Mr. Cavendish, I Presume (Two Dukes of Wyndham, #2)

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Mr. Cavendish, I Presume (Two Dukes of Wyndham #2)

by Julia Quinn (Goodreads Author)

3.51 of 5 stars 3.51 · rating details · 5,569 ratings · 367 reviews

THERE WENT THE BRIDE ...

Amelia Willoughby has been engaged to the Duke of Wyndham for as long as she can remember. Literally. A mere six months old when the contracts were signed, she has spent the rest of her life waiting. And waiting. And waiting ... for Thomas Cavendish, the oh-so-lofty duke, to finally get around to marrying her. But as she watches him from afar, she h...more

Paperback, 370 pages

Published September 30th 2008 by Avon (first published January 1st 2008)

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Feb 12, 2009 Brenda (b) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, romance, 1-print-books, 2-2009-read

Ok, this one is really hard for me to rate. I liked it a lot, but I was frustrated by it too. It's Thomas's story and I so wanted to find out what happened between him and Amelia and how he handled dealing with the resolution of Jack's situation. But most of this story was a retelling of The Lost Duke of Wyndham from Thomas's and Amelia's POVs. I found the different perspectives interesting and we were given some details that didn't appear in Jack & Grace's book. However, I'm not the most pa...more

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Feb 22, 2009 Isis FG rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Isis FG by: continuation of a series

Shelves: author-julia-quinn, 2009, info-full, genre-romance-historical-england, reviewed, published-2008, stars-3

When I can, I like to read books in a series close together. They just work better for me that way. But these two Wyndham books? They really should NOT be read back-to-back. I liked this one to a certain extent, but more often than not I found it really tedious to get through. The gimmick of these two books - telling the same story from two different perspectives - just didn't work for me. So this one was a very weak 3-stars, probably more of a 2.5.

Mr Cavendish, I Presume is the 2nd book in the...more When I can, I like to read books in a series close together. They just work better for me that way. But these two Wyndham books? They really should NOT be read back-to-back. I liked this one to a certain extent, but more often than not I found it really tedious to get through. The gimmick of these two books - telling the same story from two different perspectives - just didn't work for me. So this one was a very weak 3-stars, probably more of a 2.5.

Mr Cavendish, I Presume is the 2nd book in the Two Dukes of Wyndham series. What makes the series unique is that the two books aren't just connected by character or theme; they are actually simultaneously told. In the first book you get Jack and Grace's POV's about how Jack might actually be the true Duke of Wyndham, and in the 2nd book you get Thomas and Amelia's POV's.

The first book tells the story of how Jack was the unknown, and probably legitimate, son of John Cavendish...and that if he was legitimate, he would be the true Duke of Wyndham. And the second book focuses on the man who believed HE was the Duke - Thomas Cavendish. As the only remaining heir to inherit, Thomas was raised to be Wyndham, and he was also betrothed at a very young age to Amelia Willoughby. Now it's all falling apart. Soon, he may be a nobody. It figured that it would happen just as he was beginning to realize that maybe he did want to marry Amelia.

I don't think it would be quite wrong to say you could read just one of these books and know almost everything that happens. All you would really miss would be few romantic scenes between whichever H/H. But otherwise? You could read just one and completely understand the story. Each book pretty much tells you the same exact there. Once you read book one, there's nothing unique about book two other than a different H/H. You know exactly what's going to happen next, exactly how the plot is going to end up. It left me with absolutely no anticipation of what was to come in the book. Plus there were some scenes that were almost a complete repeat of scenes from the first book. Those were rather boring to have to reread.

For me, the two books weren't unique enough. And reading them so close together just made it rather tedious to make it through the second one. I did like Thomas and Amelia and wanted to see how things would work out between them, but the repetition of everything else was rather boring.

I would much rather the 2nd book not been a simultaneous story, but just a connected book. And I have to admit that I'll think twice before reading another pair of books that tell the same story from two different perspectives. (less)

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Jul 22, 2009 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

I don't generally read romance. It tends to fall into two categories: a puritanical guilt-trip Christian mindset or gratuitous sex, usually so closely resembling rape that it's nauseating. Neither of those categories appeal to me.

However, Julia Quinn fits neither of those categories. She writes with a fine humor, intelligence and delicacy. She actually develops the plot and characters so they stand on their own rather than simply acting as a vehicle for unnecessary and repetitive sex scenes.

