Society’s most capable housekeeper, Elenora Quinton, has a problem. Not only does a dead body fall right into the middle of her mistress’s ball and her son get kidnapped by nefarious spies for Napoleon, but the only person who can help her also forces her to face her most secret fears. A spy himself, Nathan Black pulls the infallible housekeeper into a cyclone of espionage, intrigue and danger. But the last thing Eleanora expects when the dead body hits the floor is love with the son of a duke.
Jessie decided to be a writer because there were too many lives she wanted to live to just pick one.
Taking her history degree dangerously, Jessie tells the stories of courageous heroines, the men who dared to love them, and the world that tried to defeat them.
Jessie lives in New Hampshire where if she’s not at her desk writing, she’s probably letting the dog out. Again.
The beginning was promising. It started as a humorous historical mystery/romance. I hope the humorous part was intentional. The murder and its aftermath are actually really entertaining with all those stampeding women. I honestly thought I would like it.
Elenora Quinton, a housekeeper everyone knows (seriously, it is said exactly like that), gets dragged into a dangerous world of spying when someone gets killed in the middle of a ball. Then we meet Nathan Black's family - all spies, of course. I don't think I've ever read about more incompetent spies.
The story might have been quite good if it hadn't had unbelievable characters and their unbelievable actions. I had this feeling that all the characters and whatever they are doing is just splashed randomly throughout the book.
I hope the next couple has a better story with better editing.
Society’s most capable housekeeper, the infallible Miss Eleanora Quinton, has a problem. Not only does a dead body fall right into the middle of her mistress’s ball and her son gets kidnapped, the only person who can help her also forces her to face her most crippling fears.
The heroin is a woman that has suffered a lot, away from her family, serving her aunt’s family and now a house in London for more than 10 years now. She is known to the house and her maids as strict and infallible and she is treated with respect. Turns out she is known to her mistress’s peers.
The story starts with a murder during a ball. A mystery kind of book that evolves to a historical romance. The beginning is very promising and the reader expects to find a really good plot and a couple of twists just around the corner. As a matter of fact, the story line is a good one, even though one would not expect that housekeepers get noticed by the peerage, but yet again, this is fiction we are talking about. It could continue really good and turn to a very interesting book, if it wasn’t written in a hurry… At least this is what sums up.
It is an easy read. The hero, Nathan, is a real hero in the book and is described as that. He is displayed to be thoughtful and caring, apart from being a spy and a brave man. His actions are up to the formed character. The heroine, Nora, is a woman that rarely smiles. She is running her staff on a firm hand. Somehow, these two fell in love quickly enough to get married in-spite of the common logic.
The story evolves surprisingly fast. All obstacles come clear miraculously. There should be some more development on the action/spy scenes. They would provide that special touch to make the book something more than a purely love story. There is room for improving and addressing a wider audience. Yet again, this is up to the author to take into account.
The book was provided as a prize of the "Big Summer Reading Giveaway" hosted by the author.
This book was ok - I didn't love it and I wouldn't read it again. But it wasn't horrible either - it was just easy to put down.
I found Nora's character a bit unbelievable - everyone in the peerage knew her? Really? Just to clarify - everyone in the peerage knew Nora - the housekeeper. Sorry - that is unbelievable to me.
Nathan was a great hero - but I think he fell in love way too quickly. In fact both of them did.
The entire story was not very cohesive - there was a lot left unsaid - that frankly should have been said ( about Alec & Sarah and the duke & duchess and even Nathan's mother or how Nora got promoted to housekeeper, etc) And it was wordy - don't misunderstand not badly written - just too many words at times example: "He stuck his finger in her face and waited for her to push up her fallen cap so she could see it. "Stay" He treated her rather like one would a furry companion of the canine variety". Ok so he waited until she looked up and stuck his finger in her face and told her to stay - like a dog I don't know why but I found this annoying.
I don't know if will read the rest of the series - I haven't ruled out the possibility - but it will only be if I have nothing else to read.
2.5, the story was just to simple in it's action scenes, everything just worked out and to quickly... the kidnapping was solved and resolved to quickly. The tie to heroine at times strong and then other times it just melted away...at one point you felt she was the center point and suddenly she wasn't. That was the most frustrating part. I know this series has connected stories, so the overall "plot" needed to stretch. But to be frank, a bit more angst, fear and suspense wouldn't have hurt this book in the least. The kidnapping and their own abduction was to easily resolved.
Written like a novella but actually too long, if that makes any sense. I'll continue because it's rare to get a decent spy novel out of the historical period. But I will say there are far better ones out there, a decent free read.
Why didn't I pan it? Pretty much because I do like a spy plot and the characters are very likable.
A bit 'messy' in the beginning but still a very good story; I liked the suspense element. Pity though that it ends when it does, leaving the fate of Alec and Sarah open.
Son of a Duke is one of the earliest works by Jessie Clever and, unfortunately, it shows.
