The Lost Duke of Wyndham (Two Dukes of Wyndham - Book 1)

For the most part, the book was cute and a nice quick read, but a huge let down in the end. I was really disappointed by how long it took to get to the interesting parts of the story. Things were long, drawn out, and it took forever, about 300+ pages, to get to the climax. The conclusion was wrapped up so quickly and left so many unanswered questions. I understand the whole thing about leaving people wanting more (so they can read the next book) but geez can I get a real conclusion, where most of the characters aren't just left up in the air. I expected a lot more from this one.

Julia Quinn is one of my favorite authors. This means she has only herself to live up to and I was a little disappointed in this offering.

Somehow this book lacked the usually Quinn magic. The hero got on my nerves because he was never serious. I always enjoy a funny and charming hero, but there needs to be a little seriousness to offset all that charisma.

I also did not feel that the interaction between the two main characters really developed into love the way Quinn's characters usually do. I felt this need to scratch my head and say "Why are the in love again?"

Still looking forward to Mr Cavendish, and still a devoted fan.

I've always been a loyal reader of Quinn's work despite sub par works that she's produced, like the previous "Cheever" book. Although "The Lost Duke of Wyndham" has brought back some of her trademark humor and wit, I'm afraid the plot had fallen a little short. I adored Jack as a hero and Grace was a good foil to his character but it just felt like Quinn dug them into a greater hole which was only to be filled too neatly, and even perhaps the "hole" shouldn't have been dug in the first place. There were too many unnecessary complications for the quick story and they were just too efficiently resolved at the end; I didn't see the point of making it so complicated. Don't get me wrong, as a whole the book was ok but in comparison to her other works, like "The Viscount Who Loved " and "Romancing Mr. Bridgerton," this one just didn't reach that mark.

I find both the 1 star and the 5 star reviews way out of line. I found the book OK, niether great nor awful. For me,5 stars means I'll probably be reading a book again. 1 star means I regret wasting the time I spent reading it. The 3 star average seems about right to me. No, our hero,Jack, wasn't really charming. Yes, our heroine, Grace, was dumb as a brick. Are either of those faults unusual in Regency romances? Absolutely not. As an American, I find the whole idea that someone with a title is superior to someone without one to be stupid. Why would anyone, especially their grandmother, care which grandson was a duke? If Julia Quinn is from the Pacific northwest, why does she care? I skip over the sex and seduction scenes,too. I think I must be a failure as a romance fan.

I am a huge Julia Quinn fan and eagerly await her new releases. I normally read her books in 24 to 48 hours, because they are so good I don't want to put them down. I even liked her last release (The Diary of Miss Cheevers), while a lot of fans did not.

The Lost Duke of Wyndham doesn't even feel like Julia Quinn wrote it. It doesn't sound like any of her other books. I actually had to force myself to continue reading - which was the shocking part, because I normally LOVE her books!!

I will buy the next book, but only because it ties in with this story. But if the next book (Mr. Cavendish) disappoints me, then I will truly wonder - Where is Julia Quinn?

Jack is the most annoying character and Grace is a nutshell. The chemistry between the characters were forced, so not believable. Falling in love at first sight with a highwayman/criminal won't do for me in a romance story. Even with proof of his legitimacy and the reason that his father was older than Thomas father and he therefore is the true duke, but Jack being a criminal, his right to the dukedom should be forfeited. Because he should belong in Newgate prison and NOT in a dukedom in my opinion. Whatever reason why he became a highwayman was not an excuse to rob and terrorize people at gun point. He could have an honorable profession after his military commission. But he chose to be a thief and there's nothing noble about it and there's nothing charming about him, so I lost my interest at the main character and lost respect at the book itself. And why does the dowager duchess character has to be mean? I don't find anything in this book likable (maybe just a little bit of Thomas & Amelia). The plot was not well thought of. Do not waste your time on this one like I did. My suggestion to you JQ, start writing about Edmund Bridgerton(Anthony & Kate's) or Amelia Basset(Daphne & Simon's). I kinda miss this family. And by the way even the front cover of this Lost book looks awful.

If you like a good historical romance, and even if you just want to try one for the first time, you will love this book! Julia Quinn makes you fall in love with her hero and cheer for her heroine! And to double your enjoyment, you simply must get the next book, Mr Cavendish, I Presume. I own thousands of books, but these two are among the ones I read over and over.

I really enjoyed this book. It's not often that a highwayman is recognized as the potential duke of one of the wealthiest estates in the land. I find this book while searching through my libraries' e-Content. I'm so glad I did. The characters are interesting and well-developed. I will definitely be reading the second book once it's available at my library.

I am a huge fan of Julia Quinn. In the world of historical romance, she is the Queen! A wonderfully descriptive writer, she brings characters alive with a smart wit and instant liking. I love how she doesn't seem to condescend to her readership. Her writing is beautiful, smart and aimed, in my opinion, at women who are educated, but like to just lose themselves in a great romance.

That said, I was a bit disappointed in this new novel. All the good Quinn writing is there-stunning imagery, well-rounded characters, an interesting plot-but there was also something missing for me. Maybe that Grace and Jack fell in love too quickly (within a day). Maybe there just wasn't enough gut-wrenching drama for me this time around. I am not sure.

I do love Julia Quinn as a writer, and even this book, which I do not count as one of her best, is well written and can hold one's interest. I love her Brigerton series, especially The Viscount who loved me and The Duke and I, the most and would recommend those if you are new to Ms. Quinn.

