The Foundling Duke

The Foundling Series, Book 1

By: Audrey Harrison

Narrated by: Melanie Fraser

Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Fact and fiction combined to create a compelling historical romance.

Family secrets can’t always be kept hidden.

James Massey, Marquess of Avery, is hated by his mother and can’t understand why.

Leonard Massey, Duke of Yarnton, has a secret that will protect his son but destroy his wife.

Catherine Massey, Duchess of Yarnton, hates her husband and son and is determined they will be rejected by society.

One family on an inevitable path of self-destruction.

No one will come away unscathed.

©2017 Audrey Harrison (P)2018 Audrey Harrison

Beautifully written and narrated

Every once in a while, I enjoy a good regency romance, When this one was suggested, I grabbed it and what a pleasure it was to hear! Audrey Harrison crafts a touching romance, with a family secret that will surprise everyone! The Foundlings Hospital is where all children are placed when they are orphaned or cannot be taken care of. James does not remember being there as a young child, but when he does go, he feels a kinship to the children. Meeting Olivia there is just a plus for him, as their attraction is immediate. When Olivia's family is warned about James, things begin to get heated. What kind of family member would talk badly of James and why? The twists that Harrison has in place in this story are shocking and pleasing all at the same time. I loved the way she fabricated the story with a shock to the Duchess and to James surely to throw any family into a tailspin. I also loved Olivia's character, she is loving and supportive and a woman with her own mind. It is fun to have historical romances with the woman being of strong mind. It is an entertaining listen.

Melanie Fraser is exactly the narrator I would choose for a story like this. Her voice is perfect for historical romance. She gives each character their own voice and personality, but the thing I love most is her ability to give a regal tone to those who characters with that feel and a more comforting voice for others. It's just how I would hear it in my mind if reading the story. I love her narrations and look forward to book 2.

Interesting

I got this story via audiobook boom and this is my voluntary review. This story was long and winding but satisfying in the end. It took a while for the whole story to come out and at times I had to stop then return to complete the story. The narrator was good for the story and made the emotions come out. To live almost a whole life with a woman who hated him and made every effort to tell him that every day. James still came out on top even after trying his best to destroy his life with drink to overcome the anger imposed on him by the woman he thought was his mother.

The Foundling Duke

The Foundling hospital is where the children are sent that are to be put up for adoption. James has no memory of this being the beginning of his life. He knows his father loves him, but his mother is a totally different story. This is a amazing story and very well written. James has so much compassion for his mother after the truth comes out. I am not sure I would have felt the same after how she treated him and his father. The narration is very nice and easy to listen to.

I do so love a Harrison book narrated by Fraser!

I do not speak lightly when I say a book written by Audrey Harrison and narrated by Melanie Fraser is one of the best pairings in the audioverse. This listen continues their fantastic liaison!

Most of this story was heartbreaking. The birth mother giving up her twins, the boy lead, the abuse, the desire to be loved, and the many confrontations. Through it all though, I could not stop listening. I'm so glad there is another book in this series.

Fraser has no real equal when it comes to Regency romances. She is so in her element in this genre. Her performance makes the pages come alive.

I love how this story ended. I even learned a new word, "lightskirt." Ha!!! I can't wait for the next book!

Not my genre but i got throught it and glad i did

I'm not usually in to historical romance. I definitely like historical fiction but romance usually has too much of an obvious endpoint. The characters get together, the fall in love, they fight they get back together by then end. Such plots seem commonplace in romance. this book did have some of those elements but the author definitely was able to take a spin and subvert my expectations.

Enjoyable listen

I received this novel as an audiobook from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.

I am a fan of historical fiction of all periods. It always strikes me as sad how the rules and mores of Victorian Society caused so much unnecessary pain for so many. This book has a few examples of how a couple awful people manipulated the system to hurt others and raise themselves up. It also tells a very happy story because good and right come out ahead in the end.

The overall themes of the book are that secrets inevitably come out and that to a large extent happiness is a choice and based on the love we give despite our own disappointments.

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The narration is nicely done and fits the audio book well.

A new author [ to me]

"This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review." I thought the story was very good, but I didn't really like the presentation The story takes place in London so you expect a British accent; but I thought it was over done and had a hard time understanding siome of the ldialogue. The story opens with a young girl leaving her child in a founding home; then jumps to five yers later whenn the young boy is picked up by his adoptive mothe, who hates hime at first sight and makes he life miserable. I really enjoyed the story, and hope to see a second book following this one. I believe you will enjoy it too.

A sweet romance tarnished by a horrible stepmother

The Foundling Duke is a sweet romance that revolves around a young man whose mother was forced to relinquish him to an orphanage when he was a baby. She didn't want to give him up, but she was an unmarried servant and the father was a peer. The grandfather gave her no choice. The boy lives in the orphanage for five years when he is adopted by a Duke and his wife.

The story has some interesting twists and turns that kept me invested. I did think that perhaps too much emphasis was placed on the adoptive "mother" Catherine. She clearly loathes her husband and son, having married for position not love, and unable to have children of her own. It did go to help emphasize what a good man James became despite the lack of acceptance or affection he's felt since his adoption. His father, Leonard, clearly loves the boy and does all he can to see him raised well. When Leonard dies, James inherits the dukedom. His years of spreading wild oats is over, and he must find a wife. He sets his cap on Olivia, but at first, she wants nothing to do with him, knowing of his reputation. He must attempt to win her over.

On his deathbed, Leonard reveals a secret to James concerning his birth mother and more. James focuses on finding the woman who gave him birth while wooing Olivia, and trying his hardest to be kind to his adoptive mother. It's not easy going. Given that little is resolved in this book, I suspect it's the first of a series. There's still so much for James to do. At times, the book became repetitive, telling the listener the same thing over and over and over. it wasn't important information, so it proved irritating.

The narration was well done, gave life to the characters, and kept the story moving nicely.Each character the narrator voices is easily distinguishable from the others. Her performance makes listening highly enjoyable.

All in all, a decent Regency romance, but it left me with several unanswered questions.

I received this book as a gift from the narrator. Her generosity is appreciated, but had no influence on the opinions expressed in my review. They reflect my honest responses to listening to this audio book.

Great Historical Romance!

I really enjoy a clean Regency Romance from time to time, and Audrey Harrison did not disappoint with this book. I found a number of the characters to be endearing and the imagery so well done. I loved the twist the author wrote and had not expected it. Kudos to the author. This book also has some great humor too. The relationship of Olivia and James did not start out on the best foot, but their banter was great. Melanie Fraser performed the various characters so well, giving them distinguishable voices. I found this book to be original and is a standalone listen, along with the beginning of a new series. I was pulled into the book and really want to know what happened to James' sister and mother. I requested this review copy audiobook and have voluntarily written this review. I will definitely listen to more books by this author and narrator.

perfect

The historical facts in the book built the story well.
The beginning of the novel was excellent and so was its sequel.
An interesting book that was written in a very smart and calculated way. I loved it
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review .