What do you think?
Rate this book
Belmore Square #1
One Night with the Duke
It's 1814 and nineteen-year-old Eliza Melrose, daughter of a printing magnate, is about to be launched into London's high society - much to her distaste, the last thing she wants is a husband.
Eliza's 'misplaced' thirst for adventure, knowledge and the creative word is a bone of contention for her father, who battles endlessly to keep her curiosity and ambitions in check, for women are not meant to ask questions or give opinions in matters of business.
But then she meets the youngest son of the late Duke of Chester, a disgraced nobleman who is shrouded in mystery and proving quite impossible to resist...
Eliza's 'misplaced' thirst for adventure, knowledge and the creative word is a bone of contention for her father, who battles endlessly to keep her curiosity and ambitions in check, for women are not meant to ask questions or give opinions in matters of business.
But then she meets the youngest son of the late Duke of Chester, a disgraced nobleman who is shrouded in mystery and proving quite impossible to resist...
298 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 16, 2022
245 people are currently reading
5,658 people want to read
About the author
Jodi Ellen Malpas
58 books19.9k followers“I write for myself. Not what I think people want to read.” ~ JEM
#1 New York Times & Sunday Times Bestselling Author Jodi Ellen Malpas was born and raised in England, where she lives with her husband, her boys, and Theo the Doberman.
Writing powerful love stories with fierce, memorable characters is her passion – a passion that has taken her on an amazing journey into the world of romantic fiction. Her work is now published in more than twenty-five languages across the world.
#1 New York Times & Sunday Times Bestselling Author Jodi Ellen Malpas was born and raised in England, where she lives with her husband, her boys, and Theo the Doberman.
Writing powerful love stories with fierce, memorable characters is her passion – a passion that has taken her on an amazing journey into the world of romantic fiction. Her work is now published in more than twenty-five languages across the world.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 415 reviews
July 27, 2022
This was a cute little read. The regency era is one of my favourite eras to read about so I couldn't pass up a chance to request this book. And the cover is gorgeous too.
I really liked the plot, it was well thought out and although I saw the end coming I enjoyed it nonetheless.
There's Eliza with her secret newspaper article writing, her siblings and their own love lives, the Duke's mysterious past, and the impending engagement to someone Eliza's father arranged for her, on top of her falling for the neighbouring Duke.
I didn't fully connect with any of the characters, but I'd like to read about them again in future books. I can't say if I have a favourite or not, they're all around the same level of like.
The romance was okay, I don't have any real complaints about it, other than I found some lines spoken by the Duke to be hilarious when they were supposed to be romantic. I really could not take the poor man seriously.
Speaking of lines, some of them, spoken by a few different characters, sounded a bit too modern to my ears. They didn't fully take me out of the story, but a few times I did forget that I was reading a regency romance and not a modern romance with period clothes thrown in.
Eliza's behaviors tie into that, some of the things she does are unbelievable for that time, but it's a book so I'll allow it. BE FREE ELIZA, DO WHAT YOU WANT.
And yes, the ending. I loved it, and it's not a typical regency romance ending so that's interesting. I even thought that the Duke could be "tamed" (let's put it like that) but the book proved me wrong.
Everything leading up to that final moment was really great though, so many characters seemed to be working together which was precious to see. Especially those who didn't seem to get along earlier in the book.
So I will definitely be checking out the rest of this series when it's out, I feel like the most chaotic bits are yet to come.
3.5
*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*
I really liked the plot, it was well thought out and although I saw the end coming I enjoyed it nonetheless.
There's Eliza with her secret newspaper article writing, her siblings and their own love lives, the Duke's mysterious past, and the impending engagement to someone Eliza's father arranged for her, on top of her falling for the neighbouring Duke.
I didn't fully connect with any of the characters, but I'd like to read about them again in future books. I can't say if I have a favourite or not, they're all around the same level of like.
The romance was okay, I don't have any real complaints about it, other than I found some lines spoken by the Duke to be hilarious when they were supposed to be romantic. I really could not take the poor man seriously.
Speaking of lines, some of them, spoken by a few different characters, sounded a bit too modern to my ears. They didn't fully take me out of the story, but a few times I did forget that I was reading a regency romance and not a modern romance with period clothes thrown in.
Eliza's behaviors tie into that, some of the things she does are unbelievable for that time, but it's a book so I'll allow it. BE FREE ELIZA, DO WHAT YOU WANT.
And yes, the ending. I loved it, and it's not a typical regency romance ending so that's interesting. I even thought that the Duke could be "tamed" (let's put it like that) but the book proved me wrong.
Everything leading up to that final moment was really great though, so many characters seemed to be working together which was precious to see. Especially those who didn't seem to get along earlier in the book.
So I will definitely be checking out the rest of this series when it's out, I feel like the most chaotic bits are yet to come.
3.5
*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*
September 24, 2023
Okej omg skończyłam i waham się między 3 a 3,5 gwiazdki czyli czy 6 czy 7 na 10, bo fajnie mi się to dzisiaj czytało 🤭
chyba dziwnie w ten sposób zaczynać post, ale jak tylko doszłam do tych momentów, czytając #jednanoczksięciem to sobie pomyślałam, że właśnie tak muszę to zrobić - jedne z moich ulubionych stron z tej książki, to zdecydowanie 313 i 345.
No i waham się jeszcze, jaką ocenę jej wystawić, czy 3/5, czy 3,5/5 bo supi przy niej spędziłam czas, mega mnie rozluźniła, czego dziś mocno potrzebowałam, bo miałam jakiś taki słabszy dzień. I uwaga! serio czuć było tu klimat takiego dworu, „damostwa” (jest takie słowo?😂) i księcia. Tych innych czasów, majątków, które odgrywały główną rolę i zasad, o których dziś nawet nie śnimy (na szczęście). trochę się wręcz czułam, jakbym im zaglądała przez mury i pod suknie hahaha.
mamy tu idealny przykład tropu forbidden love. no bo co - jest sobie Eliza, która od zawsze była wolną duszą, której nie obchodziły zasady społeczne i właściwie nic innego, dopóki wraz z rodziną nie przeprowadziła się do Londynu, a jej ojciec zapragnął jak najszybciej wydać ją za mąż, żeby tam wstydu nie było, co nie. No i łatwo się domyślić, że dziewczynie się ten pomysł nie spodobał. Dodatkowo, do posiadłości obok, wprowadził się młody książę, który czysto teoretycznie miał nie żyć hahaha, co powoduje, że w dziewczynie uruchamia się jej dziennikarska strona. Pragnie dowiedzieć się o nim wszystkiego, ale nie spodziewa się, że… może poczuć do księcia miętę. Pech chciał, że jej ojciec wybrał na jej przyszłego męża jakiegoś gremlina, a ona… zaczęła żywić uczucia do kogoś innego.
No i co zrobić?
chyba dziwnie w ten sposób zaczynać post, ale jak tylko doszłam do tych momentów, czytając #jednanoczksięciem to sobie pomyślałam, że właśnie tak muszę to zrobić - jedne z moich ulubionych stron z tej książki, to zdecydowanie 313 i 345.
No i waham się jeszcze, jaką ocenę jej wystawić, czy 3/5, czy 3,5/5 bo supi przy niej spędziłam czas, mega mnie rozluźniła, czego dziś mocno potrzebowałam, bo miałam jakiś taki słabszy dzień. I uwaga! serio czuć było tu klimat takiego dworu, „damostwa” (jest takie słowo?😂) i księcia. Tych innych czasów, majątków, które odgrywały główną rolę i zasad, o których dziś nawet nie śnimy (na szczęście). trochę się wręcz czułam, jakbym im zaglądała przez mury i pod suknie hahaha.
mamy tu idealny przykład tropu forbidden love. no bo co - jest sobie Eliza, która od zawsze była wolną duszą, której nie obchodziły zasady społeczne i właściwie nic innego, dopóki wraz z rodziną nie przeprowadziła się do Londynu, a jej ojciec zapragnął jak najszybciej wydać ją za mąż, żeby tam wstydu nie było, co nie. No i łatwo się domyślić, że dziewczynie się ten pomysł nie spodobał. Dodatkowo, do posiadłości obok, wprowadził się młody książę, który czysto teoretycznie miał nie żyć hahaha, co powoduje, że w dziewczynie uruchamia się jej dziennikarska strona. Pragnie dowiedzieć się o nim wszystkiego, ale nie spodziewa się, że… może poczuć do księcia miętę. Pech chciał, że jej ojciec wybrał na jej przyszłego męża jakiegoś gremlina, a ona… zaczęła żywić uczucia do kogoś innego.