OK it won't change your life or make you richer, smarter, stronger, or thinner - it's not meant to do that. It's a good romance and I enjoyed it. For me it was a lovely read on a summer's day. I liked the fact that the characters were well rounded, believable, interesting, and understandable. There were no "evil" bad guys (even though the duchess wasn't particularly nice). I liked the romance. It made me feel good. It took me away from the dishes and housework. It gave me an excuse to just sit and enjoy myself for a few hours. As far as I'm concerned - it did it's job! Thanks Julia

...I LOVED this book. I see that it is receiving alot of low reviews, but I loved every moment of this book. It was FUNNY, romantic and even the sub-plot (Is Jack the lost duke?) kept me entertained. I suppose the hero, Jack, is EXTREMELY charming, humorous, and maybe a little too sure of his own charm...but he expressed hints of vulnerability that showed his depth. I adored him.

The heroine, Grace, is a bit timid, but I liked her. I could understand why she was hesitant to step up and defend herself at times. I loved her dialogue with Jack though and her obvious infatuation with him. I also loved her reactions to his off the wall comments, which he has plenty of!

I suppose if I had to use one word to describe this story it is: sweet. I know...what an icky word - but there you go. It was sweet.

Warning: I just finished reading a VERY BAD book before I purchased JQ's Lost Duke, so maybe my standards were not that high - so don't take my word alone. Definitely read the other reviews. BUT...the Lost Duke was like a breath of fresh air for me. Yes, it is a love at first sight book. Personally, I adore love-at-first sight books. The Lost Duke of Wyndham made me laugh and sigh. It was just what I needed. When I finished this book, I was still laughing and sighing.

I would also like to point out that I rarely give a book 5 stars. I gave this book 5 stars because I personally enjoyed the story, it really brightened my day, and it kept me laughing well after I sat the book down. I only give books 5 stars if i can see myself re-reading it many times in the future - and I definitely will be visiting this story again!

In spite of all the negative reviews, I am going out on a limb by saying that I really enjoyed this book. Jack Cavendish Audley discovers he may be the Duke of Wyndham. While robbing a coach as a highwayman, he stops a coach one night which contains and elderly lady and her companion, Grace Eversleigh. The lady claims that he looks exactly like her deceased son who died 29 years ago. His mannerisms and wit convinces her that he is her grandson. The grandmother is a very caustic person and makes Jack hope she is not one of his relatives. The story continues with the quest to prove his title as duke and a love that ignites between him and Grace. What is so enjoyable about this story is Jack's witty and funny personality. I love a guy with a sense of humor. His remarks had me laughing out loud. I am looking forward to the next book about the Cavendish family: Mr. Cavendish, I Presume.

I'm a huge Julia Quinn fan. In fact, this is the first time I've ever pre-ordered a book. WHEN HE WAS WICKED and THE VISCOUNT WHO LOVED ME are on the top of my favorites list.

Unfortunately, I just felt completely...lost...when reading this book. Not that I didn't follow the storyline, but just because I didn't feel the connection between Jack and Grace. Like someone else mentioned, I'm not a huge fan of love at first sight stories, but I often still greatly enjoy books under this plot, because I fall in love with the characters. Sadly, I have to agree with everyone else - Jack is just too charming (but not to me) and "jokey" and Grace is kind of dull. Neither had much depth. And I was never drawn into their romance. I didn't feel it. I didn't care about it. I got to the point of skimming at the end, and I hate that.

Finally, I just have to mention that the writing style REALLY bothers me. The short sentences were just way over the top and kept me from getting drawn into the story. Luckily they tapered off some toward the end, but, wow, I was exhausted by them!

I don't like showing so much negativity, but luckily Thomas was more my type of hero and I'm actually excited for MR. CAVENDISH, I PRESUME.

This review is going to sound a little redundant, but "The Lost Duke of Wyndham" was just not up to par with Julia Quinn's other novels. The first page of the book calls Jack Audley her "most dashing and romantic hero yet". I don't know about that, but he's certainly her most obnoxious. I got so sick of the superfluous way he talked, and all the "wit" he constantly used. Quinn's writing style in this book also got on my nerves - way too many sentence fragments and sentences starting with "and". Who is her editor?

The only thing I truly liked about this book was the hint of the story we will get to read in "Mr. Cavendish, I Presume" - the story between Thomas and Amelia. They were the only characters I really enjoyed in "The Lost Duke". Everyone else - Grace included - was unsympathetic and underdeveloped.

All in all, not a bad book, but not a good one either.

I had high hopes for this book. I even read the reviews before buying it. At the time, most all of the reviews were positive. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. I kept waiting for the storyline to "get started" and for me that never happend.

Jack and Grace loved each other from beginning to end basically with really no hurdles in their way other than the dukedom. It was odd how Jack always wanted Grace in the room and in the discussions from his first day at the castle. For me, it was just underdeveloped. Good story, but I didn't like the way it was told.

But, On a positive note:I thought the scene at the church was excellent.

I'm looking forward to the next book. I really liked the depth to Thomas. I'm not sure about Amelia, I hope she doesn't turn out to be really submissive and mousy through most of the book. I like strong heroines. She showed promise though in the carriage with the Dowager.

Julia Quinn is my favourite author but I found this book a little repeatative after reading Mr Cavendish, I presume. I read the books one after the other and sorry to say it I didn't finish the book because I knew what the ending would be like. We all read it knowing that in the end boy falls in love with girl and live happily ever after, but reading the same conversations over again didn't appeal to me. I believe that even if I read them vice versa it would be the same for Mr Cavendish. Sorry Julia...

First off, I'm a huge Julia Quinn fan. I read one of her books two years ago, and I have slowly read through her entire backlist. I eagerly awaited "The Lost Duke of Wyndham", and I wasn't disappointed. As a matter of fact, I'm even more eagerly anticipating the next book due in October.

Jack Audley is a highwayman with a secret. Actually, several secrets, but one in particular will change his life one evening while he plies his trade on a lonely road outside of London. Grace Eversleigh is trapped in the dead-end existence of companion to a dowager duchess that makes Cruella DeVil seem a bit misunderstood in comparison. What happens between them will keep you turning the pages as a result. After all, what if you found out everything you thought was true wasn't?

