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    The Match of the Century: Marrying the Duke
    The Match of the Century: Marrying the Duke
    The Match of the Century: Marrying the Duke
    Audiobook7 hours

    The Match of the Century: Marrying the Duke

    Written by Cathy Maxwell

    Narrated by Mary Jane Wells

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    In New York Times bestselling author Cathy Maxwell's glittering new series, wedding bells are ringing… until the return of a rake throws a bride's plans— and heart—into a tailspin

    Every debutante aspires to snag a duke. Elin Morris just happens to have had one reserved since birth. But postponements of her marriage to London's most powerful peer give Elin time to wonder how she will marry Gavin Baynton when she cannot forget his brother, Benedict.

    Already exasperated at being yanked from the military to meet "family obligations," now Ben must suffer watching his arrogant sibling squire the only woman he has ever loved. Joining the army saved Ben from sinking into bitterness, but seeing Elin again takes him back to the day they surrendered to their intoxicating desire.

    As the wedding draws near, Elin tries to push Ben far from her thoughts. When danger brings them together, there is no denying their feelings. But can Elin choose love over duty...?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateNov 24, 2015
    ISBN9780062424020
    Author

    Cathy Maxwell

    Cathy Maxwell spends hours in front of her computer pondering the question, “Why do people fall in love?” It remains for her the great mystery of life and the secret to happiness. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram at maxwellcathy. She is a world class procrastinator so, if you yak at her, she usually yaks back.

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    Reviews for The Match of the Century

    4.5/5

    29 ratings5 reviews

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    • 2/5
      "What do you offer Elin, Ben? And don't play the poet and say something ridiculous like 'your heart'. She is an intelligent young woman. One I shall be glad to call daughter. You say she deserves more than what Gavin can give her. I say she is worthy of more than a man who pouts."

      That ladies and gentleman is a mom burn and how on target she was. If you follow my updates you'll know the first 30% or so was an engaging jammed pack story of childhood loves separated, a long standing betrothal to the wrong brother, murder attempts, and a serendipitous meet-up. The story was there, the characters just turned out to be shallow, bland, and whiny little things. Our hero is the younger brother and if this was a contemporary, he would have been dressed in blacks and listening to emo music. He pouts and whines about how his older brother the heir has all the advantages in life and is so lucky. He doesn't bother to recognize the pressure and responsibilities the brother also has. So with a woe is me hero, I turned to the heroine. Her parents push her to accept her betrothal to the duke because they think it is her destiny. She kind of blindly goes along with it and after she gets over her anger at the hero due to a sort of misunderstanding and she declares she luvs him, she still doesn't bother to tell the duke she wants to break the betrothal. She lets him cater to her all the while thinking about the brother (who she told she would break it off with his brother immediately).

      These characters were put into a tough position of being star crossed lovers but the execution of them falling in love (since there isn't any flashbacks to their childhood and growing to love one another, it really felt like this couple just were in "luv" all of a sudden) and finding a way to be together was done in a way that had me being extremely unsympathetic to them. The murder mystery was meh, with it being pretty obvious and obviously thrown in there for a suspense touch but it wasn't drawn out enough. The shafted duke brother felt like more of the hero of the story. The elements for a dramatic emotional story was there but the characters execution was not.

