I really enjoyed this installment of the Scandalous Ladies of London series. I loved seeing Valencia moving on from her horrible marriage and I thought she and Rhain made a great couple. I loved their first meeting when they had no idea who each other was, then when they met for the second time and then found out one was the Duchess and one the new Duke, bringing along six!! of his sisters.
I really enjoyed how even though the focus wasn't on the sisters (maybe a future series?) they felt fleshed out and real, they didn't overtake the storyline. In fact, I would have enjoyed getting some scenes of Valencia teaching them about society instead of her telling us about what she had done with them. Honestly, I would have loved for this story to be longer, not because it was missing anything although I wouldn't have minded more one-on-one scenes with Valencia and Rhain but because I was enjoying this story so much that I didn't want it to end.

I can't wait to see what is going to happen next with this series!

I always enjoy Jordan's historical romances, and I certainly like the idea of a group of women supporting each other through bad situations and emerging stronger at the end. As a survivor story, I applaud Valencia's determination to take control of her life and find happiness in independence. Unfortunately, the 19th century is not exactly encouraging of women's independence, so having her late husband's heir show up with family in tow puts a damper on her plans. It's a good set up, and the new duke's sisters were amusing in their chaos. But something about the execution was just a little lacking--having Valencia offer to train the girls for society makes perfect sense as a plot device, but it seemed like she hardly ever spent any actual time with them. And while pairing Valencia with the new duke is the obvious outcome here, it didn't seem like they really spent any time talking and getting to know each other, either. While I recognize instalust as a standard trope, I'd really prefer seeing an intelligent, verbal path to romance rather than just "he's hot and in the adjoining room." So, while this was perfectly fine as a standard, formulaic romance, it didn't have that extra oomph to push it to the next level.

Three stars. I am a am fan of this series. It feels more like a drama than a romance though. I didn’t super mind this but I wish I had more of the couple interactions or his POV.
That all aside, I have a good time and I am looking forward to the next book. I love the circle of ladies and I need to more about what happens between Valencia and her stepmother.
I would love to see this as a limited historical series.

I liked this book. I think the premise and set up was fun and creative. I think the way Jordan handles abuse and sexual assault is gentle and thorough. The MMCs relationship with his sisters and mother had the potential to be something special. Unfortunately it just didn't all come together for me. I didn't really buy the MCs attraction to each other, nor their love story. I loved book 1 in this series though and am still eagerly anticipating the next installment.

Valencia is a widowed duchess and finally trying to live her best life after her year of mourning. It turns out her late husband was cruel and abusive to her in his latter years and she’s relieved that he’s gone. The downside is that the new duke and his mother and six very loud sisters have just arrived in town and taking over her home. Rhain is disturbed to find that the widowed duchess is young and beautiful and wants to get rid of her as soon as he can, but then realizes he needs her to help give his unruly sisters some polish before they enter society. It’s all sorts of chaos and strong personalities as Valencia whips them all into shape. Plus, Valencia and Rhain have all sorts of simmering attraction for each other, despite trying to stay away from each other. The romance here was a bit underdeveloped for my tastes, with a quick flip from arguing to falling in love; however, Rhain’s good-natured protection of Valencia and his sisters was enjoyable to read.

Thank god that man is dead. Now let’s hope the Duchess can get a HEA after all that. This is a faced paced, second chance after a horrible marriage, with some mystery, oh and add in a Welshman and his many many sisters. The end of this one wasn’t the greatest- they needed more time together before bam.

I have enjoyed this series so far so can’t wait to see what is next!

Genre: historical romance
London, 1822

Valencia, Dowager Duchess of Dedham, has all of the intent to live out her life as a merry widow. She’s ready to celebrate her re-entry to society on her 32nd birthday, 11 months after the death of her husband. She loved him, yes, but by the time of his death he was no longer the same man. Rhain is the new Duke of Dedham, and when he arrives to take his station, he comes with his mother and six unwed sisters in tow. Gone is Valencia’s dream of commanding her own realm, but she agrees to usher Rhain’s sisters into society in exchange for not having to leave the only house she’s known as an adult. Close proximity to Rhain proves difficult, and Valencia starts experiencing desires she hasn’t felt since her debut.

The Scandalous Ladies of London series features slightly older female main characters than we are used to in many historical romances. In The Countess, Tru is 37, and in The Duchess, Valencia is 32. While they are still younger than I am as a reader, I fully appreciate the life experiences the older heroines have had, making their backstories the richer for it. If there’s one thing I truly love in my historical romances, it’s an experienced heroine.