The characterization is great, the dialogue sparkling, but best of all, she's stretching as an author. I don't understand where these one-star reviews come from because, frankly, "The Lost Duke of Wyndham" is one of the better books I've read already this year. This book gets four stars only because I can't wait for the next book.

Thanks, Julia, and I'll be waiting for October!

I just had to respond to all the negative reviews about this book. I fell in love with the characters from the beginning and never once got bored with the story. Grace is a sweet heroine, and Jack is fantastic! I even told a friend that he is right up there with James Malory, (hero of Johanna Lindsey's Gentle Rogue) with being an unforgetable hero. Since there has been some mention of a lack of steamy love scenes in the book, I have to say, I never noticed it because I was so into the story, but yes, if you normally like Cheryl Holt or Nicole Jordan love scenes, this book won't be your cup of tea. Myself, I can't wait for the next book about Mr. Cavendish, and may even pre-order it. Julia Quinn is the Jane Austen of historical romance. I have never been disappointed in her novels. Please take a chance and read it yourself. Don't listen to the bad reviews. What makes a great book to me is the characters, do I care about these people? Do I want to turn the page? Am I caught up in the romance? Yes to all those questions! I love a hero with a sense of humor!

Jack is like Tony from NCIS; same personality, same adorable arrogance [eventually], and same loyalty.
Jack really was conceited though; the author had him telling the reader about his own good looks, his own charm, and which smile he would use on which particular woman in order to ensnare her.
Yet his charm failed to work on Amelia, and he was actually taken aback. He was a decent soul at heart but trusting this guy to be a faithful husband would be difficult.

I have to admit that Julia Quinn stopped being an auto-read after "Romancing Mr. Bridgerton" -- I just never found any of the subsequent books compelling enough for me to finish. Which is why I was pleased to find her latest to be such a sweeping and absorbing read. "The Lost Duke of Wyndham" is a wonderful example of Julia Quinn at her best (in my opinion), and truth to tell, I can hardly wait for the follow up to this one, "Mr. Cavendish, I Presume."

The plot premise for "The Lost Duke of Wyndham" is a simple and oft-used one: Jack Audely, formerly a soldier in his majesty's army, and currently a highwayman, knew that his life of danger and adventure would bring him some unexpected twists to his life, but the last thing he expected was that one of his victims would claim that he is the lost Duke of Wyndham. The trouble is that there is a current duke whose claims to the title Jack would displace if Jack does turn out to be the rightful heir to the dukedom, and the trouble is that Jack isn't sure if he wants a life of discipline and responsibility that this new life would entail. But there are compensations, esp in the shape of the beguiling Miss Grace Everleigh, companion to the elderly and bad tempered Duchess of Wyndham. Jack is totally enchanted with the sensible and charming Grace, but is she similarly taken with him? And what of her relationship with the current duke, Thomas?

What really carries this novel, what makes one keep reading is not so much the storyline as the characters involved, and the blossoming romance between Jack and Grace. The romance is very nicely and satisfactorily developed -- the mix of romance, humour and sensuality was truly well done, and you just knew from the very beginning that Grace and Jack were meant to be -- kudos to Ms Quinn for not introducing secondary characters in an attempt to confuse the issue! Truth to tell though, what really kept me glued to the pages was the character of Thomas Cavendish, the current duke, who may loose everything if Jack turns out to be heir no one knew existed The acrimony between Thomas and his grandmother, the Duchess of Wyndham, tension between Thomas and Jack and the might-be relationship between Thomas and his erstwhile fiance, was what really kept me reading into the small hours of the night. Jack and Grace were nice enough, but Thomas was compelling and I can hardly wait for October when Thomas' story hits the stands. If I had any criticism about "The Lost Duke of Wyndham," is was that there was one unnecessary plot development concerning Jack that really seemed superfluous, and that it really would have been nice to know why Jack's father, the Duchess' favourite son, left home and never wrote home about his new family. (Perhaps I misses that bit? I'll have to reread at some point to find out) But than that is just my opinion. All in all, a very good read, and one worth recommending.

When a highwayman stops her employer's carriage, it's tough to know who is the most surprised at what happens next, Grace or the robber himself. The disagreeable duchess not only cooperates, but wants to give the thief more. As it happens, she recognizes him as possibly being a long lost grandson and has soon brought him into her home to claim his legacy. However, what Jack Audley, as he calls himself of late, would like most to claim is his grandmother's companion, Grace, and against all social norms, she finds herself wanting the same thing. However, Jack has to choose between love and convention and between the past and the future.

**** Since her debut, Julia Quinn has been a jewel among historical romance authors, making conventional plot devices sparkle with fresh life, thanks to her humor and cleverness. An expert at characterization, she brings to life each member of her cast, making them become people who will live in her readers' hearts and minds forever. ****

Amanda Killgore for Huntress Reviews

Unlike other JQ readers, I loved The Diary of Miranda Cheever, yet, still anticipated this new Romance from Julia Quinn, as this was truly the first "real" novel since the uneven, yet successful Bridgerton Series.

Miranda was originally written in the past and she pulled it out after she realized this book, The Lost Duke of Wyndham, would need to have a sequel. Thus my expectatations were doubled. So good that it needs TWO books to tell the compelling story? Wow! I could not wait!!

I was sadly disappointed.

Although I usually devour a Romance in a few days, and a Julia Quinn Novel in a matter of hours....I found myself finding dragging through this novel as one would read the NY Court Rules or other such droll prose.

The premise is that an Irish Highwayman is in fact the Duke of Wyndham. If Jack is truly the Duke, the lives of four other people are charged forever.

