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Never Doubt a Duke
- Fortune's Brides, Book 1
- Narrated by: Jannie Meisberger
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
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Never Doubt a Duke
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Summary
After spending the last 10 years following her late husband on campaign, the irrepressible Jane Kimball finds herself badly in need of a position to support herself. Marriage holds no appeal; she’s not likely to find a husband like her Jimmy again. But when Miss Thorn of the Fortune Employment Agency offers her a post with the Duke of Wey, Jane feels drawn to help the lonely widower with his three daughters. He may seem a bit aloof, but Miss Thorn’s cat, Fortune, approved of him. Why should Jane doubt a duke?
Alaric, Duke of Wey, commands his staff, his tenants, and the halls of Parliament, managing vast holdings in England and across the seas. Why is it he cannot manage his own daughters? As an old danger rears its head, he comes to rely on Jane’s practical nature, her outspoken ways to navigate the waters of fatherhood. And when necessity dictates he take a wife, thoughts turn to an unlikely governess who might make the perfect bride.
This sweet, clean Regency romance is the first in the Fortune’s Brides series.
"Wow. I knew I’d enjoy Never Doubt a Duke, just because Regina Scott wrote it. I didn’t expect to love it. I loved the characters. I loved how she set up what will hopefully be an amazing new series. I loved how it was dramatic and fun and romantic." (Hott Books)
Never Doubt a Duke was picked by staffers at Hope by the Book as one of the best reads of 2018.
What listeners say about Never Doubt a Duke
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- A D.
- 09-12-19
Sweet and Clean Regency Romance
Fortune is a cat who may or may not be magical. And this cat is the mascot for a very special employment agency that helps ladies who have fallen into hard times find employment. That is how Jane ends up as the governess of a Duke's three daughters.
Overall the story is wonderful. Jane is an entirely unconventional, wonderfully intelligent, brutally honest, caring woman. She steps into her role as governess and shakes up the Duke's household. He and his children cannot resist Jane's charms but is she really Duchess material?
Perhaps the most exciting thing about this book is that it is part of a series and there appears to be a side character who has her own story and romance to address. Cannot wait to hear the other books in the series.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Inishowen Cailin
- 05-01-20
Delightful
A charming and entertaining read. I loved the banter between Jane and the Duke and it added to the lighthearted tone of the book. I'm very intrigued about Miss Thorn's story. I'm looking forward to following this new series.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reading audio copy.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kate @MLHearingThings
- 20-12-19
A charming Regency romp with a grown-up lovestory
Never Doubt a Duke is a charming, witty Regency romance with a more worldly couple at its heart. Both the Duke of Wey and his new governess have lived long enough, and hard enough, to have very definite opinions about their place in the world, and their role in the lives of the others in the household. What neither of them expects is just how completely they will come to question everything they thought they knew; about themselves and each other.
Widow Jane Kimball is no schoolroom chit, and Alaric, the Duke of Wey, is a widower with three daughters. Jane's full-throttle approach to life and Alaric's measured, slightly-weary perspective could have clashed dreadfully, but instead they complement each other very well. The ease of their connection is almost immediate, but their romance is more of a slow burn. Many Regencies concentrate on the all-consuming passion of first love, and it was very gratifying to listen to a romance between two people whose maturity and circumspection made their eventual love for each other feel very real.
The Duke's daughters, Larissa, Calantha, and Abelona are equally appealing in their different ways, and the Duke's mother is also a delight - as waspish and formidable a Dowager as one could ask for in a Regency.
The language throughout the book is somewhat informal for the period. It does not adhere to the formality of Georgian grammar, but it is true to the spirit of it, and this looseness makes it much easier on the ear.
Overall the story was well written and I was content to spend hours at a time with Jane, Alaric, and their girls. There was just enough intrigue to keep it moving along, and it set up the next book in the series well without feeling unfinished.
The narrator, Jannie Meisberger, had a lovely tone to her voice. Her performance was lively with good voices for the characters, even the children, who can be difficult to portray without falling into cutesy parody. The girls' voices are distinct, and at no point did they become muddled in my mind, which is quite an achievement when dealing with three young women aged between five and ten.
I would recommend this audiobook to anyone who enjoys the 'bluestocking' trope in Regency romance, and those who would like to read about a slightly more experienced couple. Listeners who enjoyed Jodi Taylor's A Bachelor Establishment, in particular, would like this one too. I hope the next in the series is available soon!
*I received this audiobook free of charge in the hope of an honest, unbiased review.
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