No Ordinary Duchess

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Synopsis

Julian Greycourt is the brooding heir to his uncle, the Duke of Windemere. He suspects that Windemere may have had something to do with his mother's death and he's all but certain that his uncle is out to get him and his siblings, too. If he can find one of his mother's books in which she is rumored to have written her dying thoughts, Julian may have the proof he needs to exact revenge. As he searches the Windemere libraries for the book, he keeps running into Elspeth de Moray, a beautiful and sensual woman who tempts him beyond reason. But Julian harbors a very personal secret, and if his uncle ever caught wind of it, Julian would be ruined. However, when he finds himself stranded at his country estate with Elspeth due to inclement weather, he may risk everything for the promise of her sensual touch.

When Lady Elspeth de Moray's parents passed, she was raised by an aunt who was part of a group known as the Wise Women, progressive thinkers who used to help other women in trouble until they closed their doors to outsiders. Elspeth thinks that the key to getting them back to their original mission may lie with finding a book that was written by one of the groups founders and it's supposedly in one of the Windemere libraries. As she searches for the book, her path keeps crossing with Julian's, a man she knows had a major falling out with her brother years ago, but she doesn't know the entire story as to why. Eventually they end up at his country lodge alone together. They agree to help each on their respective quests, but when Elspeth discovers a scandalous book of an entirely different sort, it fans her desire for Julian into a passionate flame that consumes them both. But if Julian ever discovers that Elspeth found his mother's book days before she gave it to him, it could destroy their fragile bond of trust.

Review

No Ordinary Duchess is the third book in Elizabeth Hoyt's Greycourt series. Julian is all but certain that his mad uncle, the Duke of Windemere, is trying to kill him and that his siblings are in danger, too. Julian is desperate to find evidence to prove his uncle's schemes, so when he speaks with someone who says that Julian's mother left incriminating notes in a book that may have been taken by his uncle, he decides to search the Windemere libraries. There he's distracted by Lady Elspeth, a bright young woman with a sunny personality who also seems to be surreptitiously searching the library. Elspeth was raised by the Wise Women who've recently strayed from their path of helping other women in need, so she's looking for a diary written by one of their founders that might persuade the Wise Women to return to their original mission. Eventually Julian comes to realize that his mother's book may be at an old family hunting lodge that he occupies when he's not in London. He arrives to find Elspeth already there, still searching for her book, so they agree to help each other. The pair are attracted to one another, but Julian harbors unusual proclivities that he's reluctant to share. Not only does he not want to debauch a lady, he also fears that if his uncle or anyone else ever got wind of his sexual preferences, it would destroy his reputation. However, with the roads all but impassable due to heavy rains, Julian and Elspeth find themselves stranded alone together for several days, during which their burgeoning friendship turns to passionate encounters as Julian finally becomes comfortable enough with Elspeth to share his secrets. But what he doesn't know is that Elspeth found his mother's book, and wanting to spend more time with Julian, as well as worrying that he'd not allow her to keep searching for her book, temporarily secreted it away. When he discovers the truth, it could destroy his trust in her. And then there's the matter of whether Julian can use the information he finds in his mother's book to take down his uncle before his uncle destroys him and the rest of his family first.

Julian is the oldest brother of Messalina (When a Rogue Meets His Match) and heir to his uncle's dukedom. After his parents died, his sisters were sent to live with another relative, while he and his brother, Quinn, were forced to put up with the mad Duke and his abusiveness every day until they were grown. Even now, Windemere holds sway over Julian, in part because of a scandalous event in the past that resulted in Julian's sister, Aurelia, dying and him destroying his relationship with his two best friends. Julian knows that Windemere is trying to kill him and possibly his siblings, too, so he's doing everything in his power to protect them. He feels that finding his mother's writings that she allegedly took down while she lay dying may be the key to stopping his uncle for good, but Elspeth gets in the way of his quest until they join forces at his country house. Before finding Elspeth at his home, Julian had made arrangements for a courtesan to come service his sexual needs, but with the roads impassable the woman never shows, leaving Julian frustrated and growing more so every day because of his attraction to Elspeth. Soon he discovers that her unconventional upbringing has left her open to taking care of those needs herself, leading to some steamy encounters. But when he learns that she kept his mother's book from him, he's devastated. Overall, Julian was a good and a likable hero. I enjoyed the fact that his kink was the opposite of what one typically finds in more erotic-type romances, making that aspect fresher because of the difference. Julian is also extremely protective of those he loves. All that said, though, I still think his characterization could have gone deeper. Having put up with his uncle's abusiveness for so long, as well as fearing for his life and that his secret would come out, could have made him a much more angsty hero than I felt he was. I also didn't get a strong sense of how those issues affected him in his day-to-day life. So I very much liked him but felt there were some weaknesses in his character.