Jack is too good looking and way too charming to capture my heart-not that there is anything wrong with too good looking and too charming..but he doesn't seem to have much more to recommend himself. Due to a "tragedy" he has gone into the rather unsavory business of being a highwayman.

Granted, we read he is a sort of Regency Robin Hood, but there is nothing in his book that really explains why he would do this or the people he really "helped" out. One does not become a Robin Hood unless there is a motivating reason--and nothing in his past--in this book reveals this.

This just feels very...unnatural.

Jack lacks substance. And frankly, talking about him being charming is totally different than BEING charming. He did not charm me into falling for him. And we know that JQ can pull off charming--Colin Bridgerton is Charming! Yet, our heroine is charmed. Then again, judging Grace's pathetic existence, it was not going to take a lot to sweep her off of her feet in the first place.

As for Grace. Poor poor pitiful Grace. She is the poor but beautiful and ridiculously patient woman who has to live with her lot. Her fate is to sacrifice her heart for some pretty unbearable people. She suffers in silence. (unlike me, who cannot bear to continue to be silent about reading about her, thus typing this rather loud review.) It is hard to have sympathy or relate to a woman like this. Yes, her lot is horrible. But must we be so bored by this? Yes, everyone pities her.

But does Julia not know, Pity is not an aphrodisiac???

True to Grace's purgatory, we are stuck in a Herculian type of task of reading a book that should eventually have some action. But no. Instead,
this a book of dialog and thoughts. Not a heck of a lot of movement. He says, she says. Then the waves of thoughts: he is instantly in love with her and she "feels" him, even after being robbed at gunpoint--Feels romantically towards him. He has a troubled past. She had parents who always dreamed of traveling but never did. She likes a room in the house. When he goes there, he thinks of her there. We are not even tempted to hope that they meet because there is so little chemistry between them.

So Essentially, Blah blah blah. Super dull.

And then her harsh reality of working for the Dowager is repeated over and over again.

Enter the infamous dowager. I know she was realistically written. She is as haughty as they come...and I know Jane Austin had characters like this in her novels, but she was way too prominent in this novel.

She is cruel. She is heartless. She isn't just heartless, she is very tedious. And You just didn't want to read anymore. Grace's existance is painfully boring. And reading about it is far worse.

And then we encounter Thomas and Ameilia. The present Duke, Thomas weaves in and out, mysteriously changing and morphing to the end.

Out of no where he does some strange things such as look slovenly and once he even kisses Grace (where Julia, thankfully does not give us the melodrama of Jack secretly witnessing this..there is one meager plus) but I felt like we were missing a BIG chunk of the story. And why the mystery about her friendship with Thomas? She mentions him all of the time...and as we KNOW Jack is the hero..SO WHY HAVE ANY MYSTERY??? I just feel like JQ just was too lazy to let us know what this relationship was like--or the editors too greedy in wanting us to purchase Mr. Cavedish to get this story.

And Amelia, the future Duchess, is really rather non-descript then all of a sudden, she stands up to her father remarkably well out of nowhere. Again..because we are missing essential elements of this story.

I suspect that once Mr. Cavandish arrives at the bookstores, we will have the whole story. But what irks me is that this is really half of a book. And a boring half at that. What should be a romp of heady emotions--who is Duke? Can he be Duke? What about the current Duke? And who will marry whom?????!!!is basicly milque toast. Boring and without any substance.

And as someone else here has written, why wasn't there an editor who stopped her from writing one and potentially two, bad books, when this could have been a winner as one novel. ???

I was at the used book store and already found several copies...so it is not just me-although I have to wonder if her friends and editors are writing the "Quinn Is Back on her Game" reviews? ???

Jack Audley is a highwayman, who one night robs the carriage with the Dowager Duchess of Wyndham and her companion Grace Eversleigh in it. From the moments the Dowager hears Jack's voice she is reminded of long dead son. After kidnapping Jack, the Dowager is to prove that Jack is and will be the Duke of Wyndham. All the while that this is going on Jack is intent on romancing Grace.
"The Lost Duke of Wyndham" is the lastest book by Julia Quinn and after reading serveral of her book, including this one. I just can't understand why people like so much. This book and these characters were so under developed that I could wait for it to be over and I was glad that I did pay full price for this book. These characters seem to be as much pain a the reader was. I know for a fact it will be a long time, if ever that I read another book by Ms. Quinn

I liked this book. I read several of the reviews and was surprised that so many people thought it was bad.
It is a romance novel...not a lost manuscript of Jane Austen. So, it isn't perfect, but it has moments where it is really touching.
Plus, it gets major points for using the world "truthiness". (*sigh* Stephen Colbert....)
Anyway, if you want a fun read pick up this book, but if you are looking for an earthshattering romance...I suggest you go straight to the classics aisle.

I used to really, really enjoy reading Julia Quinn because she had a writing style that was different than other authors and had a hook to her writing that made me keep wanting to read through the middle of the night (even when I have to get up early the next day). What happend to her "hook"? I found myself buying this book because I was a fan of hers, but her last 3 or 4 books have been mediocre at best and disappointing. This book in particular was predictable and boring; I found myself skipping through pages and pages to get to more interesting scenes. I just expected more from her!

While I agree with several other reviewers that this novel was certainly better than the dismal "Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever," I did not find it nearly as enjoyable as many of JQ's other novels.

I think that the single most important ingredient in any romance novel is a heroine that one roots for. Grace did not have the same spark of life in her that many of JQ's other characters have had, so it made it difficult to care about her troubles.

In her best work, which in my opinion would be a tie between "The Viscount who Loved Me," and "The Duke and I," Julia Quinn creates between the hero and heroine some sort of conflict that is based on their internal struggles as human beings, and not just contrived circumstances. This creates compelling characters and moving plots with emotional resonance that far exceeds the average romance novel. With the ***SPOILER*** theme of Jack's illiteracy, it seems like she was trying, but the attempt felt a bit flat.

