DUCHESS BY NIGHT

Author: Eloisa James ISBN: 9780061245572 7/2008 HISTORICAL Publisher: AVON
Time Period: Georgian

A Mischievous Charade . . . Harriet, Duchess of Berrow, is tired of her title and the responsibilities that come along with it. Enough with proper tea parties and elegant balls; what Harriet really wants is to attend an outrageous soiree where she can unleash her wildest whims and desires. But to attend such an event—especially if the event in question is Lord Justinian Strange's rollicking fete, filled with noble rogues and rotters, risqué ladies and illicit lovers—would be certain scandal. That's why she must disguise herself . . . Looking forward to a night of uninhibited pleasure, Lord Strange is shocked to discover that beneath the clothes of a no-good rake is the most beautiful woman in the room. Why is a woman like her risking her reputation at his notorious affair? And can he possibly entice her to stay . . . forever?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

You can always count on Eloisa James to give a good story, and DUCHESS BY NIGHT is no exception. This third book in her Desperate Duchesses series, which began with DESPARATE DUCHESSES followed by AN AFFAIR BEFORE CHRISTMAS, stands well enough on its own that you needn't have read those first two books (like me) to enjoy it.

When romances deal with women masquerading as men or boys, there always seems to be a bit of a struggle as to the believability factor of the storyline for me, and it's no different here. But while I had to look the other way when Harriet tries to pull off her I'm-not-a-woman-I'm-the-man Jem masquerade (and manages to), Strange's character is a whole different can of worms. In fact, both he and his daughter, Eugenia, became the focus of this story for me—Strange, because he was so complex and didn't seem to have a clue as to how much he was hurting the child he loved by the things he did to protect her, and the fact that Eugenia seemed unfazed by her own brilliance and inquisitiveness. It's his enlightenment and metamorphosis that held me fast to this book.

As always, James' prose is exemplary and the story is fast-paced, with the sexual tension between Harriet and Strange—not to mention the sex, when they get to it—magnifique. And while this book does stand very well on its own, I definitely can see an advantage in having read the other two books in this series first, because its obvious that some of the secondary characters appearing in DUCHESS BY NIGHT were the stars of those previous works, and not knowing them or their stories left me feeling just a bit lost.

But overall, DUCHESS BY NIGHT is a winner for Eloisa James and I highly recommend it.

Nancy Davis