Once Upon a Tower

Once Upon a Tower by Eloisa James

Gowan Stoughton, Duke of Kinross and Chief of the Clan MaacAulay, is responsible for a very large Scottish estate, but business brings him to England and to a ball thrown by his colleague, the Earl of Gilchrest. He is not too fond of simpering English misses or English fops, but he cannot keep his eyes of his host's enchanting daughter, Lady Edith. Gowan has no idea that Edie is actually quite sick and the quiet and ethereal beauty he delights in is caused by her illness. The Earl accepts Gowan's proposal on Edie's behalf, and as a good daughter Edie concurs with his decision, but she has no remembrance of her dances with the Duke. To get to know him, and to ensure they are compatible, she begins a correspondence with him, making clear her expectations of their marriage and divulging more about herself. Gowan is surprised to learn his fiance has quite the sense of humor and is very opinionated about certain matters including where she sees their marriage going. Realizing that marriage is about compromise he is able to compromise some of what he wants, but he is quite determined that there marriage will be consummated as soon as possible. When he returns to London he makes it clear to Lord Gilchrest that he expects to expedite the marriage.

Edie finds herself tremendously attracted to her future husband and their courtship, taking place after the engagement, makes her quite eager for the wedding night. Gowan is also a virgin, having seen his father whore his way around Scotland and his own mother sleep around, but is anxious to please his wife. Unfortunately it is quite painful for Edie and instead of telling Gowan, she follows her step mother's advice and fakes it for the first several times they have sex. Edie is not pleased that there are servants constantly around her and Gowan and they never seem to have a moment's privacy, but she likes that Gowan allows her to play her cello. Edie is a an accomplished cellist and music is her life and Gowan appreciates her talents and would never take it away from her. When he accidentally discovers that she has been faking her pleasure he feels betrayed and angry and runs away after saying some very harsh things to Edie. Edie's stepmother makes it clear that he is just as much to blame and when he returns the two of them must work together to patch things up and determine that they can indeed find mutual pleasure in each other's arms.

Edie and Gowan were both incredibly young, 19 and 22 respectively, and, at least in Edie's regard, incredibly sheltered. I have definitely come to enjoy the romance novels that have both the hero and the heroine a little older than that, although Gowan had real life experience that made it easier to overlook his age. My biggest problem with getting to truly connect with Edie was her passion for the cello and how she regarded that as the most important thing in her life; perhaps because of years of being forced to practice instruments and listening to others do so, I just cannot understand a passion for musicianship and I wanted something more from her. I liked that she was "friends" with her step-mother, but even their interactions proved how immature Edie was and she really did not do all that much, just had a lot of thoughts on her father's marriage. Gowan was more likable, and despite numerous references to his temper and yelling, it really wasn't shown in the book and just made Edie look ridiculous for constantly referring to it. He had immense responsibilities and always did his duty making him a bit of a stick in the mud, but also admirable.

They were certainly attracted to each other, but the sex was just god awful, mostly because we were treated to it from Edie's point of view and she was not enjoying it. While I understand there had to be some sort of conflict, I really did enjoy reading so many scenes where the heroine was in such pain. I sympathized with both of them in this regard; him for feeling inadequate and her for feeling like she had to hide the truth from him and the way they handled it made sense to me. Their discussion at the end, where they both took responsibility and agreed to work it out together was very mature and showed that they could work well together. The side plots involved her father and step mother's marriage and I would honestly have liked to see more of that and how they resolved it. The most jarring aspect of the book was when Gowan easily allowed the Gilchrest's to adopt his orphaned sister; I was left with my jaw hanging open.

Rating: An enjoyable, if incredibly long read, about two young people falling in love, but I could not entirely relate to either of them and felt there were a lot of hiccups in the story.

Romancing the Duke

Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

Isolde Ophelia Goodnight lives in the mind of millions of Englishman as the beautiful and imaginative daughter of famous storyteller Harry Goodnight, but the reality is quite different as Izzy is plain and destitute. When she receives a letter that she has inherited a Gostley Castle, she rushes there only to find that the very handsome and mysterious, Duke of Rothbury, is in residence and the former owner is in no hurry to give up his familial estate. Ransom Dane has shut himself up in his crumbling and decrepit castle ever since a duel with his former fiance's new husband left him scarred and mostly blind. He is not a fan of this loud and energetic woman taking over his life and trying to force him into society and his castle into the 19th century. Izzy knows this is her last chance as she is completely without funds and the fan's of her father's novel, while numerous and generous, are not people whom Izzy enjoys depending on. When Ransom realizes that something must be horribly wrong with his solicitors and his funds, he hires Izzy to read his correspondence and discover the truth of what has been going on.

