5 STARS!

My favorite installment in the series so far.

We get to meet Stephen's dad, who is a very angry, lonely man and with good reason. However, as written in the excerpt, he is reviled throughout London as the Mad Marquess.

We get Stephen's back story, which makes you a bit more sympathetic towards this angry young boy.

While mayhem ensues with Stephen's return to his father's home, Gertrude comes along to give him her support which is not welcome by the father, and the mouse of the Killorans becomes a lioness, and a very angry man's heart starts to slowly thaw as he gets to know Gertrude better.

And of course there is the drama, the misunderstandings, the life threatening events that usually happen before the main characters decide to risk it all for love.

In short, this was another great story by Christi Caldwell, beautifully narrated by Tim Campbell, and I highly recommend it.

3 people found this helpful

Not bad

So I want to say that I'm a huge Christi Caldwell/Tim Campbell fan. I try and read/listen to this duo as much as I can. So I was beyond excited to listen to Gertrude's story. I have enjoyed the Killorans' stories so I couldn't wait to get listening! I was a little sad after though. It was good. Not great, not horrible. Just good. Warning: Stephen is as unlikable in this book as he is in previous ones.

First, Jasper is so very angry that I find it hard to believe that he would allow her to stay as quickly as he did. I mean he's threatening to ruin their entire family if they even go to drop Stephen off and then he allows her to stay as a governess? Uh-uh...I don't believe it. But I like him a lot! He is so sweet inside despite being so angry. He wants a relationship with his son so badly!

And within 2 days he had decided she wasn't as horrible a person as he thought? Why? Because she told him she took Stephen to Gunter's when he was a young boy? Again, uh-uh...don't believe it. But just like Jasper, I really like Gertrude. She does whine a bit about her family not taking her seriously because of her hearing which isn't backed up by anything in this book. We are told she is partially deaf but we aren't shown that in any way. She never appears to not hear things so I'm not sure why we are reminded about it so often. It is sort of a nonissue. But she is super easy to like and the kind of woman I'd want to be friends with IRL. Down to earth, smart, and loyal.

By two weeks the whole romance is neatly tied up? No way. Not when he started off hating her family because he thought they kidnapped his son and misused him, too. It is just way too easy.

Like I said, I love CC and TC and I will continue to read/listen to them. But this one just felt phoned in to me. And honestly, with the amount of books she publishes, I think CC is entitled to phoning it in now and then. I was just a bit sad about it.

2 people found this helpful

An emotional roller-coaster

I love this series, this couple (Gertrude and Edwin), and the narrator. It's easy to give 5 stars in each category. I am in a constant state of waiting for every new book. Two damaged souls, a host of characters we've already gotten to know. Not to be spoilery, but there IS a happy ending. You just have to believe.
One of the things that I liked is that even though Gertrude is blind in one eye, the story doesn't dwell on it. She is a young woman with a dark past, but we don't see everything being focused on her partial blindness. I was glad that didn't end up being an issue.

2 people found this helpful

narrator sounded sinister

The story was good, but narrator's voice and inflections were jarring... it was difficult to listen to -- He should be reading thrillers.

1 person found this helpful

Repetitive

From beginning to end the book was extremely repetitive. In other words this book should’ve been 200 pages and no more.

1 person found this helpful

Very good Regency, but not a clean Regency.

Contains two explicit sex scenes. Excellent characterization, plot, and writing. Narrator is perhaps the best I've heard. No overt religious content. Values promoted are fidelity within marriage, patient parenting, forgiveness of wrongs, the importance of family relationships. Pre-marital sex is okay if the couple is "in love." Central character is a young woman from a violent, criminal family who somehow (never explained) learns to speak with an upper class accent, become well-educated, and fit in with titled upper class. That stretches credulity. She values perseverance, kindness, forgiveness, and mercy. Her influence on the other characters is the cause of reconciliation among criminal elements, and happily ever after ending.

3 people found this helpful

saved the best for last

title says it all, it brought tears to me in special scenes. Well done for an ending.

1 person found this helpful

Beautiful story

Miss Caldwell has done it again. She has written a beautiful story full of emotions, deep characters that aren’t perfect, great storyline with a bit of adventure and some fun cats. Tim Campbell, what can I say, he always brings the audiobook to life with that fantastic vocal performance.

1 person found this helpful

Challenges even the best of Imaginations

I enjoy a good historical romance. This particular story isn't one, sorry. The entire story goes beyond imagination, and I have plenty. I read The Vixen first, also part of this series and I found to be better... or at least within the realm of possibility.

Possible Spoliers...

During a time period where social class, family lines, etc. are everything, I found it next to impossible that someone from the peerage (a Marquess, no less) would have anything to with an illegitimate woman, daughter to the man responsible for the death of his wife and abduction of his heir/son, and the torching of his ancestral home. Sure, she wasn't directly responsible; sure his relationship with his deceased wife (the daughter of a duke) wasn't the best, but again, in what world?

To add to this, the description of the h was so unflattering... crooked teeth, a blind eye, a pet mouse... yes, nice personality, sweet, etc. but I just couldn't get into it.

Finally, and to round out the impossible storyline, a murder plot against the h by none other than the Duke's son brother to the deceased wife) that later saw him encarcerated and stripped of his rights, with the two main characters living happily ever after.

Save yourself the time. I found next to nothing redeeming about this book, and if I were to be honest, the only reason I even picked this one up was for the narrator, who is truly exceptional.

Sooo good

I love this couple’s story. The narrator did an awesome job. I hope Stephen gets a book someday.