Last Night with the Duke: The Rakes of St. James

In order to protect his twin sisters’ debut season from retribution, the Duke of Griffin must hire a capable & resourceful chaperone. I found the premise for this novel refreshing because the Duke of Griffin is seeking to shield his sisters from a possible vengeance that is in direct response to a callous prank he pulled. You don’t often see men in Regency romances actively paying for their transgressions, so this idea is welcome.

Also key to a successful Regency romance is a spunky heroine, which Grey delivers: Esmeralda. Esmeralda is operating a chaperone and governess agency to support herself and her younger sister, Josephine. Through a display of strength and spirit, Esmeralda endears herself to the Duke of Griffin as the only chaperone who will do, and her adventures with Lady Sara, Lady Vera, and the Duke of Griffin begin.

I appreciate that the female characters in this novel were well developed and multi-dimensional–but in some ways each of their considerable back stories distracted from the main plot. While some aspects of the story were unique and the romantic tension between the two main characters was believable, the dialogue between the two did feel well worn.