt feelings and insecurity - right up my alley.

Additional thoughts on re-read: I have a hard time imagining being small, making it a strange contrast, in my mind, for the heroine to both be chubby and petite; that didn't feel terribly relatable. But still, I sooooo get the challenges of being a smart, talented, clever, but not conventionally attractive woman, despairing that anyone would want you. I love this book and it is an annual re-read.

Just reading the cover you'll likely see that this requires a willingness to go along with improbable scenarios. That being said, James did a pretty good job of at least giving some reasoning behind them. I quite liked Vander in the last book, (probably more than that hero tbh) but he ended up having very little in common with his portrayal in this book. You could argue that he was able to be more thoughtful and reasonable when he only greatly admired a woman and that it all flew out the window once his feelings were really involved, (which I still wouldn't like, but you could make a case for it). But he also went from wanting 'true love or nothing' (like his friend's parents have) to being fairly attachment averse... There are show more absolutely plenty of people who have attachment issues and would prefer (at least in theory) the safety of not having their feelings exposed and vulnerable. But usually a person doesn't swing from one extreme to another without some explanation (which this never gave). He became so similar to the last hero that I wonder if it's based on some principle that men are most appealing when they have the emotions of a 12 year old. Selfish, possessive, easily angered, terrible communicators, sex obsessed... Stunted emotional maturity isn't really my cup of tea, but it's the best explanation I can come up with. It certainly leaves ample opportunity for drama! I liked his interactions with the boy, and hers with the horse. show less

The book starts when Mia and Vander are fifteen years old. They have an odd connection because her father has been carrying on an affair with his mother, one that is no secret to anyone. Mia has also developed a crush on Vander and has written a truly awful love poem to him. Unfortunately for her, he finds it, and with his friends, makes fun of it in ways that only teenage boys can do. Overhearing what they are saying, Mia is humiliated and tells him that he's the last person she would ever consider marrying.

Flash forward thirteen years, and Mia finds herself having to eat her words. In order to retain guardianship of her orphaned nephew, she has to marry and marry soon. Her fiance stood her up on their wedding day, and she is desperate show more to find a husband. Enter Vander, the last man she wants, but the one she has the means to force into marriage. She succeeds in gaining his agreement, but he has conditions of his own.

I had love-hate feelings for both Vander and Mia. I really liked Mia's independence and determination to do whatever necessary to protect Charlie. She has an excellent career as a romance novelist, is smart, funny, and loving. She also has some serious self esteem issues when it comes to her appearance, seeing herself as fat, plain and unappealing to men. These feelings had been reinforced by the comments of Vander and his friends way back, and she has never really forgiven him for them. For the most part,Vander seems like a decent man. He takes care of his uncle, runs his estate well, and is dedicated to his horses rather than being out wasting time in society. He doesn't play by society's rules, being pretty plain spoken. He's also used to getting his own way, whether it is something to do with his horses or women. But when it comes to Mia, he is a bit of an ass.

When she comes to him with the marriage proposal, he is convinced that she wants the marriage because she is still in love with him. He figures he'll get even with her by denying her what he thinks she wants - his body. He's surprised when she insists she doesn't want him. and really doesn't believe her. But having made his demands plain to her, he finds himself regretting it when he discovers that he is very attracted to her. I was pretty disgusted with his attitude, and how he was constantly making lewd remarks to her, even after she told him to leave her alone. He had been determined never to marry because of his parents' actions, and seeing what "love" caused them to do. With his marriage to Mia, he refuses to allow himself the same kind of obsession he saw in his mother, but he can't stop thinking about her. What made me mad at him was that it mostly seemed to be about sex with him. Once in awhile there would be something else about her, something she said or did, that makes him realize how smart, funny, loving, etc, she is, but then it would go right back to sex. It isn't until near the end, when he nearly loses her, that he realizes that his own actions have driven her away. Then he has to figure out how to show her how he really feels.

Mia also frustrated me on a regular basis. I loved her independent spirit. She doesn't really care about society, as she has never wanted to be part of it. She's made a good life for herself writing popular books. She wasn't particularly happy about her father's affair, but her romantic nature saw how much he and Vander's mother cared for each other. When she becomes the guardian of her nephew, she will do anything she has to in order to keep him out of the hands of his uncle, even marry Vander. I really enjoyed watching her poke holes in his conceit by telling him she had no intention of asking for any of those four nights. I felt bad for the way she thought she was so unattractive, even when Vander made it obvious he was attracted to her. But what really bugged me was the way that every time Vander made advances, she would immediately forget her resolve to resist him and give in to the desire. Her brain would be telling her no, but she ignored it. I really wanted her to make him work for it. She would complain about his lack of respect for her, but she didn't seem to have any respect for herself either.

In spite of it all, they did get closer. Vander did see what a wonderful woman Mia was. He did his best to show her that he found her very desirable. He did come to love her, but he had no idea how to show her. Mia realized that she had never stopped loving Vander, but she didn't think he loved her back. His actions when her former fiance reappeared reinforced those feelings. I liked the ending and seeing how Charlie helped Vander. It was sweet to see Vander finally find a way to speak about his feelings. Charlie's uncle makes a brief reappearance, and I loved Charlie's part in vanquishing him. I loved the epilogue.

I really enjoyed two of the secondary characters. Charlie was adorable. I loved seeing the way that he and Vander connected. Charlie really needed the kind of support that Vander provided. I loved their first meeting and the way that Charlie stood up for himself. He also had a pretty good perspective on life, and I loved seeing his determination to deal with his handicap. The other one I like was Jafeer, the horse. It was so much fun to see tiny Mia do things with the horse that all those big men couldn't manage. show less

This is book two in EJ's Desperate Duchesses by the Numbers series [btw: I'd love to know who came up with this title of the series] and by now I'm sure as to what to expect from this second generation of DD's series and I'm finding myself less and less surprised by the plot, which in itself isn't so bad. I find that I am well entertained by almost every character in these stories. That's a win-win for me. As long as I like the characters, I'm happy to read the book straight through.

We met this duke in the first book of this series, but we get to see what makes him tick in this one.

I loved the opening of this story because it does a wonderful job of introducing us to the two leads as teenagers and to their personalities as such and show more gives us a hint as to who they'll grow into.

The hero was one complex character and even though it took me awhile to get to know him, I knew that he'd turn out to be a decent and good man. Vander's arrogance was off putting at the beginning, but his relationship with Charlie and his complex relationship with Mia made him feel more real, more likeable.

The heroine I liked from the get-go, but at times I just wanted to shake her and give her a talking to. I did love the fact that she was decisive and that she was an authoress, but it's her humanity that attracted me the most to her. Her love and sacrifice for her nephew was palpable and watching her insecurities and struggles through her feelings of love for Vender was very emotional and touching.

And as usual, this author populates her story once more with an array of wonderfully fun and entertaining characters, from Vander’s uncle Chuffy to Jafeer, Vander’s Arabian stallion. And bringing back the Duke of Villiers, Thorn and India was like icing on the cake.

If I had only one word to describe this story, it would be satisfying. I highly recommend it and guarantee you'll have much fun reading it.

Melanie for b2b show less

It's always wonderful to read a historical romance where the heroine is curvy, smart, and very strong of personality, and Mia does not disappoint. I particularly like that her strength is matched in Vander. Delightful!

Advanced reading copy provided by Edelweiss.