I love the Bridgertons and I loved Billie's story, so I was so excited to read Georgiana and Nicholas' tale. I so much wanted to like this, but I just didn't. I really enjoyed Georgie's curious mind and Nicholas' acceptance of it. Cat-Head was hilarious, but the rest of the story fell flat for me and I raced through it to get to the end so that I could start reading something else.

A big thank you to Avon Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to review this book. Eloisa James never has always been one of my go to authors. I enjoyed reading Viola and Devins story. I also liked seeing Viola come into her own.

I’ve read the entire Wilde series now and jumping back into the pages with this fictional family meant this was an extremely comforting read. I felt like I used to feel, back when I could see friends in person. Remember those days???

I knew I'd enjoy this book just from the blurb, but I did not expect to enjoy it quite as much as I did! This is one of the ones I'll likely come back to over and over again, it was so delightful.

Eloisa James is an auto buy for me. I was very happy to read this book and review it. I was not disappointed.
Viola, is shy, introverted, loves animals more than people. Barty, the crow makes me smile. I am drawn to Voila because she reminds me of myself.
Devin, decided it was time to marry. He thinks Voilas' sister first, but then meets Voila. I like that he works to win her heart as well as her hand.

I enjoyed the first half of the book, but found myself skimming parts of the second half. The book starts off fun and flirty as the heroine learns to overcome her extreme shyness and the hero realizes that his expectations for a wife are not at all what he really wants. But once the hero and heroine get together, the focus of the book becomes the vicar and the play, which wasn’t that interesting.

I think this is my favorite Wilde romance. Viola and Devin are such a warm and thoughtful and hot match! This was such pleasure to read. I didn't want it to end.

Viola comes into her own!

Where to start! This had it all!
There's the explosive beginning--in more ways than one. At fifteen Viola Astley, the stepdaughter of Hugo Wilde, Duke of Lindow, attends her first ball. A disaster! Unable to contain her nervous nausea Viola (the overlooked Wilde) seeks a quick exit only to catch a couple in flagrante delicto, and "empties her stomach" all over the paramour. (Of course there's more going on in this scene on many levels). That awful experience colors Viola's outlook.
From then on public functions have been the bane of her life, leaving her exhausted and cowered, slipping around the edges of gatherings, invisible and lost to all.
Viola, is the much overlooked painfully shy heroine--except when she isn't! And then she's so much more! Some very amusing scenes featuring animals tell a different tale.
Viola feels she just can't compare to her extroverted siblings, they're bold and outrageous--she's quiet, they're tall and dark, she's small and timid. "She was the complete opposite of a Wilde." In fact "her earliest memories were defined by feeling 'not Wilde.'" And here Viola becomes stuck in her 'not Wilde' mantra, a defining of herself that makes her self image so much less.
Three years later Viola has to suffer her come out, a daunting prospect that leaves her sick with fear. However all that changes when she falls in love. Viola has fixed her affections on the new vicar Mr. Marlowe, never mind that he's engaged to the opinionated Miss Pettigrew. Here's a little conundrum that deters Viola not in the least!
Devin Lucas Augustus Elstan, Duke of Wynter, who's generally thought to be cold and arrogant needs to take a wife. He pins his sights on Joan Wilde but it's Viola (the not a Wilde) who challenges him. An unexpected meeting in the library between Devin and Viola during the ball opens the way for a divergence of thought for the reclusive Duke. Unknowingly Viola has interested Devin, whose defence before the world is an eyebrow lift and a quelling demeanour. Viola, who's used to such dukely ways is not impressed and gives back as much as she gets.
As this engaging story evolves, Viola comes into her own, Mr. Marlowe turns up trumps and the Duke, well he becomes less dukely. A fab Regency Romp, witty, humorous and fun.
As I've stated many times, I just love the Wildes!!!

A HarperCollins ARC via NetGalley

I adored "Say Yes to the Duke" by Eloisa James. It was just as sweet and funny as all of her previous books have been, featuring endearing, well-developed characters and witty banter. Even though it is the fifth book in a series, it reads as a complete standalone, so readers new to Ms. James's work will not feel lost at all by starting here. That said, I am happy to have read the series in order because the characters have all been delightful, and I have enjoyed catching up with them through their cameo appearances in subsequent books.

I found the relationship development between the main characters of "Say Yes to the Duke," Viola and Devin, to be perfectly paced. Even though they were forced to marry relatively quickly, they spent a lot of time talking and getting to know each other both before and after the wedding. It was clear that Devin and Viola genuinely loved and accepted one another, flaws and all, and I appreciated how they constantly supported each other when challenges arose.

