My American Duchess

By: Eloisa James

Narrated by: Kate Reading

Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

The arrogant Duke of Trent intends to marry a well-bred Englishwoman. The last woman he would ever consider marrying is the adventuresome Merry Pelford - an American heiress who has infamously jilted two fiancés.

But after one provocative encounter with the captivating Merry, Trent desires her more than any woman he has ever met. He is determined to have her as his wife, no matter what it takes. And Trent is a man who always gets what he wants.

The problem is Merry is already betrothed, and the former runaway bride has vowed to make it all the way to the altar. As honor clashes with irresistible passion, Trent realizes the stakes are higher than anyone could have imagined. In his battle to save Merry and win her heart, one thing becomes clear:

All is fair in love and war.

©2016 Eloisa James, Inc. (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

9 hours to first HEA

This was a nice change from typical regency romance in that American Mary spoke her mind and (mostly) was free to make her own marriage choices. I enjoyed the American fish out of British waters story (even if all I can hear with this narrator is Shallan, from Way of Kings).

It was a very slow burn to what I thought was a reasonable HEA stopping point around 9hrs in. Then I was frustrated as the story continued… until, so slowly it snuck up on me, I was invested, hooked, and emotionally wrecked and ugly crying. Bravo Ms. James!

imperfect hero and heroine find a perfect love

James pulls together a story with intense attraction and well-defined characters. Although this novel has many love-making scenes, they seem integral to the plot and not just gratuitous. Kate Reading does a marvelous job bringing voice to all the various characters. You know the hero and heroine will come together in the end but James keeps the story fresh to the end.

Love Kate's voice!

I enjoyed the story and appreciated the straightforward characters. Kate's narration is always a favorite.

I wanted to love this.

I LOVE Eloisa James. Every story, while predictable, has surprises, passion, romance, and charm. I love the escape of an audiobook. I was anxious to learn Merry’s story, but this narrator is killing me. I hate to leave a negative review and am most always the exception when others leave negative comments…I rarely agree with a negative reviewer’s issues, but this time, I don’t think I can continue. The whole performance is average for ANY reader, but this is a professional? Voice inflection and expression in average sentences is off. I just can’t get past it. So bummed. I’m very tempted to quit and read the rest on my Kindle. :(

My American Duchess

I didn't like how the reader voiced Merry. It would have been better if she just read the story or if someone was Merry's voice. I'll have to try another one of her audibles.

Very enjoyable

I really like this story and Kate Reading is perfect as always. I loved how funny Merry was and that Jack loved that about her. He really did fall for her at first sight...just took him a bit to realize it! But that made for a great story. The best thing is it was not overly wordy. Sometimes Ms. James can get a bit too introspective. I highly recommend.

Meh

Dialogue good, story good, but at the highest point of suspense we are asked to believe a leopard can change his spots.

It was just boring and predictable after that.

The story was very humorous! The narrator was fantastic!

It got very steamy in the last third of the book, which caught me off guard. Still a good, funny, listen.

Meh

I've read several EJ books and this was my least favorite. I agree with others that this book suffered from the change in narrator. While the narrator was very good with the male voices, I hated her portrayal of the main character. She sounded ditzy and every time she said "oh, spit" I wanted to punch her. Beyond that, the story itself was just okay. I listened all the way through but stopped caring after the wedding. Before that, I was intrigued as to what would happen next, but it slowed way down after.

Better than average. 3 1/2 stars

Setting: England, 1803
Genre: Romance (late Georgian)
Miss Merry Pelford has come to London for the Season after two failed engagements in Boston. Her Aunt Bess is sure Merry will find a husband, and both are hoping that Lord Cedric Alardyce is third-time's-the-charm. She is determined to stick out this betrothal all the way to marriage. After all, she is in love with the handsome, charming nobleman. Then she meets a fascinating stranger on the terrace at the ball where she has accepted Cedric's ring. He turns out to be Cedric's older brother, the 6th Duke of Trent. Trent, prior to learning her status, decides that he will marry Merry for the reasons of physical attraction, she looks him straight in the eye, and she makes him laugh. The first 2/3 of the book is Trent trying to get around Merry and her determination to follow through on her promise to Cedric and Cedric's determination to get at her dowry. The second third involves the protagonists working toward their HEA. The story has a good balance of humor and pathos, and I found both plot and characters enjoyable.
But... I don't know if it's writing, narration, editing, or a combination, there seems to be somewhat staccato and stiff quality to the book. This is especially true in the character of Merry. Maybe the sentences are too short, or pauses in recording too long. I know Kate Reading is an excellent narrator, and does well with both American and English accents, and even in combination, but in this the American comes across as forced. This is one book I wish I'd gotten in whispersync, so I could see if I could "hear" Merry differently.
At any rate Eloisa James is an auto buy for me, because plots and character development are always enjoyable. However, I do find an unevenness to the writing between books. It's hard to describe how I feel about Eloisa James. There are books of hers that are a solid 3, but I've re-read them despite the shortcomings I found. Some are way too wordy, some a little short on backstory, and some are just right. It's a bit of a gamble with what you get, but I will always find that the plot and characters are worth any negative aspects.