There was not a lot of heat between these two characters, and there was no hook at the beginning that made me think, "Okay, I know these two characters' happy ending is assured because I'm reading a romance novel, but ooh boy, I need to know how it happens and I will stay up all night find out."

In the past JQ has created truly witty, amusing dialogue, but not here, and having Grace laugh hysterically not once, but several times, at Jack's not particularly funny comments seemed like adding a canned laugh track to a TV sitcom. This is a classic amateur writer's mistake, and it was jarring to see it used by such a professional, accomplished, intelligent author.

In addition, I could not agree more with previous comments about the very distracting writer's tick that Julia Quinn seems to have developed over the past few books.
She really must stop the short sentences.
Especially the short paragraphs.
I think that kids who want their term papers to be longer like to do this.
Not bestselling authors. Seriously.

This said, I think that it must be hard, in every book, to live up to the high standard that this author has set with some of her previous work. Also, it seems very much like she has set up what could be a compelling book in "Mr. Cavendish," as I quite agree with others that Thomas was far and away the most interesting character in this novel.

For those who have not yet read the novel, I would recommend you wait and see if "Mr. Cavendish, I Presume," is all that it promises to be before reading this. If it is, then this book will serve as useful background. Otherwise, reread "The Viscount Who Loved Me."

It was very difficult for me to even finish this book. The main characters were not very likeable. Especially the hero. The author is telling you throughout the story that he is so charming, but he was not charming in the least. I would not recommend this book to anyone. I found myself skimming the pages just to find something interesting.

Has Julia Quinn just completely lost her touch? I was in love with the earlier books (i.e. Brighter than the Sun, Minx and early Bridgertons) but with the last 3-4 books the writing has just gone completely down hill and I find myself constantly thinking how disappointed I am and how I've wasted money. This last book I had really high hopes for, thinking that she must have felt forced to write the final Bridgerton's and this would be a great fresh start for her. But sadly, this is by far the worst book she's written. It took me three days to get through it and I usually devour a book in a single sitting. The writing isn't fresh and full of laugh-out-loud humor as it used to be. It just drones on and on. Nothing charming. Nothing funny. Nothing even remotely interesting. The romance aspect was ridiculously unbelievable. I was bored to tears and frustration.

For many years, Julia Quinn was my all time favorite romance author, but I have finally reached the point where I can say I would never buy another of her books again. Its a sad day.

I was stunned that I was not pulled into the world and writing style I am used to delving into with Julia Quinn. It started off quite interesting, but seemed to dwindle downhill, and not pick back up until the end.

The writing style was so different from what I expected, and JQ branched away from her norm, at least she seemed to have, I did not recognize any of the characters, (but it's been quite a few months since I've reread any of her novels). That bond of familiarity with introducing a character here or there or mainting the connection, however briefly seemed to be missing.

Grace's character to me was just I don't know, I'd not call her the typical heroine at all. Even though she was in the forefront of the novel throughout, she felt like a sedate character fill-in. I can't quite place why I feel this??? I think the dowager took the center stage when the role should have been for Grace???

As for Jack, he was dashing and the normal sort of hero for a regency, and I felt he was the character, along with Thomas holding the novel together really.

The dowager, was just too much. Her character was beyond overdone - I was grossly irritated by her, and truly wanted to skip over her dialogue when it came to view. It was just to the point that I highly disliked the Lady, and wanted to hear no more of her. There should have been more sympathetic compassion for a lonely old lady, who you could tell just may have been her reasoning for her bahavior, but it was completely lacking.

The ending, ended no other way than would be expected, and it only briefly felt as though, "okay, it's a JQ novel." The writing nearly felt forced...and lost my interest quite often while reading. I had to put this book aside quite a bit to take a break from it. Which I can assure you, I've never done with a JQ novel before. I am always ecstatic and overjoyed to the point, I cannot place her books down without reading it cover-to-cover. So this was quite a dissappointment for me.

I don't know what else to remark upon, other than that I do hope she regains her old writing style and sticks to the candor, and witty females she often writes about vice the ones she decided upon for this novel. Perhaps, that was the problem. Although they were noticable in their manners, they seemed to lack any personality, which JQ normally portrays without any hesitance.

"...and in truth there was no way - simply no way - he could do anything in that moment but kiss her.... Anything else would have been a tragedy..." Wo buddy, that moment was worth the price of the book! Now I'm onto Thomas's story (just released in Oct)...

If you loved the Bridgertons' Series and love Julia Quinn as a rule, as I did...and want to continue to love her-then skip this book as well as "On the way to the Wedding". I never thought I would write one of these things but don't waste your time with this book.
BTW, what is with the disjointed look of the woman's face on the cover, it looks like a very bad photoshop import. If Ms. Pottinger wants to continue to write then the publishers need to edit her much more closely. I don't want to be mean, but this is just not a good book.

What a waste of money! I was so excited to see that JQ was coming out with a new book and I was even more excited by the story line. But what a huge disappointment. JQ could have done so much more with this book and she didn't. After reading the book, I feel like I don't even know the characters. The plot was boring with a capital "B". Jack was annoying. There was no passion. Very little romance. And no excitement. This one will go straight to the donate pile.

Sure the book has its flaws, and sure some of the plot could have been tighter and the motivations clearer, but personally, I enjoyed this book. I like how quickly I can read a Quinn book, how easily the images come to mind when she describes a setting, and how clearly I can see the characters in my mind. I could have done with a little more depth to the motivations of the characters, which weren't always clear. Overall, an average and cute read.

