The Wicked Duke

The Wicked Trilogy, Book 3

By: Madeline Hunter

Narrated by: Lulu Russell

Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Third in the roguishly intriguing series by the New York Times best-selling author of Tall, Dark, and Wicked and His Wicked Reputation.

She appeals to his wicked inclinations, but he never expects she might snare his heart….

Suspected of his brother's murder, Lancelot Hemingford, Duke of Aylesbury, was forced to give up his hell-raising habits in London for the anonymity of quiet country living. So, when an opportunity arises to clear his name in exchange for proposing to the niece of a neighbor, he sees no choice but to accept. Plus, seducing the reluctant maiden will be a most intriguing challenge.

As Marianne Radley is dependent on her uncle, she must accept the Duke's marriage proposal at her family's request, despite her belief he is irredeemably wicked. But along with marrying him, she intends to sniff out the duke's unsavory secrets and expose them to the world: a plan that would be flawless were it not for one minor detail - even she, with all her determination, is not immune to the charms of a rakish duke.

©2016 Madeline Hunter (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Have to comment on the narrator.

She made Lance sound like a pain sodden soul. I couldn’t hear his voice half the time because he spoke so deeply. I really enjoyed Mary Jane Wells from the first book in this series. Having made that comment, the rest of the characters were decent. But the main character needs to be heard and understood. Not sound like a person suffering from hemorrhoid

Good story. Horrible reading.

I liked the story but couldn’t stand the performance. I probably wouldn’t have listened if I hadn’t already listened to the first two books. It was hard for me to like Lance because of her interpretation. I was hoping after hearing her performance on the last story that she would have changed his voice since he was the lead. He sounded like the overdone villain. At least she’s consistent, unfortunately.
I don’t usually write reviews but I don’t think I can listen to another book by this reader.

DNF due to narrator

DNF due to narrator Lulu Russell. After painful experience listening to the beginning of #2, I didn't even bother trying w/ this last book in trilogy. I've gotten into doing re-reads in audio format so it's disappointing when it fails to do justice to a favorite author or title.

great story. terrible performance .

This story of Lance was the perfect ending to the wicked trilogy. his character is quite a character throughout the book. You have to read every chapter all the way to the end to not miss anything . The performance is regrettably awful and takes away from the book.

Entertaining listening

I enjoyed all three books in this series. The strengths of the brothers and the love for their family was great. Each character was developed in such a way that they came to life. I have listened to many of Madeline Hunters books and was always intrigued with her writings and story lines. She is a very talented writer. I look forward to reading and listening for more of her books.

It's okay...

The story is good, but the reader's voice for the duke's character was so draggy and affected, that I almost returned it. The rest of her reading was good.

Well, I tried, but ...

In my review of "Tall, Dark, and Wicked" I complained about the narrator but said I would give this book a try in hopes that the narrator would improve. She did not! In fact it got worse. I can't even stand to get through it and will return the book.

I really like Madeline Hunter's books. The stories are excellent and, usually, a little different from the run-of-the-mill historical romance. But I will never purchase another book that Lulu Russell narrates.

Here again, the characters, both men and women, tend to sound the same. However, in this book two stand out from the others as being different - but definitely not in a good way. Lance is not only arrogant and bored, but has no character that appeals at all. There are no layers to him, nothing that indicates he is at all concerned about his danger, and, worse, that he has any interest at all in Marianne. He just sounds like a spoiled little nebbish with no personality or redeeming value whatsoever.

Although she is not the heroine in this book, Eva does appear continually, but she sounds like she takes nothing seriously. Her voice is a continual laughing smirk. Again, other than Lance, all the men are indistinguishable, and, without phrases such as "Ives said" or "asked Gareth," which aren't used (and in print isn't necessary due to proper punctuation) conversations often don't entirely make sense.

Message to producers: Please! Please! Be careful about your narrators! Stop destroying series by letting a narrator learn at the expense of the listener!

great story narration of malenvoices distracting

The female narrator perfomed thr male voices in a very unnatural low pitch. it was somewhat distracting but still a good story.

Duke brings Wicked Trilogy to satisfying conclusion

His brothers may have found love but Lancelot Hemingford, Duke of Aylesbury, still lives under the shadow and scandal of the alleged murder of his brother. A battle of wits between Lance and his chief accuser escalates as do the stakes. Marianne Radley holds the key to the truth - and Lance's personal redemption.

Better narrator than most

Many reviews on this series hate the narration. I could handle it mainly because I read the books in order. Lance’s voice is a bit slow and lazy but it works. There are not many narrators able to perform multiple characters. Russell does a decent job. I loved this series and was able to get past the narration.