No i co zrobić?
August 18, 2022
Eliza + The Duke
Eliza is 19 and recently her life changed dramatically.
Her family is suddenly very rich. They're living in London now and her father is about to marry her off to the nearest Lord for business reasons.
Eliza loved her old life in the country - riding her horses, writing articles for her dad's newspaper - which she is now not allowed to do anymore.
Enter the Duke next door.
He's the mysterious new owner of the grandest house on Belmore Square.
And suddenly things are not as boring anymore for Eliza ...
LET THE FUN TIMES BEGIN ... ☺
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO OUR DARLINGS?
WILL WE GET A HAPPILY EVER AFTER?
READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT ☺
════════════════
I liked that!
I wasn't really sure I would like it. I knew I had to read it because it's a JEM book. But it looked too Bridgertonish for my tates. From the cover to the blurb ...
But it wasn't too much like it.
I really liked reading it.
It's written a bit like Eliza is writing to us in her diary. And it's hilarious and adorable and a bit sad and frustrating here and there. And of course a bit mysterious too - because we still don't know what happened with the Duke. And because we don't know what kind of deal her father made with her idiot future father-in-law.
Let's the hope the Duke is coming to the rescue - again - and saves our girl from a boring life as a Cornwall Lady.
I really enjoyed reading this. Might not hate it if it showed up on Netflix one day!
And since this is Belmore Square book #1 - we'll get more stories! Yay. Eliza has two siblings - so there's plenty more to tell about the Melroses.
ONE NIGHT WITH THE DUKE was a really funny and adorable historical romance! Run to your nearest amazon for your own Duke - this one is MINE! ☺
💜
💜
April 12, 2023
This book was a mess. I knew from about the first paragraph that this book was not for me. WHY WOULD YOU WRITE A HISTORICAL ROMANCE IN FIRST PERSON PRESENT POV. But it isn't even present because it switches between present and past tenses in the same paragraphs, which just makes things difficult to read and confusing. Because the book was entirely in first person present everything was just awkward. Every thought. Every spoken sentence, Every description. Awkward. The descriptions of the intimate scenes (one steamy kiss, and a full on scene) were graphic to the point of being gross. I don't mind graphic descriptions, but they were not hot, just icky.
I couldn't stand Eliza. She was a PickMe girl is the worst possible way. Her constant reminders in her thoughts and words of "I'm no lady." She made it her main character trait that she only reads encyclopedias and travel journals, no novels. She constantly was pouting and because it was first person present, I had to read "I pout..." way too many times. The way she was constantly falling down for no reason. And then she stands there and lets herself almost get ran over a horse, not once BUT TWICE, not because she is frozen in fear or she doesn't see it, no because she is allowed to be standing there so she shouldn't be the one who has to move. THE ENTITLEMENT the entire time was just exhausting. She wrote an article that caused a bank run in order to get revenge and then faced no consequences. Her entire attitude is she knows best and everyone should get on her side or get out of her way. She needed be run over by a horse.
On top of the above, the author clearly did ZERO RESEARCH and did not know the Regency time period at all. You can't just write a contemporary romance and stick it in 1816. There were numerous terms of phrase said by characters that didn't exist at the time (blimey, cat got your tongue, etc.). Eliza was shocked that a titled man of 24 wasn't married. Eliza complained about her corset when you literally cannot wear the type of corset with the clothing of the time (I'm blaming the Bridgerton Netflix series for this one). Somehow her getting up at 6:15 AM was two hours before the butler woke up (on what planet would a butler not get up until 8:15 AM). One of my biggest pet peeves, there were multiple references to Jane Austen by name in a book set in 1816, when Austen's identity was not known until December 1817. Perhaps the most egregious of all and one that deeply disturbs me, GULLIVER'S TRAVELS IS REFERENCED AS A TRAVEL DIARY. GULLIVER'S TRAVELS. THE AUTHOR THINKS GULLIVER'S TRAVELS IS A TRAVELOGUE. You can't make it a plot point to have your heroine never read novels and then mention several times that she has Gulliver's Travels by her bed and mention that it is a travel diary she's read without making me think you don't know what you're talking about.
In short, while I did read the whole book, mostly fueled by spite, I never need to read this author again and highly recommend that she stick to contemporary romance and stay far far away from historical until she does more research than watching Bridgerton.
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I couldn't stand Eliza. She was a PickMe girl is the worst possible way. Her constant reminders in her thoughts and words of "I'm no lady." She made it her main character trait that she only reads encyclopedias and travel journals, no novels. She constantly was pouting and because it was first person present, I had to read "I pout..." way too many times. The way she was constantly falling down for no reason. And then she stands there and lets herself almost get ran over a horse, not once BUT TWICE, not because she is frozen in fear or she doesn't see it, no because she is allowed to be standing there so she shouldn't be the one who has to move. THE ENTITLEMENT the entire time was just exhausting. She wrote an article that caused a bank run in order to get revenge and then faced no consequences. Her entire attitude is she knows best and everyone should get on her side or get out of her way. She needed be run over by a horse.
On top of the above, the author clearly did ZERO RESEARCH and did not know the Regency time period at all. You can't just write a contemporary romance and stick it in 1816. There were numerous terms of phrase said by characters that didn't exist at the time (blimey, cat got your tongue, etc.). Eliza was shocked that a titled man of 24 wasn't married. Eliza complained about her corset when you literally cannot wear the type of corset with the clothing of the time (I'm blaming the Bridgerton Netflix series for this one). Somehow her getting up at 6:15 AM was two hours before the butler woke up (on what planet would a butler not get up until 8:15 AM). One of my biggest pet peeves, there were multiple references to Jane Austen by name in a book set in 1816, when Austen's identity was not known until December 1817. Perhaps the most egregious of all and one that deeply disturbs me, GULLIVER'S TRAVELS IS REFERENCED AS A TRAVEL DIARY. GULLIVER'S TRAVELS. THE AUTHOR THINKS GULLIVER'S TRAVELS IS A TRAVELOGUE. You can't make it a plot point to have your heroine never read novels and then mention several times that she has Gulliver's Travels by her bed and mention that it is a travel diary she's read without making me think you don't know what you're talking about.
In short, while I did read the whole book, mostly fueled by spite, I never need to read this author again and highly recommend that she stick to contemporary romance and stay far far away from historical until she does more research than watching Bridgerton.
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Want to read
April 1, 2022JEM writing a historical romance??? What universe is this?
August 26, 2022
One Night with the Duke dazzled with a wholly modern heroine with intensity and wit. Jodie Ellen Malpas proves once again why she has her finger on the pulse of engaging romance stories – she is a genre-busting Cameleon.
It’s been so long since I read a book by Jodi Ellen Malpas. The last being the This Man series. Now…don’t come for me but I daren’t read her other series’ mainly because I didn’t think anything could surpass the perfection of Jesse Ward. I will change that after reading her new release, One Night with the Duke.
Now, this isn’t generally my preferred genre of romance, I haven’t read any regency romances prior to this, but it has indeed opened my eyes and mind to a whole new realm of possibilities. What I loved most about this story was how it had a much-loved modern twist to a historical viewpoint. We had the anguish of women having to stay in their lane as it were. You couldn’t pursue careers that were deemed unladylike, such as Journalism in Eliza Melrose’s case. She doesn’t want to marry and her only purpose to be forced upon her is child rearing and sewing. She wants me from this life, but with the plotting of her newspaper mogul father and a dastardly investor, Lymington, she is being married off to ensure her family’s social standing in the ton.
“Sometimes in this world, Eliza, we, as women of the ton, must do what is expected in order for us to do what is unexpected.”