I read the book. Extremely poor writing. Extremely poor development of characters. Exremely boring plot. Should I say more? I'm just writing this review to warn the people not to spend their hard-earned money on this complete writing failure which somehow got published. It's a total rip-off: I think the big wigs (Quinn's publishers) thought to milk the cash cow (Quinn) at the expense of her creativeness and professionalism, so they got her to publish something so obviously bad as this. Not worth a dime.

I often rely on the NY TImes bestseller list to chose books, but this was disappointing. I read it and didn't hate it, but it just didn't capture me at all. It was also very predictable. I haven't read this author before so maybe she just isn't my cup of tea.

Julia Quinn is one of my favorite romance writers but this book was a disappointment. I felt like I never got to truly know either one of the main characters and the development of their relationship was nonexistent. There was a considerable lack of romance and sexual tension. Both characters did not excite me and I didn't really care what happened to either one of them. I agree with other reviewers that Quinn resorted to a lot of telling instead of showing, which does not draw the reader into the hero and heroine's world.

The dialogue was extremely weak, which is uncharacteristic of Quinn. There were a few humorous/awkward trademark Quinn scenes but those were the only highlights of this book.

Overall it was an OK read but I could definitely put it down.

For Julis Quinn, this is a middle-of-the-road book. For just about any other Regency author, it'd be 5 stars. JQ is my favorite and some of her books blow me away (Viscount, Offer from Gentleman, Mr. Bridgerton, Splendid...)so I tend to expect more from her.

On it's own, this is a very well written book. I do like the characters, however, I will agree that perhaps we could know Grace a little better.

Although the main characters do fall in love very quickly, it's written so well, that I don't find it too unbelievable.

I do wish we had a little more info before the epilouge. The story itself seemed to end a chapter too soon.

I do recommend this book. It's a must for all JQ fans.

Julia Quinn is one of my favorite romance writers but this book was a disappointment. I felt like I never got to truly know either one of the main characters and the development of their relationship was nonexistent. There was a considerable lack of romance and sexual tension. Both characters did not excite me and I didn't really care what happened to either one of them. I agree with other reviewers that Quinn resorted to a lot of telling instead of showing, which does not draw the reader into the hero and heroine's world.

The dialogue was extremely weak, which is uncharacteristic of Quinn. There were a few humorous/awkward trademark Quinn scenes but those were the only highlights of this book.

Overall it was an OK read but I could definitely put it down.

For Julis Quinn, this is a middle-of-the-road book. For just about any other Regency author, it'd be 5 stars. JQ is my favorite and some of her books blow me away (Viscount, Offer from Gentleman, Mr. Bridgerton, Splendid...)so I tend to expect more from her.

On it's own, this is a very well written book. I do like the characters, however, I will agree that perhaps we could know Grace a little better.

Although the main characters do fall in love very quickly, it's written so well, that I don't find it too unbelievable.

I do wish we had a little more info before the epilouge. The story itself seemed to end a chapter too soon.

I do recommend this book. It's a must for all JQ fans.

I'll have to say that I've never been disappointed with any books written by Julia Quinn til now. I was hesitant with buying the book with the weak storyline given, but hey it's Julia Quinn. Now I wonder if the sequel following this book will be just as disappointing.

I even found the cover to be awkward and a weird pose for the lady with her head tilted in an odd angle, and the hero leaning to her with closed eyes. After reading the book, I know why they were portrayed in that way, they are awkward characters with a lukewarm storyline. The book is more of a thought process then characters interacting with one another.

I'd suggest that you rent this through the library or buy from a used book store because it's not worth the full price.

Better than most other author's work, but perhaps not JQ's best book. I enjoyed the story and really looked forward to finding out more about Amelie and Thomas. Don't think it is right to cucify and author for trying something new.

Really, I'd give this 3 1/2 stars.

As a reader who absolutely loved the early Bridgerton books, but found the last couple, plus Miranda, to be less than compelling, I approached "The Lost Duke of Wyndham" with some trepidation. Happily, with this book Julia Quinn has regained some of her lost form. The dialogue is witty, the characters charming, and the plot is mostly believable (within the constraints of the "lost heir" motif, of course. But at least we are not subjected to any spies, magical swords, or absolute stupidity on the part of the heroine.)

My biggest complaint is that it feels like half a book. Clearly there are things going on "off-stage" which will be dealt with in the sequel. I'm sure her editors said "you must write two books, not one" but it still feels unfinished.

On the whole, I enjoyed the book. I finished it in one day, and am looking forward to the sequel.

It felt like we were forced to comply that these two characters should be together. They didn't have any chemistry because they didn't build upon anything at the beginning. There was no flirting, no immediate dislike...they were just thrown together and it felt like we were forced to like them. The dowager duchess was just plain evil and unamusing. And she was in plot too much...ok we get that she is nasty but why do we have to continue to read it. I just couldn't stand to read about her anymore. Then, when it was mentioned that Jack killed someone, I am like, this is too much and put the book down and have not picked it back up. I love Quinn's other books but I hated this one and will be hestitant to purchase her books again. I think I will wait and read the review first in the future.

Although JQ is one of my favorite authors, I was disappointed in this book. I felt that both Grace & Jack could have been compelling characters, but that their issues were glossed over. (Maybe JQ worried that they would seem too much like Simon Basset and Sophie Bridgerton.) I wasn't able to understand what they saw in each other, so the chemistry didn't work for me. I also found the plot to be too predictable. I was much more interested in the "secondary" characters, and have high expectations for the next book.

For all the many reasons stated earlier - this meandering mess has no business being published. Save your money - buy something from Elizabeth Hoyt, Loretta Chase, the new Sherry Thomas...and Julia, that is two in a row that are terrible. No more auto-buy for you!

