Duke of Pleasure (Maiden Lane, 12)

"When had the Ghost of St. Giles become a woman?"FINAL DECISION: Loved! Loved! Loved! Immediately one of my favorite books I've read this year. Alf is an amazing character -- cynical and world wise and yet hopeful, gentle and innocent in a way that touches and changes the heart of a man who doesn't want to hope. Alf's also a kickass hero in her own right and Hugh is a man who can appreciate her.THE STORY: Hugh Fitzroy, Duke of Kyle is the bastard son of the King. Returning to England after years abroad, Hugh is trying to rebuild his relationship with his sons after his wife's death. He has spent much of his adult life doing "tasks" for the English Crown. His latest is to destroy the Lords of Chaos -- a group of depraved aristocrats who prey on women and children. When Hugh is attacked in the dangerous St. Giles area of London it looks like his luck has run out until he is rescued by the Ghost of St. Giles. Hugh is thankful for the help but is amazed when he discovers that the Ghost is a woman.Alf is 21 year old woman who has protected herself in St. Giles by living her life as a boy. During the day, she is the street rat informant who makes her living getting information. At night, she becomes the Ghost of St. Giles to protect the innocent. When she rescues Hugh, she can't resist stealing a kiss.OPINION: I absolutely loved this book. I consumed this book in one quick gulp -- reading late into the night. But even more, I didn't want to leave it behind. I normally read a book a day...but this book lingered for me. I felt compelled to revisit parts and I essentially almost re-read it in its entirety. Beautiful, exciting, adventurous, deep and meaningful and just plain fun. This one has moved onto my favorite of 2016 list for sure.A book about longing for connection, for being known as ones true self, for belonging, for hope and dreams, this is a book that grabbed me from the first to the last page. Sometimes a book soars because of the characters (and this one does) and sometimes it soars because it has something significant to say about the human condition (and this one does) and sometimes it is just a good exciting adventure (and this one is)."At night she was the Ghost of St. Giles. She protected the people of St. Giles -- her people, living in the big, dark woods. She ran out the monsters -- the murderers, rapists and robbers. And she flew over the roofs of the city by moonlight, free and wild. During the day she was Alf, a boy. She made her living dealing in information. She listened and learned, and if you wanted to know who was running pickpocket boys and girls in Covent Gardens or which doxies had the clap or even what magistrate could be bought and for how much, she could tell you and would -- for a price."Alf has been a longtime presence in this series. She is an informant, a information rat. If you want to know something, Alf is your "man". Having worked for many of the characters in the series, she has loyalty to those who pay her, but looks out for herself.As this book begins, Alf has also become the Ghost of St. Giles. As has been true with each "Ghost" in the series, Alf has her own reasons for taking on the role. Forced to hide herself in her role as Alf for most of her life, Alf finds a freedom in being the Ghost. It allows her to be a different self than she appears as Alf. Reckless, daring, free. It is entirely fitting that Alf first kisses Hugh as the Ghost because while her face is masked as the Ghost, her femininity is not. As Alf, she binds her breasts and acts as masculine as possible. It is as the Ghost, that her breasts are unbound and she is free to act on her attraction to Hugh.What Alf is not free to be is a woman. The world is a dangerous place for a woman.Remarkably, while Alf is worldly and cynical (having grown up on the streets), she has been able to retain a sense of innocence, dreams, and hope. It is those qualities which most appeal to Hugh."He wanted her worldly cynicism and her innocent wonder."Hugh is a man who has learned to not want too much. He has learned that wanting can only lead to disappointment. For Hugh, every promise of happiness had actually been problematic. He is a king's son who grew up without a father. He found love and married the woman he wanted, only to end up estranged from her and his children.His attraction to Alf is something Hugh inherently distrusts."He didn't want to know her. Didn't want to care about her, didn't want to worry about her, didn't want to long for her."Yet, Hugh is helpless before the reality of Alf. She is more than he ever could have imagined. Hugh is a generous caring hero and he is captivated by those same qualities in Alf along with her wildness, her intelligence and her ability to see beauty and hope in the world."He and she were more alike than she ever would've guessed, that first time she'd seen him"Hugh and Alf seem to be opposites as the book begins and yet they have an essential sameness which attracts them to one another. There is a real sense of camaraderie between them as they work together to take down the Lords of Chaos. There is a swashbuckling feel to this book that had me completely enthralled.This book has a tremendous amount of energy because of their adventures. There is a sense of wildness and freedom and a real pull of these two together as they fight and scheme and puzzle their way through the mystery of the book. Hugh truly respects Alf's abilities. She is a skilled swordswoman and a clever thief. She is strong and fearless and sometimes reckless. While Hugh wants to protect her, he doesn't try because he knows she had incredible skills. I loved that about Hugh. He demonstrates true respect for her as a person throughout this book.While I loved all those aspects to this book, what kept me thinking about this book all day was how Hugh and Alf are revealed and exposed to one another. Hugh is a man who appears on the surface the perfect cold duke and yet Alf discovers that he is an incredibly loving father, a man who gives money to his commoner relatives but eschews requests from the aristocratic ones. Hugh discovers Alf's secrets and asks the one thing she wants and fears -- for her to publicly become a woman. Hugh wants and needs all of Alf -- boy urchin, Ghost and woman.I loved Alf, loved Hugh and loved the excitement and adventure of the story of this book. Hoyt has a beautiful and lyrical quality to her writing which tugs on my heart and makes me warm and happy.I loved, loved, loved this book!WORTH MENTIONING: This book also sets up the next book which is advertised as being the final in the series.CONNECTED BOOKS: DUKE OF PLEASURE is the eleventh book in the Maiden Lane series. Normally, I recommend reading these books in context, but I think a new reader could read this book as a standalone.STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars!

