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Two Dukes of Wyndham #2
Mr. Cavendish, I Presume
Amelia Willoughby has been engaged to the Duke of Wyndham for as long as she can remember. Literally. A mere six months old when the contracts were signed, she has spent the rest of her life waiting. And waiting. And waiting ... for Thomas Cavendish, the oh-so-lofty duke, to finally get around to marrying her. But as she watches him from afar, she has a sneaking suspicion that he never thinks about her at all ...
It's true. He doesn't. Thomas rather likes having a fiancée — all the better to keep the husband-hunters at bay — and he does intend to marry her ... eventually. But just when he begins to realize that his bride might be something more than convenient, Thomas's world is rocked by the arrival of his long-lost cousin, who may or may not be the true Duke of Wyndham. And if Thomas is not the duke, then he's not engaged to Amelia. Which is the cruelest joke of all, because this arrogant and illustrious duke has made the mistake of falling in love ... with his own fiancée!
It's true. He doesn't. Thomas rather likes having a fiancée — all the better to keep the husband-hunters at bay — and he does intend to marry her ... eventually. But just when he begins to realize that his bride might be something more than convenient, Thomas's world is rocked by the arrival of his long-lost cousin, who may or may not be the true Duke of Wyndham. And if Thomas is not the duke, then he's not engaged to Amelia. Which is the cruelest joke of all, because this arrogant and illustrious duke has made the mistake of falling in love ... with his own fiancée!
370 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 18, 2008
761 people are currently reading
6870 people want to read
About the author
Julia Quinn
194 books46.1k followers#1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn loves to dispel the myth that smart women don't read (or write) romance, and and if you watch reruns of the game show The Weakest Link you might just catch her winning the $79,000 jackpot. She displayed a decided lack of knowledge about baseball, country music, and plush toys, but she is proud to say that she aced all things British and literary, answered all of her history and geography questions correctly, and knew that there was a Da Vinci long before there was a code.
A graduate of Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges, Ms. Quinn is one of only sixteen members of Romance Writers of America’s Hall of Fame. Her books have been translated into 32 languages, and she lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest.
The Bridgertons, her popular series of historical romance, is currently in production by Shondaland as a Netflix original series starring Julie Andrews, Phoebe Dynevor, and Rége-Jean Page.
A graduate of Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges, Ms. Quinn is one of only sixteen members of Romance Writers of America’s Hall of Fame. Her books have been translated into 32 languages, and she lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest.
The Bridgertons, her popular series of historical romance, is currently in production by Shondaland as a Netflix original series starring Julie Andrews, Phoebe Dynevor, and Rége-Jean Page.
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November 8, 2024Ok, this one is really hard for me to rate. I liked it a lot, but I was frustrated by it too. It's Thomas's story and I so wanted to find out what happened between him and Amelia and how he handled dealing with the resolution of Jack's situation. But most of this story was a retelling of The Lost Duke of Wyndham from Thomas's and Amelia's POVs. I found the different perspectives interesting and we were given some details that didn't appear in Jack & Grace's book. However, I'm not the most patient person in existence so I was getting very anxious to get past what I already knew was going to happen and get on with this story. I ended up putting the book down for a day. I picked it back up today and finally at page 323 (of 370) the story moved forward. I guess my final conclusion of Mr. Cavendish, I Presume is that even though I liked it, I was a bit disappointed with it.
October 20, 2025
Ok...ish.
You get Thomas and Amelia's story, which was happening at the same time as Grace & Jack's story.
Unfortunately, Grace and Jack were the cool couple.
Thomas and Amelia are both very proper and tend to be the ones who always do the right thing. I mean, you see them begin to simmer and chafe under the weight of it, and it was interesting...no, not interesting....but maybe different to see what was going on in their heads.
I did like that each of them had a good sense of the ridiculous and a nice spark of humor, so they felt like real people.
But as far as the main plot goes, nothing different is happening to set this book apart from the first one.
Had Thomas and Amelia been absent for the majority of the first book, then maybe Quinn would have had a story to tell.
THE MISSING CHUNK OF TIME WITH THOMAS & AMEILIA!
But no. We just get the same story from the boring people's perspective.
Nobody wants that. Nobody.
Well, maybe boring people? No, not even boring people.
I kid, I kid. They need representation, too.
This was ok.
Recommended for anyone whose idea of a hot date includes mild petting.
You get Thomas and Amelia's story, which was happening at the same time as Grace & Jack's story.
Unfortunately, Grace and Jack were the cool couple.
Thomas and Amelia are both very proper and tend to be the ones who always do the right thing. I mean, you see them begin to simmer and chafe under the weight of it, and it was interesting...no, not interesting....but maybe different to see what was going on in their heads.
I did like that each of them had a good sense of the ridiculous and a nice spark of humor, so they felt like real people.
But as far as the main plot goes, nothing different is happening to set this book apart from the first one.
Had Thomas and Amelia been absent for the majority of the first book, then maybe Quinn would have had a story to tell.
THE MISSING CHUNK OF TIME WITH THOMAS & AMEILIA!
But no. We just get the same story from the boring people's perspective.
Nobody wants that. Nobody.
Well, maybe boring people? No, not even boring people.
I kid, I kid. They need representation, too.
This was ok.
Recommended for anyone whose idea of a hot date includes mild petting.
February 22, 2009
When I can, I like to read books in a series close together. They just work better for me that way. But these two Wyndham books? They really should NOT be read back-to-back. I liked this one to a certain extent, but more often than not I found it really tedious to get through. The gimmick of these two books - telling the same story from two different perspectives - just didn't work for me. So this one was a very weak 3-stars, probably more of a 2.5.
Mr Cavendish, I Presume is the 2nd book in the Two Dukes of Wyndham series. What makes the series unique is that the two books aren't just connected by character or theme; they are actually simultaneously told. In the first book you get Jack and Grace's POV's about how Jack might actually be the true Duke of Wyndham, and in the 2nd book you get Thomas and Amelia's POV's.
The first book tells the story of how Jack was the unknown, and probably legitimate, son of John Cavendish...and that if he was legitimate, he would be the true Duke of Wyndham. And the second book focuses on the man who believed HE was the Duke - Thomas Cavendish. As the only remaining heir to inherit, Thomas was raised to be Wyndham, and he was also betrothed at a very young age to Amelia Willoughby. Now it's all falling apart. Soon, he may be a nobody. It figured that it would happen just as he was beginning to realize that maybe he did want to marry Amelia.
I don't think it would be quite wrong to say you could read just one of these books and know almost everything that happens. All you would really miss would be few romantic scenes between whichever H/H. But otherwise? You could read just one and completely understand the story. Each book pretty much tells you the same exact there. Once you read book one, there's nothing unique about book two other than a different H/H. You know exactly what's going to happen next, exactly how the plot is going to end up. It left me with absolutely no anticipation of what was to come in the book. Plus there were some scenes that were almost a complete repeat of scenes from the first book. Those were rather boring to have to reread.
For me, the two books weren't unique enough. And reading them so close together just made it rather tedious to make it through the second one. I did like Thomas and Amelia and wanted to see how things would work out between them, but the repetition of everything else was rather boring.
I would much rather the 2nd book not been a simultaneous story, but just a connected book. And I have to admit that I'll think twice before reading another pair of books that tell the same story from two different perspectives.
Mr Cavendish, I Presume is the 2nd book in the Two Dukes of Wyndham series. What makes the series unique is that the two books aren't just connected by character or theme; they are actually simultaneously told. In the first book you get Jack and Grace's POV's about how Jack might actually be the true Duke of Wyndham, and in the 2nd book you get Thomas and Amelia's POV's.
The first book tells the story of how Jack was the unknown, and probably legitimate, son of John Cavendish...and that if he was legitimate, he would be the true Duke of Wyndham. And the second book focuses on the man who believed HE was the Duke - Thomas Cavendish. As the only remaining heir to inherit, Thomas was raised to be Wyndham, and he was also betrothed at a very young age to Amelia Willoughby. Now it's all falling apart. Soon, he may be a nobody. It figured that it would happen just as he was beginning to realize that maybe he did want to marry Amelia.
I don't think it would be quite wrong to say you could read just one of these books and know almost everything that happens. All you would really miss would be few romantic scenes between whichever H/H. But otherwise? You could read just one and completely understand the story. Each book pretty much tells you the same exact there. Once you read book one, there's nothing unique about book two other than a different H/H. You know exactly what's going to happen next, exactly how the plot is going to end up. It left me with absolutely no anticipation of what was to come in the book. Plus there were some scenes that were almost a complete repeat of scenes from the first book. Those were rather boring to have to reread.
For me, the two books weren't unique enough. And reading them so close together just made it rather tedious to make it through the second one. I did like Thomas and Amelia and wanted to see how things would work out between them, but the repetition of everything else was rather boring.
