by Jodi Ellen Malpas
Well, who would’ve thought? Me with a regency romance? I would never! … But I did! And I didn’t mind it at all!
Eliza’s family has recently come into money moving them from their country home to the ton in London. Eliza needs to adjust quickly to this new lifestyle in addition to her newfound eligibility in the Regency marriage market, one she has absolutely no desire to be a part of. But then the Duke of Chester comes along. He’s scandalous and dangerous and (of course) drop-dead gorgeous. Eliza wants to assert her fierce independence but even she isn’t immune to the Duke’s magnetic energy.
Eliza’s father is the owner and operator of the most successful newspaper in London and Eliza, in her old life, had written pieces for him. Now, having to conform more to her proper place in society, Eliza is no longer allowed to write for the paper or exercise her journalistic instincts (that are far superior, it seems, to anyone actually working for the newspaper). But that doesn’t stop her from secretly digging into the truth about the Duke and the dark rumours everyone in London has been taking as fact.
I really enjoyed that Eliza is a strong, independent woman who lives with the courage of her convictions. She stands up for herself and for justice at large with little regard for the personal backlash she incurs as women aren’t meant to share opinions or really have any opinions at all. This novel highlights how poorly women— even women of the higher class— were treated at this time in history. (I mean, we obviously still have a ways to go in our current society but you know what I mean.) Eliza is treated like a business transaction, even by her own family, and is expected to want nothing more than to be a wife and mother. Her headstrong ways and quick mouth make her her own woman, unable to fit in with the status quo.
“I sigh. ‘I want the right to say no. I want to be taken seriously, Frank.’ Imagine that. A world where we can say no.”
One Night with the Duke, p. 26
The connection we have to the Duke, however, felt very shallow. When we meet him there are rumours swirling that he murdered his own family before fleeing London and now that he’s back he seems uninterested in trying to clear his name. He is brash and rakish (a new word for me!), conceited and often downright rude. The only reason Eliza is interested in him is because he’s insanely attractive. She wavers in her own mind because of his prickly personality but even after repeatedly encountering his arrogant nature, she becomes a puddle when she thinks about him.
Of course, being a Regency romance, there were plenty of steamy moments and innuendo mixed in. Think Bridgerton season one (that’s actually the only season I’ve seen, to be honest) with more sneaking around a less likable male lead. Honestly, I’m not the biggest fan of a spicy read, it usually just makes me feel awkward (and even more awkward writing about) but there wasn’t anything cringey or demeaning in her portrayals which certainly helped to ease my own embarrassment (lol).
Thank you so much Forever Publishing for gifting me this copy in exchange for an honest review!
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