Katherine, Lady Gainsworth and Robert, the Duke of Roseford have a past, too bad he doesn't remember it.

Katherine is finally out of mourning for her late husband and is ready reenter society, but her reemergence is under a black cloud. Her husband died while they were in bed and most of the ton is shunning her. Those who aren't are rakes and rogues bent on bedding her. Enter Robert, the biggest rogue of them all, he makes a bet with one of his roguish friends that Katherine will be his lover. His plan hits a bump when he approaches her and is stunned by the venom she directs at him.

Katherine hates Robert, she blames him for ruining her life and when Isabel gives her the heads up about the wager, she hates him even more. But Robert isn't willing to give up and pursues her. When a miscommunication has them both invited to the same house party, things begin to heat up between them - she might hate him, but she still wants him.

They grow closer and some secrets are shared, she begins to think that she was unfair in her judgement, until she overhears him talking to the friend he made the bet with. She is crushed and when he tries to explain, she finally reveals why she hated him for years and leaves. Robert is heartbroken and disgusted with himself. He isn't sure what he can do to win her back or if he even deserves her. But when he gets advice from an unlikely source and admits he loves her, he knows that he will not give her up without a fight.

The book was well written, but it just didn't work for me, I failed to feel a real connection between Katherine and Robert, I didn't really feel like her reason for hating him was justified and his reasons for being a rake just felt contrived and vague. I didn't hate the book, but it is my least favorite of the series and I wouldn't recommend it. That said, the previous books in this series have consistently been 4 & 5 stars reads for me, so to have read 9 books in a 10 book series before finding one that didn't catch my fancy is quite impressive!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*

This was a decent story and I somewhat enjoyed both the hero and the heroine. Robert and Katherine were well-written characters. However, nothing really stood out making it a great book.

Duke of Desire is the ninth book in the 1797 Club series by Jess Michaels. I have read most, but not all of the books in this series, and not in order. Each can be read as a stand alone, but character and relationship building is more complex and layered for those that have followed along.

Robert Smithton, Duke of Roseford is known for his lusty appetites and his cold, cold heart. Still thanks to his title and his fortune, everyone wants him and he’s bored of it all. He wants something, but he cannot place what exactly that is. Until he meets Katherine, the Countess of Gainsworth. Married to an old man who died when they were making love, Katherine is just returning to Society. Although scandal follows her, so does interest, as the men of Society wonder about her prowess if it could kill a man. When Robert begins to pursue her, she is horrified. After all, she blames him for the circumstances that sent her into her loveless marriage in the first place. When Katherine ignores him, Robert only pushes harder and ultimately she begins to wonder if revenge is a dish best served through desire. What she finds when she touches him at last is pleasure unlike any she’s ever known, and a connection she does not wish to feel. Now she must decide if she wants revenge or happiness and Robert must determine if love is worth fighting for.

Duke of Desire is a historical romance with plenty of emotion and well written characters. Robert is in denial about so much, trying to stay unattached emotionally and still dealing with his childhood tragedy. Katherine has been through so much, and just wants to live a quite life without being beholden to the whims or demands of others. I enjoyed seeing the two find their own way, and their way to each other. The friends and secondary characters that help them along in many ways are the familiar faces from the series, and even newcomers to the series will enjoy the honesty and bonds of this group. Everyone should have a group of friends like this. I found myself holding my breath at times, and alternately hurting for the pair, or wanting to kick them, as they struggled with their own demons enough to find their way toward a happy ending. I love that there is no magic moment where all issues just disappear, but rather the characters need to deal with them and talk to each other in order to find a resolution. They actually talk about their issues, about what stands between them, and deal with it rather than the book just ending with a declaration of love and forgetting the emotional issues from both of their pasts. I think a romance that does this just feels more real, the characters more alive, than those that just pretend all that disappears once love is acknowledged.

Duke of Desire is exactly what fans of Michaels have come to expect, an engaging and entertain read with plenty of heart and heat.

Katherine certainly created quite the scandal when her husband died. Returning to society in the midst of a season draws whispers to be muttered behind her back and begs to be made in the shady corners of every parlor. Meeting Robert again was something she couldn’t avoid and every time she turned around he was there. Each encounter brought them closer together no matter how hard they tried to stay away.

This novel by Jess Michaels was an addictive read! The theme that like father, like son is a fallacy prevailed, and that one should not stifle their passions. This book is about a girl who is forced into an awful marriage by her father, her spouse dies in a scandalous way, and she returns to society. She begins to be approached by men who want her for her scandal and nothing else, and then Roseford comes along. With him comes seduction and love follows.

Katherine, the heroine, is a passionate, self-conscious, lonely individual, and Roseford is afraid of commitment because of his parents failed relationship and he struggles to connect with his married friends.