That support was especially important for Viola as she fought to overcome her crippling shyness. Having her stepsister Joan debut with her was undoubtedly a tremendous help, but the fact that Devin saw Viola for who she truly was and didn't care about her family connections or perceived suitability as a potential duchess was also critical. In return, Viola helped Devin learn to open up to those he loved. He seemed so arrogant at first (and he likely was arrogant, given that he was a duke!), but he seemed so much warmer as his relationship with Viola grew.

Overall, "Say Yes to the Duke" was an excellent read and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series! (I really hope Joan will be the female lead...)

*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss/NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Two words...chamber pots! :) Eloisa absolutely rocked it AGAIN with this book! Her characterization is impeccable and they are all so lovable. This will be a great book to revisit over and over.

I enjoyed this story of Miss Viola Astley and Devin Lucas Augustus Elstan, Duke of Wynter. Miss Viola is shy and has a hard time with her nerves. Until she meets a quite vicar. Before she can get his attention a duke is seen with her in a compromising situation.

Devin the Duke of Wynter doesn't like to go to ball or other parties because he afraid that women might trap him in marriage. But there are some family or friends parties that he can't refuse. At one of these parties he meets Miss Viola. After talking to her he decides that he wants to marry her.

There are quite a lot of laughed and a few twist and turn within this story that I like. There is also a mystery within the story that was fun to solve. There are also some sad parts too.

I received an ARC of this book from the author and publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest unbiased opinion.

This is a perfectly nice romance. Nothing much happens except for perfectly nice people doing nice things and finding other nice people to do them with. I've bounced off the Wilde series before with the first 2 books and found them to be a theme-park version of the 18th century which was not exactly full of "nice" aristocrats. But Avon and Netgalley kindly offered me an eARC and I thought I would try again.

Viola again is very nice. She's also shy and not sure of her place as a stepdaughter, not a blood relation, of the current duke so she's struggling with social anxiety as well as worries about her place in society. She compensates by adopting a lot of pets including for some reason 2 cows. After she eavesdrops and overhears another duke (really quite a lot of dukes in England) dismiss her as a potential bride, she loses her shyness and lets him have it. But in a very nice way. Of course, he falls for her.

There's a subplot about a crush on a vicar and the fact that he's unfortunately engaged to a prig and lots of balls and teas etc.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this book. It's competently executed, there are cute pets, loving families etc, but it lacks spice. Perhaps I've gotten used to more complex characters and grittier settings with books like The Rakess, Bringing Down the Duke, and even Julia Quinn's First Comes Scandal which also had perfectly decent characters but somehow came across as more engaging.

Thanks again to Avon for the eARC and letting me give this a try.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3349139715

To be honest, all I really have to say is that this book is extremely sexy and I love it.

I enjoyed Viola as a heroine very much, because I can definitely understand what it's like to feel overshadowed by the people around you. I liked that she found her confidence before she found her man, so to speak. Sometimes romance novels can get too wrapped up in the trope of having the characters not feel truly "whole" until they find love, and I like that this book stayed away from that.

Perfect! That is what this book was. This is one of those reads where all the stars seem to align to aid in creating that special something that melts your heart and steals your breath. I loved the changes that love brought about in both Viola and Devin. I found Violet exceedingly easy to connect with. Her duality is something I can personally relate to. Devin was much more than you might expect and I always find it very appealing when the hero is so sure of what he wants, right up until he actually stumbles across what he truly needs and then he's all in. Sweet, heartfelt, cute and epically swoon worthy, their romance has easily earned a place on my keeper shelf.

Probably my least favorite Wildes book so far, that is not to say I didn't like it. I truly loved all of the characters (except those we are supposed to dislike), this one just fell a bit flat for me.

Devin seemed to go from frosty to enamored in no time at all with no real explanation other than an assumption that Viola's ability to chide him and make fun of him after learning how little he thinks of her through her eavesdropping. Viola goes from vomiting when talking to a man to standing up to a duke seemingly just because she learns he doesn't think much of her since she's not a duke's real daughter. To me, learning that someone dislikes you would make you more uncomfortable around them. My final issue was the constant eavesdropping: While it moved the story along and had it's place within the story line itself, it made many conversation is the book clunky and disorganized as they would switch from the eavesdroppers to the people they were watching with each sentence. While it wasn't often confusing to know who was speaking in any given sentence, it made those sections seem scattered.

