The Day of the Duchess

Scandal & Scoundrel, Book III

By: Sarah MacLean

Narrated by: Justine Eyre

Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

The one woman he will never forget

Malcolm Bevingstoke, Duke of Haven, has lived the last three years in self-imposed solitude, paying the price for a mistake he can never reverse and a love he lost forever. The dukedom does not wait, however, and Haven requires an heir, which means he must find himself a wife by summer's end. There is only one problem - he already has one.

The one man she will never forgive

After years in exile, Seraphina, Duchess of Haven, returns to London with a single goal - to reclaim the life she left and find happiness, unencumbered by the man who broke her heart. Haven offers her a deal: Sera can have her freedom just as soon as she finds her replacement - which requires her to spend the summer in close quarters with the husband she does not want but somehow cannot resist.

A love that neither can deny

The duke has a single summer to woo his wife and convince her that, despite their broken past, he can give her forever, making every day The Day of the Duchess.

©2017 Sarah Trabucchi (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Average story line

The story had too much back and forth between the current and past time lines.

Hands down on of my faves!

I forget how much I love the humor in this book until I listen to it again. Those Talbot sisters are a force to be reckoned with and they feel like the very best of book friends. We would definitely get drinks if they were real. Keep the greatness coming Ms. MacLean

Another wonderful story by Sarah MacLean

The heroine of this story had been trampled upon a bit in a prior book of the Soiled S’s. In her own book we see Seraphina grow into a new woman, more free and resolute to undo her past with Malcolm.

I enjoyed the story, though it was a odd to me that in one of the prior books, Malcolm was actually caught in the act of cheating with another woman. Usually in Historical Romance we never come across that type of happening, to me that is against the untold “rules” of the genre; no cheating, no talk of certain sexual acts, no one goes to the bathroom ever. (Of course there are exceptions but generally I’ve noticed there is a certain formula)

The problem with Malcolm is, well... I’m not sure a reader can forgive him for cheating on our heroine. He finds out that Seraphina is carrying his baby and he immediately goes off behind a bush and angrily takes a random willing woman? I don’t know, sounds like a petulant Scott Disick move if you ask me.

In any case, Sarah MacLean is a fabulous story teller, it doesn’t matter that I personally didn’t like the choice that Malcolm made because that was ultimately a thread in the larger framework of the novel. Forgiveness, self-discovery, freedom, and undying love won the day.
I would recommend this to anyone who has a passion for Historical Romance!

Day

Wonderful story! I enjoyed how the characters were skillfully worked into the story using the background story in the first novel of the trilogy. The characters of Malcolm and Sarafina were presented with greater detail turning villain into redemptive duke. The narrator used such skill , that the voice of the characters is what I heard and story flowed . Sometimes I became impatient with a character’s inability to grasp understanding. But , I must be patient with this genre of romance where confused lovers is a component of the story. Thank you for such a wonderful trilogy.

Slightly Over The Top... But Ultimately Amazing!

The beginning scene in which the heroine interrupts parliament is almost as outlandishly ridiculous as the scene towards the end where a vote for their divorce comes down to a single vote... But I think this book is worth 5 stars for its depiction of the sorrow and loss that miscarriages can inflict, a topic generally brushed over or never discussed in romance novels. Ultimately worth the listen!

The narration was amazing!

I had serious misgivings about Book 3 in the Scandals and Scoundrels series before beginning. Haven had no redeeming qualities in Book 1, and little was known of Seraphina at that point. But once ensconced in the book, with the familiar voices provided by Justine Eyre, I found myself cheering for Haven's success! Eyre manages to embue every character, even each Talbot sister, with a distinct voice and her voice talent shines here! My one caveat, was the excruciatingly slow reveal of Haven's actions, and Sera's inability to truly talk to him. Overall a Strong 4 Stars.

Wow

The level of character development and the emotion behind the characters’ actions had me in TEARS! That’s all I’m gonna say.

So good!

I could hardly put it down, and I loved the humor. Some new plot twists really livened the story. It was nice to see earlier characters making an appearance.

Fantastic romance

The romance in this story is so deeply woven and complex, you really wonder how these two people will get it together by the end. Emotions and families are messy and complicated, and The Day of the Duchess explores both in a richly satisfying way.

Good book

I loved the banter among the sisters. They're a funny bunch of women.
I could have done without Sarah's doubting Malcolm's love...constantly.
The narrator's American accent was terrible!!