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mjporterauthor's review
4.0
The Duchess of Sydney is a really fascinating story, revolving around Georgiana, who finds herself being sent on a penal ship to Australia for a crime she didn’t commit, which she freely admits, but we don’t learn about the nature of the crime until much further through the story.
There is very much a ‘will they, won’t they’ narrative to this tale, but it is much more than a historical romance. I found the portrayal of the voyage really interesting and I confess, I had to Google the route taken from Britain to Australia because it seemed so higgledy piggedly, but was, obviously, correct. Following the ship on its many stops along the way, I thoroughly enjoyed the narrative, and the peril our character finds herself in. And on arrival in Sydney, the story continues, and we finally also discover the truth of what happened in Britain.
I found the narration to be really good – and there are some fabulous accents.
This tale is sure to appeal to fans of historical mystery and historical romance. A really enjoyable and interesting story.
There is very much a ‘will they, won’t they’ narrative to this tale, but it is much more than a historical romance. I found the portrayal of the voyage really interesting and I confess, I had to Google the route taken from Britain to Australia because it seemed so higgledy piggedly, but was, obviously, correct. Following the ship on its many stops along the way, I thoroughly enjoyed the narrative, and the peril our character finds herself in. And on arrival in Sydney, the story continues, and we finally also discover the truth of what happened in Britain.
I found the narration to be really good – and there are some fabulous accents.
This tale is sure to appeal to fans of historical mystery and historical romance. A really enjoyable and interesting story.
kirstyreviewsbooks's review
4.0
The Duchess of Sydney by Dawn Knox
I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Blurb
Betrayed by her family and convicted of a crime she did not commit, Georgiana is sent halfway around the world to the penal colony of Sydney, New South Wales. Aboard the transport ship, the Lady Amelia, Lieutenant Francis Brooks, the ship’s agent becomes her protector, taking her as his “sea-wife”, not because he has any interest in her but because he has been tasked with the duty.
Despite their mutual distrust, the attraction between them grows. But life has not played fair with Georgiana. She is bound by family secrets and lies. Will she ever be free again – free to be herself and free to love?
My Opinion
This is not my usual read but I saw that it was an audiobook and I find it difficult to say no to a good audiobook. I surprisingly found myself enjoying it far more than I thought I would. This was a beautifully written story that makes for a great introduction to a new series. I found that this was a really enjoyable book to listen to - I listen to audiobooks on 2x speed so it was a pleasant escape for few hours.
As a character I really enjoyed getting to know Georgiana and would like to be able to catch up with her in the near future.
Rating: 4/5
I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Blurb
Betrayed by her family and convicted of a crime she did not commit, Georgiana is sent halfway around the world to the penal colony of Sydney, New South Wales. Aboard the transport ship, the Lady Amelia, Lieutenant Francis Brooks, the ship’s agent becomes her protector, taking her as his “sea-wife”, not because he has any interest in her but because he has been tasked with the duty.
Despite their mutual distrust, the attraction between them grows. But life has not played fair with Georgiana. She is bound by family secrets and lies. Will she ever be free again – free to be herself and free to love?
My Opinion
This is not my usual read but I saw that it was an audiobook and I find it difficult to say no to a good audiobook. I surprisingly found myself enjoying it far more than I thought I would. This was a beautifully written story that makes for a great introduction to a new series. I found that this was a really enjoyable book to listen to - I listen to audiobooks on 2x speed so it was a pleasant escape for few hours.
As a character I really enjoyed getting to know Georgiana and would like to be able to catch up with her in the near future.
Rating: 4/5
zooloo1983's review
5.0
As the tour invite hit my inbox and I saw it was an audiobook I snapped it up. I do love me an audiobook. When I first started this, I didn't jel with the narrator and I wasn't sure if the story was for me.....HOW WRONG WAS I!!! I loved this story, I thought it was beautifully written and god I was worried about Duchess! And what a cruel twist of fate with the Emerald being late by a couple of days -I was screaming at the audiobook!!!!!!!
I was completely enamoured by Georgiana, despite everything she was such a strong woman regardless of what had been thrown at her. She was most definitely a diamond in this story. I loved her and just wanted everything to be ok for her, despite being a convicted felon!!
I thought it was fascinating reading about the prison ships and the journey to Australia. It kept me intrigued before we were thrown back to the intensity of the situations we were in.
This all flowed for me, and I felt like I was with Georgiana aka Duchess, all through her perilous journey and I did wonder if she would ever have a happy ending. I did get agitated near the end, especially with Mary's interference!!! *Scream*
This is the first book of many in a series, and I really hope we get to see how Georgiana is doing!
To say the least, I was captivated by the writing and the story and all the romance! I loved it!!!
I was completely enamoured by Georgiana, despite everything she was such a strong woman regardless of what had been thrown at her. She was most definitely a diamond in this story. I loved her and just wanted everything to be ok for her, despite being a convicted felon!!
I thought it was fascinating reading about the prison ships and the journey to Australia. It kept me intrigued before we were thrown back to the intensity of the situations we were in.
This all flowed for me, and I felt like I was with Georgiana aka Duchess, all through her perilous journey and I did wonder if she would ever have a happy ending. I did get agitated near the end, especially with Mary's interference!!! *Scream*
This is the first book of many in a series, and I really hope we get to see how Georgiana is doing!
To say the least, I was captivated by the writing and the story and all the romance! I loved it!!!
leona_omahony's review
4.0
I was thrilled to be offered the chance to join the blog tour for this book and what made it even better it was an audio review tour. I do love listening to audio books. It really passes the time when doing boring stuff like housework !
Set in the 18th century The Duchess of Sydney tells the story of Georgiana, who after being convicted of a crime she is sent on a transport ship to a penal colony in Sydney, Australia. Whilst aboard the ship Lieutenant Francis Brooks take her as his ‘Sea wife’. Although there is no attraction on either side things do start to change. Can their feelings for each other develop into anything more ? After all he’s a lieutenant and she’s a convict on her way to a penal colony.
I really enjoyed listening to this book. When I started it I did struggle a bit with the narrator. I found her voice quite slow but adjusting the speed really helped and I soon settled into the narrators voice. Georgiana was an excellent character and as the story developed the fonder I became of her. It was so interesting listening and getting to understand more about life aboard those transport ships back in the 18th century. The narrator Abigail Langham narrated this story really well and if I closed my eyes whilst listening I could actually visualise the characters onboard the ship and in other places mentioned in the book. This is the first book in the series and I look forward to reading / listening to more of this series. 4⭐️
Set in the 18th century The Duchess of Sydney tells the story of Georgiana, who after being convicted of a crime she is sent on a transport ship to a penal colony in Sydney, Australia. Whilst aboard the ship Lieutenant Francis Brooks take her as his ‘Sea wife’. Although there is no attraction on either side things do start to change. Can their feelings for each other develop into anything more ? After all he’s a lieutenant and she’s a convict on her way to a penal colony.
I really enjoyed listening to this book. When I started it I did struggle a bit with the narrator. I found her voice quite slow but adjusting the speed really helped and I soon settled into the narrators voice. Georgiana was an excellent character and as the story developed the fonder I became of her. It was so interesting listening and getting to understand more about life aboard those transport ships back in the 18th century. The narrator Abigail Langham narrated this story really well and if I closed my eyes whilst listening I could actually visualise the characters onboard the ship and in other places mentioned in the book. This is the first book in the series and I look forward to reading / listening to more of this series. 4⭐️
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