The first book of the much anticipated 1797 Club series from USA Today Bestselling author Jess Michaels. The Dukes are coming! The wild and charismatic Duke of Abernathe is the kind of friend anyone would wish to have. He even formed the 1797 Club, consisting of ten men who would all be dukes. But he has full-throatedly declared he will never marry and no one understands why. But Miss Emma Liston … understands why.
But Miss Emma Liston doesn’t care why. A longtime wallflower with an absentee father who is a scandal waiting to happen, she needs to marry. Now. She decides to take a wild chance and ask the help of her friend Meg’s brother James. She asks him to pretend he’s interested in her just long enough to gain the attention of others. He agrees but is quickly taken aback by how easy everything is with Emma.
When her father returns, threatening her with a terrible future, their courtship swiftly becomes all too real. Will James ever reveal the true man beneath the outer shell? And can Emma discover her own worthiness before it’s too late?
Length: Full-Length (70,000 words)
Heat Level: Sizzling
CW: Attempted assault, child abuse (described but not on page)
This book is the first in The 1797 Club series.
more
The Daring Duke is the introduction to Jess Michaels’ 1797 Club series. The club, consisting of ten dukes or future dukes, gets its name from the year it was founded. James, the hero, creates the group at Eton as a child after being abused by his father. The purpose of the club is for the ducal heirs to learn how to be dukes and support one another. I quite enjoyed this premise and am looking forward to reading the future books. While the titles were all a bit overwhelming at first, this book mostly focused on James and his two best friends. The trauma of James’ childhood would go on to have a lasting impact on him and be his motivation behind later actions.
We meet grown-up James again at a ballroom where we are also introduced to the heroine, Emma. She is a blue-stocking and a wallflower. After recently having re-read Lisa Kleypas’s Devil in Winter and then devouring her new Devil in Spring, I was primed to read about another wallflower. They’re one of my favorite tropes because people always underestimate them. It is clear that Emma is attracted to James but she believes that he will never see her. However, a newly forming friendship between Emma and James’ sister, Meg, means James and Emma are now in each other’s company a lot more. Emma needs to marry soon because of her horrible family while James wants to avoid the ton’s marriage market. While they both are attracted to each other, James comes up with a way for them both help each other. By courting Emma, the ducal James will make her more attractive to other suitors. Once their courtship ends, James can plead a broken heart and avoid the match-making mothers.
At times throughout the book, the courtship plot wore a bit thin. It was obvious to everyone around them that James was starting to care for Emma but he kept denying his feelings. This continued even as they had secretive amorous encounters. Emma, in the meantime, was forced to fend off her overly zealous mother. When Emma’s father returns, circumstances force both James and Emma to truly examine their feelings for each other.
Some additional things I enjoyed about the book: The acknowledgement that Emma’s mother was equally as horrible as her father. She was constantly manipulating her and I was afraid that her horribleness was just going to be brushed aside.
Also, Meg! I adored James’ sister and I can’t wait to read about her again. I have a feeling she’s going to be in the next book.
Overall, this was a really pleasant read. James and Emma were both likable characters who still had personal trauma’s to overcome. This book was an excellent start to the series. It’s clear that all the dukes are going to have books and there were some interesting tidbits dropped about them throughout this story. I’m definitely going to continue with this series.
After reading the Duke’s By-Blows series, and getting glimpses of all of Roseford’s friends, I knew I had to read the 1797 series. The first Duke has fallen, and it was simply wonderful! I can’t wait to watch them all fall down….
*****
Rating: 4 Stars
Steam: 2 Flames
Genre: Fake Relationship / Historical Romance
*****
Who loves a stand-up broken man willing to help a wonderful wallflower? Me… it’s Me!! And that folks is just what happens with James, the Duke of Abernathe and Ms. Emma Liston.
Emma, an intelligent “bluestocking” wallflower, who has been crushed by her parents. An absent father that has been the poster man-child for how not to be a good dad or husband, and a mother that is weak and selfish. The fact that Emma was such a beautiful soul was amazing with the childhood she has had.
James, Duke, raised by a father that was abusive, unloving, and frankly just a terrible human being. He is set on never marrying and only trusts his sister and those in the 1797 club.
