AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The Duke Knows Best by Jane Ashford

I received this audiobook free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

I generally prefer reading books to listening to them, but I am in the midst of knitting a Christmas gift and I can’t read and knit. So I was very happy to receive The Duke Knows Best by Jane Ashford as an audiobook. It is wonderfully narrated by Naomi Frederick, who has just the right accent and tone.

This is the sixth book in Ashford’s The Duke’s Sons series. I haven’t read others in the series but I am a big fan of Ashford’s Regency Romances. 

Miss Verity Sinclair is the daughter of a clergyman (dean of a cathedral), and she is desperate to see more of the world. She starts with London where she hopes to find a husband who will sweep her out of the mundane into a life of adventure. Unfortunately, her plans for accomplishing this are half-baked. And, more unfortunately, one of the first men she is introduced to is Lord Randolph Gresham.

Lord Randolph, one of the duke of Gresham’s five sons, is exceptionally handsome, intelligent, and kind. But he is a country parson and so not that man she is looking for. Because she is attracted to him, she chases him away with incredibly rude words even though he has done nothing objectionable. The next time they come across one another, she does the same. Falling for him would ruin all her plans.

Randolph has come to London to look for a wife. Six years ago, he courted a young woman who died of a quick illness just after they had become engaged. He still grieves for her, but is ready to move on. But not with Verity Sinclair. Although she’s beautiful, her manner is off-putting.

At a ton musicale, the hostess drags Randolph and Verity to the front of the room and insists they provide a duet. All their disharmony fades away as they become engrossed in the music. Ultimately, music will bring them together.

Lord Randolph is a delightful, mature hero who grounds this novel. The family bonds of the Greshams are warm and engaging. Verity is not a particularly likeable heroine. She begins as immature and rather unpleasant, but she does grow during the course of the book.

Overall, while not my favorite Ashford romance, listening to this audiobook was enjoyable. And it made me curious about the duke of Greshams other four sons!