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

Overall I liked this book

Overall I really liked this book. I loved Catherine. It's not often you find a really strong heroine in a historical romance, but Catherine is one. What most people consider a strong heroine in HRs aren't. They're just appear so, because most heroines, and I use that term loosely, are written as such weak creatures. Why female authors tend to write their female characters as little more than wilting damsels in distress that can't think, breath, speak or function because a man looks at or touches them tends to border on the insulting.

I like Luke. I liked that underneath all his bravado he was a caring man, but definitely not a weak one. He was gentle when he need to be, but very tough and dangerous when it was called for.

I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5, because as others has said, Luke's I'm a fraud/not good enough/should marry angst became a little repetitive and monotonous. As did Frannie's whole I love him, but don't want to marry him/become a countess, but I'm not going to tell him story line. She was suppose to be someone that survived growing up in a band of misfits in the Rookies and a brutual rape, but she didn't have the backbone to tell the one person she most trusted she didn't want to marry him.

The narration was good, not the best I've listened to, but definitely not the worst. Her narration did not pull me from the actual story, which is always a plus. All and all this was an enjoyable listening experience and I would definitely listen to more books by the narrator and will be listening to book 2 of this series.

great first book in series

So glad to find this series. Have listened to other books by this author, this one did not disappoint. There is more depth to these characters than some other typical romances. Very interesting plot twists, and the characters are well developed. I do like this time period also, as the industrial revolution starts to impact the traditional world of the aristocrats. The blending of two worlds, and how that comes about, makes for interesting listening. Did enjoy the narrator. Only reason I didn't give 5 stars was that sometimes it was difficult to differentiate between a couple characters. Overall though she does a fabulous job. Can't wait to listen to the next one in this series.

A VERY GOOD LISTEN!!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I'd definitely recommend this book to a friend. This was my first book by Lorraine Heath, and it won't be my last. It has a very good story and a good romance. I'm so glad that this is the first in the series. I LOVE a good historical romance series!

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

The book reminds me a little of the Rohan series by Anne Stuart, but that might be because it had the same narrator. Although it is about a supposedly bad person finally being recognized as good by the 'ton'.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I think Susan Ericksen was perfect for this book although I think she has done a better job on other books. Sometimes I had a difficult time keeping the voices/characters straight because she didn't alter her voice enough. I've not had that problem with her narrations in the past.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No.

Any additional comments?

Moving onto the next book in this series. I tend to listen to mostly books that are in a series and I like series best when characters reappear in each book. I hope I won't be disappointed with the next books in this series.

Great Narrator

Thank you Susan Ericksen for making this audio book so enjoyable. You are the perfect voice for this series.

Truly Entertaining

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

Entertaining, Sensual and Surprising. I read this book twice because I always have a tendency to marathon listen the first time around and in some cases miss a lot.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Catherine, because she has a strong-willed personality; loves deeply and loyal to the end.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Susan Erickson is not good. You couldn't tell the difference between the male and female voices. I do want to listen through the series because of the reviews I've read, but I wish there was another narrator.

Any additional comments?

Without giving away the story, I enjoyed the way Catherine and Lucien came to the aid of Catherine's friend and what came from that. I loved the surprise Ms. Heath has in the story for her main characters. From that point on the book seemed to move fast for me.

I'm Hooked!

Though I've only read one romance novel in my life and found it fun but cheesy, this book had my attention from the second I finished reading its description. I couldn't resist the story line of a gang of scoundrels, murder, love, and dark secrets from the past. From the minute it began I was instantly hooked and finished it w/in 2 days. The story was SOOO good and I was in suspense the ENTIRE time. There aren't many books that keep me hanging on every word, but this certainly was one. Without being boring, it was incredibly descriptive and enabled me to to see every word like I was watching a movie.

Until this book I have never heard of Lorraine Heath, but now I seriously cant wait to listen to all the other books in this series. Its hard to imagine the idea of loving any of them as much as I did this one, but hearing the stories of all the other scoundrels will be exciting in itself.

As far as narration, I have to say Susan Ericksen was good. She had a lot of passion and spunk, and she definitely gave personality to each character. It would have been nice to hear a bit of a change in her voice from character to character, but her attitude made up for it. Antony Ferguson's parts were rough. His accent was weird and his performance was flat, but he only spoke a few minutes here and there so it wasn't a big deal.

Even if you're not much for romance novels/cheesy sex scenes this book is absolutely worth the listen for mystery, suspense, and intrigue alone. The romance was woven in really well, which is why I didn't feel like I was listening to a dirty romance novel. Think Oliver Twist/Lies of Lock Lamora meets your favorite romantic dromedy.

Beautiful story

This author is amazing. I can't get enough. I want to read anything I can get my hands on. This book was a delight. Not the same old girl meets boy story. Lorraine simply the best!

Great Book, With Twists!

This was my first book from Lorraine Heath, and I think she is an excellent writer who captures your attention. I will definatley listen to more books from Ms. Heath. She did a good job of developing all the characters, and the story does have depth and some interesting twists. However, it did take me a few chapters to get over the fact that Catherine hires Lucian as a hit man. The guy Catherine wants to kill is really evil, so you understand her motives as the book develops. The story does have some interesting sub-characters that will hopefully show-up in the future books in the series. The narrator - Susan Ericksen - is excellent. I can't wait for the next book in the series, and I hope Audible keeps the same narrator!

A Wonderful Story

Loved the relationship/love between Catherine and Luke. They both had such strong personalities. My heart broke for Luke when he finally regained his memory of how his parents had died. I loved how Catherine comforted him. The secondary characters were also very interesting and enjoyable. Will definitely be reading/listening more of Lorraine Heath. Susan Erickson was an amazing narrator.

Suprisingly Endearing to the End

Would you consider the audio edition of In Bed with the Devil to be better than the print version?

I have never read the print version, but I did like the performance since she made the voices very distinct.

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

Then Came You. It had simliar time settings and had the girls trying to hide something.

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

Yes, I liked having a different narrator for the letters. Only thing that would have made it better is if he would have voiced him throughout the entire book since that's the voice that is introduced in the very begining.

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

Towards the end I didn't want to stop listening.