Not as ridiculous as The Countess, The Duchess features one of the other widows of the ton from the same group of friends. It gets dark at times - check CWs in the comments - but because Sophie Jordan places those events in the past timeline and we know we have a happy ending, Valencia’s darker experiences feel like they have a resolution, and this story is just for Valencia’s own pleasure.

Rhain shows up with six - which is only half! - of his sisters, all unwed. I admire the way Sophie Jordan handles this. All six are named, and all have distinct personalities, but you only get little glimpses of each, and you aren’t meant to focus on them. So while the house probably felt crowded, the narrative never does. Jordan lets the sisters fade into the background, emphasizing Valencia and Rhain’s emotional growth.

This got a little bonkers at the end (and if you read the Countess, you know that did too). Ultimately, I wanted 15 more pages: 5 for more plot to get us to the end we got, and 10 for more sex, because I know Jordan can give it to us. This is fairly low-steam, and I definitely wanted a bigger payoff for the emotional buildup. But I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Duchess.



CWs: abuse, sexual assault - they are in past timelines, but appear on page

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Sophie Jordan’s Scandalous Ladies of London series got off to a great start last year, and as a result, I greatly anticipated the next book, The Duchess. However, I found myself sadly underwhelmed by what this book had to offer. While the prior book managed the “high-concept” nature of focusing on a group of scandalous women, while not forgetting to flesh out the central romance, this book unfortunately did not.
I was greatly looking forward to Valencia’s story, and I really enjoyed getting to know her better. She endured a loveless marriage, and her husband’s death, which originally happened toward the end of the prior book, happened quite unexpectedly. I appreciated getting context for their marriage, and the toxicity within it. I also appreciate how the story highlighted the tenuous nature of a dowager peeress’s standing once the new peer (when he’s not from her direct line) takes up the title.
Rhain was rather uninspiring, and even more uninspiring are his six sisters used as a McGuffin to get him and Valencia to come to an agreement that he will allow her to remain in the home, while she helps usher them into society. But he had little to no personality, and he also just never really treats Valencia all that well, despite trying to portray himself as a “good” person, which made the romance incredibly tepid. As a result, any attempt to force conflict toward the end fell flat.
But all hope is not lost for the series, as the dynamics among the women continue to be a highlight. While Gertrude has stepped back from the spotlight to live out her HEA, I loved getting a bit of a tease for what’s to come for Hazel’s story.
While this book fell a little flat, due to its underdeveloped and sometimes questionable romance, there’s still some aspects I enjoyed. I would still recommend this to readers interested in historical romance centering somewhat older, widowed heroines.

Another regency romance in "The Scandalous Ladies of London" series,

Valenica is a newly widowed duchess that is finally getting to experience life as she wants it, until the new duke Rhian appears and takes over her home - and brings along his mother and six sisters looking for husbands. In a last minute effort to save her home, Valenica agrees to help get his sisters ready for presentation to the ton. It was a fast read, some steamy (some not so believable) parts.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

I adored Rhain and Valencia's story!! She had been through so much with her first husband, I loved watching her finally get her HEA!

I enjoyed the set-up for this novel, but then it seemed rushed to get to the end. It is established that the new duke’s six younger sisters are not ready for introduction to high society. So the dowager duchess is going to help them. We barely see what she does to help them - just a few hints - and suddenly, they’re all just fine and there are no problems. We don’t see the transformation.

And there is all the sexual tension between the two main characters and then that gets resolved, so to speak. Then, suddenly there is a new threat against the dowager duchess, but that gets resolved easily and quickly. It’s as if the author just got tired of writing and rushed to finish. And the plot and character development lost out.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Olden time widows in romance books are the best. Why? 1. Because they aren’t virgins and are thus DTF. 2. Because they were usually married to someone who was craptastic in life and in bed. 3. Did I mention they are DTF?

Valencia is a widowed duchess. Her husband suffered some sort of traumatic brain injury that left him a moody, violent, abusive twatnozzle. Thankfully he dies in an “accident” as abusive twatnozzles are prone to do. Valencia carries on with her life, but since she has no heir to the dukedom, some rando distant cousin gets the job. He and his 6 unruly sisters show up from Wales and take over her house. Wouldn’t ya know tho, the new duke is a gruff smokeshow. He lets Val stay in the house to help prepare his sisters for life in the ton and to keep the sexy widow around bc I’m sure he also is aware of the DTF widow rule of historical romance books. Val and Dukie fall prey to insta-love and seem to spend much of the book staring intensely into each other’s eyes. They are main characters who mainly use their eyeballs and genitals to communicate.

