A Matter of Class

By: Mary Balogh

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

Length: 4 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Reginald Mason is wealthy, refined, and, by all accounts, a gentleman. However, he is not a gentleman by birth, a factor that pains him and his father, Bernard Mason, within the Regency society that upholds station over all else. That is, until an opportunity for social advancement arises, namely, Lady Annabelle Ashton. Daughter of the Earl of Havercroft, a neighbor and enemy of the Mason family, Annabelle finds herself disgraced by a scandal, one that has left her branded as damaged goods. Besmirched by shame, the earl is only too happy to marry Annabelle off to anyone willing to have her.

Though Bernard wishes to use Annabelle to propel his family up the social ladder, his son does not wish to marry her, preferring instead to live the wild, single life he is accustomed to. With this, Bernard serves his son an ultimatum: marry Annabelle, or make do without family funds. Having no choice, Reginald consents, and enters into a hostile engagement in which the prospective bride and groom are openly antagonistic, each one resenting the other for their current state of affairs while their respective fathers revel in their suffering.

So begins an intoxicating tale rife with dark secrets, deception, and the trials of love - a story in which very little is as it seems.

©2009 Mary Balogh (P)2009 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Really short but good.

Ann Flosnik takes some getting used to, but once you’ve listened to her for a while, you see how skilled she really is. Another good Mary Balogh book. I love them all.

Refreshing! Briefer, but no story loss/abridgement

This fun and heartwarming story is a bit like how Romeo and Juliet could have succeeded at loving throughout a long happy lifetime. Two fathers, angrily obstinate, who never would have allowed a sensible normal courtship and marriage are outwitted in the best possible way by their bright and bold daughter and son!

Wonderful romance with a twist

I am a long-time Mary Balogh fan and have been getting a little tired of her stories of late. However, this book reminded me of why she is so great. Wonderful romance with a twist. The narrator did take a little getting used to, but I quickly got passed that and would happily listen to Anne Flosnik again. Well worth the purchase price and four of my happiest hours spent this Christmas...

Crips and Sweet

Definitely worth the listen. With a new twist on a "happily every after" type romance story, this book quickly became one I was glad I purchased. I can honestly say I was very pleasantly surprised and found myself smiling throughout most of the book, and then at the end I wanted to listen again. Two thumbs up.

Oh yes!

I almost never write reviews, but couldn't resist for this one. It was a nice twist on a classic story and I enjoyed it more than I expected to. Wish it had been a longer story! And I always like Anne Flosnik as a narrator for historical romances, nice job of both author and narrator on this one!

cute

Very cute story. Figured out the end fairly early on, but still engaged enough to want to listen to the remaining story. Wasn't a big fan of the narrator, but I have definitely heard worse.

Great Ending ...

I know that some people might think it's a short story but the given the plot I think it was the perfect length.
I really liked both story and narration.

One of my favorite Balogh books

Would you consider the audio edition of A Matter of Class to be better than the print version?

Not so much. Though the narrator wasn't awful, she definitely is not one of my favorites.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the characters and the twists and turns.

What three words best describe Anne Flosnik’s performance?

Oh... just didn't much care for her style.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending.

Any additional comments?

It's one of those stories I enjoyed as much, if not more, the second time around.

Worst narrator EVER!

I’ve listened to ALL of Mary Balogh’s novels. She’s an amazing writer. But this narrator is so bad I can’t finish the book. I really tried! I’m going to get it in print and read it instead of listen to it. PLEASE Audible ... fire this narrator!!!!!!

A gem

Really enjoyed this one. Gentle, heartwarming likable main characters. I am sure I will return to this for gentle comfort read. Not my favourite narrator but I did find I got used to her (it's her male voices that grate a bit for me)