When the Duke Returns by Eloisa James
First line: Women have been dressing to entice men ever since Eve fashioned her first fig leaf.
And there you have it. First, a hero and heroine who were married by proxy eleven years prior. Ridiculous? Second, how can a hero, who is all of thirty years, be a virgin? Oh, yes, my friends, this one is a keeper.
The heroine has spent her whole life preparing to be a duchess. When the hero never even came home for their wedding, she found herself waiting. And waiting….and waiting….. Until she finally fed up with waiting, she attends a house party lasting a fortnight that has a terrible reputation. Orgies and such. Tsk tsk.
That brings him home. Of course, had she known….
He, on the other hand, spent the last eleven years studying Eastern practices of center of self, not giving in to baser senses – anger, lust, happiness. When finally he meets his wife, to his grave disappointment she is neither biddable or docile. She’s Italian. Matters do not improve when he seeks out the family seat and finds his father had not paid the most of the bills for years and years, though the Dukedom is thriving monetarily. ( Including the clearing and maintenance of the water closets, uh, sewer system.) Bad, bad, bad.
I’m sure I do not have to tell you, where all the conflicts lie to make this a truly fun book. Thank you Eloisa James. You never cease to amaze in your powers of creativity.
For: Readers who want a to see how the aristocracy handled menial problems normal people have in this day and age. With laughter, shrewdness, personality. A man’s virginity? Too clever, by far. - Kathy Wheeler
