Sins of a Wicked Duke

By Sophie Jordan

She works to live …

One would think the last place a beauty like Fallon O'Rourke could keep her virtue was in the Mayfair mansion of London's most licentious duke, the notorious Dominic Hale. Yet Fallon—who's endured nothing but lecherous advances since her father's tragic death—is perfectly safe there … disguised as a footman! Beneath the notice of the dark-haired devil with his smoldering blue eyes and sinful smile, Fallon never imagines her secret will be discovered. But how long can her deception last when she begins to wish she is one of the many women traipsing in and out of the sinful rogue's bedchamber?

He lives to sin …

Most men envy the duke, never suspecting his pleasure-loving ways are a desperate attempt to escape, however briefly, the pain of a past that's left him with a heart of stone. Only one woman can break down his defenses. Only one woman can win his love … if she reveals her secret and succumbs to the sins of the wicked duke.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 6, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061971051

Sophie Jordan

Sophie Jordan grew up in the Texas hill country, where she wove fantasies of dragons, warriors, and princesses. A former high school English teacher, she’s the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of more than fifty novels. She now lives in Houston with her family. When she’s not writing, she spends her time overloading on caffeine (lattes preferred), talking plotlines with anyone who will listen (including her kids), and streaming anything that has a happily ever after.

Reviews for Sins of a Wicked Duke

[pnrlist · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I do like a Cinderella storyline. While the heroine was passingly described as plain, it wasn't significant enough to warrant this book being placed on that specific shelf. Poor girl with a childhood full of abuse and pain dresses up in trousers to get a decent wage (can't argue with that). Most of the angst was about the dissolute behavior of the rake hero; I prefer the angst to be focused around insecurity and healing from trauma. But still a good read. I'll be checking out the rest of the trilogy. (3.5 stars)

[thewestwing-864351 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First book I’ve read by Sophie Jordan and was impressed. Enjoyed the pacing and characters, will definitely read the rest of the series.

[dawn772 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This steamy historical started out pretty good with heroine fighting back against disappointing situations but midway through she lost her backbone and turned submissive. Fallon loses servant job (again) when attacked by owners son so she pretends to be a footman in service of Dominic a pleasure-loving duke reprobate.

[katebond-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a fun series. I love romance series that follow a group of friends, each receiving the focus of one book.

This series technically comes before Jordan's Forgotten Princesses series, as the characters overlap.

[addictofromance · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fallon lost her father when she was a girl and has blamed the family that sent her father to his death ever since. She was sent to a school for girl where she learned much but was abused often with little to eat and where she found her two closest friends. Now she is an adult but life hasn't changed that much. She still wants a home for herself. She has had a hard time trying to find a stable job where she doesn't end up being fondled and almost forced into a man's bed against her will. So Fallon is desperate to escape her situation and figures out that if she poses as a male servant, circumstances will be a lot different for her. So she ends up being a footman for Dominic Hale. Dominic is exactly the type of man she wants to avoid being near. With a variety of women always in his bedchamber, she wonders how he can be so wicked yet temptation. Dominic used to have purpose and meaning in his life, trying to help young children. However now he has returned to England and he just exists in his life, never really living. Not until he meets Fallon. When a strange footman comes to work for him, there is something different about him, he just doesn't know what. Then one evening, while he was drunk, he finds a woman in his bed that makes him feel more alive than he has felt in years. He just doesn't know that the woman that can change his life works for him posing as a man. When the truth comes out Fallon will realize that she would never love anyone as much as she loves Dominic who may be wicked but she just aches to reach his heart...I have only read one book previous to this one by this author, and I wonder why I haven't read more of her before now. I really should be banging my head against a lamp or something for being such a idiot LOL It has been a while since I have read a book that totally won my heart over and was such a page turner I had it read in one morning when I thought it might take a whole day to read it. It has been quite a while since I have read a book so quick and been so engrossed into a story I forgot the time. Before I realized it, the book was over, and even though it left me fully satisfied as if I had feasted on a meal at Thanksgiving, but I also wanted more, it ended way too soon for me. I loved how this story play out...its a very unique style of plot and story line. Its been almost forever since I have read a story of a woman posing as a man (in the historical genre). Either its not very common any more, or I just haven't been reading those books LOL Maybe a bit of both. It starts out with seeing Fallon as a little girl and it made my heart just reach out to her instantly and to her friends. Fallon has alot of spirit in her, but she also has a standard for herself, and refuses to accept less than a marriage before she goes into bed with a man. I admired her tenacity and will, and she tended to be quite creative at times. Now Dominic is the type that I see is just wasting his life away in drinking, gambling and in women. At first I had a hard time liking him, but he grew on me the more and more the story progressed. We see him change into someone that wants to live for a purpose and enjoyed seeing these two clash against each other. And when the truth comes out that she is a woman----magnifiscently done in that scene. There were so many little scenes that I enjoyed and just got a kick out of them. I just love Jordan's style, there is a sense of fun and playfulness between the couple, and the little things between them that only made their story that much sweeter. Overall a sweet and tantalizing story of love and sensuality that in perfectly blended into a truly wonderful story. It tended to constantly pull at my heartstrings and left me breathless until the very end!!! DEFINITELY a read you don't want to miss out on or this author!!! LOVED IT!!