The 1797 club is a group of 10 men that was formed when they were younger to help each other navigate the world of expectations, harsh realities, and just be moral support for one another. A club that started as a way to help James learn all that would be required of him as a Duke turned into a family.
Emma becomes fast friends with James’ sister Meg after she thoughtfully rescued Meg from an embarrassing situation. From that point on, it seems that James is always around. One day in jest, Emma says James should pretend to court her to make her more appealing to the other men…and a plan is hatched. What could go wrong?
Between trust issues, secrets, horrible childhoods, and stubbornness, these two will have a lot of work to pull this ruse off. Started this story last night and as soon as I got off work, I had to finish. I just had to know more of the 1797, James, Emma, and Meg. I very much enjoyed this story and I look forward to watching all the Dukes meet their match! I recommend and I have already bought the entire 10 book series, so I am in it for the long haul! This book gets a big recommendation from me!
James Rylon, the Duke of Abernathe, is charming and well-liked, with many friends. He’s also the de facto leader of the 1797 Club, his closest friends, a group of ten men who banded together to help each other learn and cope with the responsibilities of running the dukedoms they would one day inherit. Despite his popularity and desirability among women, James is determined never to marry.
With a small dowry and a wastrel, absentee father, Emma Liston hasn’t exactly been a success on the marriage mart. She’s a wallflower but given that her father is a ticking timebomb of scandal, she needs to marry and soon. When she jokingly suggests a faux courtship to her new friend Meg’s brother, James, Emma is shocked when he agrees, citing the potential benefits to them both. James’ interest will help Emma attract more suitors and save James from the attentions of some of the more aggressive mamas. Only, everything with Emma is easy and feels right and James has no clue what to make of that or his increasingly possessive feelings towards her.
When her father returns at the most inopportune time, he presents Emma with a future that is most undesirable. The courtship between Emma and James is suddenly feeling very real for them both, but they each must put aside their own insecurities if a relationship between them is going to work.
This was a classic and well-executed example of the fake relationship trope. James was afraid of love because he hadn’t experienced much of it and both James and Emma harbored doubts about their own worthiness. Emma’s family was truly horrible, and I loved how James stepped in to defend her from their machinations. I thought Emma and James were very sweet together and I loved Meg as a supporting character, so I’m looking forward to listening to her story next.
Good
I like how this book started. The prologue gave great insight into James’ character. Then the story lost some of its steam, becoming predictable. Some interesting things happened, but nothing about the plot stands out. Still, I plan to read the rest of the series to learn more about the other characters.
James, Simon & Graham are fourteen years old & attend Braxton Academy, they are best friends but also heirs to dukedoms. James’ father visits & as is usual berates James for being inadequate. Simon & Graham both witness this & the boys skip classes to go fishing. Whilst they are fishing they all agree to help each other as they have no help from their fathers & decide to form a club. An exclusive club for heirs to a dukedom & there are ten such heirs at the the Academy, all very much of an age, thus the 1797 club is formes with James at its head.
The story now jumps to 1810 & he wild and charismatic James Rylon fifteenth Duke of Abernathe is the kind of friend anyone would wish to have but he has vehemently declared he will never marry and only his closest friends understands why.
Miss Emma Liston is a bluestocking wallflower into her fourth season & with an absentee father who is a scandal waiting to happen, her mother insists she needs to marry but Emma would prefer a quiet life in the country. At the first ball of the season she helps her new friend Meg handle a difficult situation with Meg’s mother. Soon after Emma & her mother are invited to a house party at Meg’s brother’s country estate. James is attracted to Emma & they form a plan for a pretend courtship just long enough for her to gain the attention of others & he to avoid debutantes & matrons.
When her father returns, threatening her with a terrible future, their courtship swiftly becomes all too real.
I was hooked from the prologue, 10 would be dukes & of course they all have issues. I’m waiting with bated breath for the rest of the series. James & Emma both are living under the shadow of their fathers & it was handled really well how the came out into the light.
As I’ve come to expect from the author a page turning well written book that kept me engrossed from start to finish & also left me wanting more. The attraction between the pair sizzles but they also become friends & confidents. Some of the other Dukes do feature so some idea of their trials & tribulations were revealed, again making want to be able to read their stories & the teaser at the end did just that!
