The story begins with Mia Carrington, aged fifteen, hiding in a library, listening to Vander Brody and his schoolmates discuss her looks, her poetry and her entire life in the most unflattering of terms. Mia is distraught as she has loved Vander from afar even though her father and his mother, the Duchess, have been having an affair that has been the talk of society for many a year. When her morals are questioned, Mia finds her anger and her courage, confronting the boys and declaring she would not marry Vander if he was the last man on earth.

Fast forward thirteen years and we find Mia, a published author, arrive at Vanders residence planning to blackmail him into marrying her. Mia has lost her father and her brother, and in order to protect her sickly nephew, whom she loves like a son, from the corrupt and vile Sir Richard, she must marry a man of substance immediately. She had been engaged to marry Mr. Edward Reeve but he abandoned her on the day of their wedding and now she is desperate. Understanding what he thinks of her from their encounter all those years ago, Mia blackmails Vander, who is now the Duke, with a treasonous letter that was written by his father many years ago. Unable to tell Vander the real reasons behind her need for a hasty marriage, the Duke believes that she is still infatuated with him and determines to make her suffer during their marriage, only visiting her bed for four nights a year to beget an heir. Mia is disgusted with herself for having to force the Duke to marry her, and Vander is angry at having been trapped in this way. Yet even in the midst of this mess there is a spark that flares to life whenever they are in each other's arms. When the truth is revealed and Mia explains that she will set him free, the Duke feels compassion for Mia's situation and their passionate encounters take over. Vander doesn't want a quick divorce now that Mia's nephew is safe and four nights a year will definitely not be enough, but he struggles with how he feels about Mia. Their parents torrid relationship is still affecting the way he views love. Mia knows she is in danger of losing her heart again to the man, that she believes, has no respect for her, and no deep feelings for her. Comparing the Duke with the hero in her new novel, Mia is never sure where she stands with him. With Sir Richard waiting to pounce, and the return of an ex- fiancé claiming he still loves her, will the Duke and the Duchess' relationship be able to survive? Or will Vander walk away from the only woman who has gotten under his skin?

FOUR NIGHTS WITH THE DUKE by Eloisa James is Regency romance at its finest. Full of seduction and adventure, the characters jump off the page and into the readers' hearts. Vander is sexy and brooding but also lost and we so desperately want him to realise that Mia is what he needs to make his life whole. Mia has such confidence as an author but really believes that Vander could not truly want her. I enjoyed watching her discover her own self-worth. The relationship between the Duke and Mia's nephew, Charlie, is heartwarming. With plenty of sizzling moments, and twists and turns, FOUR NIGHTS WITH THE DUKE by Eloisa James kept me hooked from the start.

Book Summary

Eloisa James returns with another fabulous romance in her New York Times bestselling Desperate Duchesses series!

As a young girl, Emilia Gwendolyn Carrington told the annoying future Duke of Pindar that she would marry any man in the world before him—so years later she is horrified to realize that she has nowhere else to turn.

Evander Septimus Brody has his own reasons for agreeing to Mia's audacious proposal, but there's one thing he won't give his inconvenient wife: himself.

Instead, he offers Mia a devil's bargain . . . he will spend four nights a year with her. Four nights, and nothing more. And those only when she begs for them.

Which Mia will never do.

Now Vander faces the most crucial challenge of his life: he must seduce his own wife in order to win her heart—and no matter what it takes, this is the one battle he can't afford to lose.

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