Duke of Desire

Elizabeth Hoyt

Oct 2017 · Sold by Grand Central Publishing

About this ebook

An instant USA Today bestseller! A Lady of the Light Refined, kind, and intelligent, Lady Iris Jordan finds herself the unlikely target of a diabolical kidnapping. Her captors are the notoriously evil Lords of Chaos. When one of the masked---and nude!---Lords spirits her away to his carriage, she shoots him . . . only to find she may have been a trifle hasty. A Duke in Deepest Darkness Cynical, scarred, and brooding, Raphael de Chartres, the Duke of Dyemore, has made it his personal mission to infiltrate the Lords of Chaos and destroy them. Rescuing Lady Jordan was never in his plans. But now with the Lords out to kill them both, he has but one choice: marry the lady in order to keep her safe. Caught in a Web of Danger . . . And Desire Much to Raphael's irritation, Iris insists on being the sort of duchess who involves herself in his life---and bed. Soon he's drawn both to her quick wit and her fiery passion. But when Iris discovers that Raphael's past may be even more dangerous than the present, she falters. Is their love strong enough to withstand not only the Lords of Chaos but also Raphael's own demons? Don't miss Elizabeth Hoyt's brand new Greycourt series beginning with Not the Duke's Darling!

Ratings and reviews

"Considering how extremely dull her life had been up until this point, Iris Daniels, Lady Jordan had discovered a quite colorful way to die." FINAL DECISION: Haunting, filled with angst and drama and, of course, intense, deeply emotional passion and love, DUKE OF DESIRE is a worthy final novel in a superlative series. THE STORY: Lady Iris Jordan wants nothing more than a happy marriage and children after enduring a polite but unhappy marriage. Instead, she has found herself captured by the Lords of Chaos (a group of men who engage in sexual assaults on women and children). When one of the masked participants carries her away in his carriage, Iris shoots him only to discover that the man is the Duke of Dyemore, Raphael de Chartres, who claims to be rescuing her. Raphael says that he is attempting to infiltrate the Lords of Chaos in order to destroy them. In order to protect Iris, Raphael insists they must marry. The challenge is that Iris insists on taking their marriage seriously no matter how it starts. But the possibility of happiness is challenged not only by the Lords of Chaos but also by Raphael's own dark past. OPINION: Is there anything better or worse than the final book in a beloved series? I'd like to begin by admitting that the Maiden Lane series has been one of my all time favorite series. I have been immensely impressed with how consistently fantastic the books have been. For me, there hasn't been one book in the series that I would skip in a re-read, and I've re-read all of the books numerous times. But there is always the possibility of the last book failing to live up to expectations. I'm happy to report that this book exceeded my expectations in every category except one. Intense and dark, the book managed to leave me with an overwhelming feeling of joy and hope by its end. There is a real sense that the darkness may not have been completely defeated, but that love is triumphant and will always manage to beat down the tendrils of darkness that might pop up. DUKE OF DESIRE is the final novel in the series and the final book in the "trilogy" concerning the Lords of Chaos. (Although book number nine, SWEETEST SCOUNDREL, also has a connection to the group). The Lords of Chaos have wrecked destruction and pain upon many of the heroes and heroines of the Maiden Lane series and this book brings that story to a final conclusion. Iris Jordan is a widow who readers were introduced to in DUKE OF PLEASURE. What I liked best about Iris is that she is a strong, grounded woman. After enduring a marriage that failed her as a person, Iris realized in DUKE OF PLEASURE that she deserves something more. And if things don't present themselves like a fairytale love story (like being forced into marriage to save herself from the Lords of Chaos), Iris is determined to make her voice heard and demand a life she wants. Raphael has been attracted to Iris from the moment he saw her and when circumstances force their marriage, he thinks he will be able to control Iris and control his feelings for her. But Iris will not be placed in a protective box by Raphael. Instead she challenges him at every turn, breaks down his walls and barriers. Iris will not allow herself to be controlled, but it is clear that her pushing of Raphael comes from a place of caring and a desire for relationship. Raphael is a survivor and a man who, like Val (DUKE OF SIN) and Eve (SWEETEST SCOUNDREL), has been formed by the actions of a hideous father (readers of the series will recognize that Raphael's father was for a time the leader of the Lords of Chaos). All three of these characters have to deal not only with the abuse they suffered, but also from the pain of betrayal of the paternal relationship. This book is the story of the end of the Lords of Chaos, but also the story of how Raphael is brought from the darkness of his past by the determined and steadfast love of Iris. I received an ARC via Netgalley in order to provide a review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

