This one just didn't work for me at all. Nothing about the characters pulled me in and had me invested in them. The Duke across the way was hot and cold and her family, was just blah. about 1/2 way through I found myself skimming just to finish. Definitely not for me but thank you for the opportunity to read early.

Scandalous, witty, and enticing!

One Night with the Duke is set in London during 1816 and features the handsome, enigmatic Duke of Chester, Johnny Winters, whose sudden mysterious return is laced with rumours and familicide accusations and whose dark secrets and scrupulous plans may be upturned after he crosses paths with the kind, determined Eliza Melrose who may be betrothed to another but whose charms, independence, and fiery spirit will be extremely hard to resist.

The prose is amusing and light. The characters are clever, focused, and passionate. And the plot is a push-pull tale of family, friendship, societal expectations, scheming behaviour, tricky situations, desire, intrigue, and steamy romance.

I’ve had the chance to read quite a few Jodi Ellen Malpas’ erotic romance books over the years and really enjoyed them, so when I heard she was writing a historical romance novel I was over the moon, and One Night with the Duke did not disappoint. It’s an alluring, edgy, captivating tale by Malpas that left me entertained, satisfied and eager to read whatever scandals the residents of Belmore Square manage to get mixed up in next.

This book was a mess. I knew from about the first paragraph that this book was not for me. WHY WOULD YOU WRITE A HISTORICAL ROMANCE IN FIRST PERSON PRESENT POV. But it isn't even present because it switches between present and past tenses in the same paragraphs, which just makes things difficult to read and confusing. Because the book was entirely in first person present everything was just awkward. Every thought. Every spoken sentence, Every description. Awkward. The descriptions of the intimate scenes (one steamy kiss, and a full on scene) were graphic to the point of being gross. I don't mind graphic descriptions, but they were not hot, just icky.

I couldn't stand Eliza. She was a PickMe girl is the worst possible way. Her constant reminders in her thoughts and words of "I'm no lady." She made it her main character trait that she only reads encyclopedias and travel journals, no novels. She constantly was pouting and because it was first person present, I had to read "I pout..." way too many times. The way she was constantly falling down for no reason. And then she stands there and lets herself almost get ran over a horse, not once BUT TWICE, not because she is frozen in fear or she doesn't see it, no because she is allowed to be standing there so she shouldn't be the one who has to move. THE ENTITLEMENT the entire time was just exhausting. She wrote an article that caused a bank run in order to get revenge and then faced no consequences. Her entire attitude is she knows best and everyone should get on her side or get out of her way. She needed be run over by a horse.

On top of the above, the author clearly did ZERO RESEARCH and did not know the Regency time period at all. You can't just write a contemporary romance and stick it in 1816. There were numerous terms of phrase said by characters that didn't exist at the time (blimey, cat got your tongue, etc.). Eliza was shocked that a titled man of 24 wasn't married. Eliza complained about her corset when you literally cannot wear the type of corset with the clothing of the time (I'm blaming the Bridgerton Netflix series for this one). Somehow her getting up at 6:15 AM was two hours before the butler woke up (on what planet would a butler not get up until 8:15 AM). One of my biggest pet peeves, there were multiple references to Jane Austen by name in a book set in 1816, when Austen's identity was not known until December 1817. Perhaps the most egregious of all and one that deeply disturbs me, GULLIVER'S TRAVELS IS REFERENCED AS A TRAVEL DIARY. GULLIVER'S TRAVELS. THE AUTHOR THINKS GULLIVER'S TRAVELS IS A TRAVELOGUE. You can't make it a plot point to have your heroine never read novels and then mention several times that she has Gulliver's Travels by her bed and mention that it is a travel diary she's read without making me think you don't know what you're talking about.

In short, while I did read the whole book, mostly fueled by spite, I never need to read this author again and highly recommend that she stick to contemporary romance and stay far far away from historical until she does more research than watching Bridgerton.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a fun regency romance! Loved the atmosphere and the characters so much.

One Night with the Duke is a pretty typical regency romance with a lot of ridiculous drama, some romance and a side of smut. The storyline was pretty simple and I saw the twist coming.

The writing felt a bit simple and along with the pretty boring storyline meant this book didn't stand out for me.Overall, I liked the lead female and although there were some fun aspects. It was a light, quick read that I was able to finish in a day.

What a charming read! I really liked Eliza, the heroine. She was a strong character set in a time where women were docile. She was opinionated, loyal and honorable. She stuck her neck out for others and that made me like her even more.

Johnny, the Hero, was mysterious with a darker edge to him. He becomes obsessed with Eliza that made for an exciting read since she is betrothed to another. We learn his true story at the end and I can say that I love how everything came together.

This is a setting with a large group of side characters that I enjoyed and will want to read again in the next book of the series.

