Name: Lover of Romance 's review of Duke of Pleasure by Elizabeth Hoyt
Item: Duke of Pleasure
Rating: 4
Author: Lover of Romance

Elizabeth Hoyt

IN THE ARMS OF DANGER Bold. Brave. Brutally handsome. Hugh Fitzroy, the Duke of Kyle, is the king's secret weapon. Sent to defeat the notorious Lords of Chaos, he is ambushed in a London alley-and rescued by an unlikely ally: a masked stranger with the unmistakable curves of a woman. IN THE HEAT OF DESIRE Cocky. Clever. Courageously independent. Alf has survived on the perilous streets of St. Giles by disguising her sex. By day she is a boy, dealing in information and secrets. By night she's the notorious Ghost of St. Giles, a masked vigilante. But as she saves Hugh from assassins, she finds herself succumbing to temptation . . . ONE KISS WILL CHANGE THEIR LIVES FOREVER When Hugh hires Alf to investigate the Lords of Chaos, her worlds collide. Once Hugh realizes that the boy and the Ghost are the same, will Alf find the courage to become the woman she needs to be-before the Lords of Chaos destroy them both?

Duke of Pleasure

fransarylibros

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

Duke Of Pleasure is a fantastic story that really swept me away and is definitely a surprise of sorts. I honestly didn't expect to enjoy this one as much as I did here. And what was also fun was seeing the growth of the plot of the series. In The Duke Of Pleasure  this is Alf and Hugh Fitzroy's book. I had no clue if these two would make a good match, but surprise...they really really do. It all starts on one late evening, Hugh is searching for information, and is attacked by a band of thieves and almost killed, but then one masked woman saves his life and then kisses him as bold as brass. Alf our heroine of the story, grew up with no parents or family, learning to be cunning and fast, and to make the rooftops of the city her home. She has had to survive, learning to get information. But when Hugh get's too close to his enemies, he will need Alf to find out the truth and to save his family.

The Duke of Pleasure  is a wonderful story which was very unique for a historical romance. I always love seeing such a strong heroine and she and Hugh are a great match for each other. Hugh is on a mission, to bring down members of high society who are evil. But they are a secret society, and kill their own before revealing themselves. Hugh and Alf come together here, to work together but the moment that Hugh realizes that Alf is a woman, everything changes. The relationship only goes deeper. I truly enjoyed the chemistry these two have together. And the way that Alf is with Hugh's children here is wonderful. There are quite a few heart-felt moments, and seeing these four come as a family is truly beautiful. The way that Alf makes an effort to be a woman to help Hugh in finding the truth, and seeing her come into herself is heartbreaking. I love what she is willing to do for Hugh and for herself. To become someone she never thought was possible. We see quite a bit of character growth for Alf.

The Duke of Pleasure  was such a joy to read, seeing charming character growth, intense filled action and intrigue, a unique family to fall in love with and a love story to charm and delight!

 



  Have you read Elizabeth Hoyt before? What do you think of her work? 
  

What is it about the Maiden Lane Series that you find so unique and lovely to read?
 



[foogallery id="19015"]

Sarina Sherman

5 stars ⭐️ oh goodness. This was so freaking good. 
We finally have Alf’s story, the one that had me so curious through so many Maiden Lane books. Alf reminded me a bit of Bridget from Duke of Sin, which is my all time favorite Maiden Lane book. Her story was heartwarming, from finding herself and allowing her hopes and dreams to fly. and I couldn’t think of a man more perfect for her than Hugh and his sons to bring her there. Super excited for Iris’s story now 😊

Amanda J 

both the characters and story were great! Enjoyable read for sure

b.andherbooks

SPOILERY REVIEW>


We've followed Alf, a 20-something girl from St. Giles who dresses as a much younger boy, throughout the series. She's cocky, knows everything and everyone, and if she doesn't she knows where to find out how to get that info for you. OH, and she's also the new Ghost! That surprised me a bit even though it should't have, but cool!

Hugh is the bastard son of the king but also a Duke and acknowledged, and he's trying to find out what is up with the Lords of Chaos and bring them down. He has two small sons who he is now taking care of after the death of his wife (who he lived separately from-she had many lovers). He's also supposed to marry his dead wife's best friend, the refined Lady Iris. A marriage of convenience only, NEVER AGAIN of passion.

