Say Yes to the Duke by Eloisa James

A shy wallflower meets her dream man—or does she?

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 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.

Book 5
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
Say Yes to the Duke is the fifth installment of The Wildes of Lindow Castle. While all the books are connected, each book features a new narrator (Wildes sibling) and can be read independently of the series with little to no confusion.

Viola really tugged my heartstrings at the start of the novel. As much as her family adores her, she still feels the sting of not truly being one of them. She is the stepchild of the duke, automatically understanding how the Ton feels about her, even if her family loves her just as much as their own blood. Via her mother, Viola is the stepsister of past narrators, and the half-sister to all the younger siblings, and this is a cross she carries alone, refusing to hurt her mother or her stepfather by voicing how she feels deep down.

Shy, insecure, but with a backbone of steel, Viola was an easy character to identify with – an every woman, so to speak, without coming off as a wallflower always in distress and in need of saving.

A brutal scene at her first ball shapes Viola for years to come, tainting her season with fear. Obviously, the first 'safe' man she meets is a man of the cloth. Since she feels undeserving of a better match, not truly feeling as a duke's daughter, not only does the vicar appear safe, but she believes he is a husband fitting her lower station.

This realization strengthens her backbone, so the clandestine meeting with the Duke of Wynter during her presentation to the Ton doesn't have her retching into the nearest lemon tree planter. Eavesdropping, Viola hears her deepest insecurities mirrored in Devin's words, which takes away all the pressure.

Devin is a cold man, exacting after his rearing, on the hunt for a bride to do his ducal duty, and Viola's stepsister fits the bill, because she's the 'real' daughter of a duke, all of which Viola overhears.

The angst, the frustration, the heart-clenching emotions, Viola opens the heart of the reader and thrusts her emotions into them. Devin redeems himself over the pages, as Viola gains her sense of self. They both balance one another while making the each other stronger.

I adored the emotional journey, which had plenty of unexpected witty moments that brought much-needed levity.

The only con I can honestly think to note is with the pacing. Say Yes to the Duke is a very looooonnnng book. Not necessarily in page length, but it reads long too. I felt we had met the expected conclusion, and glanced down to notice that I was only at 58%. Honestly, I expected a few more hours, where some unnecessary conflict would take place, which would sour the entire novel for me. Miscommunication is a pet-peeve of mine, as is unnecessarily strife or angst. Don't fret, while there is a slight bump, those two hundred pages simply meandered to showcase other characters via Devin and Viola's points of view.

Aside from the detour, which did feature other romances I was curious to learn about, I adored the novel. Highly recommended to fans of the author and lovers of historical romance. I eagerly look forward to the next installment and anything Ms. James publishes next.

Also Available in The Wildes of Lindow Castle Series

Book 1
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Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
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Avon Romance

For reviews & more info, check out our Wilde in Love post.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Avon Romance

For reviews & more info, check out our Too Wilde to Wed post.

Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Avon Romance

For reviews & more info, check out our Born to be Wilde post.

Book 4
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Avon Romance

For reviews & more info, check out our Say No to the Duke post.

ELOISA JAMES is a New York Times best-selling author and professor of English literature who lives with her family in New York, but can sometimes be found in Paris or Italy. She is the mother of two and, in a particularly delicious irony for a romance writer, is married to a genuine Italian knight.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Say Yes to the Duke (The Wildes of Lindow Castle #5) by Eloisa James to read and review.