I would much rather the 2nd book not been a simultaneous story, but just a connected book. And I have to admit that I'll think twice before reading another pair of books that tell the same story from two different perspectives.
July 12, 2022
See, this is why rating a book is so difficult. If I rate it based on my enjoyment and the romance it's a solid 4-star book. Add, Rosalyn Lander's narration to the blend and I may have given 5+ stars. But, if we judge it objectively, this just adds 2 more POVs to the 1st book so in reality, we are getting nothing new other than 50-60 pages in the start and end.
But, since I am not an objective person(hey!!! I am a romance reader afterall😂😂), I am giving it 4 stars solely because I adored the character and relationship development in the book. I love how Thomas and Amelie started as two people who were engaged with each other from infancy to being in love.
So, even though I have to skip so many parts(the repeated conversations from book 1), I am not willing to give it less than 4 stars......😁😁😁
But, since I am not an objective person(hey!!! I am a romance reader afterall😂😂), I am giving it 4 stars solely because I adored the character and relationship development in the book. I love how Thomas and Amelie started as two people who were engaged with each other from infancy to being in love.
So, even though I have to skip so many parts(the repeated conversations from book 1), I am not willing to give it less than 4 stars......😁😁😁
September 16, 2021
I don't know what happened to Julia Quinn after her Bridgerton series ended ... but it wasn't anything good. Her first book following that series, The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, was one of the worst historical romance books I've read - the first half was very promising, but the second half wasn't just disappointing or a letdown after what preceded, it was just in-your-face straight-out bad with horrible actions on behalf of the hero and really horrible plot twists by the author (see my review of that book for more details).
Mr. Cavendish, I Presume is the sequel to The Lost Duke of Wyndham and before buying or reading either of these books, I combed through many, many Amazon.com reviews. Readers were very disappointed by the fact that the two books take place simultaneously and not only at the same time, but in the same place with the same characters in the same situations. Both books seemed to be a resounding failure, but the second book seemed to be criticized more for the fact that people hadn't realized Quinn was going to do this and so instead of getting the whole new story they expected, they had 300+ pages of deja vu.
I therefore decided that I would only read one of the books and decided to go with Mr. Cavendish, I Presume since the plot appealed to me more than the first book's ... Well let me just say this: I haven't finished the book and don't really plan on doing so anytime soon. It was just so ... not good! The idea for the story is an interesting one - though write one book for it, not two - and being a HR aficionado I can say that I don't think I've ever read one with a similar plot. Discovering that someone who was a commoner is actually a nobleman? Happens all the time. But the other way around ... not so much. However, even Julia Quinn's writing skill cannot make up for the fact that she completely botches this story, taking an interesting and original plot and completely failing to deliver an interesting and original book.
Also, although Amelia, the heroine, seemed like she could have been interesting (she was somewhat immature at times - or at least, from what I read of the first quarter/third of the book), the hero, Thomas, was ... ugh, I don't even know! He's just so NOT appealing in the beginning of the book and I am almost never, ever, ever turned off by the hero - I'm always much more critical of the female lead than the male one. He's detached and pretty uninteresting and although there are some promising aspects of his personality, they don't make up for the blandness that Quinn writes him with. Thomas' complete inattention to Amelia and focus his grandmother's companion, Grace, is a huge turnoff (there's not supposed to be any attraction between them or anything going on, so why have it then?). He seems a very lonely and sad man, but instead of exploring this and really defining his character, Quinn kind of just lets Thomas languish in front of the reader, hinting at his complexity but not enough to draw us in.
I did skim to the end of the book to see how the HEA turned out and I have to say that the last 2-3 chapters and epilogue were enjoyable ... but there is no way I am plodding through the rest of the book to get to that, sorry. So ending my glowing review on that note ... does anyone want to buy my copy of Mr. Cavendish, I Presume?
Mr. Cavendish, I Presume is the sequel to The Lost Duke of Wyndham and before buying or reading either of these books, I combed through many, many Amazon.com reviews. Readers were very disappointed by the fact that the two books take place simultaneously and not only at the same time, but in the same place with the same characters in the same situations. Both books seemed to be a resounding failure, but the second book seemed to be criticized more for the fact that people hadn't realized Quinn was going to do this and so instead of getting the whole new story they expected, they had 300+ pages of deja vu.
I therefore decided that I would only read one of the books and decided to go with Mr. Cavendish, I Presume since the plot appealed to me more than the first book's ... Well let me just say this: I haven't finished the book and don't really plan on doing so anytime soon. It was just so ... not good! The idea for the story is an interesting one - though write one book for it, not two - and being a HR aficionado I can say that I don't think I've ever read one with a similar plot. Discovering that someone who was a commoner is actually a nobleman? Happens all the time. But the other way around ... not so much. However, even Julia Quinn's writing skill cannot make up for the fact that she completely botches this story, taking an interesting and original plot and completely failing to deliver an interesting and original book.
Also, although Amelia, the heroine, seemed like she could have been interesting (she was somewhat immature at times - or at least, from what I read of the first quarter/third of the book), the hero, Thomas, was ... ugh, I don't even know! He's just so NOT appealing in the beginning of the book and I am almost never, ever, ever turned off by the hero - I'm always much more critical of the female lead than the male one. He's detached and pretty uninteresting and although there are some promising aspects of his personality, they don't make up for the blandness that Quinn writes him with. Thomas' complete inattention to Amelia and focus his grandmother's companion, Grace, is a huge turnoff (there's not supposed to be any attraction between them or anything going on, so why have it then?). He seems a very lonely and sad man, but instead of exploring this and really defining his character, Quinn kind of just lets Thomas languish in front of the reader, hinting at his complexity but not enough to draw us in.
I did skim to the end of the book to see how the HEA turned out and I have to say that the last 2-3 chapters and epilogue were enjoyable ... but there is no way I am plodding through the rest of the book to get to that, sorry. So ending my glowing review on that note ... does anyone want to buy my copy of Mr. Cavendish, I Presume?
December 24, 2017
waste of time....
December 11, 2018
1.5/5 stars. Only because of the first 40%. Post that it's like a train barelling at another train, while on fire.
A Julia Quinn I despise. Is this real world?
Our protagonist Amelia Willoughby has been bethroed to Thomoas Cavendish, the Duke of Wyndham when she was merely 6 months old. It's a known fact, and while she's been waiting (literally at a window in one scene) for him to get his shit together and marry her, he's taking his sweet time - becaue well he's burdened by his many priviledges.
We start the book with an interaction between them where she finally shows some metel. She refuses to dance with him and he chooses to dance with one of her friends to make her jealous. Dick move, but I dealt with it. I also liked the conversation they had post that. She called him out on not wanting to know her, on treating her like she was a duty and basically stood her ground.
His reaction was to feel mildly guilty, attempt to explain himself and then kiss her. It seemed a bit sudden, but I was still like okay let's see where this goes. He literally continues to shut her up with his kiss everytime he doesn't know what to say.
We move ahead to them forming some sort of friendship. But he continues to act like a dick even after he's admitted to himself and her that he's been cruel to her for no fault of her own. He ignores her when he enters a formal gathering and instead chooses to speak at length to the same friend, one he is friends with and Amelia is certain he loves. His response when she feels uncomfortable and leaves is once again to kiss her. Ugh. At this point I was about done. But I like the girl, I wanted to see if she finally laid one on him or not.
Move to some nonsensical plot points later - he suddenly has a cousin who might be the rightful heir to the dukedom hence he might not be marrying Amelia but this new-maybe Duke might be.
Now this is where the true shitstorm begins.
He hides this information from her forEVER. This really pissed me off. But we're not done yet. Oh no.
Next we know, he's already convinced himself that he will not be the duke and this new dude will, and is trying to convince himself that loosing Amelia does not bother him. He continues to asert that he cares for her (to himself in narcisistic, lengthy, tiresome monologues but never to her) and yet, yet effing yet he certifies himself as a douche-nozzle. He encounters Grace (Mutual friend between him and Amelia, and one she believes he's in love with) when drunk and starts asking her why they haven't tupped in all this time she's worked for his Grandmother. Then, when she is vehemently refusing him, he forces a kiss on her and then desperately tries to feel something. He doesn't deserve a dukedom, he doesn't deserve the next breath he takes.
Later something something happens and his cousin gets proven as the real duke and refuses to marry Amelia, and instead asks Grace to marry him. Thank god, at least one man in this book is worthy of consuming oxygen.
Then there's Thomas and Amelia's re-concilation. Good God, how to explain how much I detested that. Let me try. He confesses that he asked Grace to marry him, that he kissed her but it meant nothing. Then when she's outraged (evidently not enough) he shuts her up once again - this time with his penis.