With those issues aside, I did enjoy the overall story and the characters. I wish we could have a whole book on many of the minor characters (namely Otis or Mr Marlowe and Caitlin), but I won't hold my breath for too long. Looking forward to Joan's book.

I love this book and the series. Eloisa James never fails to deliver. This is the fifth book in the Wilde Series and the heroine is Viola. Her mother married the Duke of Lindow when Viola was a shy two year old. Growing up in a family of wild extroverts can be overwhelming. The story is one we all can relate to; the feeling of never quite fitting in. And how we sometimes the way we see ourselves is not how people who love us see us. And then there is Devin the Duke of Wynter ( Swoon! I wonder if the name was on purpose since Devin’s upbringing was cold). For him, what you think you want in life can change in an instant. The book is a beautiful story, full of fun and witty moments. Buy the book and the series. You will love it.

Say Yes to this book, Say Yes to this series, Say Yes to Eloisa James, Say Yes to Devon. As you can tell I loved this book, I loved Viola and Devon together. How can you not love them together, Devon and Viola just worked, they each gave the other what they needed and secretly wanted. I love all the Wilde family members. I should not have started reading this book at night, because this book was so good, I could not put it down. What I could not finish at night I finished the whole next day, and it was worth it.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest opinion.

My first Eloisa James! I realize I’m somewhat chaotic in reading out of order, but I was given an ARC and I wanted to jump in!

We have the story of Miss Viola Astley & Devin, Duke of Wynter. One thing I don’t typically enjoy is insta-love, but in this case, I think it was done well. Because insta-lust was on display (with someone else) early on in the book. Anyway, our heroine is the stepdaughter is the Duke of Lindow, and never felt like she fit in, or was a <i>true</I> Wilde.
Devin realizes early on that Viola is no shrinking violet, not the nervous mouse everyone claims she is. She has hidden depths and passion that no one else had ever uncovered.

I enjoyed this story, it was mostly a sweet tale with little true conflict. The big issues (her nerves, his fear of turning out like his brute of a father) were all resolved fairly quickly, but played an underlying role throughout the entire story.
Now I’ve got another series I have to start to learn about all the colorful background characters!!

Viola Astley feels she is not Wilde, as in she is not wild like her many step-siblings in the Duke of Lindow’s family. Her mother is the third Duchess of Lindow, and Viola joined the Wilde family when she was only two years old and was raised among the sometimes rowdy bunch. Even though the Duke treats her just like one of his own, Viola still has doubts, and worries that Society has doubts as well, that she doesn’t belong as part of the ducal family. This has caused her to become very shy, especially with eligible gentleman, to the point of nausea. After an embarrassing experience at a ball at her family’s castle when she is 15, she dreads ever going into Society for the Season and her debut. Then, her step-father, the Duke, brings a newly betrothed handsome vicar to the vicarage and Viola falls instantly in love. The vicar’s fiancée, Viola is convinced, would make a terrible wife for Mr. Marlowe, and Viola herself has no shyness around him so she knows this must be right.

Devin, the Duke of Wynter, has decided he may as well look for a bride now that he is thirty. His parents loathed each other and never spent much time together, unless his father was screaming at his wife, so Devin figures he will have a similar type of marriage, where he can stay in the country at his estates and his wife can do whatever she wants. Since he is a Duke, he figures only a Duke’s daughter will do, so he will quickly court Joan, the Duke of Lindow’s daughter that is debuting this year, and be done with it. His uncle tries to convince him to also consider Viola, the Duke’s other daughter debuting but Devin explains that she isn’t even really the Duke’s daughter since she was already born when the Duke married her mother, and doesn’t count. Of course Viola overhears this when she is, well, eavesdropping, and decides to tell the Duke of Wynter off. She is so furious that she doesn’t become shy or nauseous at all in front of the Duke. And Devin realizes that he has completely misjudged her. But how to let her know?

I loved Viola and Devin together and how Viola completely comes out of her shell with him, and he learns how to love with her. There are quite a few very funny scenes, especially with the Play of Noah that the vicarage and parish is putting on. And the secondary characters were great as well, especially Devin’s cousins.

Eloisa James is delightful and her books are rock solid regencies that you can trust will give you all the feelings you are wanting, the tension, the anticipation, the frustration, the delight, the joy, the tears. the laughter through the tears. Always good.