This Duchess of Mine

By: Eloisa James

Narrated by: Susan Duerden

Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

No man can resist Jemma's sensuous allure...except her own husband!

Wedding bells celebrating the arranged marriage between the lovely Duchess of Beaumont and her staid, imperturbable duke had scarcely fallen silent when a shocking discovery sent Jemma running from the ducal mansion. For the next nine years she cavorted abroad, creating one delicious scandal after another (if one is to believe the rumors).

Elijah, Duke of Beaumont, did believe those rumors.

But the handsome duke needs an heir, so he summons his seductive wife home. Jemma laughs at Elijah's cool eyes and icy heart - but to her secret shock, she doesn't share his feelings. In fact, she wants the impossible: her husband's heart at her feet.

But what manner of seduction will make a man fall desperately in love...with his own wife?

©2009 Eloisa James (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers

Story Falls Short but Narration is Excellent

Any additional comments?

I think the author is a very good writer and very smart woman, however this time I was disappointed in the story especially in the characters Jemma and Elijah. Leopold was a much more exciting and interesting character. The final book in the series, "A Duke of Her Own" is Leopold's story and was a smashing end to the series. I gave that book 5 stars all around.

The narrator delivered another fantastic performance! You can count on Susan Duerden. She is a favorite for sure.

Book 5 in the Desperate Duchesses series

This is book five of the Desperate Duchesses series and it is about Jemma and Elijah, Duchess and Duke of Beaumont. These characters were first introduced in book one of the series. In that book, Jemma had recently returned from nine years of self-imposed exile in France where she was rumored to have run rampant. However, this was to make her husband pay for his infidelity at the beginning of their marriage and when she was so in love with him. Jemma found Elijah and his mistress at his office and on his desk at work having sex and so she left the country for 9 years until she got a letter from Elijah asking her to return so that she could give him an heir. Upon her return, she starts a series of chess games with the Duke of Villiers which forces Elijah’s plans to have an heir to be put on hold until their matches end. This book tells the story of their re-start of romance and passion. Good story but after so much of the other book being dedicated to them already I found the story a bit boring after a while. Still worth a credit especially if you are an EJ fan.

Good book, slow start.

It met my expectations. This series is amazing and I've looked forward to all of the books. It was a little slower getting started but once it got going I couldn't put it down.

A TOUCHING & PASSIONATE ROMANCE IN GEORGIAN LONDON

I love E.J.'s books and they are an automatic download for me, this has been a great series - but, to get the most out of them, then it's best to listen to them in order.

The plot of this one is - weeks after they marry Jemma catches Elijah bent over his desk with his mistress, so she flees to France for 9 years until he summons her back because he needs an heir. She thinks she knows him but there is a lot that she's unaware of but she's willing to woo him back and he's desperate to oblige her.

This, in my opinion, is the best in the series so far as it focuses mainly on the two main characters who deeply love each other but, because of outside influences, their relationship never runs smoothly. It's got romance, passion, fun, great characters but it's sad and very touching too. It also gives us an insight of London long ago.

Worth a credit? Yes, it's a 'must have' for us historical/romance lovers - but please try not to miss the whole series.

Great Addition to the Series

Firstly, this book is part of a series. Due to how the series is written, you will need to start at book 1 and work your way through. Although "This Duchess of Mine" is (mostly) about Jemma & Elijah, EJ actually starts their story at book 1. So instead of telling each story independently, she weaves her stories together and merely finishes a couple's love story in a certain book.

For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. I can't get into too many details without giving away the storyline; but there was one portion of the story--when Jemma comes up with a far-fetched plan to win her husband's affections--that I thought was ridiculous. However, other than that, I thought this was a charming love story. In these novels, you know the two main characters will eventually make their way to each other. But, EJ does a really good job of throwing in enough curve balls to keep the story intriguing and unpredictable.

EJ & Susan Duerden may be one of the best author-narrator matches on Audible. Sometimes SD's male voices sound very similar to one another. But b/c of how EJ has written the story, differentiating one character from another is rarely a problem. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Superior! (I'm in love with this series)

THIS DUCHESS OF MINE was incredible! Just finished listening to it, and I recommend it wholeheartedly. Eloisa James did an outstanding job creating a larger world with this series, intertwining the romances of several couples, with ongoing story lines I find compelling and enjoyable. The more books in this series I read or listen to, the more enamored I am with the series and with Ms. James's writing.

Susan Duerden does a phenomenal job performing this book (and the series in whole). Her performance of male voices (each unique and easily recognizable--even before the tag identifying the speaker) and female voices are simply amazing. Her reading of this book increased my enjoyment many times over.

Note: I accidentally listened to these books out of order, with Leopold and Elinor's story jumping ahead of THIS DUCHESS OF MINE. Savoring them out of order caused zero disappointments...just helped to fill in some occurrences I'm really glad I got to experience.

Listeners cannot go wrong with any performance by Susan Duerden. Fans of Eloisa James will find this book (and its series) completely worth the time, credit(s), and investment.

Not worth your time

Gemma is an idiot and Elijah is irritating. I only listened to this because Leopold's beginning story of collecting his children started in this book. I had to fast forward when Gemma was grating on my nerves. This is the only book of Eloisa James that I felt lacked character. I'll keep listening Eloisa James' books but not this one again.

Sweet story. Very Well read

Sweet story. Very Well read. Following the lives of the characters is interesting. Looking forward to the next book soon.

Slow to start.

Any additional comments?

This narrator is like an old friend. I'm glad she's done all the books in the series (that I've listened to, at least). This was not the best in the series. Slow to start, it got more interesting later on. Maybe it's because you see part of this story in the previous books of the series. My favorites of the series are An Affair Before Christmas and A Duke of Her Own.

Loved It!

What made the experience of listening to This Duchess of Mine the most enjoyable?

Eloisa James really has a handle on the personalities of her characters. They were an adorable couple and the performer had a wonderful way of changing her voice to suit all of the characters in the book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of This Duchess of Mine?

The dialogue between the two central characters.

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

No, but I will again.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Their meeting with Dr. Withering.

Any additional comments?

No.