Desperate Duchesses by Eloisa James

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. When her country cousin Lady Roberta St Giles asks for help seducing the Duke of Villiers into marriage, Jemma transforms Roberta into the most delicious and desirable woman in town. Then she lures Villiers to the house, ostensibly to play chess, but he, ignoring both Roberta and Jemma's husband, offers Jemma a match - the third game to be played blindfold. And in bed.

Reviewed by rakesandrogues on

2 of 5 stars

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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.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 6 October, 2012: Finished reading
  • 6 October, 2012: Reviewed