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Title: The Ugly Duchess
Author: Eloisa James
Narrator: Susan Duerden
Genre: Romance
Pages: 384
Audio: 9.7 hours
Year: 2012
Publisher: Harper Audio
Source: Review copy provided by publisher
Book Rating: 3.5/5
Audio Rating: 4/5

Summary:

Theo, a plain-looking heiress, and James grew up together. When James’ father, the Duke of Ashbrook, confesses his mismanagement of the estate, James is forced to marry Theo to repair the damage. James finally sees her beauty and falls for her, but when she discovers the real reason behind the marriage, she kicks him out.

My Thoughts:

So I got tricked into reading a romance (hint: always look at the cover). It sounded like a new take on a fairy tale and had a good narrator, so I started it and then – bam – the sexytimes began. But it’s okay. I enjoyed my brief little foray into the romance world.

There were some inconsistencies in the characters that annoyed me. Theo is meant to be ugly, but James describes her as beautiful. Both characters are supposed to have changed over the years, but their actions don’t reflect that. Once I got past those – it’s just a fun little book, right? – then I was able to enjoy the story despite some poor choices on the part of the characters. Plus there are pirates.

I suspect that if you are a romance reader, you’ll enjoy this one.

Audiobook Thoughts:

Duerden did a good job with the narration. Her male voices were a little evil sounding, but most of the men are a little evil so it’s okay. You may want to listen to this one privately though. I was a little embarrassed to be listening to the more intimate parts on anything but headphones.