Not the Duke's Darling is a good start to a new historical romance series. I thought it was very different, with the heroine, Freya de Moray, being part of a secret order of Wise Women. She was also not living as a woman of her station in life normally would which was interesting. I felt sorry for the hero, Christopher, Duke of Harlowe, for gaining her enmity, which I didn't feel was deserved. These two shared a huge amount of baggage from their past. I was rooting for them to get beyond all of that and delve into their feelings for one another. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next in this series.

The premise of this book was so promising, and I loved Hoyt's article on Frolic about being inspired by Wonder Woman, but this book just didn't work for me. The two main characters didn't have great chemistry, and I found myself continually frustrated by both of them. Freya seemed to be unnecessarily difficult, and Christopher's motivations were puzzling. I love the idea of a group of Wise Women operating as a secret society, but this blend of fantasy and romance just missed the mark for me.

Ms Hoyt is one of my favorite historical romance writers, so far every book has been great fun and "Not the Duke's Darling" shined. I am a bibliophile and a librarian, and I still find words I have to look up. I love it!
This book has a rather unique opening for one of Hoyt's books, but I loved it. Nicely done.

I loved it! The story was riveting and heart pounding. Couldn't put it down because the characters were so interesting. Now I want to know what happens to the rest of the people!

Unfortunately the book is too cluttered with various story lines and points of view. Hopefully the next title will keep it simple because I would like to see what happens to some of the characters.

An exciting start to a new series! Intrigue, mystery, and romance! Our interview with Hoyt is live on our site.

I'm usually a big fan of Hoyt's books. Unfortunately this one was just . . . okay. 3 Stars



I can't even explain to you *why* it was "just okay". It just . . . was? I don't have anything to complain about. But I also don't have anything to rave about. Which leaves me stuck in the "meh, it was fine" territory. The writing was fine. The story was fine. The romance was fine. (By the time I got around to this book, my library's audiobook hold came in. Now the narrator for this audiobook was lovely, as always, so the performance was higher than 3 stars.)



Hell, even the sex, when we finally get to it, was okay. I mean, there's a scene where she's grinding away on his lap and gets frustrated that she's not getting there, that she needs something more, and he helps her to start riding him, and ends up putting his thumb in her mouth at the end so she can bite down and not make a noise. That was pretty hot. But that's about the only thing that really stuck out to me about this entire book, sex or otherwise.

This book was so much fun! I thought the beginning was a little slow and I had some trouble keeping up with the rules/details around the secret societies, but once I got into this one, I couldn't put it down.

A delightfully dark and sinfully rich story of three families who were ripped apart by lies, betrayal, and tragedy. One woman vows revenge for her brother's downfall only to learn that there are three sides to every story-yours, theirs, and the truth. As she struggles to reconcile what she knows with what she learns, she must decide if her need for revenge is worth losing her heart's desire. .

Christopher Renshaw and Freya de Morya knew each other once. But that was 15 years ago before a tragedy tore their families apart. Now Freya works for a secret organization that helps women and is hiding her identity. When she goes to a house party to look for evidence of a murder and stop a bill about burning witches, she is reunited with Christopher, and it is not a happy reunion.

I liked Christopher and Freya. I thought they had fire and spark. Freya is brave, independent, and definitely flawed. She carries the hurt done to her family close to her heart and that makes it hard for her to trust. As the book progresses Freya's shell thins and eventually bursts. Christopher has some PTSD from his time in India and regrets his choices made as a young man. I like that he want's Freya prickles and all.

I think that this book was chock full of plot and didn't get to explore all its potential. Freya is a Wise Woman and a spy and I wish I could have learned a lot more about that part of her life, 99% of which takes place pre-book. She’s got so much potential and instead she comes out a bit too stubborn and shrewish. Christopher's story in India is touched on, but I wanted more sympathy for him as a youth. I also wanted to see him interact with more people besides Freya and Tess.

The secondary characters were awesome. I'm hopeful Messalina Greycourt and her sister will make a reappearance. I am also really curious about Gabriel Hawthorne. And I want to know what happened with Arabella Holland. Did she marry the earl?

