Book Review- After Dark with the Duke (The Palace of Rogues #4 ) by Julie Anne Long*

    

General Fiction (Adult) , Romance ,,Women's Fiction

She arrives in the dead of night, a mob out for blood at her heels: Mariana Wylde, the “Harlot of Haywood Street,” an opera diva brought low by a duel fought for her favors. But the ladies of the Grand Palace on the Thames think they can make a silk purse from scandal: They’ll restore her reputation and share in her triumph...provided they can keep her apart from that other guest.

 
Coldly brilliant, fiercely honorable, General James Duncan Blackmore, the Duke of Valkirk, is revered, feared, desired...but nobody truly knows him. Until a clash with a fiery, vulnerable beauty who stands for everything he scorns lays him bare. It’s too clear the only cure for consuming desire is conquest, but their only chance at happiness could lead to their destruction.

The legendary duke never dreamed love would be his last battleground. Valkirk would lay down his life for Mariana, but his choice is stark: risk losing her forever, or do the one thing he vowed he never would...surrender.  AMAZON LINK

3.5 STARS

 I had a hard time rating this story.  I will say it was an unusual story and an even more unusual romance.  There were parts that I liked and others not so much.  I guess it would  be easier to say that it wasn't really my cup of tea. Starting with the Duke/James  was someone that I didn't like at first.  In fact for quite a while. He was severe, stiff, judgemental and way over praised by others.  The last part wasn't his fault though and he finds it a weary thing in fact.  The public has basically put in on a pedestal forgetting that he is just a man.  A man who is not really known but revered.   Even his own grown son was in awe of his father but without really knowing him.

Mariana was a small woman with a big talent.  And a talent for scandal wasn't it but her singing voice was.  I found her a lot easier to like than James.  She had a heart of gold even if some of her decisions landed her in hot water.  She's also not afraid of hard work.  And I began to wonder how in the world things would work out.  

 The Grand Palace on the Thames was filled with colorful, interesting people. They did a lot to add to the story.

I found the story kind of slow but about 60% on my kindle things did begin to shift and change. I started to like how more of the real James shows through. It does slow down a bit again because of all of James trying to figure things out like the military man he has been.  

 I just had to find out how the story would end.  And I did enjoy how everything did end up. 

   I received  an advanced reader copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.