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Eloisa James

My American Duchess Kindle Edition

by Eloisa James (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

1,199 ratings

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A beautiful new standalone historical romance from New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James, a companion story to her latest romance, How to be a Wallflower!

The arrogant Duke of Trent intends to marry a well-bred Englishwoman. The last woman he would ever consider marrying is the adventuresome Merry Pelford—an American heiress who has infamously jilted two fiancés.

But after one provocative encounter with the captivating Merry, Trent desires her more than any woman he has ever met. He is determined to have her as his wife, no matter what it takes. And Trent is a man who always gets what he wants.

The problem is, Merry is already betrothed, and the former runaway bride has vowed to make it all the way to the altar. As honor clashes with irresistible passion, Trent realizes the stakes are higher than anyone could have imagined. In his battle to save Merry and win her heart, one thing becomes clear:

All is fair in love and war.

Print length

415 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Avon
Publication date

January 26, 2016
File size

3456 KB
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The arrogant Duke of Trent intends to marry a well-bred Englishwoman. The last woman he would ever consider marrying is the adventuresome Merry Pelford— an American heiress who has infamously jilted two fiancés.

But after one provocative encounter with the captivating Merry, Trent desires her more than any woman he has ever met. He is determined to have her as his wife, no matter what it takes. And Trent is a man who always gets what he wants.

The problem is, Merry is already betrothed, and the former runaway bride has vowed to make it all the way to the altar. As honor clashes with irresistible passion, Trent realizes the stakes are higher than anyone could have imagined. In his battle to save Merry and win her heart, one thing becomes clear:

All is fair in love and war.

About the Author

Eloisa James, a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, wrote her first novel after graduating from Harvard, but alas, it was rejected by every possible publisher. After she got an MPhil from Oxford, a PhD from Yale, and a job as a Shakespeare professor, she tried again, with much greater success. In 2013 she won a Rita Award for Best Romance Novella. She teaches Shakespeare in the English department at Fordham University in New York. She is the mother of two children and, in a particularly delicious irony for a romance writer, is married to a genuine Italian knight.

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

Romance novels often quietly advance the idea that women deserve to be accepted for who they are, and this amusing and heart-wrenching story offers a perfect example of a character who fights for the life and love she wants, not once but twice.

-- "New York Times Book Review"

James...eloquently expresses the power of love, family, honor, and honesty. James' magic is in the prose and the emotional depth of each word. No reader is immune to the feelings James elicits deep within their heart and soul.

-- "RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 stars, Top Pick!)"

With lively banter, sly wit, and elegant prose, James cleverly guides a stubborn American heiress and an arrogant duke to the altar in a seductive late-Georgian romp that is graced with fascinating historical detail and well-placed Shakespearean references.

-- "Library Journal"

James deftly marries insightful character development with a smartly written plot, and then wraps the resulting irresistible love story up with an abundance of wit-infused dialogue and a refined brand of sensuality.

-- "Booklist"

James'...nontraditional plot provides an interesting and moving take on courtship and marriage, plus an engaging American's view of Regency England. A gratifyingly lush, vibrant, and emotional romance.

-- "Kirkus Reviews"

James enlivens a series of classic romance cliches with congenial characters and historical tidbits...Though it has a well-trodden conflict, this romance is still gratifying.

-- "Publishers Weekly"

Narrator Kate Reading expertly showcases lovely but flighty American heiress Merry Pelford...Reading's ability to make the duke sound arrogant and attractive and his brother arrogant and amusing is a tribute to her talent as a narrator. Merry is also portrayed with some complexity: She's less than discerning in her relationships with members of the opposite sex yet remains an enchanting character. Reading also excels in her portrayals of Merry's snobbish American relatives and the duke's stodgy upper-crust acquaintances.

-- "AudioFile" --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00X3N8U12
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Avon (January 26, 2016)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 26, 2016
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3456 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 415 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #61,241 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #123 in Read & Listen for $14.99 or Less
- #286 in Read & Listen for Less
- #1,022 in Victorian Historical Romance (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
1,199 ratings

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Eloisa James

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Eloisa James is a New York Times bestselling author and professor of English literature who lives with her family in New York, but can sometimes be found in Paris or Italy. She is the mother of two and, in a particularly delicious irony for a romance writer, is married to a genuine Italian knight.