So mostly I just needed a longer book. All the elements were there, I just need more backstory for both the main characters and they needed more time to fall past what they remembered of each other and actually love what is now.

I love everything that Elizabeth writes. She is a master storyteller with original plots and such wonderful flawed and beautiful characters.
This story is about how life throws obstacles in your path and challenges you to break through them to your HAE.
I recommend everything that that Elizabeth has ever written. As a bonus, she includes a fairy tale at the beginning of each chapter.

received in exchange for a honest review.

Did I love the book? No. Did I enjoy the book? yes but there were aspects that drove me batty.

Like:

The chemistry between Christopher and Freya

The history between them that puts tension in the air

The way Christopher respects Freya and her abilities and yet still wants to protect her

Christopher and how he has become who he is

Freya’s independence and the war within about what she really wants

The danger that underlies the story

How the story begins with that danger but also a great encounter between Christopher and Freya

Was okay:

the multiple stories-while it keeps you on your toes at times you wonder why so many plots

Freya’s attitude can be offputting at times

Didn’t like:

how we get backstories but they drop off: ex. India what happened to Christopher and what about his wife?

the angst withe Freya about Christopher and her career- didn’t add to the story really for me didn’t hurt it but didn’t add to it either

Overall:

Like the danger, Christopher and how he has changed but also regrets his past actions and has used this to be his catalyst to change. The romance is tension filled and exiting definitely keeps you on your toes. Love the way Christopher treats Freya and their interactions. The writing is good and the story good just some hiccups in how the story goes at times but do enjoy the overall story and romance.

NOT THE DUKE’S DARLING is the first book in a new series called the Greycourt. Guys, this series is so fun! If you’re a fan of the Maiden Lane series or like a little bit of action in your Historical Romance, then I’m sure you’ll love this book as well.

The heroine, Freya, was really fun and cool. She’s a member of the secret order of Wise Women so there was a lot about her character that I found intriguing. It’s been a while since I’ve been this excited about a new series, especially a Historical Romance one. But I have some pretty high hopes for this series if the next books are as good as this one.

Engaging from the first page, NOT THE DUKE’S DARLING is a refreshing new series filled with action and mischief. I think you’ll love the characters for their unique personalities and interesting motives. Hoyt’s writing has always been fabulous, but her ability to weave suspenseful scenes are what really sets her books apart from the crowd.

*3.5 stars*

Intriguing regency romance…

I’m all about diving into character’s minds and hearts. Feeling, hearing and seeing their emotions is what romance is to me. Not surprising then that traditional Regency romance is hard for me to connect with as the characters keep so much of their true thoughts and feelings hidden behind strict grammar and manners. Thank goodness this author reminds us that, no matter the time, there is always, always love…

Freya and Christopher (aka Kesper) found themselves in an intrigue that both were well-suited for. Their meeting after many years was an explosive start to a long overdue reckoning. Each were battling enemies so found their mutual animosity taking second fiddle to greater danger. Freya was bold even as she hid her pioneering spirit under an assumed name and drab clothing. I liked her, for her bravery, her sharp, witty tongue and her soft heart. Kesper was a recluse so was brought out of the shadows kicking and screaming. I ached for the pain and hurt he still endured. Together, they made an intriguing, surprisingly supportive couple that were a match for any foe…

While the emotional punch and surprises may have been quieter if compared to the Maiden Lane stories (which I adored), they were satisfying in their own right. I’m hoping for many more Wise Women to come…

Fifteen years ago, an incident which became known as the Greycourt Tragedy, resulted in the death of a young woman, and tore three best friends and their families apart. Freya Stewart de Moray was only twelve years old at the time, and has never learned the full details of what happened on that fateful night. Her older brother, Ran, made plans to elope with Aurelia, with the assistance of his two best friends, Julian and Christopher. Something went drastically wrong, and Aurelia ended up dying, with Ran being blamed, then severely beaten. The resulting injuries and the loss of Aurelia has since caused Ran to live in seclusion. Freya came to despise everyone involved, even Christopher, who was her first crush. In the intervening years, Freya joined a society called the Wise Women, an organization that promotes the education of women, and provides all kinds of assistance to women in need. It’s a secret organization, due to some men’s backward thinking that they are witches. Freya has been working undercover as a lady’s companion while secretly gathering information for the Wise Women.