      Because I liked the duke brother so much I looked to see if his story was next, it's not, his missing twin brother is the next star. I read the excerpt and the duke has a love at first sight moment with the heroine...who is obviously going to be paired with the hero of the story, the twin. So again, the duke thinks he loves (he was attracted to and found himself fantasizing about the heroine in this book) someone, only to have them go to his brother. I don't think I'll be continuing with this series, not my cup of hot chocolate.
    • 5/5
      EXCELLENT narration…great story. Love that Mary Jane Wells . Action packed.
    • 4/5
      Good book with an unusual set of circumstances for the romance. Elin has been promised to Gavin, Duke of Baynton since she was born, a match arranged by their parents. Circumstances have caused several postponements of the marriage, but the time has finally arrived. But Elin isn't looking forward to the marriage, as she doesn't know him that well, plus she can't forget her feelings for Gavin's younger brother Ben.Ben had been sent off to the military after it was discovered that he and Elin had been indiscreet together. Though he hadn't forgotten her, army life suited him and he was well on the way to an excellent career. Then his brother pulled strings, ending Ben's military career and forcing him home to take up family duties. Seeing Elin again reminds him of what he's lost, and how much he wants her back.Ben's arrival coincides with the ball meant to announce Elin and Gavin's engagement. Harsh words are exchanged between Gavin and Ben, before tragedy brings the ball to an abrupt end. Furious with his brother, Ben disappears, while Elin tries to come to grips with his reappearance and her own feelings. The three main characters, Gavin, Ben and Elin, were all complex individuals. At first I really didn't like Gavin at all. He seems cold and arrogant, more interested in appearances and his political work than in Elin. He was also unsympathetic to Ben's distress at losing his career. With Ben, I understood his fury at having his life interrupted. He knew that Elin was meant for his brother and the army kept him away so that he didn't have to face it. His disappearance after the confrontation seemed to be a rather over-the-top version of running away from home because he didn't like something, rather than stay and fight for what he wanted. Meanwhile, Elin knows that Gavin isn't what she wants. the life she'll have with him is one that makes her uncomfortable, but she sees no way out of it until Ben returns. But can she find a way to get what she wants without causing harm to others?When the wedding is rescheduled and Elin called back to London for it, trouble finds her. On the road to London, her coach is attacked and she narrowly escapes being killed. Running from her pursuers, she luckily stumbles upon Ben, who has taken up with some local men. Ben is determined to protect her, and as they run from danger, their previous feelings return. I liked the way they finally talked about what had happened eight years earlier, and accepted that both had been young and naive. Older now, they know there are obstacles to being together, but they are determined to find a way. However, being found together by Gavin puts them both in an awkward position until Elin can find a way to end her engagement. Gavin seems willfully blind to the sparks between them, seeing only that Elin would be perfect as his bride. It is also pointed out to Ben that he really has nothing to offer Elin, and he realizes that he has to make some changes if he wants to get the girl. I liked seeing him take charge of his life, and finally start acting like the man he should be. Meanwhile, Elin is worried about her father's health, and the effect breaking her engagement could have on him.While all of this is going on, both Ben and Gavin are trying to figure out who is trying to kill Elin and why. Joining forces also gives them the opportunity to overcome the animosity that has been present between them since they were children. I did like seeing them actually begin to listen to each other, though they still had moments when old habits resurface. But they worked together beautifully when Elin was once again in danger. I have to say that the person behind the murder attempts was not a surprise, as I figured out pretty early who it was. I loved the resolution of the love triangle, though I did feel rather sorry for Gavin. I thought he showed a lot of class as he did the right thing and let Elin go. I am looking forward to seeing him get his own story and hope that he gets someone who will shake him up a little. The epilogue was a great touch to bring it all together.
    • 5/5
      After starting and quickly dumping several other audiobooks, I was immediately drawn into this K Maxwell story not only because of the excellent sentence/paragraph construction variety, light-hearted humor combined with seat-gripping danger, but mostly because of the terrific reading of Mary Wells...

      I had just dumped a promising story due to the reader’s inability to vary her voice from character to character; however, this story was a joy to listen to as Wells mentally became the slouch yet fiery Ben, the staid, poised, aloof Gavin, the confused Elin, the snarky seamstress....and many more. She nailed the Scottish brogue of the Elin’s father. I so hope that Maxwell chooses Wells for the next book!
    • 3/5
      Read for Fun (Kindle)Overall Rating: 3.25Story Rating: 3.50Character Rating: 3.00First Thought when Finished: The Match of the Century was not my favorite Cathy Maxwell book but boy am I looking forward to Gavin's book!Quick Thoughts: Cathy Maxwell is one of my favorite authors and I was really sad I didn't love The Match of the Century more. I just never connected to Elin or Ben. I liked them as a couple at the end but it just took to long for me to start rooting for them. My problem was while I waiting to fall in love with them, I found myself annoyed with them more. They had lots of thoughts that they just needed to share with each other but alas the road to romance is not always straightforward. I did like the action and the mystery surrounding Elin. The side characters in that part of the story were fantastic. In other words, that part was pure Cathy Maxwell fantastic.In the end, I fell in love with Gavin (Ben's Brother) and I am REALLY looking forward to his book. Though next we get Jack (Ben's other brother) and that should be downright FUN! That final invitation was just bloody FANTASTIC! So overall while this was not my favorite story by Cathy, it did introduce a couple of characters that I am really looking forward to spending more time with.Part of my Read It, Rate It, File It, DONE!