DUKE OF PLEASURE is book 11 in Elizabeth Hoyt's
Maiden
Lane series. I can't believe we are already at
at book 11! The overarching thread in the books is about
varying individuals who take turns dressing up as a masked
vigilante, the Ghost of St. Giles, to protect the vulnerable
poor who are living in the slums of St. Giles in London.
While it's usually a man who acts at the Ghost, Hoyt does
now tip her hat to feminism and has a female Ghost. I do
admit it's difficult to take this seriously when the Ghost
has to fight sword fights with multiple male opponents at
once. Simple physics appear to be ignored here. But if the
author can ignore it, so can the reader, I suppose. Just
let it go, and move smartly on through this fun romp of a book.
Alf is a woman who masquerades as a boy during the day.
Alf trades in secrets to keep himself/herself fed (although
that sounds like a dangerous way for anyone to make a
living in the slums, let alone a woman, if you ask me!).
Alf showed up in the last book, and now bursts on to take
center stage in DUKE OF PLEASURE. At night, as if running
around with criminals during the day isn't enough, Alf acts
the part of the notorious Ghost of St Giles, flitting
around the slums and protecting defenseless women and
children. Oh, and also protecting Hugh Fitzroy, the Duke
of Kyle, who happens to be in St. Giles in his role as a
spy. Hugh has been asked by the king of England to unmask
and defeat the notorious Lords of Chaos. Hugh was jumped
in a back alley while pursuing a lead, and Alf comes to his
rescue. Keen-eyed Hugh spots at once something that no one
else has- that the Ghost is really a woman.
Eventually Hugh finds out that Alf and the Ghost are the
same individual. Hugh ends up hiring Alf to help him
uncover the evil-doer Lords, and Hugh and Alf's forced
propinquity leads to some sexytimes and eventually to true
love. This is typical crazy-sauce Hoyt writing. Alf,
despite growing up in the slums as a boy, manages to carry
off being a lady at a grand ball and fools everyone around
her, sneaking into the host's study to look for clues.
Despite always seeming implausible to me, the story pulls me
along it its wake, and I find myself surrendering happily to
the craziness.
If over-the-top plots with lots of moving parts appeals to
you, this book will be totally up your alley. It's a great,
smooth read, with a lot of fun action happening right and
left, and a huge helping of romance too. Hoyt delivers
another round of delightful Georgian froth in DUKE OF
PLEASURE.
Bold. Brave. Brutally handsome. Hugh Fitzroy, the
Duke of Kyle, is the king's secret weapon. Sent to defeat
the notorious Lords of Chaos, he is ambushed in a London
alley-and rescued by an unlikely ally: a masked stranger
with the unmistakable curves of a woman.
IN THE HEAT OF DESIRE
Cocky. Clever. Courageously independent. Alf has survived on
the perilous streets of St. Giles by disguising her sex. By
day she is a boy, dealing in information and secrets. By
night she's the notorious Ghost of St. Giles, a masked
vigilante. But as she saves Hugh from assassins, she finds
herself succumbing to temptation . . .
ONE KISS WILL CHANGE THEIR LIVES FOREVER
When Hugh hires Alf to investigate the Lords of Chaos, her
worlds collide. Once Hugh realizes that the boy and the
Ghost are the same, will Alf find the courage to become the
woman she needs to before the Lords of Chaos destroy them
both?
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