This book, like Alf, deserves all the stars in the world! Alf was my favorite secondary character in the Maiden Lane series, and I couldn't wait for her story. Here it is, and it is everything I could have wanted! She's the kind of woman I'd love to have as a friend! Loyal, trustworthy, beautiful inside and out! Sweet, strong, smart, and full of heart!Early in the story when Hugh is still under the impression that she's a boy, he teasingly asks her what she likes in women, blue eyes, "tits or arse"? She answers that it's the heart that matters, a woman's spirit and personality, her humanity, the way she treats others, her laughter, joy, kindness, and caring, and how she perceives the world. But she adds slyly that she prefers dark eyes (like Hugh's).Unlike Alf, Hugh is a bit cynical. He doesn't trust his judgment with women. His love for his first wife was passionate but unhealthy because they fought a lot and eventually she cheated on him. So, he left England for three years doing spy work for the King, and returned after his wife's death to take care of his sons. Unfortunately, his eldest son resents him and his youngest son has terrible nightmares and tantrums.Hugh has no idea that Alf is the same Ghost of St Giles who had rescued him from assassins and kissed him in an alley with all her heart, longing, hopes and dreams. When he hires her as an informant to help him dismantle the secret criminal society, the Lords of Chaos, he eventually discovers her true sex and gender. In order to help him, he needs her to be the woman she is inside.Alf is afraid she can't be a woman, and even Hugh's sons, who see her as an ally and friend, dislike her transformation and are afraid that turning her into a woman will change everything that they like about her. Instead, wearing ball gowns, heels, and makeup doesn't change Alf's fundamental identity. It isn't the clothes that make a woman. It isn't the affected, upper crust accent that make her a lady.It wasn't her clothes, her Ghost of St Giles male harlequin costume, that first attracted Hugh to her. It was her courage, wits, strength, generosity, and values. It's that she saved him, even though she didn't have to. In their first kiss, she was wearing breeches, but her costume didn't hide from him her womanly curves and softness.If Alf has any flaws, it's her insecurity about not being feminine or woman enough, which is something I think all women can relate to. That she wouldn't fit in Hugh's world, because she isn't a proper lady, whatever that means. Because being a woman really is one of the hardest things in the world. She speaks bluntly and sometimes uncouthly, but despite her hardships in life, she hasn't abandoned her hopes and dreams, because without them she believes there's no point in living. She's mischievous, not hopeless. And though she's sad that she might never have a man like Hugh to love forever, she doesn't pity herself.To Hugh's credit, he doesn't pity her either. He sees her as his equal, fully capable of taking care of herself, though he worries about her safety because she's so independent. Yet, he needs to put her in dangerous situations due to their mission, because she's the only person who can do the job. He's afraid of the wildness she brings out of him, that kind of passion he had for his first wife, but he also revels in that sense of freedom and uninhibited delight he and Alf share.As Alf integrates all the fragments of her personality, the experiences of her youth living as a boy on the gritty streets of St Giles, explores and liberates the woman she has been hiding, she also helps to heal the rift between father and sons. I loved how Alf was a hero not only to the people she protects in St Giles but also to the people she loves and who become her family.Hugh is everything she has ever wanted and never thought she would ever have. And I loved how determined she was to have him! And most importantly she believed that she deserved him! Alf is a woman who knows what she wants, what she deserves, and isn't afraid to ask for it. I loved her backstory and the special friendship that had helped her survive her childhood. It was sad but precious and showed how Alf didn't take for granted her blessings in life. She knows what's important in life. It's a lesson she teaches to Hugh.Alf makes Hugh a better man, and makes his world, like those of the people she rescues, a better place. This book was so emotional for me. I loved all their special moments, their sweet, passionate kisses under the stars on rooftops where Alf flies, their treasured and intimate lovemaking, their hot and spontaneous sexy times. And I loved how Hugh didn't try to change her, but loved her just the way she is.There was so much poetry and romance in this novel. I loved the metaphor of flying, freedom and hope. I liked that it wasn't as dark and angsty as previous novels in the series and that Alf was the best kind of hero, saving lives and helping people because she cared and it was the right thing to do! Alf is such a good person I love her so much! And I am so happy that Hugh made her happy and she got the happy ever after she deserved.I loved this book so much I plan to purchase a print copy for my collection of favorite romance novels ever, and maybe the audiobook too :)DUKE OF PLEASURE is by far my favorite Maiden Lane novel (though I could be biased because I've loved Alf from the moment I met her). Once I started reading it, I didn't want to put it down.IMO, DUKE OF PLEASURE is the best book in the series, which ought to be developed for TV. The Maiden Lane series has lots of adventure, romance, intrigue, passion and sensuality, heroes, heroines, and villains, in an immersive, interconnected world, conquering social divides, simply by being human or in some cases discovering their humanity for the first time.I highly recommend DUKE OF PLEASURE and the Maiden Lane series with all the stars in the world!