3 Stars One Night with the Duke is a mix of steamy historical romance and murder mystery. I felt like the plot was pretty slow moving, but the characters were interesting and the steamy scenes were on point. I wish that this had been dual POV instead of just from Eliza's POV. It would be fascinating to know what the duke was thinking/feeling during his interactions with Eliza, plus whatever else he was doing, but I understand that this was done to keep up the mystery of him.

DNF at 30%. The premise is good, but the pace is too slow for me. The book feels like a contemporary romance dressed in Regency clothes. People who've never read a Regency romance before, and know nothing about the era, might enjoy it.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

One Night with the Duke is Jodi Ellen Malpas's first historical romance but sure not to be her last.

Eliza is the middle child of a family who has finally been accepted into high society. Eliza's father's printing press production has hit a high and she is one of the secret writers. Not such a bad outlook until she learns that she must marry a fan that no other want.

When the new Duke of Chester arrive back in town, gossip is aflame. People thought that he killed his family.. but are those rumors true? Eliza is soon climbing down drainpipes to discover what is true and what is in her head. All anyone woman is promised is one night with the duke. Alas, he also cannot resist Eliza. Will one night be enough for these two?

I am familiar with Jodi Ellen Malpas's work as a fan of her previous novels. One Night with the Duke had the sexual scenes that are Malpas's signature while telling a captivating regency story. I immediately felt for Eliza and wanted her to yell out at those who were pushing her to be not what she wanted. I wish that this was a dual point of view tale as i wanted so badly to be inside the duke's head. I look forward to the next in this series and what may happen next.

Thank you Forever Publishing and Netgalley for my earc in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

So I haven't read a full on genre romance in first person, single POV in a long while, especially a histrom, and let me just say, it worked absolutely perfectly here! Not knowing any of Johnny's secrets plus all the plots surrounding Eliza's family, while getting to know and root for her was absolutely a perfect way to read and tell this story. I bought all the panic as well as the long and confusing and it was just completely masterful emotionally and I just couldn't put it down.

I loved every second of figuring out why Eliza's family was pushing her towards, Frederick, what was the deal with Johnny's family (and who murdered "them?"), and who exactly was good or evil. I adored that the social-climbing Melroses were a REAL family, all extremely flawed, and capable of taking each other for granted and doing real damaged, but also absolutely loving each other, and all capable of rising to the occasion as much as they stumbled.

The romance was spectacular. I wanted Johnny and Eliza together. Their chemistry and banter sparkled without either of them being mere archetypes of the brooding wrongfully maligned duke, and the feisty, independent spirted bluestocking. They both had just so much depth and complexity and managed to be humanly self-centered at times, while also caring about others in a genuine, again, human way. Not like characters, like real people. You wanted them together both because they are glorious together but also because it felt real.

The side characters were all well drawn and interesting, and again, complex. With real flaws and real seeming motives, that even the more over-the-top parts felt grounded. It was all exciting and fresh and I just can't wait to real more from Malpas. So, so, so, good.

She is intrepid and a good journalist who would report truths. He is on a mission to bring a murderer to justice. Their attraction is instantaneous but navigating through the manipulations, secrets and villainous plots puts their relationship in jeopardy. Written in first person viewpoint, this is a steamy romance blended with mystery murder, sure to engage one to “just imagine”…

I received an ARc of this book from NetGalley and leaving my review voluntarily.

I read a lot of historical romances and this one breaks a lot of the rules. I found the many anachronisms annoying and took me out of the story. Eliza is a country girl whose family has new money. She is only 19 and as she tells everyone she is “not a lady”. Meaning she is independent, and doesn’t feel compelled to follow the rules of the ton where her parents firmly want a place. Although it is her first season her father has already promised her to the son and heir of a duke. But he is too milquetoast to interest her. Her father is unaware she writes stories for his newspaper making it more popular. (Kind of like Bridgerton.) And most of her stories feature Winters, (Johnny) the Duke of Chester who moves into his home across the square.

She sneaks out at night first to spy on him and later to meet with him. She is well read but it is perplexing that she is a good writer as she laments she was not allowed a formal education because she is a woman. She also is naive and pouts a lot. The actual story is fine but it is a struggle to read in the entire book in present tense first person from only her POV. Things like I pouted, I sat down keeping my back straight etc. read strangely. It may be a “me” problem but it makes the book harder to read because it sounds awkward and you have to pay attention is she speaking out loud or thinking thoughts.

I’m sure the series will continue with romances for her brother and sister but I will leave those books for readers who enjoy this story more. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

ONE NIGHT WITH THE DUKE Belmore Square #1 by Jodi Elen Malpas
This is a historical romance that is very well written, and is an entertaining read by the very talented wordsmith Jodi Ellen Malpas. Eliza Melrose and Duke of Chester, Johnny Winters have a complicated road to get to each other. These two have serious chemistry. This is 4 stars.