This is book 2 of the The Scandalous Ladies of London series by Sophie Jordan. So far I’m really enjoying the series. If you haven’t read book 1, The Countess you def should bc it was a sexy romp. I love the friendships and the scandals and of course all the eye fucking that this series provides.

Thanks @harpercollins @netgalley @sosophiejordan for this ARC. The Duchess drops 3/26.

Smut- 2.35 stars
Romance- 4.18 stars
Story- 4.44 stars
Horny widows using their reproductive organs to speak to the hot Welsh duke sleeping in the room next door- 13.87 stars

A very fast read that leans in on the fun of scandal in a historical romance. We were enthralled by the first in this series, The Countess, which introduced us to the friend group of unhappily married women who must make up the eponymous Scandalous Ladies of London. This book was fun, but didn't quite charm us in the same way as the first book. This one felt simultaneously less bonkers and more angsty, choices that made it just a little less fun (for us!).

Valencia was widowed at the end of the last book. The heir to her husband's dukedom has arrived in town and, after a meet disaster where she almost drowns in the Thames right in front of him, he's kicking her out and sending her to the dower house. The book then fell into conventional HistRom territory, when the Duchess convinces him to keep her around so she can tutor his sisters in etiquette. We got a little excited when Valencia decides to visit a sex club on the very same night as the new duke ... but we really shouldn't have been. We've read Sophie Jordan before and we know she can bring the heat, so we were definitely disappointed that she didn't here. The end of this book, like the end of The Countess, made some bizarre choices that didn't seem to fit with the first part of the book.

We're still invested in the series, but this felt a little sophomore slumpey. Here's hoping the next book will reverse the trend!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC.
Content Warning: Domestic Violence (heroine is a widow, her deceased husband was abusive)

I have enjoyed Sophie Jordan's work in the past, but this entry fell flat for me overall. This did not feel like a historical romance, more like a historical women's fiction with a light romantic subplot. I cannot recommend this as a romance because I truly didn't feel the connection between the hero and heroine. The "I love you" didn't feel earned and while I felt chemistry between the two of them, there wasn't a deep connection there that I can buy. This was extremely fast paced and then at the 90% mark we had a plot twist that just was bonkers. I can appreciate that, but there just weren't enough breadcrumbs to justify it all.

What I did appreciate: This friend group! Valencia and her friends are incredible and I hope to go back and read Tru's book and continue in this series because they are all unique and older heroines which is fresh when most historical romance heroines are debutantes. The deep exploration of Valencia's character and her arc of self-discovery in widowhood. Sophie Jordan writes great characters, this entry just lacked the time to have those romantic connections between characters come to light.

In "The Duchess" by Sophie Jordan, set in Regency-era London, Valencia, the Dowager Duchess of Dedham, revels in newfound freedom after her cad of a husband's demise. However, her independence is jeopardized when the new Duke, Rhain, arrives with his wild, unwed sisters. A reluctant alliance is forged: Valencia will guide the sisters into society, securing her financial stability, while Rhain seeks help navigating his newfound aristocracy. As they clash and coalesce, sparks fly between the haughty Duke and the determined Dowager. Jordan's immersive storytelling captures the allure of 1822 London, blending scandal and romance seamlessly. The characters' evolving dynamics and Valencia's resistance to risking her heart add depth to this engaging historical romance. "The Duchess" delivers a captivating narrative that transcends the bounds of societal expectations, making it a worthy addition to The Scandalous Ladies of London series.

London - 1822

It has been a year since the Duke of Dedham died, and his widow, Valencia, has relished the freedom she has had. The freedom not only from a husband she stopped loving years ago, but also from his vile behavior towards her, especially after his debilitating accident that eventually ended his life. But, after the estate searched all over for his heir, that man has suddenly arrived at Valencia's home, along with his mother and six of his sisters - the unwed ones! Valencia can tell that the new duke isn't happy with his new position in life, leaving behind his hard won business in Wales, and he doesn't seem to be happy that Valencia is still in the house.

The six sisters seem, to Valencia, to be a bit wild and unsophisticated. They clearly do not know what to expect of society in London. Valencia begins to pack, ready to leave for the only home she will have as the Dowager Duchess of Dedham - a cottage in Yorkshire. As she observes the new duke, as well as his out-of-control siblings, Valencia wishes him, and the girls, much luck in understanding the ton and what is expected of a duke and his family. Apparently the duke is coming to terms with the same realization.