When the words "He knew that this had not been rape. She had wanted it, too" are used right after the act, you know this ain't right. I wanted to punch Thomas in the face so bad I can't even.
Eventually, he asks for her hand in marraige. God knows why she says yes. His blue eyes probably.
I still can't believe there's a Julia Quinn I so thoroughly despise, but here it is.
A Julia Quinn I despise. Is this real world?
Our protagonist Amelia Willoughby has been bethroed to Thomoas Cavendish, the Duke of Wyndham when she was merely 6 months old. It's a known fact, and while she's been waiting (literally at a window in one scene) for him to get his shit together and marry her, he's taking his sweet time - becaue well he's burdened by his many priviledges.
We start the book with an interaction between them where she finally shows some metel. She refuses to dance with him and he chooses to dance with one of her friends to make her jealous. Dick move, but I dealt with it. I also liked the conversation they had post that. She called him out on not wanting to know her, on treating her like she was a duty and basically stood her ground.
His reaction was to feel mildly guilty, attempt to explain himself and then kiss her. It seemed a bit sudden, but I was still like okay let's see where this goes. He literally continues to shut her up with his kiss everytime he doesn't know what to say.
We move ahead to them forming some sort of friendship. But he continues to act like a dick even after he's admitted to himself and her that he's been cruel to her for no fault of her own. He ignores her when he enters a formal gathering and instead chooses to speak at length to the same friend, one he is friends with and Amelia is certain he loves. His response when she feels uncomfortable and leaves is once again to kiss her. Ugh. At this point I was about done. But I like the girl, I wanted to see if she finally laid one on him or not.
Move to some nonsensical plot points later - he suddenly has a cousin who might be the rightful heir to the dukedom hence he might not be marrying Amelia but this new-maybe Duke might be.
Now this is where the true shitstorm begins.
He hides this information from her forEVER. This really pissed me off. But we're not done yet. Oh no.
Next we know, he's already convinced himself that he will not be the duke and this new dude will, and is trying to convince himself that loosing Amelia does not bother him. He continues to asert that he cares for her (to himself in narcisistic, lengthy, tiresome monologues but never to her) and yet, yet effing yet he certifies himself as a douche-nozzle. He encounters Grace (Mutual friend between him and Amelia, and one she believes he's in love with) when drunk and starts asking her why they haven't tupped in all this time she's worked for his Grandmother. Then, when she is vehemently refusing him, he forces a kiss on her and then desperately tries to feel something. He doesn't deserve a dukedom, he doesn't deserve the next breath he takes.
Later something something happens and his cousin gets proven as the real duke and refuses to marry Amelia, and instead asks Grace to marry him. Thank god, at least one man in this book is worthy of consuming oxygen.
Then there's Thomas and Amelia's re-concilation. Good God, how to explain how much I detested that. Let me try. He confesses that he asked Grace to marry him, that he kissed her but it meant nothing. Then when she's outraged (evidently not enough) he shuts her up once again - this time with his penis.
When the words "He knew that this had not been rape. She had wanted it, too" are used right after the act, you know this ain't right. I wanted to punch Thomas in the face so bad I can't even.
Eventually, he asks for her hand in marraige. God knows why she says yes. His blue eyes probably.
I still can't believe there's a Julia Quinn I so thoroughly despise, but here it is.
September 27, 2017
Better than the 1st book. I was hesitant to read this because of reviews and the rather low rating, but it turned out better than I thought.
I adore Amelia. I love that Julia Quinn did not just TELL what kind of person she is – she also SHOWED that Amelia was a well-meaning, intelligent, and curious girl. She is certainly more intelligent and sensible than what people in her society give her credit for. Also, it says something about her that she realizes that people, even her mom, do not value her intelligence and her thoughts, but she herself knows her own worth. I love that while she struggles to assert herself sometimes, she recognizes that flaw and tries to be braver and not care what society thinks. I respect this emphasis of how she should have a choice and people SHOULD care about her opinion, and she’s not a mere object in the marriage mart. Her characterization is on point. I love her sarcasm AND humor, her good heart, and her reasonable mind. I find her perspective to be entertaining and her thoughts to be understandable.
I also like the development of the romance in this book more than the 1st. I can see why people might not like the same story told but in different perspectives, but I find it quite interesting to finally get Amelia and Thomas’ sides of things. Their connection turns out to be sweeter and deeper than I thought. I love their talks – about random things, about themselves, about their thoughts on anything, such as cartography. They have thoughtful responses at times, which is nice. I appreciate that before they fell in love AND during the time that they are in love, they have established and recognized a true friendship between them. This emphasis on talking and bantering is great.
I think my problem with this book is that the ending is hasty. It would have been nice to get more between Amelia and Thomas. Especially from Thomas. I finish the book not entirely convinced that he deserved her. I like him, yes. I see that he is a noble guy who does the right thing, and he is generally nice to people. I like him. I just feel like that at the beginning and middle of this book, he had a chance to show that he deserves this wonderful girl. I was waiting for that moment to happen. But with the hasty ending, I still was not 100% convinced he did deserve her. I love them as a couple, and I’m rooting for them, but Thomas needs to better convey that he loves Amelia truly, and that he chooses her. On the other hand, it’s clear that she would have chosen him and she has learned to love him through the course of this book.
For Amelia, she has always given him the chance to get to know her since their arranged engagement these past 20 years. I appreciate that she admits at the beginning of this book that she does not love him, but she is willing to know more about him, IF he is willing to know more about her. However, he didn’t give her a chance at all, until she finally rebels and catches his notice in this one scene. I suppose I don’t entirely blame him for not realizing that he should get to know this girl because the pressure of arranged marriage is not an entirely exciting concept for him. However, through the course of this book, when he has already formed a friendship and relationship with her, he does not seem to entirely appreciate her. For example, he has seemed too willing to give her up, no matter that he does in a way regret losing the chance of getting married to her. He excuses his willingness as “it’s for her own good,” but I find myself seeing that he has been thinking more about himself than her. Especially when he did not care to ask about her feelings or even cared when she did conveyed those feelings because he is so stubborn to what he perceives to be “the right thing to do.”
Anyway, I do adore this romance, and of course I love Amelia, and I LIKE Thomas. I would have liked an extended conclusion to be better convinced by him, but overall, this is a good book. 3 soild stars.
Another thing to note is that I appreciate the friendship and support shown between Amelia and Grace. These 2 girls are technically “romance rivals,” but are friends. That doesn’t mean one won’t be jealousy. Realistically, a person would feel jealousy if a person they love seem to have something with someone else. However, the jealousy in this book never turns into anything demeaning or crazy. There may be realistically bits of jealousy, but never ever pettiness or cruelty because they really are friends. It is a healthy way of showing female relationships without the rivalry that society often depicts.
Things that you might want to know (WARNING: Spoilers below)
Is there a happy/satisfying ending?
Love triangle? Cheating? Angst level? Other Possible Romance Triggers?
Tears-worthy?
Humor?
Favorite scene?
What age level would be appropriate?
I adore Amelia. I love that Julia Quinn did not just TELL what kind of person she is – she also SHOWED that Amelia was a well-meaning, intelligent, and curious girl. She is certainly more intelligent and sensible than what people in her society give her credit for. Also, it says something about her that she realizes that people, even her mom, do not value her intelligence and her thoughts, but she herself knows her own worth. I love that while she struggles to assert herself sometimes, she recognizes that flaw and tries to be braver and not care what society thinks. I respect this emphasis of how she should have a choice and people SHOULD care about her opinion, and she’s not a mere object in the marriage mart. Her characterization is on point. I love her sarcasm AND humor, her good heart, and her reasonable mind. I find her perspective to be entertaining and her thoughts to be understandable.
I also like the development of the romance in this book more than the 1st. I can see why people might not like the same story told but in different perspectives, but I find it quite interesting to finally get Amelia and Thomas’ sides of things. Their connection turns out to be sweeter and deeper than I thought. I love their talks – about random things, about themselves, about their thoughts on anything, such as cartography. They have thoughtful responses at times, which is nice. I appreciate that before they fell in love AND during the time that they are in love, they have established and recognized a true friendship between them. This emphasis on talking and bantering is great.
I think my problem with this book is that the ending is hasty. It would have been nice to get more between Amelia and Thomas. Especially from Thomas. I finish the book not entirely convinced that he deserved her. I like him, yes. I see that he is a noble guy who does the right thing, and he is generally nice to people. I like him. I just feel like that at the beginning and middle of this book, he had a chance to show that he deserves this wonderful girl. I was waiting for that moment to happen. But with the hasty ending, I still was not 100% convinced he did deserve her. I love them as a couple, and I’m rooting for them, but Thomas needs to better convey that he loves Amelia truly, and that he chooses her. On the other hand, it’s clear that she would have chosen him and she has learned to love him through the course of this book.
