Dying for a Duke
The Regency Romance Mysteries, Book 1
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Dying for a Duke
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Narrated by:
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Gerard Marzilli
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By:
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Emma V. Leech
About this listen
Straightlaced, imperious, and morally rigid, Benedict Rutland - the darkly handsome earl of Rothay - gained his title too young. Responsible for a large family of younger siblings that his frivolous parents has brought to bankruptcy, his youth was spent clawing back the family fortunes. Now a man in his prime and financially secure, he is betrothed to a strict, sensible, and coolheaded woman who will never upset the balance of his life or disturb his emotions....
But then Miss Skeffington-Fox arrives. Brought up solely by her rake of a stepfather, Benedict is scandalized by everything about the dashing miss. But as family members in line for the dukedom begin to die at an alarming rate, all fingers point at Benedict, and Miss Skeffington-Fox may be the only one who can save him.
Review - "An Intriguing murder mystery and romance set in Regency-era England! Emma V. Leech is proving herself a superb author not only in the realm of fantasy and paranormal romance but also in regency romance and historical fiction and has sealed the deal with Dying for a Duke, adding a twisting plot with a good old fashioned whodunnit to the delight of this murder mystery fan. A definite must read for both historical fiction romance and murder mystery readers!" (Lady Bookapple Blog)
©2017 Emma V Leech (P)2018 Emma V LeechListeners also enjoyed...
Dying for a Duke
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Great story, grating narration!
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The story tends to drag a little in the middle, and the murder/mystery turns out to be unnecessarily lame & unthinking.
Not quite The Grand Sophie!
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Great Story
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Benedict Rutland, the Earl of Rothay, is disciplined, determined, and has successfully rebuilt his family fortune - with no help from his rather more generous mother (Lucilla) . Life is shipshape, and his betrothed a perfectly sensible match, Miss Theodora Pinchbeck
Then Miss Phoebe Skeffington-Fox arrives, beautiful, mouthy, and showing excellent taste in her expensive acquisitions. As the beloved stepdaughter of a recently deceased uncle, she has been taken in by Benedict's mother and brings discomfort and chaos in her wake by daring to have a personality.
But worse even than that, suddenly, nothing can be quite what it was as death's claws begin to grip the family, and Benedict and Phoebe find themselves at the pointy end of accusing fingers.
I'll be honest here, I'm rarely a fan of cishet romance tales, especially set in this period, as they tend towards both the tropey and the sexist, but I do enjoy a good murder mystery, and Leech imbues Phoebe with more personality and strength than the cardboard cutout I expected, which was refreshing.
Benedict is kind of an arse, as you would expect. The frivolity of his mother, Phoebe and the young twins plays nicely off of his attitude to the world around him, as does the tightlaced attitude of his of his fiance, as the plot develops.
While there's nothing new here, Leech's voice is polished and weaves the interconnected parts of the story well. More than that, I was entertained throughout, with more than a few chuckles. It was clear that Leech enjoyed painting the characters and their interactions, carefully picking out both the frustrations and the pleasantries to show the reader.
Moreover the story knows just what it is. Both the romance and the mystery build slowly alongside each other as the tale makes it way towards a climax (pun definitely intended), without feeling rushed or forced. Leech's skill at this is evident at all stages.
As to the narration, Marzilli is excellent. As a student of accent, and a long-time voiceover artist, he is able to give each character a distinct voice and rhythm of speech, without falling into the usual traps of exaggerated intonation. Instead he subtly distinguishes between character classes, locales and types, whilst never leaving the reader behind as he switches. There a few hesitations in the flow of his speech that could have benefitted from another pass, but nothing to ruin the enjoyment of listening.
In all, an enjoyable experience, would definitely recommend.
A Well Told, Well Read Tale
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