It's in the Duke's Kiss

A Danby Regency Novella

By: Julie Johnstone

Narrated by: Tim Campbell

Length: 3 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Lady Emmaline Radcliffe always knew she never wanted to marry a man who embraced the rules of society. But when her mother threatens to secure a suitable match for Emma if she cannot make one on her own, Emma sets out to determine if her girlhood infatuation is the love she's been looking for. Nathaniel did save her life once, after all. But when she finds herself in the arms of the gentleman's brother - the serious and proper Duke of Blackbourne - she begins to question all she ever thought she desired.

Lucian, the Duke of Blackbourne, is tired of playing keeper to his irresponsible brother. He vows to quit, but when his brother resolves to seduce the impetuous Lady Emmaline, Lucian knows he must save his foolish brother and the innocent debutante from themselves. Yet his plan to intercede goes awry when he finds himself drawn to the woman who is everything he was positive he didn't want in a wife.

But his brother won't give up so easily, and soon Lucian's well-intentioned plans are revealed. Now to keep Lady Emmaline's heart, he must prove that he's truly not the stuffy, sneaky duke he seems to be.

©2016 Julie Johnstone (P)2016 Julie Johnstone

best kiss ever

loved it wish it was longer but still a really good story don't miss it

Love the Danby books and novellas..

I absolutely adored this novella. Loved Lucian and Emma. He was so stuffy and was totally proper, while Emma was so fun and lively. Totally opposite but perfect together. I wish this had been a full length book, it was that good. And when it ended at 77% I was really bummed.

There wasn’t an iota of sex in this story or desire, just 2 kisses, that’s it. No swearing either.

I disliked Nathan, Lucian’s brother, throughout the entire novella, and that never changed, even after the brother’s made up. I did like Mary, Emma’s sister but I didn’t like her social climbing mother and I felt sorry for her sweet and loving father.

As to the narrator: Tim Campbell did a pretty good job on the women’s voices BUT, good grief, what a voice he gave to Lucian! His voice was so low and sexy I just wanted a whole book with Lucian doing all the talking. Whew!!! TC made the novella 10 times better than it would have been if I’d simply read it.

sappy but cute

The story was a bit predictable,
but the narrator nailed the voices. Males sounded male and the female characters sounded girly.
Great pick for the speaker

Truly enjoyed this captivating love story

Such a lovely story. Very well developed characters and love story although the book is somewhat short. A young passionate and compulsive girl captivating a Duke. Enjoyed the fact that the heroine was imperfect and that’s exactly what made her perfect. Finished the book in a day. Highly recommend

It's in the Duke's Kiss

A wonderfully romantic novella by Julie Johnstone! Her books never seem to disappoint. Tim Campbell is very gifted narrator who artfully brings the story to life! 5 Stars for both Author and Narrator. 💗

a lovely romance

good narration, great story, appropriate for the era in regards to wording and conduct. loved it.

Aways 5☆'s

There is never any doubt that this duo will score 5 stars in a perfect combination of romance and performance. It's an auto buy with absolute confidence!

Heat factor: none.

Creditworthy? yes but it costs less than a credit.

It Was Entertaining For such a Short Story.

If you could sum up It's in the Duke's Kiss in three words, what would they be?

A Duke's quandary.

What did you like best about this story?

The lessons to b learned in this short story. When the Duke of Blackbourne became Duke at a young age he became his brother's keeper. Trying to be a father figure he indulged his younger brother by always bailing him out of his indiscretions. The results was a selfish hedonist. When the Duke finally saw his mistakes and tried to make his brother grow up it caused a rift between them. The Duke's mistaken kindness toward his brother actually caused him to become selfish and irresponsible.

Lady Emma flaunted the rules of society and suffered the consequences. When skating with the man of her dreams (the Duke's reckless brother) they skated too close to thin ice and she fell in, nearly drowning. If the Duke had not started a rumor to save her reputation, she would have been ruined. You can't flaunt the rules without eventually paying the price.

The old adage "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" means that without time off from work, a person becomes both bored and boring, which proved to be true in the Duke's case. His obsession with trying to be the perfect Duke made him unhappy and uncomfortable to be around.

What about Tim Campbell’s performance did you like?

His ability to change his voice to make the characters come to life.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

True love can find you when you least expect it.

Any additional comments?

It was a well executed story for such a short one.

Easy listening and an enjoyable story

An enjoyable sweet story that is easy to listen to with mostly likeable characters and a predictable but romantic ending.

Great story but too short!

Love the romance but wished it was a longer story. Great narration too! Can't wait for the next read!