Title: Four Nights with the Duke
Author: Eloisa James
Genre: Historical Romance
My Rating: 
My Copy: ARC via Avon
Add to: Goodreads
Synopsis: As a young girl, Emilia Gwendolyn Carrington told the annoying future Duke of Pindar that she would marry any man in the world before him—so years later she is horrified to realize that she has nowhere else to turn.
Evander Septimus Brody has his own reasons for agreeing to Mia's audacious proposal, but there's one thing he won't give his inconvenient wife: himself.
Instead, he offers Mia a devil's bargain...he will spend four nights a year with her. Four nights, and nothing more. And those only when she begs for them.
Which Mia will never do.
Now Vander faces the most crucial challenge of his life: he must seduce his own wife in order to win her heart—and no matter what it takes, this is the one battle he can't afford to lose.
I have a secret; I have a love hate relationship with Eloisa James books because they are either a hit or a miss. I adored Three Weeks with Lady X and I wasn’t sure I wanted to read Four Nights with the Duke until I read the synopsis! Seriously, the synopsis sold me and when the chance came to participate in the blog tour, I couldn’t pass up the chance! While, Four Nights is the eighth book in her Desperate Duchess series, if you haven’t read any of the books in the series, it’s okay to dive right in.
We have really good character development. Emila “Mia” Carrington has a secret: she’s a successful novelist, but the time has come to marry. Her nephew, Charlie, is at risk and she needs to protect his inheritance. She’s witty, courageous, and charming. It’s easy to imagine her as a close friend. Then we have Evander “Vander” Septimus Brody, Duke of Pendar. He’s a complete jerk at first and as the story progresses, you’ll come to forgive him. His best moments really are with Charlie. Vander also is loyal and takes his duties as a Duke seriously. There are a few secondary characters that we’ve seen in the past and make an appearance. They aren’t vital to the storyline except Vander’s uncle, Chuffy. Sorry, but Chuffy stole the show and if James ever decides to write a novella with Chuffy as the main character, I’d buy in an instant!
What I really enjoyed about Four Nights were the conversations between Mia and Vander. I won’t go into detail regarding exactly how Mia and Vander know each other, but it must have been painful to both of them as children hearing the gossip about their parents. I liked how James sets up the opening scene, it was memorable and we’ll easy associate with Mia’s embarrassment. James really shines in Four Nights and it comes down to the conversations the characters have. You’ll laugh with Charlie and Vander and want to hug Chuffy.
I debated with the rating between a four and five and in the end, decided on a four due to two particular reasons. The first has to do with Sir Richard. Mia painted him an evil man and what he does at the end does make him deplorable, but I wanted more of him. The whole course of the novel takes place in the span of about a week, but I really did expect him to have a bigger role than he did. Plus, if he’s the sole reason as to why she needs to marry, then give us a reason to dislike Richard! Secondly, James incorporates aspects of Mia’s writing throughout the novel and we see glimpses of what Mia is working on. It was interesting and fun to read at first, but as the novel progressed, it was a bit tedious to read because I felt it took away from the actual story.
Overall, Eloisa James’ Four Nights with the Duke was a delight! If you’re looking for a fun historical romance to spend the day with, I highly recommend it! And, you’re in for a real treat too especially if you’re a fan of Julia Quinn and Lisa Kleypas books. They make an appearance of sorts. 
(click on the banner for the full tour scheduled organized by Tasty Book Tours)
Avon is hosting a tour wide giveaway: print bundle of the entire backlist of the Desperate Duchesses series, books 1 – 7: Desperate Duchesses, An Affair Before Christmas, Duchess By Night, When the Duke Returns, This Duchess of Mine, A Duke of Her Own, and Three Weeks With Lady X. Good luck!
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