Book Review

After Dark with the Duke by Julie Anne Long

CW: discussions of sexual harrassment and an instance of non-graphic sexual assault.

Friends, I stayed up all night reading this book. And this was no ordinary night…I had just had surgery (with great results!) but the after effects of anesthesia (which usually leaves me super sleepy) were powerless in the face of this tremendous romance.

Two foolish peers have fought a duel over an opera singer. The outcome? The object of the duel, our rising-star opera singer, runs for her life from an angry mob and finds sanctuary at the Grand Palace on the Thames, a unique boarding house. There are rules, like in other boarding houses, but it’s not just a question of paying your fees. It’s a matter of fitting into the ‘found family’ feel of the boarding house. Oh, and if you have no money, there are creative ways around that barrier. Mariana Wylde, the opera singer in question, is talented, determined, and utterly at the mercy of society’s misogynistic whims.

She meets one of the other residents and the dislike is instant. General James Blackmore, the Duke of Valkirk, is a war hero, a national treasure and a legend. He judges Mariana unfairly and she won’t have any of that nonsense. So she makes barbed remarks about his coldness, sings thinly-veiled ditties about his impotence, etc. Until James finally snaps and says something he shouldn’t. As part of their subsequent, uneasy truce – brokered by the two women who run the boarding house – James offers to teach Mariana Italian – a language that she can sing in, but does not understand. So begins their journey.

This book hits so many glorious highs for me.

First, I genuinely love both main characters. I want only good things for them both and it is so easy to empathize with and understand them. James is so much more than just his awesome (I use that word in its original sense) fearsome war hero reputation. There are depths to this character that go beyond his initial fortress-like impression. His character is not only revealed layer by beautiful layer, but his character changes and evolves as the story unfolds. I would tell you how this all happens, but I want you to experience this for yourself. His evolution is unique in my reading history.

If you’re concerned about heart wrenching angst, please note: this is not a book about healing the scars of war or revealing a beating heart beneath a cold exterior. It is infinitely more complex and more real than that. But while the emotions are real, they do not ever become so big or angst-filled that they were a cause of anxiety for me. I’m not so great with intensely angsty books.

While James undertakes the lion’s share of growth, Mariana also develops in her own way. She lets James into her heart in ways that she has not done before. Mariana is a fearsome creature who is prickly and scared and so very brave all at the same time.

The majority of their closeness is built up during their daily Italian lessons. They flirt, argue and find common ground through translating sentences and learning new words. James, who believes that he has to live up to his public reputation, does all he can to resist Mariana. Mariana, who fears that this is an affair going nowhere, does the same. But the chemistry! They embark on a secret love affair, but can it be more? Will James be able to step out of his persona and be himself? Will Mariana stick to her boundaries and demand all or nothing? While obviously, they end up together, their journey to that happy union is a messy, heart-filled one. And that happy union, their HEA, has to be one of the most beautiful I’ve read in a long time. James’ surrender to his true feelings is a wonder to behold, and the lengths to which he goes to support Mariana… sigh. Just perfection.

There is a relatively large supporting cast of characters in this novel, all of whom are nuanced and original. Some of them are from previous books in the series (books that I have added to my TBR pile with enthusiasm) and some are other residents in the boarding house. While I didn’t love the slapstick humour provided by Dot, one of the house maids, the other characters were endearing in their own right even if, by necessity, they were flat in comparison to our main characters.

This romance just hit too many of my favourite buttons for me to be objective. For me, the highest praise I can give a romance novel is that it is original, and this book is that in every possible sense. Do not hesitate over that one-click button; I can guarantee reading satisfaction. Oh, to read this book again for the first time. I swoon!

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After Dark with the Duke by Julie Anne Long

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  1. Ren Benton/Lena Brassard says:

    Well, this sounds wonderful. *clickety*

  2. Tam says:

    I am really enjoying this series. I read the first one and thought, “Well, that was nice” and then I read it twice more during the worst of the pandemic when I could only cope with the cosiest of romances. The plots can be a little bananas, but honestly, I didn’t care.

  3. Lisa L says:

    I have been enjoying this series as well and this one might just be a purchase since it’s many weeks until it’s available at the library and I’m on vacation time from work without going anywhere. Let’s see if frugality or vacation “I’m worth it” wins.

  4. kirby says:

    I have been loving this series so much that when I clicked on the review, I looked at the grade through my fingers. Squee, indeed!!! The books so far have some bananas plot but *also* grown ass humans who use their words. The love stories have been some of the sweetest in my recent memory. Can’t wait to read this!

  5. Loramir says:

    This series is SO good. Can’t wait to read this one. I had read some JAL eons ago and didn’t remember anything special, but these became huge favorites immediately. They’re funny and warm and compelling, the characters have depth and growth and maturity, and they’re *beautifully* written.

    I VERY rarely highlight anything on my Kindle books but these were so full of just lovely metaphors, clever and funny turns of phrase, conversations with depth and originality, swoonworthy speeches, just so much good writing that I’ve highlighted a ton in all of these so far. Even the most mundane moments have memorable turns of phrase but without getting too flowery or pretentious.

    “She could not recall ever before meeting a man who reverberated after he was gone.”

    “He said words like ‘cabin’ and ‘skin’ and ‘shoot’ deliberately. He laid them down like fortifications between her station in life and his.”

    “That image bypassed a place in his mind where cynicism lived. In fact, it thrust a soft pillow under the cynicism and bade it take its shoes off and have a nap.”