Eliza Melrose is a formidable female protagonist with unending reserves of spunk, and she refuses to be silenced on matters that are of great importance to her. She knows in which direction her moral compass points and she will not be moved by it. Some might say that she is stubborn, but Eliza just knows her own mind. Marriage isn’t in her horizons, and she refuses to fall in love with just any old rake. All she wants right now is her freedom, the freedom to write news reports for her father’s newspaper, freedom to pick a partner of her choosing.
The arrival of the Duke of Chester after being accused of murdering his entire family has Eliza intrigued. She’s heard the whisperings, about the murders, about his rakish ways; after a memorable meeting, she finds herself attracted to the man with the capricious demeanour. Can she crack his shell, or should she do what is expected of her and stay away and continue the courtship that has been arranged by her father?
Malpas injects her traditional blueprint of alpha male when creating The Duke of Chester, Johnny Winters. He’s controlling, cantankerous, deeply passionate, and fiercely protective. The drama and action pulsed with a heartbeat that brokered no mistake – intentions were clear, and it was just magnificent.
It’s been so long since I read a book by Jodi Ellen Malpas. The last being the This Man series. Now…don’t come for me but I daren’t read her other series’ mainly because I didn’t think anything could surpass the perfection of Jesse Ward. I will change that after reading her new release, One Night with the Duke.
Now, this isn’t generally my preferred genre of romance, I haven’t read any regency romances prior to this, but it has indeed opened my eyes and mind to a whole new realm of possibilities. What I loved most about this story was how it had a much-loved modern twist to a historical viewpoint. We had the anguish of women having to stay in their lane as it were. You couldn’t pursue careers that were deemed unladylike, such as Journalism in Eliza Melrose’s case. She doesn’t want to marry and her only purpose to be forced upon her is child rearing and sewing. She wants me from this life, but with the plotting of her newspaper mogul father and a dastardly investor, Lymington, she is being married off to ensure her family’s social standing in the ton.
“Sometimes in this world, Eliza, we, as women of the ton, must do what is expected in order for us to do what is unexpected.”
Eliza Melrose is a formidable female protagonist with unending reserves of spunk, and she refuses to be silenced on matters that are of great importance to her. She knows in which direction her moral compass points and she will not be moved by it. Some might say that she is stubborn, but Eliza just knows her own mind. Marriage isn’t in her horizons, and she refuses to fall in love with just any old rake. All she wants right now is her freedom, the freedom to write news reports for her father’s newspaper, freedom to pick a partner of her choosing.
The arrival of the Duke of Chester after being accused of murdering his entire family has Eliza intrigued. She’s heard the whisperings, about the murders, about his rakish ways; after a memorable meeting, she finds herself attracted to the man with the capricious demeanour. Can she crack his shell, or should she do what is expected of her and stay away and continue the courtship that has been arranged by her father?
Malpas injects her traditional blueprint of alpha male when creating The Duke of Chester, Johnny Winters. He’s controlling, cantankerous, deeply passionate, and fiercely protective. The drama and action pulsed with a heartbeat that brokered no mistake – intentions were clear, and it was just magnificent.
April 12, 2024
O poveste historical romance plină de suspans și aventură, de drame și momente de cumpănă care îi are ca protagoniști pe Ducele de Chester, un personaj controversat și căzut în dizgrația înaltei societăți, fiind bănuit că și-ar fi ucis familia într-un moment de nebunie; dar și pe Eliza Melrose.
Eliza este o eroină extrem de puternică și hotărâtă, care nu se pliază deloc pe regulile societății acelor vremuri! Este o luptătoare, o minte curioasă și inteligentă, dornică de aventură, care nu se sfiește să spună lucrurilor pe nume, să își dorească libertatea de mișcare și puterea de a-și decide viața, pe care o au bărbații.
Nu este o carte extraordinară, dar oferă cititorului ocazia de a descoperi că autoarea este capabilă să ofere surprize.
După cât de mult am adorat personajul feminin principal, cartea ar fi putut să-i poarte numele.
Un volum care ne oferă o lecție importantă: femeile sunt puternice și capabile atunci când își propun cu adevărat să fie așa.
Într-o societate închistată în cutume și tipare învechite, condusă de bărbați cu vederi înguste, Eliza reprezintă luminița de la capătul tunelului, un far în furtună, o minte care gândește și observă mersul lucrurilor.
Mi-a plăcut faptul că eroina a fost centrul în jurul căreia autoarea a construit povestea, nucleul care a avut puterea de a atrage cititorul în mreje.
Cumva, această carte mi-a adus aminte de tensiunea și suspansul pe care l-am simțit citind "Leave me Breathless".
Eliza este o eroină extrem de puternică și hotărâtă, care nu se pliază deloc pe regulile societății acelor vremuri! Este o luptătoare, o minte curioasă și inteligentă, dornică de aventură, care nu se sfiește să spună lucrurilor pe nume, să își dorească libertatea de mișcare și puterea de a-și decide viața, pe care o au bărbații.
Nu este o carte extraordinară, dar oferă cititorului ocazia de a descoperi că autoarea este capabilă să ofere surprize.
După cât de mult am adorat personajul feminin principal, cartea ar fi putut să-i poarte numele.
Un volum care ne oferă o lecție importantă: femeile sunt puternice și capabile atunci când își propun cu adevărat să fie așa.
Într-o societate închistată în cutume și tipare învechite, condusă de bărbați cu vederi înguste, Eliza reprezintă luminița de la capătul tunelului, un far în furtună, o minte care gândește și observă mersul lucrurilor.
Mi-a plăcut faptul că eroina a fost centrul în jurul căreia autoarea a construit povestea, nucleul care a avut puterea de a atrage cititorul în mreje.
Cumva, această carte mi-a adus aminte de tensiunea și suspansul pe care l-am simțit citind "Leave me Breathless".
August 22, 2022
Oh dear, this book nearly hit the wall several times. I so wanted to like it, but sadly it annoyed me in several ways. I didn’t really connect with the characters. They all did things for the sake of 'plot' rather than doing things that arose out of their natural character. It’s 1816. The heroine, nineteen-year-old Eliza Melrose, is being launched into London’s high society now that her father’s newspaper business has taken off and made him very wealthy. She’s being forced into marriage with Frederick, the son of her father’s irascible business partner (a duke). Frederick is a dull young man with no character to speak of, at least not that we see, but he’s titled, so Eliza (coming from new money) should be grateful. Then she meets the young, taciturn (and unpleasant) Duke of Chester, Johnny, rumoured to have started the fire that burnt his family to death. You can guess the rest. This is supposed to be sexy and scandalous, but to be honest I found there was way too much tingling going on. Every time she sees Johnny, Eliza practically has an orgasm on the spot. (And that starts before she’s even said hello.) Regency romance is my guilty pleasure. I’m a fan of Bridgerton, so I’m hardly a stickler for accuracy or even verisimilitude, and I’m OK with sex in a book, explicit or not. but this just didn’t sit right. Eliza writes for her father’s newspaper (under her brother’s name, which is fair enough) but she also climbs down drainpipes (and up again), barges into a brothel to bring her brother home, and stands in front of galloping horses with complete disregard for safety (twice). She suspects that something is going on between her father and the irascible business partner, and that is teased throughout, but when all is revealed, it isn’t such a big deal. There’s certainly no real reason why Eliza must be married to Frederick. Any fertile woman would do for him. It has a happy ending (of course) but Eliza doesn’t really have much of a hand in bringing it about. Style-wise, there were also some arbitrary shifts into present tense, which seemed strangely unsettling. I wish I’d given up at 11% rather than sticking it out to see if it got better. It’s eight hours of my life that I’m not going to get back.
May 25, 2024
Even though I suspected that I would enjoy this novel, I didn't expect it to the extent that I did. This was such an enjoyable and fun read!
This story had the dramatic plot of a historical piece of fiction similar to "Emma" or "Pride and Prejudice" but with a modern writing style. Therefore, it had all that I love about those original pieces of work but was easier to read and enjoy. Plus, there was a level of 'spice' in this story that is not included in novels from that time.
I really enjoyed this read and now I'm interested in reading more from this series. I have read Jodi Ellen Malpas in the past and I remember enjoying those novels but dare I say it, I might like her debut in historical romance the most!
One postscript that I feel necessary to add is that I felt the whole naming of the brother as Frank and one of the men pursuing Eliza as Frederick was a CHOICE. And a confusing one.