This book is not necessarily a bad one, but it’s really… awkward. From slightly clumsy prose and stilted dialogs, to sometimes nonsensical plot, it was a quick but average and forgettable read.
After reading one of the author’s newest books The Duke and the Wallflower, and being quite charmed by it, I decided to take a look at something older written by Jessie Clever.
This one’s premise of “society’s most capable housekeeper” and a spy teaming up to uncover conspiracy threatening the State, while falling in love in the meantime sounded quite exciting. And for the most part it was fun plot, but the execution felt weak.
There was little chemistry between the hero and the heroine; they seemed really awkward with each other, and although at some level it made sense – especially considering Eleanora’s traumatic past experience – in the end it took away from the romance. It felt like they just decided to be together; there was no real build up to their relationship, and even after the heroine shared her story of sexual assault (which wasn’t that shocking, it’s basically hinted at from the very beginning) and in a weird way changed from reserved and stoic to giggly and almost hyper, I didn’t see bigger connection between them.
As a hero Nathan was rather averaged, I didn’t like or dislike him. At the beginning he seemed to have some charm and even had few fun dialogs, but as the book progressed lost his spark. Which kind of fits with characters almost changing their personalities in the span of a chapter.
One character that baffled me was Nora’s son. He was the oldest sounding nine year-old I’ve ever met or read about. He was not only speaking, but behaving in such adult-like way it was weird. It wasn’t just the case he was mature for his age, because the characters mentioned him being just a child many times, while he kept having conversations with everyone like he’s at least middle aged. To be quite honest, he was the most reasonable and clever character in the book. The best spy, too. Which, you know, says a lot about the rest of the adults.
As for the plot itself, there were some really funny moments, but I have a feeling it was unintentional. Little bit of a spoiler,
Son of a Duke is rather average leaning towards ‘meh’. It’s not fun or charming enough to make me continuing with the series, but not too horrendous to be completely unreadable.
Didn't finish and not going to. Fair warning, rant and spoilers ahead:
This book is free at the kindle store. Looking at the summary and some people comments I figure I give it a try. The plot was good and seemed promising. The beginning was good and interesting up until Nora taking care of Nathan's shot wound in the study.
The main reason I stopped reading was I couldn't stand this author's writing style any longer. The second was the PG-13 intimate romance. I will focus on the author's writing style. I read the comments beforehand and thought how bad could it be. I am not one to focus on author's writing while reading. However, it was bad ... for me ... those who know me, that says a bit. This book is slow and I mean slow. There is more focus on the romance between Nora and Nathan than the storyline/plot. I understand character development and relationship development, but come on! There is a person outside the window spying on them and they act romantic to glance at the person to see who it is. Does Nathan chase after the person after they leave? No! They stayed there having a make out session because Nora wanted to since it is her first time kissing a person willingly. Nathan noted he should be a proper gentleman and be good spy and go after the person, but no, he indulges Nora for wanting to be kiss. Of course, her son get kidnap during that. Note: Nora has a past of being raped which result of having a son. This happens often where I feel like they needed to focus on the problems at hand and take quick action rather than romance. They take some action then back to romance forgetting what they need to do. Like Alec (Nathan's brother) leaves/disappears, they figure out who is likely behind the events going on base on things Nora has heard and parts of her past, but don't understand why or how it is all connected. Nathan and Nora goes to find out more info at a church only to come back married because of a man watching them and priest mistakes them for a different couple. They got caught up in suddenly getting married. Instead of looking for more information or following the guy, they go back to announce their married to their families, and they celebrate that night forgetting Alec and his wife have disappeared probably heading to Dover that was heavily hinted before. I stopped at the next morning following that, which by that point is 80% through the book.
One thing about this author's writing that I found I disliked was how often she would change the third person view within a chapter. I don't mind changing third person view in books, but she change it within a scene. For example, she focus on Nora's thoughts and feelings for a little while. Then continue the scene with Nathan's or someone else's thoughts and feelings then back. At times, it would make sense and other times it just felt out of place and unnecessary. For example, when the girls took Nora to get her cleaned up, the author focuses on Nathan and Alec just sitting in the library waiting ... and Nathan continually asking, over and over, Alec how are things with his wife. Because the author does this, things progressed slow and there were more details on things that could be summed up in a sentence or two instead of one or two long paragraphs.
I tried. I really did. I got through 80% of the book. I wanted to like this book and finish read the book to get a full opinion of the whole story. However, I got fed up at the lack of progression of storyline/plot through out the book and the author's writing. This book could have been really good, but it was written poorly. Clearly, I wouldn't recommend this book.
Can one refer to a regency romance as “campy”? Keine Ahnung! I am not sure if this is even the right word. On the one hand, the skills of all the characters are exaggerated. From the heroine’s “infallibility” via the hero’s stealth to a random dude’s ability to disguise himself beyond recognition. What��s refreshing is the utter kindness of the male protagonist. Not only is he a natural protector (of England, of his family, of the heroine), but he is comfortable in his skin. Sure, he has demons from his past because this is a romance novel and a soupçon of being tortured is de rigueur. But he is never cynical, he is not a rogue, he does not run away from his feelings. I repeat: it’s refreshing!
