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Desperate Duchesses
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Published:
HarperCollins 2009
Status:
Checked Out
Description

Welcome to a world of reckless sensuality and glittering sophistication . . . of dangerously handsome gentlemen and young ladies longing to gain a title . . . of games played for high stakes, including—on occasion—a lady's virtue.

A marquess's sheltered only daughter, Lady Roberta St. Giles falls in love with a man she glimpses across a crowded ballroom: a duke, a game player of consummate skill, a notorious rakehell who shows no interest in marriage—until he lays eyes on Roberta.

Yet the Earl of Gryffyn knows too well that the price required to gain a coronet is often too high. Damon Reeve, the earl, is determined to protect the exquisite Roberta from chasing after the wrong destiny.

Can Damon entice her into a high-stakes game of his own, even if his heart is likely to be lost in the venture?

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Format:
Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read
Street Date:
10/13/2009
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780061800467
ASIN:
B000R3NN9A
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Citations
APA Citation (style guide)

Eloisa James. (2009). Desperate Duchesses. HarperCollins.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Eloisa James. 2009. Desperate Duchesses. HarperCollins.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Eloisa James, Desperate Duchesses. HarperCollins, 2009.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Eloisa James. Desperate Duchesses. HarperCollins, 2009.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
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Date Added:
Jun 12, 2018 17:40:02
Date Updated:
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Apr 14, 2024 09:16:41
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        Eloisa James is a USA Today and New York Times bestselling author and professor of English literature, who lives with her family in New York, but can sometimes be found in Paris or Italy. She is the mother of two and, in a particularly delicious irony for a romance writer, is married to a genuine Italian knight.

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fullDescription

Welcome to a world of reckless sensuality and glittering sophistication . . . of dangerously handsome gentlemen and young ladies longing to gain a title . . . of games played for high stakes, including—on occasion—a lady's virtue.

A marquess's sheltered only daughter, Lady Roberta St. Giles falls in love with a man she glimpses across a crowded ballroom: a duke, a game player of consummate skill, a notorious rakehell who shows no interest in marriage—until he lays eyes on Roberta.

Yet the Earl of Gryffyn knows too well that the price required to gain a coronet is often too high. Damon Reeve, the earl, is determined to protect the exquisite Roberta from chasing after the wrong destiny.

Can Damon entice her into a high-stakes game of his own, even if his heart is likely to be lost in the venture?

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      • premium: True
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        April 30, 2007
        If Shakespeare had written an 18th-century romantic comedy, it might look something like this novel. In her latest, veteran James offers a larger-than-life portrait of Georgian England, complete with oversexed aristocrats, posturing courtesans and a feuding duke and duchess. At the heart of it all is Roberta St. Giles, an ingenue who’s intent on marrying the duke of Villiers, a chess player and notorious womanizer. Roberta, the daughter of the poetry-addicted “Mad Marquess,” wants nothing more than an unsentimental husband like Villiers. But in her quest to become the sort of woman who would attract the duke, she finds herself falling for Damon Reeve, her tutor in the art of pleasure. James embellishes her tale with a number of characters, each with their own desires, vices and schemes. At times, the profusion of people and plot threads overwhelms the primary romance. Roberta, in particular, pales next to the vivacious but unhappily married duchess of Beaumont, who begs for her own story. Despite this lack of focus, James pulls everything together in the final third, making for a colorful, spirited romance that will leave readers desperate for a sequel.

      • premium: True
      • source: Library Journal
      • content:

        Starred review from June 15, 2007
        Despairing that she will never make a suitable match as long as she remains in the country with her poet father, the "Mad Marquess," Lady Roberta St. Giles flees to London seeking the aid of a distant cousin, the Duchess of Beaumont, in bringing her into society and to the attention of the man of her dreams. Delighted with the challenge, the free-spirited Jemma takes Roberta in and, with flamboyant style, launches her beautifullyalthough not with the romantic results that Roberta had intended. Cryptic poetry, brilliant chess games, and scintillating repartee add zing to this complex tale of misplaced affections, sparring spouses, and dissatisfied nobles. Slightly bawdy, totally unconventional, and thoroughly delightful, James's ("Pleasure for Pleasure") Georgian romp is the sparkling debut of a new series that promises to be remarkable. Noted for her smart, witty, Shakespeare-laced historicals, James lives in the New York City area.

        Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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shortDescription

Welcome to a world of reckless sensuality and glittering sophistication . . . of dangerously handsome gentlemen and young ladies longing to gain a title . . . of games played for high stakes, including—on occasion—a lady's virtue.

A marquess's sheltered only daughter, Lady Roberta St. Giles falls in love with a man she glimpses across a crowded ballroom: a duke, a game player of consummate skill, a notorious rakehell who shows no interest in marriage—until he lays eyes on Roberta.

Yet the Earl of Gryffyn knows too well that the price required to gain a coronet is often too high. Damon Reeve, the earl, is determined to protect the exquisite Roberta from chasing after the wrong destiny.

Can Damon entice her into a high-stakes game of his own, even if his heart is likely to be lost in the venture?

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awards
      • source: Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine
      • value: Romantic Times Career Achievement Award Winner
publisher
HarperCollins
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