***I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review***
This story had the dramatic plot of a historical piece of fiction similar to "Emma" or "Pride and Prejudice" but with a modern writing style. Therefore, it had all that I love about those original pieces of work but was easier to read and enjoy. Plus, there was a level of 'spice' in this story that is not included in novels from that time.
I really enjoyed this read and now I'm interested in reading more from this series. I have read Jodi Ellen Malpas in the past and I remember enjoying those novels but dare I say it, I might like her debut in historical romance the most!
One postscript that I feel necessary to add is that I felt the whole naming of the brother as Frank and one of the men pursuing Eliza as Frederick was a CHOICE. And a confusing one.
***I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review***
August 13, 2022
I love JEM’s books so naturally I was excited to dive heart first into this one! I don’t read too many regency romance books (I fear they will all blend into one eventually) so whenever I do I absolutely adore them, especially if there’s a strong woman who knows what she wants involved. Eliza is a sassy, smart and stubborn character and I absolutely ADORED her. The Duke?… holy hotness can I have a night with him?! Add this to your TBRs and thank me later. It’s an amazing steamy read.
Thank you to Orion Publishing for sending me a copy of this book along with a box full of goodies.
Thank you to Orion Publishing for sending me a copy of this book along with a box full of goodies.
December 7, 2022
Since her father’s printing business has taken off, country girl Eliza Melrose must now prepare herself for a debut in London society, as well as the prospect of finding a husband, neither of which she is eager to do. She’s more interested in adventure and learning new things to write for her father’s paper, much to his consternation. The more he fights to keep Eliza’s strong will in hand, the more she pushes against him. When Eliza meets the brooding Duke of Chester, a man whose reputation is ruined by terrible rumors, she finds it impossible to resist unraveling the mystery that surrounds him.
I really liked the premise of this story. It’s so rare that we get a heroine trying to navigate high society when she wasn’t raised with that expectation, and I really liked that aspect. Johnny is set up well as a brooding hero, if a bit dramatic. I think this story would’ve benefited a lot from having some chapters told from Johnny’s perspective. Instead, it is completely from Eliza’s point of view and in first person, so we get nothing but her perceptions. Since she is only nineteen, and a fairly young and sheltered nineteen, this means we as readers do get a fairly narrow scope of the plot, limited by her naivete and lack of maturity. I’ve also never really noticed this before, but this story being narrated in the first-person present tense sometimes made it difficult for me to differentiate between the heroine’s dialogue and her inner thoughts and also made it a challenge to figure out who was speaking at times (I listened to the audio.) This is more of a modern book with some period clothes than a thoroughly researched historical; it had a ton of modern language (especially the volume and manner of curse words used by Eliza) and lots of errors with titles, which drives me bananas and didn’t help with how modern this sounds.
Aside from the more stylistic issues, I definitely found Eliza to be very dramatic and over the top in nearly everything she did, said, or thought. She pouted way too much, and the story became quite repetitive given that it is only told by her. She spends most of her time pouting about something, trying to figure out what’s going on with those around her (but never actually asking them), and seeking out gossip to write about. She’s adamant that she only writes truthful stories, yet she is quick to believe every piece of gossip she hears about Johnny and that just made no sense to me. He never seemed to be trying to entice her, as she accused him of doing, rather, she was the one who kept seeking him out. Her treatment of him was very much all over the place, as was much of the story, and I found myself at turns confused by it and sometimes just bored with it because nothing seemed to be happening. Eliza was exceedingly dramatic about everything and, though she sometimes did have good reason for it, this made her a bit tough to root for, though I did admire her loyalty to her family, even when they didn’t deserve it. I think I would’ve liked this so much more if her family had perhaps communicated more and faced their issues together a bit like the close-knit unit they obviously were before their move to London. Instead, they were just exasperatingly dismissive of Eliza.
I think my biggest issue here is that I have no idea how Johnny and Eliza fell in love and I’m not entirely sure I believe it. Much of the plot in terms of how things wrapped up with him was just a bit absurd given his high rank. Eliza believed everything this villain said much too easily and that definitely made me question her supposed shrewdness. I think the last straw here for me though was when a horse was described as ‘yowling.’ Just no. This is certainly a sound that cats make, but never horses and as a lifelong horse person, this sort of thing just drives me batty. Nothing to do with the story, just me being weird.
Overall, I really loved this concept, and I would read more books in this series/from this author, this one in particular just didn’t quite pan out as I had hoped. Ultimately, I never really felt the romance between Eliza and Johnny. Their interactions mostly consisted of her sniping at him for something and him being growly and telling her he could never be with her, then the denouement and resolution just tied everything up in such a rush that I wasn’t wholly satisfied. It just didn’t hold my attention and I never felt the chemistry between them.
I voluntarily listened to and reviewed an audio advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...
I really liked the premise of this story. It’s so rare that we get a heroine trying to navigate high society when she wasn’t raised with that expectation, and I really liked that aspect. Johnny is set up well as a brooding hero, if a bit dramatic. I think this story would’ve benefited a lot from having some chapters told from Johnny’s perspective. Instead, it is completely from Eliza’s point of view and in first person, so we get nothing but her perceptions. Since she is only nineteen, and a fairly young and sheltered nineteen, this means we as readers do get a fairly narrow scope of the plot, limited by her naivete and lack of maturity. I’ve also never really noticed this before, but this story being narrated in the first-person present tense sometimes made it difficult for me to differentiate between the heroine’s dialogue and her inner thoughts and also made it a challenge to figure out who was speaking at times (I listened to the audio.) This is more of a modern book with some period clothes than a thoroughly researched historical; it had a ton of modern language (especially the volume and manner of curse words used by Eliza) and lots of errors with titles, which drives me bananas and didn’t help with how modern this sounds.
Aside from the more stylistic issues, I definitely found Eliza to be very dramatic and over the top in nearly everything she did, said, or thought. She pouted way too much, and the story became quite repetitive given that it is only told by her. She spends most of her time pouting about something, trying to figure out what’s going on with those around her (but never actually asking them), and seeking out gossip to write about. She’s adamant that she only writes truthful stories, yet she is quick to believe every piece of gossip she hears about Johnny and that just made no sense to me. He never seemed to be trying to entice her, as she accused him of doing, rather, she was the one who kept seeking him out. Her treatment of him was very much all over the place, as was much of the story, and I found myself at turns confused by it and sometimes just bored with it because nothing seemed to be happening. Eliza was exceedingly dramatic about everything and, though she sometimes did have good reason for it, this made her a bit tough to root for, though I did admire her loyalty to her family, even when they didn’t deserve it. I think I would’ve liked this so much more if her family had perhaps communicated more and faced their issues together a bit like the close-knit unit they obviously were before their move to London. Instead, they were just exasperatingly dismissive of Eliza.
I think my biggest issue here is that I have no idea how Johnny and Eliza fell in love and I’m not entirely sure I believe it. Much of the plot in terms of how things wrapped up with him was just a bit absurd given his high rank. Eliza believed everything this villain said much too easily and that definitely made me question her supposed shrewdness. I think the last straw here for me though was when a horse was described as ‘yowling.’ Just no. This is certainly a sound that cats make, but never horses and as a lifelong horse person, this sort of thing just drives me batty. Nothing to do with the story, just me being weird.
Overall, I really loved this concept, and I would read more books in this series/from this author, this one in particular just didn’t quite pan out as I had hoped. Ultimately, I never really felt the romance between Eliza and Johnny. Their interactions mostly consisted of her sniping at him for something and him being growly and telling her he could never be with her, then the denouement and resolution just tied everything up in such a rush that I wasn’t wholly satisfied. It just didn’t hold my attention and I never felt the chemistry between them.
I voluntarily listened to and reviewed an audio advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...
April 18, 2023
What a charming read! I really liked Eliza, the heroine. She was a strong character set in a time where women were docile. She was opinionated, loyal and honorable. She stuck her neck out for others and that made me like her even more.
Johnny, the Hero, was mysterious with a darker edge to him. He becomes obsessed with Eliza that made for an exciting read since she is betrothed to another. We learn his true story at the end and I can say that I love how everything came together.
