What I Did For A Duke by Julie Anne Long

Duke of Moncrieff, Alex and Genevieve Eversea




What I Did For A Duke (Pennyroyal Green book 5)

by Julie Anne Long

Book Blurb:

For years, he's been an object of fear, fascination .. . and fantasy. But of all the wicked rumors that shadow the formidable Alexander Moncrieffe, Duke of Falconbridge, the "ton" knows one thing for certain: only fools dare cross him. And when Ian Eversea does just that, Moncrieffe knows the perfect revenge: he'll seduce Ian's innocent sister, Genevieve--the only Eversea as yet untouched by scandal. First he'll capture her heart . . . and then he'll break it.

But everything about Genevieve is unexpected: the passion simmering beneath her cool control, the sharp wit tempered by gentleness . . . And though Genevieve has heard the whispers about the duke's dark past, and knows she trifles with him at her peril, one incendiary kiss tempts her deeper into a world of extraordinary sensuality. Until Genevieve is faced with a fateful choice . . . is there "anything" she won't do for a duke?

What I Did For A Duke is one of those books I wish I could rate higher than a 5. That's a really short list of mine that now includes What I Did For A Duke. I freaking loved this story.  I did jump from book 1 to book 5 and I did so seamlessly. There wasn't much mention about previous couples except for Colin & Madeline who starred in the very first book so I was completely comfortable skipping forward. I would recommend reading The Perils of Pleasure first though. Not only is it a fabulous book but it also provides a great background with the Eversea family. 

Now to put into words why I loved What I Did For A Duke...First and foremost for me it was the main characters, Alex and Genevieve. Their conversations and back and forth banter was outstanding as much as it was amusing. I caught myself smiling a lot as I got more and more wrapped up in their story. I couldn't wait to read what they would say next. 

To couple these great characters with the spot on writing was a spectacular combination. I just loved the descriptions, the emotions and how situations were explained. The words on my Kindle screen popped out and left me constantly thinking. Check out how the Duke explains to Genevieve what a proper kiss is like:

"A proper kiss, Miss Eversea, should turn you inside out. It should...touch places in you that you didn't know existed, set them ablaze, until your entire being is hungry and wild. It should...hold a moment, I want to explain this as clearly as possible..." He tipped his head back and paused to consider, as though he were envisioning this and wanted to relate every detail correctly.  "It should slice right down through your like a cutlass with a pleasure so devastating it's very nearly pain."

So yeah, I could quote and comment their conversations all day. 

Just like Colin Eversea from the first book, (The Perils of Pleasure) I just adored the Duke's personality. I loved his approach and take on all situations. I reveled in his humour; especially with how the members of the ton were afraid of him. I also chuckled how he did nothing to sway anyone's negative perceptions of him. In fact, he enjoyed feeding more into it. Another situation that was threaded throughout the book was how he handled Genevieve's brother, Ian. No spoilers from me on why he had to handle her brother but it was awesome. From the first chapter on I knew I was going to really like this story. 

Genevieve is another awesome heroine. Once again not only did I love the way she spoke but also how she handled the situations that were thrown at her. I couldn't wait to read where the story was going next. At first I wondered if Genevieve was going to be a bit of a simpleton in the story since she was presented as the very youngest of all her siblings as well as just having her heart broken at the very beginning of the story. I was sure there was going to be pages and pages of moaning, weeping and a "woe is me" attitude. Instead, I adored her. These two protagonists were just a sheer pleasure to read as they strove to one up each other in conversations. It was subtle but oh so obvious. Even now I am grinning. What I Did For A Duke is probably one of my favourite historical romance reads of this year. 

Teasers: bare-ass naked out the window, kitten sketches, Venus & Mars, hallway hunting for a Duke at midnight