For Amelia, she has always given him the chance to get to know her since their arranged engagement these past 20 years. I appreciate that she admits at the beginning of this book that she does not love him, but she is willing to know more about him, IF he is willing to know more about her. However, he didn’t give her a chance at all, until she finally rebels and catches his notice in this one scene. I suppose I don’t entirely blame him for not realizing that he should get to know this girl because the pressure of arranged marriage is not an entirely exciting concept for him. However, through the course of this book, when he has already formed a friendship and relationship with her, he does not seem to entirely appreciate her. For example, he has seemed too willing to give her up, no matter that he does in a way regret losing the chance of getting married to her. He excuses his willingness as “it’s for her own good,” but I find myself seeing that he has been thinking more about himself than her. Especially when he did not care to ask about her feelings or even cared when she did conveyed those feelings because he is so stubborn to what he perceives to be “the right thing to do.”
Anyway, I do adore this romance, and of course I love Amelia, and I LIKE Thomas. I would have liked an extended conclusion to be better convinced by him, but overall, this is a good book. 3 soild stars.
Another thing to note is that I appreciate the friendship and support shown between Amelia and Grace. These 2 girls are technically “romance rivals,” but are friends. That doesn’t mean one won’t be jealousy. Realistically, a person would feel jealousy if a person they love seem to have something with someone else. However, the jealousy in this book never turns into anything demeaning or crazy. There may be realistically bits of jealousy, but never ever pettiness or cruelty because they really are friends. It is a healthy way of showing female relationships without the rivalry that society often depicts.
Things that you might want to know (WARNING: Spoilers below)
Is there a happy/satisfying ending?
Love triangle? Cheating? Angst level? Other Possible Romance Triggers?
Tears-worthy?
Humor?
Favorite scene?
What age level would be appropriate?
August 18, 2020
Ah Amelia ah Amelia sen ne kadar tatlıydın!!!😌 Özellikle Thomas’a karşı duyduğu hislerin bu kadar naif olması..♥️ Ah Thomas ah Thomas! Seni bir kaşık suda boğabilirdim ama kendini toparladığın için yapmayacağım. 😊 Kitap içerisinde şok olduğum bir nokta var ki o da Thomas’ın ilk kitapta yansıtılandan tamamen -TAMAMEN farklı duygulara sahip olması! Yani ilk kitaptaki tüm olayları sanki kafamdan uydurmuşum gibi hissettim.😂 Genel olarak bu kitabı birincisine göre daha çok sevdim! Ama ilkinden de puan kıramam. Bu kitaba 5 de veremem. 🥺 O yüzden 4.5 !
February 9, 2022
La segunda parte de la bilogía Los dos duques de Wyndham me ha gustado bastante más que la primera, principalmente por los personajes. Entre Thomas y Amelia sí he visto mucha más química, incluso aunque fuera progresiva porque él lleva veinte años de compromiso sin hacerle ni caso a ella. Pero sus escenas, sus diálogos, el desarrollo de su relación... Todo me ha gustado mucho más en esta segunda parte.
No obstante, para mí el libro tiene una pega bastante destacable, y es que puede llegar a hacerse repetitivo. Esta historia se sitúa cronológicamente sobre la misma línea temporal que el primer libro, e incluso hay escenas repetidas, solo que en este libro, en vez de vivirlas desde la perspectiva de Jack o Grace, las vemos desde la perspectiva de Thomas o Amelia. Es interesante ver también el punto de vista de estos dos nuevos protagonistas, pero el hecho de repetir escenas hace en algunas partes te impacientes porque te den detalles nuevos. Y lo que más me frustra es que. puesto que esta pareja me ha gustado más que la primera, hubiera preferido que su libro no me pareciera repetitivo. Ojalá Julia Quinn hubiera pasado más rápido por las escenas que ya vimos en el primer libro y que quizás se hubiera centrado más en lo que les pasa a estos dos personajes una vez se descubre quién es el auténtico duque de Wyndham.
La verdad es que no me parece una buena idea leer estos dos libros del tirón como he hecho yo. Si se deja más tiempo entre ambos, quizás esas escenas repetidas sirvan para refrescar la memoria en vez de para entorpecer el avance de la historia. Porque el caso es que hay poca cosa nueva sobre la historia en este libro, salvo el final. Entiendo que en este género lo habitual es un libro por cada pareja, pero con el enfoque que le ha dado Julia Quinn a esta bilogía, creo que habría funcionado mejor como un único libro con los cuatro puntos de vista a la vez.
No obstante, repito que lo he disfrutado más que el primero. Sigue siendo una lectura rápida, ágil y divertida y con un romance mucho más de mi gusto.
No obstante, para mí el libro tiene una pega bastante destacable, y es que puede llegar a hacerse repetitivo. Esta historia se sitúa cronológicamente sobre la misma línea temporal que el primer libro, e incluso hay escenas repetidas, solo que en este libro, en vez de vivirlas desde la perspectiva de Jack o Grace, las vemos desde la perspectiva de Thomas o Amelia. Es interesante ver también el punto de vista de estos dos nuevos protagonistas, pero el hecho de repetir escenas hace en algunas partes te impacientes porque te den detalles nuevos. Y lo que más me frustra es que. puesto que esta pareja me ha gustado más que la primera, hubiera preferido que su libro no me pareciera repetitivo. Ojalá Julia Quinn hubiera pasado más rápido por las escenas que ya vimos en el primer libro y que quizás se hubiera centrado más en lo que les pasa a estos dos personajes una vez se descubre quién es el auténtico duque de Wyndham.
La verdad es que no me parece una buena idea leer estos dos libros del tirón como he hecho yo. Si se deja más tiempo entre ambos, quizás esas escenas repetidas sirvan para refrescar la memoria en vez de para entorpecer el avance de la historia. Porque el caso es que hay poca cosa nueva sobre la historia en este libro, salvo el final. Entiendo que en este género lo habitual es un libro por cada pareja, pero con el enfoque que le ha dado Julia Quinn a esta bilogía, creo que habría funcionado mejor como un único libro con los cuatro puntos de vista a la vez.
No obstante, repito que lo he disfrutado más que el primero. Sigue siendo una lectura rápida, ágil y divertida y con un romance mucho más de mi gusto.
April 20, 2020
Oh boy I was in such a fix about rating this book.
I have rated the first book in the duology 'The Lost Duke Of Wyndham' a perfect 5* because it is of those few Regency romances that I have loved re-reading whenever the mood arose to read a Regency romance (it also helped to have a physical copy within my reach). Also, Jack Audley, the hero of the first book, is one of those Regency romance heroes that tick all the boxes of what a Regency romance hero should be like... deliciously roguish and yet a gentleman (I have always pictured Matt Bomer as Jack in my mind ❤️)!
Thomas Cavendish makes a guest appearance in the first book but we always find him in a bad mood so he really didn't make much of an impact.... until I finally decided to read this second book which is basically the POV of Thomas Cavendish and Amelia Willoughby. And oh he is nice, very nice indeed. Yes, he is the broody sort (but seriously no one can blame him once his side of the story is made known) but at the same time we see his keen sense & sensibility and loyalty about matters both personal and business and also his subtle sense of humour. (I pictured Michael Fassbender as Thomas ❤️).
But I still rate this book lesser than the first one; it just lacked the wit of the first book.
I have rated the first book in the duology 'The Lost Duke Of Wyndham' a perfect 5* because it is of those few Regency romances that I have loved re-reading whenever the mood arose to read a Regency romance (it also helped to have a physical copy within my reach). Also, Jack Audley, the hero of the first book, is one of those Regency romance heroes that tick all the boxes of what a Regency romance hero should be like... deliciously roguish and yet a gentleman (I have always pictured Matt Bomer as Jack in my mind ❤️)!
Thomas Cavendish makes a guest appearance in the first book but we always find him in a bad mood so he really didn't make much of an impact.... until I finally decided to read this second book which is basically the POV of Thomas Cavendish and Amelia Willoughby. And oh he is nice, very nice indeed. Yes, he is the broody sort (but seriously no one can blame him once his side of the story is made known) but at the same time we see his keen sense & sensibility and loyalty about matters both personal and business and also his subtle sense of humour. (I pictured Michael Fassbender as Thomas ❤️).
But I still rate this book lesser than the first one; it just lacked the wit of the first book.
