Duchess by Night

This one is definitely my favorite of the series so far (though I'm still really anxious to get to Jemma and Elijah's story! Am remaining strong, though, and not going to skip poor Isobel). I'm not sure why I didn't realize before reading that Harriet was going to have to dress as a man for an extended period of time--I guess I read "party" in the 21st century sense rather than "Georgian house party" that goes on for days, but oh my goodness am I glad it went on for as long as it did! I'm not sure when the last time I laughed so much while reading was (though I'm sure my daughter could tell you. It annoys her to no end when she's hard at work, playing on the laptop and is constantly interrupted by her mother laughing out loud. She had a show more rough afternoon today, the poor dear--but it was a library book. I had to get through it before its due date came up), but I just couldn't stop myself! The whole bit is amazingly well done, and of course very reminiscent of Twelfth Night--again, I'm always a sucker for Shakespeare-inspired plots...which of course Eloisa James does so well! show less

The thing that I loved most in this third book in EJ's Desperate Duchesses series, is the heroine who decides to attend a house party as a male. The whole concept was intriguing, but once initiated, I laughed throughout the story. Our heroine did her best to appear as male as possible, which in the end she thought was just amazing to do because it gave her a lot of freedom.

I was also impressed with the hero who was Alpha male through and through, yet had a lot of vulnerabilities and when it came to our heroine, at first thinking her a young man, was so dumb founded to be attracted to a "him". Their interaction from the start gave me giggles galore.

Together these two characters were complex, interesting and very entertaining. Their show more attraction, romance and happily ever after was fraught with a lot of problems, and in the end only the strength of their characters and convictions with some compromises, gave them their happy ending.

Once more we encounter characters from the previous books, Roberta and Gryffyn, as well as Duchess of Beaumont, and [sigh] Villiers. At this point, it was like catching up with my old friends.

I just loved the fun in this story and highly recommend it.

Melanie for b2b show less

The third of the Desperate Duchesses stories is a lighthearted, sophisticated yet deeply emotional romp. Harriet, the Duchess of Villiers, dons breeches to try to make it in a man's world, but this traditional plot takes on freshness as James infuses the story with wit and passion.
Tired of her life as a grand duchess, Harriet breaks out to uncover the most scandalous man in England's secret "game." To do this she must become young "Harry Cope" and attends one of Lord Strange's inappropriate house parties, where the ladies aren't ladies and the men are certainly not gentlemen.

Strange offers to teach Harry about life, fencing and women. But the more time he spends with Harry, the more
perplexed he becomes with his unusual attraction to show more the "boy." Harriet is drawn to Strange and longs for his touch, but he's all man, so that's impossible unless she lets him uncover the truth. Once Harry become Harriet again, passion erupts, and a deep relationship ensues, but there are obstacles to overcome, fears to push aside and pride to be buried before love can reign. (Avon, Jul., 380 pp., $7.99) show less

Fun, and as always with Eloisa James, well written. I love that James stays so historically true to her period while still providing strong smart independent woman who are limited by society but keep fighting. I also love how she writes smart and accomplished rakes waiting for strong women to reform them.

This was interesting - Harriet, a widowed duchess, agrees to go to a notorious lord's house with a friend, but in order to fit in, Harriet disguises herself as a man. Delighted with the freedom she has dressed as such, Harriet gives herself over to riding, fencing, and discussions over port. But when the man of the house, Lord Strange, shows an interest in "Harry," as unsettling as it is for Lord Strange, Harriet soon finds herself in a tricky situation...

This was VERY steamy - not for the shy. The characters are intriguing ( both main characters and supporting) and are well-developed. The insight Harriet gains into the differences between rules for women and for men was fascinating both for her and for me as the reader.

Recommended.

Harriet is seeking some excitement, she has had a boring existence up to this point but feels a need to do something. A widow whose husband killed himself over chess she feels inadequate and wants to prove that she isn't boring. So she decides to go to a house party but to pretend that she is male. Because people want to see her as such she gets away with it. Her host teaches her how to ride a horse properly and how to fence and she's enjoying herself hugely. However she's also falling for her host and she's not sure that he doesn't prefer her as a male.

It's pretty light stuff and fairly predictable but I did enjoy it.

Another of James's fun, sexy Georgian romances. Harriet is tired of being a widow. For reasons of friendship, she winds up at one of Lord Strange's disreputable houseparties, disguised as a man. She loves the freedom it gives her. Meanwhile, Lord Strange is trying to figure out why he's so attracted to his new male guest. Hijinks ensue.