The Duke's Inconvenient Bride

Unconventional Brides, Book 1

By: Jayne Rivers

Narrated by: Rachael Beresford

A jilted duke. A shy wallflower. A marriage of convenience that neither of them wants.

When Lady Emma Carlisle's twin sister jilts the wealthy and influential Duke of Ashford, their distraught parents pressure shy Lady Emma to marry the duke in her sister's place, dashing her hopes of a love match.

Lady Emma is determined to make the best of the situation, but her new husband is cold and aloof and wants nothing to do with her. In his quieter moments, she catches glimpses of a thoughtful and intelligent man she'd like to know better. If only he weren't determined to keep her at a distance.

Lady Emma is willing to offer the duke her heart, but she knows there's every chance he'll break it. After all, why would the most handsome man in the ton fall for his second-best bride?

If you love the glamor of Bridgerton or the drama of Downton Abbey, then The Duke's Inconvenient Bride is your next must-listen steamy Regency romance!

©2024 Jayne Rivers (P)2024 Podium Audio

Spicy and low drama

This was spicier than I was expecting! (Not that I mind) Some parts of this were delightfully swoony! Others veered a little too far into the sickeningly sweet for my taste.

There didn’t seem to be a ton of plot after the initial setup of the main premise. It was more just the main couple figuring out their feelings. Which is fine, but I do tend to like a story with a bit more going on. There were a few side characters or subplots that showed up but never really went anywhere.

Almost Good

The story had so much potential. Even if I could have stopped cringing at the author’s spotty understanding of how the aristocracy lived in Regency England (Dukes don’t dine in public dining rooms with waitresses at Inns. People didn’t order hot tea as a drink for dinner, etc) I ultimately couldn’t forgive the one dimensional characters or the author’s almost good writing. I kept listening and hoping it would get better but ultimately my frustration from it being so close to good made this one a huge waste of an Audible credit for me. The narrator isn’t one I had listened to before but was wonderful. The fabulous Susan Duerden and Jane Eyre are always winners but a new talented narrator was a nice change.

Twist and turns in a love story

Like ease of listening and narration mad book more enjoyable. I will recommend to friends.

Listen to This; Skip the Rest of Series

This had a premise that could've become a very abusive and sad situation, what with her twin & family treating her like less-than (on top of his cruelty). But somehow her family got rolled back around to being decent in a way that wasn't too cringy, and heroine didn't stay as doormat-y as it first seemed (though the humiliations toward her were angering). The best thing was when heroine held out for behavior changes before falling back into his arms. And him working to earn her regard after so cruelly rejecting her felt realistic. Too many romances dont make hero hurt or work hard enough to earn heroine properly, but just make him some kind of magical f*** to wipe everything away.

This story is worth the credit. But I dont recommend the other stories in the series. (I left review on #2.)

Very entertaining

Loved the entire story! Didn’t want to put it down from the first page to the last!