This was an addictive, easy to read novel that has a very adult romance. I definitely recommend this novel to fans of historical romance.

Such a satisfying read. An admirable and likeable heroine, damaged by her father and older husband, a cold, rakish duke, and a delicious, tender yet lusty romance.

Katharine is bullied and disparaged by her pious father as he sees her as wanton and licentious in nature unless she is controlled. She meets Robert, Duke of Roseford, on the terrace at a ball, and is discovered by her father who accuses her of dalliance, and arranges to marry her off to a man older than himself as punishment the very next day.

She returns to society as a widow, after her husband dies whilst in bed with her, and scandal haunts her.

A wager is made as to which gentleman will bed the wanton widow first, and Robert throws his hat into the ring once he has seen her.

Katherine blames him for her experiences, as her husband also attacked her passionate nature and damaged her, so she determines to rebuff him, however they end up at a house party together.

They are thrown together and they eventually act on their attraction, Jess Michaels handles this beautifully as Robert treats Katherine with great tenderness and respect, and helps her to come to terms with her passionate nature and move past her damaged emotions from her father and husband. Robert also opens up to her about his parents and early life that have caused him to reject love.

Robert finally decides he would like to court Katherine, but the wager causes a misunderstanding between them and Katherine leaves believing he has lied to her to win the wager.

Eventually they both realise they have changed for the better and come together to resolve their differences and find their HEA.

I loved the tenderness and respect between them, how the issue of consent was handled, and how deftly the author handled the evolution of their relationship.

The friendships between the dukes as a group, and the duchesses with Katherine were also sensitively done. I really enjoyed this one!

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This is a very hot and sexy book. Robert is a very sensual guy. He seduces Katherine, a reluctant widow. There is history between them.

Wow. Hot and sexy. Made me laugh and cry. Jess is an author who never disappoints with her engrossing tales of betrayal , love, and secets. I always anxiously await her newest novel! Thumbs up!

Katherine, the Countess of Gainsworth, has just re-entered Society after the death of her husband. She wants nothing more than to escape the scandal of his death, but unfortunately, that is not to be. When Katherine learns that men are wagering on who will get her in their bed next, she is sickened. To make matters worse, the one man she loathes the most, Robert Smithton, the Duke of Roseford, is pursuing her.

Robert wants Katherine so when he hears of the wager, he determines he will be the winner. Unfortunately for him, Katherine holds a grudge against him for some reason. Robert leaves town to get away from her, but fate has other plans, as Katherine shows up at the same house party. How will he ever resist her now? What will happen when he learns the truth?

Author Jess Michaels's 1797 Club series is for lack of a better word, amazing. I can honestly say that I have enjoyed every book to-date. It is wonderful to finally see Robert meet his match in THE DUKE OF DESIRE. Katherine is just the woman he needs... a fact he should have realized sooner, but made the story that much more worth reading. Katherine and Robert's journey is no easy one, for either of them. That is what makes their story so much more real. I cannot wait to read the next installment in Ms. Michaels's 1797 Club series.

This is book nine in the 1797 Club series by this author. I feel like this series has been hit or miss for me. There are some books in this series that I have absolutely adored while others not so much. This book falls somewhere in the middle for me. While I liked Katherine and Robert's characters and understood their pain , I thought that they were pushed into love by their friends rather than just falling into it. I wish their journey would have been a little more natural and evolved. The part I thoroughly enjoyed was the appearance of beloved characters from previous books in this series. Although this book is part of the series, I feel like it can be read as a standalone but I enjoyed some of the previous books so would recommend giving them a read if you have the time, especially, The Duke of Nothing, The Silent Duke and The Broken Duke.

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

The Story in a Nutshell: Known for his cold heart and reputation with women, Robert Smithton, the Duke of Roseford once enjoyed all the pleasures his title and wealth afforded him. But now he’s bored and can’t figure out what it is he’s missing, until he meets the widowed Countess of Gainsworth. Katherine is barely returning to society amid a flurry of gossip concerning how her elderly husband died, and that gossip has men trailing after her like a pack of hunting dogs. She’s horrified to find out that Robert is one of the men pursuing her since she blames him for her loveless marriage in the first place. Ignoring him doesn’t work so Katherine decides to use his interest to get revenge on him only it backfires in a big way, for both of them.



Overall reaction to the book? Roseford has been the one I’ve been waiting for for a while now, he’s the king player of his little group and for the past few books he’s just been unhappy and descending into a bit of a depression tinged with jealousy and bitterness. He’s watched his friends find love but has denied that he wants it for himself.

Silly Roseford.