The...more

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Jun 22, 2012 Leah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: author-julia-quinn, 4-stars, flip-flops, cherry-poppin, its-all-in-the-accent, half-star-ratings

3.5 stars

I had to give this book a slightly lower rating than the first because, while I enjoyed the main characters very much, it was essentially the same exact story as The Lost Duke of Wyndham. Now, I realize that the storylines are taking place at the same time, and I acknowledge the fact that certain scenes from TLDoW needed to be repeated here from a different point of view. However, there were not enough other scenes, ones with just Thomas, or Amelia, or Thomas and Amelia to make it a muc...more

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Jul 18, 2010 Lady Valee rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

Well, first of all I am gonna say that this was definitely an improvement from book 1.DEFINITELY! I really didn't like the first one. I even wasn't gonna read this one because of that. Well I'm glad I did, I really liked this one.

This an amusing and entreating read. The hero was interesting with the kind of values I think a hero of a novel should have. Maybe he lacked a bit more personality but well, he was a nice hero.The heroine was nice as well. I loved to see her change from this submissive...more

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Oct 03, 2008 Cherise rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

This is the second book of the Two Dukes of Wyndham Series. However, this can not be described as a sequel as it takes place at the exact same time that the first book did, The Lost Duke of Wyndham.

At first I was a tad confused. It took me a good chapter or two before I realized this wasn’t a prologue, suddenly Grace is single and Thomas is still a Duke. I have to admit I am not thrilled with the way she decided to write this series. A lot of what I read in this book I had already read in the pr...more This is the second book of the Two Dukes of Wyndham Series. However, this can not be described as a sequel as it takes place at the exact same time that the first book did, The Lost Duke of Wyndham.

At first I was a tad confused. It took me a good chapter or two before I realized this wasn’t a prologue, suddenly Grace is single and Thomas is still a Duke. I have to admit I am not thrilled with the way she decided to write this series. A lot of what I read in this book I had already read in the previous book, albeit this time, occasionally, it was from a different perspective, it was still repetitive information. It also took away a lot of the enjoyment of reading as there were little to no surprises and I already knew how it was going to end. Having read the previous book I knew who the true Duke was, knew how it was discovered, etc.

While the previous book concentrated on the romance between Grace and Jack and his discovery of his family ties. This book concentrates on the same discoveries but from the romantic views of Thomas and Amelia. Two people who have been betrothed since the cradle.

I think it was an interesting idea to try to have two stories in one series, both taking place at the same time… Had the whole Duke thing not been the center of each story, it may have worked. But what was exciting and mysterious in the last story, just proved much too monotonous in this one. Entire scenes are reused from the first book leaving me in a consistent state of déjà vu while reading.

Thomas and Amelia are wonderful leads and their relationship was fresh and new, thank goodness, so this book wasn’t a total loss as I enjoyed their romantic part of the tale, immensely. With all that said… I can’t help but feel a little cheated as the author chose to only write half a story. Had I not read the first book I probably would have rated this one a lot higher. Instead of making two books out of one story she should have combined them making it one book/one story with two perspectives. Would have made a more compelling tale and would have saved a tree or two in the process. ;)

Cherise Everhard, October 2008
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Aug 02, 2008 Ron rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

The story covers much the same narrative terrain as The Lost Duke of Wyndham, only this time around the focus is on two of that novel's supporting characters: Thomas Cavendish, who starts out the story as the Duke, and Amelia, with whom he has been affianced for an arranged marriage since they were children. To be honest, for most of this book I thought that, as a character, Thomas worked better in the first novel, when there was a sense of--well, mystery is perhaps not the right word--to his ac...more

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Oct 18, 2008 Isabelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, series

This is book #2 of the Two Dukes of Wyndham, but I don't know if it really counts as a different book. Basically 90% of the book is the same as the first book, only seen from another character's perspective. The author has done this before in another book but only with one scene, which made it much less tedious. The "new" scenes of the book were really good though, which made reading this book not a total loss. Hopefully the author doesn't try doing this again. In theory it might sound like a co...more

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Oct 31, 2012 Janyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

