After Dark with the Duke by Julie Anne Long is the fourth book in The Palace of Rogues series. The 
series takes place at The Grand Palace on the Thames, a boarding house by the docks of London, owned by Mrs. Angelique Durand from Lady Derring Takes a Lover (Book #1) and Mrs. Delilah Hardy from Angel in a Devil’s Arms (Book #2). The books are best read in order to understand all the subtleties between the characters of The Grand Palace. So far, this one is my favorite of the series. I loved the witty dialogue, feisty characters, and the dynamics of the staff and residents of The Grand Palace.
Brooding General James Duncan Blackmore, the first Duke of Valkirk, was a respected and admired war hero by all of England. He was staying at The Grand Palace because his London townhouse was being renovated and he needed a quiet place to write his autobiography. Feeling guilty about his behavior, he offers to help Mariana learn Italian. His preconceived opinion of Mariana slowly changes as they work together and the attraction between the two grow.
Opera diva Mariana Wylde had been labeled the “Harlot of Haywood Street” when two men fought a duel over her. She barely escaped the mob in front of her building and with little money she was hoping Delilah and Angelique would allow her to stay at The Grand Palace. She needed a place to stay until she could collect her wages and travel to Scotland where her mother lived. When Angelique and Delilah offer to let her stay if she would perform one night in their new ballroom, Mariana agrees hoping to repair her reputation. Her pride was hurt from the duke’s instant judgment and cynical comments, so she set out to make him see her.
Mariana was the sunshine to James’ cloud. He spent so much time being the illusion society thought he was that he had lost himself over time. Mariana helped him find joy in life again and saw him as a man and not a myth. He struggled with the decision of being himself and having a happy life or doing what society thought was his duty. Mariana had spent her life learning everything the hard way, which made her strong and resilient. Even though she had a tough life, she was still able to be cheerful and have hope for her future.
This was an entertaining holiday romance with the enemy to lover troupe and so far, my favorite. I loved the warm and family atmosphere that the residents and staff created at The Grand Park. Some insight into the next book was included and I cannot wait to read it.
Book Info:
Publication: November 30, 2021 | Avon | The Palace of Rogues #4
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.
