When a Duchess Says I Do

By: Grace Burrowes

Narrated by: James Langton

Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Treat yourself to a delightful Regency romance with a fairy-tale twist: "Grace Burrowes is terrific!" (Julia Quinn, author of the Bridgerton series).

Duncan Wentworth once tried his hand at rescuing a damsel in distress long ago, and he's vowed he'll never make that mistake again. Yet when he comes across a stranger in the poacher-infested woods of his estate, decency compels him to offer the lady aid. Matilda is whip-smart, she can read Duncan's horrible penmanship, and when she wears his reading glasses all Duncan can think about is naughty Latin poetry.

Widowed duchess Matilda Wakefield can't entrust her secrets to Duncan without embroiling him in the problems that sent her fleeing from London, but neither can she ignore a man who's honorable, a brilliant chess player, and maddeningly kissable. She needs to stay one step ahead of the enemies pursuing her, and falling into Duncan's arms is a distraction she can't afford—or they'll both pay the price.

Library Journal Best of the Year

Publishers Weekly Bestseller

BookPage "2019 Most Anticipated Romances"

Bookish "Spring 2019 Must-Read Romances"

©2019 Grace Burrowes (P)2019 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"An intelligent, resourceful heroine and a hero who comes into his own bond over fierce games of chess, spirited banter, rapier wit, and mutual attraction in a sweet, passionate romance that is sure to enchant."—Library Journal, starred review

"An unusual pair of smart and worldly but reticent lovers; a modern sensibility about themes of consent, class, and disability; and a surprising and adventurous plot make Burrowes's latest Rogues to Riches Regency satisfyingly relatable nerdy escapism...will warm readers' hearts to the core."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Intimacy develops over conversations about his travels, games of chess, and a gradual sexual attraction, much in the manner of Mary Balogh's classic Regency romances...A romance of gentle yearning and fulfillment balance out by a suspense plot and a fast-paced third act."—Kirkus

Enjoyed the Story

I enjoyed listening to what it was easy to relax and enjoy the story I thought it had all sorts of fun little interactions and twists and turns in it.

Well-written, well-developed characters

I really enjoyed this book....primarily because of the characters. Grace Burrowes is masterful in character development. The story was entertaining...kept me interested. James Langton is really talented in the variety of his voices. He did Quinn's refined Yorkshire accent as well as the female voices. I thought it very clever that he made a slight distinction between Quinn's voice and Duncan's. Both have Yorkshire accents, but Duncan's had a Scottish flare. All in all this was a great book that I will listen to again...and again. To me that's testament to a really good book.....one that can pull you in regardless of how many times read/listened to.

Delightfully written & performed

This story is realistic, the characters are believable and the performance by James Langton was excellent. He conveyed masculine and feminine voices, accents, & personalities as if he were several vocal artists instead of just one. I didn’t find myself thinking what a wonderful performance he was giving while listening to When A Duchess Says I Do because he did his work so comprehensively well. It was only once finished listening that I thought about his performance, noting he was the only voice actor for the whole book.
The story was excellent, I enjoyed it immensely & listened every moment I could, on my Kindle App. Thank you to all who brought this story and the performance to be. Many thanks especially to the talented author, Grace Burrowes. (I rarely ever have read a romance novel because of the callowness of the love scenes. Those in this book were remarkably refined though, and only enhanced the story.)

Finding his love

Loved the book. Grace Burrowes is such a talented writer. Matilda had been on the run for months. When she comes upon 2 poachers holding a knife at another man she steps in with her gun and helps the gentleman. Duncan was grateful to the woman and has her comes back to the estate.
Duncan offers her a position to scribe his travel diaries. Matilda is tired from all her running and she accepts his offer temporarily.
Duncan knew she was hiding from someone but how can he get her to trust him.
A beautifully written story where both the hero and heroine are meant to be together. The narrator James Langton did an exceptional read.

Great listened

Love the story and how the reader did the voice overs, made me laugh alot.

It’s okay

Though not an astounding book, I was enjoying it until chapter nine, when it took a direct turn into two of the couple’s bedrooms at about the same time. They were awkward and somewhat cringey, since the scenes were unnecessary and came out of the blue, without emotional buildup. I put it on a super fast speed and forwarded a few parts to move the plot and pace onward. The relationship between the two MCs seemed slightly undeveloped. There were a few clever scenes, and it was decent enough entertainment on sale. I might consider getting the next one,

Duncan’s Story

Book 2 in the series, I can’t help but love this family. The characters’ pasts unfold along with the story in true Grace Burrowes style. An enjoyable read.

Good Romance with a good reader

A story, with an interesting twist that keeps you interested to the last word.
I stayed awake until 3am to finish listening. My audible library contains over 1000 very good books. This book could be placed in the top 50 . I enjoyed the authors story line and the people who filled it.

Unexpected for second series, but sweet story

If I had just read this book on its own I think I would have enjoyed it more. I really liked the heroine. Loved her thrill with chess, admired her pluck and strength. The spy story element that triggered her flight was a little too convoluted for my taste, and I was left unsatisfied with certain aspects of it. That said, I loved her and appreciated how Duncan was pulled out of his reserve into connecting and supporting her. Theirs was a beautiful love story.

What was a puzzle was why or how this was the second book in this series. We start the series squarely in London, the Duke returns home to three vivid and dynamic siblings and this slightly aloof cousin. The last thing I expected was to have book 2 be about the cousin and be set in the countryside. I had to go back a couple times to make sure this book (and the next one) were in the proper sequence and I hadn't missed anything.

Great Fun

Lots of intelligent characters and the heroine tops the list. quirky twists nothing is straight forward.