• The Taming of the Duke

  • Essex Sisters, Book 3
  • By: Eloisa James
  • Narrated by: Susan Duerden
  • Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (468 ratings)

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The Taming of the Duke  By  cover art

The Taming of the Duke

By: Eloisa James
Narrated by: Susan Duerden
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Publisher's summary

Imogen, Lady Maitland, has decided to dance on the wild side. After all, she's in the delicious position of being able to take a lover: a discreet male who knows just when to leave in the morning.

But Lady Maitland is still under the watchful eye of her former guardian, the wildly untamed Rafe, the Duke of Holbrook. He believes she is still in need of a "watchdog". She laughs at the idea that someone so insufferably lazy and devoted to drink can demand that she behave with propriety.

It's Rafe's long-lost brother, a man who looks precisely like the duke but with none of his degenerate edge, who interests Imogen. To Imogen, he's the shadow duke... the man who really should hold the title. But when Imogen agrees to accompany Gabe to a masquerade - whose masked eyes watch her with that intense look of desire? Who exactly is she dancing with? The duke or the shadow duke? Rafe... or Gabe?

Spend some more time with the Essex Sisters.
©2006, 2011 Eloisa James (P)2012 HarperCollinsPublishers

Critic reviews

"RITA Award-winning James' latest addition to her Essex sisters series is truly delectable. James' writing is graceful and witty, her plot delightfully clever, and her characterization - including the captivating Miss Gillian Pythian-Adams - is nothing less than brilliant." ( Booklist
"James's considerable talents for clever prose and tight, breezy plotting are on full display, promising a perennial delight in each coming adventure of the Essex sisters." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about The Taming of the Duke

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Performance
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Story
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  • 4 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

read it first, then bought the audio

Any additional comments?

This is a great story. I love romances where the hero/ine is/are flawed. This is certainly the case in this one. Somehow you respect them more for being flawed than otherwise. The hijinks they get up to come across as pretty believable and at times very amusing. Erotic without being too graphic, tender without being mushy.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very engaging

I have read two of the four books in the series and have loved them both. I especially like triumph over an addiction and anything related to Dukes so this book was particularly delicious to me. The topping to this cake is EJ’s passionate scenes. She has a gift for writing. A VERY entertaining book

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

This hero deserved a better story.

What did you like best about The Taming of the Duke? What did you like least?

The hero - Rafe, is one of the best romance heroes of all time. Honestly. I think the description is very misleading - he isn't "wild and untamed" in the usual sense. Instead he is unkempt, depressed, drunk and going to seed, but in spite of all this, he is a genuine sweetheart, and if you dig flawed heroes, you should do yourself a favor and read this book (it helps if you read the two preceding ones, "Much Ado About You" and "Kiss Me Annabel," too, since this book starts in the middle of an ongoing story).

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The most interesting: Rafe and his problems. The least interesting: everything else about this book. The story was weak - I believe the author likes to include a lot of literary references, but in this case, I felt it really weakened the story. The heroine was okay, but the fundamental love story is weak here and I didn't buy any of it. Many of the secondary characters are interesting but the story was pretty lame, so they didn't really have a chance to shine.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Susan Duerden?

Yeah, sure.

Could you see The Taming of the Duke being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I can see this as a movie or TV show. I don't have any opinion about the stars.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good read

Would have given another star except it's read with "he said, she said" which I find annoying in an audio book.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Average

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I listened to it while driving, so it was not wasted time.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Like most Romance, it was predictable. I mean, if I did not want a happy ending, I would not read Romance

How could the performance have been better?

All her characters sounded the same, especially the female leads. Her natural voice tends have a very breathy quality and that is annoying to me.

Do you think The Taming of the Duke needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I know there is one already.

Any additional comments?

It was not one of Eloisa James's best. I never really felt there was going to be any real obstacle in their way, so I wasn't really concerned for the outcome.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Favorite in the series.

This my favorite so far in this series. I love a redemption romance. Unrequited love is also a favorite of mine. I didn’t love that the Duke lied to Imogene about who he was and didn’t come clean to her but I like how it was resolved in the end. Plus I love that there was a secondary romance going on.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fun Series

I’m a reader and listener of this series, many times over. Yes, it’s silly, sappy fun. Listen on long commutes or housework. Smirking, smiling, laughing fun.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I love the Essex sisters stories

This and Anabel's stories are the two best of the Essex sisters books, but they are all excellent. Some of Eloisa James's best work

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Could have been better

Cute story, love the characters and that the two ended up together. But the ending could have been way better! Kind of a bummer it just ended like that.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved the story and series

Love it. I will listen to it again. Rich story with multiple story lines.

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