He’s controlled. Meticulous. Immaculate. No one would expect the proper duke to be a member of London’s most illicit secret club. Least of all: his future wife. Having overcome financial ruin and redeemed his family name to become the most legendary investor in London, the Duke of Westmead needs to secure his holdings by producing an heir. Which means he must find a wife who won’t discover his … discover his secret craving to spend his nights on his knees–or make demands on his long scarred-over heart.
Poppy Cavendish is not that type of woman. An ambitious self-taught botanist designing the garden ballroom in which Westmead plans to woo a bride, Poppy has struggled against convention all her life to secure her hard-won independence. She wants the capital to expand her exotic nursery business–not a husband.
But there is something so compelling about Westmead, with his starchy bearing and impossibly kind eyes–that when an accidental scandal makes marriage to the duke the only means to save her nursery, Poppy worries she wants more than the title he is offering. The arrangement is meant to be just business. A greenhouse for an heir. But Poppy yearns to unravel her husband’s secrets–and to tempt the duke to risk his heart.
Content Warning:
Fair readers, a note on content, for those who like to know. (If you prefer to be surprised, skip this part!)
This is a gothic-style romance and contains a LOT of angst. Sensitive topics include: grief over the loss of loved ones including children, partners and parents; murder; fires; stalking; sexual violence (not portrayed on the page, but referred to); misogyny; unconventional/non-monogamous marital arrangements; sex work; explicit sex; kink and consensual BDSM including whipping and masochism.
USA Today Bestselling book named a “Best Romance Novel of 2018” by The Washington Post and BookPage
more
Wow.
Wow. Wow. Wow.
I read this book on the recommendation of Sierra Simone and I was obsessed with the cover and blurb. I absolutely loved it. The writing was flawless and the way she handled the hero was brilliant.
I devoured every word as the story was unraveled bit by bit.
For those who love historical and want a bit of an edge, this is the perfect book.
Absolute perfection!
From the first paragraph, I was completely blown away by the exquisite prose, the scintillating dialogues, the word perfect vocabulary. It boggles the mind that this is the author’s debut novel! Scarlet Peckham’s paints a luminous and irresistible picture of Georgian England, and conveys colours, scents, sounds and feelings in a way that I was completely immersed in the story and in the characters’ lives. And what splendid characters they are: Poppy Cavendish, botanist and gardner extraordinaire and a businesswoman who values her independence; Archer Stonewell, the Duke of Westmead, an astute businessman, with particular tastes. Archer is a masochist, it is integral to the plot and the romance, so if this is a hard limit, THE DUKE I TEMPTED is not for you. If you are OK with this, then you are in for a most extraordinary experience. The negative reviews actually made me pick up this book; what they didn’t like was precisely what I was looking for, because novels with male submissives are so hard to find. The BDSM elements are accurately depicted and as well researched as everything else in the book.
THE DUKE I TEMPTED has to be one of the best historical romance debut novel ever written! The author’s attention to detail is astonishing, yet never gets in the way of the plot. The chemistry between Archer and Poppy is palpable and explosive, and their relationship feels genuine; it is tumultuous and incredibly passionate in every sense of the word. The author kept shocking me with all sorts of unexpected twists, every character is a work of art and remains true to their nature. Those characters, that world will stay with me a long time. The story is positively riveting, flows effortlessly, and the editing is flawless: there isn’t even a typo in sight. But the writing, oh the writing!
Based on THE DUKE I TEMPTED, I honestly think that Scarlet Peckham is already one of the finest writers around. Her astounding eloquence and stylish prose are truly incomparable: every sentence is perfect, each word is perfectly placed and used; I am overwhelmed by such talent. I had very high expectations for this book, and they were exceeded a hundred times over. THE DUKE I TEMPTED is sheer perfection and the book I had been waiting for. Now I cannot wait to read Constance’s story, Archer’s scheming, charismatic and delightful sister. Fans of Nicola Davidson’s will love this book!
The Duke I Tempted
Scarlett Peckham is an incredible author.
The Duke I Tempted is Scarlett Peckham’s debut novel and I loved every word. I loved that Poppy is a botanist, and she is independent. This book hits all the notes for classic historical romance, a marriage of convenience, independent heroine, serious Duke not looking for love.