First if all, I would like to thank the reviews I've read that implicitly or otherwise suggested not to read the two books of the series back-to-back. I think that not having some time and a lot of books between reading both would probably result to exasperation. As pretty much was said, the two books contained the same story, roughly at the same time frame, only with different perspectives

I didn't find the book tedious at all actually. I loved exploring into the thoughts of different characters...more First if all, I would like to thank the reviews I've read that implicitly or otherwise suggested not to read the two books of the series back-to-back. I think that not having some time and a lot of books between reading both would probably result to exasperation. As pretty much was said, the two books contained the same story, roughly at the same time frame, only with different perspectives

I didn't find the book tedious at all actually. I loved exploring into the thoughts of different characters, knowing their minds during the same circumastances. I liked the gimmick behind the books, contrary to the general response (so it just might be me)

I liked this book better than the first. Mainly because I've always been partial for Thomas. Even during the first book, I was really mostly saddened by the pain Thomas was going through (though I did understand where Jack was coming from and I did shed a tear during his hardest moments). There's just something about the loss of his identity that really affected me.

I also liked Thomas' rakish side. I bet had the situation not been asit was, his and Amelia's courting would have been exciting

Another reason why I liked the book was I didn't have anymore hopes for an ending I preferred as I already knew how it would end in the first place. The ending really disappointed me when reading the first book and I even concocted my own version of an ending (as hilarious as it would seem)

Lastly, what I liked in this book is getting a glimpse of Amelia's thoughts. You would discover how wonderfully colorful her thoughts are as opposed to the passive, dull girl I thought she was from the first book.

What I didn't like in the book was the er, rather abruptness of things during the near end. How Amelia and Thomas settled things between them was rather too quick for me and well, I momentarily hated Thomas for doing *that* to Amelia. Though Amelia was at fault as well and urgh, this is just unexplainable. But yeah.

Anyway overall, I could not put the book down. The book was engaging for me. I always loved Julia Quinn's monologues and the witty banter and this had not been lacking on both. (less)

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Mar 18, 2012 Janelle rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-reads, romance

Cheesy Harlequin "The Billionaire's Nanny Surprise: Twins Edition" dreadful. Even knowing that the book is meant to be paired with another, I still felt like I had less than half the story. I can't imagine there's anything in the other half that I wanted when what I wanted was more out of the Thomas/Amelia relationship.

The story is mostly from Thomas's point of view, as he wrestles with the impending loss of his title and fortune. An interesting tale, to be sure, but it hardly involves Amelia....more

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Mar 07, 2012 KatiD rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: rntv-reviews

Reviewed by Kati Dancy
4 stars out of 5

* This book’s plot intertwines closely with Ms. Quinn’s May release, The Lost Duke of Wyndham, and some plot points are discussed in the following review.

I don’t think you can discuss Julia Quinn’s newest book, Mr. Cavendish, I Presume without discussing her previous book, The Lost Duke of Wyndham. You see, Ms. Quinn wrote both books together, as one story spread over four characters and two books. The stories are wound around the lives of two men, Jack Audl...more Reviewed by Kati Dancy
4 stars out of 5

* This book’s plot intertwines closely with Ms. Quinn’s May release, The Lost Duke of Wyndham, and some plot points are discussed in the following review.

I don’t think you can discuss Julia Quinn’s newest book, Mr. Cavendish, I Presume without discussing her previous book, The Lost Duke of Wyndham. You see, Ms. Quinn wrote both books together, as one story spread over four characters and two books. The stories are wound around the lives of two men, Jack Audley and Thomas Cavendish, Duke of Wyndham. It seems that Jack Audley is the long lost elder cousin of the Duke of Wyndham, and despite growing up as a scoundrel highwayman, he is in fact, the rightful heir to the title, Duke of Wyndham. Jack’s story and that of his happily ever after with Grace Eversleigh, the Duchess of Wyndham’s companion, is told in The Lost Duke of Wyndham and it unfolds within a few short weeks. Mr. Cavendish, I Presume tells the same story from the perspective of Thomas Cavendish over the same few weeks.

