How to Tame Your Duke

A Princess in Hiding, Book 1

By: Juliana Gray

Narrated by: Veida Dehmlow

England, 1888. Quiet and scholarly Princess Emilie has always avoided adventure, until she's forced to disguise herself as a tutor in the household of the imposing Duke of Ashland, a former soldier disfigured in battle and abandoned by his wife. When chance draws her into a secret liaison with the duke, Emilie can't resist the opportunity to learn what lies behind his forbidding mask and find out what adventure really means.

The duke never imagines that his son's tutor and his mysterious golden-haired beauty are one and the same. But when the true identity of his lover is laid bare, Ashland must face the demons in his past in order to safeguard both his lady and his heart.

©2013 Juliana Gray (P)2013 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Emotionally electric scenes between strong characters make this one a winner." ( Publishers Weekly)

They didn’t solve anything!!

First of all, the narrator kept switching between the name Emilie and Amelia, sometimes in the same sentence and it was obnoxious. Pick one. While the story itself was interesting, I felt cheated at the end. They didn’t solve the main story line and there were still so many questions. I’m disappointed!

Great Love story with international intrigue

This is one of my favorite books, and I've read hundreds lately. First of all it's well written, full of great characters, international intrigue, villains and scoundrels but two of the dearest - and sexiest - pairings of lovers around. These people have lives, which makes for an interesting book with plenty of steamy sex but also with sub-plots that make it richer than some romances. Both the Duke and the Princess are fully interesting characters whose responses to each other are endearing and entertaining. Also, the narration is some of the best so far.

Because the Duke falls completely for the princess's disguise as his son's tutor, their meeting comes about in an interesting and unexpected way. And the Duke is a character to die for, while the princess is one to admire as a great lady who is also a feisty woman not overly impressed by her class and title. Definitely worth a credit!

loved it

A particularly steamy period love story filled with adventure and excitement. It was an unexpected treat

Now here's something different!

Let me just say first, I enjoyed this book tremendously: I like the storyline, the characters, the narration and the ending. Ok, it's not a "thinker" really. You probably aren't going to learn much even though it's historical fiction. It is about a period that is usually overlooked in historical romance novels: the beginnings of the anarchist movements of the late 19th and early 20th century that spread across much of the globe. but the author merely uses this tumult as a backdrop to tell the story. And that's what this book is about....storytelling. It's like grown up story time and it's deliciously entertaining. From princesses in peril to agents and counter agents to a hulking injured hero, it's indulgent and so much fun. The narrator is outstanding. She grabs your attention with her voice inflection and soft tones.

This is the beginning of a trilogy that follows three princesses forced to flee their homeland (I won't even try to spell the name of the principality of their birth) after the assasination of their father and the husband of one of the sisters. This book is about the middle sister, Emilie. She is forced to hide out at a Yorkshire estate in a most unusual disguise. It is the estate of a heroic, maimed veteran of British entanglements in Afghanistan. Unlikely circumstances result our hero knowing Emilie in two different identities, neither are her true identity. Of course this leads to some pretty far fetched complications, but because the story is so well told, I let go of my cynical need for realism and just enjoyed the unfolding tale.

I like to listen to books as I do mindless or boring activities, however, because of the narrator's skill, I found myself forgetting my chores and sitting down or just standing there enthralled. So, maybe don't listen while you're driving....

Very interesting story!

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed the story line and characters. I did feel like narrator sounded a bit too much like Angela Lansbury which ruined some of the romance for me but I still enjoyed it a
To!