Explore When A Duke Says I Do (Lords And Ladies, #1) Interpreted By Jane Goodger Presented In Paper Edition

I began this book, I got this feeling that I had already read the book, I remembered a story with a mute assistant painter not being so mute after all, the mural he painted with the boys, Pretty sure I didn't read the whole thing, just the sample, Oh, I remember, I probably read it on my phone, Google book samples,

This book made me want to cry I didn't but I wanted to, I thought it was so horrible how Elsie began to doubt Alexander's real identity, I was like noooo girl, how could you I was really surprised she would so easily lose faith in him.
And then it was crazy how they had been so in love, but didn't rush to each other when they reunited, And then the angst with Alexander treating her like he didn't even love her and not being able to forgive her,

The part where Elsie got really sick, for a sec, I thought she was nauseous because she got pregnant,
The book was really interesting, obviously plot wise, But also Alexander. How he pretended to be mute for so many years, He spentyears with that artist and the guy had never heard him talk, The times I've lost my voice and not been able to talk were like torture I don't know how Alexander managed and was satisfied with being mute.
It seemed like he had severe social anxiety, maybe some anxiety disorder, I'm still wondering about that but it was definitely intriguing interesting,

Oh, I also predicted before it was revealed that Alexander was the duke's son, When he revealed his delicious secret, it was so good that I reread it,
Also I wonder why the Duke was such a horrible person and seemed to just hate people and life in general, He never seemed to be in a good mood,

I read some of the other reviews and I do agree with them in that the first half of the book was much better than the second half.
This started out with so much promise, Not without flaws: heroine Elsie is too impishly cute, and there was an awful lot of time suddenly given to secondary characters for no apparent reason, unless it was very clumsy sequel baiting.
But the premise and conflict were fresh and I was enjoying it a lot, Sadly, the book then went completely off the rails,

It begins as a love story between two wounded people, Elsie is a beloved, much indulged Baron's daughter whose twin died in her sleep at a young age, leaving her unable to sleep in her own bed the household is used to finding her lying around the house any old where.
Alexander is an artist's assistant who suffers from severe anxiety and selective mutism he was cruelly abandoned by his father, who considered him defective, Their initial secret romance, as Elsie haunts the house and discovers him working late painting, is sweet and affecting especially since both know they can never marry.


I initially thought it was satisfying and believable that the hero's serious psychological problem isn't magically cured by his love for the heroine, And the plot twist which makes it just possible they could be together stretches plausibility but doesn't seem too contrived, because we were given all the information to see it coming from the start, rather than having it a ridiculous deus ex machina.


But then the pacing goes to hell and the story starts to seem all over the place, Elsie gets deathly ill with an obscure disease, for no obvious reason other than to give the author something to research as well as snap Alexander into action.
And once in action, he is magically cured the story gives the occasional wave to his anxiety issues thereafter, but never when it would be truly inconvenient.
The long section in which he conquers his obstacles is so flat and boring, I couldn't help wondering if the author was bored by writing it.
There's a dramatic moment that briefly added excitement to the story, but then it all fizzled out again,

It's really hard to rate this, If the second half had been as good as the first, its flaws would be easier to overlook, but when half the book is so glaringly bad, it's hard to even give "credit" for the fact that I enjoyed the first, If I were the only person who felt this way, I think I'd give the benefit of the doubt and rate it a, but since it's obviously not just me, I'm going with my gut and a.
More holes in the plot than Swiss cheese, Unlovable childish heroine made unbelievable decisions, The author couldn't guide her on a steady course and seemed to arbitrarily create twists that had me wanting to hurl this bad book at the wall.
But with ebooks, ah well, this review will have to do, Didn't finish, don't recommend. I reviewed this book for Romance Reader At heart website:sitelink com/pubsa


RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:


You know what attracted me to this book It was the title, If I had read the above blurb first, I would have taken a pass, and that would have been a shame,

Miss Elsie Stanhope is a beautiful, young woman living with her father and their servants in the country estate of Nottinghamshire, In the anticipation of her Birthday Ball, her father hires a very famous mural painter to paint one in their ballroom per Elsies specific request,

Elsie is very excited about the prospect of having Monsieur Desmarais, the muralist, come over and paint it for her, but she didnt expect him to bring Alexander, his young, mute, and equally talented assistant.


What no one but the residents of their home knows, is that Elsie suffers from insomnia, and every night she roams the rooms and hallways of the estate until, exhausted, she tends to fall asleep anywhere but her own bed.