Thomas Cavendish was raised as the Duke of Wyndham. He’s carried the heavy mantle of responsibility for the people who live on his lands, the family fortune, and the care of his aunt, the Duchess of Wyndham for most of his life. He’s also been engaged to Lady Amelia Willoughby since her childhood. But given all of Thomas’s responsibilities, he’s always somewhat neglected their relationship. Of course, he’s cordial and solicitous of Amelia, but he doesn’t know her. He just assumes that one day they will marry and she will become his Duchess. Amelia, for her part, is in no rush to hurry the process along, despite much gnashing of teeth on her mother’s part. When Jack Audley enters into their universe, it tilts swiftly on its axis. All of a sudden, Thomas might not actually be the Duke of Wyndham, and Jack is busy wooing Grace, and Amelia’s entire world is changing. She’s not quite sure how to feel about it, as she’s never felt particularly passionately about Thomas, but at the same time, she doesn’t dislike him, she just – resents that he’s never bothered to get to know her. As they circle around each other trying to solve the mystery of who actually is the Duke of Wyndham, and as Amelia’s father insists on traveling with the Cavendish party to determine who is the Duke, we see Thomas and Amelia thrown together. Thomas realizes that Amelia is a smart, lovely woman who has a tender heart and a very sly wit and he becomes drawn to her. But, as he begins to realize that he is most likely not the Duke of Wyndham, his honor dictates that he not seduce Amelia, and she cannot be his.

The story features all of the hallmarks of a Julia Quinn book: smart heroine, sparkling dialogue, and an honorable, kind hero. If I were to rate the book on its own, not having read The Lost Duke of Wyndham, I might have graded it higher. But the fact is, the stories dovetail on each other and having read the first book (which I would have given 4.75 stars), it is impossible for me not to evaluate them as a set. I realize that the stories were meant to be one overarching story, but the second didn’t work for me. I think it’s because the stories were released too far apart, so I didn’t remember all of the details of the first book, but remembered enough that there was this faint sense of déjà vu. Having really enjoyed the first book, this one just didn’t seem to sparkle quite as brightly, and it felt like a “re-do.” I had an overwhelming sense of “been there, done that” while reading it. So, while Mr. Cavendish, I Presume is a well written book that epitomizes what I usually expect from a Julia Quinn book, I felt like the overall experiment was not a success. If you have read neither books, I’d highly recommend reading them in quick succession, I think that might improve the experience as various scenes are told from multiple perspective in the books. Julia Quinn is one of my favorite authors, but overall this second book wasn’t as successful for me because of the distance in release dates and a sense of having done it all before.

*REVIEW ORIGINALLY POSTED ON ROMANCE NOVEL TV(less)

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Oct 08, 2011 Lori McD rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit, easy-read, favorite-author, romance, series, british-lit, 2011_read

1.5-2 stars (being kind)

This is a Julia Quinn book... and because I fell in love with her Bridgerton series, I fully expected to fall in love with this book, too. But I didn't. Not at all.

It's not really the two main characters' faults: Thomas (Duke of Wyndham) or Amelia. As a matter of fact, I found them quite adorable and wished, for their sakes, that I could love this book. But I didn't. Not at all. (Did I mention that already?)

The plot was so flimsy and full of holes... all kinds of innuendo...more 1.5-2 stars (being kind)

This is a Julia Quinn book... and because I fell in love with her Bridgerton series, I fully expected to fall in love with this book, too. But I didn't. Not at all.

It's not really the two main characters' faults: Thomas (Duke of Wyndham) or Amelia. As a matter of fact, I found them quite adorable and wished, for their sakes, that I could love this book. But I didn't. Not at all. (Did I mention that already?)

The plot was so flimsy and full of holes... all kinds of innuendo and pieces that we're supposed to either suspect or know, based on the 1st book in this series, which I didn't read, because I was told the order didn't make a difference. The poor plot seems so obvious and so trite. But somehow, Thomas and Amelia give it spark.

I can't say that I liked Grace or Jack much at all, but to be fair, their characters weren't given much attention in this book. Probably because the 1st book is supposed to be all about this same story, but from their point of view. And that fact that (view spoiler)

I just couldn't care too much about the whole thing. I only cared about Thomas and Amelia, and despite the way the book ends, I felt a big let down at the finish. Something I've never EVER felt about the Bridgerton series. I can only surmise that this series was one of her first series, and Ms. Quinn was still finding her feet as a writer?