He’s been the one that is the most in need of something stable and loving. He has had the support, love, and friendship of the other men and now their wives but it isn’t the same as having something that is first his and not someone else’s. He’s not an easy man though because he loved to push people’s buttons until they grew tired of him and moved on. He never let anyone really get to know him outside of his tight knit group of friends. And even with them he kept the vulnerable part of himself locked up tight. But I could understand a person’s reluctance to try and get close to a man like him, he’s charming but appears shallow and cold. But then again, to me those are some of the best characters, the ones that everyone else seems to brush off or see as just a title and money. Robert was worth the wait as a character.

Katherine was interesting too. She was in a loveless, emotionally, and mentally abusive marriage that left its scars but she still found the courage to try to live her life and move on after her husband died in their bed. Her undeserved reputation did nothing but give her unwanted attention and I really felt for her in that respect. Here she was just trying to move on with her life, dealing with the damage her husband and father did to her but she has to do it with all these leering, judgy eyes on her. That’s a lot of pressure for a person!


While Robert revels in the attention, Katherine shrinks from it but other than that, these two had a lot in common. From the emotional baggage they both carried around, to their wants and desires. I liked them as a couple but from all the buildup about Robert’s um, activities with women, I did expect more heat and tension from these two than there was. It’s clear they were seriously attracted to each other BUT there was more to it, there was an enmity from Katherine that should have really lit that fire. Instead it tended to cool it down. It wasn’t a bad chemistry, just not what I expected. I do appreciate that the author didn’t just make their relationship about sex, which if Katherine was supposed to be “the one” for Robert their interactions did have to have more than just sexual chemistry going. And they did! Little by little walls came down, and they learned about each other as people. I did think their romance felt genuine and tender, something both characters never had before.


Click It or Skip It? Click It and say it isn’t so, there’s only one duke left!

Rating 3.5/5

This is book 9 of the 1797 Club series and can be read as a stand alone novel.

I love reading any historical romance novel because the setting just makes the romance so much more appealing with all the technology of modern day. This novel did not disappoint in the romance category and had a very beautiful back story for both Katherine and Robert. Katherine grew up with her father always only ever seeing her as Sin itself - she could do no right. That negativity led her to *hate* Robert especially with his debauchery ways and no desire to commit. Like all romances, trouble ensues and in this case it was both the past and present actions of these characters that had them divided and then reunited.

My rating is solely based on the fact that it wasn't as exciting for me as I like in my HR novels especially with all of society's rules in that time period. The writing was beautiful, but the characters could have had more *oomph* in them.

This is the penultimate addition in Jess Michaels the 1797 club series. While part of a series each book can be read as a standalone. I would definitely recommend reading the entire series.
Robert Smithton, Duke of Roseford is a confirmed bachelor who delights in his status as a rake and has no intention of marrying. His dalliances are numerous, and he has no intention of being ensnared.
Katherine, the Countess of Gainsworth, is returning to society after the older man she was forced to marry dies in her bed. She is a pariah in society as the women scorn her and the men all seek to seduce her as she is believed to have killed her husband with her lustiness.
Katherine is dismayed to have garnered the attention of the Duke of Roseford as he is the reason she was forced into her marriage and she blames him for the suffering she continues to endure.
While I am a firm fan of Jess Michaels this book has been my least favourite in the series. The characters were not as engaging or likeable as earlier entries. While this story was lacklustre in its execution, the steam level is scorching which is to be expected with Jess Michaels works.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. For more reviews please visit my blog:
http://www.wonderfullyweird88.com/

FINAL DECISION: Quite enjoyable story of a notorious rake who finds that his past misdeeds are coming back to haunt him when the woman he is intrigued with will have nothing to do with him. As to two begin to fall, all of the past and mistrust threatens any chance for a future.

THE STORY: Robert Smithton, Duke of Roseford, immerses himself in sexual excess although his life is beginning to separate him from best friends who all moving on to married life. When the Countess of Gainsworth returns to society after the notorious death of her husband, Robert plans on seducing the widow. What he doesn't expect is that Katherine seems to hold a hatred of Robert although he has just met her. Katherine blames Roseford for the circumstances which led to her being forced to marry and has no intention on being Robert's next conquest.

OPINION: I enjoyed reading the interactions between Robert and Katherine. I was a bit disappointed that Robert was not as wild as I expected from his history. I think, in fact, he was tamer than some of the other heroes. He was nicer than I expected.

What I really enjoyed was how Robert really wants what his friends have but doesn't know how to reach out for what he wants. And I really loved that he is confounded by his attraction to Katherine and falls for her hard.

I didn't find Katherine's journey as compelling as Robert's, but I liked her strength as a character and her unwillingness to sacrifice her own self-worth. She has her freedom and intends on living her best life despite her father, and she certainly isn't going to be a doormat for Robert.

WORTH MENTIONING: We get quite a few updates on the prior couples in the series.

