The Lost Duke of Wyndham (Two Dukes of Wyndham, Book 1) | 
| Author: Julia Quinn
Publisher: Avon
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
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Rating:  102 reviews
Sales Rank: 32047
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 6.5 x 4.1 x 1.7
ISBN: 0060876107
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780060876104
ASIN: 0060876107
Publication Date: June 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Shipping: International shipping available
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Product Description
Jack Audley has been a highwayman. A soldier. And he has always been a rogue. What he is not, and never wanted to be, is a peer of the realm, responsible for an ancient heritage and the livelihood of hundreds. But when he is recognized as the long-lost son of the House of Wyndham, his carefree life is over. And if his birth proves to be legitimate, then he will find himself with the one title he never wanted: Duke of Wyndham. Grace Eversleigh has spent the last five years toiling as the companion to the dowager Duchess of Wyndham. It is a thankless job, with very little break from the routine . . . until Jack Audley lands in her life, all rakish smiles and debonair charm. He is not a man who takes no for an answer, and when she is in his arms, she's not a woman who wants to say no. But if he is the true duke, then he is the one man she can never have . . .
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| Customer Reviews: Read 97 more reviews...
Total J.Q. Novice January 2, 2009
I've read tons of romance books, but have never read a JQ before. I found this to be an entertaining, but very average read. The heroine was almost too perfect and not very realistic. The hero was sort of cute, but his immediate and constant idolization of Grace was almost too sappy. I like my characters to have at least a few flaws. I think my favorite character was the irritable old dowager duchess. I'll read more by this author - probably the Bridgerton series which comes highly recommended.
 Really Julia Quinn? December 21, 2008
I have to say that I read these books out of order, starting with "Mr. Cavendish, I presume". Although I didn't LOVE it like I do almost all of Julia Quinn's novels, i was charmed by the main characters and decided to read the other side of the story. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I felt like the story was very shallow and I really disliked the characters. It was like reading a novice authors feeble attempts at writing a romance novel, and of course we all know that Julia Quinn is not. Most of her work is great and I can definitely recommend reading her novels (especially the Bridgerton series, which I just finished and LOVE...so worth the time). This just didn't feel like her caliber of writing. Both the hero and the heroine were annoying and their story not that exciting. if you want to know what the story is about, just read the second book, which has better characters and is basically the same story.
 Oh yes.... December 20, 2008
"...and in truth there was no way - simply no way - he could do anything in that moment but kiss her.... Anything else would have been a tragedy..." Wo buddy, that moment was worth the price of the book! Now I'm onto Thomas's story (just released in Oct)...
Don't waste your hard-earned money! November 25, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I read the book. Extremely poor writing. Extremely poor development of characters. Exremely boring plot. Should I say more? I'm just writing this review to warn the people not to spend their hard-earned money on this complete writing failure which somehow got published. It's a total rip-off: I think the big wigs (Quinn's publishers) thought to milk the cash cow (Quinn) at the expense of her creativeness and professionalism, so they got her to publish something so obviously bad as this. Not worth a dime.
Charming, despite itself November 15, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
The first Julia Quinn novel I ever read was "The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever," which I hated so much I threw it against the wall. I was not looking forward to reading "The Lost Duke of Wyndham," but it was in my book pile and I figured I'd give it a whirl.
I'm glad I did.
At first, for the first few chapters, I found the book very annoying and hard to enjoy. There's too much "witty banter" that doesn't feel very witty to me at all. Also, I found the opening action a little silly--a highwayman robs a coach, kisses one of his victims, and she enjoys it--okay. And the highwayman is actually possibly the other victim's grandson--so he gets away scot free with his stolen goods--okay. I suppose. And oh no, there's more of that "witty banter" that's actually very clunky and not at all witty! Make it stop!
And then, abruptly, the book becomes good. I don't get it! But it evens out, flows better, and the two main characters, Jack and Grace, become very likable and interesting, and their interactions are very pleasurable to read.
The Good:
Jack is a charming character. He's very sweet to Grace and I like his attitude, for the most part. Grace is very sweet and kind, and I really root for her to have her happy ending. The mean and cruel dowager Duchess is a good foil, and altogether I like it. The storyline is compelling and the plotting is good, overall. The dialogue straightens out and becomes actually fun to read, hurrah!
The Bad:
Some characters get short shrift, especially Amelia, Thomas, and Elizabeth, who needed more page time. Certain plot elements are not handled as well as they should be, including Jack's family history and his Terrible Secret. The characters all feel very isolated, as if the rest of England went off to France on vacation, leaving them all alone in their cavernous castle. This doesn't feel deliberate to me.
Overall, though, this is a good story, well written, with a good hero and a good heroine. I like their love story. Most readers will probably enjoy following along with the book, unless they are expecting something spectacular--this isn't spectacular, but it is good.
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