Entertaining, but not for the predictable story

This book went in the car on an extended road trip to a convention. Imagine a car full of women, all Regency fans, eagerly listening. It's a competent story, hitting all the key points. BUT, it hit all the points so predictably that people in the car started calling out - "This will be where Lucas is forced to propose" and nailing it.

The book turned into an entertaining game for my passengers as they began collecting descriptive words used for the heroes. They pulsate, they emanate, in short, someone's thesaurus got a workout.

The pacing suffers from protracted bouts of conversation. At one point, I was driving and heard delicate snores from the passenger seats. As I pulled off the highway for relief, a plaintive voice rose from the back. "Do these people ever do anything but talk?" Gentle reader, it is a valid concern with sections of this book.

I feel really bad for the author, as all the elements are there. It's a perfectly competent book. It simply never quite gelled for me (or my passengers). There are patches of brilliance, such as the scene when the heroine avoids cliche and saves the hero by taking on his mistress during a set up designed by two of the antagonists to drive them apart. Those bits got enthusiastic thumbs up from the listeners. Alas, we wanted more of those.

The narrator does a good job, though I take one star back for her elderly gentleman's voice as it momentarily threw me out of the story line - more for lack of consistency in the quaver between that character across chapters. Otherwise, the men all sound masculine and we were lost in the performance. Except when cheers went up for repeated pulsations and emanations in the descriptions.

I will give this author another try. This might simply be the one that doesn't quite connect with me where another of her books will. Let me repeat again, it's not a bad book. Just not one I can recommend to hold the listener spellbound on a protracted road trip.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

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Loved the book and the narration..

This was a really good book. There was just enough sexual tension through the whole book so that it didn’t get boring waiting for a sex scene that comes out of nowhere, so that was nice. However, I was a little confused with this story. It wasn’t a religious book, although I thought it was until I read some of the reviews. (It really needs a different name, IMO.) BUT this was one of the best LOVE stories I’ve ever read. The tenderness between Lucas and Helena was so sweet and the sex was great!

I really liked Lucas and Helena. I liked the feelings he was continuing to fight over her. And I liked that she was so honest that she told him she loved him after such a short time of knowing him. She was so honest and forthright that you couldn’t help but like her. Of course, Lucas thought he wasn’t good enough for her, par for the course for 95% of romance books, but she still became important to him within a short time. Anyway, Lucas wanted to tell Helena to go away, in order to protect her from whoever was trying to kill him, and the next minute he couldn’t imagine not being able to see her. Oops, and of course they were compromised, and we all know what that means.

In the end Lucas had to return to Boston, where he was exiled to when his father thought he killed a man, and Helena turned up on the same ship, along with her father as chaperone. I would like to have seen something happen between his father and him but that wasn’t meant to be. And the murderer wasn’t in the book, at all, but then showed up out of the blue, ready to kill again. This was a good love story but not that great a mystery. And what happened to Weston? To his sister? A few unanswered questions.

There was want and desire in this book that was marvelous and a couple of sex scenes to go with all that love and desire. No swearing.

As to the narration: I won’t be listening to the second book on Audible, A Curse of the Heart, because the narrator was changed from Stevie Zimmerman to Kylie Stewart. I love listening to Stevie but I heard just enough of Ms. Stewart do a man’s voice to know she’s not very good at it, and I can’t listen to a book where the men sound girlie. Should have stuck with Ms. Zimmerman, she does men’s voices like a pro and reads with great emotion.

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3 people found this helpful

sensational

always enjoy a good Adele Clee. I'm so grateful for Audible Escape to get lost

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Entertaining Regency Romance

I didn't know what to expect from this Author so I was pleasantly surprised to find this book entertaining. The story has some mystery with a few light twists and turns along with a romance that is satisfyingly sweet. There are a couple sex scenes but I don't remember any swearing, etc. I recommend this to everyone, like me, who enjoys Regency Romances.

I enjoyed the narration of this story. She was very good at creating different voices for each character.

