How to Dance With a Duke

Ugly Duckling Trilogy, Book 1

By: Manda Collins

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

Miss Cecily Hurston would much rather explore the antiquities of Egypt than the uncharted territory of marriage. But the rules of her father's exclusive academic society forbid her entrance unless she weds one of its members. To clear her ailing father's name of a scandalous rumor, Cecily needs to gain admission into the Egyptian Club-and is willing to marry any old dullard to do it. Lucas Dalton, Duke of Winterson, is anything but dull. He's a dashing and decorated war hero determined to help Cecily-even if that means looking the other way when she claims the dance card of Amelia Snow, this season's most sought-after beauty. But Lucas has a reason for wanting Cecily to join the Egyptian Club: His brother went missing during one of Lord Hurston's expeditions to Egypt. An alliance with the explorer's bluestocking daughter could bring Lucas closer to the truth about what happened....or it could lead him to a more dangerous love than either he or Cecily could have imagined.

©2012 Manda Collins (P)2012 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Collins' debut delivers a fast-paced, adventurous love story that will enthrall [listeners]. Her dynamic characters, a murder and passion combine with the perfect amount of lively repartee." ( Romantic Times)

not bad

Where does How to Dance With a Duke rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

a bit too much sex, not my cup of tea on that. But story line is good

Painful to Listen to

The story was good. The sex scenes seemed unnecessarily long and too explicit for my taste. But that is all too common.

The greatest problem I have with the recording is the pronounced "lisp" the narrator has of the type where her "r's" often sound like "w's" and she always has a stuffy nasal quality. In essence she sounds like a child. The poor woman also has an unfortunate accent carefully schooled but which is occassionally glaringly obvious. Sadly her acting was great!

My first "look at Tessa Dare but not my last"

What made the experience of listening to How to Dance With a Duke the most enjoyable?

I adore Anne Flosnick but I found the descriptive prose in this volume a cut about the usual. The heroine is one of my favorites ever. I loved her character development and her style.

What did you like best about this story?

The gambling matches between the newlyweds. I liked all of the sideplots with the supporting cast. The book was very well paced. Motivations were explained and it was very satisfying to discover this author.

Have you listened to any of Anne Flosnik’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Another winner. I have to admit sometimes when I need something to listen to I search for this narrator.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I savored it a bit. I wanted it to last because it was worth the listen and when I heard a thought provoking plotline I chose to take a break. Once you finish a listen then it is not new and I enjoyed each new chapter.

Entertaining

Would you try another book from Manda Collins and/or Anne Flosnik?

Yes

Would you recommend How to Dance With a Duke to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes, if you're looking for light entertainment - this will do nicely.

Do you think How to Dance With a Duke needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, this does not need a follow-up book. The characters have been taken as far as they can be. I can't imagine a storyline that wouldn't seem like a re-hash of this one.

Any additional comments?

Its a little formulaic as romance novels go - stubborn girl - charming rich guy.... She won't listen to him because she's pig-headed which causes conflict - in the end they love each other...

Good Story, Bad Reading

I had a hard time listening to this story as the performance was utterly horrible for the masculine parts. I would love to hear from someone else.