This is a setting with a large group of side characters that I enjoyed and will want to read again in the next book of the series.
Johnny, the Hero, was mysterious with a darker edge to him. He becomes obsessed with Eliza that made for an exciting read since she is betrothed to another. We learn his true story at the end and I can say that I love how everything came together.
This is a setting with a large group of side characters that I enjoyed and will want to read again in the next book of the series.
July 30, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed One Night With The Duke. This book totally took me by surprise.
Historical romance isn’t my go to genre, but as I love JEM’s works so much, there was no way I could not read it.
Let me tell you, if you are on the fence regarding historical romance, then I urge you to read this book. It was total escapism. A fabulous story of mystery and romance unfolds between the pages.
The heroine, Elisa, is a strong willed, sassy, intelligent and modest character who knows her own mind. She’s desperate to live her own life her way and not conform to what is expected of her, but she is also very loyal to her family, so she will do anything to ensure their status and survival on Belmore Square.
The Duke . . . the “tingle maker” …swoon! There is certainly an air of mystery and intrigue surrounding the Duke, Johnny Winters. He’s the bad boy on Belmore Square, that’s for sure. But he snares Elisa’s attention and she just can’t resist her fascination with him… oh and the fact he makes her tingle from head to toe lol.
The chemistry between Johnny and Elisa is profound, and it left me hugely anticipating their encounters together. The near kisses and the soft touches, were just titillating, I’m sure I was holding my breath along side Elisa at every encounter with the Duke.
This book is written superbly, the dialogue and etiquette to fit within the Regency era is done perfectly. So the author obviously did her research, it read very authentically.
I can't wait for the next Belmore book!
FIVE tingling stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Historical romance isn’t my go to genre, but as I love JEM’s works so much, there was no way I could not read it.
Let me tell you, if you are on the fence regarding historical romance, then I urge you to read this book. It was total escapism. A fabulous story of mystery and romance unfolds between the pages.
The heroine, Elisa, is a strong willed, sassy, intelligent and modest character who knows her own mind. She’s desperate to live her own life her way and not conform to what is expected of her, but she is also very loyal to her family, so she will do anything to ensure their status and survival on Belmore Square.
The Duke . . . the “tingle maker” …swoon! There is certainly an air of mystery and intrigue surrounding the Duke, Johnny Winters. He’s the bad boy on Belmore Square, that’s for sure. But he snares Elisa’s attention and she just can’t resist her fascination with him… oh and the fact he makes her tingle from head to toe lol.
The chemistry between Johnny and Elisa is profound, and it left me hugely anticipating their encounters together. The near kisses and the soft touches, were just titillating, I’m sure I was holding my breath along side Elisa at every encounter with the Duke.
This book is written superbly, the dialogue and etiquette to fit within the Regency era is done perfectly. So the author obviously did her research, it read very authentically.
I can't wait for the next Belmore book!
FIVE tingling stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
August 23, 2022
Being a huge fan of the "This Man" series and liking Regency novels I was looking forward what romance JEM would devise: what a disappointment. I am not sure whether this book is a Regency novel or a mocking of this genre.
There were so many inconsistencies:
- the heroine grew up in the country in a modest home with few servants, now she lives in an opulent mansion in London with a butler who rises around 8:15am ("At exactly fifteen minutes past six o'clock, I stumbled across an entry in an art book..... I spent the next two hours writing fast.....I finish in the nick of time, hearing our butler rising")
- apparently she was not well educated as she learnt Latin to travel to countries "where she might speak it", Latin wasn't a spoken language anywhere in 1814;
- a young girl would learn French or Italian, a bluestocking or a scholar's daughter maybe Latin;
- her father was neither a gentleman nor did he belong to gentry or aristocracy so her family would not be invited to events of the ton like the Prince's royal party;
- the duke would have to be seriously in debt to consider a marriage of his son to the daughter of a publisher;
- how did her father become extremely wealthy within a short time?
- why does everybody wonder about the Winter family? There is Debrets where you can look up family trees, a department of the house of Lords would look for the heir of a deceased duke;
Not my cup of tea, I stopped reading this book and turned to those by Georgette Heyer, Emily Larkin, or Stella Riley.
There were so many inconsistencies:
- the heroine grew up in the country in a modest home with few servants, now she lives in an opulent mansion in London with a butler who rises around 8:15am ("At exactly fifteen minutes past six o'clock, I stumbled across an entry in an art book..... I spent the next two hours writing fast.....I finish in the nick of time, hearing our butler rising")
- apparently she was not well educated as she learnt Latin to travel to countries "where she might speak it", Latin wasn't a spoken language anywhere in 1814;
- a young girl would learn French or Italian, a bluestocking or a scholar's daughter maybe Latin;
- her father was neither a gentleman nor did he belong to gentry or aristocracy so her family would not be invited to events of the ton like the Prince's royal party;
- the duke would have to be seriously in debt to consider a marriage of his son to the daughter of a publisher;
- how did her father become extremely wealthy within a short time?
- why does everybody wonder about the Winter family? There is Debrets where you can look up family trees, a department of the house of Lords would look for the heir of a deceased duke;
Not my cup of tea, I stopped reading this book and turned to those by Georgette Heyer, Emily Larkin, or Stella Riley.
November 23, 2022
Ok the first thing I’m going to say is that the plot for this story is great! The idea, the characters, the dynamics are super creative and nothing like I have read in a long time.
.
I had to keep reminding myself that Eliza is only 19! She absolutely is a force of nature! And Johnny was completely different to how I expected him to be! A very interesting Duke indeed!
.
Now here is where I feel a bit stuck, I loved the story/idea and the characters had much going for them! I’d love to read about Frank and possible the highway woman, and Clara and the stable boy! But there was something about the way it was written that kept nagging at me. I’m not sure if it was the repetition of I this and I that, but at times I felt like it as reading a modern script instead of a historical novel if that makes sense?
.
Maybe it’s how it was edited, or possibly it’s just a different style to the others I have read in this challenge, but it just knocked down what could really have been an amazing book!
.
I had to keep reminding myself that Eliza is only 19! She absolutely is a force of nature! And Johnny was completely different to how I expected him to be! A very interesting Duke indeed!
.
Now here is where I feel a bit stuck, I loved the story/idea and the characters had much going for them! I’d love to read about Frank and possible the highway woman, and Clara and the stable boy! But there was something about the way it was written that kept nagging at me. I’m not sure if it was the repetition of I this and I that, but at times I felt like it as reading a modern script instead of a historical novel if that makes sense?
.
Maybe it’s how it was edited, or possibly it’s just a different style to the others I have read in this challenge, but it just knocked down what could really have been an amazing book!
July 18, 2022
One Night with the Duke (Belmore Square #1) by Jodi Ellen Malpas is the author's first dive into a regency-style romance novel, producing more than satisfactory results. Which will no doubt be echoed by fellow readers when it is their turn to spend (more) than one night with this captivating novel.
The craving has been here within me since finishing The Resurrection (Unlawful Men #3) to quench my Malpas thirst, and I knew from reading the blurb alone that One Night with the Duke would be the book for the job. I am most grateful to be given the opportunity to read this book in advance, and I am especially honoured that this is my first ever Jodi Ellen Malpas ARC read. I could think of no better way to pop that bookish cherry than with a read in a brand new series. Simply fantastic!
Without a shadow of a doubt, Jodi has nothing to fear with dipping her toes into this new genre in which she has not yet written within. Writing within the unknown--even if you have read plenty of the genre yourself--is always nerve-wracking, but it is down to the skill of the author and their ability to spin and craft a story which makes all the difference. Jodi has that skill and ability in spades. The flawlessness and excellent execution of this story did not give away that this was her first time writing such a novel, but rather showed instead that she is capable of standing among those who have been established within the genre for however long they been in it. There is no air of inexperience from either the novel or from Jodi. Her debut into the bookish regency ton, was a resounding success.
One Night with the Duke kept flawlessly to the classic elements of the regency genre we all know and love, without falling into the pitfalls of modernising the genre. It did not plague us with situations and circumstances within the modern age put into the time period, neither did it include any up-to-date terminology. Everything about this novel from its time-period appropriate & accurate social situations, dramatic twists and turns, taking-us-to-the-edge-suspense, and an added dash of something extra which put this read to the cream of the romance crop. Steam.
