The Duke's Bride in Disguise

Fairfax Twins, Book 1

By: Claudia Stone

Narrated by: Duke Defoix, Duchess DeFoix

Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

When poor orphan Ava Smith comes face-to-face with a girl who looks exactly like her, she is certain she has seen a ghost! But Lady Emily Fairfax is no ghost and is sure that she and Ava must be long-lost twins. Despite her better judgement, Ava allows Emily to convince her to swap lives for a month in order for Ava to scupper Emily’s engagement to a cold-hearted brute of a man.

Imagine Ava’s surprise when Emily’s betrothed turns out to be none other than her unrequited crush, the duke of Kilbride!

Raff Alexander Hamilton, the sixth duke of Kilbride, knows that he must do his duty to the line by marrying and procuring an heir. Love was never in the equation in his search for a bride. All that he required was a lady who was well-bred, quiet, and biddable - and he thought he had found just what he was looking for in Lady Emily Fairfax.

Imagine his surprise, when overnight, his betrothed goes from meek and compliant to outspoken, alluring, and decidedly unimpressed with him.

As Raff battles to woo his bride-to-be, Ava must navigate the sumptuous world of Regency London while trying desperately not to fall in love - no matter how much her heart wants it.

©2018 Claudia Stone (P)2020 Claudia Stone

great story

This was a great story. The kept my attention and was very funny. Well worth the credit and I can't wait to hear Lady Emily's story.

Great listen!

I really enjoyed listening to this book both for the story and because of the narrators. They did a fantastic job. I really like this author and couldn't wait to listen to the next book in this duo. I liked how the author drew me into the story right away and kept my attention through the whole story. I find the characters interesting and believable. I liked most of them. I didn't like the woman who ran the home though. I don't understand why she would separate the twins the way she did. I would of thought that she would of tried to make more money by offering them both up because she seemed greedy to me. I am glad they found each other...it was interesting how they just happened to do so. I would recommend this book and the narrators to others.

A Great Listen

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request, and have voluntarily left this review. I don't usually read this type of book, but I found it very enjoyable. Twins separated at birth, one rich, the other poor are reunited and switch lives for a month. Eva has a goal though, her new found sister is engaged to a duke, and she doesn't want to marry him. It's Eva's job to break off the engagement, but she gets side tracked looking for her parents. Of course this gets her into situations not becoming of a future duchess and her "Duke" keeps rescuing her. Between the well written characters, the fast moving plot and the narration that brings it you life, you'll keep listening longer than you intended. Once your finished you'll be looking for the next book in the series.

This is a very complicated Regency Romance

To appease his Marchioness, for her desire for a girl, her husband was willing to take in an unknown child as his, due to dire nature of his wife's condition.
However, the father was unaware that the child obtained was a twin, her sister thus left to be raised in poverty, whilst the purloined babe was raised as part of Society.
This then is the story of what occurs when the two girls, at the age of twenty, encounter each other and their resultant pact.

Cute, clean romance

I absolutely loved this! This was so wholesome. I found myself smiling at nothing while I listened to this, even going as far as chuckling out loud. It's been a while since I've listened to a book that makes me stop what I'm doing and send a voice message to a friend saying "Honey, I think you need this book". Is it unrealistic? Yes. Is it enjoyable? A hundred times yes. I didn't have any problem suspending my belief for this book, though, since I don't look for extremely realistic fiction. I can see how this could maybe hold some people back, but trust me, it's worth it! Ava was a delightful character. I liked seeing the world from her eyes and seeing how she fell slowly but strongly in love with Raff. The Duke had an amazing character development, better than what I expected, if I'm honest. Plot-wise, I think the moments when some characters learn the truth about the twins needed a little more shock factor, but the protagonists are SO good and I'd grown to like them so much that it didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the story.

