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Awakening Wicked: Duchess Diaries Book One

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A Regency Era Erotic Romance Short Story

A young, wealthy widow. A past devoid of passion. And a secret weekend that promises to change everything.

Fresh from the shackles of a loveless marriage, Lilly, the radiant Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, is ripe for a second chance at life and love. But with innocence as her armor, she’s wary of the world of gentlemen. That is, until an invitation to the most scandalous event of the season promises to introduce her to forbidden desires she never knew she harbored.

The infamous Rycroft house party in Surrey beckons. Under the guidance of her mischievous friend Lady Anne, Lilly stands on the brink of discovering pleasures and passions she'd never imagined. But will this dalliance bring her the happiness she yearns for, or plunge her deeper into a world of intrigue and betrayal?

If erotic tales of Regency high society entice you, dive into a tale of seduction, second chances, and the allure of the unknown. Discover what—or who—awakens the deepest desires in the Dowager Duchess. Are you ready for the rise of the ton's most wicked widow? Grab your copy of this short passionate tale from historical England with explicit content now!

85 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 29, 2022

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About the author

Violet Sinclair

74 books5 followers
Violet Sinclair is obsessed with all things historical; ballrooms, fancy gowns, and Regency England. When she's not traveling with her boys, you can find her writing sexy stories and dreaming of her next journey poolside beneath the Florida palm trees.

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5 stars
7 (25%)
4 stars
10 (35%)
3 stars
8 (28%)
2 stars
3 (10%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
598 reviews4 followers
September 26, 2023
Fast read but does not have much story depth, more like an erotic novella.

Lilly is a widowed duchess and is encouraged by her friend Anne to explore her freedom and passion. The ton is under the impression that Lilly had married the old duke for his title and money but that is far from the truth. Lilly had to give up 10 beaus to get married to the duke.

The first story is about Lillys interlude with Henri a marquess (from her list of 10).

Steamy rating: very high. Enjoy!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Caligirl.
153 reviews
September 6, 2023
I received this as an ARC.. first time reading Ms Sinclair's books.. I enjoyed the story of Lily and Henry and their brief fling at a house party. The story was a very short and easy read….what I didn’t care for is it was SHORT.. no backstory, no real character depth and the story left you hanging.

I’ve read short stories before where most authors provide all of this and leave you feeling satisfied at the end…. Not the case for me with this book sadly… tho I did like Henry.
Profile Image for Karmen O.
277 reviews14 followers
September 27, 2023
Lily, a curious, but cautious, widowed Duchess has finally escaped a loveless (and unfulfilling!) marriage.

Henry, a former suitor who has continued to lust for her after all these years.

What delights await them at an innocent enough house party?

All this and much more in:
Awakening Wicked by Violet Sinclair, book one of the Duchess Diaries, a novellete.
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England, 1816
Curious Widowed Duchess
Rakish Former Suitor
English Countryside
House Party
Second Chance (But not for love!)
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Cover rating: 4/5
Story rating: 4/5
Steam Rating: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
Ending: Open ending
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Are you ready for a quick and steamy read? Honestly, look no further than Violet Sinclair's series, Duchess Desires. I'm honestly about to binge-read all four available titles in the series in one go!
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Sinclair is a new-to-me author, and I found myself truly enjoying her writing style. She packs a great deal of detail into the shorter page run, and as a lover of the details, I am nothing but pleased. The conversations between characters are not mindless tit-a-tat and include thoughtful looks into the minds of each player. There is no questioning what the characters are thinking (and are or are not saying!)
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Something I found interesting (and delightful!) about this novelette is while it is very steamy, there IS a plot line unfolding. Due to the intentionally shorter page length of this title, we only get a sliver of the main plot. However, the rest of the main story is sure to unfold throughout the follow-up titles by Sinclair. I am excited to see what debauched affairs Lily gets herself into in the future.
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In terms of steam, be prepared for some wickedly delicious and detailed escapades of several varieties. Wary steam readers: proceed with caution because this is SPICY.
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Read as an ebook of my purchase. Review is voluntary and honest.
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Content Warning (may contain spoilers):
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De*th of spouse
Profile Image for Bonnie.
900 reviews14 followers
October 29, 2023
Thanks to BookSirens for a copy of this erotic novella and this is my freely given opinion.

This is a very short novella and the first of a serial, so it does end a slight cliffhanger. This is an erotic historical novella, and the main character is Lilly, the widowed Duchess of Devonshire, who has recently come out of mourning. She was sold into marriage by her gamester father to the elderly and abusive Duke, and bore him his heir and spare. She is glad to be widowed and looking to enjoy her freedom again, when she was persuaded to join a house party with her good friend, who espouses to her the joys and sexual freedom of widowhood. Lilly, because of her poor experiences, does not understand the joys of bedsport, but she opens up to sexual exploration and curiosity during the house party, especially when she reconnects with a former beau.