February 18, 2022
Estamos en el mismo tiempo que el anterior libro, exactamente el mismo, solo que en esta ocasión tendremos como protagonistas a Thomas y Amelia. Y ahora os voy a hablar de un problema que he tenido en esta ocasión, y me ha dado pena, y mucha, porque me encanta la autora y he adorado muchos de sus libros, pero en esta ocasión me ha dejado helada, fría y con muchas contradicciones. La autora nos muestra la misma historia que en el anterior, en esta ocasión creo que no ha sido para nada acertado, y es que hay muchas escenas que se repiten, muchas, para mi gusto demasiadas. Lo que si puedo decir que me ha gustado de la lectura es la pareja protagonista, están prometidos desde que ella contaba con seis meses de edad y él siete años. Lo bueno de estos personajes es que su final me ha gustado, incluso podría decir que es un romance que he disfrutado más que en el anterior tomo. Así que mi recomendación es que leáis uno y al tiempo el otro, no de seguido.
November 10, 2021
Thoughts to come at Book Club on Jan 15th!
March 5, 2017
Amelia Willoughby has been slated to marry Thomas Cavendish, the Duke of Wyndham for years. Except there's a good chance he's not the real Duke of Wyndham OH SNAP. Will their engagement be able to survive this nonsense? Probably, duh.
1. This is a companion novel to The Lost Duke of Wyndham...
2. ...which I read in March 2013. I remember like nothing about that book. So reading this one was almost like reading a brand new romance novel...
3. ...except that it wasn't because so much of the story is clearly relying upon the familiarity with the plot from the earlier novel that nothing felt developed or worthwhile. There's no reason to care about either the hero or heroine because they're both propped into the story like the cardboard cutouts.
4. And the central premise (that the current Duke of Wyndham (Thomas) has a long lost cousin from an older uncle, making the cousin the Duke instead of Thomas...everything hurts) is kind of too much for a Quinn romance? There's this huge conflict of self vs. self vs. society that needs to be handled with a certain amount of gravity and intensity to fully make such a plot work and while Quinn does give the conflict weight, it's really a brief snapshot of angst.
Like, Thomas drinks for 2 days and then he's over it. He prepares the dukedom for transition and there's a few more paragraphs scattered throughout the rest of the novel about him figuring out who he is if not Wyndham. But it's a loose thread: it's not tied into much (other than his goodness in not having sex with Amelia on the lawn of a stranger's house in Ireland, which, OK?). The necessary struggle is missing—partially because it's sharing space with Thomas's growing desire for Amelia and partially because Quinn, I think, would rather do glancing and banter-y. Short and sweet and sassy. Which are not bad things! Just not paired with a premise that, by necessity, requires some grounding to come off.
1. This is a companion novel to The Lost Duke of Wyndham...
2. ...which I read in March 2013. I remember like nothing about that book. So reading this one was almost like reading a brand new romance novel...
3. ...except that it wasn't because so much of the story is clearly relying upon the familiarity with the plot from the earlier novel that nothing felt developed or worthwhile. There's no reason to care about either the hero or heroine because they're both propped into the story like the cardboard cutouts.
4. And the central premise (that the current Duke of Wyndham (Thomas) has a long lost cousin from an older uncle, making the cousin the Duke instead of Thomas...everything hurts) is kind of too much for a Quinn romance? There's this huge conflict of self vs. self vs. society that needs to be handled with a certain amount of gravity and intensity to fully make such a plot work and while Quinn does give the conflict weight, it's really a brief snapshot of angst.
Like, Thomas drinks for 2 days and then he's over it. He prepares the dukedom for transition and there's a few more paragraphs scattered throughout the rest of the novel about him figuring out who he is if not Wyndham. But it's a loose thread: it's not tied into much (other than his goodness in not having sex with Amelia on the lawn of a stranger's house in Ireland, which, OK?). The necessary struggle is missing—partially because it's sharing space with Thomas's growing desire for Amelia and partially because Quinn, I think, would rather do glancing and banter-y. Short and sweet and sassy. Which are not bad things! Just not paired with a premise that, by necessity, requires some grounding to come off.
September 30, 2019
It pains me to say it, but I did not like this book. Thomas was a bore, Amelia was a non-entity, Thomas' grandmother was a nightmare, and the plot - that could have been very interesting - was frustrating at best.
In a way, I think I knew how I'd feel about this book, as I'd postponed reading it for years. I wish I had been pleasantly surprised, but it wasn't meant to be.
In a way, I think I knew how I'd feel about this book, as I'd postponed reading it for years. I wish I had been pleasantly surprised, but it wasn't meant to be.
January 8, 2014
4.5 stars - which is 4 for the story and 5 for the narration :)
Having read a number of lukewarm reviews of this book, I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be much better than I had been given to expect.
I suspect this was primarily due to two reasons – one, that I haven’t read previous book; and two, this is an audiobook narrated by the incomparable Rosalyn Landor (who can do no wrong in my ears) - and she absolutely nailed it in terms of the emotional content of the story.
Mr Cavendish, I Presume is the second book of two which tell the same story from different points of view. The companion book - The Lost Duke of Wyndham - was published first, which may account for some of the lack of enthusiasm for Mr Cavendish; perhaps some readers felt short-changed because of the number of scenes which appeared in both books.
The hero of this book is Thomas Cavendish, Duke of Wyndham, a very serious young man who has been bred to manage a dukedom and does so extremely diligently. He comes across as a bit of a stuffed shirt to begin with, but it becomes gradually apparent that while he has fully accepted his responsibilities and performs all his duties (well, almost all of them) to the absolute best of his abilities – he sometimes feels rather hemmed in by them and very occasionally wonders what it would be like to have a bit more freedom.
The one area where he has rather neglected his duty is in relation to his fiancée, Lady Amelia Willoughby. Thomas and Amelia were betrothed in childhood, and while Thomas fully intends to marry her at some point, he is dragging his feet for reasons that aren’t made apparent, but which I suspect may be due to the fact that it’s one of the few areas of his life over which he can exert some choice. He might not have chosen his bride, but he can choose when he will marry her! It has never really occurred to him to pay much attention to Amelia and so they hardly know each other, despite having been engaged for twenty years or so.
Amelia has not found this especially problematic until recently. Having been brought up to be a dutiful daughter, and knowing she will be married to Thomas at some point, she has always gone through the motions when they have been in each other’s company – making polite conversation, dancing exactly one dance with him at balls – but of late, she has begun to find Thomas’ neglect both annoying and insulting. At the ball which opens the book she has decided that enough is enough and turns down his request for a dance – which both annoys him and sparks his curiosity.
Thomas’ orderly existence is thrown suddenly into chaos with the appearance of Captain Jack Audley, who, it turns out, is his cousin. And not only that, Jack could well be the true Duke of Wyndham, as his father was the elder brother of Thomas’ father.
[I admit to being a little confused as to what Jack was doing in that neck of the woods and to how Grace Eversleigh (the heroine of the previous book and companion to Thomas’ vicious harridan of a grandmother) seemed to know who Jack was before anyone else did – but I imagine that was dealt with in more detail in the first book. It doesn’t really make a lot of difference here – anyone who’s read the previous book will know what’s going on and for anyone – like me – who hasn’t, there’s enough information to work out what’s going on.]
Thomas is stunned by this news. He was bred to be a duke and has spent all his adult life being one; buried in paperwork, managing the land and even, on occasion, getting his hands dirty – and while he might sometimes chafe at the weight of the responsibilities, what will he do without them? And more to the point, who will he be? Who is Thomas Cavendish, if not Duke of Wyndham?
As much as this is a romance, it’s also a story about identity and the importance of knowing exactly who we are and where we stand in the great scheme of things. Thomas – naturally – struggles with the knowledge that he might not be the person he’s believed himself to be ever since he was old enough to have a sense of “self”, but over the course of the story he does come to terms with it and realises that the things that make him “him” – his sense of honour, his honesty, his intelligence and humour – can never be taken away.
Amelia, too, undergoes a change during the course of the story. She’s been brought up to be a duchess and has gone through her life not making any of her own choices. This probably wasn’t an uncommon thing for a well-bred young lady at this period, but Amelia begins to resent it more and more. There’s a wonderful and painful scene in which Thomas owns the truth about Jack to Amelia’s father – in which her father becomes adamant that it doesn’t matter whom Amelia marries as long as he’s the Duke of Wyndham. Amelia is present, but might as well be invisible given the way the three men are arguing about her fate. It’s a brilliantly written scene in which Ms Landor very skilfully emphasises Amelia’s frustration, even though Amelia herself doesn’t do very much; the performance was very subtly nuanced with the difference between character speech and thought being used to good effect.
I liked the way the author drew the parallels between both Thomas and Amelia’s lives. Men had so much more freedom than women at this period – and someone titled and wealthy like Thomas, could surely do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted without fear of censure. Yet in practice, he has very little freedom because of the time and effort it takes for him to properly manage his estates. All the choices he has made in his life have been for the good of Wyndham rather than for himself, so like Amelia, he has made very few choices that he can regard as his own.