Jodi as in her unique way, brought the steam to the fictional realm of Belmore Square. Where I won't reveal how or why--as it would be unfair to those who have yet to read this novel--, I will disclose this. Even on today on the hottest day of the year for England, did it even come close to the heat and steam generated by the Duke and Miss Melrose. A few times we were brought to the edge , but when it really mattered that all important climactic moment was only the more satisfying. For fans of Jodi who have loved the succulent steam in her other books, you simply must pick this one up as well! This isn't just a read that will have you on the seat or the edge of, you will be off your seat and right there with the characters as they show us what they are made of. Needless to say, I did not read those scenes just the once. For one simply never goes just one round with the Duke.
The Duke and Miss Eliza Melrose have swiftly risen through the ranks to become two of my favourite all-time Jodi Ellen Malpas main characters. Where they both mix and mingle within the same social circle, they are as alike as they are dissimilar. Eliza is not a simpering wallflower of a woman who bends to society's will. Thanks to Jodi's writing and injection of humour and quick-wit, she is a woman who knows what she wants, how she thinks and isn't afraid to do what needs must. The Duke is as complex as they come. His brooding, alluringly mysterious nature and past ensnares Eliza to the fruit that is dangling so close to her face, but dare she take a bite out of the forbidden? And will the consequences be too much to tempt her to have one night with the Duke?
What Miss Melrose and The Duke have here is more than simple chemistry. They are as right for each other as night and day, and I can only commend Jodi for writing two characters who will no doubt be someone's favourites that they can champion as I did myself.
One simply cannot get enough of this awe-inspiring first novel in Jodi's brand new Belmore Square series and everything within its pages. The unpredictable journey to discover who The Duke is, was and will be with Eliza on his tail, filled with emotional upheaval, shocking revelations and societal ton dramatical events, does not make you--or I--feel that we were merely reading this from the pages of a book. We were in this story with all the players on the road to a conclusion to please all. And please it did.
As I am only able to give this book five stars as a rating, I would like to say that here and now this is not simply just a five-star read. What you're looking at here, ladies and gentlemen, is a one-hundred star read all the bookish ton must read.
Thank you to Jodi Ellen Malpas for not only providing us with a knockout read, but a read that has become a must read for all & a personal top read of 2022.
Fin...for now ;)
The craving has been here within me since finishing The Resurrection (Unlawful Men #3) to quench my Malpas thirst, and I knew from reading the blurb alone that One Night with the Duke would be the book for the job. I am most grateful to be given the opportunity to read this book in advance, and I am especially honoured that this is my first ever Jodi Ellen Malpas ARC read. I could think of no better way to pop that bookish cherry than with a read in a brand new series. Simply fantastic!
Without a shadow of a doubt, Jodi has nothing to fear with dipping her toes into this new genre in which she has not yet written within. Writing within the unknown--even if you have read plenty of the genre yourself--is always nerve-wracking, but it is down to the skill of the author and their ability to spin and craft a story which makes all the difference. Jodi has that skill and ability in spades. The flawlessness and excellent execution of this story did not give away that this was her first time writing such a novel, but rather showed instead that she is capable of standing among those who have been established within the genre for however long they been in it. There is no air of inexperience from either the novel or from Jodi. Her debut into the bookish regency ton, was a resounding success.
One Night with the Duke kept flawlessly to the classic elements of the regency genre we all know and love, without falling into the pitfalls of modernising the genre. It did not plague us with situations and circumstances within the modern age put into the time period, neither did it include any up-to-date terminology. Everything about this novel from its time-period appropriate & accurate social situations, dramatic twists and turns, taking-us-to-the-edge-suspense, and an added dash of something extra which put this read to the cream of the romance crop. Steam.
Jodi as in her unique way, brought the steam to the fictional realm of Belmore Square. Where I won't reveal how or why--as it would be unfair to those who have yet to read this novel--, I will disclose this. Even on today on the hottest day of the year for England, did it even come close to the heat and steam generated by the Duke and Miss Melrose. A few times we were brought to the edge , but when it really mattered that all important climactic moment was only the more satisfying. For fans of Jodi who have loved the succulent steam in her other books, you simply must pick this one up as well! This isn't just a read that will have you on the seat or the edge of, you will be off your seat and right there with the characters as they show us what they are made of. Needless to say, I did not read those scenes just the once. For one simply never goes just one round with the Duke.
The Duke and Miss Eliza Melrose have swiftly risen through the ranks to become two of my favourite all-time Jodi Ellen Malpas main characters. Where they both mix and mingle within the same social circle, they are as alike as they are dissimilar. Eliza is not a simpering wallflower of a woman who bends to society's will. Thanks to Jodi's writing and injection of humour and quick-wit, she is a woman who knows what she wants, how she thinks and isn't afraid to do what needs must. The Duke is as complex as they come. His brooding, alluringly mysterious nature and past ensnares Eliza to the fruit that is dangling so close to her face, but dare she take a bite out of the forbidden? And will the consequences be too much to tempt her to have one night with the Duke?
What Miss Melrose and The Duke have here is more than simple chemistry. They are as right for each other as night and day, and I can only commend Jodi for writing two characters who will no doubt be someone's favourites that they can champion as I did myself.
One simply cannot get enough of this awe-inspiring first novel in Jodi's brand new Belmore Square series and everything within its pages. The unpredictable journey to discover who The Duke is, was and will be with Eliza on his tail, filled with emotional upheaval, shocking revelations and societal ton dramatical events, does not make you--or I--feel that we were merely reading this from the pages of a book. We were in this story with all the players on the road to a conclusion to please all. And please it did.
As I am only able to give this book five stars as a rating, I would like to say that here and now this is not simply just a five-star read. What you're looking at here, ladies and gentlemen, is a one-hundred star read all the bookish ton must read.
Thank you to Jodi Ellen Malpas for not only providing us with a knockout read, but a read that has become a must read for all & a personal top read of 2022.
Fin...for now ;)
April 12, 2023
Scandalous, witty, and enticing!
One Night with the Duke is set in London during 1816 and features the handsome, enigmatic Duke of Chester, Johnny Winters, whose sudden mysterious return is laced with rumours and familicide accusations and whose dark secrets and scrupulous plans may be upturned after he crosses paths with the kind, determined Eliza Melrose who may be betrothed to another but whose charms, independence, and fiery spirit will be extremely hard to resist.
The prose is amusing and light. The characters are clever, focused, and passionate. And the plot is a push-pull tale of family, friendship, societal expectations, scheming behaviour, tricky situations, desire, intrigue, and steamy romance.
I’ve had the chance to read quite a few Jodi Ellen Malpas’ erotic romance books over the years and really enjoyed them, so when I heard she was writing a historical romance novel I was over the moon, and One Night with the Duke did not disappoint. It’s an alluring, edgy, captivating tale by Malpas that left me entertained, satisfied and eager to read whatever scandals the residents of Belmore Square manage to get mixed up in next.
Thank you to Forever & Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
One Night with the Duke is set in London during 1816 and features the handsome, enigmatic Duke of Chester, Johnny Winters, whose sudden mysterious return is laced with rumours and familicide accusations and whose dark secrets and scrupulous plans may be upturned after he crosses paths with the kind, determined Eliza Melrose who may be betrothed to another but whose charms, independence, and fiery spirit will be extremely hard to resist.
The prose is amusing and light. The characters are clever, focused, and passionate. And the plot is a push-pull tale of family, friendship, societal expectations, scheming behaviour, tricky situations, desire, intrigue, and steamy romance.
I’ve had the chance to read quite a few Jodi Ellen Malpas’ erotic romance books over the years and really enjoyed them, so when I heard she was writing a historical romance novel I was over the moon, and One Night with the Duke did not disappoint. It’s an alluring, edgy, captivating tale by Malpas that left me entertained, satisfied and eager to read whatever scandals the residents of Belmore Square manage to get mixed up in next.
Thank you to Forever & Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
July 16, 2023
3,5⭐️
Read
July 29, 2022I need to have a think about my review for this one...
October 16, 2022
One Night with the Duke is a fun, quick and easy read. I read it in one day and I enjoyed it.
