Elizabeth Hoyt

The final novel in Elizabeth Hoyt's New York Times bestselling Maiden Lane series!

Duke of Desire

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

In the Duke of Desire  we have a lovely continuation that picks off right after Duke of Pleasure (Book 11). Iris Jordan has been kidnapped by the Lord of Chaos, when she is mistaken to be the wife of the Duke of Kyle. They plan on sacrificing her in one of their rituals. Iris can't believe that out of all the things to be mistaken about this would be it. But then one of the members takes her away and she accidentally shoots him thinking he meant her harm only when he is trying to save her. He offers her a safety net....marriage. Even though it was against her will, her reputation is ruined. So even though it isn't what she imagined, she finds herself married to the scarred and tortured Duke of Dyemore. Raphael has been wanting to bring down the Lord of Chaos down. His father was once their leader, and through the torments that he inflicted on his son, Raphael was sent to live with his aunt in the islands. Now he has returned, determined more than ever to make sure they don't commit any more evil especially in the way they harm and kill innocent women and children. Now there is one complication...his wife who is more tempting than he thought she would be, a woman strong and tender enough to reach inside his heart...
 
  I believe you, my darling. I believe in you.
 
 

What a book....I have to say that this is probably the best that she has written in this series for a while now. Probably ever since book four have I ever had so much fun. I have no clue if there will be more, there did seem to be a more final note to this book than the others previously. So who knows??... I was really swept away in this story. I did like the whole rescue the maiden trope here especially since its so rarely done in HR anymore. Our heroine is strong, but not strong enough to fight off ten strong men. There is quite a level of suspense and mystery to the story as well. And boy the leader of this group totally blew me away, not someone I even suspected at all. The romance that builds between Raphael and Iris isn't your typical romance but I had a blast seeing things unfold between the two. Its definitely not the most conventional romance that is for sure. We are dealing with a hero that is scarred both phsycially and emotionally. He still has nightmares of what his father did to him when he was a boy. We see how he refuses to have a child with Iris because he believes evil runs in his veins and doesn't want any child of his to become like his father. Which definitely puts a dampner on Iris' plans. She wants children but she also wants to share a bed with her husband. The chemistry between them is hot though, and I liked the way that Hoyt wrote this relationship. Seeing the way that Iris slowly works her way into Raphael's heart.

The Duke of Desire is a romance that will keep you in suspense, on the edge of your seat and is a gripping romantic tale that you won't ever want to put down!! SPLENDID JOB!  





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Sarina Sherman

3 stars ⭐️
Not my favorite Maiden Lane book. I was actually quite disappointed because I really liked Raphael! But the story was just messy and rushed, and I didn’t really feel the chemistry between him and Iris.. and Iris was so annoying! I admired her strength and such but was annoyed with her for most of the book. Just wasn’t a favorite!

b.andherbooks

Well, this was a big womp womp for me. Sad to report the last book in the Maiden Lane series did not in any way make me feel that the series was complete. Also, as I was warned about, the last three books in this series were dark, disturbing, and felt a bit out place with the rest.

CW: kidnapping, attempted rape, description/discussion of rape of children (main character was raped as a child), gun violence, death of secondary characters, blood, gore, animal endangerment, probably more.

At the end of Duke of Pleasure, I was all in on Lady Iris Jordan. I loved how Hoyt handled Iris becoming friends with (and not rivals of) Alf, who marries Lord Kyle instead of Iris because of true love. Iris, a widow, had a loveless marriage and she's ready to find at least companionship and have her own family.

Instead, she finds herself kidnapped and about to be raped by the Lords of Chaos, but then rescued by one of the naked and masked men who turns out to be an interloper, the son of the former head, who is trying to take the group down. She shoots Raphael, Lord Dyemore, in the arm and while he is bleeding he forces her to wed him "for her protection."

Up to this point I was having an okay time. But ultimately I never bought into their romance and I never felt fulfilled by Raphael seeking revenge and the downfall of the Lords, and especially the leader "Dionysus." 

