Undone by the Duke

Secrets in Silk, Book 1

By: Michelle Willingham

Narrated by: Sue Pitkin

Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's Summary

Victoria has a secret....

Reclusive designer Victoria Andrews hasn't gone outside in five years, though she yearns to escape the prison of her house. She designs sensual lingerie for the most exclusive dressmaker in London, although she has never known a man's touch.

A Duke in disguise....

Wounded and stranded in Scotland, Jonathan Nottoway, the Duke of Worthingstone, is avoiding the murderous scandal that darkened his family name. As his wounds heal, he spends several sensual nights with the beautiful seamstress who knows nothing of his true identity.

A passionate awakening....

Can a woman trapped by her emotional scars be able to love a duke, when it means abandoning her safe world to embrace the life of a duchess?

©2013 Michelle Willingham (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved

Critic Reviews

"Heart-wrenching . . . [Secrets in Silk] quartet shows great promise." ( RT Book Reviews)

S****L****O****W

Any additional comments?

The story had many repetitious thoughts that went through the main character's heads over and over and o v e r. The narrator also had one tone throughout the story. She almost sounded like she was so sad she was about to burst into a good cry at any point. The story would have been better about four hours shorter with the necessary cuts and a different narrator. I cannot recommend this book in good conscience. Buy it at your own risk.

Narrator is aweful.

Sue Pitkin reads as if she has a mouthful of spit she can't swallow. I imagine the microphone she's reading into has . . . well, you get the idea. I don't know if this is a good book or not. I've tried to listen to it three times, and have given up every time.

I will not buy anything read by Sue Pitkin again, but plan on trying to read this book on my Kindle.

Boring, dull and a terrible narration.

I could not finish this book it was so dull and boring, not to mention I was reading this via whispersync and the narrator Sue Pitkin or rather "Spitkin" since she sounds like she is spitting when she is reading was awful. Sorry, but a boring story, boring heroine, and terrible narration makes for a terrible book.

Luckily this book was a free listen and read with my KU subscription.

Kill the music

First of all, what's with the music?! At the beginning and the end it was too loud and too long. Very distracting and poorly produced. A shame to ruin the author's work in such a manner.

This started out so well. The injured Jonathan being cared for by Victoria, the time they spent together, his Christmas presents - all made for a great story. His attempts to break her of her agoraphobia were sweet. But as the book progressed the situations were odd and the ending felt a bit flat.

It wasn't bad. I will continue with the series.

Slow.......Dark.......Unhappy Characters

What disappointed you about Undone by the Duke?

If your life is just TOO happy and you need a come down try this book. It is too dark for a romance. The only uplifting part was in the epilogue.

Engaging Heart Warming Romance

Where does Undone by the Duke rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I gave Undone by the Duke 4 out of 5 stars on my book list, four is a really good rating it means I really liked it. I would listen again sometime.

What did you like best about this story?

What I liked best about this story was that it grabbed me from the very begging. Two people with issues that need to be over come. I also liked that it wasn't overly predictable like many other romance novels.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene in the book is Christmas and Jonathan wraps gift for them to open.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

He thought he was saving her but really she was saving him.

Michelle Willingham wins again.

If you could sum up Undone by the Duke in three words, what would they be?

Take one Englishman wanting to make a fortune in wool, an English Duke shot by mistake, a woman afraid to leave her house, add a mother trying to take care of her four daughters while her husband fights the french, put them all in a bag and shake well and you get a delightful story that really keeps your interest. This is the first in a series of four books and each one leaves you wanting to read the next one. This is really another winner for Michelle Willingham.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Undone by the Duke?

I really liked how the Duke kept working to help Victoria overcome her fear of leaving the house while falling in love.

What does Sue Pitkin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

By hearing the book instead of just reading the words, I felt more of the emotions of the characters. There were a lot of small things that I didn't pick up on while reading that I caught from hearing it read.

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

I admired the four daughters starting their own business, to help their mother financially, in an era that did not approve of the aristocracy being in commerce.

Any additional comments?

I'm not really good at reviews, but I really did enjoy this book (and the two following it). I look forward to reading the last one and finding out how Margaret and Cain are doing.

A good plot

Started out slow and I almost didn’t continue. After sticking with it, picked up into almost Cinderella like story with what grabbed my interest.

It seemed as if the author spent to much time with tedious details in the first half of the story and then decided to pick up the pace. And that she did. She jumped from current plot to weeks ahead and before we know it, it was months. It’s a good thing I understood what the author was doing, so I followed closely.

I still enjoyed it through the last quarter choppy story telling, and the rushed ending.

Good book

Interesting characters. Great story line. Worth listening in Audible. This book was a fun read.

Enjoyable Read

If you like sensual historical romances then you can't miss with this one. The narrator's voice is very pleasant. All-in-all I enjoyed this book and will be getting the rest of this series.

Regal Romance & More

I read & listened to this book and absolutely fell in love with it. Victoria a lady in waiting with a huge problem she is afraid to go outside. She resigns herself to becoming a spinster. She has younger siblings who go to every ball in an attempt to find a husband. The family have fallen on hard times as their father is at war and as a way to make money Victoria designs and makes gowns. One day she decides to make corsets which are scandalous for the time. They have a man who delivers them to London and they prove to be a big hit.

One of the many occasions she is left behind whilst her siblings go to another ball a wounded man has been found nearby and she gets her staff to bring him in. He does not reveal his title and he is abrupt a bit like Mr Darcy character and she is unaffected by him, which makes her more appealing to him, what happens beyond.... I will stop there.

Full of drama, a touch of romance, threats of violence and so much more....