Waking up with the Duke

London's Greatest Lovers, Book 3

By: Lorraine Heath

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

They are masters of seduction, London's greatest lovers....

Renowned for his bedchamber prowess, Ransom Seymour, the Duke of Ainsley, owes a debt to a friend. But the payment expected is most shocking, even to an unrepentant rake - for he's being asked to provide his friend's exquisite wife with what she most dearly covets: a child. Living for pleasure, they will give their hearts to no one. Lady Jayne Seymour, Marchioness of Walfort, is furious that such a scandalous agreement would be made. If she acquiesces, there must be rules: No kissing - and, certainly, no pleasure.

Until love takes them by surprise....

But unexpected things occur with the surprisingly tender duke - especially once Lady Jayne discovers the rogue can make her dream again - and Ransom realizes he's found the one woman he truly cannot live without.

©2011 Jan Nowasky (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers

Good completion to this family tale

Interesting to see how all the characters from the other books evolved during this story of the 3rd brother. Could not tell the difference between some of the male and female voices.

Love the story - love the all the sex!

Really love the romance and corniness. Also the realistic nature of the story - no one is a sinner or a saint. I found the sex scenes riveting and romantic! The only thing I didn’t like was the narration. The woman’s voice was unbelievable and barely discernible between the various characters.

Different than You Think

I loved the characters. Ainsley was my favorite. The author used the male point of view a lot, it was nice. I get so tired of hearing every one of the girl's thoughts and very few of the males. The female main character got a little annoying towards the end, but overall a great story. I liked the different story line, was worried about it at first.

Couldn’t stop listening!!!

I absolutely love this series! The last book has to be my favorite. I would definitely recommend this book series to a friend.

Lovely romance - too much sex

In spite of my skipping through sex scenes and speeding up the narration, I really enjoyed this book. The story is one that haunts the reader/listener. All the characters in this series are so well-developed that they draw the listener right into the story. But, I really loved the characters in this book....even though I listened to both earlier books in the series. This last book is like luscious icing on a mediocre cake. Lorraine Heath is a very talented author and the books in this series deserve a much better narrator.

Amazing actress!!

As the reader of this book is a phenomenal actress. She really took me on a journey. I just recently got into romance novels and I will definitely be listening to a lot of books by this particular author. It swept me up into a beautiful world of love and beauty and possibility.

LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! I found I couldn't put it down

I loved the characters and the narrator brought them to life in my mind's eye. Enjoyed it to the MAX!

Absolutely loved the story.

Would you consider the audio edition of Waking up with the Duke to be better than the print version?

Read it!!! Although the narrator is talented she is extremely nasally on words that end in a an "ore" sound. Every time I heard her say, "four, more, before, etc" it made me cringe.

What did you like best about this story?

At first I was a little apprehensive about the story line as I am not a fan of adultry based books. But, this story is different. It isn't what you expect. I fell in love with the hero.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Soften her pronunciation on words that end with an r. She is extremely harsh and nasally taking away from the story and startling the listener out of an enjoyable listen. She is a cross between a New Jersey / British accent.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Heart ache. I hurt for the heroine as her world tumbled apart.

Have a Box of Tissue at the Ready!

Waking Up With The Duke is a unique story. The storyline calls for love-making throughout the book, but unlike many stories with immoderate sexual content the theme of "Waking Up With The Duke" is about begetting a babe. I did not find it objectionable as I do with stories that simply throw in page after page of sexual activity to increase the length of their books, or ones that depict erotic behavior intended to cause sexual excitement. Most of the aforementioned books have little to no actual story.

"Waking Up With The Duke" is an emotional story about dysfunctional families of the aristocracy, friendships, guilt, regrets, and love. The guilt ridden Duke of Ainsley feels he owes his friend and cousin Walfort a debt, but the payment requested even shocked the rake.

The hero and heroine of the story is the Duke of Ainsley and the Lady Jane Walfort, but the secondary characters play important roles. There is: Lord Walfort, his jewels, the scandalous Duchess of Ainsley and her artist lover with no known last name, his brothers and their ever-growing families. I love his brother's young heir, who, when speaking to the Duke addresses him as "Uncle", and the Duke replies "Nephew".

The story encompasses a variety of emotions. It has some inventive verbal humor, but for the most part is emotionally heart-rendering. It is not a story to be easily forgotten.

It is very well written, and Anne Flosnik gave a flawless performance--she is quite an actress. Her ability to portray the emotions of the characters brings them to life. The listener feels their love, pain, and happiness.

WOW! Not what I expected - SO GOOD!

THE FIRST FEW SENTENCES WILL GET YOU!

So I am NOT a fan of books with adultery. But another reviewer claimed it was different ---and it was! This is not your run of the mill romance. I LOVED it immediately! I actually created extensive house work so I could listen all day long! Then I stayed up until 1:30 in the morning finishing it!

One of my favorite things about this series of books is that The Dutchess of Ainsley (the mother of the 3 men) is always part of the story. She is again a player in this book - and her story gets a conclusion, which is nice! Also each of her son's books seem to mimic part of her life in a way - hard to explain, but it all makes sense when you listen to all 3 books.

Just like the Dutchess of Ainsley has a favorite son (Stephen)...I think Ms. Heath has a favorite - it has to be Ainsley! Heath really kicks it up a notch with this book.
- Wonderful progression of a relationship.
- Delicious love scenes (they have a purpose though)
- Heart wrenching emotional roller coaster

The only thing I don't like about the series is that with every book each of the brothers becomes even more "notorious" than the last brother. I mean as notorious as Westcliffe & Stephen were....there has to be a limit! :0)

Do yourself a favor - READ THIS SERIES - start from Passions of a Wicked Earl....and that is the weakest of the series - BUT it is still great!

Yes - The "Uncle" and "Nephew" scenes will melt your heart!