I really enjoyed this book - and I really enjoyed the previous one, 'Duke of Sin', after what I considered a fairly barren patch for the author in the Maiden Lane series. This book was so completely different from the last one, and I was impressed with what the author achieved with this very different story. I loved the main characters and indeed all the close supporting characters. The Duke, illegitimate son of the King, but recognised by him and given his title, is a very straightforward, essentially kind man, who is very different from his peers - he has been a soldier, and his thoughts and actions bear this out. Alf, now a grown woman, was a street child from St. Giles who adopted the mantle of the Ghost of St. Giles because she had a strong sense of honour and justice. What I really liked was that throughout, she remained true to her character - she fought [literally] for justice, protected the weaker people living in her appalling neighbourhood and continued with her disguise which allowed her to be an informant for the more powerful people [like the Duke] who couldn't move in the circles that she did. Even her growing attraction, turning into love, was handled realistically - she simply carried on with what she had been employed to do, while keeping her dreams and hopes to herself, knowing that they were unrealistic but clinging to them with optimism.The actions were more rough and ready - the Duke was a brawler rather than a skilled swordsman - and the language earthier, which also rang true from these two people who were similar despite their very different upbringings [or, in Alf's case, no upbringing at all!] It was clever writing to show the Duke as a man who didn't trust his own feelings when it came to women, after his disastrous first marriage - but there was no especial anguish played out about that first marriage, simply that it didn't work and he took himself away from it, at the expense of his relationship with his young sons, who each suffered in their own way because of the death of their mother and reappearance of their father. Clever, too, to use that same intense passion that he felt initially for his first wife for his initial feelings for Alf, because it underlined his doubts about his own lack of judgement.At no point was there any forcing of the issues of Hugh and Alf's relationship - they simply carried on doing what needed to be done with regard to the Lords of Chaos [presumably based on the Hellfire Clubs] and then the ending was just so sweet, also handled very plausibly. Hugh's two little sons were delightful and their reactions to the loss of their mother and reappearance of their father was entirely believable. Iris, too - Hugh's intended - wasn't a scheming, spiteful woman [as is so often portrayed] but actually realised that Hugh's affections were engaged elsewhere and even told him so!There was nothing I didn't like about this book, would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who, like me, thought the Maiden Lane series had run its course up until the previous book. I shall be interested to see how the author handles the next book, because the excerpt of the beginning is almost an exact set of circumstances as those which came towards the end of 'Duke of Sin'. Long wait, though, until next August! ** Only thing I wasn't sure about was what the title referred to - Hugh didn't strike me as a pleasure-loving Duke, rather a man with a strong sense of duty who found it difficult to show emotion. Doesn't matter, it certainly didn't affect my pleasure in reading this book!

