Four Nights with the Duke (Desperate Duchesses #8) by Eloisa James

I'll be honest, while I love this story, Vander and the absolutely amazingly wonderful Charlie made this a favorite! I enjoyed Mia, but it's our two leading men who stole the show!

Blurb

As a young girl, Emilia Gwendolyn Carrington told the annoying future Duke of Pindar that she would marry any man in the world before him—so years later she is horrified to realize that she has nowhere else to turn.

Evander Septimus Brody has his own reasons for agreeing to Mia's audacious proposal, but there's one thing he won't give his inconvenient wife: himself.

Instead, he offers Mia a devil's bargain...he will spend four nights a year with her. Four nights, and nothing more. And those only when she begs for them.

Which Mia will never do.

Now Vander faces the most crucial challenge of his life: he must seduce his own wife in order to win her heart—and no matter what it takes, this is the one battle he can't afford to lose

My thoughts...

I adore Historical Romances because I find it hysterical when the women of the era are trying to live within the boundaries "polite" society has set for them, all the while trying to live their lives the way they want to - by being themselves. Four Nights With the Duke is just such a story, and even though there were times I wanted to strangle Mia, I also loved her for her determination to get what she wanted.

Vander's struggle to understand - and cope with - his own feelings toward Mia was fun reading. He's not inclined to operate within societies rules, either, but those rules are not the same for men as they are for women, and create an entirely different set of...obstacles. And watching Vander with Charlie was heartwarming! And funny! Charlie is an absolute hoot and he needs his own story one day.

The bottom line...

Four Nights With the Duke had me sighing, laughing, and even almost shedding some tears. It's steamy, entertaining and, even now, months after reading it, has me smiling as I write this review. Can't ask for more than that!

An ARC was provided by Avon Books via Edelweiss. In appreciation I'm giving them an honest thoughts.