Ever since he could remember his father the Duke of Doburrow has been telling Ewan he was damaged and would end up in an asylum. At ten years old his Aunt and Uncle felt it necessary to take the child from his father before he could do more harm. Ewan may have grown up to be smart and handsome but he never forgot his father words. Charlotte has loved Ewan since they were children and the one time she tried to tell him, he rejected her. Now that she is out of mourning for her husband from an arranged marriage she plans to show Ewan just how she feels about him. Will he let her? This is a sweet, emotional and steamy love story. I loved Ewan and Charlotte and their story.

I always like books with flawed characters. Michaels adds the bit of seriousness to what is usually a light weight genre, which appeals to me. Good characters and situations are not always fairy tale perfect.

Wow what a story. I just love this story about Ewan an Charlotte what a brave lady to fight for her love and make Ewan see that their are happiness as well in live not only hardship. I can honestly recommend this book a great read

Having not read the other books in the series, I found I was able to read this as a standalone easily. I very much enjoyed the two main characters and their story. The romance did seem a bit rushed but as they had a history, it made sense with these two. Some of the conflict was a bit contrived but still an enjoyable read.

The 4th book in the series The 1797 Club is a truly touching book. In it you are reintroduced to Charlotte the Countess of PortSmith and Ewan Hoffstead the Duke of Donburrow. They have know each other since Ewan was 10 years old and abandoned by his father because he was unable to talk. Taken in by his Aunt and her husband a powerful Duke in his own right Ewan was finally shown the love he deserved. However, in Ewan mind he will always be damaged. And although he has loved Charlotte since she took his hand that horrible day his father threw him away, he refuses to ruin Charlotte's life with his shame and disability.

Charlotte has loved Ewan since she was little girl. It made no difference to her that Ewan could not talk. She made up a language so they could communicate with out the need for pen and paper. The last time she tried to declare her feelings for Ewan she ended up married to another. Now she is widowed and almost out of mourning. Due to her brother's financial circumstances she will be forced to marry again. Now if only she can convince her stubborn duke that they belong together.

When circumstances force them together alone for several days Charlotte is able to break down some of Ewan's walls. But he is still stubbornly refusing to give in to a future together. When he finally decides that he will not let his father steal his happiness he is devastated to find that Charlotte is in danger and he might actually lose his chance at happiness when he has just embraced it.

Great story. Love the poignant message that Ewan represents in that we all have something that we feel makes us unworthy. We just have to be brave enough to reach for our dreams of happiness. Can't wait for the next installment.

** spoiler alert ** Another winner from Jess Michaels! Ewan is mute which was something different. He’s been unable to speak his whole life and his parents always thought him “touched”. They abandoned him to other family versus an asylum and he fought to claim his rightful dukedom from his family. It leaves him feeling unworthy of any love.

Charlotte has loved him her whole life. They even created their own sign language to communicate. He let her go once and she married, but now widowed she wants one more chance to convince him they are meant to be.

I loved this story - hot romance, a little suspense, and you can’t help but love Ewan and Charlotte finding their HEA. I even admit I had sort of hoped he would magically get a voice, but alas the fiction only went so far :-)

Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley. Can’t wait to read more in this series!

By far out of the whole series this is my ultimate favourite!

From the time he was young Ewan Hoffstead the future Duke of Donburrow, life was a struggle, being a mute was according to his father not worth living. He wasn’t Duke material! All he knows is that he’s not worthy not to be a Duke and definitely not to have what he’s wanted almost all his life. The only woman who saw him, the real him “ Charlotte “

Charlotte now the widow Countess of Portsmith is given a second chance and she’ll grab on with both hands. After the first time she let Ewan know that she is in love with him, has been since she was a little girl she feels that this could be her chance. With perseverance and a steely determination Charlotte might get her second chance. Just when Ewan can visualize a life with Charlotte the hatred that his father has cultivated comes back to tear what new found Love he has found.

This was such an amazing story! The emotions are heart wrenching just to see Ewan struggle to keep his heart from feeling the love that Charlotte so freely wants him to have and experience is special. Well done Jess Micheals!
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher for my honest opinion through NetGalley.

"To love or not to love. That is the question.”

