One of the things I'm trying to focus on in my reading is making sure that not all of the heroes and heroines in the books I'm reading look the same. I'm trying to read from different time periods and different countries, realizing that since I so often learn things from the novels I read, I want to diversify my novel choices.

ONE-EYED DUKES ARE WILD ended up being such a delightful foray into that. Our hero in question, the Duke of Lasham (whose name is a serious mystery in the story, btw), is a gent with one eye. He has never told the story of how he lost the eye, leading to rife speculation about it being due to anything from a duel over a lady to a rampant animal attack.

The ton, heretofore, has found the Duke offputting and stoic. Thanks to narration, we know he's constantly frustrated by people not taking his adjusted sight into account and mistreating him because of it. He simply doesn't have time for pity or pandering, which is all his peers seem capable of pouring onto him.

Our heroine, Margaret, is drawn to the Duke and, as they set off on their happily ever after, I found myself deeply wishing she and I could be friends. She's strong, wise and opinionated, but not in a way that makes her awkward to read about. This woman knows herself and the time in which she lives and how diverse those realities often are.

Overall, I recommend ONE-EYED DUKES ARE WILD for anyone who likes brooding alphas taught how to love by sassafrass females, especially if steamy and adventurous sex is part of the deal.