Avon Books Say Yes to the Duke: The Wildes of Lindow Castle

Viola Astley, die geliebte Stieftochter des Duke of Lindow, fällt aufgrund ihrer Schüchternheit auf, sei es im familiären Rahmen der außergewöhnlich taffen Wilde- Family oder auf dem sozialen Parkett des Londoner tons. Sie ist sensibel, ehrlich und mitfühlend, so dass ein stiller Priester eigentlich das perfekte Match für sie wäre. Bis sie auf Devin Elstan, den Duke of Wynter trifft: arrogant, kalt und unbeherrscht in der Gesellschaft, doch offen und interessiert an Viola. Es dauert nicht lange bis er beschließt: Sie will er als seine Ehefrau. Und nichts wird ihn daran hindern.Eloisa James gehört zu meinen Lieblingsautoren, denn sie ist eine Meisterin ihres Faches. Bis ins kleinste recherchierte Details zu historischen Gepflogenheiten, Kleidung und Literatur, ein einnehmender Schreibstil, der flockig leicht zu lesen ist und eine zu Herzen gehende Liebesgeschichte mit psychologischen Twists. Viola und Devins Liebe entwickelt sich langsam, doch umso tiefgreifender. Als Ehepaar lernen sie sich selbst und den Anderen kennen und reifen gemeinsam. Sie dabei als Leser zu begleiten ist ein wahres Vergnügen, doch hätte an mancher Stelle dieser Reifung und Liebe durchaus mehr Raum eingeräumt werden können.Meine von Herzen kommende Leseempfehlung an alle Romantiker mit Hang zur frühen Neuzeit (the Gregorian Era) in England.

I believe this is one of the best books Ms James has written recently.Viola is the stepdaughter of a duke, the Duke of Lindow. The Wilde Family has reputations in London and England. Her stepbrothers and stepsisters are considered celebrities. Viola considers herself a liability. She is small, the Wildes are tall. She is shy and gets an upset stomach when put into the public eye. The Wildes live their lives and ignore the public eye.She and, Joan, one of her stepsisters are having their come out. It is a gala event. And Viola has planned to meet a man in secret. The man is a minister, he is beautiful and she can speak to him without wanting to throw up.When she goes into the library, she finds it is not empty. There are two men discussing Joan and Viola. She listens and learns. One of the men is the Duke of Wynter, and the other man is his uncle. The Duke is looking for a bride, and he has decided it will be Joan. Joan is beautiful and vibrant. The uncle recommends Viola. The Duke, Devin, considers her a mouse and not worthy of his consideration.Devin is very wrong.When Viola gets the opportunity, she informs Devin that he is never going to get the chance to court Joan, she will not permit it. She also informs him that he is not the treasure he considers himself.These two people have some of the best conversations I have read in quite some time.When Devin decides that Viola will be his bride, and he will win her, she ignores him, discourages him and generally put him in his place.Devin is not easily discouraged.Viola is a wonderfully tender hearted young woman. She is also strong and powerful. She has a sense of right and wrong and she believes that it is her lot in life to save creatures and sometimes people. To Viola, being the wife of a minister will mean she can do good works and not have to be a celebrity.Devin has lived his entire life with the knowledge he is a duke. His childhood was less than perfect. He did not have the family love and affection that Viola had in her life. He has very little family and that is just fine with him. His main interest is mathematics and he has no desire to become close in any relationship. And Devin never wants anyone’s pity.Viola is beautiful, she makes Devin laugh and she provides an entire new perspective for him. He begins to see the world through Viola’s eyes. And he finds that laughing is not a bad thing.These two people are wonderful characters.The secondary characters in the story add a great deal to the book. The fiancee of Mr Marlowe, the minister, is worth the price of admission. She is someone who is unforgettable and not in a good way.Although this is part of a series, there is no sense of getting lost. All relationships are explained. Past events which are important to this plot are described.I loved this book. I have liked the earlier books in this series, but I loved this book. This is a wonderful series.Ms James always gives me humor and I really appreciate that. She also provides characters who are charming, likable and generally interesting.If you are seeking a story which will make you smile and give you a sense of delight in the happily ever after, this is the book for you.

Just such a good book,for reading on holiday

When I read the blurb for this book, I was worried that Viola would be one of those weak, light headed, swooning heroines who just need a big strong man to come to their rescue all the time. However, Eloisa James made a great job of describing both social anxiety and overcoming it. Viola really holds her own with the help of her best friend and sister. That is also a delightful relationship. The hero starts off as a pompous behind but redeems himself ,again with the help of his future Duchess and his own delightful family. The background to the story is also wonderful, talking of the social issues of the time but without getting too Dickensian. There is an array of secondary characters (both human and pertaining to zoology) that are absolutely remarkable - the pet crow is especially entertaining. What I also found great about this book was that we see a lot of the hero and heroine together. Their marriage happens about two thirds into the book so there is a lot of couple dynamics to witness - and they are a delightful couple with amazing chemistry. All in all, a great read for a post-quarantine month of May. It makes you sigh, it makes you laugh and it makes you feel that there is a lot of beauty and kindness in the world and ultimately, as one of the characters keeps saying "Providence will provide".

as always i love Eloisa James books.