As a historical romance novel, this was very anachronistic and writing in the first person, present tense is just not done in historical romance. The author definitely brought that from their history as a contemporary romance writer and it immediately took me out of the story. Historical romance readers are pretty savvy about the historical periods they read, so anachronisms are glaring. This might be a good read for a fan of Bridgerton, (the show not the Julia Quinn novels) who just wants an equally historically inaccurate story with sex in it. To each their own.

Since her father’s printing business has taken off, country girl Eliza Melrose must now prepare herself for a debut in London society, as well as the prospect of finding a husband, neither of which she is eager to do. She’s more interested in adventure and learning new things to write for her father’s paper, much to his consternation. The more he fights to keep Eliza’s strong will in hand, the more she pushes against him. When Eliza meets the brooding Duke of Chester, a man whose reputation is ruined by terrible rumors, she finds it impossible to resist unraveling the mystery that surrounds him.

I really liked the premise of this story. It’s so rare that we get a heroine trying to navigate high society when she wasn’t raised with that expectation, and I really liked that aspect. Johnny is set up well as a brooding hero, if a bit dramatic. I think this story would’ve benefited a lot from having some chapters told from Johnny’s perspective. Instead, it is completely from Eliza’s point of view and in first person, so we get nothing but her perceptions. Since she is only nineteen, and a fairly young and sheltered nineteen, this means we as readers do get a fairly narrow scope of the plot, limited by her naivete and lack of maturity. I’ve also never really noticed this before, but this story being narrated in the first-person present tense sometimes made it difficult for me to differentiate between the heroine’s dialogue and her inner thoughts and also made it a challenge to figure out who was speaking at times (I listened to the audio.) This is more of a modern book with some period clothes than a thoroughly researched historical; it had a ton of modern language (especially the volume and manner of curse words used by Eliza) and lots of errors with titles, which drives me bananas and didn’t help with how modern this sounds.

Aside from the more stylistic issues, I definitely found Eliza to be very dramatic and over the top in nearly everything she did, said, or thought. She pouted way too much, and the story became quite repetitive given that it is only told by her. She spends most of her time pouting about something, trying to figure out what’s going on with those around her (but never actually asking them), and seeking out gossip to write about. She’s adamant that she only writes truthful stories, yet she is quick to believe every piece of gossip she hears about Johnny and that just made no sense to me. He never seemed to be trying to entice her, as she accused him of doing, rather, she was the one who kept seeking him out. Her treatment of him was very much all over the place, as was much of the story, and I found myself at turns confused by it and sometimes just bored with it because nothing seemed to be happening. Eliza was exceedingly dramatic about everything and, though she sometimes did have good reason for it, this made her a bit tough to root for, though I did admire her loyalty to her family, even when they didn’t deserve it. I think I would’ve liked this so much more if her family had perhaps communicated more and faced their issues together a bit like the close-knit unit they obviously were before their move to London. Instead, they were just exasperatingly dismissive of Eliza.

I think my biggest issue here is that I have no idea how Johnny and Eliza fell in love and I’m not entirely sure I believe it. Much of the plot in terms of how things wrapped up with him was just a bit absurd given his high rank. Eliza believed everything this villain said much too easily and that definitely made me question her supposed shrewdness. I think the last straw here for me though was when a horse was described as ‘yowling.’ Just no. This is certainly a sound that cats make, but never horses and as a lifelong horse person, this sort of thing just drives me batty. Nothing to do with the story, just me being weird.

Overall, I really loved this concept, and I would read more books in this series/from this author, this one in particular just didn’t quite pan out as I had hoped. Ultimately, I never really felt the romance between Eliza and Johnny. Their interactions mostly consisted of her sniping at him for something and him being growly and telling her he could never be with her, then the denouement and resolution just tied everything up in such a rush that I wasn’t wholly satisfied. It just didn’t hold my attention and I never felt the chemistry between them.

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

This is my first book by this author - and I loved it!The fiery and independent heroine. The push and pull of attraction. Even the social commentary of the expectation of women in high society. I read this book in one sitting - I could not put it down!!

One Night with the Duke by Jodi Ellen Malpas is the First book in the Belmore Square Series. This is the story of Eliza Melrose and Johnny Winters/ Duke. The Duke was accused of killing his family and has a mystery about him and Eliza new neighbor. Eliza's father has just became well off and has taken them from the country to the town. Eliza was happier in the country and she had a job of secretly writing stories for her father's paper. But now her father expects her to marry someone to help their status / business but all Eliza seems to see is The Duke. Really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more from this author and of course this series.

I loved this love story. I hope we get more from this author in this world. I definitely recommend it.