For info about books, visit www.eloisajames.com and sign up for her Five Fabulous Things newsletter. Or ask a question on Facebook (where Eloisa spends entirely too much time): https://www.facebook.com/eloisajames

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

1,199 global ratings

5 star		64%
4 star		23%
3 star		8%
2 star		3%
1 star		2%

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TracyJane

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED IT!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 3, 2016

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I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK!

Merry & Trent are by far my favorite EJ couple! I loved their interaction, their chemistry, their friendship and their love for each other.

The book opens with Merry becoming engaged to Lord Cedric (the Duke of Trent's twin brother). She has been in love and engaged twice before, but knows that this time is THE time. After Cedric proposes and takes off to the card room, Merry slips out on the terrace for a breath of air. Once there she encounters the Duke of Trent - but neither know who the other is. The strike up a conversation and Merry makes the duke laugh. She returns inside and he decides then and there that she will be his duchess. He returns to the ballroom and gets the hostess to introduce them - this is when they realize that Merry is engaged to his brother. Merry insists on returning the ring that Cedric gave her when she finds out that it should be for the next duchess.

The next day Trent goes to see Merry and returns the ring to her. He likes her and believes that she could really help his brother. He still wants her, but he would never steal his brother's bride. Trent leaves for Wales and Merry decides that she really needs to get to know Cedric better. Unfortunately, the more she gets to know him - the less she likes him, but she is determined not to break her word to him.

Trent returns the day Cedric and Merry find a stray puppy and helps Merry rescue it - much to Cedric's horror. Merry falls instantly in love with the puppy and tells Cedric in no uncertain terms that she is keeping the dog. This becomes an issue that almost breaks up Merry and Cedric - but Trent steps in to smooth things over. Because he really likes Merry and wants her to be happy. Later there is an incident at a dinner they attend that involves a rented pineapple, a seating error and a spilt glass of wine. This event leads to a huge fight between Merry & Cedric as well as a very sweet moment between Trent and Merry.

Merry tries to break her engagement with Cedric, but he refuses to let her. In fact he pushes up the wedding. Merry can't jilt Cedric without hurting her aunt and uncle so she very reluctantly arrives at the church. Vows are exchanged and when her veil is lifted, she is shocked to see that she actually married Trent.

From here Merry and Trent agree to be friends and to never fall in love with each other. Love in their experience is fleeting and false. They will be much better off as friends....

After a few weeks of wedded bliss and even more blissful wedded frolicking - Merry realizes that she is in love with Trent. She knows that he doesn't want love to be a part of their relationship and tries to keep this to herself. However, it comes out and they have a fight. He is adamant that she not love him - he believes that she will fall out of love with him just like every other man she has "loved" and it will ruin what they have. Merry knows that what she feels for Trent is different from anything she has ever felt. She decides to change to make him love her and keeps her feelings to herself.

Trent misses the old Merry and wants her back, he doesn't want her to change. He is at a loss and when Merry has an accident that causes her to lose her memory - he decides that it is perfect - she doesn't remember their fight and things can go back to how there were and she can love him again. But Merry does remember and again tamps down her feelings. Now Trent has decided that he wants her to love him and sets out to make her fall in love with him again...

This story was so sweet and very well done. I love that even after the fight - neither ran away or was mean to the other - that is such a refreshing change! I really didn't want this book to end and it has earned it's place on my keeper shelf!

53 people found this helpful

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Jane Ellen

wonderful as always

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 15, 2022

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Another re-read. I love Eloisa James’ books. Such a wonderful writer with that little twist of silliness. Fun, Fun, fun

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Unquietly Me

fun, sexy, dramatic historical romance

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 31, 2016

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This fun, sexy, and dramatic historical romance pairs a lonely, loyal, and well-meaning duke, who doesn't believe in love, with an American heiress, who very much believes in love and has fallen in love three times.

Though the Duke of Trent and Merry Pelford were resolved to not fall in love with each other, their story was quite emotional and passionate. When the duke meets Merry in a dark balcony at a ball, he doesn't know she had gotten engaged to his younger twin brother, Lord Cedric, earlier that evening. He's fascinated by the funny, smart, opinionated, fact-gathering, democratic American, who disregards aristocratic titles. He's also taken by her statuesque, voluptuous beauty, unlike Cedric who doesn't think her looks are exceptional and only wants to marry her inheritance. Whether it's a twin thing, Trent decides on the spot that he wants Merry to be his duchess.