It's the first audiobook I listen that has the man doing all the male voices and the woman doing all the female voices. It brings a completely different feel to the narration and it doubled my enjoyment of the book. Both narrators have great ranges and I'm dying to read more books narrated by them. Actually, I liked this book and narration so much that I already jumped ahead and bought a box set written by this author and narrated by these voice actors. Can't wait for Book 2!

I requested this audiobook from Audiobooks Unleashed and have voluntarily left this review.

Love finds its way to every heart...

It's another book by Ms Stone I've listened to and it's another win... :)

It's a sweet romance, with characters that you immediately fall in love with, a plot that contains a few surprises, and a solution that is really satisfacory... :)

Even though the main idea of the two sisters swapping places seems unrealistic - well, you can't really believe a girl who has been brought up in an orphanage and only got her education from a scholarly bachelor could pretend to be a lady of the Ton without being immediately recognized as an impostor (especially by that lady's family) - the whole story is so wonderfully told that you gladly forget about that improbability and just happily follow Ava in her quest for discovering who she really is and observe the development of mutual love between her and her Duke. The character of Raff Alexander Hamilton, the sixth duke of Kilbride, is equally loveable - a duke who doesn't really want to be a duke, but believes in responsibility and honour while carrying a secret that burdens his life and who finds a true soulmate in Ava... It really is a sweet and beautiful love story...:)

Narration by Duke and Duchess DeFoix is as usual wonderful; they read male and female parts respectively, giving all the characters well-matched, distinctive voices and making an already entertaining book even more unputdownable.

The best recommendation? I listened to it in one sitting, finishing it late at night...:)

DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

A CROSS OF CINDERELLA & THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER

THE DUKE’S BRIDE IN DISGUISE is the first book in the Fairfax Twins series. The storylines for books one and two are played simultaneously, so can be read in either order.

A cross between Cinderella and the Prince and the Pauper, this is a sweet romance of twins who have been separated at birth and reunited by chance. I really enjoyed it.

While I had to suspend belief in a lot of aspects, this is fiction and I accept that for the feel-goods. I already have the second audiobook in this series and will start listening right away.

Narration: Duke Defoix, Duchess DeFoix are fun to listen as they play the Regency character voices.

Note: While I received this book as a gifted audiobook copy via Audiobooks Unleashed, my opinions are my own and are given freely.


Title: THE DUKE’S BRIDE IN DISGUISE
Series: Fairfax Twins #1
Category /Genre: Historical Romance
Recommended for: 16+
Listenability: OK for ears
Received from: Claudia Stone (as an Audible gifted copy)

Really enjoyed it

I listened to the second book first and then this one. I wished I had listened to them in order. Regardless I really enjoyed the whole story. Very intriguing clean romance. You really root for Eva and hope she gets her HEA. Recommended for people looking for a clean twin swap historical romance.

Beautiful Regency Romance!

This is the first book in the Fairfax Twins Series, a clean Regency Romance. This story is beautifully written, fun, emotional, and romantic! I loved to follow Ava and Raff in their journey. Ava is lovely, naive, caring and supportive. Raff, the sixth duke of Kilbride, is a complex and handsome character, understanding and caring. They are perfect together. The storyline is intriguing and captivating, filled with secrets, and lies. I loved Emily, Ava's twin sister, and their father. The secondary characters are great and intriguing. Looking forward to listen to the next installment in the Series, The Duke's Governess in Disguise, Emily's story. Duke and Duchess DeFoix did an amazing job with the narration. I love their voices together. I enjoyed it, and I highly recommend it.

Sweet Romance

It's been a while since I've listened to Regency historical romance, and have to say, The Duke's Bride in Disguise was quite entertaining and enjoyable. The story is wonderfully-written, well-paced, and sweet with charming and delightful characters.

The narration is outstanding. Duke Defoix and Duchess DeFoix, emulated the characters personalities perfectly, bringing them to life. Overall, this was fabulous to listen, and I recommend this audiobook to fans of the genre. I received a promotional copy of the audiobook, and my unbiased review is voluntarily given.