The Duke Is Mine (Fairy Tales Book 3)

This series is kind of all over the place for me. The first book, A Kiss at Midnight, was okay – I had some serious issues with the heroine. The second book, When Beauty Tamed the Beast, I absolutely adored! This book…I’m just not sure.I wanted to like it, and some aspects I did. There were moments of true enjoyment, and romance throughout this book, and I did devour it. So what’s my problem? It left a bad taste in my mouth. And I feel badly saying that because I always ask for more nuanced characters. These are definitely that. I don’t think there’s a single character that’s simply good or bad. There’re none that are inherently honorable or villainous.Olivia has been affianced, since before she or her betrothed were born, to a (to-be) Duke. It’s mentioned several times throughout this book that her fiancee, Rupert, is a bit different in the head. Truth is that he’s mentally challenged due to a lack of oxygen at birth. Olivia’s never wanted to be the “proper” Duchess. She’s always been a bit off-key and liked herself that way. Her parents have always been fanatical in pushing her (and her sister Georgiana, whom I’ll get to later) into being “duchified” so they can make an advantageous match.My problems started early when I noticed that Olivia and Georgiana were making fun of Rupert. This wouldn’t have necessarily bothered me, but it became clear fairly early that he wasn’t a jerk, wasn’t an idiot. He was a sweet boy, too young for Olivia to be sure, and mentally challenged to boot. I get Olivia’s frustrations, and I understand her voicing them in private, especially in regards to her own ties to a match she didn’t want. But it still wasn’t admirable. Olivia did come to defend Rupert, protect him and his secrets, and care for him deeply shortly thereafter, so I’m not entirely sure what the point was of having her make fun in the first place. It could have been handled differently – and should have been.And though that is enough to leave a bad taste in my mouth, Olivia’s behaviors from shortly after to the end of the book made me able to keep reading. But then there was Georgiana, who struck me as selfish, spoiled and self-centered. Again, I understand, she’s trying to make a good match, but she berates her sister – simply for being herself – and makes her feel like crap because she worries about herself. And I do get it, familial behaviors reflect on the entire family in the ton. But …. *sigh* …. I would have liked a stronger bond between them. At one point Olivia says that something Georgiana said was “the nicest thing she’s ever said to her” – and it wasn’t even a compliment! What the heck? That’s the nicest thing she’s said to her twin sister? Ugh.The convenient tidying up towards the end was also eye-roll worthy. I wanted the characters to face the fall-out of their decisions. They were prepared to, and I wanted to see it. I wanted to see them work harder for what they’d decided to fight for. In the end it felt like it was all cleared away so they wouldn’t have to fight at all. And that made all the tension seem worthless.Also, the Princess and the Pea aspect…kind of non-existent, or tossed in because it needed to be. I could have lived without it.

I liked this book least of all of James' Fairy Tale books. Instead of just telling the story and letting the reader make connections to a fairy tale, she spends the first third of the book hammering in that it is a fairy tale, and making comparisons of her characters to those in fairy tales. The characters are shallow, and the plot makes no sense, particularly for that era. The thought that parents would insist that their children consummate their engagement (NOT marriage) while they wait in the next room, and then tell friends and neighbors about it, is beyond belief. While this is a minor part of the book, occurring early on, it is so far-fetched as to make the reader suspend belief, and any good novel should let the reader feel the emotions of the characters and believe in the plot. This book was particularly disappointing to me since her book WHEN BEAUTY TAMED THE BEAST is, I think, my favorite book, which I've read ten times. If you want a book with lively characters, witty dialogue and a believable plot, skip THE DUKE IS MINE.

Eloisa James is my favorite romance author by far. I have read more of her books than anyone else's and I have a very high opinion of her talent and her stories. But I especially LOVED this Fairy Tale Series. I confess that I did not read them in order, but there isn't a need to. At first, I thought that "The Ugly Duchess" was my favorite (back when I had only read that one and "A Kiss at Midnight"). But upon reading all the others, "The Duke is Mine" has turned out to be my very favorite of them all. Followed by "Once Upon A Tower", "When Beauty Tamed the Beast", "the Ugly Duchess", and "A Kiss at Midnight". Now I'm sad that there aren't any more books in this Fairy Tale series, because I enjoyed them all for different reasons and I would love to have more to look forward to. But I do understand that all good things must come to an end someday, right? In any case, I highly recommend this author and this series to anyone who is interested in a good romance with charming characters!

THE DUKE IS MINE is the third book in the Fairy Tales series. This series is only loosely connected by its fairy tale regimes so the can be read independently. It is also true, however, that this book is connected with the novella WINNING THE WALLFLOWER in that the heroine from THE DUKE IS MINE has a cameo in that book.THE DUKE IS MINE is the story of Olivia Lytton who had been destined to marry a duke from birth. Her parents have set their hopes on the promise from a school friend of her father that their children will be married. Olivia's parents have trained their two daughters to be duchesses. While Olivia's sister is the perfect duchess to be, Olivia is to full figured and has an unconventional sense of humor. When Olivia's sister comes to the attention of the Duke of Sconce's mother (who is searching for a bruise for her son) Olivia accompanies her sister to meet the Duke.While Olivia's sister passes the tests to be the perfect wife for the Duke, the Duke himself is obsessed with Olivia. Despite the fact that she is betrothed to another duke, Olivia and Quin are soul mates.I liked Olivia in this book. She has a poor self image because she doesn't meet the standards her parents have required for her. At the same time, she is loyal and smart and caring. I liked that she doesn't have what society says is a perfect figure and yet Quin is attracted to her from the first moment her sees her. Quin is also a special hero because he also is a loyal person. He also struggles with his self image because of his first marriage.These are really interesting characters and I wanted to know how they would reveal themselves to one another.

This story is a wonderful retelling of the princess and the pea. Full of forbidden intimacy between a betrothed woman and a duke who's mother has devised the perfect set of tests to find the perfect duchess. The tests aren't to be taken by the older sister, rather the younger. Well written and easily lovable Eloisa James has hit the button right with this retelling. Bring on the next book!

This is one of my favorite authors and I always love her stories. I was also very pleased with the delivery.

Great story. The characters are so real that one can fancy one is present - and would love to interrupt, cheer, or just 'arrr..... there, there....."

Fabulous series! Well done Eloisa!

I really enjoyed this book, the third in Eloisa James' Happily Ever After Series, coming after  A Kiss At Midnight (Happily Ever After 1) , and  When Beauty Tamed The Beast (Happily Ever After 2)  And with The Ugly Duchess (Ducking) coming next. The book follows the story of Oliva, who is most decidedly not the perfect princess, or duchess, but who has been engaged to be one since birth, her sister Georgiana, who is perfect in every way Olivia is not, and yet still lovely, and Quin, the borderline Aspergers suffering duke, who has shut off his heart to love, and is letting his mother choose his next bride. Which brings the reader to ... the PEA. Without having an actual Pea under several mattresses, this book has both challenges to find the perfect duchess, set by Quins mother, the Dowager Duchess of Sconce, and bumpy mattresses.While the plot was slightly flawed, with Olivia and Quin only knowing each other for three days before being completely in love, knowing that they want to be together forever, and risk their lives for each other; The characters and the story line in this book were exactly what readers of Eloisa James would expect, warm, funny and draws you in till you cant bear to put the book down for a second! The Happily ever after sequence is not in order, just sharing the common theme of adapting fairy tales with a twist! My favourite being When Beauty Tamed the Beast. Definately worth a read whatever your taste in books, every one loves a happy ever after! A Kiss At Midnight (Happily Ever After 1)When Beauty Tamed The Beast (Happily Ever After 2)