The Dukes privateer was a good but very interesting listen. To start off the titles a little misleading. Before even before starting this book I looked up the definition of privateer since I didn’t originally know it and per the definition it gave a privateer, basically, is a pirate with papers. They are people who have privately owned commerce ships fully equipped with weapons that would be contracted out by the governments to attack vessels. Now in the Dukes privateer the main character did have a privately owned commerce vessel that was fully equipped with cannons though it was not being used to attack enemy lines or enemy ships it was basically just a ship under her name. Smuggler would have been a much more accurate description of what Eleanor did and it would’ve been just as captivating as privateer for the title. Now going into the contents of the book it was fairy well laid out had a very engaging plot line. It could’ve gone without the vivid descriptions of erotic encounters between the main characters or at least warned of the content. The ended was sweet and heart warming
I did enjoy the narrators voice. It was very smooth and pleasing through it all. I would suggest this as a nice light listen so I would be suggest carefulness of where you listen to it as it is not appropriate for all locations.

This romance novel set in England during the early 1800's has an interesting plot line. The heroine's titled family is faced with financial ruination. Rather than marry a wealthy man (which most women in her situation would do), the heroine takes matters into her own hands and saves the family by becoming one of England's wealthiest, most successful privateers. When the heroine meets the duke charged with arresting the privateers and bringing them to justice, sparks fly. The story is a fun romp to a predictable HEA. The narration is excellent.

There is so much to love about this book! The cat and mouse game Eleanor and the Duke of Danby play with one another is a lot of fun and completely charming. I liked how he was smitten with her from the beginning and how he hated finding any fault with her business dealings. Eleanor is a strong and independent lady and I admired her entrepreneurial spirit as well as the loyalty she inspired in those who worked for her.
The Duke is a kind and gentle character but is determined to put an end to as many smuggling enterprises as he could which unknowingly pits him against the woman he is falling in love with. His endeavours to find himself in her company was both sweet and humorous.
The narrator did an excellent job and I liked the way he performed both characters.

I listened to an audio book so I can’t attest to any typos of any kind in the written novel.
I’m not sure that the narrator of the arc is the final one, but he was amazing and made the story!

Eleanor Kent has fallen on hard times since war has left her father unable to walk or talk. She had picked up his privateer trade for importations but does a little smuggling on the side.

The Duke of Danby is leading the charge against illegal smuggling and starts to suspect Eleanor may be more than she seems.

The Duke genuinely likes Eleanor but she questions his sincerity. Does he like her or is he just trying to find out more about her operations?

They are forced to marry about halfway through the book. I was expecting it to go the way of most romance books where there is lots of angst and tension between the two. With a lot of going back and forth of desire and hate, the characters have passion at night but hate each other during the day. It did not go this way! It was a very nice story where they came together naturally. They got to know one another without the sex. They fell in love slowly and realistically.

I also liked how the Duke was described as a rake but he was almost timid with his wife because he liked and respected her so much. I will definitely be reading more from this author! It was a delight.

I received this audio book from NetGalley for an honest review.

The Duke's Privateer blurb really appealed to me and looked like it had all the makings of a fine period romance- although as per the title, I expected the protagonist to be a privateer - but it turns out she is a smuggler of sorts and not a privateer/pirate at all - slightly disappointing. I liked Eleanor for the most part, who is independent, strong-willed and has self-made wealth; although at times she acted a bit insecure and out of character. Despite the character inconsistencies the book was a decent ‘read’. The Narrator was OK; although the narration felt a little stilted at times. Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book and leave an honest review.

DNF @ 26%

I was super stoked since this had generally high ratings. The premise was set up quite well actually and the writing was well done, but when they went off on a horse ride into the woods she finds a baby and decides to keep it??? Sorry I don't want orphan infants suddenly taking over my romance narrative, and we had just barely started showing interest beyond his sneaking around/trying to expose her as a smuggler. Just gonna DNF and move on.

I'm not quite sure how to review this, its a book of two halves really.
At its heart it's a historical romance set in the Georgian era, between Eleanor Kent, daughter of a Viscount & the Duke of Danby.
Eleanor is an independent & enterprising young woman who is friends with the Prince Regent & is keeping her ailing father's business going - though he is probably not aware of her sideline in smuggling luxury goods without paying tax! Sherbourne Danby is young, attractive, very eligible and a notorious womaniser. The two meet by chance at an event hosted by the Prince Regent - Eleanor is there because she has been his interior designer (& has imported some unique items to decorate his rooms with!). Unfortunately for Eleanor, she soon discovers that the charming Duke of Danby has been tasked with uncovering the truth about some smuggling/tax evasion schemes ...

