Two Dances and a Duke

The Seduction, Book 1

By: Eloisa James

Narrated by: Felicity Foster

Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

Shamed for her curves and plagued by a Mean Girl, Bea is miserable—until she triumphs over social disaster and wins the hand and heart of a duke. One of Eloisa James’s most exuberant and emotional novellas.

Miss Beatrice Valentine is having a horrible first Season, shamed for her curves by Lady Regina Haywood.

Despite Regina's attempts to make Bea a wallflower, Bea finds herself torn between Regina’s fiancé, the rakish, quick-tempered Lord Peregrine, and Regina’s brother, the war-hero, the Duke of Lennox.

Bea is determined to marry a kindly man, and certainly no one close to Regina. But both of these gentlemen are determined to seduce her...and one will succeed.

Praise for Eloisa James:

'Eloisa James is extraordinary'—Lisa Kleypas

'Smart heroines, sensual heroes, witty repartee and a penchant for delicious romance have made James a fan favorite . . . readers will be hooked from beginning to end'—RT Book Reviews

'Romance writing does not get much better than this'—People

'Eloisa James writes with a captivating blend of charm, style, and grace that never fails to leave the reader sighing and smiling and falling in love'—Julia Quinn

'Charming, romantic and unexpectedly funny'—Kirkus

Previously published as The Seduction: Bea [Episodes 1-18] on Kindle Vella.

©2022 by Eloisa James. (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Not enough depth

I like most of Eloisa James’ books, but this one felt rushed, with underdeveloped characters that were a little to superficial and predictable. I did not care for the narrator.

Perfect short story!

Read this first as a Kindle Vella and I was hooked for the entire series. Sweet story with great characters. Love to hate Regina and cheer on Bea and Jonah. Picked up all three in the series the day they were released on audible. Really enjoyed the narration.

Happy to see more from Eloisa James

Eloisa James is always a pleasure to read. Her books are invariably engaging and humorous, with great characters. Two Dances and a Duke is a short novel, just under five hours, but still satisfying. The h was likable with her unfashionably voluptuous figure, and her quirky interest in probability. It was fun to see the Duke’s interest evolve (that is, his interest in marriage. He was attracted to the h from the beginning, as should be the case in a good HR).
If I have any criticism, it would be that I had to convince myself of the heroine’s interest in the hero. We didn’t see little inklings of attraction right from the beginning. Her desire for him seemed to be a decision that she made in a crucial moment rather than a feeling that was building all along. I would also have liked to learn a little more about the Duke’s experience a soldier and why he is considered a war hero. Or for that matter, how the heir to a dukedom ended up in the military in harm’s way.
I also thought the “mean girls“ scene went on too long, considering how short a novel this was.
I really appreciated the epilogue. Eloisa James excels at these.
As good as the epilogue was, it left me with some questions. What happened to the college that was supposed to be established in Will‘s name? Why did it become Lennox college instead? There was also a question about timing regarding the information about Lady Regina that was included in the epilogue. I won’t say more because it would be a spoiler.
None of these criticisms is significant enough to change my rating from 5.0 (actually 4.5 rounded up), but it did make me wonder if perhaps this book had originally been a longer novel that was hacked up indiscriminately to become a shorter tome. If that is the case, I urge the publishing company to take a second look and release this novel in its entirety. Eloisa James is too good to miss a word!

Bee getting some backbone!

I liked it It is so lovely to listen to one of her books. Especially when the humerus parts show up. Loved it

I like that she was not the conversational beauty.

I liked that the female lead is not the standard in beauty, but smart men were able to appreciate her beauty and her intelligence.

Always love Eloisa James

This was a short, easy, and good historical romance. I always enjoy Eloisa James. I’m usually quickly invested in her characters. I’m reading the whole series and I always enjoy when characters show up again.

Bullying but romantic plot was great!

I loved the book. I loved Beatrice and Regina they just popped off the pages so to speak. The reader was awesome!!!!

truly unpleasant

Thiis is an amendment to my original review. Upon listening further, the story gets worse. There is a lot of nasty bullying and endless comments about how fat the heroine is, and the heroine continues to be a total weenie without significantly interesting qualities. Endless bullying and fat shaming does tend to ruin a romantic mood.

Disappointing

Narration and story were disappointing. I love this author but could not get into this one, going to try the next in the series but if that's not better going to give up.

This is terrible.

I love regency romance romps. Fun, sweet, sexy, cute, fraught, and everything in between. This is not that. It’s insipid. The chemistry between leads is nonexistent. The romance is just there, it never develops or teases towards anything. The villain is overdone. Side characters seemingly without a role. Plot progression is blah.

Narrator is good. So there’s that. But it’s not enough. Don’t spend a credit on this. Actually, even if it’s free, don’t waste your time.