Could she possibly refuse a duke’s hand—in favor of a sardonic, sinful rake?
Lady Betsy Wilde’s first season was triumphant by any measure, and a duke has proposed—but before marriage, she longs for one last adventure.
No gentleman would agree to her scandalous plan—but Lord Jeremy Roden is no gentleman. He offers a wager. If she wins a billiards game, he’ll provide the breeches.
If he wins…she is his, for one wild night.
But what happens when Jeremy realizes that one night will never be enough? In the most important battle of his life, he’ll have to convince Betsy to say no to the duke.
Say No to the Duke
Author: Eloisa James
Series: The Wildes of Lindow Castle
Genre: Adult Historical Romance
Publisher: Avon Books (June 25, 2019)
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Review
Another wonderful installment to a really great series, I absolutely loved Say No to the Duke. I’ll admit I was hoping for more of a woman disguised as a man, mistaken identities hijinks type of book, but what I got instead was so much better.
I love how REAL Betsy and Jeremy are, and the battles they fight within themselves. Betsy especially, as she is the “wildest of the Wildes” and then struggles so hard NOT to be her mother that she just smothers herself in respectability. And then Jeremy’s battles with PTSD and his own self-worth and place in the world is just so amazingly depicted. Their interactions with each other are fire – so much chemistry, and so much of them being so lost in their own self-doubt that neither can see the real truth. UGH, love it.
As usual for a book by Eloisa James, the side characters are some of my favorite parts. The Duchess of Eversly! Oh my gosh! She and her interactions with Aunt Knowe are hilarious. Jeremy’s father is also just – ugh, there are no words. I was so upset when this book ended because I wanted to read more of the Duchess and the Marquess trying to top each other with stories about their childrens’ accomplishments, more of the Duchess and her penchant for pink, more of Jeremy and his relationship with his dad, just MORE of all of it. This is definitely one of those books where you turn the last page, close the book, let out a big dreamy sigh, and then seriously contemplate starting over again at page 1.
This is the fourth book in The Wildes of Lindow Castle series, and while it could technically be read as a stand alone Eloisa writes series that are so complex and interconnected that you’re really best off reading in order. There’s a scene in the third book in the series, Born to be Wilde, that sets up the relationship between Jeremy and Betsy that really is not to be missed. There are also several references to happenings in the first three books in the series that are major spoilers for said books.
Excerpt
They moved toward each other as if they were following the steps of a very slow, very grand country dance. One that was danced by kings and queens and countryfolk alike.
When they were beside each other, she squared her shoulders and met his eyes. “I decided to come to you. I hope that is all right.”
“I do believe that you are the bravest woman I’ve ever met,” he replied.
He couldn’t have said anything better; Betsy felt herself begin to glow. “I haven’t been brave to this point, but I have made up my mind to change. I outlawed being nervous, but now I need to outlaw being afraid.” She hesitated. “I have chosen courage, and now I choose happiness.”
“I love you as you are,” he whispered, and then his mouth came down on hers.
Her breath caught in her throat because their tongues met as if they kissed every day, every night. He tasted right, which sent a shiver through her whole body, and pushed her against him gently, the way a pebble might roll up a beach when the tide comes in.
One doesn’t fight the tide.
Tour Wide Giveaway
To celebrate the release of SAY NO TO THE DUKE by Eloisa James, we’re giving away a paperback copy of Wilde in Love by Eloisa James to one lucky winner!
GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS: Open to US shipping addresses only. One winner will receive a paperback copy of Wilde in Love by Eloisa James. This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR on behalf of Avon Books. Giveaway ends 6/28/2019 @ 11:59pm EST. Avon Books will send the prize to the winner directly. CLICK HERE TO ENTER!
About Eloisa James
ELOISA JAMES is a New York Times best-selling author and professor of English literature who lives with her family in New York, but can sometimes be found in Paris or Italy. She is the mother of two and, in a particularly delicious irony for a romance writer, is married to a genuine Italian knight. Visit her at http://www.eloisajames.com.
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