Ransom is not at all impressed with Izzy's army of fans, who still believe she is the little girl from the stories, but is quite impressed with Izzy herself. What little sight he has left and the way that she is helping him acclimate to real life now, makes him wonder if he is deserving of the love the world has denied himself since his mother died in childbirth. But Izzy has hope for him and as she fixes up his castle, and provides quite the temptation to him, he starts to believe that their is hope for him as well. When Izzy's fans, the Moranglian Army, comes to visit, Ransom wants her to claim her independence from the little girl from the fairy tales. But when Ransom's solicitors attempt to take control of his fortune by having him declared insane, it will take Izzy, Ransom, and the entire Moranglian army to carve out a happily ever after for Ransom and Izzy.

This story was Beauty and the Beast with some twists that nicely avoided the whole Stockholm Syndrome element as Izzy was free to leave whenever she wanted. Izzy was very interesting and I love how she was independent and capable, but also felt a need to live up to the expectations of her father's fans by pretending to be something she wasn't. It was both frustrating and admirable, but was well explained by Dare who is remarkable at writing characters motives and back stories. Ransom was definitely dark and brooding locked up in his crumbling castle, determined to shut himself off from the world. He was both heroic, especially when some truths about him are revealed, and difficult to like because he repeatedly pushed Izzy away. However, there were many times when he showed how wonderful he was by sticking up for Izzy and only wanting what was best for her, even if he did come across as surly while he was doing it.

Izzy's exuberance and positive outlook in life, even with all that life has thrown at her, was in direct contrast to Ransom's inability to see anything but the worst in everyone and everything. With Izzy's help, he was able to overcome a lot of that, but it just seemed a little off that two people who were so different could form a real connection. They spent quite a lot of time together, fixing up the house, getting to know each other, flirting madly, and preparing for the competency hearing and I really liked seeing how they acted together under so many different circumstances. There was a lot of heat between them, and they were always madly flirting and making inuendos about sex, but there was truthfully very little sex and it was rather boring and not what I expected from Dare.

Rating: Two very different protagonists who had an almost unbelievable romance, but I did like the modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

The Ugly Duchess

The Ugly Duchess by Eloisa James

Theodora Saxby has been a ward of the Duke of Ashbrook since her father died and she has grown up with the heir to the dukedom, James Ryburn. The two are the best of friends and at times they are each other's only supporters as Theo is not as beautiful as other young women and the Duke's temper causes him to lash out at those around him. James is furious to discover that his father has embezzeled Theo's dowry and horrified at his proposed solution; James should marry Theo in order to keep anyone from finding out. For years, James has been noticing Theo as more than a friend, but he does not like to be forced into anything. Theo knows she is no charming and elegant debutante, but with her best friend by her side, she feels confident facing the ton. James, without fully acknowledging he is complying with his father's wishes, begins a flirtation with Theo that quickly escalates into more and when their indiscretion is discovered he makes a romantic proposal that has Theo believing in true love. The first week of their marriage is spent in a haze of lust and romance and both are looking forward to happy life together, when the Duke spills the beans. Theo is furious and hurt and banishes both men from her life and confused and hurt, James takes to the sea.

Over the next seven years, Theo becomes a fashionista, setting trends for people from Paris to London and quickly makes the Ashbrook estate incredibly profitable by setting up a ceramics factory and a weaving factory. James becomes a privateer, capturing pirate ships with the help of another lord who ran away from society, and slowly loses all vestiges of his former self. For a long time he believes Theo would be better off without him, but over time he can't help but remember what they shared and imagine what they could still have together. Theo has moved on and has even taken steps to declare him dead, when James waltzing back into London and wants to pick up the pieces exactly where they left off. Still hurting over the way he left her and the way she had been scrutinized over his abandonment, Theo wants nothing to do with him, but James can be very persuasive and she too remembers who wonderful it was between them. They both must forgive each for past hurts in order to move forward and create a future where both of them can love and be happy.