I always find historical romances a fun escape for a few hours. I hadn't read anything by Elizabeth Hoyt before, and while this is part of the Maiden Lane series, it works well as a standalone book - I think each story follows a different pair, so while there is probably some overlap in characters, I didn't feel like I was missing out.Hugh quickly realises that the Ghost of St Giles, Alf in disguise, is female, although he is fooled into thinking Alf is a boy for much longer. When he puts the two together, he keeps the information to himself, protecting her identity and safety. But knowing that the Ghost, whom he has been fantasising about, is actually working with him puts him in an interesting position!The romance in this book is quite sexy, I think partly because unlike in a lot of historical romance novels, the heroine is not part of respectable society. So there is no expectation or assumption that sexual activity will lead to marriage. They are both able to be more free with their affections than in many cases, and it leads to some very steamy scenes!While the romance is of course a big part of the story, the intrigue of trying to uncover a secret society who are known to do awful things is also a big focus. I really enjoyed the mystery, and following the various characters as they put clues together.Overall I really enjoyed this book - it was a lot of fun! I don't know if I'll go back & read earlier books in the series, but I do want to read the sequel as it focuses on a character who we see a lot of in Duke of Pleasure. A fun historical romance with a dangerous plot to uncover, I'm giving Duke of Pleasure 7/10.

I love Elizabeth Hoyt's books, particularly her Maiden Lane series, which is historical romance set in Georgian England. The Duke of Pleasure is #11 in the series but you don't have to have read the others to enjoy the story.Hugh Fitzroy, the Duke of Kyle, is the illegitimate son of King George II, who uses him as a kind of spy for the work he can't trust anyone else to do. Hugh's current investigation is into the Lords of Chaos, a secret society of aristocrats, similar to The Hellfire Club. One night Hugh is ambushed by their assassins, but fortunately rescued by a notorious vigilante known as the Ghost of St Giles - who turns out to be a woman.Ironically, the female 'Ghost' Hugh is now obsessed with is already known to him as the street urchin 'Alf', who lives on 'his' wits by dealing in information - for a price. It takes Hugh about half the novel to realise Alf's real identity, and me about the same amount of time to recognise a reworking of My Fair Lady, as Hugh trains Alf to pass herself off as an aristocrat to help him steal some important papers and finally catch the Lords of Chaos.I enjoyed The Duke of Pleasure because it wasn't the usual girl-meets-rake historical romance, it had lots of action and adventure, as well as a bit of a mystery, and I loved the character of Alf. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of Georgian romance.The Ghost of St Giles (a kind of Georgian Batman) has appeared as a main character in three other Elizabeth Hoyt novels: Thief of Shadows (#4), Lord of Darkness (#5) and Duke of Midnight (#6). Alf has also appeared in other Maiden Lane books, mainly Lord of Darkness. So if you do want to read the other books in the series, you might want to start with those.

I have stuffed this book into my brain like stuffing my face with chocolate. I wanted to start reading it slowly and enjoy it over a few evenings, allowing it to linger, savouring it. No, failed. I have just finished it within 24 hours. I loved it; like all the other maiden lane books...and yet again a tempting nugget for the next book...

A touching romance about a couple who seemed to really need each other, although it of course took them some time to realise it! All the characters (two sensitive little boys, a damaged man, & a brave woman named Alf), found each other, and fulfilled a need each other, which is why I think this story worked so well. This 11th book is a favourite of mine in the Maiden lane series.