About a Rogue

Desperately Seeking Duke

By: Caroline Linden

Narrated by: Beverley A. Crick

Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's Summary

The first book in the new series Desperately Seeking Duke from USA Today best-selling and RITA award-winning author Caroline Linden.

It’s no love match....

Bianca Tate is horrified when her sister, Cathy, is obliged to accept an offer of marriage from Maximilian St. James, notorious rake. Defiantly, she helps Cathy elope with her true love and takes her sister’s place at the altar.

It’s not even the match that was made....

Perched on the lowest branch of his family tree, Max has relied on charm and cunning to survive. But an unexpected stroke of luck gives him an outside chance at a dukedom - and which Tate sister he weds hardly seems to matter.

But could it be the perfect match?

Married or not, Bianca is determined to protect her family’s prosperous ceramics business, even when Max shows an affinity for it - not to mention a dangerous ability to intrigue and tempt Bianca herself. And when Max realizes how beautiful and intelligent and desirable Bianca is, he’ll have to prove he’s no rogue, but the passionately devoted husband she craves.... 

©2020 Caroline Linden (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

This is a winner!

I am very picky about the plots, characters, and performances of the readers of the books that I choose - and Desperately Seeking Duke gets 5 stars for them all! I was hooked from the very beginning, and was not disappointed in the HEA ending. Also, the author created enough tension between the main characters to make the story interesting, but she did not leave you there to feel any frustration or anxiety- I've read so many books lately that make you want to give up on the book because it's just too much! You will not regret getting this book if you are a fan of a good love story. Enjoy.

Story through internal thoughts and over-telling

So much over-telling and explaining in the narrative and through internal thoughts. Not to mention several anachronisms. A third of the way through, the book started getting interesting. Narration was okay, but the voice of the main male character was smarmy and grating. The oily voice was a turn off, though his personality was a pleasant surprise (even though we, unfortunately, have to slog through his obsession with her breasts). I couldn't figure out what Bianca's inconsistent accent was. Also, they had an abrupt, unplanned wedding after only having met two times (his interest was previously for the other sister, and Bianca despised him). But in less than twenty-four hours they were checking out each other's body parts, and he was making a lascivious comment. That pattern repeated itself throughout. Sigh. Lazy, rote writing.

The premise was good, but the writing was typical and got in the way of the potential for this to be an interesting and engaging story. Any infrequent, witty banter was about sex. There was some character growth and depth among the repetitious content, but it was marred by lengthy soft-porn. I would have loved to see some real story development rather than so much filler from sex, internal thoughts, and over-explaining. This author isn't for me.

About A Rouge

I couldn't put it down. Nice way to spend an epedemic weekend. Thanks Beverley Crick

Awesome fun

Awesomely done and it was interesting how it balance lives of different classes and social issues of the time with women’s rights and roles as strong as the men . Love and care and friendships are strong in this story..

Great Series Start

The characters in this story are different. They are both in, say it isn’t so Lizzy, TRADE!

I really liked that our leading lady was strong, but at times, she was flat out rude to a man who really had not brought it on himself.

Watching as they came to terms with the marriage they find themselves in made this a wonderful story with well developed characters fun of life and wit.

There are some pretty steamy sex scenes once they finally consummate the marriage, but not overly raunchy. I’d give it an R rating. Definitely not a PG13.

Ms.Crick does a very good job, as usual.

I absolutely loved this book

C Linden did an amazing job on this book. The story is original and holds your attention. She did a great job in incorporating one story into another. And the characters were awesome. Good story, good characters and good narration...the perfect book.

Hero and Heroine worth getting to know

There are many things I found enjoyable about this book. The first is that H/H were intelligent and likable. They were the perfect mix of a beauty and brains. I have to say that I liked Max the best. He was kind, patient and not the rogue he was thought to be. Bianca was stubborn and smart but occasionally her stubbornness got in the way of her really seeing Max for the gem he is. I am happy to say the author did not prolong her stubbornness to the end of the story.
I also liked that Max and Bianca really got to know each other before declaring love. The story was interesting and sweet. There is not too much sex, an interesting mystery and it leaves one looking forward to the next story in hopes of hearing more about Max and Bianca.
Is it worth a credit? It depends on your mood and tastes, but I believe it is.

Heroine is a self centered (bad word)

I started listening even after a few chapters, the heroine couldn't be nice or show kindness to anyone. It was hard to listen to.

Same Fatal Flaw!

I have listened to five of this author's books and so far, I have the same feeling about the endings. Of course, love wins out in the end but the author spends all this time involving you in the plot along with all the threads weaving it together, only to end it abruptly. No prologue; no epilogue. Another 100 pages would have given you some feeling that ALL the threads were neatly tied up in a completed bow. For instance, what happened after the big scene with Kathy and her sister? Readers probably assumed they did a legal marriage but to be sure, the sisters had a heated discussion over the damage. Did St. James become the Duke? How did the shops do in London? Did the Fortuna line become a success? Did the aunt form any relationship with Bianca's father (it was hinted)? What happened with the porcelain line? What about the relationship between the Duchess of Carlyle and St. James? Was he never curious about his father? That would probably be a book in itself.

Hopefully as she matured as a writer, her endings will improve.

Love this author and narrator

I adore this author. I’m so many of these HAE / Romance stories they rely on the “chemistry for no reason” to explain attraction. Caroline Linden weaves such delightful tales that it’s clear why anyone would fall in love with these people. The most amazing thing to me is that in each novel the protagonists have different personalities, strengths, weaknesses, etc but she writes them so well.

Well narrated enjoyable.

A good story with a disappointingly saccharine conclusion. The hero and heroine are both very likable. The narrator did an excellent job.