Avon Review + Excerpt: Say No to The Duke by Eloisa James

SAY NO TO THE DUKE
The Wildes of Lindow Castle
Eloisa James
Avon Romance
6/25/19

Could she possibly refuse a duke’s hand—in favor of a sardonic, sinful rake?

Lady Betsy Wilde’s first season was triumphant by any measure, and a duke has proposed—but before marriage, she longs for one last adventure.

No gentleman would agree to her scandalous plan—but Lord Jeremy Roden is no gentleman. He offers a wager. If she wins a billiards game, he’ll provide the breeches.

If he wins…she is his, for one wild night.

But what happens when Jeremy realizes that one night will never be enough? In the most important battle of his life, he’ll have to convince Betsy to say no to the duke.

My Thoughts:

Let me start out that I love The Wildes of Lindow Castle books. They have been fun with the guys, and I liked Lady Betsy. However, I didn't love her. She had the potential to be a lot of fun, but I felt that she was kind of repress. She let her mother's scandal hang over her head, which she felt she had to repress her wild side. Betsy was willing to sacrifice love for safe, and that would have been a terrible idea. However, this how she feels, but when she's around Jeremy, she feels that she can't be control. He brings her wild side to life. I wish there was more of this. 

We see in Say No to the Duke that Betsy has a choice between Thaddeus, and Jeremy. I'm sorry I couldn't really see her with Thaddeus, he's to prim and proper. They would have been ill fitted. After all he love the idea of the persona that she displayed in public. Where Jeremy loved her for who she was. Jeremy is a bit crass in the book. I actually liked him a lot. He wasn't perfect, but he was perfect for Betsy. 

Anyway, Say No to the Duke was a cute read. I wish the wager part was played up a little more. Not a bad read, but the previous books would have to be my favorite. Like I said I like Betsy, and I really like the broken Jeremy. I think he's my favorite in the story. Especially, once he gets his head out of his butt. I still look forward to the next in the series. I wonder how Viola and Joan stories will shape up. Especially Viola. 

Copy provided by Avon 

Excerpt:

They moved toward each other as if they were following the steps of a very slow, very grand country dance. One that was danced by kings and queens and countryfolk alike.

When they were beside each other, she squared her shoulders and met his eyes. “I decided to come to you. I hope that is all right.” 

“I do believe that you are the bravest woman I’ve ever met,” he replied.

He couldn’t have said anything better; Betsy felt herself begin to glow. “I haven’t been brave to this point, but I have made up my mind to change. I outlawed being nervous, but now I need to outlaw being afraid.” She hesitated. “I have chosen courage, and now I choose happiness.”

“I love you as you are,” he whispered, and then his mouth came down on hers.

Her breath caught in her throat because their tongues met as if they kissed every day, every night. He tasted right, which sent a shiver through her whole body, and pushed her against him gently, the way a pebble might roll up a beach when the tide comes in.

One doesn’t fight the tide.

Author Bio:

Eloisa James is a USA Today and New York Times bestselling author and professor of English literature, who lives with her family in New York, but can sometimes be found in Paris or Italy. She is the mother of two and, in a particularly delicious irony for a romance writer, is married to a genuine Italian knight. Visit her at www.eloisajames.com.