Desperate Duchesses (Desperate Duchesses, #1)

by Eloisa James

Spring 1783 ...Jemma, Duchess of Beaumont, has just returned from Paris and is planning to shock all of London High Society -- not to mention horrify her husband -- with scandalous soirees and a debauched Grand Ball. But irritating her husband comes naturally, and she needs a challenge. When her country cousin Lady Roberta St. Giles asks for help seducing the Duke of Villiers into marriage, Jemma jumps at the chance. She transforms Roberta into the most delicious and desirable woman in town. Then she lures Villiers to the house, ostensibly to play chess. But the plan backfires. Villiers responds enthusiastically to Jemma's challenge and, ignoring her husband, offers her a match -- the third game of which is to be played blindfolded. And in bed. Let the games begin ...

• ISBN10: 0060781939
• ISBN13: 9780060781934
• Publish Date: 29 May 2007
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

Desperate Duchesses was a mess of annoying characters and a boring plot. Roberta's father is a poet with a flair for the dramatic. She's fed up with his hijinks, so she's set on marrying a man who is controlled and won't embarrass her. She sees the perfect man in the Duke of Villiers. Three years later, she moves in with a distant cousin to come out into society and bag her man. Too bad another distant relation is also staying there, and he has his sights set on Roberta.

I liked the set up of Desperate Duchesses, but the characters and the way it plays out was just not good. Roberta meets Villiers once and is convinced that she's in love. Everyone tells her what a rotten person he is, but she won't be swayed. Even when she knows that he's playing a chess game with her "cousin" Jemma where if he wins he gets to be with her. Meanwhile, she's kissing, petting, and sexing Damon every chance she gets but won't even entertain the idea of feelings for him. What?! Of course that means a situation must occur to force her to see him that way. Then suddenly a flip is switched and Villiers doesn't even exist.

There was a side plot in Desperate Duchesses which I thought would be interesting, but ultimately went nowhere. Jemma's friend was mistreated by Villiers, and her husband killed himself because of him, so she wants Jemma's help getting revenge. Jemma also promised to help Roberta get him to propose, so she figures she can kill two birds with one stone. I'm not really sure how that works, since her plan was just to get him to marry Roberta because marriage is awful. Um, okay? What?

Desperate Duchesses was just weird. None of the character's motivations made any kind of sense. The romance was lackluster. The plots were boring. And even more boring was all of the chapters of Jemma and her husband, or Jemma and Villiers playing chess. Or them talking about chess. Not fun.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[stacey_is_sassy]

Loved it!!

I am a huge fan of Eloisa James and this particular series got past me without notice. Luckily I've found it and I am determined to get through them all as quickly as possible.

The first half of the book I was a little confused on who the main characters were. We learnt about a lot of characters and I actually had to log onto Goodreads to read the blurb again to find out who the Hero and Heroine were. Really enjoyed the slow building connection between Damon and Roberta. Damon's seduction and devotion was lovely and his love for his illegitimate son very sweet.

The other couple who I originally thought the book might be about was the Duke and Duchess of Beaumont. I was a little heartbroken hearing about the very unhappy marriage between Elijah and Jemma. I'm not sure I'm going to like Elijah in his own story and I almost wish there was a better ending for Jemma.

I am a huge fan of Ms James and find her writing enjoyable. Definitely will be going on to the next Duchess.

[rakesandrogues]

Heroine: Roberta is really not that likeable. First of all, she claims instalove after a not so romantic first encounter. I guess I can throw her a bone and say she's a very determined young woman, but she really needs to get her senses straight and go for the right target.

Hero: The Earl of Gryffyn is the "true" hero of DESPERATE DUCHESSES by Eloisa James but I guess it would be hard to figure this out if it weren't for the book summary. I'm a sucker for Daddys with Cute Little Kids and the Earl of Gryffyn definitely falls under this category. It's not his fault that he had such a sucky plotline. He would have been a more dashing hero if the circumstances had been different and the heroine had been more interesting and less naive.

Supporting Cast: I think the fact that I enjoyed the supporting characters and the subplot a lot more tells a great deal about how much I enjoyed Desperate Duchesses by Eloisa James. I much rather would have liked to just focus on Jemma and the Duke of Beaumont but apparently, that's another book! I don't know why they played such a big part then, because it ended up just being a really big teaser of a book to come.

Plot: The plotting of DESPERATE DUCHESSES by Eloisa James is unfortunately somewhat a mess. Really, I had a hard time figuring out who the true star of this little soap opera was. There were subplots aplenty, and sadly, the least interesting one ended up being the main highlight of DESPERATE DUCHESSES.

Romance: The Duke of Villiers is such an anti-hero that there really is no romantic tension. There's not even a pseudo love triangle. So obviously when you are introduced to the Earl of Gryffyn, there is a clear winner already. I guess they have banter and good chemistry, but nothing mind-blowing and quite memorable enough to make a lasting impression.


I guess every author has their not-so-great book. ​DESPERATE DUCHESSES ​by Eloisa James is not my favorite work by this author. Though disappointing, I am certainly not discouraged to pick up more books by her.

[wyvernfriend]

Lady Roberta St Giles is a woman who has lived with the fact that her family isn't in any way normal or ordinary. Her father is a poet who lives with women openly in a way that makes people ask questions about his family. She calls on a relative to try to get herself on the market. When she sees the Duke of Villiers, a notorious rakehell, she decides he is to be hers.

Damon Reeve, the Earl of Gryffyn thinks differently, but can he win?

It's fun, full of complicated relationships, chess and duels. It was a fun, light read.