A hunted woman escapes from notoriety and finds kindness and acceptance at the Grand Palace on the Thames... then finds herself faced with a judgmental fellow boarder in the form of a decorated war hero.

Mariana is an opera singer who ends up in a sticky situation between two 'gentleman' involving a duel, and naturally she is blamed for it. Later we learn more about the events and discover she did nothing to encourage their actions, in fact tried to stop them.

James, the Duke of Valkirk, thinks little of Mariana when they first meet because he's sure she's to blame. After years of war, the last thing he'd condone is needless violence. He insults her callously in front of the housemates, leading to a reluctant apology and offer to teach her Italian.

Sparks fly from their lessons and they learn much more about each other as they spend time together, leading to a steamy affaire de coeur which in both their minds is doomed to a temporary status.

I won't give much more away, but the temporary fling has a HEA after some grand romantic gestures.

I liked this novel a lot, but it wasn't my favorite from this author. I do think it helps to read the series (I have not yet) since there are so many supporting characters who play integral roles. Worth the read regardless!

The Starchiest Duke has arrived.
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It’s here! Happy Book birthday to After Dark with the Duke by @julieannelongauthor. Every book by JAL is an Olympic event in slow burn, and After Dark with the Duke is no different. And once you cross that finish line you need to douse yourself in water since that slow burn has led up to full scale combustion once these two lovers give in. Did I mention it’s an opposites attract, hate to love, class difference romance? Well, if you still aren’t convinced, JAL also decided to toss in an age gap. By this point I’m almost positive she has some sort of feed going with a direct line to my brain, because this book has ALL my favorite things.
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With another visit to The Grand Palace on the Thames, we are graced with a very starchy Duke, who literally wrote the book on honor, and a disgraced up and coming opera singer. Long’s ability to craft a romance between these two opposing forces is masterful, beginning with the most wonderful barbed banter between them in my favorite room of the boarding house, the sitting room. I may have squealed with glee when the promise of Italian lessons arrives, close proximity AND a Romance language?!
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But once the ice begins to melt around these two, Long does what she does best which is have two characters actually know each other when the world knows something different. Every romance is about two souls finding each other, but Long makes the connection deeper with each character realizing that what they show to the masses is not always who they truly are and that finding a person who is able to sift through all the baggage and facade and expectations to get to the heart is what we all should strive for. Thank you Julie Anne Long, for reminding us, once again, how it feels to be truly loved for who we are at the core and not who we think people want to see.
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Go read this book.

I really enjoyed reading this book by one of my favorite authors. Ms Long has continued her series with this gem of The Palace of Rogues #4 which can be read as a stand alone. I think this one is exceptional because there is an age difference between the main characters. You get one handsome retired older man General James Duncan Blackmore, the Duke of Valkirk who is tired of all the fuss of his career. He is just a man writing his memoirs and decided to live at The Palace Upon the Thames.. He's not very sociable person and likes his privacy. His life is lonely and since his wife died, he's wondering if he truly knows what he wants.
Enter one woman who disrupts his life and turns his well ordered life upside down. Mariana Wylde, the “Harlot of Haywood Street, who is shunned by the people who once adored her singing. Since a duel between two men over her honor, she has nowhere to go ,but to the Palace to regroup. She meets the Duke of Valkirk and she puts him in his place. They both are attracted to each other,and watch the battle of wills turn to love.
I appreciated Net Galley for this ARC title in which I gave an hones review.

James and Mariana are two that come for different spectrums. Their story was a one that was enjoyable. Although, at different times in the book I struggled to continuously read but I was able to finish. I enjoyed different aspects of their story but at times seeing a connection between them was a bit of a struggle. Overall, it was entertaining.

A 5* addition to a 5* series.

After Dark with the Duke continues Long’s Palace of Rogues series. A new guest has shown up at the door of the Grand Palace on the Thames. Mariana Wylde is fleeing a mob who want to pillory for her involvement in a duel between two young lords. She is a budding opera singer, and it seems her career and her life are now in ruins.

Of course she has chosen exactly the right refuge. The Grand Palace on the Thames has already proven itself as a place to heal hearts, and Mariana’s will be no exception.