There’s plenty of Ms Quinn’s trademark humour in the interactions between Thomas and Amelia – he’s an attractive character with a wonderfully dry sense of humour - and it’s lovely to see him beginning to unbend. The tragedy is that having finally noticed Amelia and begun to fall in love with her, he’s almost immediately faced with the prospect of losing her. There were times when Thomas’ despair and longing for her were so palpable and so wonderfully realised in Ms Landor’s performance that I found a lump in my throat.
The cast of supporting characters is not large, but all are strongly characterised, especially the Dowager Duchess, who was a thoroughly nasty piece of work. The older ladies and dowagers in Ms Quinn’s books are often sharp-tongued and prickly on the surface, yet good-hearted underneath; I kept expecting her ladyship to soften up a bit, actually – but she never did. She’s a vicious old bird who thinks only of “matters of dynastic importance”, determined to supplant one grandson with another without thought for what it will do to either of them.
Jack Audley is, I imagine, supposed to come across as a charming rogue, but I mostly found him too glib and somewhat annoying, until the final chapters when he started to turn into a more sympathetic character. Grace tended towards the insipid at times, and at others came across as rather too good to be true. In most of her interactions with Thomas, however, she was neither of those things, and I’m sure she made for a very engaging heroine in the first book.
Ms Landor’s performance was as polished as ever and her acting choices, especially in the more emotional scenes, were perfect. There are very few narrators who are able to bring such depth to their performances. She gave Jack an attractive – and accurate - Irish lilt which helped to distinguish him from Thomas, and her portrayal of the dowager was suitably repellent – sharp-toned, harsh and abrupt.
I enjoyed both the story and the performance very much, although I don’t feel a pressing need to read or listen to the Last Duke of Wyndham as I’m quite happy with the way this story unfolded. That said, however, the audiobook version is narrated by Kate Reading, who is another of my favourite narrators, so it’s quite possible that I will want to listen to it at some point.
Having read a number of lukewarm reviews of this book, I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be much better than I had been given to expect.
I suspect this was primarily due to two reasons – one, that I haven’t read previous book; and two, this is an audiobook narrated by the incomparable Rosalyn Landor (who can do no wrong in my ears) - and she absolutely nailed it in terms of the emotional content of the story.
Mr Cavendish, I Presume is the second book of two which tell the same story from different points of view. The companion book - The Lost Duke of Wyndham - was published first, which may account for some of the lack of enthusiasm for Mr Cavendish; perhaps some readers felt short-changed because of the number of scenes which appeared in both books.
The hero of this book is Thomas Cavendish, Duke of Wyndham, a very serious young man who has been bred to manage a dukedom and does so extremely diligently. He comes across as a bit of a stuffed shirt to begin with, but it becomes gradually apparent that while he has fully accepted his responsibilities and performs all his duties (well, almost all of them) to the absolute best of his abilities – he sometimes feels rather hemmed in by them and very occasionally wonders what it would be like to have a bit more freedom.
The one area where he has rather neglected his duty is in relation to his fiancée, Lady Amelia Willoughby. Thomas and Amelia were betrothed in childhood, and while Thomas fully intends to marry her at some point, he is dragging his feet for reasons that aren’t made apparent, but which I suspect may be due to the fact that it’s one of the few areas of his life over which he can exert some choice. He might not have chosen his bride, but he can choose when he will marry her! It has never really occurred to him to pay much attention to Amelia and so they hardly know each other, despite having been engaged for twenty years or so.
Amelia has not found this especially problematic until recently. Having been brought up to be a dutiful daughter, and knowing she will be married to Thomas at some point, she has always gone through the motions when they have been in each other’s company – making polite conversation, dancing exactly one dance with him at balls – but of late, she has begun to find Thomas’ neglect both annoying and insulting. At the ball which opens the book she has decided that enough is enough and turns down his request for a dance – which both annoys him and sparks his curiosity.
Thomas’ orderly existence is thrown suddenly into chaos with the appearance of Captain Jack Audley, who, it turns out, is his cousin. And not only that, Jack could well be the true Duke of Wyndham, as his father was the elder brother of Thomas’ father.
[I admit to being a little confused as to what Jack was doing in that neck of the woods and to how Grace Eversleigh (the heroine of the previous book and companion to Thomas’ vicious harridan of a grandmother) seemed to know who Jack was before anyone else did – but I imagine that was dealt with in more detail in the first book. It doesn’t really make a lot of difference here – anyone who’s read the previous book will know what’s going on and for anyone – like me – who hasn’t, there’s enough information to work out what’s going on.]
Thomas is stunned by this news. He was bred to be a duke and has spent all his adult life being one; buried in paperwork, managing the land and even, on occasion, getting his hands dirty – and while he might sometimes chafe at the weight of the responsibilities, what will he do without them? And more to the point, who will he be? Who is Thomas Cavendish, if not Duke of Wyndham?
As much as this is a romance, it’s also a story about identity and the importance of knowing exactly who we are and where we stand in the great scheme of things. Thomas – naturally – struggles with the knowledge that he might not be the person he’s believed himself to be ever since he was old enough to have a sense of “self”, but over the course of the story he does come to terms with it and realises that the things that make him “him” – his sense of honour, his honesty, his intelligence and humour – can never be taken away.
Amelia, too, undergoes a change during the course of the story. She’s been brought up to be a duchess and has gone through her life not making any of her own choices. This probably wasn’t an uncommon thing for a well-bred young lady at this period, but Amelia begins to resent it more and more. There’s a wonderful and painful scene in which Thomas owns the truth about Jack to Amelia’s father – in which her father becomes adamant that it doesn’t matter whom Amelia marries as long as he’s the Duke of Wyndham. Amelia is present, but might as well be invisible given the way the three men are arguing about her fate. It’s a brilliantly written scene in which Ms Landor very skilfully emphasises Amelia’s frustration, even though Amelia herself doesn’t do very much; the performance was very subtly nuanced with the difference between character speech and thought being used to good effect.
I liked the way the author drew the parallels between both Thomas and Amelia’s lives. Men had so much more freedom than women at this period – and someone titled and wealthy like Thomas, could surely do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted without fear of censure. Yet in practice, he has very little freedom because of the time and effort it takes for him to properly manage his estates. All the choices he has made in his life have been for the good of Wyndham rather than for himself, so like Amelia, he has made very few choices that he can regard as his own.
There’s plenty of Ms Quinn’s trademark humour in the interactions between Thomas and Amelia – he’s an attractive character with a wonderfully dry sense of humour - and it’s lovely to see him beginning to unbend. The tragedy is that having finally noticed Amelia and begun to fall in love with her, he’s almost immediately faced with the prospect of losing her. There were times when Thomas’ despair and longing for her were so palpable and so wonderfully realised in Ms Landor’s performance that I found a lump in my throat.
The cast of supporting characters is not large, but all are strongly characterised, especially the Dowager Duchess, who was a thoroughly nasty piece of work. The older ladies and dowagers in Ms Quinn’s books are often sharp-tongued and prickly on the surface, yet good-hearted underneath; I kept expecting her ladyship to soften up a bit, actually – but she never did. She’s a vicious old bird who thinks only of “matters of dynastic importance”, determined to supplant one grandson with another without thought for what it will do to either of them.
Jack Audley is, I imagine, supposed to come across as a charming rogue, but I mostly found him too glib and somewhat annoying, until the final chapters when he started to turn into a more sympathetic character. Grace tended towards the insipid at times, and at others came across as rather too good to be true. In most of her interactions with Thomas, however, she was neither of those things, and I’m sure she made for a very engaging heroine in the first book.
Ms Landor’s performance was as polished as ever and her acting choices, especially in the more emotional scenes, were perfect. There are very few narrators who are able to bring such depth to their performances. She gave Jack an attractive – and accurate - Irish lilt which helped to distinguish him from Thomas, and her portrayal of the dowager was suitably repellent – sharp-toned, harsh and abrupt.
I enjoyed both the story and the performance very much, although I don’t feel a pressing need to read or listen to the Last Duke of Wyndham as I’m quite happy with the way this story unfolded. That said, however, the audiobook version is narrated by Kate Reading, who is another of my favourite narrators, so it’s quite possible that I will want to listen to it at some point.
November 15, 2022
4.5 ⭐
No creí que este libro fuese a gustarme más que el primero, pero lo hizo.
Me encantó este libro por toda la tensión acumulada que había entre los protagonistas. Soy fan de los slow burn y me enamoró eso en esta entrega. No hay amor a primera vista, solo son dos personas que aceptaron su destino.
La trama es la misma que en la anterior historia. Todo gira entorno a la legitimidad de Jack, pero aquí tenemos el otro lado de la moneda. Thomas ha sido criado para ser el duque de Wyndham desde que nació, así que se siente algo perdido al pensar en que pasará si su primo es el verdadero heredero (y con razón). Me gusta como la autora nos muestra escenas iguales al anterior libro, pero con otro punto de vista. Adoro saber siempre que piensan todos los involucrados.