  6. Pam says:

    ‘Squee’ is the best way to describe how great this book is. I wanted to hug it, and can’t say I’ve felt that way about many stories. JAL outdid herself with this one. So romantic … older war hero meets disgraced opera singer, yousa.

  7. Pam says:

    FYI I was lucky enough to have an ARC. I’ve already read it twice.

  8. DonnaMarie says:

    Click.

  9. Kareni says:

    @Lara, this sounds excellent! Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm.

  10. MD says:

    I like Julie Ann Long but my first question on this review was, why is a duke living in a boarding house? I doubt the book is shooting for historical accuracy but I wonder if that would pull me out of it?

  11. LisaM says:

    At work, I kept sneaking peaks all day at the library website to see if this was listed yet. Finally just now I found it, and there are already (only) 6 people ahead of me in line.

  12. ReneeG says:

    Found this lovely waiting for me on my kindle today. Sometimes past me really does a solid for present me!

  13. JoanneBB says:

    Past me preordered this, so I will get it when I sync my kindle next, probably Friday. Something to look forward to!

  14. Lisa F says:

    JAL never disappoints – excited to read this one!

  15. Hannah Bloom says:

    I’ve really loved this series so far, and now I’m extra excited for this one to come out!

    I’ve started recommending the first in the series, LADY DERRING TAKES A LOVER, as a starter romance for friends new to the genre. It combines regency historical goodness with a clever feminist premise. (The wife and mistress of a no-good earl meet after his death, and instead of feeling competition or spite, they discover real friendship commiserating about him. They pool the few resources he left behind to open a boarding house and support themselves. No one mentions the shitheel earl ever again.)

    As the series expands beyond the HEAs of the boarding house’s founders, I still love it. Long is such a strong writer.

    I do, however, hate most of the covers. This last one is the best of the bunch by a mile.

  16. Lauren says:

    Ok, ok I’m sold! Lol! But will I miss out on significant enjoyment or understanding if I jump into the series here, without having read the previous books? I barely have time to read and I’m already a couple books in on at least three other series at the moment and I just. Can. Not. Start. Another. In the past, I was pretty anal about reading series books in order, but I’ve loosened up considerably in the last few years. So what’s the concensus? Jump in here, or divert to my digital tbr pile?

  17. Violet Bick says:

    Thanks for the review! I tried a well-regarded book by this author once before and it didn’t really work for me (I know, different strokes), but the enthusiasm and joy expressed in this review makes me want to give it another try.

  18. Katty says:

    @Lauren: In the review, Lara says “Some of them are from previous books in the series (books that I have added to my TBR pile with enthusiasm)”, which I took to mean that Lara jumped in at this book as well. So it seems quite possible to enjoy it very much without having read the previous ones. 😉

  19. Chris says:

    I’ve read all four and this was absolutely the best one. It’s the best I’ve read since the first time I read a knight in shining armor and son of the morning years ago. It’s a keeper..it’s buy the paperback and reread good.

  20. Momo says:

    I was also wondering why a Duke was living in a boarding house…

  21. Connie says:

    He was living in the boarding house because his town house was under construction and he need quiet to write a book! I finished this yesterday and loved it! I have enjoyed the entire series but this was my favorite. I love everything she writes!

  22. GradStudentEscapist says:

    Just came here to say I glommed this book last night and loved it. Was already feeling emotional for *other reasons* yesterday but it brought a tear or two to my eye. Achingly romantic. JAL is a hit or miss for me but this was wonderful – high stakes conflict, banter, lovely prose and really strong character development.

  23. alta says:

    I just finished this book today and I agree that the story developed slowly enough and with enough wit (and Italian!) that I never wanted to put it down. My only complaint is that the denouement felt rushed. I would have enjoyed reading about exactly who said what and to whom as the final events played out, as I am sure the author could have written those scenes with the same complexity as the material leading up to those moments. Ah well…. Still, I highly recommend it, but for the sake of enjoying the minor characters, as well as for just enjoying the books, I recommend reading the series in order, from the first book onward.

  24. Lauren says:

    I liked this book overall. However, I agree that the epilogue felt like a big data dump and didn’t fit with the rest of the book. For me, it didn’t convincingly close out questions about how the hero and heroine overcame the obstacles keeping them apart. It was too tidy and read like a laundry list.

    I’d still recommend this book, but this is my least favorite in the series. It’s very similar to my favorite book of Long’s, It Started with a Scandal, but less likeable. It Started with a Scandal has similar themes: grumpy war hero, competent and witty heroine, relationship formed due to daily meetings in the study (heroine helps the hero write letters) but the hero is so so so much more genuine, at least to me. Highly recommend that book if you liked this one!

  25. Julia says:

    *screams into the night* THIS ENTIRE SERIES IS SO GOOD AND SO UNDERRATED!

    My favorite is still Angel in a Devil’s Arms (a book that made my cry no less than 3 times and is in my top 5 historicals list) and I am so pumped to read this the instant my copy arrives.

  26. CW87 says:

    Ah. I have started this, and just realized there’s a pretty big age gap, as she’s only a few years older than his son. Not sure if I will continue – it was the same issue I had with an older book of hers, What I Did for a Duke. I’m just not super comfortable with it myself.

  27. Robin says:

    Omg totally squee-worthy. So good.

  28. Laura says:

    Like most of Julie Anne Long’s books, I found this series to be hit or miss. This book was definitely a hit. The General and the opera singer were well matched and although this is a romance, their future together was a page turner.

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