Rhain, the new duke, knows that he is over his head when it comes to his new station in life. And, despite his uncertainty about the dowager duchess, he also realizes that she could be of great help in preparing his sisters for the Season. He approaches Valencia, and offers to allow her to stay in the house, and he will increase her measly stipend left by her husband if she will take on the chore of getting his sisters up to snuff for London society. Rhain is relieved when Valencia agrees, and he also is quite taken with her beauty, despite her obvious coldness towards him.

Corraling a group of rather uncultivated young ladies, Valencia gets her priorities in order, bringing in dressmakers, hairdressers, music teachers, and others to teach the girls how to behave, and look, in Society. It isn't easy at first, but soon Rhain is noticing a difference, as well as how much he wants to keep Valencia nearby. And the handsome new duke has definitely affected how Valencia feels.

Book 2 of The Scandalous Ladies of London, THE DUCHESS can be read alone. Valencia has not had a happy marriage, and she's not particularly interested in trusting another man. But Rhain seems to understand women, and makes a few decisions that surprise Valencia. For Rhain, all he wants to do is return to Wales, but can he do that as a duke, and keep up with what is expected of him? And will his feelings for Valencia grow? Will Valencia's change?

A sweet read with delightful secondary characters, THE DUCHESS is a great way to sail into Spring.

This isn't quite as bonkers or as fun as the first book in the series but I did read it from cover to cover in a morning, so there's something to be said there! It's really consumable and draws you in, particularly in the first 60% or so. I really liked Valencia's character and her strength. I also really liked Rhain.

I do ultimately think I needed this book to be longer - I needed more scenes between Valencia and Rhain to really understand their relationship. It just progressed a little too quickly from interest in each other to declaring their love. I also think the third act conflict comes essentially out of nowhere and we really didn't need it. Or if we needed it, we needed hints of it earlier in the story.

Ultimately still a pretty fun book but I liked the first one much more.

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really wanted to love this book as I loved the premise. It started off so strong - character development, story progression ... then, I don't know what happened, it just kind of ... ended? There were a few loose ends in the story but not the type that can be answered in a sequel. I usually love Sophie Jordan's books and they circulate well in our romance paperbacks but I am going to have a hard time recommending this one because it just ended so abruptly and it felt like the last quarter of the story was missing. I am assuming there will be more in the series with the ancillary characters so I hope for a better read next time.

4 Stars I knew from the moment I read the dedication of The Duchess by Sophie Jordan, that this one was going to make me tear up and I wasn't wrong.

Set in Regency era London, the Dowager Duchess of Denham, Valencia, is finally through her mourning period following her husband's demise the previous year. Valencia has dreamed of the freedom to make her own choices and finally enjoy life again after a traumatic marriage and abusive husband. She seems to be on the cusp of this newfound freedom when all of a sudden, the new Duke of Denham has been found and arrives at her Mayfair home--which is now his home. Valencia is to be cast out to the dowager house in the country to make way for the new Duke, Rhain, and his mother and six unwed sisters. Rhain sees how wholly unprepared his sisters are for the marriage market and strikes up a deal with Valencia; in exchange for preparing his sisters to enter the ton and make good matches, she can remain at the house and afterwards, Rhain will buy her a house in London and increase her stipend. As he sees Valencia help his sisters and gets to know her better, Rhain realized he misjudged the dowager Duchess and cannot help but want her to stay permanently.

While this story is of course fiction, it keeps in mind the reality of so many women of the Regency era and how they had very little freedom until they were widowed, though even then they were still at the mercy of the men around them. I was surprised by how fast-paced this novel was and I read the entire thing in one sitting! My only complaint is that I wish it were a tad longer. I would've enjoyed seeing more of Valencia and Rhain falling in love before declaring their feeling for one another and I also wish we had gotten more scenes with Rhain's sisters, who were hilarious. Here's to hoping that their stories are next!

I am a huge fan of Sophie Jordan and her books. That being said this book did not appeal to me. For a romance book, there was really no romance involved.
This book about the Duchess of Debham, Valencia, was mostly the telling of the story of her first marriage and how bad it was. It was an abusive marriage and it affected her I many ways, including the loss of her baby.
The story was also about the new Duke who shows up after her husband dies, bringing along his 6 sisters. Rhaine offers to let her stay in the house if she helps to bring his 6 sisters out..
So between the back story of her first marriage and the side story of her helping the Duke's 6 sisters prepare for their debut, there wasn't much story left for romance.
3⭐⭐⭐
I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.