I'm enjoying every moment of this series. The romances feel fresh, the dialog is witty, and I’m excited for the next knock on the Palace’s doors.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mariana Wylde, known as the “Harlot of Haywood Street,” is an opera diva ruined by a duel fought for her favors. She takes refuge with the ladies of the Grand Palace on the Thames, and quickly gets off to a poor start with another guest: war hero General James Duncan Blackmore, the Duke of Valkirk, who is staying at the Grand Palace while he writes his memoir.

This is the fourth book in The Palace of Rogues series, which centers around the Grand Palace on the Thames boardinghouse. This is my first time reading Julie Anne Long, so I don’t know if this book would have been better read in order. There are clearly secondary and background characters who have appeared in the previous books.

The story begins with Mariana fleeing her lodgings while being hunted by an angry mob and arriving at the Grand Palace. She doesn’t have much money so she trades her talent for room and board, agreeing to a ticketed singing performance. Judgmental James has read all about Mariana’s notorious reputation and immediately snubs her. In turn, she is nasty right back and things escalate until he takes the insults too far and is forced to apologize.

I thought the story hit a good stride when James agrees to give Mariana Italian lessons. They begin to let down their guard and reveal personal details that help them understand more about each other. But the story lost momentum for me, and I struggled to connect to their romance. Overall, a decent read, but not one that will be memorable for me. I think fans of Sophie Jordan’s The Duke Goes Down may enjoy this book.

~ Leslie

This is the fourth book in the Palace of Rogues series. I have really enjoyed the entire series and this book was a wonderful addition. Mariana Wylde is an opera singer that has become embroiled in a scandal and has taken refuge at The Grand Palace on the Thames. Also staying there, to write his memoirs is the Duke of Valkirk. The two get off to a contentious start. Of course the more time they spend together the more that changes.
My favorite thing about this series is the personalities of the recurring characters and the way they have all become somewhat of a family at The Grand Palace. For this reason I highly recommend reading this series in order to fully enjoy it.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an ARC of this book for review.

This is my first time reading this author, and I have some mixed feelings. I loved Dot who wasn’t a main character and felt she was the best character in the book. I loved the whimsy that Dot brought to the page. I like the addition of the Italian language lessons and the conversations between Mariana and Valkirk. I liked Mariana and enjoyed her interactions with Dot. I did not like Valkirk and never warmed to him. I also found the novel to be judgmental, even given the mores of the time, especially the two women who ran the house.

A slow burn enemies to lover with an age gap.

I want to say right off the bat, I am not a fan of age gap stories, but this one it wasn't the main underlaying theme so I really didn't even notice. I loved the slow burn enemies to lovers spin this story took. Mariana is a strong character who has been judged many times for things out of her control. She is doing what she can to survive and help take care of her family but using her gift for singing. She is no means a spoiled Opera singer as James, the Duke of Valkirk judges her to be.

I have to say that the Duke was also a very interesting character and I was so very glad for the dual pov in this story. I love when stories do this because I feel it gives deeper growth to both characters, and has their love for each other happens the reader can see how each one falls. This story brought me many smiles while reading and in a very small way made me think of My Fair Lady many times throughout. A wonderful read, and worth picking up.

Love Triumps Over Propriety

After Dark With the Duke was my first book by Julie Anne Long, but it definitely won't be the last. This story had complex and quirky characters. Mariana, the heroine, was determined and optimistic but also realistic and vulnerable. The Duke of Valkirk, the hero, was stoic and honorable yet lonely and conflicted. The banter and chemistry between them leaped from the page in spurts of humor and passion. The growth of the characters was wonderful and felt significant. Their HEA and grand gesture capped off the story in a joyfully magnificent manner.

I would like to thank Avon harper and netgalley for this Arc.

I have always heard such good things about Julie Anne Long that I could not resist reading this book.

This could be considered a enemeies to lovers/age gap romance.
Normally, age gap romances really put me off but the author has properly used it a device to move the story along. It is also used as a buffer for the Duke's opinion of Mariana who is a disgraced opera singer. Mariana is both beautiful and a lovely singer but no matter what she does, the Duke has already passed judgement. He insults her and is forced to repent by teaching her Italian.