Dunno. But thank goodness this was a Kindle ebook loan from my local library, or I would have asked for my money back.(less)

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Sep 06, 2011 Persnickety Fox rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: romance readers who don't like gratuitous sex

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. What I liked about it: originality. I had never heard of a hero at risk of losing his identity, nor of a woman who was waiting for her fiance to marry her already. Also, after reading so many novels where the heroes have no self-control and are focused solely on seducing the heroine, this novel is a refreshing change. Mr. Cavendish has a bit more self-control, and in that sense more considerate of his fiance. I like that he's not the usual jerk.

Style: It's a contemporary historical romance, I k...more

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Jul 28, 2011 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008, reviewed

I definitely liked this more than the previous novel in this pairing, 'The Lost Duke of Wyndham'. I found Thomas to be a much more interesting personality than Jack, (although I suspect I rather like Grace more than Amelia.) Both books flip back and forth, reusing dialogue but offering alternate perspectives.

The main problem with both books, however, is that the ending for the second book is more or less revealed once you've read the first. For example, Thomas agonizes quite a bit about potenti...more

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Jul 07, 2011 June rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just finished Mr Cavendish, I Presume. It started off a little slow and I thought how am I going to get through this since it runs parallel with The Lost Duke of Wyndham, which I had just finished reading. I continued to read, and I am glad I did. I enjoyed the last half of the book. Very sweet and romantic. At times I wondered if it would have been better to have read the two stories simultaneously.

Thomas Cavendish, the Duke of Wyndham, is more serious than his cousin Jack Audley, except whe...more

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Nov 15, 2010 Melody rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, julia-quinn, mystery-crime-subplot, arranged-marriage, disappointing, just-plain-stupid, wtf-was-that, reviewed-by-me, virgin-heroine, bored-me-to-tears, black-hair-blue-eyed-hero

This was my very first Quinn book and I just found it disappointing all around. I didn't know this was a series and from what I'm getting it was a pointless one at that. All I know is from my POV reading it as a stand alone it just did nothing for me. I felt the story dragged on very slowly where there was little to no interaction between the hero and heroine. That was the most frustrating thing for me. It took too long to reach a climax or conclusion and even when it did, both were very anticli...more

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Jul 07, 2010 Brigitte rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book when it was first released, but have waited to add my two cents so my opinion would be well considered, rather than a knee jerk reaction to Quinn's novel. Pure and simple.... I did not like the book. I understood that Mr. Cavendish was the same story as Lost Duke, told from a different point of view, but it just didn't work. We didn't really get another point of view with this story - simply a rehash of Lost Duke, with a little new info added. I know a writer of Ms. Quinn's cali...more I read this book when it was first released, but have waited to add my two cents so my opinion would be well considered, rather than a knee jerk reaction to Quinn's novel. Pure and simple.... I did not like the book. I understood that Mr. Cavendish was the same story as Lost Duke, told from a different point of view, but it just didn't work. We didn't really get another point of view with this story - simply a rehash of Lost Duke, with a little new info added. I know a writer of Ms. Quinn's caliber understands the concept of POV, so I can only assume her editor was not clear on just what should have happened. I have read several books that are familiar stories told from a different point of view that were wonderful (the Ender's Game series, Mr. Darcy's Diary, and Pamela Aidan's Gentleman series to name a few) so I know the concept can work, it just wasn't executed well here. Even though the timeline is the same, the reader was still treated to too much of the previous book's characters, who simply were not that engaging the first time around. The reader was hardly treated to an alternate point of view, simply a Cliff's Notes version of Lost Duke with Thomas standing around (and frankly, Lost Duke was pretty bland - the story really couldn't take being watered down even more).

I realize that Julia Quinn's style is an ever developing thing, and she is not going to crank out novels that are the same format time after time - that would become stale. The style of her last couple of novels, however, has changed in a way that is rather disappointing. The characters think a great deal, rather than speak to each other. One of Quinn's trademarks was witty, sparkling dialog that made for some laugh out loud moments when reading. Now, the characters are rather paper thin, bland and they must be charming because the reader keeps being told how charming they are. They don't actually DO anything charming, the reader just keeps getting told they simply ARE. The reader is being told what the character is thinking, instead of the character acting on their situation or speaking to another character. Frankly, reading about people thinking gets pretty dull.Thomas should have leapt off the page. Instead, the reader was treated to a great deal of introspection (nothing that wasn't offered up in the last book) and the character was simply a yawnfest. He showed very few signs of life until the final pages of the novel, building to the proposal scene.... a proposal scene that was actually rather bland. Apparently the reader was supposed to find the situation romantic because Amelia says it was so.

