Review of The Duke Is Mine by Eloisa James

Title/Author: The Duke Is Mine (Fairy Tales #3) by Eloisa James
Publisher/Date published: Avon Books, January 1st 2012
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "Destiny will be decided between the sheets in this all-new tale of "The Princess and the Pea.
For Olivia Lytton, betrothal to the Duke of Canterwick - hardly a Prince Charming - feels more like a curse than a happily-ever-after. At least his noble status will help her sister, Georgiana, secure an engagement with the brooding, handsome Tarquin, Duke of Sconce, a perfect match for her in every way... every way but one. Tarquin has fallen in love with Olivia.
Quin never puts passion before reason. And reason says that Georgiana is his ideal bride. But the sensual, fiery, strong-willed Olivia ignites an unknown longing in him - a desire they are both powerless to resist. When a scandalous affair begins, they risk losing everything - Olivia's engagement, her sister's friendship, and their own fragile love. Only one thing can save them - and it awaits in the bedroom, where a magnificent mattress holds life-changing answers to the greatest romantic riddle of all.

You know how sometimes a book starts of so extremely well and then it goes a bit downhill after the halfway point? Yeah, that kinda happened with The Duke Is Mine.

I had never read anything by Eloisa James before and seriously, her writing is really good, at least for the first half of the book. After that the story turned slightly ridiculous. You see, there was all this wonderful tension going on with Olivia wanting to be loyal to both her sister and her fiancé, who doesn't have all his chickens lined up so to speak. But there's Tarquin who makes her heart go BOOM very loudly and who seems to return the feeling. So YES clandestine meetings and tension and stolen kisses and all those FEELINGS! And I was loving it.

And then they did the dance with no pants for the first time and I was... disappointed. I mean, I get that it's realistic for a woman to feel pain when it's her first time, but this was slightly ridiculous. Also: it was not sexy. And it's a problem when the sexytimes aren't sexy. Cause that kinda defeats the point, no?

After that they go on this mad dash across the Channel to save Olivia's ex-fiancé and she shows herself to have a LOT of too-stupid-to-live qualities which made me want to say something I NEVER say: CONTROL YOUR FEMALE. Someone needed to make her see sense because she was not only jeopardizing her own safety but also that of several others. And everyone just accepts that fact.

As for Tarquin, I would have growled at anyone who dared contest that the duke was not mine if I'd been Olivia. Because that man is swoonworthy! I really, really liked him and his kindness and protectiveness and all of his manness! And I enjoyed the chemistry between him and Olivia very much.

So the first part of the book would have easily gotten 4-5 stars but the second half kinda killed the moment.

My rating: 2,5 stars