Caitlyn Storm Lewis

Sort of love-hated this book

Revisado: 08-08-24

I love that the heroine is not typically “beautiful” and that the author explored some darker themes so it was nice to see someone toe the lines of the genre in that way. I also thought the descriptive prose quite pretty and I adored the storyline outside of the romance, but… this romance was not really my cup of tea.

I just didn’t find the characters very believable and felt some of the romance was spread on a bit too thick, to cringe levels. I even tuned out of the main steamy scene.

I love this narrator but again this was not my favourite performance from her. However, this could be because of the sometimes soppy scenes and the way the story would shift settings and characters seemingly without warning at times which could be a bit jarring.

So I wouldn’t recommend this as anyone’s first introduction to the genre or author, but I do think it is worth a read and I will return to the author and series again - just maybe not immediately.

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I didn’t realize it was a bit religious

Revisado: 06-28-24

I really loved this story when I first started it- the storyline was very interesting and not cliched. There were mentions of God, but that is typical for historical fiction since most of the people of the era were religious, as was him being a pastor’s son.

I am new to historical romance and have only read (and enjoyed) steamier titles, so it’s probably my fault for not realizing this would be such a clean story. However, I was a bit disappointed when a love scene jumped from blowing out candles to “hours later”. Liking the story, I tried to continue anyway because I am not opposed to a bit of clean romance either, but the religious references in the following chapter continued to accumulate and I ultimately gave up on finishing this book. It would have been nice if God were mentioned in the story description as I know to typically avoid those.

I still rated the book high (and the narration because I love this reader) because the part of the story I did read was interesting and I am certain the right audience will love this book, but if you are not the religious type then I think it may not be for you.

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Full marks for every book in this series

Revisado: 06-19-24

I have loved every one. I can’t decide which is my favourite - this one or book 3. I really like the nuances in the characters’ relationships across the books.

The changing scenery in this book really set it apart from the others for me. I love how the author has built out the world as she has unfolded the stories.

The only thing I would have loved to have seen is the below stairs characters making cameos BEFORE their ultimate introduction. Or maybe they do? I think I will find out because I do plan to reread the series in a few months/years ❤️

I suppose I will now move on to something else from this wonderful narrator 👏

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Read out of order - good choice

Revisado: 06-19-24

Since this book cost a credit and the others did not, I circled back to this one after reading the first, third and fourth books.

I am happy to say that it did not negatively impact my experience of the book, although it is of course revealed in the third book (spoiler???) that the H&h in this story end up together…but we already knew that, right?

It was a novel experience, meeting a character (Lord Huntington) whose story I already knew.

I also think Book 3 was the most romantic so I’m really pleased that I skipped ahead to it and it cemented my love of the series so I would continue on with it.

This book is a little more light-hearted and comedic than the rest, so it was a nice way to wind down the Audible series without getting heartsore about it .

I adore this narrator and am completely invested in the characters as different people so I am now a bit torn as to whether I should get the unrecorded books that complete this series, or skip on to other books with this narrator until the rest of the series has been recorded. Wdyt?

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Even better than the first

Revisado: 06-02-24

The first book in this series was my intro to the genre. I loved it, but my one criticism was that the steamy scenes were a little repetitive. Well, not so this time around! I think the first one in this book will possibly be my forever favourite, but those that followed were all great too and on top of that I adored the story and all the supporting characters (Team Anthony ❤️).

On to the next one!

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Great writing and narration. Steamy scenes a bit repetitive.

Revisado: 05-29-24

This is my first historical romance and I was pleasantly surprised by the writing. I expected passable prose mostly just hurtling towards the inevitable next sexy scene. Instead, I found interesting characters and dialogue, and some pretty composition between it all.

I also adored the narrator. I see a few people complained about her so was expecting not to like it but I loved her posh narration and her smouldering voice for the Duke. I will be listening to more from her, starting with the next book in this series.

I only hope the steamy scenes improve throughout the series. The first one was good, but every one after that followed the same formulaic approach and sequence. Was a bit vanilla. I far preferred the build up. I also didn’t like how male anatomy was discussed in the raunchiest of terms while female anatomy was all euphemisms. It feels very anti-feminist. Let’s treat them the same way, please. I don’t understand the aversion to the correct anatomical language. Perhaps that is just typical of the genre.

Overall, I really liked it though and thought it was a nice introduction to this genre. I also loved the Chef even though he had so few lines. I found myself wanting to hear his backstory and more of the below-stairs stories, like the staff in the house speculating about what was going on upstairs, and maybe having their own little romances and mini-dramas. I know not everything can be Downton Abbey…but this book really had the potential for such little spin-offs and sub-plots.

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Great for what it is

Revisado: 11-08-22

If you are looking for a literary masterpiece then of course, this is probably not the place to find it. BUT…

if you are looking for a well-written (if it sounds a bit insipid in the beginning then keep reading…it’s all part of the character development) and really sweet little bit of escapism then this is really very lovely.

I wish there was another. Ill with flu at the moment and could really use a little pick-me-up like this.

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Short and sweet

Revisado: 06-20-19

Nice writing. Believable romance. A few nice historical nuggets in there too. I’m glad I read it and will try the author again.

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Haunting yet uplifting

Revisado: 02-12-19

Awesome sound production with the impact of a war epic and the warmth of your favourite Christmas movie.

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Don’t read it if you liked Turn of the Screw

Revisado: 01-21-19

No twist. No substance. I actually set the narration to a higher speed so I could get through it faster.

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