But of course Hugh hires Alf, has a boner for the Ghost of St. Giles who he figures out is a woman, and then puts the pieces together that Alf is the Ghost is a woman. And worries he got to third base with a child (because he and the Ghost mess around before he figures out the connection). There is a lot of yucky business here with the Lords of Chaos, raping children, secret societies, and what not, plus SO MUCH gendered language of Alf being the woman to his man, their woman and man parts being perfectly aligned, etc etc. Most romances are still grappling with such gendered language, but this was exceptionally glaring and threw me off a bit.

But lots of things I did like, especially Lady Iris and how she befriended Alf and basically told Hugh "he would not suit" and that he was basically a dolt for not realizing his feeeeeelings. Love her.

Not one of my favs - and I'm intrigued to see how/if Lady Iris can make it work with the heir apparent to the Lords of Chaos in the next book. Y I K E S.

Chantale

I admit that I have not read all the books in this series (this is book eleven in the Maiden Lane series) and I do recommend you read the other books in the series before you read this book. 

I very much loved this story and I love Alf and Hugh together. 

The story is very well written and there isn't anything I didn't like about this book. 

I give this 5 out of 5.

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

I totally adore the Maiden Lane series, even though I’ve only read the latest three and a half books (I swear I will catch up on the past books one day!). I still consider this series a historical romance favorite of mine, and with each installment I read, the more I love it. Duke of Pleasure is the eleventh and second-to-last book of the series, which makes me bittersweet because I’m not ready for it to be over! But even though I’m sad that it’s almost the end, I still highly enjoyed Alf and Hugh’s story. Elizabeth Hoyt swept me away with a romance full of passion and adventure. If you’re a fan of the series, you definitely need to get on reading this latest Maiden Lane book!

In Duke of Sin, we were given a glimpse at Hugh’s story, and we also found out the stunning revelation that Alf is actually a woman disguised as a teenage boy. So to say I was intrigued and had high expectations would be an understatement, and luckily, I wasn’t disappointed. While Alf pretends to be a teenage boy to protect herself, she is also the new Ghost of St. Giles, a being meant to protect the defenseless in her city. Alf is a fascinating character, for sure, and the more I read of her, the more I loved her and wanted to know more of her.

Hugh is a widowed father who is struggling to help his two young sons deal with the death of their mother. Hugh didn’t love his wife, but she was a good mother, and her absence has made the gap between him and his children grow even wider. He loves Kit and Peter more than anything, but underneath his stoicism, he’s hurting for his children. So when the opportunity to take his mind off the pain for just a little while comes along in the form of a street urchin named Alf, he seizes it. And when he discovers Alf’s true gender and that she’s the Ghost of St. Giles that he can’t stop thinking about, all bets are off and Hugh takes what he wants… which is the fierce, independent, mischievous Alf.

She thought like him, but she was his opposite: female to his male.
Dangerous, yet soft.
Intelligent and erotic at the same time.
His match, this urchin from St. Giles.

I loved all the characters in this book, and how each one contributed to the story. Alf and Hugh’s heartfelt romance that was full of longing had my heart aching for them. Hugh’s sons are absolute delights – at first, full of hurt over their mother, but once Alf enters the picture, they start to open up. Then there’s Hugh’s late wife’s best friend. I was a bit confused when her POV was included in the novel, but she plays somewhat of a big role in Duke of Pleasure – and she’ll play an even bigger, more important role as the heroine in the next and final book!

If you couldn’t tell, Duke of Pleasure is another fantastic installment to this wonderful series I’ve come to love so much. There’s always something so magical in the books I’ve read from Elizabeth Hoyt – I fall head over heels for the characters and the romance, while the plot puts a fun twist to everything. If you love historical romance and you haven’t experienced the Maiden Lane series, I highly recommend it! Although you should probably read in order, unlike me ;)

He laid his forehead against hers. “I do love you, hear and soul and body, Alf, my imp. I love you now and forever, and I will trust and I will hope in your dreams and hope.”
“That’s all we need, really,” she whispered.

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

Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change in the final version.

Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/1TiqJTw
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1TiqN5M
Audible: http://amzn.to/2gdbWOS

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