This is a very short erotic story, so do not expect a lot of plot or character development, but there is definitely a lot of sexual situations, including voyeurism, masturbation, sexual thoughts/fantasy, etc.

So read as just a bit of short bit of erotica, it met those goals as entertainment. I found that there were a number of circumstances where poor editing was a bit detracting, and wrong words or anachronisms were used, so I found that made the read a bit less enjoyable for me. But I do find myself curious, now that Lilly has had her eyes open to sexual freedom and enjoyment, what is next?

3.25 stars out of 5
Profile Image for Debbie Steed.
133 reviews3 followers
November 29, 2023
This is the first book in the Duchess Diaries series and it’s a great beginning to the series.
This steamy short read introduces Lilley, a young, rich and titled widow and her longtime friend Anne, who is also a rich, titled widow. Interestingly now they have no husband, they now have more freedom than ever to find the satisfaction in their lives that Lilley definitely didn’t have when she was married.
It is set in the Regency Era and also introduces the reader to a select, secret club consisting only of widows who indulge in desires as long as they are discreet, which Lilley gets an invitation to join in this book. I loved the friendship between Lilley and Anne and the sexual tension between Lilley and Henry the Earl of Abingdon, who once was one of her suitors before she was made to marry her much older, violent husband. There are many steamy scenes in this short story but it also has a good story setting the scene for the following books. I would have loved it to be a longer story but I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys steamy historical romance. I’m looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Melissa Levine.
1,027 reviews43 followers
November 30, 2023
Had I read the blurb prior to asking for an audiobook code... I wouldn't have asked for one because I'm bored with erotic. I saw the cover and simply thought Historical Romance, nice! Needless to say, this was an okay story. There were several details that weren't necessary/didn't add anything to the story. For example, she was married (hubby died) and she has three kids. She could have just been a young girl waiting to marry. Lastly, there was a questionable assumption. Given the time period the story takes place in, I would think the majority of "daughters" were told who they would marry. Rarely did they get to choose. The fact society/the male lead thought she had chosen her husband seemed strange to me. The fact she got turned on by his noises when he was with another female seemed questionable to me and somewhat icky. Is that what gets the juices flowing? Needless to say, if this story had been longer, there's no way they would have worked out as a real couple. Why? Because he was turned on by the idea of someone watching them have sex outside and he never asked about her kids or family life.

The narrator did a great job!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
176 reviews3 followers
September 19, 2023
Delightful, simply delightful, although in need of a good proofreading to eliminate grammatical and spelling errors. It’s short, and rather silly, all things considered, but so much fun. The recently widowed Lilly is charming in her bold innocence. I wish her well in her endeavors (to achieve passion with all the suitors she was lost to when her father married her off to an elderly Duke), although I would actually like her to find true love with one of them. But I get the feeling that is not the author’s intention. Still, I’m sure I will enjoy her future adventures.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Colleen.
988 reviews19 followers
May 5, 2024
Awakening Wicked is the first book in the Duchess Diaries series.

Lilly is a recently widowed duchess. After her horrible marriage she learns that widows are able to follow different rules. Lilly's friend Anne shows her a new world where she navigates her freedom and passion.

This a very short book of 85 pages. A very fast read. It is a very steamy erotica which focuses on Lilly and her introduction into the supposedly secret world of sexual interludes.

I received an ARC from BookSirens for an unbiased review.
278 reviews1 follower
September 6, 2023
A quick steamy read

I enjoyed this short Regency romance story. It is like a brief moment in the life of Lilly, the heroine. Lilly is an innocent widow in this story, but not for long. It's a spicy Regency short story that's ideal for a quick read.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
1,674 reviews14 followers
October 6, 2023
This is a very quick, short that leads into the next book. Lilly, the dowager Duchess of Devonshire, is about to experience freedom for the first time in six years and it should be a story worth reading. Lord Henry Rupert’s determination to help her along the way, will only add to the fun.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksirens and are voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Susan Penley.
62 reviews
October 6, 2023
The widow is “awakened” after her old, cruel husband dies. She realizes her love life can be so much more. Fun romp!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
2,168 reviews26 followers
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November 11, 2023
I enjoyed the narration of Juliette Longwell, whose British accent was good.

Lily is a widowed Duchess, whose marriage was loveless and sexually unfulfilling. Her former suitor Henry has always longed after her. A house party brings them pleasure.
This is a very steamy, fast listen.
Profile Image for Lisbeth .
4,997 reviews
November 21, 2024
La historia me pareció deficiente, insatisfactoria y estaba por todas partes.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

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