Christopher Renshaw, now the Duke of Harlowe, has returned from India, where his father exiled him for thirteen years after the scandal created by the Greycourt Tragedy. Christopher’s father also arranged a marriage for him, one that was a total mismatch. Christopher and his wife were victims of one of the uprisings and were imprisoned in deplorable conditions, where his wife did not survive. Now Christopher does his best to endure all the painful memories he has, and his companion dog, Tess, is always by his side. Christopher encounters Freya, not knowing who she is, and is puzzled by her hostile reaction to him.

Though twelve year old Freya dreamed of one day marrying Christopher, the current grown up version of Freya despises him, and his part in her brother’s wasted life. After several hostile encounters with Christopher, the volatile Freya finally reveals who she is, and demands to know why Christopher did not rescue her brother all those years ago. Christopher, himself, does not know the whys and wherefores of everything that happened, and can only apologize for his own inaction at the time.

Despite her apparent hatred, Freya can’t help but still feel attracted to Christopher, who’s now a strong and handsome man. Christopher is equally drawn to Freya, who waffles between kissing him senseless and berating him. Aside from dealing with their personal feelings for each other, Christopher is being blackmailed, while Freya is being stalked by someone who believes she’s a witch. I immediately felt sympathy for Christopher, who clearly has suffered much mistreatment and loss. Tess would be the equivalent of what we call a therapy dog today, and helps Christopher through his rough times. While dealing with his own issues, Christopher clearly wants to help Freya, who was not quite as easy to like. I admire her for her work in helping other women, and I can sympathize with her pain over her brother, but her general scorn for all men, and her rejection of Christopher’s love and assistance didn’t endear her to me.

NOT THE DUKE’S DARLING is clearly setting up the foundation of the Greycourt Series, and introduces a lot of characters, many of them we have yet to meet. After digging into the book, it was easy enough to sort out who’s who, and I am eagerly looking forward to the upcoming stories, especially Ran’s. (It seems that he’s very deserving of a happy ending.) I really liked Christopher, with his strength and determination. His support of, and love for, the prickly Freya, despite his own demons, made me fall a bit in love with him myself. NOT THE DUKE’S DARLING is an intriguing read, and a tantalizing introduction into the Greycourt series.

3,5-4

I don't really know how I feel about this one, it isn't a bad book but I didn't love it either.I will start first saying that I got confused many times with the names.This make me re-read some pages again and again or going back.The romance was great but at sometimes felt too much for me.And I mean about their behaviors to each other.

~Reviewed by Monique~~

After a fortuitous encounter, Freya de Moray sees the opportunity to get her revenge on Christopher Renshaw, now the Duke of Harlowe. She is to attend a house party at the Lovejoys in her capacity of paid companion and chaperone to Lady Holland and her two daughters, and Christopher will also be there. For the duke, it’s not a pleasurable task: he is being blackmailed and intends to put an end to it at the house party. He hadn’t a clue that the fiery lady’s companion was Freya, his best friend’s little sister. But that wasfifteen years ago, when the Greycourt Tragedy happened.

Not the Duke’s Darling is the first instalment in Elizabeth Hoyt’s eagerly anticipated new Georgian romance series, and it does feel like an introduction to the next Hoyt’s new universe. It necessarily establishes the foundation, and judging by the number of characters and subplots, this series could go on for a very, very long time. I found it quite challenging to try to keep up with the numerous characters and to remember who’s what to whom. I kept forgetting who “Jane” was, and I got confused several times with all the gentlemen whose family names all have two syllables as well as the letter “o”. Or maybe I’m the one with a problem! There was so much going on, on so many levels, that I realised around halfway that I had as captivating that Freya had a mission for the WiseWomen – an ancient feminist secret society of women to help women. There was also another subplot regarding the Wise Women that seemed to have been left dangling, or else it entirely escaped my notice –which I doubt.

