Eliza and the Duke
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
American heiress Eliza Dove was resigned to a polite marriage of convenience...until she spent one wicked night with the Duke.
All hopeless romantic Eliza Dove asked for was one night of adventure. One glorious evening of freedom to explore the dark corners of London with a mysterious stranger before a lifetime trapped in a quiet, respectable marriage of convenience. Except now she wants more. Now she wants him.
Simon Cavell is no gentleman. Known only as ‘the Duke,’ Whitechapel’s prize boxer is one fight away from achieving his goal: to safeguard his late sister’s only treasure and leave the streets for good. He cannot allow some pretty young heiress to spill his secrets, no matter how tempting she might be. In return for her silence, Simon will give Eliza a taste of the darkness…and hope he doesn’t lose his heart in the process.
But one night together could never be enough. And now Eliza has a new plan—an even more scandalous bargain that will either land the heiress her duke or ruin them both.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
An unusual love blossoms in St. George's middling second Doves of New York Victorian romance (after The Stranger I Wed). Eliza Dove is an adventurous debutante who must marry to receive her inheritance. Simon Cavell is the manager of a gentlemen's club who moonlights as a prizefighter in London's slums. The novel gets off to several false starts in its attempts to maneuver these two together, culminating in Eliza blackmailing Simon with knowledge of his underground fighting ring into taking her on one night of adventure in Whitechapel before she resigns herself to a loveless marriage. The ensuing foray into the seedier side of London sparks gratifying passion. Though Simon and Eliza swear to forget each other after their one perfect night, they each struggle to let the other go. St. George's attempts to examine Victorian class stratification are admirable, but unfortunately Eliza proves a frustrating heroine whose comparisons between her coddled life and Simon's harsh, abusive upbringing come across as naive and entitled. Meanwhile, inconsistent pacing and a rushed ending put a damper on the romance. Series fans will appreciate checking in with the Dove sisters, but others can give this one a pass.