4.5 I thought this story along with Cavendish, I Presume had all the elements of a great romance taken together. I don't know what I was expecting after reading the harsh reviews (Julia Quinn's bar is set very high...)but I found the story fresh, the characters crisp (Thomas and Amelia were the more endearing of the two books)and interesting- all making for a compelling read.

I am a huge Julia Quinn fan and this is the only book of hers that has disappointed me. I'm still a huge fan. This book seemed like one big conversation to me. There were moments of excellent wit and banter between the main characters but I found it very difficult to "feel" for anyone in the book. Plus, way too much focus on Grace trying to hold in her laughter. Very redundant. I am looking forward to the story of Thomas and Amelia. I hope it is written much differently!

I've read almost all of Quinn's books and I really enjoyed this one. The storyline was believable and so were the relationships between the characters. I loved Jack and Grace and the immediate attraction between them. Entertaining dialogue and engaging characters made it a quick, easy read.

I couldn't believe this was a Julia Quinn book! I love her stuff and look forward to each new release. I actually checked the cover after I was about a quarter of the way into this one just to make sure it really had her name on it! I read the whole book and still didn't feel like I knew the characters. It definitely doesn't have Quinn's hallmark grace, whit and charm! I hate to say it but, don't bother!

First off, I HATED her writing style. She used poorly written short sentences. I'm serious. She did. Like this. No, really. It drove me insane. Also, she kept telling the reader what to feel without producing the actual effect with her story. The "hero/heroine" were a total bust and the book a total waste of time.

I love Julia Quinn. I look forward to every book that is published. But I agree with others who say that this just isn't up to par with her previous books (a trend I see as well). Her characters just didn't grab me as much as they have in the past. The dialogue was very mundane and the story line was quite flat.

For people who are new to Julia Quinn, please take a moment to read any of her books. Even at her worst, her books are a pleasure to read. Just make sure to read more than just this book. I was sadly disappointed.

"The Lost Duke of Wyndham" starts out with great promise, then sags in the middle. It lacks some of the seemingly effortless sparkle of the Bridgerton series, but is far superior to Miranda Cheever. It must be hard for Quinn to top herself, but even when she's not at the top of her game, she's still a great read.

I myself felt obligated to finish this book only because I had paid money for it, and no other reason. I could barely stay awake to do that. Its a shame that some authors feel they can throw anything together and make money after having had other successful books. I agree with other reviewers, I can't believe it was even published

I used to be a HUGE fan of Julia Quinn...

Cut to the Chase:
We start with a highwayman robbing a dowager duchess and her poor, gently bred companion. The dowager duchess is a steely old woman, who instantly (despite the mask, and the darkness of the night) recognizes the robber as her potential (long-lost, never-even-suspected-he-might-exist) grandson. This very far-fetched beginning is probably one of the best parts of the book, which really says something. There’s plenty of witty dialogue and banter, and the clever wordplay that Quinn is famous for (thus the 1.5 star, as opposed to… 0). What it doesn’t have is character development, a romantic journey, and half of the story (more on that later). There were some truly excellent scenes, and the beginning (despite how crazy of a start it is) was actually kind of enjoyable. But… a few chapters in, the scenes started to drag, the story seems to lose its focus, and then, suddenly, the book is over, and tied up with a cute epilogue. Argh.

Greater Detail:
John Audley (formerly John Cavendish, formerly John Cavendish-Audley) is a soldier turned highwayman. One night, he happens to rob a woman who ends up being his grandmother, the dowager Duchess of Wyndham.

Despite the fact that it’s late at night, and his face is covered with a mask, and he speaks with a bit of an Irish accent, the dowager duchess is instantly convinced that John (who prefers to go by Jack) is her long dead second son’s son. Nevermind that she never even knew her second son had married. Or that her second son died almost three decades ago. She’s convinced… and the kicker is, she ends up being right!!!

Which is a bit of a problem. It means that her current grandson, Thomas (for whom she apparently feels NO affection) isn’t the actual duke, as Thomas’s father was her third son, and that Jack, who prefers a wandering life, is suddenly going to be a duke, with all of its ducal properties and responsibilities.

The setup is a bit convoluted, as is the rest of the book.

We’ve got Amelia, who’s the daughter of an earl and is engaged to the “future Duke of Wyndham” (meaning she thought she was engaged to Thomas, but now her father thinks she should be engaged to Jack).

We’ve got Thomas, who mostly just glowers and thinks highly of himself and then gets drunk… a lot.

And we’ve got our female protagonist who waffles between being portrayed as a bit of doormat and a girl who really does have a spunky, fierce side, and also is the love interest of both Jack (that part was obvious as they kiss almost right away, and are portrayed as having some kind of attraction) and, briefly… Thomas?? (which made NO sense).

So, my problems with this book are plentiful:

1. The love story between the two never felt real. I believed the initial attraction, and there’s even some witty banter about paintings at the very beginning of the book, and then the romantic progression just stops, because there are too many other characters and sideplots for the romance to be given any attention.

2. Also, none of the side plots feel real or weighty. Thomas and Amelia are obviously getting a sequel (which isn’t a sequel, it’s a companion book, with all the same events, written from a different perspective), but here, they’re in the scenes enough to be annoying and one-dimensional, but not enough to feel real or even contribute.

3. The scenes that you wanted to see were never written — like Thomas and Jack getting to know each other? I want to see that. My main characters falling in love — you know, the reason for my getting a romance to read? I want to read that! Instead, I have page after page of cutesy dialogue (some of which is legitimately funny, and some of which just DRAGS and is eye-roll-inducing) about nothing in particular, which is extraordinarily annoying as there’s so much plot that needs to be resolved.

I’m also, I won’t lie, super-annoyed that I now have to track down and read the companion book because half of the plot has been left not-completely resolved…

Comparisons to Other Authors/Books:
Julia Quinn made a name for herself by being a clever, smart writer who had a wonderfully deft hand, especially for creating memorable heroes and heroines with sparkling dialog. I don’t know what’s happened to her, lately...

