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Last Night with the Duke
Last Night with the Duke
Last Night with the Duke
Audiobook9 hours

Last Night with the Duke

Written by Amelia Grey

Narrated by Alison Larkin

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

()

About this audiobook

The Duke of Griffin has never lived down his reputation as one of the Rakes of St. James. Now rumors are swirling that his twin sisters may bear the brunt of his past follies. Hiring a competent chaperone is the only thing Griffin has on his mind-until he meets the lovely and intriguing Miss Esmeralda Swift. In ways he could never have expected, she arouses more than just his curiosity.

Esmeralda Swift considered herself too sensible to ever fall for a scoundrel, but that was before she met the irresistibly seductive Duke of Griffin. His employment offer proves too tempting for her to resist. She can't afford to be distracted by his devilish charms, because the stakes are so high for his sisters' debut Season . . . unless one of London's most notorious rakes has had a change of heart and is ready to make Esmeralda his bride.

Contains mature themes.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateMar 7, 2017
ISBN9781515982777
Last Night with the Duke
Author

Amelia Grey

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author AMELIA GREY read her first romance book when she was thirteen and she’s been a devoted reader of love stories ever since. Her awards include the Booksellers Best, Aspen Gold, and the Golden Quill. Writing as Gloria Dale Skinner, she won the coveted Romantic Times Award for Love and Laughter and the prestigious Maggie Award. Her books have sold to many countries in Europe, Indonesia, Turkey, Russia, and most recently to Japan. Several of her books have also been featured in Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Clubs. Amelia is the author of over twenty-five books. She’s been happily married to her high school sweetheart for over thirty-five years and she lives on the beautiful gulf coast of Northwest Florida.

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Reviews for Last Night with the Duke

Rating: 3.4666666133333335 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

30 ratings12 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It was maybe 3 starts. I liked the Heirs club series better so far. Somehow neither the H nor the H really got me. I sort of didn’t care. that is quite rare for me. Not sure exactly what went wrong
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Full review posted at Reader's Edyn on 02/02/20Esmerelda has had a rough go of it. Her mother was cast out after being widowed and then defying her brother so that she could remarry for love. Mother and stepfather have both since passed away, leaving Esmerelda to support herself and her younger sister. Now running a struggling employment agency, and the owner taking advantage of her, she is wondering where the next amount of money will come from for the past due bills. When the Duke of Griffin happens into her agency, she can’t afford to say no to his requests to chaperone his twin sisters during their debut despite her numerous excuses to try and escape the offer. The Duke posses many problems even though the money is more than she could ever expect to bring in over the next year. What harm could fall in six weeks anyway? The Duke refuses to take no for an answer and she’s run out of excuses. If only he wasn’t so dang intriguing.Griffin is immediately taken with Esmerelda – a Rake by notoriety, his past deeds have set up a possible disaster for his sisters’ debut season. He is in need of extra helps to ensure their reputations remain intact. He knows Esmerelda is the one he requires, and he’ll stop at nothing to ensure her acceptance of his proposal. Before too long, he’s craving quite a lot more from her and considering how best to redirect her refusals into surrender. In a moment of heated emotions, Griffin makes a disastrous mistake and he’s not sure how to fix it. He isn’t accustomed to losing anything he’s wanted – he’s never wanted anything more than Esmerelda – and he isn’t about to start losing now.I am so thrilled to have been able to read and review this book as an ARC. Unfortunately, life happened, and the review never occurred, so I just re-read the book and would willingly do so several more times. I enjoyed myself immensely while reading this beautifully told story of two extremely strong-minded individuals who ultimately attract to each other despite their seemingly opposing personalities and stations in life. Imagine Griffin’s shock when he discovers that Esmerelda is, in reality, one of his peers. I absolutely adored their burning passion and the fact that they fought it for as long as possible without giving in too easily despite their raging desire to succumb. Their sharp wit and delectable banter heightened each engagement. I effortlessly played each scene vividly in my mind as the drama unfolded. Adding delicious detail to the plot were several additional characters. Sometimes I find there are too many characters added to a story in an effort to fluff the content. Not so in this case. Each individual added a memorable contribution and I ended up discovering each one to be just as likable as the last; desiring to find out more about each of them. The other two rakes, Rath and Hawk were delectable, and I am thrilled to know that I have the other two books of the series to dive in to next. I am more than willing to spend several more hours with each of the Rakes of St. James. Even Griffin’s sisters, Sara and Vera, were captivating – so similar in appearance yet completely opposite in mannerisms and delightfully entertaining. I do have one question though – What is Griffin’s name? The entire book he is only referred to as The Duke of Griffin and everyone calls him by his title or Griffin. I don’t recall ever seeing his name mentioned anywhere. Odd, that. He had to have been someone prior to inheriting the title.I did truly find the entries of MISS MAMIE FORTESCUE'S DO'S AND DON'TS FOR CHAPERONES, GOVERNESSES, TUTORS, AND NURSES as included at the beginning of each chapter, to be highly entertaining. What a thoughtful and insightful detail to add. A little something extra added for the benefit of the reader to be able to have a bit of comprehension into Esmerelda’s determination to behave in particular ways as authored by the founder of the agency. I was quite annoyed with Napoleon’s storyline – I won’t ruin that detail. While I understood the way things worked out, I believe Griffin should have sought some sort of retribution even if just a dressing down of the offender. Now that I think of it – the same holds true for Mr. Forescue for taking advantage of Esmerelda when she took over the agency. That would have been quite satisfying to see to be certain. Unfortunately, such details were unnecessary to complete this lovely book, so I will just have to leave it be. Regardless of the undesirable outcome for such scoundrels, I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with these wonderful characters and look forward to beginning the next book in the series – Hawk’s story – which I shall begin forthwith. Assuming the next books are just as enchanting, and I would be shocked if they were not, lovers of HR are sure to gladly embrace the Rakes of St. James and their unexpected journeys toward love with exasperating, competent women who confront them at every opportunity and arouse their passion like no other.Kindle ARC version provided by publisher/St. Martin’s in exchange for an honest review.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    1.5 stars

