What a marvelous story. A good solid historical with lots of romance plus some laughter. GOod!

Holy cow what a way to end a series that has taken us all over Victorian England. This series has recently taken an interesting turn, bringing in a secret society of evil, power-hungry aristocrats that are taking advantage of those that are “lesser” members of society. I have enjoyed this series from the very beginning and seeing it evolve into something so complex with so many little strings between characters from one story to the next has been a wild ride and one that I would take again in a heartbeat. While I was sad to hear the series was ending this final tale was amazing enough to keep it from being too upsetting for me and I cannot wait to find out what series Elizabeth will come up with next. Lady Jordan finds herself in a terrifying situation with no hope of ever getting out of this jamb, until a sexy as hell member of the Lords of Chaos demands her for himself and whisks her away to his ancestral home. When she sees who he really is, the even more terrifying truth comes to light, and Raphael is much more dangerous than society always imagined him to be. Determined to keep her at a distance Raphael never imagines he will come to depend on her to keep him alive, essentially giving her the only chance at a successful escape. Iris is faced with an impossible decision between death and marrying a man she is terrified of—not because of his physical presence or even the truth of his past, but because he brings out feelings in her that she never imagined she would feel for a man. The passion between them soon leads to a marriage that could be something magical, if only Raphael would let go of his quest and find a way to be happy with the life they could build together. Iris is a woman out of time to be sure, unwilling to submit to the men in her life, instead standing up for herself in all things, even when her fears and common sense tell her to run for her life. I loved seeing her find a way to convince Raphael that they are meant to be together and becoming the true love of his life, more important than any quest for vengeance or suicide mission. Raphael on the other hand was a truly damaged man, having lived through a trauma as a child that most of us, even in this time, are unable to understand or handle. His past haunts him every moment, except the time he is in Iris’s arms. He was obviously a strong man, one that has found a way to live with his past, even if he never lets it go, but there were so many times that I wanted him to let go and allow the love that Iris wants to give him to heal him even the smallest bit. I was amazed by the depth of these two characters and their story and a little bit surprised it got as heavy as it did here at the end, but the story was no less amazing and wonderful for the darkness woven throughout. I am still sad to know this series is over and definitely plan to reread it someday, but for now the Maiden Lane family that has comes together throughout these stories will be left behind for another new adventure in the wonderful imagination of Ms. Hoyt and her amazing writing skill. A series that grabs your soul and gives your heart a hard tug with each new couple falling in love has ended, but the best part of books is that the stories are always there for you to return to.

The Lords of Chaos were back and as destructive as ever. The Duke of Dyemore was hellbent on bringing them down. The Lords of Chaos had some disturbing perversions. The things they did were discussed but didn't happen on the page. There definitely were dark elements but not central enough to the plot that I'd consider the book dark.

Dyemore had issues. They caused him to be closed off, abrupt, and a loner. He was by far the most compelling character. I was dying to know what happened that made him into the man he was. At times he was frustrating because his issues ran so deep that it distorted his perspective of things. I did like it that he wasn't cured by love.

Iris wasn't anything special. Her past was boring and relatively uneventful. She had a loveless marriage, but it didn't cause long last emotional damage. I didn't understand Iris. After a lackluster marriage, she desired a happy one. She went from being deeply distrusting of Dyemore to determined to make it work between them in a matter of days. I didn't get what caused this switch in thought. It wasn't like Dyemore was laying on the charm and trying to lure her in.

I liked Dyemore. The Lords of Chaos were interesting. They're like the car crash you can't stop staring at. You know it's bad but are compelled to look anyway. Iris was the reason why I didn't get completely immersed in the story.

4.5 Stars


4.5 stars

The 12th installment of the Maiden Lane series gives us an amusing and lush marriage of convenience with a heroine whose strength, intelligence and stubbornness make her the perfect match for her intractable hero. The only qualm I have is with cover. It does not represent the hero justly. Why make a deformity a major part of the storyline if you're only going to show perfection on the cover?