You will fall in love with Poppy & Archer. Scarlett Peckham is amazing writer, you will be swept away into The Duke I Tempted.
More like historical fiction, but with romance. Super fun read with great characters. This is not your mother’s romance novel!
Sunday is typically laundry and small chores day. I started this book this morning. I just finished it. I accomplished NOTHING all day except reading this book. It was that good. I truly didn’t want to put it down once I started. Hubby is lucky he got dinner.
I love historical romances, and I like erotica. Nothing better than historical erotica! And no, it’s not pornography…..it’s simply romance with erotic elements. The main focus here was the emotional relationship between Poppy and Archer. I simply adored Archer, he of the tortured soul and heartbreaking past. Poppy was a strong heroine, a single woman owning a nursery and working hard during a time when a woman’s worth was pretty much based on to whom she was married. Like Archer, her past was no walk in the park, either.
Archer’s sister convinces him it is time to marry and produce an heir. He has no desire to do so and because of his past, decides to pick a woman he could never love. Poppy is hired to elaborately decorate Asher’s home for a ball. Neither is immune to the other; however, they both try to fight the pull between them. Something occurs which ruins Poppy. Archer can’t let that happen. Thus begins a relationship between two very stubborn people, with one hiding a big secret.
The passion is very real between Poppy and Archer, but both keep trying to protect themselves. You so want things to work out for them. You also want to kick them in their butts and force some sense, and honesty, into both. Stick with them. It’s definitely worth the tears and heartbreak to follow them to the conclusion. I hope to see many more books in this series. I was so captivated by this book…..especially by my man Archer.
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.
This may be the most interesting historical romance I have ever read. Archer is definitely a manly hero, but he also has his demons and vulnerabilities. Poppy is a strong minded business women at a time when that was not valued. I loved that there was an attraction from the beginning that they both tried to avoid it. I loved that Poppy was unafraid to seize the day in both business and pleasure. I love that Archer is blindsided by the feelings he develops for Poppy even though he does not want to feel anything ever again. I love that what starts as a business proposition becomes a loving marriage in their HEA.
There is plenty of heat with these two. Archer has needs that he expects Poppy to be horrified by; the kind of needs that are rarely portrayed in historical romance. Poppy discovers that she also has some atypical needs and eventually these two embrace that that their needs are complimentary and that they can have a satisfying relationship that meets both of their needs. It does take time to get there and there is a struggle to embrace themselves and share their secrets with each other. They both have baggage and a lot of grief that influences how they relate to each other and the world around them. There are moments of understanding that they share, and times when they comfort each other, that are full of emotion and tenderness.
The book itself is extremely well written. The story moves at a steady pace and the characters are rich and well developed. I love the intricacies woven into the plot that allow the characters to face their secrets and demons and grow together. It s written in third person from a dual POV. This debut novel is the first book I have read by this author but it will definitely not be the last.
This was my favorite romance I read in 2019!! The characters are so well-written and I loved watching them change and develop over the course of the story. I thought having a hero who is a bottom was really different and that’s what made me want to read it in the first place. And I was not disappointed! I get a little nervous reading those kinds of relationships (or anything in the bdsm realm) because so many authors choose to write them as predatory relationships that have non-consensual and/or abusive undertones. But this story had none of that. It was just perfection! I wish more authors could write so effectively on the subject. There was tension, passion, angst, secrets, love, hope–everything about this book was amazing. I’ve read it twice already and I’ll probably be reading it again soon. Definitely recommend, but only for readers who are not afraid of a dom/sub relationship.
I LOVED this book!! One of the best historical romances I’ve read in a long time. Wonderful characterization and witty dialogue, plus the plot kept me turning the pages. Scarlet Peckham is being added to my favorite authors list. Highly recommend
GAH!!! Scarlett Peckham has quickly become one of my favorite historical authors. I adored this book and the series is amazing! If you haven’t read this book yet you are missing out. And we talk about the amazing cover?
Male lead in this book is an amazing character, as is the woman he chooses. wonderful romance.
Enjoyed this historical fiction story with a bit of erotica woven throughout. Both characters were interesting and their story kept me engaged. I appreciated the fluidity, ease, and pace of the writing especially being a debut a novel from this author. I look forward to reading more of the series.
