Not That Duke

By Eloisa James, Pub Date July 25, 2023

4.5*s. 4 🌶️. Excellent bookish romance with great spice.

Publisher’s Synopsis:

“The Duke of Huntington has no interest in an eccentric redhead who frowns at him over her spectacles…until he realizes that she is the only possible duchess for him.

Bespeckled and freckled, Lady Stella Corsham at least has a dowry that has attracted a crowd of fortune-hunting suitors—which definitely doesn’t include the sinfully handsome Silvester Parnell, Duke of Huntington, who laughingly calls her “Specs” as he chases after elegant rivals.

And then—The worst happens. Marriage.

To the duke. To a man marrying her for all the wrong reasons.

How can Silvester possibly convince Stella that he’s fallen in love with the quirky woman he married? Especially after she laughingly announces that she’s in love—but not with that duke. Not with her husband.

Review:

First of all, yes–of course I loved it. Eloisa James put a lot of herself into this one and I’ve never felt more connected to one of her characters. Short? Check. Curvy? Check. Freckled and bespeckled? Check. Super bookish? I have a book blog. Not sure who would argue with that one, so check. …Secretly lusty? It’s possible.

Second – the publisher’s synopsis leaves so much out. This was such a great, spicy book. Yes, there’s sort of an enemies to lovers situation going on, but it’s more of an enemies to friends to lovers situation.

Stella has been made to feel like a sore thumb of the ton since her debut. With her freckles and spectacles, only her dowry seems to be attracting anyone. However, she’d honestly rather be by herself living next to a bookstore than married to a man who doesn’t care for her in some way as a person. Especially Silvester Harwood, the most eligible bachelor in Britain – and a duke. But she knows that wouldn’t pan out as he seems to be in love with Yasmin, a gorgeous French debutante with easy, infectious smiles.

Silvester is very fond of Yasmin, even though his eccentric mother has set her cap on him marrying the sharp witted and also somewhat eccentric Stella. He truly does not have designs for her, though he does find her to be quite intelligent and good for a conversation. However, when they go for a picnic and Stella falls in the water trying to get help his mother out Silvester is met with Stella’s unexpected curves that have been hidden behind what has previously been deemed fashionable but didn’t even hint at the luscious creature in front of him. This is all completely unbeknownst to Stella.

Silvester and Stella soon become friends with the help of her kitten, Specs, and neither knows the depth of lust they feel for one another. And secretly, Silvester’s thoughts of Stella are less chaste than anyone might expect.

This book gets pretty spicy at times. I gave it four chilis because the scenes were written very well and the fact that Silvester was basically reduced to a primal being in his lust for Stella. This also got me in my chest a few times. I really felt the feelings Stella had regarding not being first for Silvester. Everyone wants to be somebody’s someone, and just because she wasn’t conventional didn’t make her any less deserving of feeling beautiful and loved. She felt inadequate, but she had no idea how untrue that was.

Thanks to Netgalley, Eloisa James, and Avon and Harper Voyager for the advanced copy in exchange for this review.