The Lost Duke of Wyndham (Two Dukes of Wyndham, Book 1)
by Julia Quinn
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Book Summary Information
Author: Julia QuinnEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-05-27
ISBN: 0060876107
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: Avon
Product features:
- A highwayman, soldier and, always a rogue is recognized as the missing legitimate heir to the title he never wanted: Duke of Wyndham. When he takes his rightful place, his rakish smiles and debonair charm become irresistible for Grace Eversleigh, the companion to the dowager Duchess of Wyndham , yet she must resist this one man she can never have.
Book Reviews of The Lost Duke of Wyndham (Two Dukes of Wyndham, Book 1)
Book Review: How Did This Get Published?!?!?
Summary: 1 Stars
Oh, yeah, because Quinn's name is on it. I forgot. Because it's really that bad. It's so bad you begin to wonder if a writer like Quinn wrote it, or she had it ghost-written by a 15 year old. So, here's my frank and honest review, even though I know I'm going to get a score "unhelpful" checks from all Quinn fans. (Honestly, I am a Quinn fan, as well. That's why I'm so frustrated and angry right now.)
I'm going to say this upfront: I cannot abide "love at first smell/touch/sight" books. So, in my case, there was definitely a bias against the primary romance. But I could have even overlooked that if Quinn had displayed her talent for creating complex characters and situations that are real conflicts.
However, Quinn fails to do this. For a woman who has written over a dozen books, this read like it was her first attempt at a novel. The main characters were barely sketched, she makes the rookie mistake of "telling" rather than "showing", and I found the entire main conflict of the novel (the very premise) to be rather absurd and made each of the primary characters guilty of the "To Stupid to Live syndrome".
~ Spoilers In Review ~
First of all, the very fact that Grace falls in lust with a highway man & thinks there's absolutely nothing wrong with it really made me question her judgment. It was marvelous for her that the guy ended up being a Duke... but, good God, what was she thinking to start out with? And speaking of him being a highwayman. Apparently, that wasn't a big deal... but, yet, he had a problem with giving up that lifestyle to become a Duke.
Secondly, I guess Jack was charming? Because Quinn told us that every other paragraph or so (either Jack was thinking it, telling people he was, or Grace was thinking it, or other characters were calling him that....). Frankly, though, he never made one comment or did anything that was remotely charming. He was, in fact, rather annoying. There he was, a thief, and he was about to strip a very decent man of his title and whole identity. And all he could do was joke and make cracks towards everyone & we're supposed to cheer for him (and the romance) because he keeps glancing over at Grace because he just knows that she'll get the humor if no one else does. And Grace, like a good little heroine, is the only one who is able to "get" him - rather than thinking he's a jerk, like Amelia (rightfully so) does.
Third, I hated, hated, hated that the only parts that were remotely interesting were the Thomas/Amelia parts. Quinn tried to keep the focus on Grace/Jack in this novel and so she formatted it so that Thomas/Amelia are very secondary characters - so secondary, in fact, that we're not even allowed to hear Amelia explain a scene between her and Thomas at a pivotal moment in the novel. Instead of having Amelia tell Grace what happened (in a rather more interesting novel/story taking place off stage) we are instead treated to the self-absorbed musings of Grace, who is completely tuning out Amelia while the girl is trying to talk to Grace about her own issues. Yeah, I think we all want a friend like Grace. Even if I wasn't pre-disposed to dislike Grace for falling in love with a highwayman at first sight, this made me just want to throttle her. I was yelling at the book, "Dear God, listen to the woman! She has a more interesting story to tell, anyway!" But, unfortunately, Quinn would prefer that we wait until October (or is November) to get to know the better characters.
Fourth, the "climax" is absurd and it takes way too long to get there. OK, yeah, he's the Duke. Well, that was obvious from the beginning because he's (1) older than Thomas and (2) clearly, he wasn't lying about being legitimate. So why take about 200 pages to get that point? We spend much of the novel talking about him possibly being the Duke. (Boring, repetitive, conversations) and then it takes about 20 pages to resolve the issue post "revelation". Most of which is in epilogue form and, quite neatly and stupidly, addresses every concern that Grace/Jack had for about 200 pages. Well, that's just great. I would rather have seen him deal with being the Duke at about page 50, and read 150 pages of him learning how to be one, while wooing Grace at the same time. Rather than having it backward: 200 pages with him talking about potentially being the Duke & then told that it all worked at the end.
Lastly, why was Grace turning him down. To paraphrase Elizabeth Bennett: He's a gentleman, she's a gentleman's daughter, so - in that - they are equal. She, however, thinks that she's not good enough for the guy because *gasp* he's a Duke. Well, sheesh, he was also thief. Did you think of that, Grace? That he used to rob people and would have continued doing so, if the Duchess didn't kidnap him???? But, I guess, being in love with a man who has no morals is okay. It's the whole being in love with a man who has a title that screwed up. But, it's all okay in the end because Amelia (again, the girl I really wanted to read about) points out that it'll be about 2 weeks of gossip & then folks will move on. And, of course, brainless Grace goes, "Oh yeah... I guess I'll be a Duchess then. If you twist my arm and all that." No, seriously, here's a woman who has been virtually a slave to the Dowager Duchess for about 5 years. Plus, she's all alone in the world and has no money to her name. And, she's lonely and unhappy. So along comes this guy who is madly in love with her, great looking, the sex is good and - oh, well, look at that - he's also about to become one of the richest and most powerful men in England. And so what is our girl to do? Clearly, she has to reject his marriage proposal. Because, yeah, she's that bright.
~ End Spoilers ~
Anyway, I could go on about this... how the book is poorly written. (Way.too.many.short.sentences.) I could write even more about how superficially the two main characters are written and how it reads like every generic (and poorly written) romance novel I've ever read. But I think you get the picture.
Bottom Line: Don't go by the brand name. Go buy a different book by a new author. Because Quinn has clearly forgotten how to write and is coasting on her name. It's like Eloisa James all over again!!!
Summary of The Lost Duke of Wyndham (Two Dukes of Wyndham, Book 1)
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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