Eloisa James's trademark historical novel is very chaotic. There's a lot of information being thrown at the reader in the beginning, and a lot of characters to meet. From there, this book doesn't proceed like a typical romance novel. It's not unusual for there to be a romantic subplot, but this book had 2 of them, making 3 romances altogether! I'll say one thing: you never get bored with this book.

The primary romance is the one described in the synopsis: Gina and Cam have been separated for 12 years, and she asks him for an annulment so that she can marry someone whom she truly cares about and who cares about her. However, as soon as Cam arrives in England to sign the annulment, he falls madly in lust with his wife. Shenanigans ensue.

Gina was an extremely likable character. Despite being a virgin, she is not shy about her sexuality, which I very much appreciate. One can only read so many romances about dumb virgins, and reading about one who not only knew what the marital act entailed but desired it was refreshing! Add to this that she was intelligent and capable and strong, having run her husband's estate for the last dozen years, and she's a brilliant heroine.

Cam was likable too, and he eventually comes to terms with his responsibilities, but there wasn't a lot of time spent on him because James spent so much time on the other romances. He wasn't as fleshed out as he could've been. Also, his fear of the dark is cured by true love. That made me throw up in my mouth a little.

The secondary romance is between Esme, a woman who acts more promiscuous than she is, and Gina's uptight fiancé. I despised these two. First of all, the Marquess Bonnington gave me "Hellfire" Judge Frollo vibes. He preached modesty all the time, but was drawn to the sexy Esme while constantly putting down his fiancé. We are also led to believe this transformation has been recent, as before he inherited his title, he was a fairly normal man with normal desires. However, readers will be hard-pressed to say if he's worse than Esme. The bitch not only openly flirts with her best friend's fiancé but also her husband! She might not have slept with as many men as she pretends, but she knows no boundaries, and that is unforgivable in my mind. These two are a horrible pair, and I rather liked their ending in this story, which is what saved it for me.

Carola Perwinkle and "Tuppy" Perwinkle are the third romance, but their relationship is more of an afterthought. They argue a lot. He calls her fat (and never apologizes for it), only ever wants to fish, and is bad at pleasing his wife. Then, one day, Carola decides she wants Tuppy back, for no discernible reason. It's also clear that literally nothing will change in their relationship: all he wants to do is fish, and his love-making abilities are the same as before, only somehow Carola is into it. With no explanation. Personally, I think she should've ended up with Neville. The two had things in common, and he genuinely cared about her. He might've succeeded too, if he gave her an orgasm first. That is James's favorite way to resolve arguments in her books: orgasms. Are the issues still unresolved? Yes. Is the relationship still pretty toxic? Yes, but at least they had good sex, I guess.

A lot of people dislike this book because the story centers around three women estranged from their husbands, people having relationships outside of those marriages, and then even more confusing passions as the book goes on. Honestly, this didn't bother me that much because 1) it's commonly known that aristocratic marriages back in the day weren't love matches and that adultery was allowed, if it was discreet and 2) the book is so silly that you can't take it seriously. I've read other romances where the tone is a lot more serious, and the adulterous relationships in those are much more disturbing, as a result.

Truly, what makes this book is the light-hearted tone. Duchess in Love doesn't take itself too seriously, which is why this book is so entertaining, despite its content. I recommend this book if you just want some fun. Don't read too much into it, or you'll get a headache. Just enjoy the ride.

( )

A Gina la obligaron a casarse con el Duque de Girton a una edad en la que debiera haber estado en un aula en lugar de en un salón de baile. Justo después de la ceremonia, su atractivo marido huyó hacia el continente, dejando el matrimonio sin consumar y a Gina completamente indgnada.
Ahora, es una de las damas más conocidas de Londres... viviendo al borde del escándalo, deseada por muchos hombres, pero resistiéndose a entregarse a ninguno.
Finalmente, Camden, Duque de Girton, ha vuelto a casa y es entonces cuando descubre que su inocente esposa ha florecido convirtiéndose en la niña bonita de la alta sociedad. Lo que deja a Cam en la incómoda posición de descubrir que está adoptando la mala costumbre de estar enamorándose... ¡de su propia esposa!

The characters are all a slight bit daft. I suppose it's easier to have the misunderstandings that promote drama when you're not that great at understandings to begin with. Worth reading though. ( )

Not for me.

I am pretty sure this is the first book I have ever read by this author. In the beginning, I was confused with all the characters that were introduced so quickly and with nicknames etc. Couldn't follow who was talking, or being talked about... after I got that sorted I found it an odd topic - waiting on annulment to get married again.. after the estranged husband came into the scenes the story picked up much more and I was enjoying it... but then I hit one scene and I SWEAR I have read it before... but nothing else seemed familiar.. (perhaps it was an excerpt) anyway, it had good parts and some parts where I kinda lost interest. Took me almost a week to read this book.. (which is long for me) I will perhaps look for another of hers to try again... but not right away. ( )