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The Desperate Duke

By: Sheri Cobb South
Narrated by: Noah Michael Levine
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Summary

A duke in disguise...a damsel in distress...a match made in - Manchester?

When 23-year-old Theodore Radney becomes the Duke of Reddington after his father dies, the weight of his new responsibilities is enough to send him into a panic. Theo soon accumulates a pile of debts - and discovers he can’t touch his inheritance until his father’s will is probated. His brother-in-law, mill owner Ethan Brundy, lends him the money, with one caveat: Theo will repay the loan by working in the mill.

Daphne Drinkard and her mother have fallen on hard times, and are now reduced to taking in boarders. When a Parliamentary candidate hires the dining room for a series of political meetings, Daphne knows he might be her last chance for an advantageous marriage. Still, she’s far more intrigued by the boardinghouse’s newest resident. Mr. Tisdale is obviously a gentleman - but why would a gentleman be working in a cotton mill?

©2018 Sheri Cobb South (P)2019 Sheri Cobb South
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Clean historical romance.

I wasn't to sure about this one when I first read the description. I can hear the author now, "really Layla. Really. You have read all my books and you still don't know me by now."
And she is right. The book is amazing! True there is no mystery, which is one of the reasons I love John Pickett series, but the book holds its own.
I loved the ending, I was not expecting in the future part. I loved how she brought it a full circle. Would love to know more about them.
Would highly recommend.

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Loved This

A brilliant story, excellently narrated. I was completely engrossed from start to finish. Funny, romantic and exciting. This book leaves you with a real feel good feeling. And there's a nice surprise in the epilogue! Looking forward to reading more of this series.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reading audio copy.

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Sweet romance

The Desperate Duke, Weaver book 4 by Sheri Cobb South is a sweet, clean, period romance guaranteed to have a happy ending. When poor, gentle Daphne finds herself tangled with a wayward Duke, the connection changes both their fortunes.

It is a fun, lightweight audiobook which makes a very pleasant attempt to imitate the 'Regency Romance' style. Whilst it does feel very much like a contemporary interpretation rather than a faithful example of the traditional style, I would expect that to give the book a broader appeal.

My only real gripe with the story was with the epilogue - set in 2018 - which was perplexing and didn't really help with the aforementioned contemporary slant. It felt like the set up to a subsequent novel, but one which could not be part of the same series, as even if it were a family saga the jump in time is too vast for it to comfortably follow. All it served to do was rip me out of the world I'd just left without allowing time to ponder the end of the story. It was not badly done, just unnecessary.

The narrator Noah Michael Levine was charming. His performance was lively and very entertaining, though it took me quite a while to 'get my ear in'. I have never listened to a historical romance set mainly in the North of England which contains such a transatlantic mixture of accents. It was initially rather confusing because many of the characters spoke with something approximating British RP, and others with a sort of Dickensian mockney, but the general narration had a distinctive American twang; complete with US pronunciations. It took me quite a while to settle into the rhythm of this style, and it is testament to the narrator's ability to engage his audience that I was inclined to persevere.

I'd recommend this to US listeners who want to dip their toe into the exceedingly-British world of Regency romance in a fashion that is accessible and not so formal as to be unrecognisable. Equally, anyone who is more accustomed to contemporary romance or finds traditional Regencies too stiff may well fare better with this book than other examples of the genre. For die-hard fans of Austen, or even Heyer, it will likely not pass muster, but it is a sweet little love story nonetheless.


*I received this audiobook free of charge in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

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