I swear Charlotte is a warrior woman, a lioness in her defence of Ewan Hoffstead, Duke of Donburrow.
Right from when they met, Ewan a terrified ten and Charlotte Undercross, a perceptive seven, Charlotte has defended and encouraged Ethan.
Even years later, when he turned his back on her she still loved him and wanted only the best for him.
Ewan cannot get past the terrible burden his despicable father lay on him. Taunted as being deformed, defined by his muteness as less, this words have been poisoned darts that have burrowed their way into the deepest corners of his psyche. Not only his father's angst and derision did Ewan have to endure, but the coldness of his mother and the same bullying as his father, inflicted on him by his brothers. His brothers have been brought up to disregard Ewan as the heir. It's only his uncle's pursuit of justice that has Ewan declared the rightful heir and Earl.
Now widowed, Charlotte the Countess of Portsmith hopes for one last time to convince Ewan that her love would be enough.
The story of Ewan's banishment is heart wrenching. Ewan's sense of abandonment that cemented the knowledge that he was 'wrong' governed his life. Unfortunately that emotional, gut wrenching response negated the real point that he was loved, just not by his parents or siblings. This love was evidenced in the way his uncle and aunt opened their arms and home to him when his father cast him off, their support for him over the years.
The challenges Charlotte faces to bring Ewan to an understanding that he is a complete person are difficult. But Charlotte is determined to give their relationship one last attempt before admitting defeat and throwing herself back onto the marriage market.
I must admit that spread liberally throughout the book is Ewan and Charlotte's physical pleasure in each other. But this is a Jess Michaels' book.

A NetGalley ARC
(November 2017)

This is an enjoyable series and as the series develop, the other dukes become more familiar. Although only the specific duke’s story is told in each book. What a dreadful early childhood, Ewan, endured! How fortunate he had Charlotte as a friend. I liked the fact that Charlotte was such a strong character and was determined to pierce the shield that Ewan had put around himself. There are some forces at work who are determined to obtain their objective, despite the harm it may do to others. This was a very good read and I look forward to the next in the series. I had a copy via Netgalley and have voluntarily and honestly reviewed it.

The Silent Duke is the fourth book in Jess Michaels’ 1797 Club series of historical romance novels. I have not read any of the previous books in this series, but I belong to a group for fans of romance novels, and this book came up in response to a query about atypical heroes. Needless to say, I was very excited about the opportunity to read this book.

Ewan is the Duke of Donburrow, but his ascension to the dukedom was somewhat controversial. He is mute, and when he was a child, his father attempted to have him declared incompetent and relegated to an asylum. Ewan was rescued by relatives, who protected him from the machinations of his immediate family. Ewan inherited the title when his father passed away, despite the protests from his younger brothers.

As the story begins, Charlotte arrives at Ewan’s home for Christmas. She is a childhood friend who always advocated for him, even when she was a small girl. She helped him develop a means of communication by using his hands- Regency Sign Language, if you will. She is one of many people who are supposed to fill the house for the holiday. However, bad weather and subsequent flooding prevent everyone else from reaching the house. This means that aside from the household staff, Charlotte and Ewan are alone in the house. Charlotte finally has the opportunity to tell Ewan that she has always loved him, and wants their relationship to move from friendship to something even more special.

Their chemistry is palpable, and given that they are alone in the house together, there is not much more that they can do than explore the physical aspects of a relationship. And golly, do they take advantage of their cloistered conditions! But Ewan doesn’t believe their relationship is sustainable beyond the holiday season; he feels that his condition renders him inadequate, and this will spread to Charlotte as well. Will Charlotte be able to convince him otherwise?

I absolutely loved this book. It’s clear that Ewan and Charlotte have always cared for each other, and this is a wonderful example of the friends-to-lovers trope. But I was also fascinated by Ewan’s accomplishments; he might be unable to speak, but he compensates for this by communicating via notebooks, or when he is with Charlotte, she will translate for him. There is a level of angst here, because what the reader might see as accomplishments, Ewan sees as shortcomings. He cares for Charlotte, but he simply cannot see a happy future for them.

I would recommend The Silent Duke to fans of historical romance. This book functions well as a standalone novel, so you don’t have to read the books in order. That said, I am very happy to have discovered Jess Michaels, and I am looking forward to catching up on the first three 1797 Club books as well as reading future entries in the series!

I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Silent Duke by Jess Michaels
1797 Club #4

Ten teens at boarding school form a club to assist one another as they grow into their positions of being dukes one day - The 1797 Club - this series is already plotted out to have ten volumes starring the ten original members of the club. Over the years a bond stronger and closer, in some ways, than that of blood brothers is formed. In each book of the series we find out what has become of the members of the club and who they will find their HEA with.

Charlotte has known Ewan since she was seven and he was ten. She was there when his father gave him away to his uncle and aunt and at that point comforted him. Mute and unable to speak many, including his father, considered him “damaged” but Charlotte, Ewan’s uncle and aunt and the 1797 Club saw him as more and made him part of their lives. His pain from the first ten years of his life lingered for a long time, though, and impacted his beliefs about the possibilities for his future.

