A shy wallflower meets her dream man–or does she?–in the next book in New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James’ Wildes of Lindow series. Miss Viola Astley is so painfully shy that she’s horrified by the mere idea of dancing with a stranger; her upcoming London debut feels like a nightmare. So she’s overjoyed to meet handsome, quiet vicar with no interest in polite society — but just … no interest in polite society — but just when she catches his attention, her reputation is compromised by a duke.
Devin Lucas Augustus Elstan, Duke of Wynter, will stop at nothing to marry Viola, including marrying a woman whom he believes to be in love with another man.
A vicar, no less.
Devin knows he’s no saint, but he’s used to conquest, and he’s determined to win Viola’s heart.
Viola has already said Yes to his proposal, but now he wants her unruly heart…and he won’t accept No for an answer.
more
Fun romantic story. Even the shyest female can be desired by a Duke. Very entertaining to travel the path of true love!
Rated 3.5 Stars
Say Yes To The Duke is an enjoyable read that I wished had more meat on its bones. It’s funny, quirky and has the most adorable main characters. I love them. I loved watching them being disarmed by each other and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more of this author’s work.
Copy provided by publisher through Edelweiss
I’ve read the entire Wilde series now and jumping back into the pages with this fictional family meant this was an extremely comforting read. I felt like I used to feel, back when I could see friends in person. Remember those days???
Viola and Devin were wonderful characters!
Really enjoyed this tale. I laughed through most of it!! I loved these characters and the plot of this book. I’m sure the lemon tree will never be the same. Looking forward to reading the next installment of this series.
This was a delightful romp of a story. It was full of fun and humor. It was fun to see the shenanigans that the secondary characters were getting up to while Viola and Devin were falling in love.
I sympathized with Viola as she suffered from shyness, but like most shy people, she was witty and opinionated with those she trusted. Devin was able to see her true personality, and although they got off to a rough start, he knew she would be the perfect complement to his sometimes distant and distracted personality.
I kept waiting for the dark moment to arrive, but when it came, the characters dealt with it reasonably for a change, so it did not drag down the happy vibe of this story. I would recommend this book to anyone who just wants to escape into a fun historical romance with a touch of Shakespeare, a pet crow, and some sizzling sexytimes!
Say Yes to the Duke : The Wildes of Lindow Castle by Eloisa James is book 5 in The Wildes of Lindow Castle Series. This is the story of Devin Lucas Augustus Elstan, Duke of Wynter and Viola Astley. I have read the previous books and loved them! But this can be a standalone book if you wish to do so. Ms. James has done it again with her writing. This book was nothing short of a page turner for me. Viola is the step daughter of the Duke of Lindlow which just being that makes her fell less than but then his other children are so outgoing and accomplished. Viola has let her insecurities take over for her which has caused her to be shy and become a Wallflower. Viola is nothing but nerves with the up and coming London debut. But Viola has set her sites on a Vicar who she feels will be more suited for her. But Viola’s shyness takes a back set when she overhears Devin talking about her in a awful way…so she confronts him. This leads Devlin to see her in a different light…a light that he wants to be in. Viola send him on a chase for her hand with her not even knowing it because she has her sites elsewhere. This was a great story. Loved it!!!
Say Yes to the Duke is the fifth book in The Wildes of Lindow Castle series. Its a series about the collective progenies of the Duke and Duchess of Lindow and how each of them gets their own HEA. In the this book, Viola Astley, stepdaughter to the Duke of Lindow will finally debut and start the search for a perfect match for her, she might not be a Wilde at birth but she is definitely a beloved Wilde child. But Viola, despite adoring her family, has long ago accepted that she is not Wilde enough. Her looks and temperament are quite the opposite of her famous Wilde siblings although her debilitating shyness resulting in messy accidents of the projectile kind has definitely made her as famous as them. But when she catches the eye of a duke equally reclusive as her, can she reconcile the fact that she might be more of a Wilde child than she thought? Devin has always preferred math to humans and so to start looking for a wife as family obligation seems to be too much of a bother. Nonetheless a wife is needed therefore a wife is to be found! But then the not so shy wallflower catches his attention and makes him think what he really needs is someone like her! And so let the wooing and the kissing begin!
Say Yes to the Duke may not carry a lot of dramatic tension and the requisite obstacles that usually prevents a possible HEA but it does carry a lot of charm, wit, sexy kissing and basically a palate cleanser because this one is straight boy meets girl boy and girl becomes acquainted, becomes friends and pretty soon are sharing sexy kisses in the
Vicarage! It’s a happy romance and for that its worth reading because who doesn’t like a romance that makes you smile?
This book has wonderful characters and some of the most entertaining dialogue and situations that I’ve enjoyed and laughed over in a long time. Well done.
I adored “Say Yes to the Duke” by Eloisa James. It was just as sweet and funny as all of her previous books have been, featuring endearing, well-developed characters and witty banter. Even though it is the fifth book in a series, it reads as a complete standalone, so readers new to Ms. James’s work will not feel lost at all by starting here. That said, I am happy to have read the series in order because the characters have all been delightful, and I have enjoyed catching up with them through their cameo appearances in subsequent books.
