The Ugly Duchess (Fairy Tales Book 4)

3 and a half stars. This was mostly an enjoyable read for me. Eloisa James writes intelligently and with humor. The characters are very human imperfect people. Like other readers, I was impatient at the seven year separation with no contact between the couple, and the hero's 3 mistresses in the period. They were very young at the beginning, and realistically, changes in their circumstances (from heavy debts to great wealth) and growth in their characters, should take time. Well, this is a fairy tale - romance novel, they did finally get their HEA, in a satisfying ending.

The Duke of Ashbrook informed his 19 year old son, James that he had to marry his best friend, Daisy. The estate was on the verge of going under and he, the Duke, had embezzled from Daisy's inheritance. James loved Daisy - as a sister - and he did not want to deceive her. Theirs was the marriage of the season - a plain mannish looking girl was marring an extremely handsome future Duke. She was described as ugly by the press and two days after the wedding Daisy discovered the reason James had married her. She was both hurt and angry. Daisy ordered James and his father out of the house. She gave James a ship and told him to leave England, so he did! James became a pirate. Daisy saved the estate and transformed herself into a swain. Seven years later James returned to London and appeared in the House of Lords during the ceremony to have him declared dead. Needless to say Daisy was still angry with James; he had been gone seven years without a word and the only report she had from a Bow Street Runner indicated that he was not only a pirate but unfaithful.

As with all fairy tales the happy ending included James informing the upper realms of society (the ton) that he loved Daisy and though she was beautiful.

Not really impressed with this story.... The lapse in time seams unrealistic. Eloisa James was one of my favorite Authors, but the "happily Ever After series" have been very weak in substance. The secondary characters .... I don't know ... flat.

Very interesting story. I liked the book from beginning to end. However, they didnt go far enough into the facial features of the lead female in detail. That would have been nice, since the book centered on how unattractive she was.

I loved Theo and Jack. Some people downgraded their reviews because of things they felt were unrealistic.. it's a FAIRY TALE folks. I'm not looking for realism in my escapism. ;-) I too was the 'ugly ducking' and unfortunately I have absolutely no sense of style so I didn't even have that going for me. Theo is brilliant and responsible and a bit OCD and I adored her. Jack is handsome and dangerous and a bit ADHD and always loves Daisy.. from best friend to wife and back again.. whatever the problems are in their marriage Jack makes no bones about how he feels about Theo. And he doesn't see any part of her as ugly.

This is quite possibly Eloisa James's best book ever...and that's saying something considering I adore her work. But, there's something to this book -- maybe it's the gorgeous, poignant backstory in the friends-to-lovers tale...Or maybe it's the way she perfectly captures the rash decisions and stupid mistakes that kids make that end up haunting them forever...Or maybe it's the strong, funny heroine, or the deeply passionate, deeply emotional hero...there's something near perfect about this book. I wish I could read it again for the first time.

As for those who are angry about the hero's mistresses...the story *requires* them. Love is lost, and James (our hero) heads to sea for seven years...are we to believe that he would remain celibate? I thought EJ handled that perfectly. This is an historical romance novel that is *honest* about mistakes...and I loved it more for that. I realize that mistresses are a dealbreaker for so many...but I urge you to try this one. I think you'll be glad you did.

Why do smart strong women have to be humiliated by the men that supposedly love them? This story is so upsetting on so many levels. I read and up to now love all of Eloisa James's books so this book feels like a slap in the face. Theo deserves more and so do we.
This would be one star if it was any other author.

The Ugly Dutchess is one of my favorite romance novels ever. Other reviewers have covered the plot, so I'm just going to add that if you haven't tried an Eloisa James novel before this, or if you have and already know that she's a fantastic author, you really won't want to miss this funny, touching, original novel. I wish it could have been 200 pages longer than it was.

Eloisa James again creates a magical story based on a beloved fairy tale! She is such a brilliant storyteller and I couldn't put down this book. I particularly enjoyed the way she painted the changes wrought in James and Daisy while they were apart. It made their reuniting so much more fulfilling and three-dimensional. The anticipation throughout the book was wonderful and kept me turning pages for hours on end. Eloisa's books are as decadent as a great big fudge sundae--and equally hard to resist! I can't wait for the next one...