The female protagonist is one tough dudette! I mean really tough! Not tough because the author keeps telling you she’s tough, but once the plot sets off, she ends up both being too stupid to read about and perpetually incompetent. None of that in this book. The heroine saves the day and doles out justice like nobody’s business.
The dramatis personae are all likeable and well written. The Black family is messy and comical and oddly capable. They are not decadent or dissipated. They also seem to be handling their finances conservatively. I anticipate reading the second book will be a delight. Unfortunately, I was unaware of the prequel and will probably get to it at the end “for dessert”.
Historical English romance with a housekeeper to a rich titled family finds love and a made-family with the bastard son of a Duke that works for the War Ministry. Miss Eleanora Quinton is very observant, she has to be in order to be the best housekeeper possible so that is why Mr. Nathan Black and the Duchess (his step-mother) is working hard to distract her while they are getting their spy mission done. There are death threats, kidnapping, actual murder and some pretty dresses in this story as well as the subject of rape that is delicately treated and probably quite common at that time. Not the usual fluff historical romance because we see the hard working people that deal everyday with the rich elite, but have a much more difficult life. 259 pages and kindle freebie 2 stars
Nonstop from start to finish! We have Eleanora Quinton aka Nora an indomitable housekeeper for Lord and Lady Gregenden! There is a murder at their ball a man wanted for reason except there has been a mistake! From here there is nonstop mayhem where Nora unbeknownst to her has heard some very damaging information that certain people do not want known! There is a kidnapping, a shooting and a fight at a gaming hell all in the first 30 minutes! In the midst of all of this Nora meets and falls in love with Nathan Black an illegitimate son of the Duke of Lofton aka Richard who also works for the Home Office! There is suspense, love and immense patience and kindness from Nathan toward Nora and her son! You will have to read how these events came to be! Bravo! It is short but packs a wallop!
The author's writing style didn't flow smoothly. I had to read some sentences a couple of times to make sense of them.
Basically the heroine was a housekeeper who had a son - the result of her being raped. The hero worked for the War Office. He was the illegitimate son of a duke.
The whole family was loving and supportive, which was nice. But there was a lot of silliness about the hero's brother and his wife - both also worked for the WO. They had been more or less forced to marry to be effective spies, and they carried on pretending they hated each other when they actually were in love. Very tiresome.
I enjoyed the main characters Nora and Nathan. They are intriguing and interesting characters. Their romance was quick in terms of time, but very fitting for these two. They are both scarred characters – affected by specific events from their past, that they are able come out the other side of due to their relationship. The heroine’s son Samuel adds much to the story and I loved when he was on page. The intrigue plot was interesting, but I would have liked more from it than what we got. The secondary characters are interesting.
I didn’t hate it and I didn’t love it either. I’ve stumbled upon it on kobo and I was craving something easy and light to read (which it really was). The start was very surprising and certainly had my attention but it significantly got worse in terms of plot development and character progression. It’s funny, it’s light but feels like it could keep up with the beginning and some more editing. The ending was predictable and let’s not talk about the wedding part (completely out of the blue).
Not bad but not brilliant. This book needs better editing — some long winded sentence fragments and some references to things that are just too difficult to be be possible — for example, a nine year old, while being carried over someone’s shoulder, have the ability to choose and drop a particular card from a pack so as to leave a clue. Additionally, there are too many references to things we don’t know.
This story had a lot going on. Murder, spies, betrayal, and other drama. Insane people allowed to run around. More than one love story unfolds but we must wait for more in the next book. This love story has a conclusion but the spies background story continues on. I liked it.
Liked it, but unfortunately a lot of Telling got in the way of a good story. There's so much going on, a lot of illegitimate children, rape, murder, spies and if felt rather rushed, so much history so think I bought a book out of order, and the plot got bogged down trying to explain their connections. I like this writer and will buy more but this wasn't a favourite by her.
This story was a surprisingly enjoyable read. Nora and Nathan story is quite an inspiration to all of us with less than perfect backgrounds! In many ways it is very obvious, but with some beautifully crafted, unexpected subtleties
Love this book full of twists and turns my first book by you but not my last. I wish you continue success and I fully enjoy this book. Readers a must read you will be happy you did. DH from New York City
Wonderful characters who sometimes have feet of clay. Nora was refreshing in her efficacy and strength, running a household and brave enough to reach for love.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I enjoyed the characters and the plot and am looking forward to reading the next book so I can learn what has happened to Sarah and Alec. A good spy novel.
The usual type of format for such books with a bit more substance and mystery. An obvious start to a series as clearly stated “book 1” some questions unanswered for next book
Nice to have a family that cares for each other. Also loved the twists, turns and acknowledgment that below stairs is where all the information is to be found.