The book is about 19 year old Eliza. She lives with her brother and little sister with her parents in Belmore Square. She was raised in the country. And has trouble adjusting to city life. She is outspoken and less formal than most people.
Her father has arranged a marriage to Frederick Lymington. Eliza is totally against it, and is not attracted to Frederick at all.
The talk of the town is the built of the Winter house in Belmore Square and the Winter family. It stands out towards the rest of the houses. They think Duke Johnny Winter has murdered his entire family. And when he returns, people shun him and gossip even more.
But Eliza is instantly drawn to Johnny. He is handsome, rugged and has a darker vibe around him.
I love all their interactions in the book. They have great chemistry.
The book also focuses a lot on the other characters. On Eliza's family, the Winters and Lymingtons. So much that I missed a bit of depth between Johnny and Eliza. I wish they had more scenes together. So that their love could grow a bit more realistically. It all happened quickly and felt a little bit rushed. Johnny turns about to be a total sweetheart. A part of me hoped he would be a little darker.
I think JEM wanted to write a light and feel good book. And she absolutely achieved that. I really enjoyed reading this one and I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series.
But because I missed a bit of depth and interaction between the two main characters I'll give this book 3.5 stars overall.
The book is about 19 year old Eliza. She lives with her brother and little sister with her parents in Belmore Square. She was raised in the country. And has trouble adjusting to city life. She is outspoken and less formal than most people.
Her father has arranged a marriage to Frederick Lymington. Eliza is totally against it, and is not attracted to Frederick at all.
The talk of the town is the built of the Winter house in Belmore Square and the Winter family. It stands out towards the rest of the houses. They think Duke Johnny Winter has murdered his entire family. And when he returns, people shun him and gossip even more.
But Eliza is instantly drawn to Johnny. He is handsome, rugged and has a darker vibe around him.
I love all their interactions in the book. They have great chemistry.
The book also focuses a lot on the other characters. On Eliza's family, the Winters and Lymingtons. So much that I missed a bit of depth between Johnny and Eliza. I wish they had more scenes together. So that their love could grow a bit more realistically. It all happened quickly and felt a little bit rushed. Johnny turns about to be a total sweetheart. A part of me hoped he would be a little darker.
I think JEM wanted to write a light and feel good book. And she absolutely achieved that. I really enjoyed reading this one and I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series.
But because I missed a bit of depth and interaction between the two main characters I'll give this book 3.5 stars overall.
March 11, 2024
3,5/5
Sięgając po "Jedną noc z księciem" trochę się obawiałam tego, czy aby na pewno mi się spodoba, bo nigdy po tego typu pozycje nie sięgałam, ale ta jakoś przykuła moją uwagę i... Ostatecznie naprawdę przypadła mi do gustu, a ja czekam na następne tomy.
Historia Elizy to może nie lektura, po której można wiele wymagać, która by nas czymś zaskoczyła albo łamała utarte schematy, ale to pozycja, która idealnie nada się jaki po prostu taki umilacz wolnego czasu, odskocznia od rzeczywistości. Początkowo trochę ciężko było mi się przestawić, że akcja nie dzieje się współcześnie i wyobrazić sobie wiele rzeczy, z czasem jednak zaczęło mi to przychodzić coraz łatwiej. Mam wrażenie, że dla mnie to była po prostu miła, ciepła historia z przyjaznymi bohaterami, do której lubiłam wracać.
Tylko teraz coś sobie wyjaśnił to nie jest tak, że wszystko w tej historii jest piękne i ładne. Nie, mamy tutaj tajemnice z przeszłości, przekręty, a nasza główna bohaterka Eliza walczy o swoje prawa, chociażby o to, aby móc publikować teksty pod swoim nazwiskiem czy móc sama wybrać za kogo wyjdzie. Jest to także zdecydowanie pozycja dla osób pełnoletnich, o czym też trzeba pamiętać.
Sądzę, że jeszcze kiedyś wrócę do "Jednej nocy z księciem", a już zwłaszcza w audio, aby móc znowu spędzić przy niej komfortowo czas.
Sięgając po "Jedną noc z księciem" trochę się obawiałam tego, czy aby na pewno mi się spodoba, bo nigdy po tego typu pozycje nie sięgałam, ale ta jakoś przykuła moją uwagę i... Ostatecznie naprawdę przypadła mi do gustu, a ja czekam na następne tomy.
Historia Elizy to może nie lektura, po której można wiele wymagać, która by nas czymś zaskoczyła albo łamała utarte schematy, ale to pozycja, która idealnie nada się jaki po prostu taki umilacz wolnego czasu, odskocznia od rzeczywistości. Początkowo trochę ciężko było mi się przestawić, że akcja nie dzieje się współcześnie i wyobrazić sobie wiele rzeczy, z czasem jednak zaczęło mi to przychodzić coraz łatwiej. Mam wrażenie, że dla mnie to była po prostu miła, ciepła historia z przyjaznymi bohaterami, do której lubiłam wracać.
Tylko teraz coś sobie wyjaśnił to nie jest tak, że wszystko w tej historii jest piękne i ładne. Nie, mamy tutaj tajemnice z przeszłości, przekręty, a nasza główna bohaterka Eliza walczy o swoje prawa, chociażby o to, aby móc publikować teksty pod swoim nazwiskiem czy móc sama wybrać za kogo wyjdzie. Jest to także zdecydowanie pozycja dla osób pełnoletnich, o czym też trzeba pamiętać.
Sądzę, że jeszcze kiedyś wrócę do "Jednej nocy z księciem", a już zwłaszcza w audio, aby móc znowu spędzić przy niej komfortowo czas.
August 18, 2022
I was a big fan of Ms Malpas particularly loving the This Man series. I’m afraid she should stick to writing contemporary romance as this was very poor.
The main issue I had was there were so many anachronistic words, behaviours and lifestyle issues that it was distracting from the story such as it was. A moments research would have revealed that no one in the 19th century said:not on your nelly, up beat, shimmy, not on the same page etc etc etc. I started listing all the problematic words and ran out of paper.
I don’t often DNF books but was prepared to make an exception for this. No one who has read Mary Balogh, Elizabeth Hoyt, Eloisa James , Lisa Kleypas should trouble themselves with his.
Sad because I want to like it.
The main issue I had was there were so many anachronistic words, behaviours and lifestyle issues that it was distracting from the story such as it was. A moments research would have revealed that no one in the 19th century said:not on your nelly, up beat, shimmy, not on the same page etc etc etc. I started listing all the problematic words and ran out of paper.
I don’t often DNF books but was prepared to make an exception for this. No one who has read Mary Balogh, Elizabeth Hoyt, Eloisa James , Lisa Kleypas should trouble themselves with his.
Sad because I want to like it.
September 14, 2023
Nie sądziłam że to powiem ale naprawdę się wkręciłam i świetnie się bawiłam na romansie ze smutem 😳 Ja i Smut to coś rzadko spotykanego a jednak haha
Książka ma mnóstwo niedociągnięć, wiele fragmentów mnie strasznie irytowało ale mimo wszystko sie przez nią wręcz płynęło. Gdyby nie szkoła myśle że śmiało mogłabym ją przeczytać jednego dnia.
Mimo że mamy tu powerful główna bohaterkę to zdecydowanie bardziej urzekła mnie jej młodsza siostra i żałuje że tak mało było o niej w książce. Oddziela powieść o niej spod pióra tej autorki to by było coś!!
Książka będzie idealna dla fanów serialu Brigertonowie!!
Książka ma mnóstwo niedociągnięć, wiele fragmentów mnie strasznie irytowało ale mimo wszystko sie przez nią wręcz płynęło. Gdyby nie szkoła myśle że śmiało mogłabym ją przeczytać jednego dnia.
Mimo że mamy tu powerful główna bohaterkę to zdecydowanie bardziej urzekła mnie jej młodsza siostra i żałuje że tak mało było o niej w książce. Oddziela powieść o niej spod pióra tej autorki to by było coś!!
Książka będzie idealna dla fanów serialu Brigertonowie!!
October 2, 2022
Where should I start?… this book, ugh it was .. I don’t even have a word for it.
