The Duke I Tempted

Based on the conversations I've had about this book so far, it seems to be a polarizing novel. I was thoroughly spoiled for the ending, so when I got to the 44% mark and realized I'd been trying to read it for a week, I threw in the towel.

There's a lot to like here: Peckham's writing is gorgeous, her botanist heroine is prickly, resourceful, and totally competent, and the set-up of the novel pulled me right in.

It's the darker aspects of the book that turned me off, however, and I think readers will want to know what to expect before starting. A few content warnings: trauma as a reason for masochism, a whipping that some saw as cheating (near end of book), said trauma includes death of a small child at the hands of hero's father, heroine show more has an aggressive stalker-type man in her life. I felt what the hero needed was therapy and something more healing than the heroine's magic vagina. After all, if he had been punishing his body with alcohol or if he had committed suicide, I don't think his actions would be considered "sexy" by readers. (That is a larger conversation.)

The book reads as a gothic Beauty & The Beast retelling with botany and BDSM. If that sounds like your thing? You may very well love it.

Review copy received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

The central characters of The Duke I Tempted, a botanist who chafes against the limited prospects of an unmarried woman in business and a duke suffering from a hidden pain, are both interesting in themselves. The differences between the leads' understandings of what marriage and family mean and what they're getting from their relationship are central to the novel, and Peckham does a good job of illustrating the sources of conflict between them. The author skirts and undermines a lot of the sexist conventions common in historical romance--patronizing, controlling male leads exercising their lordly privileges without criticism, silly submissive heroines, sex shaming--while still paying close attention to the effects of gender and class on show more characters' relationships and understanding of their own power.
The biggest problem with this novel is that it desperately needs a B-plot. Lacking one, it's twice as long as it needs to be and struggles to maintain a sense of conflict in its focus on the romantic arc. The main characters fight a lot and apologize to one another a lot, and it often seems like their fights are rehashing the same themes over and over again, resulting in the apologies feeling less impactful and the whole book blurring together in my memory. Although I found their conflict and romance interesting, their relationship is not complex enough to be the sole focus of the novel, and my interest in it only waned as the book stretched onwards. show less

The Duke I Tempted by Scarlett Peckham
Secrets of Charlotte Street #1

London
Mid 1700’s
Private BDSM club
Keys
More

Different but well done, this romance tells of loss, pain, duty, dreams and desire. Poppy’s desire for freedom from the power men have over women. Archer’s desire and need for a type of release most do not understand. Loss of family that both have experienced. Poppy’s dream of financial independence and a successful business as a botanist. Archer’s duty to provide an heir is the catalyst that sets this story in motion. A marriage of convenience…yes…but with embers that can blow into a conflagration if honest communication is not present.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found both Archer and Poppy to be well show more crafted strong individuals that had personalities, goals and feelings that were amenable to one. The dialogue and behavior of both characters was believable. And, I found I could understand and relate to both Poppy and Archer – I cared for them and wanted them to succeed in their desires and endeavors AND find a way to a HEA. The writing was superb. The club on Charlotte Street as a basis for a series gives leave for much to happen in an interesting historical time period. I look forward to reading the next book in this series to see where this debut author will take us next.

Thank you to NetGalley and NYLA for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars show less

Historical romance set in the mid-eighteenth century between Archer, a duke, and Poppy, a sort-of nearly aristocratic young woman whom his sister hires to design and execute a garden for her ball. The story revolves around secrets Archer is keeping about his past and his sexuality and Poppy's intense desire to remain an independent woman and build a successful nursery business. Each feels their desires for themselves make their desire for one another untenable, and therein lies the tale. I enjoyed this very much; the story is well written and delightfully paced. Archer and Poppy are great characters and their interactions are by turns compelling, intense, and sweet. And the setting and secondary characters are interesting. Recommended.

I think this is the first historical I've read that included any non-vanilla sex and the first BDSM themed romance (modern or historical) in which the dom is a woman. She also did a good job with issues of women's autonomy etc.

Much better book then others I've read lately that were lauded for addressing feminist themes and really didn't (e.g. Evie Dunmore Bringing Down the Duke).

my reading slump was broken by this beautiful and insanely hot piece of art

how did i not read this before? this book is sooo good and just checks all my boxes:
- strong, smart, incredibly sexy heroine
- broken hero
- two dumbasses that love eachother but think they don't
- marriage of convinience
- kinky histrom
- people actually being people, so you can eat chaos and drama with a spoon

absolutely loved it and can't wait to continue with the series! also book 3 is going to be released today (?) and it's about priest or someone like that and it's hella kinky? damn. can't wait!

Poppy is an aspiring botanist/nursery owner who wants the independence to run her business and absolutely no part in romance of any kind. The Duke of Westmead is in the market, as it were, for a bride, but only to produce an heir, as he is determined never to open his heart to anyone and he certainly will never risk revealing his taste for being whipped. So, of course, they're destined for one another.
This one started out strong and I enjoyed the characters very much, but good editing could have shaved off a 100ish pages of the will-they-won't-they bits. It's nice to be teased with the possibility that the heroes won't find each other in the end, but a little of that sort of frustration goes a long way, and there was more than a little show more of it here. show less