DISAPPOINTING!!

What disappointed you about Schooling the Duke?

The 11 year separation of the H/H the repetitiveness of the storyline. The H/H don't get together until the last few pages of the story

What could Christi Caldwell have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Put the H/H back together sooner and grow a relationship between the couple. Make the villains suffer for there part in there separation of H/H Stop with the Spinster characters and the scarred hero. This characterization has been over done!!

Would you be willing to try another one of Tim Campbell’s performances?

Yes

What character would you cut from Schooling the Duke?

None

Any additional comments?

Schooling the Duke is bk1 of a brand new series by Christi Caldwell.
Graham Linford was a second son of the Duke Hampstead now his father and brother the heir are both deceased and he is the new Duke of Hampstead.

Miss Rowena Endicott Is the step daughter of the local Vicar and her mother was once a Courtesan. Rowena is the result of that and illegitimate daughter of some unknown Lord.

After Graham's father the Dukes first son dies and he knows Graham will one day become the Duke. He sets out to get rid of Rowena whom at the time Graham has sworn he will come back from the war for her and marry her. Rowena's parents work with the Duke to protect there legit family to send Rowena away and they lie to Graham about why she left and they lie to Rowena that Graham only thinks of her as a Whore!! Even Graham's and Rowena's childhood friend is in on this big deception.

11 years pass. Far too long for a couple to be separated in my opinion. They have come to hate each other because of there perceived lies that have been told to them. Once they are reunited Rowena as a companion to Grahams ward who is old enough to have been married at 17. This didn't work for me either. Girls during this era where married off as early as 15. I did like the way Ainsley's character was written.

The reason this was not 4 or 5 stars for me might be personal likes and dislikes. I don't like long separations between the H/H and 11 years is much too long. I don't like it when it takes the couple more then 60% of the story to discover the truth of the lies they had been told to separate them all those years ago. Once the truth was revealed it was not even a page long. Why didn't they talk when they were first united? The story is repetitive. Its say over an over Rowena is a bastard and the daughter of a courtesan. The lies separating them become the whole story line and is repeated over and over even after they know the truth. Also, I have gotten tire of the Spinster storyline who has plan brown eyes and a willowy figure. Brown eyes are boring especially when you have brown hair. I am also sick and tire of the hero being scared on the face. These characteristics are overdone. I want to tell Authors please stop. No more Plan Spinster and Scarred Hero's. Give us back the fantasy. For it is Fantasy that I read Historical Romance. This story mad me sad and the couple don't even get back together until the last few pages of the book. Rowena's parents are never confronted for how badly they treated her and the other villain Jack Turner who was Grahams and Rowena's childhood friend just got away with a butt kicking and fired my Graham. Villains need to suffer the consequences of there action when they do such diabolical things to the H/H of the story. This story was a Disappointment for me. Hopefully the next will be better. If not I will drop this series.
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15 people found this helpful

Schooling

I travel alot and I'd rather have a great book to listen to than the
radio a good amount of time!!!!! This was a really cute story of having a true love and the not having the riches to the love of life.!!!

3 people found this helpful

lost in the narrator's​ s voice

Struggled to listen sometimes. Tha narrator has a sleepy voice and sometimes monotone. the story felt like it was rushed to finish in the last few chapters. listen to sample beige you commit.

3 people found this helpful

Sophomoric

The author mentioned the vast difference between base born people and the "Ton," the Tons penchant for ruining and judging people for sins of their fathers, and the fact that the heroine was a bastard born of a whore, no less than 6 times per page. Prove me wrong. Have you ever heard the word, "bastardrey?" You will now, at least 10 times.

Poor, servants with less than perfect parentage= martyrs good

People born to the upper classes=judgey bad.

There was one good Duke, the hero. So there's that.

I usually like description, especially in historical romance, but this book was full of filler. The story could have been told in about 10 chapters.

2 people found this helpful

Lovely second chance

Thank you Christi Caldwell for such a wonderful, emotional story with well developed characters. I am in tears. Tim Campbell, your reading does the story justice. Beautiful done!

4 people found this helpful

Tim Campbell, enough said.

good enough story if a bit wordy, two misguided characters and situations, but for Tim Campbell's narrative which hurtles it all way over the mark. I would like to hear him read the dictionary, he is that good.

1 person found this helpful

Pretty good

This was a good story.. however I do not understand why they just didnt ask one another what happened until almost the very end of the book, i did love the scene with the Muted swans.. very amusing....and Ainsley is amazing..hopefully we see her in her own story??

So much repetition

This was a struggle to finish. I ended up skipping chapters. The basic premise was fine, but there was so much rumination and repetition on why these two hated each other (at the beginning), and then why they felt they couldn't be together (in the last part of the book). It was just good enough that I ended finishing, but barely.

Hmmm

Was a bit of a struggle thru parts. Constant mentioning the war, and use of the word whore were grating. Debating the second book in this series. Hopefully it's better.

Good story but dragged out

I wish there had been an Epilogue as the ending seemed abrupt. The story dragged quite a bit. I hound myself wishing the author would just get on with it. There were several loose ends that I would have liked to have seen. For example I would have loved to see a confrontation with Rowena’s parents and more about Ainsley. It would have provided a more complete story. The body of the story could have have been cut somewhat and the above suggestions could have been entered.