[tundra_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book was awful compared to Jordan's later works. It was very crude and the story forced and irritating. I did not enjoy it.

[catherine331 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

After reading multiple enthusiastic reviews at multiple sites I decided to pick this book up. Unfortunately this book didn't work for me nearly as well as it did for those other happy readers. The description of the book sounded promising and the details mentioned by the reviews were ones that I usually like. For some reason it just didn't come together for me in this book. I spent most of the book with one eyebrow cocked struggling to believe in the characters and their motivations.For some reason I could never bring myself to like Fallon. I know that her pity party of one was supposed to make me feel for her, but it didn't work. I found her whiny and the type of person that would cut off her nose to spite herself. Her father died years ago following the demands of his employer. Fallon is unwilling to move past it and has a hatred for all noblemen (because her father's employer was one). The employer had paid for her to go to a school after her father's death, but that only deepened Fallon's dislike of him. The school she was sent to had a sadistic headmaster who got his jollies out of beating the girls enrolled there and watching them suffer.This sounds like a nice background for character growth and the realization that it is narrow minded to blame a large group of people for the actions of one man. Unfortunately I didn't see that happen until the last few pages. When it finally did happen I didn't believe it. It seemed like she stayed mired in her bitterness the whole book until the author realized the end was coming up and had Fallon play lip service to character growth so that she and Dominic could get their HEA.Very little was ever made out of the fact that Fallon was a servant and Dominic was a duke. I know it was brought up a few times by Fallon to explain why they could never be together but it seemed like lip service. When they finally got together in the end the class difference was ignored in a way that I found laughable. I know that Fallon blamed her looks and the fact that she wouldn't put out for not being able to keep a job, but I really don't believe that. She seemed to have no awareness of the fact that she was a servant and what that meant to her standing in the world. The girl couldn't keep her mouth shut and her rudeness contained if you stapled her lips shut. I think that was the real reason she couldn't keep a job.Dominic was a pretty bland character. He was made out to be this dissolute rake that still managed to be sexy to Fallon. Unfortunately it didn't work for me. Usually there is something about the rakes that wallow in darkness that fascinates you even as their actions repel you. He didn't have that spark. Because of this lack I couldn't understand what Fallon was so fascinated by. She apparently saw something in him that fascinated her enough to look past his skeezy behavior. I wish I had seen it too.One last point... I really dislike the fact that Fallon's charade lasted for so long. It made the rest of their relationship seem really rushed. It seemed like the minute Dominic saw she had breasts he worshipped her. Very irritating. I don't know if I'll try this author again. If the rest of her books are styled in this manner I don't think they'll work for me.

[bitemeeric_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very cute story about a girl who posed as a male servant for a Duke in order to earn a larger salary and to keep the males away from her. The Duke is handsome but enjoys having his way with women, not includng his staff. As Fallon gets to know the Duke, she is finding herself attracted to him.

[jjmachshev_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"Sins of a Wicked Duke" is Sophie Jordan's latest historical with moderate heat about a young woman whose temperment and looks have made it hard for her to keep a job. So she does the unthinkable--cuts her long hair, disguises herself, and hires on as a footman! Fallon's life took a hard turn as a young girl when her father died. She was sent to a school where her flame-red hair earned her especially harsh treatment from the headmaster. She hated every moment, but did cherish the two friends she made and kept. After escaping the school, she's had a hard time earning her keep as a servant, simply because she refuses to become a man's toy and tends to speak her mind. After losing yet another job, Fallon comes up with the perfect plan...she'll become a footman! But 'best laid plans' and all that since the house she hires out to is that of the licentious duke. If anyone can penetrate her disguise, it's certainly a man who knows women as well as the Duke.Dominic grew up with all the privileges of his station. He also grew up under the severe tutelage and control of his grandfather, who blamed Dominic's father for the ruination and death of his daughter, Dominic's mother, and was determined to punish Dominic for his 'blood'. After being told so often that he was a devil, Dominic decided to live up to his name...and he's done quite the bang up job of it ever since. Now he's jaded and becoming bored with life, until he meets a beautiful servant girl he can't seem to forget.Not a bad read, just not very memorable. I had difficulty becoming attached to either of the lead characters and that affected my enjoyment of the plot. What was nice about this story is the lack of any danger or intrigue. This is purely a romance about two people who should be all wrong for each other...but discover that nothing levels the playing field like love.