Reviews for Desperate Duchesses

The average rating for Desperate Duchesses based on 2 reviews is 2 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-07-26 00:00:00 Phil Bergen despite the gorgeous stepback, this book wasn't a success for me this is definitely the most unique historical i've ever read so it kind of pains me to rate it low... but i just don't think it accomplished what it set out to do. the story is told from multiple POVs and has sort of a Gossip Girl meets Pride and Prejudice feel. you've got a wise duchess who has been neglected by her husband, taking in a distant cousin who is looking to marry a sensible man. and then you've got the many men in their lives: the brother, the husband, the fiancé, the lover. set in the 1700s with LOTS of chess playing and overall machinations, the story sets itself up to be interesting. and in some ways it was... it just wasn't successful as a romance. really my biggest complaint was the lack of payoff. you've got 2 separate relationships you think are going to happen. one never does and is never suitably resolved. and the other... was lame? there was lots of lackluster canoodling and sex but never anything to get us invested in the relationship. ultimately i just don't think this book knew what it wanted to be. i appreciate what eloisa james does in the historical space. i think she focuses on time periods that aren't usually focused upon and i think she writes pretty sophisticated non rom-com stuff. this just didn't hit the mark.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-05-24 00:00:00 Christie Chase I'm not sure about this one. It wasn't unreadable, but it is definitely not one of my favorite Elosia James novels. There are too many points of view, and too many different story lines going on at the same time. I didn't feel connected to any of them in particular. I guess this story is about Roberta and Damon, but I couldn't really muster up enough emotion to care. Roberta was a bit of an idiot, but I probably could have forgiven her of that if she had been crazy about Damon's son, Teddy. I understand not all women immediately love children. Hell, I couldn't stand kids until I had my own. Believe me, I get it. Still, I was surprised that there was never really a 'his child has captured my heart!' moment that I assumed would happen. She just seemed to become less repulsed by him as time went by. It was especially strange because Damon was such a wonderful father. He seemed to love Teddy with every fiber of his being, so why would he want some woman who didn't really seem to like his kid? Even beyond that, I couldn't see what the attraction to Roberta was for Damon. However, I did enjoy When the Duke Returns, and I would like to find out who Teddy's mother is, so I doubt that this is the last of Desperate Duchesses series that I'll read.