Narrated by Beverley A. Crick
Caroline Linden’s All the Duke I Need features a lovely, well-developed romance between two likeable and engaging characters – but as the finale of a series in which the overarching plot has focused on the search for the heir to a dukedom, it pains me to say that it falls somewhat short. There are a number of plot points that are rushed or which don’t make much sense, and some important questions that remain unanswered by the end. The author has said that she’s writing an epilogue that should answer them all, but I still feel cheated; if the story requires more chapters to finish it properly, then those chapters should have been included in THIS book – not as an optional extra. With all that said – don’t let it put you off listening; the narration is very good, and the romance reaches a satisfying conclusion with the two leads nicely set up for a future together. I would just have liked more of an overall sense of completeness by the end.
The prologue introduces us to Our Heroine, Aged Four. Philippa Kirkpatrick’s widowed father has recently married Jessica St. James, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Carlyle. Right from the start, we see how the little girl enchants the Duchess, to whom she becomes the granddaughter of her heart, if not her blood and after the deaths of her father and step-mother, the Duchess takes Phillipa in and raises her. This causes not a few sideways glances as Philippa is biracial – her mother was Indian – but Phillipa grows up beloved and happy.
William Montclair and his brother Jack are in England to do business on behalf of their family’s Boston-based shipping company, but Will’s heart isn’t really in it. Jack is far more suited to doing what needs to be done than he is, and when an opportunity to do something else – and earn some badly needed funds – during their time in England presents itself, Will grabs it. He’s offered a position as steward at the Carlyle estate and takes it, promising Jack it will be for one year only.
When, a few months later, Will arrives on the Carlyle land, it’s to find it’s in a much worse state than he’d been led to believe. It’s not so much that the place has been completely untended, but rather that instead of carrying out improvements or replacing and updating old structures, machinery and equipment, those things have been repaired over and over again so that no progression is being made and, in some cases, are becoming dangerous to the people who live there. When one of the bridges on the estate collapses – fortunately nobody is killed, but it’s disastrous, nonetheless – Will decides it’s time to tell it like it is and start asking questions about why the estate is in a constant state of limbo.
This brings him into direct conflict with Philippa, who, while not unsympathetic to his arguments, is staunchly and fiercely devoted to the Duchess and isn’t about to allow the new steward to upset her by talking about making changes and improvements to the estate. There are reasons for the way things are that he can’t know, so Philippa instead suggests he communicate with the Duchess through her – which of course, means they are often thrown into each other’s company.
The story takes place over the course of a year, and the author skilfully builds on the attraction that crackles between Philippa and Will and develops it into a sensual and heartfelt romance. They’re both terrific characters; kind, clever, thoughtful and determined, they’re protective of those they care for and their love story is simply delightful. Will’s friendship with the ailing Duke is just lovely and I liked seeing his growing attachment to Carlyle, the land and the people on it.
But for all the things the author gets very right here, there are a number of issues that aren’t properly dealt with. It’s hard to say much without spoilers, but while it’s obvious early on that Will is going to turn out to be some kind of Carlyle family descendant – and probably from the closest branch to the title – it’s not quite clear how much he knows when he takes the job as steward, or why he’s been sworn to secrecy. I do, however have to give kudos to the author for her skill at misdirection – for most of the book, I believed Will was the son of… well, I can’t say as it’s a spoiler! I was, however, pleased that Ms. Linden didn’t take the obvious route of Philippa discovering Will’s ‘deception’ and using it as a way to cause conflict in the romance. Towards the end we’re introduced to a couple of shady Frenchmen who want to do business with Jack and Will’s company – but they just disappear and are never heard from again. Finally, the Big Reveal happens so late that there’s no time for it to settle or for us to see anything of Philippa and Will’s future life together, of how Will and the Duchess are going to get along – and when the book ended, I had to check my audio files to make sure I hadn’t somehow missed transferring the final chapter to my mp3 player – but no, that really IS how and where the book ends.
Beverley A. Crick does a terrific job with the narration, providing appropriate vocal characterisations and differentiating expertly between each cast member so there’s never any danger of mixing any of them up! I really liked her portrayal of Philippa, who sounds every bit as compassionate, sensible and lovely as she should, and the slight accent she gives Will – which is French (as per the text) rather than American – is consistently maintained throughout and definitely helps paint a picture of a somewhat piratical, sexy hero! Listening to Ms. Crick is always a delight – her voice is attractive, her performance is well-paced and she’s very skilled at conveying the gamut of emotions, from humour to heartbreak, as experienced by the characters. The chemistry between Will and Philippa comes through strongly, and I especially enjoyed the way she realises the relationship between Will and the Duke, which is full of genuine fondness and affection.
If you’ve been following the Desperately Seeking Duke series, then you’ll definitely want to listen to this instalment; if not, then you’re best off starting at book one, About a Rogue, which will fill you in on what you need to know about the overarching storyline. The romance in All the Duke I Need is wonderful – but the book as a whole is let down a bit by the plot, which really needs a stronger resolution.
Caz
Buy All the Duke I Need by Caroline Linden on Amazon
I was going to ask if I needed to read/listen to the earlier book/s first but you answered my question in the last paragraph!
Heh. That said, I have t read or listened to book two and this worked fine. The characters from the other books get name-checked, but don’t appear – and I think if you know the basic premise of the series, you could probably enjoy this one :)