This book is very typical of the Mills&Boon style, Eleanor is flattered by the charming Duke but tries to ignore him. The Duke is intrigued by a woman who doesn't seem to want him. They ultimately fall in love blah blah blah ... it did take a chapter or two to get into as the story but I was not aware that this was the third book in a series. It does work as a standalone.
I listened to the audiobook & once I got beyond the first chapter or two, I found the narrator easy to listen to. He used voice to differentiate between the characters with consistency - I wasn't so keen on his narration during the passionate scenes, but I am not sure whether that was because I didn't feel that the detailed sex scenes were necessary to the book, or because the narrator's voice stayed quite flat & professional during such intense times.
My dilemma with this book is really around the genre - I enjoyed the historical setting & the unusual storyline was interesting. I didn't like the sex scenes or feel that there was a necessity to include them. If this had been a TV show, it would have been classed as gratuitous - the book could have been in a completely different class if this had been hinted at rather than so explicit.
Overall, if you like a romance with a decent underlying storyline, or a historical romance you will probably like this book, however if you dislike the traditional Mills&Boon style romance, or dislike detailed sex scenes, this may not be for you.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this audiobook free via NetGalley. Whilst thanks go to the publisher for the opportunity to read it, all opinions are my own. #TheDukesPrivateer #NetGalley

The story line for this book itself was really great but I could not get past the lack of emotion in the narrator's voice to really be able to enjoy it. I found myself bored and unable to follow the story well. It simply became monotonous in tone, and I was unable to continue listening without feeling like I was being lulled to sleep with the narration.

Too long,  tedious  and boring

I love audio books and this was a new author to me. I didn't realise it was the third book in a series and it can be read as a standalone.

The narrator tried too hard and I just wasn't carried away with the story.

Sherwood, the Duke of Danby is a renowned rake and is asked to lead the taskforce to  rid the kingdom of smugglers.

The Honorable Eleanor Kent hides behind the image of a self-proclaimed spinster… though in truth she’s one of England’s most sought-after privateers.
 
When their paths cross at a royal dinner,  Danby suspects the stunning redheaded woman is more than she seems and he engages her to consult on a house redecoration which she accepts.  The story is now set on how their relationship will make-or-break.

I warmed to Sher but not Eleanor  who i found shrewish and ungrateful, although she was kind to her family and employees. She seemed to be all about propriety but when it truly mattered, she didn't abide by the rules at all.  I loved his late "courtship" and  did wonder why he bothered!

It didn't feel the story or characters plausible on so many levels and there were so many current words used that it didn't sit right with me.

I found it very hard to  carry on listening and if I wasn't reviewing it  I would have given up half way through as it was far too long, tedious and boring. I will not be reading any more books by this author.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING
AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS AUDIBLE BOOK

The Dukes's Privateer by Amy Jarecki is a delightful cat and mouse listen. I so enjoyed the vivid imagery, intriguing characters and meddlesome matchmakers. The author injected some humor as well as historical details in this captivating listen. Philip Battley performed this book very well. He brought the characters to life with his voice and I knew exactly whom was speaking.Net Galley thank you so very much for letting me listen to a review copy. I so enjoyed this book! The book is both part of a series and a standalone listen.

So, The Duke's Privateer, is the first book I have read by Amy Jarecki. After reading this one, my first thought was wondering why I have not discovered her before. I loved this book. It was a fun story that had me entertained all of the way through. I loved Eleanor and Danby together. They had undeniable chemistry. It was so very good. I was excited to find out it was part of a series called, Devilish Dukes. I will most definitely be looking for the previous books.

The Duke's Privateer is getting a very well deserved five plus stars. I highly recommend it for readers who enjoy historical romance. It is so very good. Amy Jarecki has earned herself a new fan.

I received The Duke's Privateer from the publisher. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. It has been published in January 2021.