Merry has vowed to make it to the altar with her third fiancé. She's come to England with her aunt and uncle to evade the scandal in Boston after she jilted both of her former fiancés. Cedric is a flatterer--charming, sophisticated, elegant, and beautiful. He's a fashionable dresser, whereas the duke is always wearing black and loose coats that he can put on and take off without a valet. He's burly and muscular from the outdoors, somewhat remote in society, and his expression is rather severe. But Merry makes him smile and laugh. Merry challenges him intellectually, and their verbal spars are clever, engaging, and cute. She's also the only person he feels he can be himself with, and vice versa.

Merry's stubbornness and outspokenness however can be both weaknesses and strengths as her spirited nature gets her into scandalous situations in society, both funny but potentially disastrous. I liked how Merry stood up for herself, her family, and her beliefs. Because her parents had passed away, she lived with her aunt and uncle, and she was only twenty, I could understand why she was insecure and confident at the same time, why she wanted to please Cedric and not break up another engagement.

But when Merry figured out that she didn't want to marry Cedric after all and felt pressured into marrying him, the plot became very suspenseful and stressful. Trent also felt the pressure from ladies who wanted to marry his title and wealth. I couldn't wait until Merry and Trent were free to be together. Yet, when they're finally together, there are more complications because Trent views Merry's inability to commit and falling in and out of love as flighty. They agree to base their relationship on their strong friendship and not the illusion of love.

But this is a romance, so of course they're going to fall in love. It's agonizing how far apart they become when they realize they're not on the same page anymore, and it's infinitely rewarding when they finally return their love for each other. Merry and Trent are both complex individuals, flawed and human. Their affection and compatibility are quite clear, yet they're reluctant to put their feelings into words and damage the fragile bond, trust, and friendship that has defined their relationship. Although they both aren't sure if they know how to love, it's clear that they love their families. So, it takes a little bit of drama and lots of action to reunite their stubborn, loving selves. I wasn't a big fan of the longer sex scenes, but I liked how Trent took charge in bed... and the greenhouse... and I liked how Merry asked for what she wanted and took the initiative as well.

I liked how Merry had a powerful effect on Trent by causing him to become self-aware. MY AMERICAN DUCHESS takes place twenty years after the American Revolution and shows how one woman can achieve a revolution of her own in her personal life and relationships, bringing an entrenched way of thinking into a new light.

The epilogue contains a brief glimpse of a reformed Lord Cedric. I'm very much interested in his story as well.

*ARC received from Edelweiss

3 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Romancefiend

I enjoyed it. As some other reviewers have mentioned

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 1, 2016

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I enjoyed it. As some other reviewers have mentioned; there are perhaps less layers involved in both plot and characterization than some of EJ's other novels - but I think its charm and general lyricism made up for it. I love the vignette around the rental of pineapples - I knew that this was common in this era & thought it was a delicious plot mechanism. The 'evil' twin was well crafted; his foibles & proclivities ridiculous - but not to the extent we aren't left feeling for him and interested in his story. Even if a lighter novel than than some of EJ's others - I thought it airy & sweet - not empty; and, as ever - EJ writes beautifully.

3 people found this helpful

Miss B

A good read with the second half being much better than ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 28, 2016

Verified Purchase

A good read with the second half being much better than the first. I though the first half went on a bit but could quite understand Merry's reluctance to end a third engagement because of her fiancé's brother - the Duke, no less. Trent or Jack was a stubborn fool who we could all see had fallen in love with Merry on his first meeting but was too pig headed to call it that.

The epilogue was sweet and leaves us wondering if there is a novella in waiting for Cedric - the jilted third fiancé.

Kindle Customer

Nowhere near as good as other novels in the series

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 4, 2018

Verified Purchase

The story has an abrupt resolution and an unjustified change of heart and character for one protagonist. This is not really an episode in the series, as it isn't about the same circle of people, lacks the unifying themes of the series, and doesn't have the same level of detail.

Michele

Enjoyable tale

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 9, 2016

Verified Purchase

I enjoyed this tale love, Merry is adorable. I found the incident with the pineapple funny. And I wish Trentham had been at the alter with all that energy 😘

mrs v hodgson

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 29, 2018

Verified Purchase

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

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