Clean Regency Romance

I read this book previously to having listened to the audio book and I thought that Marian Hussey did a fabulous job as the narrator. Enjoyed the book even more on the second time around. I have enjoyed all of Sally Britton's books and so it is no surprise that I loved this one too. I like her writing style. This story was full of angst since both the main characters were broken or flawed in ways that prevented them from seeing life as it truly was. Esther saw her life through a lens that made her believe no one wanted her, treated her as a burden and opening her heart would leave her vulnerable. Silas's lens was that it was his duty to take things in hand, make good decisions and maintain his honor at all costs. Neither could see each other's view point clearly and thus we have serious conflict in a marital relationship. He doing what is best for her and she feeling treated like a child or his subject rather than his partner in marriage. I don't always enjoy lots of angst in a book. I judge how good the story is by my reaction to it. Did it make me roll my eyes, or did it make me want to throttle characters who couldn't see clearly? If it makes my emotions highly involved in the story then it is good. In this book I wanted to throttle both main characters. "Noooo, tell her why you are doing that!" "Noooo, tell him how you feel!" In other words, I was made to care about these people. I wanted them to choose better so they could reach their happily ever after. But we had to have some angst before we could get to that point. I found myself choked with emotion at some points in the story. I could feel the characters' pain and wanted to cry right along with them. This story is an example of how difficult it would be to be a woman in this time period where fathers, brothers and husbands made decisions for women and not always to their benefit. I have a hope inside that there were many men who learned as Silas did that women could and should be consulted in decision making. Reading stories that show that progress helps me believe that it happened in real life too. No sex, language or violence * I received a complimentary copy and voluntarily chose to review it.

11 people found this helpful

Sweet, clean Regency Romance

Story: 5 stars An excellently written story! We journey with the H and h through the gentle evolution of their feelings for one another. The author doesn’t rush, but takes her time and it all feels natural and perfectly timed. The characters really do evolve and change and it is wonderful to see their growth. I’m hoping this is part of a series, because I really didn’t want it to end. Narration: 5 stars Excellent narrator who truly does a wonderful job with the various voices. It is so true that a narrator can ‘make or break’ a book and this narrator makes a wonderful book all the better! *poor, **ok, ***good, ****very good, *****something special

5 people found this helpful

Love love love this book!

I have read this book before and loved it so much I jumped at the chance to listen to the audiobook. First of all Sally Britton is an amazing author, and I love all of her clean romance books. The narrator of this audiobook does an amazing job, she was great at doing a full spectrum of voices and she did this amazing book justice! I would definitely recommend this book and I can’t wait for the rest of the series

5 people found this helpful

Could not even finish

OMG....went on and on and on. About nothing. Even for free was not worth my time.

3 people found this helpful

Sweet

If you’re interested in a clean sweet story to listen to this is a good one.

2 people found this helpful

Very predictible.

This book is not horrible but is very predictible. The storyline really has no plot. The characters are very simple, and have no depth. I feel like I wasted a credit.

1 person found this helpful

Finding one's strength

This was a fun read as the main characters were discovering themselves as they discovered each other. Clean.

1 person found this helpful

Written with so much heart.

This was a lovely story and written with so much heart. Silas did not really understand Esther or what she had felt all her life. This did cause problems for them and my heart went out to these characters. Loved the twists and looking forward to any additional books with these characters or by Sally Britton. The author choosing of Marian Hussey was brilliant!

1 person found this helpful

A very satisfying read

What I enjoyed: • The story had a great beginning with Esther saving Lord Inglewood from a falling statue of Hermes. This immediately drew me into the story. • Esther and Silas were the type of characters that you wanted to discover more about as you listened to their story. • The secondary characters added depth to the story. • I liked that a theme in the story was about love coming from loss? • The descriptions of locations and emotions were well done, easy to visualize, and to feel. I felt a part of the scenes. • The pacing of the story was neither too slow nor too fast. • There was a smooth, coherent flow to this book. • This story had a very satisfying ending. • The narrator did an excellent job in differentiating the various characters' voices. She did an amazing job. • This was a clean story. I was given a free audiobook by the author. My review was voluntary and my opinions were my own. I will be listening to or reading more books by this author. I will also keep a lookout for books narrated by Marian Hussey.

1 person found this helpful

Lovely!

WHAT IT'S ABOUT All he wants is someone he can trust. All she wants is to belong. But when compromising circumstances force them together, do they have a chance at finding love? MY TAKE I read the 4th book in the series first and thoroughly enjoyed it. This was no exception, though it was a more traditional Regency romance. Silas was very focused on his work in the House of Lords. Esther is the kid sister of one of his best friends. She suffers from the little sister syndrome who in never thought to be old enough or good enough to be included in whatever groups are around her. When she saves Silas's life but also places herself in a compromising situation (twice), he takes matters into his own hands to save her reputation and declares to everyone that they're engaged. Then everyone takes control of her life which further erodes her self-esteem. The story has some twists and turns. I love it when Silas starts to court her, wanting to give her what she missed out on because of the unusual way they married. Narrator Marian Hussey did a great job. Lovely ending. 4 1/2 stars