Elspeth lost her parents, too, and after her oldest brother was falsely accused of murdering Julian's sister and beaten to the point of disfigurement, he became a recluse. Therefore, Elspeth and her sisters were sent to live with an aunt who was part of a secretive group known as the Wise Women. They used to help other women in need, but they recently closed off their entire compound to any outsiders. Disagreeing with their choice, Elspeth and her sisters left the group, but she's determined to find the diary of the Wise Women's founder that she feels might persuade them to get back to their good works. Believing the diary may be in the Windemere library, she finds an excuse to search it but is interrupted by Julian. They each know that the other is keeping a secret as to why they're in the library but are reluctant to share. When Elspeth continues to see Julian around London, she begins to develop an attraction to him, so when she goes to his country house and they're stuck alone together, she finally takes him into her confidence, at least in part. They work together to find their respective books, but when she finds his mother's first, she's worried he might prevent her from searching further for hers. She's also finally just getting to know Julian and doesn't want their time to end, so she hides the book from him. While searching other rooms of the house, Elspeth comes upon a scandalous book depicting unusual sex acts that intrigues her. Using the book as a guide, she persuades Julian to come clean about his proclivities, leading to several passionate moments between them. But when Julian learns the truth about the book she hid, he may never trust her again. Elspeth is a kind and understanding person, and because of her unusual upbringing, she's open to a lot of things that a typical lady of that time period wouldn't be. I loved her for accepting Julian as he was and eagerly participating in their sex games. She did make a rather selfish decision about hiding his mother's book, but I felt that she was properly contrite about it later. Overall, I think her bubbly personality was a great match for Julian's more brooding one.

I've been impatiently waiting for nearly four years for the release of No Ordinary Duchess. I'm not entirely sure why it took so long, but I saw rumors of Elizabeth Hoyt having health issues that I wasn't able to fully confirm. Whatever the reasons, I'm glad that she was finally able to get this book out. However, since I'd very much enjoyed the first two books of the Greycourt series (as well as most of EH's other work), it had a pretty high bar to clear, and unfortunately it didn't quite make it to keeper status for me like most of her other novels. In fact, I might have even been a little generous in giving it four stars, but since I did very much like Julian and Elspeth in spite of some characterization weaknesses, I thought it worth the slight bump. The story had a number of intriguing elements that showed a great deal of promise, but Ms. Hoyt's writing just wasn't quite up to it's usual high standard. First of all, the denouement lacked a certain degree of suspense. The things readers are prompted to worry about do happen, but then they're over and done with and wrapped up in just a scene or two for each thing. I did like that we were finally let in on what actually happened that long-ago night when Elspeth's brother was maimed and accused of murder, but it's really more just a relating of events with no real conflict arising from it or reconciliation beyond Elspeth forgiving Julian for his role in it. We also finally learn what Windemere's deal is, but having the entirety of his cruelty and murderous inclinations predicated on mere insanity wasn't entirely satisfying. I did enjoy having the sexual dynamic flipped, and Julian and Elspeth do share some steamy scenes that are just as good as any others EH has written in the past. However, I don't believe I've ever read a romance in which the hero and heroine never fully consummate their union and she never technically loses her virginity. I thought there would be at least one more passionate scene yet to come, so when I reached the final pages and realized it wasn't, I couldn't help being a bit disappointed. The book was on the somewhat shorter side at 324 pages, so I don't know why there wasn't one more scene to stamp paid to their relationship. Otherwise, I generally enjoyed reading No Ordinary Duchess even if it will go down as an EH book that I merely liked instead of loved.

Note: While this book does contain explicit sexual situations that include a D/s relationship, it's all pretty mild compared to most other erotic romances of this nature that I've read and IMHO depicted pretty tastefully.

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Elizabeth Hoyt

Themes

Amazing Animals
Book Lovers
Tortured Heroes