It wasn’t awful and it wasn’t wow. It’s written in a beautiful way but not in the proper way a historical romance should be written.
Some things were just thrown at us in the beginning… rather unnecessary things.
The overall plot wasn’t bad but boring.
The romance, I felt like everything just exploded and suddenly they are in love but it’s JEM we’re talking about so it’s forbidden.
And last but not least… JW is probably my least fav male lead written by JEM
It wasn’t awful and it wasn’t wow. It’s written in a beautiful way but not in the proper way a historical romance should be written.
Some things were just thrown at us in the beginning… rather unnecessary things.
The overall plot wasn’t bad but boring.
The romance, I felt like everything just exploded and suddenly they are in love but it’s JEM we’re talking about so it’s forbidden.
And last but not least… JW is probably my least fav male lead written by JEM
August 31, 2022
I absolutely love regency romance so I was so very excited for this book!
I love JEM and this was a good start to her historical romance work.
I really liked Eliza and how she was written in this book. The book is more than just a romance. I would even call it a family saga of sorts.
I enjoyed the premise but I wanted a little bit more romance. Johnny had so much potential but I wanted more of him in the book!
Still, this was entertaining and different for this author!
I love JEM and this was a good start to her historical romance work.
I really liked Eliza and how she was written in this book. The book is more than just a romance. I would even call it a family saga of sorts.
I enjoyed the premise but I wanted a little bit more romance. Johnny had so much potential but I wanted more of him in the book!
Still, this was entertaining and different for this author!
July 28, 2022
3.5 stars
I'm not sure how to rate this book! I loved the premise, I loved Eliza and Frank and Clara. I liked Johnny's character as well, even though he could be a bit too demanding for my taste. The story itself was intriguing and one that had me hooked.
However, there were just some small issues I had with the writing. I wish some of the plot points had been less rushed and more fleshed out, as we didn't get to see the way things developed. There were some instances where the plot jumped from one thing to the next too quickly, and it just took away from the overall flow.
Generally, despite everything, I did love this book. And I'm looking forward to seeing more by Judie Ellen Malpas.
Thank you to the publisher for kindly providing me with an ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I'm not sure how to rate this book! I loved the premise, I loved Eliza and Frank and Clara. I liked Johnny's character as well, even though he could be a bit too demanding for my taste. The story itself was intriguing and one that had me hooked.
However, there were just some small issues I had with the writing. I wish some of the plot points had been less rushed and more fleshed out, as we didn't get to see the way things developed. There were some instances where the plot jumped from one thing to the next too quickly, and it just took away from the overall flow.
Generally, despite everything, I did love this book. And I'm looking forward to seeing more by Judie Ellen Malpas.
Thank you to the publisher for kindly providing me with an ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
August 28, 2022
3 Stars
I was excited to read Jodi Ellen Malpas's fiddt regency romance but unfortunately for me it didn't quite live up to my expectations.
One Night with the Duke is a pretty typical regency romance with a lot of ridiculous drama, some romance and a side of smut. The storyline was pretty simple and I saw the twist coming from a mile off.
My favourite thing about this book was Eliza the lead female who is a feminist and one that is not afraid to speak her mind. She is fiery and funny and the best character in my opinion. However I feel the author didn't give her the romance or story she deserved. The lead male Johnny is a character with a lot of mystery surrounding him. I thought I would like him at first but I wasn't bowled over as I didn't liek the way he spoke to Eliza at times.
The romance just didn't live up to my standards. First of all, it is basically a instalove trope which I am not a huge fan of. The couple barely have any real conversation and although I like that Johnny likes Eliza for her outspoken nature, I just didn't really feel the overall connection. The smut was pretty boring and not well written at all.
The writing felt a bit simple and along with the pretty boring storyline meant this book didn't stand out for me. I have read so many better Regency romances by lesser known authors.
Overall, I liked the lead female and although there were some fun aspects, I am not a fan of this book and unfortunately will not be continuing this series.
Please note that I was #gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was excited to read Jodi Ellen Malpas's fiddt regency romance but unfortunately for me it didn't quite live up to my expectations.
One Night with the Duke is a pretty typical regency romance with a lot of ridiculous drama, some romance and a side of smut. The storyline was pretty simple and I saw the twist coming from a mile off.
My favourite thing about this book was Eliza the lead female who is a feminist and one that is not afraid to speak her mind. She is fiery and funny and the best character in my opinion. However I feel the author didn't give her the romance or story she deserved. The lead male Johnny is a character with a lot of mystery surrounding him. I thought I would like him at first but I wasn't bowled over as I didn't liek the way he spoke to Eliza at times.
The romance just didn't live up to my standards. First of all, it is basically a instalove trope which I am not a huge fan of. The couple barely have any real conversation and although I like that Johnny likes Eliza for her outspoken nature, I just didn't really feel the overall connection. The smut was pretty boring and not well written at all.
The writing felt a bit simple and along with the pretty boring storyline meant this book didn't stand out for me. I have read so many better Regency romances by lesser known authors.
Overall, I liked the lead female and although there were some fun aspects, I am not a fan of this book and unfortunately will not be continuing this series.
Please note that I was #gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 19, 2022
ONE NIGHT WITH THE DUKE (BELMORE SQUARE SERIES BOOK ONE)
Release Date: 08/16/22
Kindle Unlimited: [ ]YES [X]NO
Stand-alone: [X]YES [ ]NO
Author: Jodi Ellen Malpas
Number of pages: 308
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spiciness rating: 🌶🌶/5
POV: Single (Eliza’s), first person
Main Characters: Eliza & Johnny
Genre: Historical regency romance
Tropes: arranged marriage; antihero; virgin heroine; British hero; revenge; slow burn
Review:
Eliza, who had grown a relatively free life in the countryside sees herself living now in London, where she and her family have to adapt living amongst lords and ladies. Headstrong that she is, Eliza can’t seem to accept her fate easily and then she meets the disgraced duke of Winters, Johnny and so their story starts.
I confess I loved the first and last past of this book. However, the middle I struggled a little. I felt like if it was short and it would be better. It was much time spent in plots involving side characters and we didn’t have as many interactions between the main couple. In the end, the HEA was guaranteed and I loved that Eliza got more than one night with the Duke.
*** I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ***
Release Date: 08/16/22
Kindle Unlimited: [ ]YES [X]NO
Stand-alone: [X]YES [ ]NO
Author: Jodi Ellen Malpas
Number of pages: 308
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spiciness rating: 🌶🌶/5
POV: Single (Eliza’s), first person
Main Characters: Eliza & Johnny
Genre: Historical regency romance
Tropes: arranged marriage; antihero; virgin heroine; British hero; revenge; slow burn
Review:
Eliza, who had grown a relatively free life in the countryside sees herself living now in London, where she and her family have to adapt living amongst lords and ladies. Headstrong that she is, Eliza can’t seem to accept her fate easily and then she meets the disgraced duke of Winters, Johnny and so their story starts.
I confess I loved the first and last past of this book. However, the middle I struggled a little. I felt like if it was short and it would be better. It was much time spent in plots involving side characters and we didn’t have as many interactions between the main couple. In the end, the HEA was guaranteed and I loved that Eliza got more than one night with the Duke.
*** I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ***
April 9, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up. This was a fun and quick regency romance with quite a bit of steam. I’ve never read JEM before, but I’ve heard all about her alpha males, so I was def intrigued to see what she would do with a historical romance setting. In a way, this felt like a historical romance written by someone that predominantly writes contemporary romance, if that makes sense. The setting was all regency. But some of the dialogue and actions of the characters felt almost too modern. Don’t get me wrong, I love a modern heroine in a historical setting, but some aspects of this just felt a little less realistic or anachronistic. That said, when they did happen, they often existed to build tension between the main couple, which made it enjoyable, albeit less believable. That said, I did like both Eliza and Johnny. Eliza was passionate and willful and determined, and Johnny was alpha and seductive and broody. The steamy scenes were straight 🔥 and the plot was interesting with some fun twists. All in all, this was a good and enjoyable historical romance and I could see myself continuing with the series and reading some of her contemporary romances!
Thank you so much to JEM and Forever for gifting me a finished copy of this one.
Thank you so much to JEM and Forever for gifting me a finished copy of this one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 415 reviews