Since I have a recent obsession with Eloisa James’ romances, let me tell you a little about James before I jump into a review. James’ real name is Mary Bly, and she’s the daughter of poet Robert Bly. She’s a professor who teaches Shakespeare at Fordham. As Eloisa James she writes historical romances. As Mary Bly, she wrote a wonderful contemporary romance, Lizzie & Dante that was on my favorites list in 2022, and the story of her sabbatical in Paris in Love. Her father’s love of fairy tales is shared, and some of her historical romances use fairy tale tropes.
My Last Duchess was not actually the first in James’ series, The Wildes of Lindon Castle, but it falls first chronologically. Hugo Wilde, the Duke of Lindon, has eight children. He loved his first wife, who died. He divorced his second wife for cheating and leaving him. Now, even his twin sister admits he needs a wife to help him raise those eight children. He doesn’t care about society, but heads to London to find a wife.
Ophelia, Lady Astley, is a widow with a two-year-old daughter. She’s excited about attending her first ball after her mourning period is over. When Hugo Wilde sees her there, he falls instantly in love, and wants her for his duchess. Ophelia is not interested in remarrying, doesn’t want to take on eight children, and has no interest in the rules for being a duchess. Now, Hugo has to convince the love of his life that they were meant to be.
The second half of the book is the novella Storming the Castle. This fairy tale-inspired story is one of the funniest ones I’ve read. After Miss Philippa Damson loses her virginity to her betrothed, she realizes she can’t stand him, and never has liked him. So, she runs away. She hears about a Prussian prince who has a castle nearby, and she applies to be a nursemaid for the new baby. It’s obvious to everyone from the princess to the major-domo, Jonas Berwick, that she’s a lady, but she understands the sick baby’s needs when no one else does. So, she takes care of the baby while she and Jonas (Wick) slowly fall for each other. But, Wick is the prince’s bastard half-brother, and he’s sworn not to marry.
Eloisa James’ stories are spicy, humorous, with wonderful characters. Her women can be short, plump, red-haired, wear glasses, dyslexic, runaways from unhappy marriages, or stuck in lonely marriages. Her heroes can be wounded, needy. But, they overcome obstacles to love each other. My Last Duchess launches the series about the Wilde family. I’m hooked. I have some of her fairy tale stories, some of the Wilde stories, and books to last me for quite some time.
Eloisa James’ website is https://eloisajames.com/
My Last Duchess by Eloisa James. Avon Books, 2020. 418p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I bought a copy of the book.