The revenge/enemies-to-lovers tropes served mostly to bring Christopher and Freya together; I think it could have been dealt with much more swiftly. It seemed their animosity acted as an aphrodisiac because I couldn’t grasp why they were attracted to each other besides lust which seemed brought about mostly by his “blue”, “cerulean” gaze, and her (too oft-mentioned) “green-gold eyes”. I didn’t particularly like either Christopher or Freya; she seemed little more than a feminist, and he was quite mystifying: was he weak, arrogant, cowardly, fearless, violent? I love strong heroines and beta heroes, but here the balance of power felt odd.

Elizabeth Hoyt’s prose flows effortlessly as usual, and her gorgeous descriptions are sparkling and crisp, but I did not find the story as captivating as the beginning suggested, because of all those subplots. While I understood the need to introduce the Greycourts, I’m still wondering if the Holland girls – Regina and Arabella –will figure in future instalments. I must say that Arabella was my favourite character along with Tess, Christopher’s dog – whom we would today call a therapy dog. As I’ve mentioned too many times already, because of the was fifteen subplots, I have no idea who the next book will feature.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ah, Hoyt, who’s written some of my favourite historical romances, The Leopard Prince and Duke Of Sin. Therefore, a new Hoyt series is always welcome and I happily plunged into Not the Duke’s Darling as my first 2019 romance-read. Though it didn’t reach the heights of my favourites, very difficult to do given how much I love them, it was satisfying. In particular, the storylines and premise it sets up make me eager for the books-to-come.

Not the Duke’s Darling is Georgian-set, Hoyt’s time setting of choice, and centres around reunited childhood friends and former-best-friend’s-younger-sister hero and heroine, Christopher Renshaw, Duke of Harlowe and Freya Stewart de Moray. The opening scene was thrilling, funny, and compelling. Freya is a member of a ancient, secret society, the “Wise Women”, a group of proto-feminists sworn to help and protect women, persecuted as witches and now living in seclusion in an isolated part of Scotland. Freya, however, is one of their agents, living pseudonymously in society, aiding women, and keeping her ears and eyes alert to threats to the group. In the opening scene, Freya is helping a baby-lordling and his widowed mother escape the clutches of an evil uncle, intent on using the infant-lord to control his estates.

Desperate to escape pursuing thugs, Freya, baby, and nurse tumble into a nobleman’s carriage, Christopher’s carriage. Freya recognizes Christopher as the man who stood by and watched as her brother was beaten fifteen years ago, when they were all friends in Scotland. (This backstory serves to re-introduce some of the characters involved in that life-changing incident, while others hover, ready to be brought in in later volumes.) Christopher, on the other, hand, doesn’t immediately recognize Freya, but he does find her exciting and beautiful, if a tad crazy. He helps save baby and Freya and she is able to hand the one and half year old Earl of Brightwater over to his mother, who spirits him away to America. Freya then meets with anther Wise Woman, the “Crow,” who warns her that the Wise Women want her return to their Scottish sanctuary. Freya wants to stay in England to investigate the instigator of a new Witch Act in Parliament, sure to destroy the Wise Women. That instigator is Lord Randolph. Working as ladies’ companion to the Holland family, Freya finds herself on the way to a country estate party at the Lovejoys, whose holdings abut Lord Randolph’s. An ideal opportunity. Moreover, Freya also wants to reunite with Christopher, to exact revenge for what happened to her brother, especially when she noticed, in the carriage, that Christopher wore her brother’s signet ring.

In the meanwhile, Christopher, ever haunted by the mad, beautiful woman who fell into his carriage, is confronted by his own problems. A handsome little creep, Thomas Plimpton, is blackmailing him over some letters Christopher’s deceased wife exchanged. As Plimpton is to attend the same house-party to which Freya has been invited, Christopher makes his way there. The romance then becomes a working out of their past, the push-pull of their attraction, and their pursuit of Plimpton and the witch-hating parliamentarian, Lord Randolph. Moreover, other figures from that original traumatic scene appear at the house-party: the sisters, one of whom was Freya’s childhood friend, Messalina, of the man who caused Ran’s beating, Julian Greycourt.