I like Julia Quinn's work (well, not these last two titles, but other than that, I am a fan), but I am not a sycophant who will proclaim anything with Quinn's name on it to be a masterpiece. Regardless of what new ideas and directions JQ decides to experiment with, there is one constant I hope she will retain, and that is writing characters with actual personalities. Her ability to do so in the past is the reason her books debut on the NY Times Best Sellers list, but the paper thin characterizations of Thomas and Amelia (not to mention Jack and Grace) are the reason the titles drop like a rock on the list once they come out.

I'm still a fan and am hoping for the best with her next title, but this one was a dud.
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Jun 20, 2009 Juliana rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

I don't know what happened to Julia Quinn after her Bridgerton series ended ... but it wasn't anything good. Her first book following that series, The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, was one of the worst historical romance books I've read - the first half was very promising, but the second half wasn't just disappointing or a letdown after what preceded, it was just in-your-face straight-out bad with horrible actions on behalf of the hero and really horrible plot twists by the author (see...more I don't know what happened to Julia Quinn after her Bridgerton series ended ... but it wasn't anything good. Her first book following that series, The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, was one of the worst historical romance books I've read - the first half was very promising, but the second half wasn't just disappointing or a letdown after what preceded, it was just in-your-face straight-out bad with horrible actions on behalf of the hero and really horrible plot twists by the author (see my review of that book for more details).

Mr. Cavendish, I Presume is the sequel to The Lost Duke of Wyndham and before buying or reading either of these books, I combed through many, many Amazon.com reviews. Readers were very disappointed by the fact that the two books take place simultaneously and not only at the same time, but in the same place with the same characters in the same situations. Both books seemed to be a resounding failure, but the second book seemed to be criticized more for the fact that people hadn't realized Quinn was going to do this and so instead of getting the whole new story they expected, they had 300+ pages of deja vu.

I therefore decided that I would only read one of the books and decided to go with Mr. Cavendish, I Presume since the plot appealed to me more than the first book's ... Well let me just say this: I haven't finished the book and don't really plan on doing so anytime soon. It was just so ... not good! The idea for the story is an interesting one - though write one book for it, not two - and being a HR aficionado I can say that I don't think I've ever read one with a similar plot. Discovering that someone who was a commoner is actually a nobleman? Happens all the time. But the other way around ... not so much. However, even Julia Quinn's writing skill cannot make up for the fact that she completely botches this story, taking an interesting and original plot and completely failing to deliver an interesting and original book.

Also, although Amelia, the heroine, seemed like she could have been interesting (she was somewhat immature at times - or at least, from what I read of the first quarter/third of the book), the hero, Thomas, was ... ugh, I don't even know! He's just so NOT appealing in the beginning of the book and I am almost never, ever, ever turned off by the hero - I'm always much more critical of the female lead than the male one. He's detached and pretty uninteresting and although there are some promising aspects of his personality, they don't make up for the blandness that Quinn writes him with. Thomas' complete inattention to Amelia and focus his grandmother's companion, Grace, is a huge turnoff (there's not supposed to be any attraction between them or anything going on, so why have it then?). He seems a very lonely and sad man, but instead of exploring this and really defining his character, Quinn kind of just lets Thomas languish in front of the reader, hinting at his complexity but not enough to draw us in.

I did skim to the end of the book to see how the HEA turned out and I have to say that the last 2-3 chapters and epilogue were enjoyable ... but there is no way I am plodding through the rest of the book to get to that, sorry. So ending my glowing review on that note ... does anyone want to buy my copy of Mr. Cavendish, I Presume?(less)

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Dec 28, 2008 Jacqueline rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who enjoys Quinn as an author, since her style is rather unique unto itself.

Recommended to Jacqueline by: Found while browsing books.