I found the relationship development between the main characters of “Say Yes to the Duke,” Viola and Devin, to be perfectly paced. Even though they were forced to marry relatively quickly, they spent a lot of time talking and getting to know each other both before and after the wedding. It was clear that Devin and Viola genuinely loved and accepted one another, flaws and all, and I appreciated how they constantly supported each other when challenges arose.
That support was especially important for Viola as she fought to overcome her crippling shyness. Having her stepsister Joan debut with her was undoubtedly a tremendous help, but the fact that Devin saw Viola for who she truly was and didn’t care about her family connections or perceived suitability as a potential duchess was also critical. In return, Viola helped Devin learn to open up to those he loved. He seemed so arrogant at first (and he likely was arrogant, given that he was a duke!), but he seemed so much warmer as his relationship with Viola grew.
Overall, “Say Yes to the Duke” was an excellent read and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in the series! (I really hope Joan will be the female lead…)
*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss/NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
The effervescent writing stood out and while I thought I knew how the Black Moment, where it all comes crashing down, would happen…it didn’t happen that way, and I loved it. An author who can surprise you, entertain you and keep you turning pages is one to be treasured.
Say Yes to the Duke
Eloisa James is an artist! An artist who uses words that paint wonderful pictures in the stories she writes. There is not one of Eloisa’s books that has disappointed me. Say Yes to the Duke was in my opinion one of her best works of art.
This beautiful story of Viola Astley (Step daughter to the Duke of Lindow) around family can hold her own but around anyone else is for lack of better wording a shrinking Viola. The last thing Viola wants is to marry a Duke, so when she overhears a conversation between Devin Lucas Augustus Elstan, Duke of Wynter and his uncle, where he claims his interest lies in the real Wilde daughter, instead of shrinking further into the curtains, she gets angry. When the chance presents itself she even tell the Duke she has no desire to be courted by him and no desire to marry him. Where did our shrinking Viola go?
As the story continues to unfold we witness Viola coming into herself and out to the world, while on the other side of the coin we watch as Devin begins to realize that maybe what he wants isn’t what he really wants but what his parents had; and what they had didn’t work out very well at all.
Through the beauty of the written word layering wit, sass and humor throughout Viola and Devin’s story builds and unfolds. Until at the end when you’ve turned the last page you know that yet again, Eloisa has painted you a story that puts a smile on your face.
Review originally published at Romancing Romances.
I received an eARC at no cost from the publisher, and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review. Thank you.
I have a feeling my opinion is going to be very different than most people’s, regarding this book.
I really like Eloisa James’ books, but this one suffers from the same problem of a book I’ve also read very, very recently. The plot is almost inexistent. Hey, if that’s your thing, great! It’s a light, fun, sexy book. But I warn you, the secondary characters have a more detailed story than the main ones.
Some people described this story as enemies to lovers. I don’t actually agree with that, as I don’t consider Viola and Devin to have been enemies at any point. She might have disliked him slightly in the beginning, but that changed so quickly that I can’t consider this an enemies to lovers trope. In fact, I’m having a hard time defining a trope for it at all.
I liked Devin and Viola just fine – they were fun, Devin comes down from his high horse (hello Duke!), and Viola becomes more sure of herself throughout the book. And they have very romantic, loving, sexy, I would even say hot times, but… that’s it. I reached 90% of the book and just thought: “well, there’s nothing else of value happening now”, and I was right.
So… this isn’t a bad book, or anything similar. Eloisa’s great writing skills definitely show through the book, but the plot was somewhat lacking. If you’re looking for a light, fun, simply entertaining book, that this is a great choice. Just don’t expect anything else.
Fun, funny, and fluffy, Say Yes to the Duke is filled with zany Wilde family shenanigans, a blasphemous theatrical performance, and numerous hot kisses and consensual sexytimes.
It’s one thing for Miss Viola Astley, stepdaughter to the Duke of Lindow, to feel inadequate in not being a true Wilde, it’s another for Devin, Duke of Wynter, to dismiss her as a candidate to be his duchess for the same reason. What started as a case of you-don’t-want-me-then-I-don’t-want-you-either turned into desire after their first public kiss and to love as they get to know each other better.
I like the way Viola came out of her shy, socially-inept shell with the attention showered upon her by Devin. I also like that Devin’s arrogance is turned down a notch as a result of his courtship of Viola. I very much approve of the way he catered to her needs, especially on their wedding night.
As usual, there are thousands of secondary characters, but as I’ve said before, Ms. James has a talent for making them distinct and memorable without them overshadowing the leads.
Overall, a light easy read perfect for this time of never-ending worries.
A delightfully fun book, quite possibly my favorite Eloisa James book. Viola, is as lovely in the book, as she is on the cover. This is a happy book, which is just what I needed. Highly recommend.