That it took me three long, inelegant paragraphs to reach the point where I can express an opinion about the book may tell you something both about its weakness and strength. Hoyt can’t write a bad book if her life depended on it. She drew me in with her creation of this Wise Woman society and especially with the conversations among the women of the house-party. Lady Holland, Freya’s employer, turns out to be a sympathetic, forward-thinking character, an anti-Mrs.-Bennett, smart and concerned for her daughters’ happiness as opposed to their marrying up and rich. Freya’s reconciliation with Messalina is wonderful, as is Messalina herself. Though the muffin-eating, sword-wielding sister, Lucretia, steals the show in one priceless scene. The mysterious beating, the reasons behind it (Ran was thought, at the time, to have killed the Greycourts’ sister, Aurelia, not true, of course, but it brought about the estrangement among the close-knit friends), the proto-feminist society and what they stand for, Christopher’s own sad backstory, and the delightful dog, Tess.

Hoyt is setting up a compelling, original series: what she didn’t accomplish is the development of Freya and Christopher’s relationship. In order to introduce her overarching series narrative, Freya and Christopher and even Tess have sound as one-note wonders. Christopher, no matter how one-quirked-eyebrow roguishly handsome he is, is a man of fidelity, decency, and care for others, protective and loving toward Freya and all women. He sees Freya, is attracted to her, likes her, realizes who she is, woos her and wants her throughout. Freya, on the other hand, is fiercely independent and wary, wary of marriage and commitment and the way it might thwart her work with the Wise Women and her own freedom. As smart and good as Freya and Christopher were, it was hard not to see how they couldn’t NOT be together, how they couldn’t NOT work out their differences, especially Freya. She’s too smart not to recognize Christopher’s value, how he would only ever stand by her, never thwart or diminish her. There’s a lot sex, well, not a lot, not till the last third: it’s good it takes Freya and Christopher a while to become lovers, but when they do, it’s at least a love scene a chapter. So, there’s a lot of sex, but not much tension, difference, the emotional stakes don’t seem to be that high. And, frankly, the love scenes are over-wrought, trying to make up in heightened language what is lacking in development.

In the end, Not the Duke’s Darling great strength is Hoyt’s world-building: the families, that past incident that will need to be worked out, the potential in all those marvelous characters waiting to have their story told, the atmosphere of danger and, the potential presence of characters, some still at loggerheads, who will serve as a merry band against evil. I loved Not the Duke’s Darling for what is to come and I liked Not the Duke’s Darling for its likable, compatible couple and the binding role they will come to play in the other characters’ lives. I loved the women and their friendships/relationships the most of all. With Miss Austen, we say that Hoyt’s first Greycourt novel offers “real comfort,” Emma.

Elizabeth Hoyt’s Not the Duke’s Darling is published by Forever (Grand Central Publishing). It was released on December 18, 2018, and may be found at your preferred vendor. I received a Digital Galley Edition from Forever via Netgalley, as well as a paper copy.

I wanted to like this much more than I did. It had all of the elements of a great story: revenge, feminism and a tortured hero. Somehow it didn't meld into anything spectacular. The main female character was a strong feminist and was part of a secret group called Wise Women. I love a good revenge story, but this one unraveled rather quickly.

Freya was hard to like. I loved it that she was so passionate about women's rights, but it was taken too far to the point of man hater territory. Her emotional growth was stunted from the time she was a child. Tragedy befell her family years before. In many respects she held onto the childish misconceptions she had of that time and let them dictate her life without bothering to search for the truth. Many things about her grated on my nerves. Renshaw was a genuinely good guy. I liked him a lot but nothing about him stood out either. Somethings about his past were surprising.

There were a few random times where the point of view switched to a third character. It was obvious this person was going to be one of the main characters in the next book. I'm genuinely interested in her story, but I would have preferred that her story didn't take up as much page time in this.

This is the first book in the Greycourt series. After reading much of the Maiden Lane series, I was delighted with the start to this new series. I liked the characters. Freya is a strong woman making her own way in the world after a huge family disgrace.

With this being the first book in a new series, it needs to have a beginning. This is a strong beginning.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.