Charlotte is just coming out of the mourning period after being widowed and is going to try one more time to have the man she truly loves, Ewan. She heads to his home for the holidays and due to bad weather the two of them are isolated for a few days and that gives them time to explore more than they have before. When the weather clears, family appears, and evil arrives…well…there is a lot going on and a lot for the two to contend with if they are to achieve a HEA together.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It made me think about what it must have been like to be “different” long ago and wonder how people managed. I am eager to read whoever’s book is next. I should probably throw in here that I stayed up till 2am reading because…I could not put this story down ;)

Thank you to NetGalley and The Passionate Pen for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4.5 Stars

What an amazing story of The Silent Duke. This is the first of this series I have read and I plan to go back and read the first three books. Jess Michaels has taken a disability that would be more easily overcome today with education and training. She showed how horrible it was for a person during the late 1700’s to have mutism. Ewan Hoffstead, heir to a dukedom, was labeled and bullied by his father, brothers and abandoned by his mother. His father was going to have him committed until his uncle stepped in to take over his childrearing. With his uncle, aunt and cousin, he was treated as normal as possible and given the love his family kept from him. His childhood friend, Charlotte and he developed a sign language known only to the two of them to be able to communicate. The fact that he taught himself to read and write, in spite of his parents, shows how highly intelligent, strong and courageous he was. Yet, he still carried the scars from his parents into adulthood.

Sweet, loving, lovely Charlotte, is now a widow and still yearns for a life with Ewan. Through a storm of nature, she is the first and only guest to reach his estate before the bridge is closed due to flooding. She decides to try one more time to convince him they can make a life together. Their time together is quite sensual and deep. Ewan just will not accept that they can have a life together in spite of his disability. He is afraid she will eventually come to be embarrassed by him. She even wins over his servants and tenants with her kind, giving nature.

But, their HEA is not going to be easy. Before his father died, he did everything he could to make sure Ewan did not inherit the dukedom, telling Ewan’s younger brother that he would inherit. Ewan’s uncle helped him fight to inherit as his birth dictated. That struggle is not completely over.

This is a touching story about overcoming a disability and overcoming the cruelty of a father that lingered long after his death. As I stated earlier, this is part of a series, the fourth in the 1797 series, but I found it to be quite good as a stand alone.

Publisher's Description

Born mute, Ewan Hoffstead, Duke of Donburrow was abused by his wicked father and wretched younger brothers until an uncle swept in to save the day. Still, he carries the scars of his past with him, including a terrible belief that perhaps a “person like him” truly doesn’t deserve the title his uncle fought so hard for him to earn.

Recently widowed Charlotte may be the proper Countess of Portsmith to Society, but when she is around Ewan, she still feels like the enraptured little girl who met him decades before when her brother was best friends with him and his cousin.

A planned trip to spend Christmas with their families at Ewan’s estate reunites the old friends. But when a storm keeps the others from arriving on time, Charlotte decides to stop living in fear and pursue the man she has desired and loved her entire life. Ewan cannot resist her seduction, but he fears giving in to his heart. Especially when the family that disposed of him returns and threatens not only his life, but that of the woman he loves.

My Thoughts:

This newest book in the 1797 Club series is more sensual and filled with intimacy. I think it's most likely because of Ewan's muteness.
Instead of having conversations they seem to just fall into bed. The intimate scenes are therefore a bit more plentiful than usual.
The story is still a good one but I found so much intimacy distracting from the facts of the tale.
If given the chance Charlotte could have been perceived as a very strong female character and one of the best of this series.
I gave this book 4 of 5 stars for storyline and character development and a sensual rating of 5 of 5 flames. As stated earlier the intimate relations are very plentiful in this story and the heat is high.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley to read. This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

I received this book for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

When his own father abused him because of the simple fact that he was mute, Ewan Hoffstead was taken in by his aunt and uncle who taught him how to be a wonderful duke. Along with his friends from The 1797 Club, Ewan became a magnificent Duke of Donburrow, loved by his tenants and friends. Especially, long time friend Charlotte.

Charlotte spent a great deal of her childhood with her brother’s silent friend, Ewan. They even made up their own way of communicating through hand signals. When she finally confessed her love for him, Ewan broke her heart. She went on to marry and become the Countess of Portsmith. The marriage was short-lived, now a widow out of mourning, she is going to try again to win Ewan’s heart.

When Charlotte arrives first for a holiday house party at Ewan’s estate, she barely beats a horrible storm with major flooding. The rest of the party cannot get to the estate and Charlotte is left alone to seduce the man she loves.

The fourth book in The 1797 Club series is just as thrilling and passionate as the other three with it’s own special twist on the friends to lovers troupe. Charlotte never once saw Ewan’s mutism as a hinderance, in fact, I believe that only made him more special to her. Ewan’s feelings for the beguiling Charlotte are evident, but he refuses to see a future between them due to his fear of passing his mutism on to a child. Charlotte has a difficult time convincing Ewan what they have will overcome any obstacle they will face. Men are stubborn and it takes more than a little prodding to get Ewan to see the beautiful future he can have with the woman he loves. Through twists, turns, and vengeful relatives, Ewan and Charlotte find the happily ever after they’ve been craving all their lives.