The next installment in the Maiden Lane series brings us the dark and moody scarred Duke of Dyemore who we glimpsed at a ball where he warned Iris to leave immediately. Since then she was kidnapped and found herself surround by nude men in masks who planned to rape and kill her, and Dyemore deciding to rescue her from the Lords of Chaos.  Of course, he didn't expect to get shot in the process by the very woman he set out to rescue or married to her to protect her from the other Lords. He thinks this will be a simple thing, marry her to protect her and then continue on with his quest for revenge. He doesn't expect that his new wife has dreams and desires of her own and that includes children and a husband who isn't afraid to come to her bed. The story was full of tension, banked and controlled passion, a woman who isn't afraid to fight for what she wants, and a man who can't resist the wife that has come to represent the light amongst all of his darkness. I enjoyed their adventure. The Dionysus was definitely hard to figure out, which kept you guessing as to who the bad guy was and it, of course, took almost losing her for Raphael to realize that he can't live without Iris. The conclusion of the story was emotional and I am glad that Iris didn't give up fighting for Raphael and their marriage.

Raphael de Chartres, the Duke of Dyemore, has but one purpose... to bring down the Dionysus and eliminate the Lords of Chaos once and forever. When a lady he knows, Iris Jordan, is kidnapped by the Lords, Raphael must put aside his own needs and rescue her. In order to save Iris' life, Raphael finds himself proposing.

Iris is quickly coming to care for Raphael. She senses that underneath his stony demeanor is a man very much worth her love. If only he will let her get close to him. Iris is determined to break through his defenses. What will happen when she learns all of Raphael's dark secrets?!

WOW!! DUKE OF DESIRE is everything!! I must admit that I have only read a couple of books written by author Elizabeth Hoyt and they were just so-so, but this one, DUKE OF DESIRE, has definitely changed my opinion of her work. If any of her novels are half as good as this one, then she is now a must-read author on my list. Raphael's past and what he has carried into his present really breaks my heart. To have experienced that and to have become the man he is is a miracle! Iris is the balm to his scarred soul. Their love story is unforgettable. Historical readers will not want to miss it!

See link.

Full review to be published online in the mid October review cycle.

DUKE OF DESIRE is the latest visit to Elizabeth Hoyt's wildly popular “Maiden Lane” series and gives the reader yet another steamy spellbinding romance. I absolutely adored Iris and Raphael and hung on every page of this book.

The author keeps the reader captivated with the romance of a shining knight who saves the damsel in peril. From the moment Raphael rescued Iris from the Lords of Chaos, I knew these two were meant to be together. Raphael had a shockingly dark past. When he finally confided in Iris, there were actual tears in my eyes. The story had a lot of feeling to it.

What is best about Hoyt’s writing is that she makes the reader feel such emotion about the characters. The suspense is breathtaking, and there are some plot twists that you won't see coming. DUKE OF DESIRE is emotional and tugged at my heart. My attention never wandered, and I couldn't wait for Iris and Raphael to get the happy ending they so deserved.

DUKE OF DESIRE is a lovely, touching book that continues the “Maiden Lane” series in a spectacular fashion. I look forward to the next book in Elizabeth Hoyt’s fascinating world.

Elizabeth Hoyt returns to her Maiden Lane series with another steamy spellbinding romance. I absolutely adored Iris and Raphael and hung on every page of this book.

As usual, the author had me captivated by the romance of the shining knight who saves the damsel in peril. From the moment Raphael rescued Iris from the Lords of Chaos I knew these two were meant to be together. Raphael had a shockingly dark past that really broke my heart. I had guessed about what was coming but when he finally confided in Iris there were actual tears in my eyes. The story had a lot of feeling in it. For a moment or two I was even feeling sorry for the villain.

I think that's what I like best about this author's writing is that she makes the reader feel such emotion about the characters. The suspense was breathtaking with some plot twists that you won't see coming. It was emotional and tugged at my heart. My attention never wandered the entire story and I couldn't wait for Iris and Raphael to get their happy ending.

This was a really lovely book that continued the Maiden Lane series spectacularly. I look forward to the next book by this author.

Another captivating read by Elizabeth Hoyt. A bit of a different approach as Raphael and Iris marry under extreme circumstances at the beginning of the book. Raphael has a dark past and Iris gets caught up in his thirst for revenge. As danger threatens them Iris gets to know the man beneath the rage and shame. The action is well paced, the characters well rounded. Your heart breaks a little for what they have to overcome, making the happy ending very satisfying.