El romance me conquistó. Al inicio no creí que fuese a gustarme porque Thomas no era muy atento con Amelia (aunque siempre fue muy educado), pero logró enamorarme. No solo él, Amelia me cautivó con su ternura e inteligencia, es una chica muy buena y eso es adorable de leer.
El final me encantó, siento que fue el perfecto para terminar esta historia. Los duques de Wyndham conquistan sin duda alguna. Por cierto; adoré el cameo de Lady Whistledown.
¿Lo recomiendo? Sin duda alguna.
No creí que este libro fuese a gustarme más que el primero, pero lo hizo.
Me encantó este libro por toda la tensión acumulada que había entre los protagonistas. Soy fan de los slow burn y me enamoró eso en esta entrega. No hay amor a primera vista, solo son dos personas que aceptaron su destino.
La trama es la misma que en la anterior historia. Todo gira entorno a la legitimidad de Jack, pero aquí tenemos el otro lado de la moneda. Thomas ha sido criado para ser el duque de Wyndham desde que nació, así que se siente algo perdido al pensar en que pasará si su primo es el verdadero heredero (y con razón). Me gusta como la autora nos muestra escenas iguales al anterior libro, pero con otro punto de vista. Adoro saber siempre que piensan todos los involucrados.
El romance me conquistó. Al inicio no creí que fuese a gustarme porque Thomas no era muy atento con Amelia (aunque siempre fue muy educado), pero logró enamorarme. No solo él, Amelia me cautivó con su ternura e inteligencia, es una chica muy buena y eso es adorable de leer.
El final me encantó, siento que fue el perfecto para terminar esta historia. Los duques de Wyndham conquistan sin duda alguna. Por cierto; adoré el cameo de Lady Whistledown.
¿Lo recomiendo? Sin duda alguna.
August 18, 2016
My favorite historical romance novelist does it again! I don't know how she does it but Julia Quinn is brilliant at romance. I can't praise her enough for the wonderful books that she's written!! I didn't love this one as much as The Lost Duke of Wyndham, because of my boyfriend-Jack Audley, but it still brought me happiness. This one takes place at the exact time as Lost Duke but through Thomas Cavendish's perspective. All I can say is that if you enjoy romance, I HIGHLY recommend any Julia Quinn book! Btw, I just have to say that the dowager is such a bitch!!!
May 20, 2022
Overall: 2.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞
Sensuality: 💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥
Humor: Just a touch
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine’s perspectives
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Should I read in order?
Yes? They run simultaneously. I would read book 1 and then leave a little bit of time, but not too much time, before picking this one up. (haha) You want enough time to pass that the story doesn’t feel super redundant, but not so much that you forget what’s happening.
Basic plot:
Amelia and Thomas, or more importantly, the Duke of Wyndham, have been engaged forever. She’s been waiting for him to truly see her, but she’s losing hope this engagement will ever become a marriage. Thomas can’t focus on marriage though, when a stranger comes and disrupts his entire world.
Give this a try if you want:
- A bit of an enemies to lovers feel – these two have a bit of bickering and animosity in the beginning but it’s light
- Low steam – one scene at the very end of the book
- Arranged marriage trope – these two have been engaged since the heroine was 6 months old
Ages:
- Heroine is 21, not sure about hero but would guess mid to late 20s
My thoughts:
This book, sadly, was a trial for me to get through. When I was done, I felt relief. Then I came upon this empty review document for this title and felt dread that I would have to think about it again.
I can’t say I really enjoyed book 1 of this series, but after reading this one, book 1 was so much better for me. The humor really helped it. I found this book just depressing. I didn’t like the hero much at all. I wasn’t convinced these two characters actually loved each other or belonged together. I didn’t feel like the ending felt like it was fully resolved either.
Thomas had to give up so much I wanted to know he would be happy with this lot in life and with Amelia and I didn’t feel that. I felt like he was on the verge of a breakdown.
The fact that Thomas kisses another character ¾ of the way into this book was just unacceptable to me. His reasoning behind it was not good. And then I was happy that they talked about it but the fact that they are basically fighting and hurt and then that’s the only intimate scene I get was immediately after? Ugh.
Eww
“Don’t,” he warned her.
She complied, but barely, so he turned to Elizabeth and asked, “Shall I fetch her?”
She stared at him mutely.
“Your sister,” he clarified.
Still nothing. Good Lord, were they even educating females these days?
“The Lady Amelia,” he said, with extra enunciation.
Content Warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞
Sensuality: 💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥
Humor: Just a touch
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine’s perspectives
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Should I read in order?
Yes? They run simultaneously. I would read book 1 and then leave a little bit of time, but not too much time, before picking this one up. (haha) You want enough time to pass that the story doesn’t feel super redundant, but not so much that you forget what’s happening.
Basic plot:
Amelia and Thomas, or more importantly, the Duke of Wyndham, have been engaged forever. She’s been waiting for him to truly see her, but she’s losing hope this engagement will ever become a marriage. Thomas can’t focus on marriage though, when a stranger comes and disrupts his entire world.
Give this a try if you want:
- A bit of an enemies to lovers feel – these two have a bit of bickering and animosity in the beginning but it’s light
- Low steam – one scene at the very end of the book
- Arranged marriage trope – these two have been engaged since the heroine was 6 months old
Ages:
- Heroine is 21, not sure about hero but would guess mid to late 20s
My thoughts:
This book, sadly, was a trial for me to get through. When I was done, I felt relief. Then I came upon this empty review document for this title and felt dread that I would have to think about it again.
I can’t say I really enjoyed book 1 of this series, but after reading this one, book 1 was so much better for me. The humor really helped it. I found this book just depressing. I didn’t like the hero much at all. I wasn’t convinced these two characters actually loved each other or belonged together. I didn’t feel like the ending felt like it was fully resolved either.
Thomas had to give up so much I wanted to know he would be happy with this lot in life and with Amelia and I didn’t feel that. I felt like he was on the verge of a breakdown.
The fact that Thomas kisses another character ¾ of the way into this book was just unacceptable to me. His reasoning behind it was not good. And then I was happy that they talked about it but the fact that they are basically fighting and hurt and then that’s the only intimate scene I get was immediately after? Ugh.
Eww
“Don’t,” he warned her.
She complied, but barely, so he turned to Elizabeth and asked, “Shall I fetch her?”
She stared at him mutely.
“Your sister,” he clarified.
Still nothing. Good Lord, were they even educating females these days?
“The Lady Amelia,” he said, with extra enunciation.
Content Warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
January 15, 2022
I read the first book, but it was a few years ago so I don’t really remember it. That is the key, in my opinion. Many of the bad reviews are from people who read the books back-to-back, which I feel is a little unfair. My advice is not to do that.
I enjoyed this book. I love Julia Quinn, so she just gets an automatic leg up compared to most other authors. Her writing is always phenomenal, and I appreciate that she actually tries to stick to historically accurate, or at least believable, storylines (I’m looking at you Sarah Maclean).
The MCs were my cup of tea (which I understand is not true for everyone). I appreciate that they were both raised with honor, duty and nobility driven into them since infancy, and as such, were a little stiff and formal. It did not negate their intelligence and compassion, though. Amelia was especially likeable in that way, but Thomas was also pretty honorable. Yes, he was a little boorish and selfish, especially in the beginning, but he was a duke with far reaching responsibilities as well as being engaged to someone not of his choosing since he was seven. I really felt like we got to understand where he was coming from and sympathize with his situation. Especially with that god awful grandmother! Knowing how little love he had experienced growing up makes one forgive him all the more.
The ending was a little rushed. I also could have used a few more interactions between the H and h before the declarations, but they were sweet together. Overall, it was a lovely novel.
I enjoyed this book. I love Julia Quinn, so she just gets an automatic leg up compared to most other authors. Her writing is always phenomenal, and I appreciate that she actually tries to stick to historically accurate, or at least believable, storylines (I’m looking at you Sarah Maclean).
The MCs were my cup of tea (which I understand is not true for everyone). I appreciate that they were both raised with honor, duty and nobility driven into them since infancy, and as such, were a little stiff and formal. It did not negate their intelligence and compassion, though. Amelia was especially likeable in that way, but Thomas was also pretty honorable. Yes, he was a little boorish and selfish, especially in the beginning, but he was a duke with far reaching responsibilities as well as being engaged to someone not of his choosing since he was seven. I really felt like we got to understand where he was coming from and sympathize with his situation. Especially with that god awful grandmother! Knowing how little love he had experienced growing up makes one forgive him all the more.
