Desperate Duchesses Book

Welcome to a world of reckless sensuality and glittering sophistication . . . of dangerously handsome gentlemen and young ladies longing to gain a title . . . of games played for high stakes, including—on occasion—a lady's virtue.

A marquess's sheltered only daughter, Lady Roberta St. Giles falls in love with a man she glimpses across a crowded ballroom: a duke, a game player of consummate skill, a notorious rakehell who shows no interest in marriage—until he lays eyes on Roberta.

Yet the Earl of Gryffyn knows too well that the price required to gain a coronet is often too high. Damon Reeve, the earl, is determined to protect the exquisite Roberta from chasing after the wrong destiny.

Can Damon entice her into a high-stakes game of his own, even if his heart is likely to be lost in the venture?

Kristin Ramsdell - Library Journal

Despairing that she will never make a suitable match as long as she remains in the country with her poet father, the "Mad Marquess," Lady Roberta St. Giles flees to London seeking the aid of a distant cousin, the Duchess of Beaumont, in bringing her into society and to the attention of the man of her dreams. Delighted with the challenge, the free-spirited Jemma takes Roberta in and, with flamboyant style, launches her beautifully-although not with the romantic results that Roberta had intended. Cryptic poetry, brilliant chess games, and scintillating repartee add zing to this complex tale of misplaced affections, sparring spouses, and dissatisfied nobles. Slightly bawdy, totally unconventional, and thoroughly delightful, James's (Pleasure for Pleasure) Georgian romp is the sparkling debut of a new series that promises to be remarkable. Noted for her smart, witty, Shakespeare-laced historicals, James lives in the New York City area.