SPOILERS

(view spoiler)[Iris is basically enchanted by the beauty of Raphael "despite" his face scarring and his kind of scary/overbearing demeanor. She's like sure, let's be married and have pleasure and you can give me a family. Raphael is adamant he doesn't want children. He has never had penetrative sex with anyone as he's traumatized by his father raping him on his 12th birthday as part of an initiation to the Lords of Chaos. His father was a monster, and Raphael fears any child he would have would be as tainted and dirty as he feels he is. This is all super traumatic and awful, and I just do not feel like Raphael's trauma was handled in a way that could make me believe he would all of a sudden be okay with trying to have a family. Especially since Iris incites him to have sex with her, even though she knows he does not want children. That's real shitty Iris. 

Also, the ultimate reveal that "Dionysus" is a man who also suffered repeated rape at the hands of his father and brother (also in the Lords of Chaos) hit hard and not in a good way. And despite this being the last one, there is still the specter that many of the "lords" are still out there despite the head of the organization being cut off.

So, at the end of this journey, and as I was warned, I could have just not read the last three books and it would have been just fine. I'm still glad I did read the whole series and it has been a good pandemic past-time as little has been able to hold my interest. (hide spoiler)]

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

It’s always bittersweet for a series to end. To be honest, I hadn’t realized Duke of Desire was the final Maiden Lane novel until halfway through the book! Thankfully, I haven’t actually read every Maiden Lane book, so it’s not quite over for me yet, but for those who’ve caught up, it’s an exciting, action-packed finale to an incredible historical romance series.

When Iris Jordan attends the Duke of Kyle’s wedding to the love of his life, she has no idea that on her way home she’d be assaulted and kidnapped by the evil Lords of Chaos, who think mistakenly think she’s the Duke of Kyle’s bride. She’s about to be raped by them when one of the Lords saves her and takes her away… not that she knows he’s trying to save her. He’s just as masked – and naked – as the rest of them, so when she has the chance to save herself, she takes it – by shooting him. Oops?

Raphael de Chartres, the Duke of Dyemore, runs into a complication while on his revenge against the Lords of Chaos. He very nearly dies for the woman he’s trying to save, but luckily he survives and marries her to further protect her from the Lords. It’s a marriage of convenience, to say the least. But Iris is determined to make this marriage a real one, in bed and out of it. But Raphael has a dark, painful past that he doesn’t want Iris tainted with. Can Iris break down his walls and offer him the love and light that he very much wants to take?

I enjoyed Raphael and Iris’s story, though I do wish there could’ve been more romance. Duke of Desire felt more about Raphael’s quest to destroy the Lords of Chaos, and not enough on the love story. I admired these two characters, Iris for never giving up on her husband and Raphael for learning to overcome his past. Theirs is a sweet and slow romance – I only wish we could’ve gotten just as much romance as there was action. Still, the Lords drama will have you hooked and anxious to see how it all ends!

Though Duke of Desire is technically the final full-length novel in the Maiden Lane series, we still have two more novellas that will release before the year is up. I’m excited to see what Elizabeth Hoyt has in store for us, both Maiden Lane and non-Maiden Lane related!

Thanks to the publisher for generously providing me an ARC to review.

Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/2fGpmin
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2fvHkc0
Audible: http://amzn.to/2yqWnM8

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An instant USA Today bestseller! A Lady of the Light Refined, kind, and intelligent, Lady Iris Jordan finds herself the unlikely target of a diabolical kidnapping. Her captors are the notoriously evil Lords of Chaos. When one of the masked---and nude!---Lords spirits her away to his carriage, she shoots him . . . only to find she may have been a trifle hasty. A Duke in Deepest Darkness Cynical, scarred, and brooding, Raphael de Chartres, the Duke of Dyemore, has made it his personal mission to infiltrate the Lords of Chaos and destroy them. Rescuing Lady Jordan was never in his plans. But now with the Lords out to kill them both, he has but one choice: marry the lady in order to keep her safe. Caught in a Web of Danger . . . And Desire Much to Raphael's irritation, Iris insists on being the sort of duchess who involves herself in his life---and bed. Soon he's drawn both to her quick wit and her fiery passion. But when Iris discovers that Raphael's past may be even more dangerous than the present, she falters. Is their love strong enough to withstand not only the Lords of Chaos but also Raphael's own demons? Don't miss Elizabeth Hoyt's brand new Greycourt series beginning with Not the Duke's Darling!

Duke of Desire

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