Shelves: author-julia-quinn

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 16, 2011 Anita rated it 4 of 5 stars

RATING: 4 of 5 Stars

GENRE: Adult – Historical Fiction/Romance

FORM: Audiobook

SYNOPSIS: Amelia Willoughby has been engaged to the Duke of Wyndham since before she can remember. She has been raised to be a lady, to be a Duchess. Every step, every day, every breath has been seemingly planned out for her. Now that she has come of age, it just seems like her life is a waiting game. Likewise, Thomas Cavendish has known nothing except Wyndham, it has been his life and responsibility. Having a fiancée ha...more

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Nov 29, 2008 Christa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: booksfree-com

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest Julia Quinn book. The storyline was interesting, and the characters were very likeable. I also liked the way the story was so interwoven with the first book from the series, but I believe I would have appreciated this even more if I had read them back to back. The two books take place at the same time, and I remembered some of the same events being told in the previous book from the point of view of the main characters in it, which was very interesting. I believe...more

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Jun 16, 2011 Regina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, reviewed

Ordinarily I'd want to read the first book before the second book of any series, but The Lost Duke of Wyndham was not available in the library so I checked this one out. I had every intention to read both, but after reading this I'm not so sure I'd need to.

I liked this quite a bit. It didn't make me feel like bursting in happiness, but it didn't make me feel like throwing the book to the wall, either. Quite far from it, actually. Mr. Cavendish, I Presume was a good book. I loved the main charac...more

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Mar 28, 2011 Rebecca (everyday reader) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

Thomas has been bred to be the duke of Wyndham his whole life and Amelia has been engaged to him since she was six months old. Thomas has spent little time with his fiance and is now regretting it because he is finding intelligence, a sense of humor, and a potentially good life mate. Changes arise when a man comes along claiming to be Thomas's long dead uncle's, the true duke, son. Good heartwarming read!!

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Jan 21, 2010 Nilofer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Once I grasped the fact that this was a retelling of Julia Quinn's recent novel The Lost Duke of Wyndam from the POV of two minor characters in that book, I really enjoyed it. Often the scenes and words spoken by the protagonists were the same, but the background totally different, so it was like looking at a conversation in two mirrors, seeing two different reflections. Because the focus this time around was Thomas, the current Duke, and his fiancee, Lady Amelia, the main characters of The Lost...more

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Sep 28, 2009 lin-lin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, romance-novel, 100-percent-happy-ending, adult-scene

Inti buku ini adalah, cinta bisa tumbuh dengan seringnya kebersamaan, bahkan cinta bisa tumbuh saat seseorang sedang dalam masa terburuknya dan pasangan tetap setia mendampingi . Tentu saja dengan penambahan konflik mengenai masalah gelar dan status. Thomas & Amelia memang sudah bertunangan sejak masih anak-anak tapi status tunangan tidak menjamin mereka saling mencintai, tapi saat mereka mulai sering bersama-sama itulah mereka saling jatuh cinta. Secara karakter Thomas dan Amelia lebih mena...more

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Jan 22, 2009 Debbie rated it 3 of 5 stars

It was kind of odd reading basically the same story of The Lost Duke of Wyndham from a different point of view. I am surprised that I actually enjoyed this book quite a bit especially since I thought The Lost Duke of Wyndham was pretty bad. I did not expect the two books to pretty much cover the exact same story. If anything else I thought this one would start a little bit after The Lost Duke of Wyndham as we see what Thomas Cavendish do with his life. I enjoyed seeing the developing attraction...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Layssa Hart rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: dnf

I didn't finish this book. There were so many unlikeable characters in it - Grace who left me feeling rather uneasy very quickly; the dowager duchess who was plain nasty; the newly arrived on the scene Jack - who I reckon was going to turn out to be the rightful duke but is a thief. I'm all for throwing aside the usual tropes to come up with something new, but the insinuations about the hero's relationship to Grace; the level of hatred that came off the pages whenever the dowager duchess arrived...more

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Jan 01, 2012 Patricia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: form-physical-copy, _adult, 2012, setting-historicals, review-on-old-blog

Least favorite Julia Quinn novel. Enjoyable, but I really did not like the hero. Reading the first installment of the series right now. And I truly have seldomly been in love with a hero as much as I am with Jack. Oooh. *swoon*

I decided to review both books in one review, it makes more sense to me: Both books start about at the same time and their plots are intertwined; I would compare them anyway, so why not do it properly?

If you are a newbie to Historical Romance novels, I would probably recom...more Least favorite Julia Quinn novel. Enjoyable, but I really did not like the hero. Reading the first installment of the series right now. And I truly have seldomly been in love with a hero as much as I am with Jack. Oooh. *swoon*

I decided to review both books in one review, it makes more sense to me: Both books start about at the same time and their plots are intertwined; I would compare them anyway, so why not do it properly?

