Duchess By Night by Eloisa James

Duchess By Night (Desperate Duchesses, #3)

by Eloisa James

Disguise is a dangerous game ...Tired of sitting on the sidelines and watching everyone else have fun, widowed 27-year-old Duchess Harriet decides to do a little pleasure-seeking of her own. Where better to begin than at the house of one of the most disreputable men in the country, Lord Strange? But given the high-stakes games of lust and chance that rule Strange's household, to cross the threshold is to ruin her reputation -- so Harriet swaps her hoops and corsets for a pair of breeches and transforms herself into a young male relative of the Duke of Villiers. Before she knows it she's writing bawdy missives on behalf of a young actress, not to mention winning card games played by the most powerful men in England. And she's attracting attention from unusual places! She's come to the right place for a scandal.

Reviewed by wyvernfriend on

3 of 5 stars

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Harriet is seeking some excitement, she has had a boring existence up to this point but feels a need to do something. A widow whose husband killed himself over chess she feels inadequate and wants to prove that she isn't boring. So she decides to go to a house party but to pretend that she is male. Because people want to see her as such she gets away with it. Her host teaches her how to ride a horse properly and how to fence and she's enjoying herself hugely. However she's also falling for her host and she's not sure that he doesn't prefer her as a male.

It's pretty light stuff and fairly predictable but I did enjoy it.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 April, 2012: Finished reading
  • 1 April, 2012: Reviewed