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book
Great start to the new series! Looking forward to reading the others.
Fell in love with the Dukes. Working my way through all of them. Fun to read.
I have read some of the later books in this series and decided to go back to the beginnings. What a fabulous story. I loved the story and the characters. It also introduced us to some of the other members of the duke’s 1797 club and I now will be sure to read the whole series.
I LOVE THIS BOOK!
At the age of fourteen, James Rylon made a decision that would change the course of many lives. Along with his best friends Simon and Graham, they started The 1797 Club. The clubs members consist of young men who will inherit a dukedom. The men of the 1797 band together to learn how to become the best leaders they can since some men can’t bother to teach their sons. Especially James’ father, the cruel Duke of Abernathe.
Flash forward to 1810, James is now the 15th Duke of Abernathe. He vowed long before never to marry and let the title die or pass on to distant family member. That was before he met Miss Emma Liston.
Emma is the daughter of a third son from a small viscounty. Although her grandfather is well respected, her father had been cut off long ago and with it, many of their society connections. Mr. Liston’s gambling and debauchery is a constant threat to Emma and her mother. Her mother is terrified the next time Liston remembers his family, he will bring a scandal that will make a match for Emma impossible. Emma must marry as soon as possible. Through her new friendship with James’ sister, Meg, Emma is able to befriend James and obliterate her wallflower status. Through an unusual arrangement, James agrees to a false courtship with Emma to elevate her prospects while keeping the marriage minded mamas away from him.
Michaels started this series with a bang! James and Emma are strong, dynamic characters with wastrels for parents. From the moment they meet, both James and Emma feel an undeniable spark. They have much more in common than they could ever imagine. James tries to deny the spark but soon begins a fire that will never be tamed. Michaels weaves several different threads together, some taut, others barely holding together, yet they form the perfect story. A very large curve hit me hard as I was not expecting it at all, but it was the perfect way to lead to happily ever after.
The Daring Duke is the first book in the exciting new 1797 Club series. Jess Michaels will be busy over the next few years. The remaining nine novels are planned to be released through 2018. I can’t wait to read each and every one!
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Great series! A beautifully written story of how a person’s character can change through love and understanding.
‘The Daring Duke’ by Jess Michaels is the First book in the “The 1797 Club”. It is the story of James, Duke of Abernathe and Miss Emma Liston.
The 1797 Club was started in the year 1797 by James and several of his friends who were also future dukes. Most of them were from abusive, non-caring, disinterested families — especially the fathers. So, the club was a way for them to band together and help and protect each other since they weren’t getting that from their families. James is the unofficial leader of the group.
James’ father was a really terrible person. He absolutely hated James, his sister and his wife. He was mean, abusive, deceitful, and absolutely despicable. So, James grew up feeling unworthy and totally disbelieving in love. He vowed never to marry so that the title that meant so much to his father would end with him.
Emma was a bluestocking wallflower whose parents are almost as bad as James’ are — but — she has come out of it sweet, warm and caring. Her father shows up every few years when he’s in trouble or it is in his interest to do so. Otherwise, he is elsewhere living a hedonistic life with no care or thought for his wife and daughter. Her mother is a desperate, manipulative woman who pushes Emma to marry in order to secure both Emma’s and her future because they are running out of money. Yet, when her father does show up from time to time, her mother always totally changes and acts besotted with him.
Emma is chatting with James’ sister Meg at a ball when James’ mother drunkenly stumbles into them. Meg is devastated and so embarrassed. When Emma takes things in hand and helps Meg get her mother to the retiring room without creating a scene, Meg becomes her friend for life.
Meg begins inviting Emma to functions where she becomes acquainted with James. She and James find that they are very honest in their conversations and James decides to help her to find a husband. He puts the proposition to her by suggesting that he pretend to be interested in her in order to make other men become aware of her and interested in her. Now — we ALL know how well that is going to work out. don’t we? 🙂
Their road to HEA isn’t smooth, but it is steady. I loved the book so much that I read it straight through — just couldn’t put it down!
1 like
,