The Duke and the Wallflower

The Unwanted Dukes, Book 1

By: Jessie Clever

Narrated by: Bridget Thomas

Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Shunned by a society that puts attractiveness above all else, Lady Eliza Darby’s wallflower status keeps her from getting the one thing she wants most, namely, to be a mother. But, when her scorned older sister returns home to see all of her sisters wed in happy matches, it may be Eliza’s only chance to secure a husband and have the children she so desires.

Jilted in a publicly humiliating display, Dax Kane, the Duke of Ashbourne, has sworn off love forever and has no wish to wed. But, when the title demands it, he selects the most perfect candidate for the position: Lady Eliza Darby, a wallflower so unattractive, he won’t be in danger of falling in love with her. But, the jilted duke will soon discover looks have nothing to do with love.

The Duke and the Wallflower is the first book in the steamy, heart-stopping historical romance series, The Unwanted Dukes. If you love sexy, spellbinding romance and heartwarming humor, don’t miss this captivating series from best-selling author Jessie Clever. Discover adventure and romance when you download The Duke and the Wallflower today.

©2020 Jessica McQuaid (P)2021 Jessica McQuaid

Not bad

Took me a minute to get into the story but not a bad read otherwise.

Simple unassuming story

I found the story to be simple and straightforward. The narrator was good.
I really love stories where I fall in love with the characters and in this story I missed that. I found the Duke to be weak in character and lacking in courage. The female character had good moments. Overall, the story was passable but not memorable and the grand gesture at the end fell flat.

A Must Read!

I loved the story and the characters especially Henry, the Collie. The characters were multi faceted and interesting.

Loved Henry

I loved this story, However Henry was my favorite character. That lovable hound was loyal.

Narrator lacking........

This was a great story of Dax ( the Earl) and Eliza ( the wallflower). Dax had been spurned a year ago , in the previous season. And as is the "ton's" usual, gossipy self - he had them been labeled lacking and ignored by most people. He still wanted a wife to continue the "line", shop he decided to marry an ugly woman so that he wouldn't fall in love with her. He was able to do the first half off his plan, but not the second! He marries a wallflower to find out that Eliza is so much more than just her visage. He falls in love with her. But back comes the woman who killed him to try to win him back. He was for a short time (long enough though to have his wife catch him kissing his old flame) but then discovers that her truly DOES love his wife! Her only hope in the marriage was to have a child and become a mother. While pregnant, she becomes a much more confident woman. I loved tre interaction between her and her husband, but it really bugged me the way the narrator made her speak! So oily and terrible! It would have made there story so much better if she had had a different voice!

Good Story! Narration must be discussed

Ok here it goes. I liked the story. Got tired a bit about the wallflower emphasis. But overall enjoyable. On to the narration. It was terrible in fact there were a few times I felt they dubbed in someone else’s voice. Her rendition of Eliza’s voice is absolutely cringe worthy. If someone writes it’s good I’d question their taste. Authors good.

Fun story, especially loved Henry.

Eliza is several years older than her sisters, she also considers herself homely and without "womanly bits." She has mothered her sisters and would dearly love to have a family of her own. She's direct, truthful, loves dogs more than people, and is fairly convinced she is on the shelf.

Dax was jilted publicly in a humiliating way, several years ago. He needs a wife, but he wants a wife that would never cause him to fall in love with her. When Dax dances with Eliza, in her unappealing dress he decides he's found his bride.

From there on, it's quite a roller coaster.

A fun book, love the dog, Henry. I love to see people with working dogs that are actually trained.

Great Series Starter

It’s a sad fact but true, usually when a much sought after Duke is paired with a Wallflower, he is handsome and she is a very homely spinster. While that trope is again used in this story the writing elevates it above the usual fare.

The characters are well rounded, the hearts are not easily won, the sex isn’t instantly perfect and mind blowing (although it eventually is).

The story is intriguing and heart warming.

The narrator is also very talented.

We’ll done

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to future books from this author. The narration was exceptional!

Somewhat interesting, somewhat shallow

Three elements that make a historical novel really interesting: Diving into a different time and culture, well developed characters and a story with unexpected twist and turns.

This is a book for women. From my perspective, and yes, it is very subjective, the storyteller could not resist projecting too much of our present culture and social attitudes into those times. The hero is not so much a hero, but more or less a passive bystander, the heroine and her development somewhat confusing. The time and typical historic culture disappoints with not much more than a rather pale stage design. The storyline is interesting enough that I finished, with some effort.