When the Duke Returns

Isidore, the Duchess of Cosway, has never met her husband, and at 23 years of age, she is getting impatient. In Duchess by Night, she goes to the country’s most scandalous house party because she knows that will lure him back to her. She is tired of being a virgin, of being single, and wants to start a family and feel like a real wife. Her scheme works and Simeon Jermyn, the Duke of Cosway, returns to her side, only to suggest that they annul their marriage. She is clearly not the woman he expects and after spending years learning to calm himself and avoid all temptations, her passionate nature is simply too much for his restraint. Isidore can’t let that annulment happen, not after all her years of waiting and when she likes the show more duke so much, and decides to break through Simeon’s barriers at any cost.

I feel that Eloisa James has hit her stride in this installment of the series. I have moderately liked the two out of three that I have read of the series, but this one was stunning and made me seriously long for the last two stories. I finally felt that the love story here was given the time it deserved. No one changed beyond expectations, the main characters’ interactions sparkled, and I grew even more attached to the secondary characters; Jemma, her husband the Duke of Beaumont, and the Duke of Villiers. They were properly behind the main storyline but I felt that each of their characters has been growing and changing in an impressive manner and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

One quirk that I’ve never come across in romance before is the couple’s lack of experience. Isidore has not slept with or even kissed any other man. Shockingly, neither has Simeon kissed or slept with any woman. The scene in which they both share their first kiss is amazing. It was also a fantastic change of pace to have the characters figuring out what to do in the bedroom. It’s awkward and adorable and best of all, furthers their relationship more than you’d find in most of these books. I liked Simeon better for his lack of rakeish behavior, actually. Romance novel heroes have a reputation. They are men who have experienced all there is, who are experts at the seduction of women. This one? The first time for these two is the epitome of embarrassing. I had to love both of them more after that.

I really have to revise my opinion of these books. If the last two, This Duchess of Mine and A Duke of Her Own live up to the promise in this book, this may become one of my favorite romance series. Simply put, I loved it. I can’t wait to get my hands on the last two of the series.

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Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Dec08

Just how long is ‘too’ long to wait for your man? In times of yore (it’s a historical!) there existed a practice of marriage by proxy. Meaning one member (usually the man) wasn’t actually present at the ceremony but the couple was considered legally wed. Then once the absent member showed up and consummated the marriage, all was normal. Eloisa James uses the concept of a proxy marriage in her latest book, “When the Duke Returns”. Her heroine has waited twelve years for her husband the Duke to return and validate their marriage. Twelve years?!

Isidore is a Duchess…well, kind of…and she’s fed up with waiting for her errant husband to come home to England. Her plan is show more fairly simple. She will feign misbehavior to bring him home and then seduce him. It doesn’t really matter what he looks like, after all he is a Duke. She won’t have any problems seducing him, after all she’s been lauded as a beauty since she first put her hair up. She’ll have her children, do Duchessy things, and then, as far as Isidore is concerned, her husband the Duke can go right back to Africa or wherever. She’ll continue her London life fully invested as a Duchess. See, simple plan. What man doesn’t want to ‘do it’?

Simeon has returned to England to take over his duties as the Duke. His first duty is to take charge of his wife, er…future wife. See, Simeon wants to get to know and develop feelings for his ‘wife’ and then remarry before consummating their union. He has held on to his chastity to stay healthy but he has always dreamed of what his wife would be like. She’ll be quiet, demure, and docile and he’ll have no problems keeping to the philosophy of ‘the Middle Way’…no strong feelings like anger, lust, or fear. When he first catches sight of his ‘wife’, he’s pretty sure he just lost the ‘lust’ part of his ‘Middle Way’. And after only a few meetings, he’s pretty sure that with Isidore, anger and fear won’t be far behind.

I spent quite a bit of time laughing as I read about the titanic struggle between these two. Their verbal exchanges were sharp and scintillating, but it was the author’s revelation of their inner dialogues that explained the most about their motivations and intentions. The plot intensifies as each character figures out what they really want as opposed to what they’d always ‘thought’ they wanted…and why. Very nicely done. There are also several appearances by (mostly) heroines from earlier books who help move the plot along. An evolving secondary romance is just the icing on the cake.

Eloisa James’ historical romances are always a treat to read. The witty wordplay between primary and secondary characters and her wonderfully descriptive period vocabulary draws the reader into the world of her heroes and heroines…and it’s a very fun place to visit. “When The Duke Returns” is another engaging story from one of historical romance’s bigger names. show less

When is a duchess not a duchess? When she was married by proxy at 12, and her world-travelling husband has yet to return 11 years later. He finally shows up, and then the feathers fly. Fun, and funny, one of James's better books (and they're all good).

Eesh, the first half was weak for me, but then large portions of the last half actually became tedious to get through! The heroine was quite daft, more than just being inexperienced or naive. Lots of stuff just seemed off, I think it lacked a sense of believability. Not really one huge absurd thing, but just tons of small things that made me want to raise an eyebrow, like '...really?...'. Also, it didn't have significantly more sex or particularly graphic sex, but the story seemed to revolve around it in a weird way anyway. Like someone kept telling the author 'yeah, yeah, yeah, get to the good part!'. Another story could have twice the sex but if it were interwoven seamlessly with some substance it wouldn't feel nearly as tawdry! This show more felt very much like fan fiction actually. I did like the scene of their first kisses though. show less

Isidore has waited for her husband to return from his travels and to claim her for himself. They were married by proxy when she was 12 and now she wants a husband, and if she has to divorce him to get one she's willing to do just that

The Duke of Cosway is different, his life abroad has taught him a lot, however it's taught him nothing about women, by his choice. Now he doesn't fit in the world of English nobility. He also finds that while his father was rich, he's left a lot of debts and a lot of ruffled feathers, along with a house whose water closets aren't working properly.

I really enjoyed this read, the characters are great fun, though Cosway is almost a time traveller, he's almost modern in his attitude but in other ways he's quite show more behind the times. The characters sparkle and the stories of other people, involved in the series, are quite entertaining.

I'm looking forward to more in this series. show less

I loved reading about these two independent virgins discovering that emotions can't be controlled & love will find a way to conquer all. There is a lot of head butting as these two learn to live with each other.

Poor Isidore is sick & tired of waiting for her husband to come home. They have been married for years and they have never met. She wants to be really MARRIED & start a family so badly she doesn't care if he is damaged, ugly, fat, or lost a limb.....she is just sick of living in limbo. So she tricks him into coming home by going to a wild house party.

Simeon expects a demure little housewife but gets a sexy independent wife instead & is not sure how to handle her. She challenges his emotions & thinking and he doesn't like show more it.....but can't stop thinking about her. He decides to annul their marriage but Isidore has other plans for them. show less

James is brilliant! She writes about people whose wit and intelligence capture your attention. She places them in an era where being naughty is de rigeur -- and if you're a desperate duchess, it's expected. But she also writes about claiming a marriage, building trust, kindling love and igniting passion with such power that readers will believe that with love, anything is possible.
As a child, Lady Isidore was wed by proxy to Simeon Jermyn, the Duke of Cosway. Since then he's been in the Middle East, searching for personal peace. Desperate to be a wife, Isidore writes him, asking him to return and take on the duties of duke and husband.

Simeon's stunned to find his wife surrounded by many men who admire her beauty and wit. He's trained show more his mind
and body to be free of physical needs,
yet the duke finds it hard to ignore his overwhelming desire for his wife. The struggle between his mind and body explodes as jealousy strikes and the
couple begins to learn about one another
and what it means to be given the gift of love. (Avon, Dec., 380 pp., $7.99) show less