The Duchess

By: Bertrice Small

Narrated by: Ruth Urquhart

Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

In this lush novel, Bertrice Small has created a moving story of consuming passion and undeniable love set against the noble splendor of Georgian England....

As the daughter of the richest man in England, Allegra Morgan attracts a number of fortune hunters willing to overlook her flawed pedigree to gain her enormous wealth. Her most ardent suitor is the arrogant but impoverished Quinton Hunter, duke of Sedgwick, who has little to offer a prospective wife except his grand title. Allegra decides that if she must marry, she might as well be a duchess. So she agrees to the match with one condition: her husband must never ask for her love. She has seen the misery love can cause and has vowed to give her heart to no man - especially a dangerously alluring duke.

Quinton is dazzled by his new wife's grace and fortitude, as well as the fierce desire that rages between them. Despite his best intentions, he finds himself falling in love with her. Then the terrors of the French Revolution hit close to home, and the two of them set off on a treacherous adventure that could cost them everything...including their final chance at happiness.

Contains mature themes.

©2001 Bertrice Small (P)2021 Tantor

Loved!

I really loved this story. it was fun and gave a triumphant feeling. The characters were nicely portrayed and their relationships seemed genuine. I love the way this author describes acts of passion. Narrator was good but I had to increase the listening speed to 1.10x It seemed to help give the narrator a more youthful voice and made the reading flow more smoothly.

Loved it!

After coming off of reading a very heavily emotional book, I found this one delightful . It was just what I needed. I loved the Duke, every girl’s dream.

The story was good & performance poor

This story was not as great as the Sky O’Malley series. The performers pronunciation, reading without feelings, and her flat tone of voice made the lead character disdainful.

Very nice

I enjoyed. It’s called fantasy. It’s not a documentary! Lovely story! Thank you Ms. Small for adding so many of your novels to the membership library!

Enjoyable

I always enjoy Bertrice Small books. Narrator Ruth Urquhart is one of my favorites. On to my next book by this Author!

Not up to Smalls Standard

Whether it's the storyline or the narrator, this book just doesn't compare to the many others I have read by this author. Sad.

Slow paced boring story...

I found the main character nothing but a spoiled girl who has been handed everything. I did not like the story as it's really slow paced.

Drawn Out

This is the longest drawn out story ever. I have 5 hours left and I just can’t.

Heroine annoying

17 and acts 17. I found it very hard to relate to the heroine. She’s an annoying brat that acts and talks like a toddler. The narrator is great but the actual story is meh. I didn’t finish, had 3 hours left and couldn’t take it anymore

Too long, too detailed, too simple, too too.

SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!
I don’t like to spoil the story for people but this time I find I can’t give my full opinion without giving some of the plot away. I apologize. Please don’t read all of my review if you decide to listen to this book.

If you are interested in the foods served in the George III period then this is the book for you. The author goes through every menu and recipe served at every meal either at home or somewhere else that these people sit down to. Then she comments on how these characters have problems staying in proper shape! With all the sauces, butter, cream and courses it is not a wonder! Also, if you are interested in the clothes of the time you might also enjoy some of the opinions on fashion. There isn’t as much information on clothing as there is on food but these two topics must take up at least a quarter of the narration, none of which expands the plot.

ALERT! And why did the author take us on that excursion to France? Here is this big build up to kidnapping a woman, her children and her servants from the French Revolution and Madame Le Guillotine and taking the womenfolk with them including the heroine’s personal maid and they end up killing off the villain without batting an eye and getting home without a scratch … and then we never hear about her again. I think the author related this episode so she could write the rape scenes this woman goes through and truthfully, it again adds nothing to the plot. Rape is vicious and criminal and I don’t want to read about the details or in this case, hear about the details, of this abhorrent happening. And, again, it takes up to a quarter of the book without moving the plot forward.

And then, just as you are getting to see the heroine actually grow up and becoming an adult, she turns around and throws a temper tantrum like a two year old because her father and his wife, her aunt, are going to have a child “to replace her” and take away their doting feelings for her. PLEEZE …. She cries, she picks fights with her husband, she won’t accept his feelings when he says he loves her and it doesn’t matter whether they have her inheritance or not, and finally takes off for London by herself because she thinks she can’t get pregnant like everyone around her even after her husband points out that they have to be in the same place for her to get preggers. PLEEZE! GROW UP!!

And then she finds out she is pregnant and within maybe 5 or 6 pages the story ends with a synopsis of their future lives and the 6 or 7 kids they have and how their love keeps them ecstatically happy and will in the future. YECK!

Now to the narrator. She is an excellent reader and deserves high praise especially since you could not discern any laughter on her part as she read and acted this drivel. I have heard her before and she is very professional and good. Too bad her script this time wasn’t up to
her talent.

I always finish a book if I am going to critique it so that is why I’ve finished this book. At this point I will not whine about the hours of listening I lost and will never get back.

Don’t waste your time. It isn’t worth it and you will only regret your lost time.