"The Duke's Privateer" by Amy Jarecki was quite a disappointing read.
First of all, there is no privateer in this book. The protagonist is a smuggler if you can even call her that. Actually, she *used to be* a smuggler: by the time the story begins, she doesn't even do her own smuggling anymore, a ship captain does it for her. For the duration of the story, Eleanor is more of a fence than a smuggler, and certainly not a privateer. She never was a privateer. She never even *met* a privateer. Well, I guess "The Duke's Fence" wouldn't have worked as well for the marketing, but I really don't appreciate it when the title of a book flat out lies about the content. It's the equivalent of clickbait!
The second issue is, the motivations behind the love story are preposterous: Eleanor is a self-proclaimed old maid, a 27-year-old bluestocking, unmarried by choice, and yet from the very beginning of the book she starts swooning over the Duke (whom she barely knows) just because... he has green eyes? No other motivation for her lust-at-first-sight is ever mentioned in the book. Am I supposed to believe that in her 27 years of life she had never come across a green-eyed man before? They're fairly common in the UK, come on!
Another thing that really bothered me is, it's plain to see that this novel tries to present itself as feminist, but it miserably fails at that. The main character is constantly reminding the reader that she's very content with her spinsterhood, but the thin feminist veneer pretty much flies out the window in chapter one to never make an appearance again. The rest of the novel is just an interminable series of sexist stereotypes.
To top it all off, in the very beginning of the novel one of the secondary characters encourages the protagonist to go after the Duke, a known womanizer, by telling her that the man is only a rake because he hasn't found the right woman yet, and that if she loves him enough, the Duke will change his ways, settle down and magically turn into a faithful husband. Nice progressive message there. I understand this is set in 1819, but it's being published in 2021, and I just can't take such rubbish seriously.
And what about the scene where Eleanor eavesdrop on her crush reading a raunchy novel out loud to her father? That's disturbing! It's the 19th century equivalent of a woman spying on her own father watching porn. We're halfway into incest territory here. The fact that Eleanor's father is mentally ill to the point that he's unable to talk or communicate in any way his wishes - thus he doesn't have a say in choosing which books people read to him - makes this scene all the more upsetting.
The bits about the baby are so poorly researched that they made me cringe. A baby is found who is said to be a few days old. Just a few pages later, someone says that the same baby "will be able to eat soft foods in one or two weeks". What?! Right after that, the baby is referred to as a "newborn" and soon after that she's heard babbling "pa-pa". This is preposterous! Why didn't the author bother to learn what the developmental stages of a baby are? A simple Google search would have sufficed to avoid this embarrassing jumble.
Last but not least, the narrator of the audiobook did an awful job of reading this book: every "P" and "B" he pronounces sounds like an explosion, even if I turn the volume on my device all the way down.

Used for NETGALLEY TESTING purposes on AUDIO playback only. EXCELLENT audio. No dragging or problems with live streaming on iPhone device.

Audible/Book Review
Sometimes a lady has to do what a lady has to do, and in this case, Eleanor Kent needed funds desperately to support her father and estate. So she became "an exceptional purveyor or many different art forms and more" .. yes a privateer.

Sher, the Duke of Danby, on the other hand, was the eliminator of Privateers! Eleanor begins walking a fine line between keeping her nefarious activities a secret and Sher's interest in her "importing operations."

Oh there is an attraction there and they begin to a dance around each other. Danby is determined even if he finds out she is involved in smuggling, he will give no quarter. But he as he spends time with her and understands her plight, his heart begins to get involved.

Sher won my heart and I loved Eleanor with her intelligence and strength! The narrator was excellent and distinguished the different characters. His emotions and inflections were excellent.

Another amazing story in this great series and I cannot wait for more!

This was a very lovely story. Eleanor is a strong female heroine that is a head of herself for the time period. She is a good business woman that supports herself and her father. Sher, is the Duke of Danby who finds himself drawn to Eleanor. This is a slow burn but well worth the wait.

I really enjoyed this book, the cat and mouse antics between Sher and Eleanor were cute. Sher suspected Eleanor early on as being more than she seemed, but he had a hard time accepting it. Eleanor is someone who does what’s needed to not only survive but thrive. I liked the fact that she took in disadvantaged kids and then gave them access to a better life. She wasn’t a fool nor a simpering beauty but a strong woman who wouldn’t be beaten down. Sher is more like a stereotypical member of the ton in the beginning but comes to appreciate that Eleanor is not a typical woman. This is an enjoyable book which great characters, I highly recommend it if you enjoy Regency era romance books. The narrator of this audio book was a pleasure to listen to.