Oh, yeah, because Quinn's name is on it. I forgot. Because it's really that bad. It's so bad you begin to wonder if a writer like Quinn wrote it, or she had it ghost-written by a 15 year old. So, here's my frank and honest review, even though I know I'm going to get a score "unhelpful" checks from all Quinn fans. (Honestly, I am a Quinn fan, as well. That's why I'm so frustrated and angry right now.)

I'm going to say this upfront: I cannot abide "love at first smell/touch/sight" books. So, in my case, there was definitely a bias against the primary romance. But I could have even overlooked that if Quinn had displayed her talent for creating complex characters and situations that are real conflicts.

However, Quinn fails to do this. For a woman who has written over a dozen books, this read like it was her first attempt at a novel. The main characters were barely sketched, she makes the rookie mistake of "telling" rather than "showing", and I found the entire main conflict of the novel (the very premise) to be rather absurd and made each of the primary characters guilty of the "To Stupid to Live syndrome".

~ Spoilers In Review ~

First of all, the very fact that Grace falls in lust with a highway man & thinks there's absolutely nothing wrong with it really made me question her judgment. It was marvelous for her that the guy ended up being a Duke... but, good God, what was she thinking to start out with? And speaking of him being a highwayman. Apparently, that wasn't a big deal... but, yet, he had a problem with giving up that lifestyle to become a Duke.

Secondly, I guess Jack was charming? Because Quinn told us that every other paragraph or so (either Jack was thinking it, telling people he was, or Grace was thinking it, or other characters were calling him that....). Frankly, though, he never made one comment or did anything that was remotely charming. He was, in fact, rather annoying. There he was, a thief, and he was about to strip a very decent man of his title and whole identity. And all he could do was joke and make cracks towards everyone & we're supposed to cheer for him (and the romance) because he keeps glancing over at Grace because he just knows that she'll get the humor if no one else does. And Grace, like a good little heroine, is the only one who is able to "get" him - rather than thinking he's a jerk, like Amelia (rightfully so) does.

Third, I hated, hated, hated that the only parts that were remotely interesting were the Thomas/Amelia parts. Quinn tried to keep the focus on Grace/Jack in this novel and so she formatted it so that Thomas/Amelia are very secondary characters - so secondary, in fact, that we're not even allowed to hear Amelia explain a scene between her and Thomas at a pivotal moment in the novel. Instead of having Amelia tell Grace what happened (in a rather more interesting novel/story taking place off stage) we are instead treated to the self-absorbed musings of Grace, who is completely tuning out Amelia while the girl is trying to talk to Grace about her own issues. Yeah, I think we all want a friend like Grace. Even if I wasn't pre-disposed to dislike Grace for falling in love with a highwayman at first sight, this made me just want to throttle her. I was yelling at the book, "Dear God, listen to the woman! She has a more interesting story to tell, anyway!" But, unfortunately, Quinn would prefer that we wait until October (or is November) to get to know the better characters.

Fourth, the "climax" is absurd and it takes way too long to get there. OK, yeah, he's the Duke. Well, that was obvious from the beginning because he's (1) older than Thomas and (2) clearly, he wasn't lying about being legitimate. So why take about 200 pages to get that point? We spend much of the novel talking about him possibly being the Duke. (Boring, repetitive, conversations) and then it takes about 20 pages to resolve the issue post "revelation". Most of which is in epilogue form and, quite neatly and stupidly, addresses every concern that Grace/Jack had for about 200 pages. Well, that's just great. I would rather have seen him deal with being the Duke at about page 50, and read 150 pages of him learning how to be one, while wooing Grace at the same time. Rather than having it backward: 200 pages with him talking about potentially being the Duke & then told that it all worked at the end.

Lastly, why was Grace turning him down. To paraphrase Elizabeth Bennett: He's a gentleman, she's a gentleman's daughter, so - in that - they are equal. She, however, thinks that she's not good enough for the guy because *gasp* he's a Duke. Well, sheesh, he was also thief. Did you think of that, Grace? That he used to rob people and would have continued doing so, if the Duchess didn't kidnap him???? But, I guess, being in love with a man who has no morals is okay. It's the whole being in love with a man who has a title that screwed up. But, it's all okay in the end because Amelia (again, the girl I really wanted to read about) points out that it'll be about 2 weeks of gossip & then folks will move on. And, of course, brainless Grace goes, "Oh yeah... I guess I'll be a Duchess then. If you twist my arm and all that." No, seriously, here's a woman who has been virtually a slave to the Dowager Duchess for about 5 years. Plus, she's all alone in the world and has no money to her name. And, she's lonely and unhappy. So along comes this guy who is madly in love with her, great looking, the sex is good and - oh, well, look at that - he's also about to become one of the richest and most powerful men in England. And so what is our girl to do? Clearly, she has to reject his marriage proposal. Because, yeah, she's that bright.

~ End Spoilers ~

Anyway, I could go on about this... how the book is poorly written. (Way.too.many.short.sentences.) I could write even more about how superficially the two main characters are written and how it reads like every generic (and poorly written) romance novel I've ever read. But I think you get the picture.

Bottom Line: Don't go by the brand name. Go buy a different book by a new author. Because Quinn has clearly forgotten how to write and is coasting on her name. It's like Eloisa James all over again!!!

Another delightful story that has been written with strong, believable characters and the situations they get themselves into really are LOL.
I can imagine that from time to time the next in line to be Duke was in fact lost due to falsehoods and coverups for whatever reason, so then this scenario could be plausible. Whatever! It made for a very readable book and I enjoyed it immensely and am quite happy to recommend it.