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
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You had me at “historical romance with heroine who runs a nursery who wants to establish a plant subscription business, and the duke hero who secretly loves to be dominated.”
3.5 stars, I think.
Let me start by saying Peckham has loads of potential. Heaps. Mountains. This is a strong first release in many ways.
However, it lacked some things for me, too. Mainly some character development and solidity. There were several times I felt like someone reacted strangely and by the end, I thought there was something specific that probably should have been hinted at much earlier on the book.
I’m a big character driven reader, so I struggled with the little details there.
On the other hand, she added in some kink not normally seen in historical romance and I LOVED that. There needed to be more of it. Heaps more. Mountains more.
Anywhooo, I’ll for sure be watching for more from this author.
My heart and soul will always be in historical romance. After a few contemporary romances, I have to clean my pallet with an HR. It’s been a bit difficult the last few years to find new authors with a new voice in HR. So, my heart was in raptures when I finished this book!! I don’t even know where to start with this review. There were so many things I loved – I don’t think there was anything in this book that I didn’t like. Witty banter. Well written and well developed characters. Appropriate for the time in history. Beautiful romance. Smart, strong and ALPHA HEROINE!! Sexually submissive but NOT weak hero. Just enough angst. Unique plot. Historical characters that work (WHAT?!?). Probably the best part of all, exceptional writing. There were about four words that I highlighted because I had actually never heard them before. And, this is the author’s first book?!?!? She has more to share with us and I CANNOT wait!! Scarlett Peckham can officially call me her new #1 fan.
PS I bought a paperback copy because a book as beautiful as this one need to be on my shelf.
I loved this book. It’s well written and sizzles on every page. A masochistic duke? A dominant duchess? Oh, my heart be still!
This was a clever book. Historical romances can get boring at times because the plots and story’s are relatively the same outline over the years. But this was refreshing and different and I really enjoyed it. Thank you to the author!!
3.5 stars, I think.
Let me start by saying Peckham has loads of potential. Heaps. Mountains. This is a strong first release in many ways.
However, it lacked some things for me, too. Mainly some character development and solidity. There were several times I felt like someone reacted strangely and by the end, I thought there was something specific that probably should have been hinted at much earlier on the book.
I’m a big character driven reader, so I struggled with the little details there.
On the other hand, she added in some kink not normally seen in historical romance and I LOVED that. There needed to be more of it. Heaps more. Mountains more.
Anywhooo, I’ll for sure be watching for more from this author.
London
Mid 1700’s
Private BDSM club
Keys
More
Different but well done, this romance tells of loss, pain, duty, dreams and desire. Poppy’s desire for freedom from the power men have over women. Archer’s desire and need for a type of release most do not understand. Loss of family that both have experienced. Poppy’s dream of financial independence and a successful business as a botanist. Archer’s duty to provide an heir is the catalyst that sets this story in motion. A marriage of convenience…yes…but with embers that can blow into a conflagration if honest communication is not present.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found both Archer and Poppy to be well crafted strong individuals that had personalities, goals and feelings that were amenable to one. The dialogue and behavior of both characters was believable. And, I found I could understand and relate to both Poppy and Archer – I cared for them and wanted them to succeed in their desires and endeavors AND find a way to a HEA. The writing was superb. The club on Charlotte Street as a basis for a series gives leave for much to happen in an interesting historical time period. I look forward to reading the next book in this series to see where this debut author will take us next.
Thank you to NetGalley and NYLA for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
I really liked this book. It was well thought out, and the plotting and pacing was done perfectly. It is a historical BDSM romance that I felt was portrayed quite well for that particular time period. The romance that started out as friendship which progressed to something more for both Poppy and Archer was both sweet and poignant because of Archer’s double life. Poppy is also portrayed as an female character who knows her current standing in society and how women are seen in those times but is also learning about her own power. There isn’t enough words to actually describe how great this book is and how wonderful the characters of Poppy and Archer are, definitely a must read for historical romance lovers.
THE DUKE I TEMPTED by Scarlett Peckham is the First book in the Secrets of Charlotte Street series. This is the story of Poppy Cavendish and Archer, the Duke of Westmead.
Poppy is happy to be unmarried and working on her botanist designs and pursuits. When she goes to help set up a design for a ball she meets Archer. Archer feels the guilt of a painful lost that he hasn’t forgiving himself for and likes to be a submissive in the BDSM scene. It helps him to cope with his inside pain. But it has now come to pass that he will need a wife and an heir. When Poppy’s life choice is threaten and compromised they end up in a marriage of convenience.
Both start to fall in love but can Poppy deal with Archer’s needs?
This does have a late scene in the book of Archer with another women but it wasn’t really sex but them doing a ‘scene’. I mention it because some people have a harsh definition of cheating.
Overall I enjoyed this book and the steamy scenes!
I found this book to be quite unique and very, very good. However, the author decided to take these characters and therefor, the readers into a situation that seriously ruined my enjoyment of this read and I’m sure it will be an issue for many other readers also. To start, I found this book refreshing. A historical romance, with a BDSM edge and a submissive hero in a hetero setting is not that common, especially in a full length read, fleshed out with an interesting storyline and compelling characters. I liked the characters and thought they were complex. I enjoyed their growing relationship from the small spark of attraction, to the deeper feeling that grew out of what was supposed to be a simple arrangement. I loved their chemistry and the emotional and romantic connection between them. But, then that moment happened and it unfortunately changed how I looked at the characters. I will not go into details, but this is something that is either ok or not with each individual reader and even saying that, what occurs in this book is open to every reader’s own interpretation. I myself am not a huge fan when this happens in books, but if it is not a surprise, I can get past it. Unfortunately I wasn’t expecting it. So for me it was a betrayal to the heroine and also to the reader. A successful BDSM relationship must be open, honest and built on trust. Break that trust and the relationship is doomed to failure. I am sad beyond words that such a promising read ended so badly.
This was an unexpected story with a topic I have not read. But with this being the first book by this author I thought I would go ahead and finish once I started. Archer, the Duke of Westmead has overcome a lot and become a wealthy investor in London. Needing to marry and have a heir, he really wants to keep his secrets and deep scarred heart well hidden. Poppy Cavendish is a botanist who is know for garden designs but needs funds to expand her nursery business. When Poppy takes a commission to decorate a lavish garden setting for the ball of Archer’s sister, she ends up staying with them until she can get the project finished. As she and Archer interact, there is a great attraction but Archer is has such low self esteem, he is convinced Poppy would not care for him and his secrets. But you can never overestimate the power of love and these two have an interesting journey getting there.
I received The Duke I Tempted by Scarlett Peckham from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. This is the first time I have read anything by Scarlett Peckham. I am sorry to say, while the writing was good, the punishment sex is not my cup of tea. I couldn’t bring myself to read the whole book. However, I did skip to the end, and the HEA was rather mellow. #TheDukeITempted #NetGalley