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

    Esmeralda is a viscount's granddaughter but after her mother was disowned by the family for marrying an Irish poet, she finds herself overseeing a chaperone and governess business.
    Griffin might have been a wild youth, but as the Duke and head of the family now, he wants nothing to go wrong when his twin sisters make their debut.
    With the possibility of someone out to hurt Griffin's sisters he hires Esmeralda as their chaperone, thinking she has the fortitude to keep them out of mischief.
    Sisters, dogs, young bucks, and finding love in a surprising place will make this a season Griffin and Esmeralda won't forget.

    "Surrender, Miss Swift. I have won this battle."

    Last Night With the Duke is the first in a series and introduces us to Griffin and Esmeralda. I found the beginning to be a very slow start with their first conversation taking 20-30% of the story. There was also a feeling of insta-lust/love as they were both very physically attracted to one another immediately. The slow start feed into a very slow half, the story doesn't really get going until the second part. The whole point of Griffin hiring Esmeralda is to keep his sisters in line and safe during their season debut. When Griffin younger, he and his two other Duke friends (the author acknowledges the stretch it would be to have three young and unmarried dukes at one time) committed a prank where they set up a situation where debutantes were tested to see if they would show up to meet a secret admirer. There's a rumor going around that someone is still upset over how that might have affected a debutante and is going to ruin Griffin's sisters to get back at him.

    This was a good plot to create some mystery, it's brought up and worried about by Griffin, but then that was it. The danger, villain, or storyline never came to fruition and fizzled at the end. With the mystery plot not going anywhere I turned to the romance. I'm personally not a fan of insta-lust/love, so I started off on the wrong foot with this one. I also never thought Griffin and Esmeralda spent enough time together to develop any sort of relationship. Griffin was instantly an invader of Esmeralda's space and by their third conversation he was rubbing his nose against hers but since they didn't have any emotional connection, the tension felt off and misplaced. This also could have been a personal issue too, but since Esmeralda worked for Griffin, the unequal power dynamic gave his looming an uncomfortable feel.

