The Grace of a Duke

The Daughters of the Aristocracy, Book 2

By: Linda Rae Sande

Narrated by: Michael Troughton

Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

They say time heals all wounds, but what of those left by love?

Having barely survived the fire that killed his family, Joshua Wainwright reluctantly begins his reign as the new Duke of Chichester. He is still recovering from his burns when he returns to Wisborough Oaks, the family seat in Sussex where the fire occurred. With reconstruction underway and a backlog of estate business to complete, the very last thing Joshua can handle is the sudden appearance of Lady Charlotte, the daughter of the Earl of Ellsworth.

Once betrothed to Joshua's older brother, Charlotte has spent her entire life training to be the Duchess of Chichester. Now that the man she was supposed to marry is dead, Charlotte is determined to marry Joshua, for despite the horrific scars that require him to wear a mask over one side of his face, she has secretly loved him since her coming out. Never mind that her father has arranged a betrothal to the Earl of Gisborn!

The duke has no idea it was Charlotte who arranged for his medical care and transport to London after the fire. Given his scars and the gossip mongers in London who refer to him as "his Grace with half a face", he's determined to spare Charlotte from having to marry him, even if she feels duty-bound to do so. But Charlotte, hiding a hideous scar of her own, will do whatever it takes, including seduction, to secure a marriage to the man she loves.

Will Joshua's apparent indifference send her into the arms of the earl who has come to claim her? Or will Charlotte choose a different path? Love proves it can heal even the deepest wounds in The Grace of a Duke.

©2013 Linda Rae Sande (P)2016 Linda Rae Sande

Sadly Boring

This book had so much promise - attempted murder, etc. Interesting hero and heroine (at first). Likable side characters (though their story dribbles away too). I think it could have been fun and exciting — decent premise — but the whole interesting part of the story never really gets going and, in fact, dribbles away in a haze of “does he love me? I wish he did” and “does she love me? If only she did” hour after hour after hour after hour after hour after hour. I had to skip over the last 100 or so minutes to the epilogue. I really wanted to like it but it was just plain boring - no story development and no character development to speak of. Everyone is the same at the end as they are at the beginning and nothing interesting happens in between (oh, the heroine likes decorating and is good at it since she trained to be a duchess from infancy - which we are told over and over and over and over. I have liked a couple of other Sande books but this is a skip in my opinion (unless you want to listen to a book where nothing much happens to anyone so it is pretty peaceful (a bit of grim stuff happens but all before the story starts and then basically nothing)). I realize my review has ended up a bit boring too.

This story was way too long

It was a struggle to finish. I increased the speed of the narrative aan# still nodded off. The Ending Was Rushed. the story ended like a Korean soap opera. the rich bad guys either commit suicide or all is forgiven.

Reminiscent of Phantom of the Opera with a Twist

I enjoyed listening to this book and would rate it at 4 1/2 stars. The author, Linda Rae Sande has a smooth writing style and it kept me interested. The story moved along well and featured scarred characters that needed healing. His Grace with half a face was the moniker that the Duke was given due to physical scars. This book is a standalone listen and part of a series. I thought the narrator did a very good performance. He was able to put so many expressions and emotions into his performance. This book has plenty of steam along with some great characters, and some unexpected humor. I received this book as a gift and have voluntarily written this review.