If you are a newbie to Historical Romance novels, I would probably recommend Julia Quinn. I am a newbie, and I really like her books. Usually, I need more serious, darker novels, but the light and funny atmosphere Quinn creates makes for a great read. The conflicts, mostly internally driven ones, are believable and although I wish she would write about middle class citizens instead of Dukes, and Viscounts, I like her stories.

If you buy this duet, you will get the following: A Duke, Thomas, and his fiancee, Amelia. Both don't have the best relationship, he rather disregards her and in my opinion both characters of the second novel are pale in comparison to Jack, the highwayman and maybe Duke, and Grace, the dowager's companion, the protagonists of the first novel – The Lost Duke of Wyndham.

Grace is -after losing her family- the companion of Thomas' grandmother; Jack is a long lost cousin and probably also the true Duke of Wyndham. His father died before he knew that he was the new duke and so Jack did never know either - As well as the Wyndhams never heard of his existence. He meets the dowager and Grace when he tries to rob them. (Obviously, the dowager recognizes his father in him..)

Jack is a great, funny, charming character. He is very intelligent, and is a loveable character. Grace is funny, witty, but sometimes a little too stubborn. She thinks she is below both Thomas and Jack because of their (maybe) Dukedom.

On the other side, we have Thomas and Amelia. They slowly learn to love eachother and it could almost be too late – When he finally realizes what she means to him, he might have to give her up. She is not 'his' fiancee, after all. But the one of the Duke of Wyndham. And if that is Jack, she is Jack's fiancee. (Who is not so happy about it either, because he fancies Grace, and she him.)

I did not like Thomas at all. He is, in my opinion, a very spoiled boy. I read his novel first, so I did not get all of the background story and I think that made it even easier to dislike him. He is told to be a very responsible person, but it is not shown. ;(

Compared, I think The Lost Duke of Wyndham is a much better novel than Mr. Cavendish, I Presume. It's funny, the protagonists are easy to like and love. The pacing 'feels' better, and for some reasons it feels as if the hero and heroine are the better people. I know, that's an evil thing to say. But anyway, I would recommend you to read the first novel, definitely! The second is just a maybe. It is a novel that people MIGHT enjoy, whereas The Lost Duke of Wyndham is one I'm quite sure most WILL like.(less)

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Jul 09, 2009 Wieta rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance

Sudah terlanjur membeli buku kedua dari Two Dukes of Wyndhams Series, baru kemudian membaca review dari teman2 yang duluan baca, bahwa kedua series ini adalah sama. Peristiwa2 dan waktunya adalah sama bahkan beberapa dialog diulang lagi, hanya beda sudut pandang tokohnya.
Akhirnya aku menyiasati dengan membaca kedua buku ini berbarengan, jadi habis baca buku pertama 1-2 bab, beralih ke buku kedua 1-2 bab, tergantung moodnya mau baca yg tokoh mana, tapi aku mendapati buku pertama lebih seru. Denga...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, romance, regency-romance

I actually liked a lot of this book. I know that it's a companion novel to The Lost Duke of Wyndham and is essentially the same dialogue and story from another point of view, but fortunately I knew that going in. I spoiled myself and read the blurbs and decided that I was probably going to enjoy these leads more. So I simply decided to only read this one and pass on its partner novel and I think that was a good decision.

In a lot of ways, these are some of my favorite Quinn characters. It's not o...more

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About Julia Quinn

#1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn loves to dispel the myth that smart women don't read (or write) romance, and in 2001 she did so in grand style, competing on the the game show The Weakest Link and walking away with the $79,000 jackpot. She displayed a decided lack of knowledge about baseball, country music, and plush toys, but she is proud to say that she aced all things British an...more

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Books by Julia Quinn

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Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Bridgertons, #4)

The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever (Bevelstoke, #1)

An Offer From a Gentleman (Bridgertons, #3)

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“There was a huge difference between dislike and disregard.” — 2 people liked it

“What is there not to like about cupids?"
"You don't find them rather dangerous?"
"Chubby little babies?"
"Carrying deadly weapons.” — 2 people liked it

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Mr. Cavendish, I Presume (Two Dukes of Wyndham #2)

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