An enjoyable, though rather standard Nineteenth Century romance novel with a pirate twist. I will admit I had hoped that the smuggling plotline would happen on actual ships and we would be able to see our couple in a pirate action sequence instead of just in the battle of courtesy and politics. There are a few things that I’d like to mention.

1. The characters - Eleanor and Sher are both interesting and well-developed. They’re also quite well matched, of course. I thoroughly enjoyed glimpses into both of their heads. I loved seeing Eleanor’s friendships with the other wealthy characters as well as her staff.

2. The plot - The smuggling plotline, especially the investigation and suspicion, was fantastic. However, I was disappointed that it ended abruptly half way through the book. I understood the need for the characters to actually bond without suspicion hanging over their heads, but I do wish the chase had gone on longer or for some larger mention of Eleanor’s involvement in smuggling to have come back at the end. It felt like it was resolved too easily.

3. I have a general comment about the book. I was a bit annoyed at how standard and even cliche some of it was. It's fine to use common tropes and themes, but this book went beyond that. I genuinely felt for a good portion of the book like I wasn't reading anything new. There was nothing original about certain parts of the story. In fact, other than the smuggling gimmick, the Margaret plotline, and Eleanor's father, the entire book was like a rehash of every other period romance novel. It was almost boring because I could guess exactly what was going to happen before it did just because I'm familiar with other books. I won't go as far as to say it felt stolen (that would be an exaggeration), but I think the author could have put it a lot more effort into originality.

In conclusion, I recommend this book to any romance fans who want to read the same book they’ve read before, just with different characters and a slightly different conflict.

I received an advanced copy for free and am leaving this review by own choice.

This was an entertaining story. Eleanor Kent, daughter of a viscount, has been acting as a privateer to help solve her family’s debts. She is also responsible for obtaining artefacts for Prinny. She is a bold and resourceful lady. Unfortunately for Eleanor, the Duke of Danby has been tasked with revealing those who are smuggling goods into the country. I enjoyed the way that Eleanor and Danby got to know each other. Eleanor’s dealings with the staff was also diverting. The narrator had an easy voice to listen to and he brought the characters to life by using different voices. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I picked The Duke's Privateer expecting the protagonist to be a privateer. I think this was a pretty fair assumption given the title. Privateer as defined by the Cambridge dictionary is "a person or ship allowed by a government to attack and steal from ships at sea", or in plain words a legal pirate. But it turns out she is a smuggler who some characters call a privateer, despite her doing any privateering.
The romance was cute at times, but I feel like the characters needed some fleshing out, and the manner in which the plot was laid out could have been improved.

Come into the Dragon's Lair, if you dare!

Yummy duke Sherborn is tasked by the crown with ferreting out all smugglers. He suspects things aren't what they seem with the enchanting Eleanor and her father's import company, and it's certainly no hardship for him to start spending time with her and her infirmed father in the off chance he might learn a few secrets.

Eleanor doesn't want to be attracted to Sher, but their white-hot chemistry doesn't really give her much choice. She has even fewer choices once her secrets come out, and that's when this romance really takes off. Sher and Eleanor are forced to work together and how they work through balancing their mutual attraction against their mutual mistrust and conflicting goals makes for a thrilling romance that culminates in a very happy HEA.

I greatly admired Eleanor for what she was able to accomplish and for how she was able to handle the changes that Sher brought to her life. Throughout it all she remained faithful to her values and to her heart, and I loved her more and more as the story went on. Sher is everything a girl could want in a leading man, proving himself to be compassionate and faithful even when he didn't quite understand why.

This is a complex story with two distinct acts; the first takes place in London, then the story changes its focus to Sher's country estate, a castle in Northern England. The supporting characters in each part were vibrantly written and added a lot of depth to the story.

I listened to the audiobook version and was instantly captivated by the narrator's gentle British accent. He did a fine job of voicing the various characters, imbuing each with a distinctive sound that greatly enhanced the storytelling.

This author always writes fascinating characters with enthralling stories, and this one is one of her best. I highly recommend it for any reader of historical romance. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of the audiobook through NetGalley.