    The secondary characters of Griffin's sisters seemed nice if a little airy and spoiled while Esmeralda's younger sister seemed kind of bratty to me. Her attitude at times was obviously allowed to create angst and emotion but for me, I would have sent her to her room more than once. Griffin's friends are obviously introduced and set-up for books of their own, they didn't make a strong appearance but they were genial enough.

    The biggest problem I had with this book was that I felt it was slow and nothing seemed to be happening until the very end when the last 10% rushed to wrap up the plots. Except for a very, very at the end bedroom scene, this was an extremely clean read with just a few kisses, which bedroom closed readers may appreciate.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Last Night with the Duke by Amelia Grey is a Romantic adventure. Steady paced, well written with charming characters, humorous, passionate and romantic storyline. An enjoyable read to be sure.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a fun first book in this new series. I loved Esmeralda and Griffin. Esmeralda is outspoken and this Duke seems to like this. The duke needs to learn that he has done things wrong in his life. I enjoyed the characters in this book a lot. I looked forward to the next book in this series. I received a copy of this book the publisher for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is the first story in The Rakes of St. James series and I found it lighthearted and fun. I believe the faster pace of it might have had me enjoying it even more.

    As for the characters, they were well fleshed out, but I missed that special spark of chemistry between the two.

    If you love your romance to have a little mystery and humor, then this one’s for you.

