Scan barcode
ladynovella's review against another edition
4.0
*Review of eARC received from NetGalley*
To me, this book feels like the beginning of a second sub-series within the Wilde series as a whole. There were three books about the older Wilde brothers, now we're starting with the daughters from the duke's second wife. The first being Lady Boadicea, nicknamed Betsy (and with a name like "Boadicea," I can hardly blame her).
The story was interesting enough, though I had a hard time following the plot over the auction how and all the ladies wearing breeches to get in. Mostly, the obsession with wearing breeches - not just disguising themselves as men. Though I was pleased that Betsy's suitor, Thaddeus, wasn't unpleasant at all. He was a perfect gentleman and, even though that didn't work for Betsy, she didn't hate him for his personality. They parted on perfectly amicable terms, which is rare in romance (at least, from what I've seen). Maybe he'll return at some point with a more suitable lady for his duchess - in a novella or something. I wouldn't mind that at all.
I'll be honest - Grigoire's plot at the end kind of felt tacked on. Like, the story had been resolved, but there needed to be another three chapters padding out the page requirement or something. But I wasn't overly bothered by it.
Overall, a fun story and an enjoyable entry into the Wilde family lore.
To me, this book feels like the beginning of a second sub-series within the Wilde series as a whole. There were three books about the older Wilde brothers, now we're starting with the daughters from the duke's second wife. The first being Lady Boadicea, nicknamed Betsy (and with a name like "Boadicea," I can hardly blame her).
The story was interesting enough, though I had a hard time following the plot over the auction how and all the ladies wearing breeches to get in. Mostly, the obsession with wearing breeches - not just disguising themselves as men. Though I was pleased that Betsy's suitor, Thaddeus, wasn't unpleasant at all. He was a perfect gentleman and, even though that didn't work for Betsy, she didn't hate him for his personality. They parted on perfectly amicable terms, which is rare in romance (at least, from what I've seen). Maybe he'll return at some point with a more suitable lady for his duchess - in a novella or something. I wouldn't mind that at all.
I'll be honest - Grigoire's plot at the end kind of felt tacked on. Like, the story had been resolved, but there needed to be another three chapters padding out the page requirement or something. But I wasn't overly bothered by it.
Overall, a fun story and an enjoyable entry into the Wilde family lore.
snaggleteefs's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
moosepathleague's review against another edition
4.0
I tried this late last year and couldn't get into it. Then I reread the earlier books in the series and everything fell into place. Lovely story. I really like this family.
wonder_in's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
rhrousu's review against another edition
3.0
Charming, with great characters and an interesting exploration of PTSD, but the plot got a bit tiresome after they got together. Recommended for historical romance readers, best to read this series in order to get maximum joy out of the supporting cast (the intrepid aunt is delightful).
romancelibrary's review against another edition
3.5
I received an ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Say No to the Duke is the fourth book in the Wildes of Lindow Castle series. I have a confession to make: I’m not a huge fan of this series. Why am I still reading the Wilde series, you ask? Well, the books are periodically getting better even though they’re still not on the same level as Eloisa James’s older books. I gave Wilde in Love a 2.5 star rating, Too Wilde to Wed a 3 star rating, and Born to be Wilde a 3.5 star rating. I was expecting Say No to the Duke to be a 4 star rating, but I’m a picky reader. It should be noted that the blurb is misleading lol. The wager is not all that serious and it takes a completely different turn.
Say No to the Duke is by far my favourite book in the series because I absolutely loved both Betsy and Jeremy. They were such great characters and their banter gave me LIFE. I had a permanent grin etched on my face whenever they talked to each other. They were just so darn adorable together, Betsy with her sassiness and Jeremy with all his broody and sarcastic grumpiness. Literally nothing happened in this book – it was mostly fluff, but I didn't mind because I loved Betsy and Jeremy so much. As expected from Eloisa James, the dialogue was witty and easy to follow. However, sometimes the characters jump from one topic to another way too quickly without any proper transition. I find that this is a trend with the Wilde books – this has been one of my main complaints since Wilde in Love.
My other complaint: taking the focus away from the couple and moving it to nonsensical side characters. There is a crazy character in every single Wilde book that takes over the climax of the story. In this case, I wasn’t too bothered with the villain because they felt authentic to the story, contrary to the so-called villains in the past three books. The only reason why this is not a full 4 star rating is because the events leading to the auction and the auction scene itself took time away from the couple and I found myself really impatient to get back to the romance.
That being said, I must say that Eloisa James writes the best epilogues ever. The epilogue of Say No to the Duke was the sweetest, cutest, and most heartwarming thing ever – I may have even teared up a bit.
Will I continue this series? Probably, since each book is getting better. The next book’s hero is most likely going to be a vicar, so that should be interesting…
Say No to the Duke is the fourth book in the Wildes of Lindow Castle series. I have a confession to make: I’m not a huge fan of this series. Why am I still reading the Wilde series, you ask? Well, the books are periodically getting better even though they’re still not on the same level as Eloisa James’s older books. I gave Wilde in Love a 2.5 star rating, Too Wilde to Wed a 3 star rating, and Born to be Wilde a 3.5 star rating. I was expecting Say No to the Duke to be a 4 star rating, but I’m a picky reader. It should be noted that the blurb is misleading lol. The wager is not all that serious and it takes a completely different turn.
Say No to the Duke is by far my favourite book in the series because I absolutely loved both Betsy and Jeremy. They were such great characters and their banter gave me LIFE. I had a permanent grin etched on my face whenever they talked to each other. They were just so darn adorable together, Betsy with her sassiness and Jeremy with all his broody and sarcastic grumpiness. Literally nothing happened in this book – it was mostly fluff, but I didn't mind because I loved Betsy and Jeremy so much. As expected from Eloisa James, the dialogue was witty and easy to follow. However, sometimes the characters jump from one topic to another way too quickly without any proper transition. I find that this is a trend with the Wilde books – this has been one of my main complaints since Wilde in Love.
My other complaint: taking the focus away from the couple and moving it to nonsensical side characters. There is a crazy character in every single Wilde book that takes over the climax of the story. In this case, I wasn’t too bothered with the villain because they felt authentic to the story, contrary to the so-called villains in the past three books. The only reason why this is not a full 4 star rating is because the events leading to the auction and the auction scene itself took time away from the couple and I found myself really impatient to get back to the romance.
That being said, I must say that Eloisa James writes the best epilogues ever. The epilogue of Say No to the Duke was the sweetest, cutest, and most heartwarming thing ever – I may have even teared up a bit.
Will I continue this series? Probably, since each book is getting better. The next book’s hero is most likely going to be a vicar, so that should be interesting…
rainbow_rach's review against another edition
3.0
PTSD soldier falls for his best friend's sister who is being courted by a duke.