I loved the idea of a heroine who was plain and coming into her own and gaining confidence, but Theo did not really embody everything I wanted in this heroine. Her transformation was superficial at best and she hid herself behind a mask of extreme rigidity. James was an interesting young man but when he went off to become a pirate I just couldn't help rolling my eyes and praying for it to be over. I felt like the problem between them was not all that insurmountable and definitely did not warrant him disappearing for seven years. There were definitely two halves of this novel; the first half of them falling in love and starting a happy marriage and then having their hopes crashed, and the second part about them becoming cold and unsympathetic people and then, very quickly, falling back in love with each other supposedly. And the ending was completely ridiculous: I believe it took them two days to forgive each other and begin a happy life together again. Just like that they were back in love right where they had left off after seven years of becoming very different people and it was just plain unbelievable.

The first half of the book was very enjoyable in itself, with the nice little bit of angst accompanying his feeling guilty about misleading Theo, and two people getting to know each other in a new way and falling in love. There was some very hot sex in this half and it was obviously a very important part of their relationship and the scene where she discovers his "betrayal" was written so well. Her emotions were coming off the page and my heart broke for what she was going through and I admired her strength and courage in the face of such heartache. The second half of the book contained some very major problems for me, not least that about 80 pages of the novel was spent with them completely separated from each other and engaging in activities that were illegal and dangerous on his part, and superfluous and boring on hers. I know I was supposed to understand that they were better compliments for each other now, but I was just so horrified at the speed at which everything was accomplished I couldn't really wrap my head around anything else.

Rating: A very fast read and a remarkable first half but the second half went off the deep end and I just could not bring myself to like anything that happened.

The Duke is Mine

The Duke is Mine by Eloisa James

Lady Olivia Lytton has been engaged to Rupert, heir to the Duke of Carleton, since she was born and the fact that Rupert is mentally challenged will not stand in the way of her parents social climbing or his father's desire for an intelligent heir. She has spent her childhood being "duch-ified" and while her sister, Georgette, has learned every lesson, Olivia does not really fit the idea of what a Duchess is supposed to be. She is curvy, she is loud, she is atonal, she enjoys racy limmericks, and she absolutely loathes reading etiquette books, especially the one written by the Dowager Duchess of Sconce. Tarquin, Duke of Sconce, is better with numbers than people and has decided to allow his mother to find his next wife. His first marriage ended disastrously when he allowed his heart to lead him and his wife ended up cheating on him numerous times before she ran away with her lover and ended up drowning, with their son, in the Thames. Olivia has her own duke so when Georgette is invited to a house party with the opportunity to impress the dowager, Olivia agrees to accompany her while Rupert goes off to fight Napoleon and seek glory.

It is quickly obvious that Georgette is the frontrunner to become the new Duchess of Sconce as she has taken to the Duchification process that eluded Olivia. But even as he tells himself that Georgette is better for him, and the two can certainly talk about the mathematical processes that interest him, it is Olivia he is drawn to. Olivia with her dirty limmericks and her very curvy body that he cannot keep from thinking of and whom he enjoys cornering in ballrooms and kissing. Olivia too feels the connection to Quin and she certainly enjoys the kissing aspect just as much as him, but she feels guilty for betraying her sister and her fiance. Nonetheless Olivia and Quin find themselves taking every opportunity to be alone together, sneaking off during balls and climbing trees together and otherwise engaging in activities that they should not be given that her sister could become his wife. Both must realize that, though their relationship will hurt many around them, sacrifices will need to be made for the sake of their love.

When Eloisa James is at her best she writes humorous novels with lovable characters that are immensely enjoyable and this book certainly falls into this character. I did love Olivia because she was loud and "fat" (romance speak for big breasted) and outgoing and enjoyed life while still maintaining her commitment to her duty and her family and was a good enough person not to want to hurt a mentally challenged young man. She loved her sister and her fiance and while she suffered guilt over this she still realized that she had found her chance at love and reached out to grab it with both hands. It is apparently harder for authors to write heroes because they have such a narrow confine to work within and with the success of Jennifer Ashley's The Madness of Ian MacKenzie, asperger's has suddenly become the extra oomph they can add to make their heroes different and unique. Unfortunately I don't believe James does quite a good job here as Ashley and Quin's disability with people seems like just that; a way to make him different without being too off putting for readers and shies away from some of the harsh realities of the disability.