The Duke I Tempted is the debut novel by Scarlett Peckham, and I was taken by surprise of her beautiful and brilliant writing style. The pages were filled with detailed descriptive sceneries that would make you feel like being transversed into her imaginative universe and awaken all your senses. It is not a usual marriage-of-convenience historical romance, it’s dark, erotic, twisted, and angsty. I felt like riding through an emotional roller coaster packed with passion, miscommunications, frustration, tears of tragedies and of joy…
•
Poppy Cavendish was a botanist running her own nursery. Marriage was the last thing on her mind for she would never wish to relinquish her independence and control of her career over a husband. Archer Stonewell, The Duke of Westmead, had a tragic past, never thought he would be able to feel the passion or to fall in love again. In order to stop a scandal that could ruin Poppy’s reputation, he offered for her hand in marriage and all financial support in exchange for an heir. The feelings they started to develop for each other were not ones they had expected, he thought he could keep his dark secrets and unusual desires from her, but little did he know, those were what she secretly craved from him…
•
A 4- read for me. While the writing was beautifully done, I don’t know how I should feel about Poppy or Archer. One minute I loved them so much, then the next I was so frustrated that I wanted to shake them both for their behaviors. Their journey to HEA was absolutely a rocky one, and in the end, it was sweet and satisfying. I will definitely look forward to future books from this author.
•
***Potential spoilers ahead***
•
I’m not a huge fan of BDSM. It’s hard for me to understand the concept of pleasure derived from pain, or the domination and submission for sexual arousal (just my personal opinion). But I guess in this case, Archer had a painful history, one that transformed him into the person he was now, and Poppy was just the perfect match for him, who also enjoyed sharing the experience with him. I think the author did a great job building up their relationship and love story
Poppy. Owner of a. Nursery with exotic plants. Due to her fathers death, she loses her home to a distant relative and must move her nursery off the property. Enter Lady Cavendish, ward to the Duke of Westmead who accompanies her to hire poppy to decorate Westmead Estate for a ball. She’s invited to attend the ball after her decorations are a magical success. Archer is intrigued by her and fights his attraction. She runs into difficulties when trying to buy land for her nursery and turns to Archer for help. The Story Begins. ENJOY
For fans of S&M. I am not one.
This was a fantastic book! Steamy and romantic and very original. I’ve never read a historical romance like it. This will be one I re-read, and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!
Though this book did have some dark moments, it was intriguing , just as the heroine was intrigued by Westmeade’s preferences. The chemistry between the two was so strong that both it caused both to forget the promises they had both made to forgo a traditional sexual relationship within a marriage.
Fantastic debut! Beautifully crafted with lush, immersive and evocative language. This was a deeply emotional book, with well drawn complex characters in an equally distinct setting. Reminiscent of Mary Balogh (my fav historical romance author) but with a heat level off the charts. A must read for steamy historical romance fans!
I loved the writing and it kept me interested until chapter 32.
I didn’t think the story was going to end that way. I stopped reading
after that as it was a total turn off to me.
I really enjoyed this read by newbie author Scarlett. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. Loved Holly’s narration.
Such a beautiful way to waver.
Let’s start with the basics. This is a historical romance taking place in England between an independent woman that has no desire to marry and a broken man that while a good man has no desire in his heart to love again. You put the two together -and boom- magic.
There was no part not to love about this book. Normally I don’t care for the will they or won’t they, can they just make up their minds trope, but this was done so beautifully I didn’t mind it in the least. It was just a punch in the heart every time our dear Duke of Westmead said something stupid. And my goodness did he chew on his shoes on more than one occasion.
And our poor Poppy, every time she thought he might be letting his guard down, smack, she would hit another brick wall in the form of an insult.
But my absolute favorite part of this book was Archer’s secret kink. I know that sounds kind of bizarre but let me explain my reasoning without giving his secret away. He is a broken man and he has to get his head right in some way. Our in-denial couple has a huge fight causing him to seek this out to which Poppy finds him. And it’s not judgment or disgust she feels but hurt. And that’s why I loved it. She didn’t think less of him but was heartbroken he couldn’t share this with her.
This was written so well and I loved every second of it. I loved these two imperfect people finding their way to what they both wanted – love and of course an awesome nursery. 😉