The Duke I Tempted

The Secrets of Charlotte Street, Volume 1

By: Scarlett Peckham

Narrated by: Holly Chandler

Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

He’s controlled. Meticulous. Immaculate. No one would expect the proper Duke of Westmead to be a member of London’s most illicit secret club. Least of all: his future wife. Having overcome financial ruin and redeemed his family name to become the most legendary investor in London, the Duke of Westmead needs to secure his holdings by producing an heir. Which means he must find a wife who won’t discover his secret craving to spend his nights on his knees - or make demands on his long scarred-over heart. 

Poppy Cavendish is not that type of woman. An ambitious self-taught botanist designing the garden ballroom in which Westmead plans to woo a bride, Poppy has struggled against convention all her life to secure her hard-won independence. She wants the capital to expand her exotic nursery business - not a husband. But there is something so compelling about Westmead, with his starchy bearing and impossibly kind eyes - that when an accidental scandal makes marriage to the duke the only means to save her nursery, Poppy worries she wants more than the title he is offering. The arrangement is meant to be just business. A greenhouse for an heir. But Poppy yearns to unravel her husband’s secrets - and to tempt the duke to risk his heart.

©2018 Scarlett Peckham (P)2019 ListenUp Audiobooks

The Wrong Reader

An affected American Accent? Why? Wrong country, wrong class, wrong century. The story began well but the accent was too much of an anachronism.

NY Times Recommended - It Did Not Disappoint

This book was a solid 4+ stars. I picked it up, paid 1 credit since it wasn't in the Romance collection (where it should be), and did not regret the purchase. It was a good read with a slow but steady pace. There were a couple of predictable moments but overall I felt the story was refreshing and it had a kinky twist to the story that most historical romance novels lack. I would recommend this book.

The NY Times Romance Novels recommendations was written by Jaime Green and published 09/20/18, in case anyone wants to read the list.

definitely not worth time or credit

worst narrator I've heard in a long time. couldn't get past chapter 2....and that was two chapters too many

It took a minute

before I was fully invested in this one.

Poppy Cavendish is working hard, the Uncle who raised her recently passed away so she must move her beloved nursery from his estate to the house he left her. But the Duke of Westmead has all the labor workers of the area working on his estate. Which he's preparing for the announcement of his engagement.

His sister is set on wowing the gathering and insists on enlisting Poppy's services, to transform the ballroom with her exotic plants.

After a series of events, The Duke finds himself proposing marriage to Poppy, figuring this arrangement makes for great business. She can offer him an heir and he can offer his help with her budding exotic nursery.

Great story

This was such a deep and beautiful story! Its a wonderful story full of healing, forgiveness, and grace. Holly Chandler does a fabulous job narrating this story and bringing the characters to life.

Unique Story!

I really enjoyed this book. The narration was great and I loved the characters. The only reason this wasn’t a full 5 stars was because I wished there was little more communication and less angst. The didn’t even explore the unique urges/needs together until the end of the book and it was only once. I wish there was more exploration of their dynamic together throughout the book. Overall, I really enjoyed the story.

4 stars

I really enjoyed this read by newbie author Scarlett. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. Loved Holly's narration.

Not Your Usual Histo-Romo.

I liked the uniqueness of this novel and characters. Narration was better than I expected.

Lacking

It had great potential but fell short. A male voice would have helped the dynamic.

Surprisingly enjoyed

When I first started listening I was unsure if I would like the book and promptly stopped, but I am glad I picked it back up. This book was wonderful and I love that it has a strong female protagonists. I liked how the book made me feel sad for the characters but used that to build a love story that made me grin from ear to ear.

Wasted a credit

Overall this listen was spoiled by the truly awful narration. A high pitched American accent is a big distraction from a story set in 18th century England.

A good story

I loved the story of Archer and Poppy and it was only spoiled by a bad American narrator.