The Lost Duke Of Wyndham: Number 1 in series (Two Dukes of Wyndham) [Paperback]

Highwayman Jack Audley chooses the wrong carriage to rob one faithful night. The occupant is the dowager duchess of Wyndham and quickly she comes to the conclusion that Jack is her grandson. Jack looks (even masked), acts and sounds so much like her beloved dead son that Jack simply must be his son. And once she has him in her clutches the dowager will do everything in her power to prove that Jack is the legitimate Duke of Wyndham. Grace, a long suffering companion of five years, is shocked by the turn of events. And even more so when she realizes that the more time she spends with the charming rogue the more she's falling in love with him. Even if he seems a bit smitten with her -Dukes, if he proves to be, do not marry lowly companions.

A mixed review. Although I liked The Lost Duke of Wyndham in general, I found it to be an average book. Jack is a very lovable hero but perhaps too charming for me. I really enjoyed his quick wit and his delightful verbal sparing -up to a point. It got to be a bit too much by the middle of the book. Just went over the top IMHO. It seemed (to me anyway) that Jack was rarely serious perhaps when he should have been. I can take a joke as well as anyone, and I did find his antics very amusing most of the time -but still....I don't know perhaps I was looking for some strong emotions from a character who is light-hearted/carefree to the core.

And Grace seemed to be a bit underdeveloped as a character. I still don't really know who she is. I felt like I was missing a puzzle piece in her makeup while reading the book. A totally unremarkable heroine. Not unlikeable, mind you, but just....there.

So while the book is entertaining while reading it, I didn't find anything particularly exciting about it. The ending was extremely predictable as well. I was also disappointed by the lack of sexual tension and love scenes -there didn't seem to be enough sparks between these two. I felt like a great scene began and then just fizzled out in the end. Not very satisfying. But the one bright light in the book is the secondary characters, especially the stiff and proper Thomas (the Duke). He did capture my interest and I will be getting his book Mr. Cavendish, I Presume (Two Dukes of Wyndham, Book 2). .

In comparison to Quinn's other books, Jack is most similar I think to Colin of the Bridgerton series. So if anyone loved that book (Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Bridgerton Series, Book 4)) they may like this one. Of all of Quinn's books my favorite will remain When He Was Wicked (Bridgerton Family Series). I prefer broodier and more emotional hero's. But if you like charming hero's then you might want to check this one out.

Grace Eversleigh, companion to the dowager Duchess of Wyndham, was content with her life - not precisely satisfied, but she knew things could have been worse - right until the moment she and the duchess are held up by highwaymen.

Then things get complicated.

A kidnap, plenty of insults and numerous arguments disrupt everything, but that's not half as distracting as Jack Audley - who may, or may not, be the lost duke. The charming rogue has no desire to go along with the duchess' plans, but he stays for the pleasure of Grace's company. Because, really, if a man's world is about to be overturned, he surely deserves some comfort.

Yet as the duchess' plans progress, Jack realises it's more than comfort he wants from Grace. But if Jack truly is the duke, can she ever be anything more?

With this duology (this and Mr Cavendish, I Presume) Julia Quinn attempts a new idea, which sadly doesn't quite pay-off. Oh, this book retains her wonderful dialogue and sparkling wit, but it doesn't meet her usual standards. There's too much happening off-scene (unsurprising, as it makes up the other book), which detracts from the action here.

As a character Grace doesn't suffer too much, but then her role and history is clearly defined - companion to the duchess, friend to Thomas, love interest for Jack - and she emerges as a typical JQ heroine.

Not so for Jack. I'm not sure why, exactly but I never warmed to him. Perhaps, as Amelia puts it, he's `a little too charming'. He certainly has an interesting history, but for me all the vital facts emerge too near the end, when they reach Ireland. By which point I'm just not that interested anymore.

The question of who the Duke is dominates - naturally - and it often overwhelms the development of Jack's character, adding to the feel of a tale half told.

This tale isn't bad, and when paired with `Mr Cavendish, I Presume' it reads much better. It just isn't up to JQ's usual standard.

As a Georgette Heyer fan I was delighted to discover Julia Quinn's books a couple of years ago. Of all the Regency novelists I felt that she alone was able to capture at least some of the humour that Heyer put into her books. This one was a bit of a disappointment though. It is a bit thin on storyline and I hate to say this and don't wish to offend anyone but there are a few mistakes in it that perhaps a US audience would not pick up on (for instance, Jack speaks of looking forward to a 'slice' of shepherd's pie!). This spoilt it a little for me although I was able to overlook them in her other books (the heroine travels so many 'blocks' across London etc). It is an easy, entertaining read with little plot which Quinn fans will still, no doubt, enjoy reading. I'll still be buying her next - I just hope it's a bit better.