I like Jess Michaels but I had a hard time connecting with the characters in this book. I keep teetering between 3 and 4 stars for my rating, so I'll go ahead and give 4. Yes, there's plenty of steam, but the sex scenes are so regular they almost seem mechanical, and character development is lacking. Sophia spends much of the plot being cautious, negative, disbelieving that she could be accepted by anyone of the ton. This is understandable up to a point, but then she becomes a wet blanket. No details of her past and how she became a courtesan are provided. Also, as I didn't read the previous books in the series, I would have liked at least a quick flashback to when Sophia and Edward met. The book starts with him ending their association.

I also had a issue with Edward. He's a sweet guy, sure. But maybe I've read too many Regency romances lately featuring manipulative mothers and grandmothers and heroes who don't confront them until way too late in the proceedings. I wanted Edward to give granny an ultimatum and sack the staff who was rude to Sophia; he's in his 30's and needs to take the reins of his title. Instead, he kept letting granny interfere and run his life..

Overall, the plot is not as strong as I had hoped. A round of sex, Sophia arguing that she can't have a relationship, Edward apologizing for the 50th time about ending their association in the first place, more sex. The action picks up toward the end, but the villain is no surprise and what is attempted doesn't make much sense (I don't want to give away any spoilers so I'll leave it at that).

It's been a while since I've read a Jess Michaels book and I was excited for this one, it just didn't meet my expectations. 3 1/2 stars.

I read an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my voluntary review. My opinions are my own. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley.

100 book by Jess Michaels. Every one's is a must read. She knows how to balance a good story with the right amount of steam. This book was enjoyable, sexy, fun with a good amount of scorching sex scenes. Vivien was the only decent character there. Edward was very weak at the beginning eventhough he tried to redeem himself and the Grandma just shocked me at the end.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley and the opinions expressed here are all mine.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

Definitely Team Vivien here – he did hurt her! The book is sensual and steamy- enjoyable like all this author’s books for the you-know-what, but I could not forgive the Duke 100%. Sexy but not super romantic. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Edward, Duke of Lockhart, made a decision to put his family and title ahead of his heart. Now three years later, he's a widower and is determined to seek happiness with the woman he loves. But courtesan Sophia Russell was brokenhearted when she lost Edward the first time and doesn't see a path forward for their relationship, given her past. Sophia hopes a short affair will give them closure, but Edward is set on proving her wrong.

This is the 100th book for author Jess Michaels! What an amazing accomplishment! I am a fan of her books because I know I'm going to get a well written story with high heat. I struggled to connect with these particular characters, though. They were only together a short time before Edward married for duty and - despite the class difference - their barrier to being together didn't feel quite that "forbidden" to me. What I did like was the Edward was fully emotionally invested. No reluctant, daddy issue hero here! Edward was willing to risk everything for Sophia. He was open, honest, and protective. The intensity and action picked up at the end, too. (3.5 stars)

Tropes: Class Difference, Forbidden Love, Working Heroine, Widower

Steam: 5

* I received an ARC and this is my honest review. #100NightswiththeDuke #NetGalley

OK so those of you who follow my blog know that I am a huge Jess Michaels fan. So I was really excited to get my hands on an advance copy of 100 Nights with a Duke. If you are a long time Jess Michaels reader, you will be delighted to see several past characters show up in this book.

As you can see from the jacket, the premise of the book is pretty simple—Edward, the Duke, and Sophia have had a protector/courtesan relationship for 90 days. However some things come to pass and I’m not going to spoil for you, of course, but they had to break it off. Even though she was his one true love, and vice versa, he marries another. Two years later, though, his new duchess dies and the book picks up when he is out of mourning after the requisite year.

JM does not mess around in the intimate area. It’s one of the reasons I love reading her books. The intimate scenes were versatile and definitely not boring. I knew it was going to love this one in the first chapter when I read: “The orgy had already begun.”

There’s no way you can go wrong after a sentence like that. But it’s more than that, though—she brings the sensual heat as always. The thing with her is that the intimate scenes never feel gratuitous. They really do factor in by providing you necessary insight into the characters and their situation. Sex in real life is complicated, and it often bothers me when I read stories where everything is just perfect in the intimate realm because that’s not how it really is. This book delves into that conflict very well. Basically these two people love each other deeply but because of vast social differences, they cannot be together. Or can they? As I mentioned, there are characters from previous books who are mentioned in this one and if you know their stories, you will see that they were able to work through their own societal differences for their happily ever after. I know this is Jess Michaels’ celebratory 100th book and this introduction of previous characters could be seen as part of that celebration, but the fact is, they actually bring necessary “personal” perspectives to the question - Can a duke and a courtesan actually have a happy ever after?

Characters from Her Perfect Match,* An Affair in Winter, Introduction to Pleasure, and The Broken Duke are there, showing us that there is perilous rocky road to true love between wildly divergent classes; but it’s possible! The thing is, can THESE two do it? Oh, you would think this book would be very simple, these two working through the potential issues of being together. But Jess Michaels is very good at plot twists. So Edward and Sophia are not only trying to overcome their own personal obstacles but are also threatened by external ones. The mystery aspect of the book is good, and though I caught hints about what was going on, I hadn’t figured it all out until right before the end. So she gets another star for a successful mystery twist. Also there’s an epilogue, which my blog readers will know it’s totally my thing.

So this book gets a solid 4 1/2 stars from me, rounded up to a NetGalley 5. I was engaged the entire time, and was very irritated when life interceded and I had to put the book down for a while; however, I was able to jump right back in when the work day was done! The description she used throughout was excellent—you could really imagine the settings—and the characters’ inner dialogue was engaging. Maybe because I’m a person who can never keep her mouth shut, and also a Sagittarius, I tell it like it is, and in-depth internal monologues in books can bore me, but this was not the case here. I wanted to know what was going on in their heads!

* Note: This book seems to occur before the third in the Mistress Matchmaker series, Her Perfect Match, which is about Vivien.

I liked it; it was interesting and fun and I’ve already pre-ordered a copy to keep for my collection.

Thank you NetGalley and The Passionate Pen for the chance to read and review the arc for 100 Nights with the Duke.

I can easily see why Jess Michaels has been able to publish 100 romance novels, and I'll probably check out more if I haven't already! This was a fun, light, read, with a lot of smut. I loved the twist, I didn't see that coming from Granny!