Slowly their opinions change and they spend more time together. However, as flawless as Valkirk's reputation is, his reputation and societal expectations get in the way of finding happiness with Mariana.

The interplay of western patriarchy and its effect on women's lives is subtle but distinct.

Through her slitted curtains, she’d looked down into upraised fists and furious, snarling faces shaping the word over and over: harlot harlot harlot.

After a duel is fought and a Lord is injured, Mariana is blamed in the public eye. She's an opera singer who now has no popularity and starting to fear for her safety. Knowing about Mrs. Breedlove and the twists and turns her life has taken, Mariana has heard that The Grand Palace on the Thames can be a safe spot, so she decides to hideout there for awhile.
From farmer, to soldier, to Duke, General James Duncan Blackmore, the Duke of Valkirk, has hit writer's block on his memoirs and decides a change of scenery is in order. He decides on an inn by the docks that no one would think to look for him there.
James knows about Mariana's reputation and Mariana can't help poking England's most honorable hero but when some unfriendly wordplay leads to the two having private Italian lessons, they begin to find something in the other they've been searching for.

She didn’t even precisely know what she wanted from him. Apart, perhaps, from being seen.

Fourth in The Palace of the Rogues series, this keeps us at the inn we've all grown to love with all it's characters. The last book had me pulling on the reigns to break free from the location but, for the most part, I found myself cozily settled in this time. Whether due to reading this during the holiday season where intimate settings with close friends and family just hits me better or Mariana and James had a better chemistry that they could carry the story, I found I didn't mind the one-stop setting. This does mean that this would be harder to just jump into the series here, however, readers of the series will enjoy our patronesses with glimpses of their husbands, and all our favorite guests, with a strong showing by Dot as she and Mariana share a love of learning new words.

He was very brisk, frequently impatient, but always respectful and polite, and unless she counted the occasional devastatingly sensual smile that implied he knew precisely what she was up to, he did not take up the flirtation baton that she could not resist, every now and then, extending.

This is an age gap story with Mariana at 25 years old and James 43 years old. In the beginning, as their relationship started to develop, I did feel some hero worship from Mariana's side which made their age difference glaring obvious but as their chemistry took up, this faded away. With age gap, there is some enemies-to-lovers as James thinks Mariana is frivolous and uncaring because of the gossip about the duel. When he learns the truth, his perception changes and we get some great threads about women's power, agency, and thin line they must tread during this time. Mariana is an opera singer and staying popular is her life blood, so this involves flirting and playing nice, even if she doesn't want to and with her younger age, not always having the experience needed for certain situations.

He realized he’d lately taken to saying things to get her to laugh, the way he might reflexively open a window to allow in fresh air.

There's some machinations to get these two together, Mariana gets to stay at the inn because she'll pay her way with a performance our patronesses decide they need to hold in their new ballroom and James ends up having to give Mariana Italian lessons as a “punishment” because those same patronesses decide he must be reprimanded for that unfriendly world play I mentioned earlier. Nothing feels too unbelievable to go along with and around 40% when James hears the truth about the duel from Mariana, these two really started to pull me in. I thought the whole “Harlot of Haywood Street” and “Valorous Valkirk” was an interesting premise and I ended up enjoying how layered their relationship ended up feeling and built. When James realizes the danger he's in, in regards to falling for Mariana, he tries to pull away but Mariana calls him on it and at 60% they have their first kiss.

She wanted to be alone for a while in a room where, for the first time in her life, a man had come to her defense.

Most of the story is the heated building promise of could be between these two and I enjoyed how the author gave us fully formed characters that could stand on their own, giving me the opportunity to see and feel all the ways they could fit together. James with his war career, caring the burden of being England's honorable hero, his marriage, widowhood, and feelings on his son and then Mariana with the pain of her father's death, her worry over her mother, and learning how to navigate the world. These two hit the sheets later in the story but I almost enjoyed their heated conversations and looks more.

Holding her was the only comfort he’d truly known. Possibly the only peace he’d truly known. Because peace was being known.