I also felt that Quin and Olivia did not spend as much time together as I would have liked in my protagonists and what time they did spend was hindered by their guilty feelings and the knowledge that their time was very limited because of their circumstances. As with most James' books there was some sex and it was romantic but it was far from being hot and felt like it was just there because it had to be there. I did like that the periphery characters were well developed and that her fiance and sister were never demonized; they were real characters with real stories and didn't just get shoved aside to make way for the happy ending. I did feel like the matter of Rupert was resolved a little too quickly and a little too neatly and apparently was rather historically inaccurate within the history of the Napoleonic Wars. However, I do like to suspend disbelief when reading romance novels and I do like fairly nice little bows made out of big problems so it didn't bother me.

It was fun and fast and I liked reading it but I admit that James has never really been a go to author for me because she's never crossed into that excellent category.

When Beauty Tamed the Beast

When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James 704

Linnet Thrynne is the belle of the ton and everyone has taken notice, including one of the royal dukes, the Prince Augustus Frederick. But when the scandal breaks, the Prince hies it off to a castle, and Linnet is left outcast from society with everyone believing she is pregnant. Her father, a Viscount, and her aunt, the very dramatic Zenobia, run roughshod over her suggestions and come with a solution. The Duke of Landling is desperate to find his son, Piers Yelverton, Earl of Marchant, a wife, and since Piers is believed to be impotent and the Duke is obsessed with royalty, the belief that she is carrying a royal bastard is more of a help than a hindrance. Piers has earned a reputation as a beast since he is a doctor who treats his patients with very little patience and yells at everyone who crosses him. There is no love lost between father and son as Piers has never forgiven his father for being an opium addict who, while intoxicated, threw him into a fire and permanently damaged his leg so that Piers still walks with a can. The Duke also divorced his loyal and loving wife and dragged her through the mud when she left him.

Piers is determined not to like his father's choice, but Linnet is certainly gorgeous and she brings happiness to his dreary hospital. She immediately befirends several of the patients and proves invaluable in the sickroom and soon Piers finds himself offering to teach her to swim. Seeing her in nothing but a wet chemise makes it all too clear that Piers is not impotent and he sees the need to make it clear to her that he will not marry her and she agrees that she would never marry him. But the two spend more time together, both during swimming lessons, and while Piers is grousing at patients that Linnet is trying to help, and neither can resist the other. Sparks fly between them, but Piers still refuses to admit that there is a possible future with Linnet, even while she finds that she is falling in love with her grumpy lover. When his mother begins to forgive his father, Piers clings even more tightly to his unhappiness and throws Linnet out. Only when it is a matter of life and death does he come to his senses and realizes he would do anything, risk anything, to win back the woman he loves.

I was initially worried about Linnet because the first chapter was all about how beautiful and perfect and well liked she was. But she did become real as the book progressed and I was able to see her faults and that there was a real person who had feelings, and cared about others' happiness, underneath the very beautiful facade. She was definitely not very self aware as she did spend a good portion of the book convinced that Piers was not the right man for her even as it was obvious she was falling in love with him. It was nice to see that she was able to stand up to the gossip and survive on her own. Piers was not so likeable, and that is the god's honest truth, because he was certainly miserable and unhappy and seemed to do his best to be completely unlikeable and make everyone around him as miserable as he was. Yes, he was in immense pain because of his injury, yes he had to deal with some lying and miserable patients, but I just wanted to slap him and tell him to smile. He was even less self-aware than Linnett with his bad attitude and insistence they wouldn't suit in the face of the truth.

While I could see what he saw in her, because she was caring and considerate to the patients, I really did not see what she saw in him. He was intelligent in regards to the medical profession, but the brief moments when they were together and happy doesn't equal a lasting and caring relationship to me. Other authors have done unhappy heroes much better and the heroes have ended up changing/ redeeming themselves throughout the book, but in this instance there was just one very dramatic incident at the end where Piers had to prove his love and how much he had changed. I was definitely not impressed to find out that Piers was based on my least favorite television character, Dr. House, who, to me, represents everything that is wrong with the medical profession and makes me fear going to meet a new doctor. I really did enjoy the side plot about the romance between his mother and father and it really rang true and was quite heart rending to read about a man who was desperately trying to make up for the many mistakes he had made when he was addicted to opium; it was very moving.

Rating: One character that I liked and one that I absolutely loathed did not lead for a good romance, but the writing was lively and amusing and fast so it might be worth a try.