ARC REVIEW Duke of Desire by Elizabeth Hoyt

The Duke of Desire is book 12 of Elizabeth Hoyt's Maiden Lane series. In the last book Lady Iris Jordan is kidnapped by the Lords of Chaos because they think she married Duke of Kyle. They plan on a full night of debauchery and then return her to the Duke dead. Unfortunately their information is wrong and Iris is not the Duke of Kyle's new Duchess. One of the revelers takes her for himself. Unknowing to Iris it's a rescue and she shoots The Duke of Dyemore in the shoulder. Raphael knows the only way to save Iris is to marry her so before he passes out from blood loss the local vicar marries them as soon as they reach his house. Raphael thinks he is just as damaged as the rest of the Lords of Chaos, only difference is he wants to tear down the Lords of Chaos and destroy them forever, he just has to figure out who took over as Dionysus.  Raphael had no plans to marry ever and even though he has admired Iris from afar for months he can not let himself fall in love with her not with what he has to do.

Iris told herself she would make best of this situation and be the Duchess of Dyemore. Raphael isn't making it any easier she promised herself that after her first marriage of she got married again it would be for love and seeing that not the case here she would atleast want children of her own finally only Raphael does not want to consummate the marriage. The more Iris finds out about Raphael the more she falls in love with him especially after she finds out how he received the hideous scar on his face. Finding out who Dionysus is isn't easy especially since he keeps getting distracted with Iris.

Overall, he should have been the Duke of Dire. Raphael had desire, there were some really good scenes and I enjoyed where she went with the Lords of Chaos but Raphael was just so depressing. What he kept doing to Iris was sad, it really made me wonder why are falling in love with him. He had a traumatic event in his childhood and he never let go of that and I get that, but having something that severe and perverse happen to the main character, I am okay with a whole lot of stuff authors put their characters through but that one touches really close to uncomfortable for me.