I think I have read whatever Jess Michaels wrote in the last three years and I have enjoyed all of her books, so this one made no difference and I read it in one sitting of long pleasure.

Penso di aver letto qualsiasi cosa Jess Michaels abbia scritto negli ultimi tre anni e mi sono piaciuti tutti, quindi anche questo non fa differenza e me lo sono gustato in un'unica lunga piacevole seduta.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

This is a beautiful story of a hero who is mute and his struggles with self esteem and self love. The hero and heroine are beautifully written and are really intriguing characters. The book is sensual and the main characters absolutely lite the pages on fire. The one part that I did miss in this book was the development of their romance. I felt like they just jumped into bed and even though they had a history, we were not informed about it in the beginning chapters. Their story is really sweet and I would have enjoyed some more background into it before they made love.

* I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

A phenomenal story. Both the hero and the heroine attracted me from the very beginning. The hero was born mute and his father despised him from the very beginning, he was to have been his heir. His aunt and uncle were his saviors.

The heroine knew him since she was a young child. The two of them created a language between themselves so that they could communicate. She has loved him her entire life, but he will not have anything to do with her other than friendship and he has maintained his distance.

This whole entire premise was amazing. Loved it. I wish there were more stories like this.

Jess Michaels had done it again. The Silent Duke was a very solid enjoyable historical romance. A+

What a book! I absolutely loved it from beginning to end – and couldn’t put it down until I could see how it all worked out. Do you want a broken heart? If so, just read the Prologue to this excellent book. The unimaginable pain a heartless and mean-spirited parent can cause is just palpable. Then, if you want a smile in your heart – read the rest of the book. It is an excellently written, well-paced, story of life-long friends finding their own happily ever after. It isn’t one of those books where they were in denial of their feelings – no – both knew they deeply loved the other. However, one of them (you guess which one) is stubborn beyond belief and doesn’t feel worthy of the other. Now, for the purists among us (yes, I’m one), the author did use a couple of anachronistic words – for instance, she used the word ‘sex’ to refer to the act rather than the gender. See this Facebook post by Ella Quinn for information on the etymology for ‘sex’.

Ewan Hoffstead was born mute. He was a lovely child, but his father could not accept that his heir was less than perfect and tried to beat, berate and shame him into speaking. Picture a grown man standing above a cowering two-year-old child screaming at him that he was broken and worthless. Imagine the damage that treatment would cause to a young child’s psyche. When Ewan was ten-years-old, his father was going to finally put him in an asylum in order to keep him from inheriting the title. Luckily for Ewan, his aunt and uncle took him from his parents and raised him with love and acceptance. Ewan was actually a very intelligent man, but everyone else seemed to judge him on his lack of speech. Or did they? Maybe it was just his perception that everyone was judging him negatively – but, that poor abused little boy always came to the fore and thought that they did. You’ll just fall hopelessly in love with Ewan when you read this book. He’s sweet, thoughtful, considerate and honorable.

Charlotte Undercross was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl of seven when she helped Ewan through the worst day of his young life. Then, together, they developed a hand-signing language to make it easier for Ewan to communicate with others. It turned out to be much too complicated for others to learn, but Ewan and Charlotte used it all the time. Charlotte loves Ewan with all of her heart and she has told him so and asked him to love her in return. When he refused, she married another.

Charlotte is now a young widow and she’s determined to have one more shot at a life with Ewan. If he still refuses, she’ll have to go back on the marriage mart. Ewan is hosting a Christmas celebration at his estate and several friends and family will attend – Charlotte is among those. Fate intervenes and a winter storm causes rivers to flood and Charlotte’s coach is the last one to make it over the bridge leading to Ewan’s home. That gives Charlotte several days alone with Ewan. Can she convince him to let go of his past and embrace a future with her? We sure hope so. Then, there is the remainder of his hate-filled family to contend with. Will they manage to oust Ewan from his title and cause irreparable harm?

This is a quick and lovely read and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did!

“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”

This was a new to me author and I was not disappointed. I loved this book. I loved Ewan who is so sweet and just adores Charlotte. I loved Charlotte deciding she was going after what she wanted. But my most favorite part of this book was that Ewan was a virgin and Charlotte was experienced. And not the usual kind of romanceland experienced were the heroine never enjoyed sex or was abused. Charlotte had enjoyed sexual relations with her husband despite not loving him. Anyway it was a great book. I only wish it had been longer.