A far different tone and weight than earlier titles in the series, Holt is telling the story of Raphael de Chartres, Duke of Draymore. Scarred, aloof and determined to bring down the Lords of Chaos once and for all, he’s a rather anti-heroic hero, and full of trauma and pain from his past. Believing that the Lords had been disbanded, everyone in society had breathed a sigh of relief until a new leader is chosen, one believed to be more ruthless and unconcerned with society’s censure than ever before. When Lady Iris Jordan discovers she is the target of their next plot, and is hied off to a carriage by a man, the story starts. Unfortunately for Iris, her story almost stalls here, and while she is determined to play a part in Raphael’s investigation, and has agreed to marry him despite his not really wanting a relationship, particularly not with someone who won’t do his bidding, her story and character becomes a sort of window dressing: always there, constant, allowing Raphael’s story and struggle to take center stage. And Raphael’s story is a traumatic one: scarred and closed off from much real emotion BUT anger and his desire to do something major, a childhood of sexual and emotional abuse stalled and hindered his well-being, and his attraction to Iris was like a plant turning to the sun – he wanted it, but at a distance. Unfortunately he was so broken and closed off for so much of the book that interactions (what few there were) that could be considered ‘romantic’ and allow the development of true feelings between Iris and he were few, and lacked much of the quick-fire banter, flintiness and lightness of Hoyt’s previous works. Yes, I understand this is a new character with plenty of baggage and a little black cloud that seems to follow him, but even Iris’ attempts to show him (as telling wasn’t even close to acceptable) that she was in his corner, wanted to be there and he was worth having that didn’t make much of an impression. Sadly, the balance of issues with hope and light was off, and the pacing in the first and second halves of the book were uneven, leaving me with conflicted feelings. Hoyt gave us a character in Raphael who was palpable and developed, with enough issues to warrant empathy and sympathy, but he didn’t move from that aloof and suspicious man until far too late. And Iris never really grabbed me: it would take a strong and determined woman, one not afraid of conflict and willing to push, prod and insert herself, challenging his reserve and remove – and she never quite hit those marks. An interesting installment that diverges greatly from others in the series, and works well on its own as none of the other characters from this world of Maiden Lane appear or move their own earlier stories forward in this one. The highlight for me in this book was Raphael and his own struggles with a past and present that were not the easiest, and his determination to move on, if not exactly forward. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Iris Daniels, the Lady Jordan has found herself in a rather interesting predicament and she believes she is going to die. Imagine her surprise when one of the masked and nude Lords of Chaos removes her from the situation. When the man throws Iris into his carriage she finds a guns and ends up shooting him. What she didn't realize was that the man was Raphael de Chartres, the Duke of Dyemore and he was actually trying to rescue her. From there the fun begins! Raphael is trying to bring down the Lords of Chaos for personal reasons but he also wants to protect Iris. He decides that in order to protect her, they must marry! Iris, being a widow would rather remarry for love but Raphael convinces her it is for the best. Iris accepts but wants a real marriage along with marital relations. Too bad Raphael is against that. It was hysterical when Iris kept trying to seduce Raphael. Love a girl who knows what she wants! While Iris is trying to put herself into Raphael's life, he is trying protect her and bring down the Lords of Chaos. It was so enjoyable watching these two start to become more meaningful to each other. When Iris starts pushing harder, she realizes that there are some ugly things from Raphael's past. Only the power of love could really help Raphael escape from his past. It was such an emotional road for these two to get to their happy ending but is was so worth it! I just have to say....where have I been? This was the first time I have read this author and all I can say is wow! I can't believe there have been 11 other books in this series! These characters are wonderful and perfectly flawed....and their story is beyond wonderful. Plain and simple....read this story!

About the author

Elizabeth Hoyt is the New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty-three lush historical romances, including the Maiden Lane series. Publishers Weekly has called her writing "mesmerizing" and in 2018 she received the RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award for Historical Romance. She also pens deliciously fun contemporary romances under the name Julia Harper. Elizabeth lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with three untrained dogs, a garden in constant need of weeding, and the long-suffering Mr. Hoyt.

The winters in Minnesota have been known to be long and cold and Elizabeth is always thrilled to receive reader mail. You can write to her at PO Box 19495, Minneapolis, MN 55419 or email her at [e-mail].