The ending was a little rushed. I also could have used a few more interactions between the H and h before the declarations, but they were sweet together. Overall, it was a lovely novel.
June 9, 2023
(for personal reminders mostly)
Julia Quinn really wrote a great book with interesting plot points and side characters. The problem is, when I pick up a book about romantic dukes, I'm not looking for complicated plot or branching stories concerning other characters or really anything intellectual. I'm likely picking up that book to read about fluffy romance, two (okay three max) people falling in love in ridiculously unrealistic ways, and of course detailed descriptions of hot people getting at it. That's the full truth, and I'm not exactly ashamed of that.
Mr Cavendish had a little too much plot and not enough of the aforementioned fluff and smut. Julia Quinn wanted me to involve my brain more than my hormonal system when reading her book; my body was unconvinced and hence I ended up skimming large sections.
Next time I'll make sure I know how much brain power I'm willing to dedicate before I choose a book, and choose accordingly.
Julia Quinn really wrote a great book with interesting plot points and side characters. The problem is, when I pick up a book about romantic dukes, I'm not looking for complicated plot or branching stories concerning other characters or really anything intellectual. I'm likely picking up that book to read about fluffy romance, two (okay three max) people falling in love in ridiculously unrealistic ways, and of course detailed descriptions of hot people getting at it. That's the full truth, and I'm not exactly ashamed of that.
Mr Cavendish had a little too much plot and not enough of the aforementioned fluff and smut. Julia Quinn wanted me to involve my brain more than my hormonal system when reading her book; my body was unconvinced and hence I ended up skimming large sections.
Next time I'll make sure I know how much brain power I'm willing to dedicate before I choose a book, and choose accordingly.
February 17, 2023
Que mierda de libro, por favor. Devuelvanme mis pesos. Ya no valen lo mismo, pero aún así los quiero. No lo puedo creer. Es la mayor decepción de la historia.
Intentando reescribir la historia del primer libro y sin lograrlo. Cero química. Cero diversión. Horrible.
Intentando reescribir la historia del primer libro y sin lograrlo. Cero química. Cero diversión. Horrible.
July 19, 2010
Well, first of all I am gonna say that this was definitely an improvement from book 1.DEFINITELY! I really didn't like the first one. I even wasn't gonna read this one because of that. Well I'm glad I did, I really liked this one.
This an amusing and entreating read. The hero was interesting with the kind of values I think a hero of a novel should have. Maybe he lacked a bit more personality but well, he was a nice hero.The heroine was nice as well. I loved to see her change from this submissive girl she was in book 1 to the bossy and entertaining girl she ended up becoming.
I would say that I did well in waiting some time between the 2 books because both of them develop in the same time frame so many things happen in them both, the same exact way. So probably if you read them together you will end up not enjoying this one this much. This was a good read, I wouldn't have appreciated it as much without book one because I wouldn't have been able to see how stacked their relationship was at the beginning; but I would have enjoyed it as well reading only this book because I wouldn't have read so many scenes in bot of them repeated. I don't know, I guess the series as a whole was a bad idea. But the writing style in this one and the plot was very good.
But I wanna say that I did enjoy it. My problem was with the first book. How the romance between the couple develop was great and I really did end up caring for them. Couldn't put it down even at some parts.
This an amusing and entreating read. The hero was interesting with the kind of values I think a hero of a novel should have. Maybe he lacked a bit more personality but well, he was a nice hero.The heroine was nice as well. I loved to see her change from this submissive girl she was in book 1 to the bossy and entertaining girl she ended up becoming.
I would say that I did well in waiting some time between the 2 books because both of them develop in the same time frame so many things happen in them both, the same exact way. So probably if you read them together you will end up not enjoying this one this much. This was a good read, I wouldn't have appreciated it as much without book one because I wouldn't have been able to see how stacked their relationship was at the beginning; but I would have enjoyed it as well reading only this book because I wouldn't have read so many scenes in bot of them repeated. I don't know, I guess the series as a whole was a bad idea. But the writing style in this one and the plot was very good.
But I wanna say that I did enjoy it. My problem was with the first book. How the romance between the couple develop was great and I really did end up caring for them. Couldn't put it down even at some parts.
January 4, 2022
5/10
Misma historia que el anterior libro pero con los secundarios tomando ahora el protagonismo. Amelia ha sido más de lo que parecía y me ha gustado, sobretodo en los diálogos inteligentes y sarcásticos con Thomas (y su final juntos *insertar suspiro*), pero él se me ha hecho bola cuando le tocaba su turno en solitario, pues se hacían muy lentos sus pensamientos, extendiéndose innecesariamente a mi parecer.
Habiendo leído además el 1º justo antes creo que, si hubiera dejado pasar un tiempo hasta leer este, lo habría disfrutado más, ya que al repetirse toda la historia principal se me ha hecho repetitiva (escenas y diálogos exactos al anterior, sin aportar mucha visión a su historia particular).
Misma historia que el anterior libro pero con los secundarios tomando ahora el protagonismo. Amelia ha sido más de lo que parecía y me ha gustado, sobretodo en los diálogos inteligentes y sarcásticos con Thomas (y su final juntos *insertar suspiro*), pero él se me ha hecho bola cuando le tocaba su turno en solitario, pues se hacían muy lentos sus pensamientos, extendiéndose innecesariamente a mi parecer.
Habiendo leído además el 1º justo antes creo que, si hubiera dejado pasar un tiempo hasta leer este, lo habría disfrutado más, ya que al repetirse toda la historia principal se me ha hecho repetitiva (escenas y diálogos exactos al anterior, sin aportar mucha visión a su historia particular).
January 26, 2022
2,5-3⭐️. Aún no entiendo por qué la autora ha hecho este libro o al menos por qué lo ha planteado así. Ha sido como volver a leer el libro anterior pero con algunas escenas extras. No sé, creía que Thomas y Amelia nos contarían su historia en otro tiempo pero si la novela se ambienta en el mismo momento que la anterior y los diálogos en los que aparece alguno de los secundarios son exactos… siento que he perdido un poco mi tiempo. Quizá sí no los hubiera leído con dos semanas de separación lo hubiera disfrutado más. Quizá no deberían haberlo publicado tan seguido. Cosas que se me pasan por la cabeza. En fin, no siempre podemos acertar. Eso sí, el final genial 👍🏻.
January 29, 2021
Loved Amelia's slow awakening to who she really was, less than loved broody and jerky Thomas.
November 25, 2021
2,5 ⭐ Es otra novela romántica más 🤷🏻♀️ No hay mucho que destacar, se lee rápido y es una lectura ligera, pero sin más. Una historia romántica sin muchas pretensiones.
May 9, 2019
Una historia romántica que me decepcionó un poco. Normalmente no les doy baja puntuación a a este tipo de género, porque logran su cometido. Sin embargo, encuentro que no hubo esa conexión entre los protagonistas.
Amelia ha estado prometida al duque Thomas Cavendish desde pequeña. Sin embargo, este nunca se ha interesado por ella, hasta que coinciden en una fiesta, donde ella le rechaza un baile.
Thomas al estar acostumbrado que todo el mundo le sirva, se siente impresionado por la actitud de Amelia. A partir de entonces se encuentra la chica como un desafío.
El amor de Amelia si lo encontré sincero, no así, el del duque hacía ella. Pues por un problema que se le presenta a Thomas, se le declara a una persona, sin ni siquiera pensar en Amelia un momento.
El libro se basó mucho en el problema personal de duque, que no quiero mencionar para no hacer spoiler. Y también encontré un fallo grande que algunos capítulos empezaban en tercera persona y terminaban en primera, haciendo algo confusa la narración.
Amelia ha estado prometida al duque Thomas Cavendish desde pequeña. Sin embargo, este nunca se ha interesado por ella, hasta que coinciden en una fiesta, donde ella le rechaza un baile.
Thomas al estar acostumbrado que todo el mundo le sirva, se siente impresionado por la actitud de Amelia. A partir de entonces se encuentra la chica como un desafío.
El amor de Amelia si lo encontré sincero, no así, el del duque hacía ella. Pues por un problema que se le presenta a Thomas, se le declara a una persona, sin ni siquiera pensar en Amelia un momento.
El libro se basó mucho en el problema personal de duque, que no quiero mencionar para no hacer spoiler. Y también encontré un fallo grande que algunos capítulos empezaban en tercera persona y terminaban en primera, haciendo algo confusa la narración.
January 30, 2022
2,5-3. Muy flojito en cuanto a trama porque la historia ocurre de forma paralela al primer libro de la serie. Hay muuuchas escenas que conoces por ese libro y se hace hasta un punto repetitivo. Una pena porque Thomas y Amelia son estupendos personajes!!
October 25, 2016
O carte superba! Julia Quinn nu se dezminte!
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