I would like to thank the author, narrator or publisher for voluntarily providing me this free review copy of this audiobook. It was my pleasure to listen and review. 😉

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6 people found this helpful

Surprise Story

I got this book via audiobook boom. I was surprised that I liked the story. It reminded me of several other books that I have read over my lifetime. One son is sent to Boston because he is accused of murder. He returns after the father dies and the mother gets ill. He meets the h during a dance and she takes on the role of helping to clear his name. This has all of the intrigue and gossip that is part of Regency England. There were lots of twists and turns and the narrator just made the story come to life. You could see the gowns, gardens, and other details through the narrator's voice. This is not another pride and prejudice adaptation. It is a very nice story. I enjoyed it and will listen to other works by this author.

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great historical romance!

I really enjoyed this historical romance by an author (Adele Clee) whom was new to me. I have listened to other books performed by the narrator (Stevie Zimmerman ) & thought she did an excellent job on this book as well. Typically I do not listen to many historical romances compared to contemporary books. I thought this story was well done and fit the times. I would listen to this book again, and look for more by the author and narrator. I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, narrator, and or publisher.

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Stevie Zimmerman is brilliant.

Good story of a man who was disowned by his family and shunned by English society. Upon his return from America he meets a young lady who takes it upon herself to save him. I enjoyed the murder plot with plenty of twists and turns. Of course, Stevie Zimmerman is magical in how she brings each character to life.

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A BEAUTIFUL LOVE STORY!

Lucas must solve the mystery of who framed him for murder. He meets headstrong Helena and, even through his angst, he can see her worth. While they search for clues, their admiration for each other grows to become an all-encompassing bond that brings two families together and builds a strong foundation of love. If you like strong love stories with a dash of mystery, you will love this novel.

I love Stevie Zimmerman's voice as she narrates. I have several audiobooks that she has narrated. I have even bought some simply because she narrated them. She is just that good.

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1 person found this helpful

Sappy

I was disappointed in this. Plot had potential which never came to be. Even the love scenes were bland. I kept waiting for it to end. Don't waste your money.

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The Dragon and the Wood Nymph

This was my first book by Adele Clee, and I'm really glad I picked it up. I'm always happy to find a new Regency romance author!

Helena Ecclestone is attending yet another boring society ball with her younger sister when the attendees are surprised by the arrival of Lucas Dempsey. Lucas is the younger brother of a viscount and was exiled from England four years ago for causing the death of a peer during a fight. He wasn't officially charged with murder, but society has judged and found him guilty.

While wandering the garden in search of her sister, Helena meets Lucas, who is instantly attracted to her slight figure and direct manner. He tries his usual seductive arts on her, but finds her completely immune to his charms. After Lucas returns to the ball, Helena remains hidden in the garden and happens to overhear a conversation between two unidentified men. Not only are they discussing the fact that they'd framed Lucas for the murder four years ago, they're planning on killing him now to cover up the crime. Helena immediately decides to warn Lucas and help him clear his name by any means necessary.

Four years spent thinking he was a murderer have left Lucas a tortured hero. He is determined that Helena is too good for him, but he's unable to stay away from her. He knows what it's like to be wanted only for his body, so he tries to show her that he values her friendship over her body. Despite that, this book has plenty of steamy love scenes.

Helene's a strong heroine who cares about character and truth over wealth and birth. All her life she's been compared to her beautiful younger sister and found lacking, but she still has a strong sense of self worth. There's a fine line between a heroine being strong or headstrong, knowledgeable or a know it all, moral or judgmental. Helena is the perfect balance. I would have liked to know a bit more about her life though. What does she like to do with her free time? Does she have any friends or hobbies? The romance is developed really well, we spend a lot of time with the couple, and there's a mystery to solve too, so there's not much time for developing backstories or other relationships.

Stevie Zimmerman as the narrator was great, her speaking voices for men and women were perfect. I enjoyed her accent and she brought life to her words without overacting. I was provided a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I already have this one on my reread list!

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1 person found this helpful