The last 20% ended up feeling a little rushed for me, at 87% James makes an offer to Mariana that at that point and time in a story, I'm not sure I want to see from my hero as he should know the heroine by now, and then the make-up ending declaration gave me more of that rushed feeling and I wasn't quite satisfied as I thought Mariana deserved more. At that point, I can't say I totally felt I believed in a happily ever after for these two, thinking about their positions in life, the way this particular story was written. There's a compacted epilogue that tries to give us that fairy tale ending to strengthen the idea of their HEA but with it's time jumps, it didn't completely work for me. Overall, though, I enjoyed this addition and time spent at The Grand Palace on the Thames, all our favorite characters are there and Mariana and James provided some welcome heat.

DNFed at 22%. I really like experienced heroines, but I found the hero hard to like, and the style hard to connect with, a trait that has made this author’s previous work somewhat hit-or-miss, even within the same series.

I enjoyed this close proximity book. It was sweet, sexy, and romantic all in one. The hero and heroine were perfect. Loved the side characters and being able to visit some favorites from previous books. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the chance to rate and review. I look forward to more from this author.

There's never a dull moment at The Royal Palace on the Thames! After Dark with the Duke is nothing short of delicious. Mariana is an Opera singer who has her dreams shattered because of two drunken selfish lords. She finds shelter at the Palace. However, she doesn't realize that the Duke of Valkirk, is also going to be boarding there. Valkirk, James, is a war hero the whole nation idolizes. He is fluent it Italian, icy stares, and not showing emotion. While, Mariana is just the opposite.

There are so many internal emotional struggles, you just can't help but anticipate when the flood gates will burst! To top it off, there are these sneaky lines that will have you busting out laughing. If you can't tell, I absolutely LOVED this book!

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book I have read in the The Palace of Rogues. After reading a few reviews, I understand that Long develops her characters in the first parts of her novels to ultimately lead the reader to adore them more throughly.

After the Dark with the Duke's cast of characters were witty and lovingly besought in making the Grand Palace on the Thames a respectable establishment for the ton. Their diligent work to showcase Mariana Wylde was fun. Unbeknownst to them, love is blossoming under their roof.

I literally could NOT stop reading once lust took over the The Duke of Valkirk's demeanor. He is an honorable man but damn sexy in mind and body. The sexual tension is off the charts, and when he finds his way it was swoon worthy of knees buckling.

This series does NOT need to be read in order.
Thank you Avon and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this book.

I've enjoyed this series from the start and am always eager to get to a new installment.

I really liked Mariana. She's smart and passionate and of course blamed for everything since she's a woman. James is stoic and set in his ways (for reasons). Together they have instant animosity that slooooooowly turns into a sort of friendship. Of course, it's lovely to see the ladies from the first two books and Dot will forever be a favorite.

Plot wise, it was mostly good. The story really got interesting for me when the Italian lessons started; however, I still wanted more conversations between them. The chemistry worked, but it seemed like they really didn't know too much about each other aside from what the gossip and press said.

Overall, it was a good read with characters who were easy to root for and the epilogue was fantastic. I can't wait to see what happens in the next set up.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the copy free of charge**

This is the fourth book of the Place of Rogues series. You don't have to read the first three books to read this book. I have read all of Julie Anne Long books and I think this is one of her best. The story line moved along and kept my interest. I enjoyed that he plot line was different from the other books in the series. I highly recommend this book.

I want to thank Netgalley for providing me a copy of the book.

Unfortunately I DNF this book. I stopped around 25%. I think some of my problem was that I had not read the previous books In this series and this is the first time I have read Julie Ann Long. There is a lot with previous characters, at least in the part I read, so I was a little lost. Also, I do not think Ms. Long’s writing style is for me. I thought the premise sounded fantastic and was hoping for a more interesting story. This is just my opinion and if you want to read it, I hope you enjoy the story.

This is my first book by Julie Anne Long and it won’t be my last. This is such a wonderful read for historical romance fans. I have not read any other books in the series, so I know that this can be read as a stand alone.
This book has great pacing, fun side characters, and a new setting to historical romance that I enjoyed. In addition, it had excellent character development. I loved how both the characters grow and become more open as the story progressed. .