Alexander had not spoken in two decades, not because he cant, but because

he likes his solitude and silence, At the tender age of ten, he was abandoned and forgotten at an asylum, If not for an intuitive doctor and Monsieur Desmarais, he might have died or still been there, rotting behind the walls, For the past twenty years, he was lucky and content to travel with the Master and ply his talent with the brush, He never thought that a young woman such as Elsie would see through him and touch his very soul, To feel such a belonging was to endanger everything he tried so hard to hide from everyone, even from the man he now thinks of as a father.


This story develops at a moderate pace, and it was just perfect as the reader warms up to the characters, secondary included, They are all important to the backstory of both hero and heroine, and appropriately, the author made sure we, the readers, were well informed and able to follow complex relationships developing in front of us.


I am a sucker for a damaged hero, and it was such a pleasure to watch Alexander blossom right in front of me! The author didnt shy away from taking a damaged character and turning him into an aweinspiring hero.


Ms. Goodger created some memorable secondary characters that brought a smile to my face, like Miss Diane Stanhope, Elsies aunt, and the Earl of Braddock, who gets taken by a spinster aunt and Oscar, Lord Hathwaite, Elsies betrothed and the future Duke of Kingston.
The author made sure all were threedimensional as well, and werent there for background noise, to be forgotten as soon as were done with the story.
I enjoyed them immensely and hope they all get their own story very soon,

If youre looking for a lighthearted read, WHEN A DUKE SAYS I DO will not be for you, despite some lighthearted moments, For a romance that will melt your heart and make you shed a tear or two, then by all means, pick this one up,

Melanie It was a good book, I enjoyed reading it but it had some big problems, Up to, it was perfect but then, . .
It needed editing, there were some inconsistensies, At some places it seems big chunks of the story were cut out, And then there some parts that had nothing to do with anything,
The heroine had a big problem for years, her problem which was a big part of the story, just got solved by itself half through the book and there wasn't a mention of it for the rest of the book.
the heroine's father seemed to bedifferent people!
I really wanted to give itstars, But with all these stuff it's more likeProps to this story for introducing botulism as a plot device,

This books was something, I realize he was probably a hunky dude, and you've lived a sheltered life, but girlfriend, come on! Do you think a guy who pretended to be unable to speak and turns into a raging jerk while contemplating suicide is the best bet Miss Elsie Stanhope has an unusual habit.
. she falls asleep most anywhere, There is a reason for it, She's a pleasant young woman who has lost her mother and her twin sister, She and her father are all that's left, Miss Stanhope has been betrothed since birth and she is on pins and needles waiting to hear when her groom will claim her in matrimony, Alexander then happens into her life, He's a mute but very strong and handsome, Miss Stanhope feels there is something he's hiding and she's determined to find out what it is, If he's hiding a secret, it can change both of their lives forever, Together they begin to unwind a lifetime of pain each has endured, Love truly can't be arranged, bought or given up easily, The path they take bonds them in a way neither expected,


This book is one I highly recommend to historical fans, but also to those looking for a new book, The story is amazingly sad and lovely at the same time, After you read it, 'When a Duke Says I Do' will be on your bookshelf for years to come, You will want to read it over and over, It shows love, pain and happiness can coexist in a relationship and help both parties to grow and learn, I loved the idea of a fairy tale coming true for a man this time, One you'll smile about and enjoy sharing with your friends!,Elsie amp Alexander's love affair is a typic forbidden love for thecentury, Daughter has to marry a Duke to safe her family legacy per an agreement made by the parents of the betroth, Prior to the ball to announce the engagement, Elsie hires a well known artist to create a mural in the ball room to be unveiled at the night of the ball.

Elsie happens to wonder in on one of her sleepless nights into the ballroom to discover the true painter of the mural she has accrued.
The great painter's mute assistant who has been with him since he was a little boy, He has been training and working for the painter due to joint illness took over his ability to paint, Elise builds a bond with the Andre, Tells her darkest thoughts, amp why she refuses to sleep in her own room since the death of her twin sister, She starts to fall for him amp he admits he can speak, Andre tells her his fears of people, speaking in public amp how he became an orphan, Their forbidden love grows into an intimate relationship, Secret meetings, a masquerade ball, Then Andre finds out who Elsie is betroth too, His brother!
That is when the twists amp turns begin to develop from Alexander's past, What is Alexander's true title amp how does this affect Elsie amp her promise to her father amp saving her family, I love these romantic entanglements, A bit long amp tragic during the ending before the happily ever after, I still enjoyed the book,