In Bed with the Devil

By: Lorraine Heath

Narrated by: Susan Ericksen, Antony Ferguson

Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

They call him the Devil Earl - a scoundrel and accused murderer who grew up on the violent London streets. A proper young lady risks more than her reputation when consorting with the roguishly handsome Lucian Langdon, but Lady Catherine Mabry believes she has no choice. To protect those she loves, she would do anything - even strike a bargain with the devil himself.

Lucian desires respectability and a wife above all else, but the woman of his choosing lacks the social graces to be accepted by the aristocracy. Catherine can help Lucian gain everything he wants. But what she asks for in exchange will put their very lives in jeopardy. When danger closes in, Catherine discovers a man of immense passion and he discovers a woman of immeasurable courage. As secrets from his dark past are revealed, Lucian begins to question everything he knows to be true, including the yearnings of his own heart.

©2008 Jan Nowasky (P)2012 HarperCollinsPublishers

Good quality historical romance. I enjoyed this.

It was a comfortable read. I smiled at times. There’s a nice long build up of the couple gradually falling in love. The conflict that kept them apart appealed to me. Lucian grew up on the streets with a gang of kids who were his family. Frannie was part of the group. Lucian and others love her like a sister. Lucian wants to get married and he believes Frannie is the one for him, but he doesn’t realize it’s sisterly love. He’s kind of stupid about his emotions that way, but it was believable confusion. It takes a long time for Catherine and Lucian to get together, but I was ok with that. Although I frequently wanted to shake Lucian to make him hurry up and realize whom he loved.

Catherine is a strong, smart, loyal, good heroine. I was pleased the author did not resort to contrived conflict devices other than the following. To enjoy this you need to suspend disbelief. In the beginning Catherine approaches Lucian asking him to kill someone for her. You need to be able to just go with it without thinking of consequences and related issues.

There are a few sex scenes that are short with not much detail. They were good for the story, but this is not for readers who want more passion and sex.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
Both narrators were good. Susan Ericksen did most of the book. Antony Ferguson did a few short parts - reading from Lucian’s journal.

Genre: historical romance

Excellent Story and Wonderful Characters

To me Susan Ericksen could make a phone book riveting. That's me, however. Perhaps no one else would agree with my view of her narration. I really liked this audio book. Yes it does have more than a few steamy love scenes but if you skipped right past them, you'd still enjoy listening to the story. I past the steamy love scenes because for me, they can slow down the story. If you like steamy, this book has some good ones.

The characters are three dimensional and not predictable. Without saying more, I'm downloading the second book in this series.

Go Lorraine!!!

What made the experience of listening to In Bed with the Devil the most enjoyable?

I have read other books by Lorraine Health, she is a wonderful author. I never want to put her books down and get very sad that there is no more pages to turn!

Same thing with this audio book! really sad when the story ended!

What other book might you compare In Bed with the Devil to and why?

Each book and author are unique. everyone has there own writing skills, so try not to be to judgmental when reading the descriptions of what other listeners have written.

What does Susan Ericksen and Antony Ferguson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I enjoyed them both! I was hoping for more of Antony Ferguson bc his voice was so sexy! Actually i was hoping that both Susan and Antony were going to it the whole book. Like Susan would read the females line and Antony would read the males. but that did not happen. That's ok! I stilled the book!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES! bc i enjoy reading Lorraine Heath books. I cant wait for the others to come to audio...it was great especially when i was sitting in traffic. it helps me make sure that i was not on the phone while driving!!!

Any additional comments?

I wish Audible.com could put out more books faster...I have listened to so many...and looking for other books in the series...But thanks for putting so many books out!!!

Wonderful balance of plot and romance!

What made the experience of listening to In Bed with the Devil the most enjoyable?

All of the elements were in balance...a good performance...a good story...likeable characters dealing with real life.

What did you like best about this story?

The plot kept me interested from the beginning and it was more than boy-meets-girl; they-are-attracted-to-each-other-and-spend-time-trying-to-avoid-each-other. The MH had to deal with his past and the FH had a problem of her own to solve.

What about Susan Ericksen and Antony Ferguson ’s performance did you like?

I liked the way Antony Ferguson's voice was used to read the journal entry. Susan Ericksen did a great job with all of the voices and I was glad they didn't try to make the male/female discussions into dialogue.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Oh yes....and I kept the earbuds in as I took care of some weekend chores.

Any additional comments?

The characters are human...they are flawed but still likeable! That, combined with the plot, the romance and some sexy scenes (!) did add up to a great listen. Worth a credit? Well, I bought the first book during the "First of a Series" sale but used a credit to get the second book in my reading queue!

Dickens takeoff with predictable Regency story

Narration was great but story predictable. The Dickens references were contrived and cutesy but this is a first of the series so lots of introduction of characters each with their own stories. A light read worth purchasing if on sale.

Great Story + Great Narration = 5 Stars!

This story will hold your interest until the end.
Romance, some mystery, chemistry are all included in this read.
Narration was excellent!!!

good story

not sure really why they advertised two narrators, basically all the female but it was good.

Love Lorraine Heath

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this book the narrator is great and the story was suspensefull and romantic dont miss it.

good story and narration

looking forward to listening to the other books this series. the narrator did a very good job

Great Romantic Tale

If you could sum up In Bed with the Devil in three words, what would they be?

Romance, adventure, perfect

Who was your favorite character and why?

I couldn't choose just one. The whole cast of characters are developed well, very believable and all necessary to make the plot work.

What does Susan Ericksen and Antony Ferguson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Their voices bring the story to life, I can shut my eyes and envision every scene.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

For all practical purposes, I did. I didn't want to put it down!

Any additional comments?

I have an extensive romantic library. This is the first book I've ever given a perfect score! Well worth the credit or the purchase. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.