Because the hero is an emotionally constipated mathematician duke? Probably.Īnyway, Viola and Devin are predisposed to avoid each other, but when that becomes impossible due to Viola’s machinations in a different quarter, they’re thrown together. So I was pleasantly surprised when I was drawn into Say Yes to the Duke as I was with James’s older books. For me, soft romance doesn’t typically give me a lot of swoons, so I’ve been enjoying but not super excited about this series. The Wildes of Lindow Castle is a pretty soft series, even as James uses it to explore some heavy content (stalking, PTSD, anxiety, etc.). Have you been following Eloisa James’s Wilde family, readers? James writes some good Georgian romance in a vast sea of Regency romance, so it’s a nice change. Overall: I put this book in timeout for a week because I was really worried about the black moment, but I needn’t have been Plot: Shy young lady decides to woo proper vicar away from his terrible fiancée and intrigues the disdainful duke, who is clearly perfect for her, in the process

Agent: Kim Witherspoon, Inkwell Management.Heat Factor: They get married at about 70% and have a ton of really polite sexĬharacter Chemistry: I like the sparring partners thing they have going on. Despite the bungled finale, the couple’s chemistry is undeniable and James’s dialogue is skillful as ever. The relish taken with their early sparring and scintillating courtship sadly disappears in the inevitable third-act misunderstanding, which is sloppily rendered and unbelievable. She overhears him insulting her to his uncle, dismissing her as “not a real Wilde.” Her indignation frees her from her shyness, allowing her to display a biting wit and surprising backbone when she confronts him, leading Devin to fall hard and fast. In the standout scene of Viola and Devin’s first meeting, Devin retreats from the festivities for the library, where Viola has arranged a clandestine meeting with her vicar. Meanwhile, the reclusive Devin Elstan, Duke of Wynter, feels obligated to find a wife and plans to approach Viola’s stepsister at their joint coming out ball. But her crush on her family’s new vicar has her determined to come out of her shell for her first London season. Viola Astley, stepdaughter to Hugo Wilde, Duke of Lindow, is painfully shy in company due partly to her insecurity that she will never measure up to her vivacious stepfamily. James delivers all the banter and sizzle her fans expect in the nuanced fifth Wildes of Lindow Castle Georgian romance (after Say No to the Duke).

Eloisa james say yes to the duke