CONNECTED BOOKS: THE DUKE OF DESIRE is the ninth book in the 1797 series. The romance here is self-contained and can be read as a standalone although the characters from the series make significant appearances here. The relationships make this series better read in order.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in order to help prepare this review. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

Consummate rake, Robert Smithton, Duke of Roseford may not remember meeting the beautiful Countess of Gainsworth, but he is determined to meet the scandalous widow for a wicked affair.
The meeting with the Duke of Roseford, sealed Katherine's fate in being forced to marry a much older man as a punishment by her father. She has always held resentment towards Robert but is still drawn to his flirtatious nature.
When a house party puts them in close proximity can Katherine forgive the many times Robert let her down and can Robert admit to the facade he has erected to protect his heart?
Waiting to hear about the interaction Katherine had with Robert prior to her marriage, took longer than I expected and overshadowed the development of the romance between the two leads.
This wasn't my favorite of 1797 Club series but I enjoyed getting a glimpse of the previous Dukes and the women they fell for. I am eagerly awaiting Kit's story, in The Last Duke.

I was highly anticipating this book and so excited to finally read it! I couldn’t wait to meet the woman that would be Robert’s downfall. I absolutely loved Katherine. She was absolutely the perfect heroine to compliment our hero. Both Robert and Katherine go through so much to finally get their HEA. My heart broke for Robert and what he had to endure as a child. I love how he opened up to Katherine and how he found healing through falling in love with her. Robert in turn helps Katherine to own who she really is and to not be ashamed of her natural feelings. Such a swoony and panty melting read. Another win for Jess Michaels.

Robert may be the Duke of Roseford but he is the Duke of Desire. Throughout the series we have been witness to lusty appetites. However, he meets his match in Katherine. Katherine was forced to marry an old man after her father caught her in what he deemed a compromising position and now that she is a widow she plans on getting her revenge on the man that she almost kissed. I loved this historical read! The story is fast-paced, the characters amazing and the chemistry off the charts hot. I was hooked from beginning to end.

The Duke of Desire by Jess Michaels is book 9 in The 1797 Club series. This is the story of Robert Smithton, Duke of Roseford and Katherine, the Countess of Gainsworth. I have read the other books but feel you can make this a standalone book if you wish to do so.
Katherine had a cruel father who also was very strict. Her father always had a misguided attitude toward which was one of the reason he married her off to a very older man. Katherine's husband wasn't much better but he ended up dying during their 'marital relations'. Robert seems to have it all and does it all...but he is getting board and looking for something more. When Katherine comes back to town, Robert starts to pursue her which she somewhat holds him responsible for her marriage due to a past incident.
This was another great hot read from Ms. Michaels.

Katherine, the Countess of Gainsworth is ready to reenter society. Married for six months to an old man who died when they were making love giving a scandalous reputation to overcome as she tries to reenter society. Robert Smithton, Duke of Roseford is known for his lusty appetites and his cold, cold heart he wages with one of his roguish friends that Katherine will be his lover. Roseford is quiet surprised and stunned by the venom she directs at him. Katherine tries to ignore him, she’s warned away from him, but fate has other plans and throws them together at every turn. I loved these two, they both have their own demons to fight and as they learn to trust each other secrets are revealed and they slowly heal. Their chemistry soon is sizzling and their passions once ignited consumes them until disaster strikes and what trust they had is shattered. A captivating story with wounded souls who desire love and acceptance from their friends and family, but find a whole lot more than they bargained for a soul mate, love and passion to last a lifetime if only they can overcome a few obstacles to have their HEA!!! This is my honest opinions after I voluntarily read a copy of this book that was provided to me with no requirements for a review.

Robert Smithton, Duke of Roseford and Lady Katherine Gainsworth have met before. He doesn’t remember. She does, and hates Robert. She blames him and his behavior three years earlier that resulted in her abusive father forcing her to marry an older man she did not want. Not knowing how she feels, Robert, a known rake, makes a wager that he can bed the scandalized widow (her husband died during marital relations). He has his work cut out for him. Snubbed on her first foray into Society since her husband’s death, she meets and befriends The Duchesses (the wives of the Dukes of the 1797 Club). Robert meets disapproval from the Dukes and their wives for the wager. When Robert and Katherine find themselves at the same house party, things do not progress as planned.

The Duke of Desire is another great story in Jess Michaels’s amazing 1797 Club series. The characters are compelling. While Robert appears to be cold and distant, and Katherine feigns nonchalance in public, they are both broken inside. Part of the chemistry between these two is the understanding they have of each other. The Dukes and the Duchess are all here and once again demonstrate their concern and willingness to help each other. This captivating enemies-to-friends story is well paced, with a breath now and then to give Robert, Katherine, and the reader a moment to wonder what comes next. I enjoyed and recommend The Duke of Desire and the 1797 Club series. While I hate to see the series end, I am really looking forward to Kit’s book.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. I voluntarily reviewed it and the comments are my own.