    Melanie for b2b

    Complimentary copy provided by the publisher
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    3.5 StarsI think I'm really going to like this series. I like having three dukes together causing trouble and leaving a trail of broken hearts behind them. Esmeralda was certainly a strong woman who could definitely hold her own against them, especially Griffin. Looking forward to the next book in the series.Thanks to Netgalley for ARC.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The Rakes' progress, part 1.Enjoyable characters and story. Benedict Mercer, The Duke of Griffin will go to great lengths to protect his twin sisters from the consequences of a stupid and damaging wager he and his dukely friends (The Rakes of St. James) had participated in years ago.Part of those lengths is to hire a chaperone, Miss Esmeralda Swift. That was his first battle with Esmeralda and those battles would continue. (Both Griffin and Esmerelda are stubborn). Esmeralda has her own secrets and burdens including her beloved half sister Josephine. There's a dog of great consequence included--Napoleon of course!The thing is that the Duke has strong feelings about the right behaviour due to those in his service, even if he has a great deal of difficulty mastering that as far as the delectable Miss Swift is concerned. Esmeralda definitely is not indifferent to the wretched man, but he is a Duke and she is only a lowly employee. In between chasing down rumours, keeping his sisters safe, his attraction for Esmerelda and running the gauntlet of a London season, the Duke has much to occupy him. And of course there's his friends and fellow dukely rakes, Rust Rathburne, the Duke of Rathburne (Rath), and Sloane Knox, the Duke of Hawksthorn (Hawk).Esmeralda's background story seems to fizzle somewhat, although it does give her the right entree. Still maybe more will come of it in future developments of the other St James Rakes' progresses. Griffin's twin sisters Vera and Sara could be more fully developed. They certainly have heaps of potential.Josephine however, is a treasure! I loved her! The antics she and her dog get up to are both heart warming and heart breaking.Then there's the broad sheet publication, 'Miss Honora Truth's Weekly Scandal Sheet'. I am sure that will continue to play a part.A lot of unanswered questions that may never be resolved in this delightful Regency romance.A NetGalley ARC
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book is the first in The Rakes of St. James. Which I have to say that this book is a good first showing in this series. In this story it was Esmeralda that was more of the ballsy one versus Griffin. He was more mild mannered. This was refreshing as it is usually the male that is the dominant one. To be honest, I don't know what type of reputation that Griffin had prior but he really was a sweetie. He did not deserve whatever bad rap he had prior. Esmeralda was a breath of fresh air. She stirred things up in Griffin's life; what with her brazen attitude in not backing down when confronted by Griffin to her sister, Josephine, and the flirty banter between Esmeralda and Griffin. Speaking of Josephine, her innocence was great. She was not easily impressed by fancy things. The funniest moment was when she caused a big disturbance at the picnic lunch with the mammoth frog. Than there are Griffin's twin sisters, Sara and Vera. They were both good in their own ways. Sara is a little more bold of the two. I understand that this was their first season so they did not have much life experience but after interacting with Esmeralda and Josephine, they came off as dull. Overall, I had a very enjoyable time reading this book. If you are a fan of historical romance than you should pick up a copy of this book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Last Night with the Duke by Amelia GreyThe Rakes of Saint James #1Three young men made a wager…A scandalous wager – at least society said it was.Three young dukes gained the dubious “honor” of being named……The Rakes of Saint James. Years later Benedict Mercer, Duke of Griffin and one of the dubbed rakes has twin sisters to launch into society. With rumors regarding their safety being whispered around and the chaperone unable to fulfill the job he is in need of a strong willed woman to take over. In Esmerelda Swift he finds the woman he believes is best – not only to play chaperone – but perhaps for more. After some bargaining an agreement is made and Esmerelda moves in to fulfill her duties. There are dances, soirees and walks and There are men who come calling and show interest in the twins and There are a few surprises, revelations and kisses. All in all this was a typical regency romance. The descriptions of clothing and rooms and such are luscious. The interactions are for the most part benign (with one steamy more explicit encounter). The story is a bit slow, predictable and bland. There is the token misunderstanding that needs to be fixed. Griffin and Esmerelda are both strong characters that make a good couple – they seem to fit together and I felt they deserved their HEA.Although the scandal did not seem all that scandalous to me I found the book entertaining and the introduction to the two other “rakes” made me feel I would like to read their stories, too. I have a feeling that perhaps they are a bit more scandalous than Griffin proved to be in this story but…only time will tell. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. This is my honest review. 3 Stars
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.Griffin and two of his friends played a prank 10 years ago when they sent 12 debutantes notes "from your secret admirer" setting up a secret meeting. All the debutantes went to the meetings and when word got out their reputations were badly affected. (As an aside, none of the three friends expresses anything like the appropriate amount of contrition for this behaviour). Having lived the scandal down, Griffin returns to society to give his sisters their season and is concerned to learn that some one might be seeking revenge on him for this historic prank by hurting his sisters in some way. An aunt, who was to chaperone them, comes down with the shingles and on a whim Griffin goes to an employment agency to hire a chaperone. (Did people really hire chaperones? I thought they just used distant relations/godmothers.) There he meets the proprietor, Esmeralda, and decides only she will do.I suppose it is a reasonable plot, but not a lot really happens; the first three chapters are taken up with Griffin persuading Esmeralda to work for him, and the storyline drags a lot. We are told things over and over (e.g. Aunt Evelyn won't be able to chaperone the twins as she is ill) and then sometimes one character will then tell the same thing to another (Griffin tells Esmeralda about poorly Aunt Evelyn), to make sure we have really grasped it. Griffin was a rather underwritten character: he was a bully used to getting his own way, but an absolute pushover where 12 year old girls were concerned, and that was about all we really learnt about him. Esmeralda's personality mostly focussed on her resentment of the nobility because of how her mother was treated - this is another of those topics the author returned to time and time again. Some of the vocabulary used was odd - "high in the heel" should surely be "high in the instep" etc - and I found the dialogue was often long-winded and unlike natural speech.It did pick up towards the end somewhat - the whole scene with Napoleon being stolen back, Sara getting kissed and Vera discovering the baddy was almost exciting.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The Duke of Griffin has twin sisters and it has become his responsibility to chaperone them through their season as their aunt Evelyn has become ill and is unable. He's finding the job to much to endure and has decided to find a respectable woman to take over the task.He meets Miss Esmeralda Swift, a young woman who runs an employment agency, he thinks she is just who he needs, she seems strong minded and determined, she intrigues him, and is beautiful, he convinces her to help him out.Esmeralda takes her responsibilities very seriously and Griffin begins to regret pranks he played as a youth.A very nice romance with a little mystery to keep us guessing. I liked all the characters and story development between Griffin and Esmeralda was marvellous. I'm looking forward to more from The Rakes of St. James series.