Never Kiss a Rake

Scandal at the House of Russell, Book 1

By: Anne Stuart

Narrated by: Xe Sands

Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Anguished by death. Driven by revenge. Bryony Russell and her two sisters are left destitute by the disgrace and unexpected death of their father, a wealthy shipping magnate. He left a cryptic note, and Bryony is determined to find the real villain and clear her father’s name. In disguise as a servant, Bryony infiltrates the home her of father’s business partner to find proof of his guilt...or innocence. It’s not just clues that Bryony finds, but temptation too.... Adrian Bruton, Earl of Kilmartyn, immediately suspects there is something not quite right about his new housekeeper. The brooding, irresistible rake plays along because he has his own guilty secrets, and his venal, scheming wife holds the key to them, trapping him in a hate-filled marriage. But against his will he’s fascinated by Bryony, seeing past the scars on her face to show her the beauty she never knew she had. Bryony must uncover the truth and attempt to preserve her father’s legacy before things go too far and she falls in love with a man who might very well be her worst enemy.

©2013 Anne Stuart (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Hard to stop listening

Loved, loved, loved this book. The narrator did an excellent job of character voices, most especially the Adrian, the earl.

A number 1 first class read!

This is a reread for me, I think it hits all the high spots, well written, witty dialog, unusual plot twists, great hero and heroine and well narrated. The plot just hums along never getting bogged down. I read/listened to it in one sitting and best of all , Amazon offers both formats for Free! I have to also mention the very attractive cover.

Another story butchered by bad narration

What would have made Never Kiss a Rake better?

A different narrator! Preferably one that is english or can actually pull off different accents seamlessly, and definitely one with a less grating tone of voice.

If you’ve listened to books by Anne Stuart before, how does this one compare?

It's just plain torture. Butchered accents for every character. I honestly cannot tell you whether the story is good or how it compares to her others because I could not stand another moment of listening to the train wreck happening within my ears. I will have to revisit it again sometime in the future.

How could the performance have been better?

Like another reviewer said, an english narrator should be used for an english romance. Unless the person is fully capable of pulling off ANY accent, don't get an american to try to perform english, irish, or anything european.The english accent was very poorly done and wavered back and forth between a butchered english accent and an american accent. The irish accent wound up sounding VERY southern. The voice and tone of the narrator was also very grating.

Any additional comments?

I'm having the same problem as a previous reviewer. I was not able to finish this story because I couldn't stand the voice of the narrator, let alone her butchering of all the accents for the characters. Because the narration is now stuck in my head, I cannot finish reading this book until I give it some time to allow my mind to forget THE VOICE. Otherwise, there is no hope of me giving the story a fair chance without the taint of bad narration lingering in my brain.

What a waste of an interesting premise

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

More complex character development, plot twists, and believability. After reading the storyline, I thought this could be an interesting plot. It was not; not remotely. I kept thinking that surely this story was going to progress and deepen. It did not. It's what I call a straight line. Almost the entire book happens in a matter of days with little development of what brought us to this point, we are simply told of past events. No complexity at all.The performance was a little fast, but I rather appreciate that. I did have trouble understanding the male lead.

What was most disappointing about Anne Stuart’s story?

It was silly, protracted foreplay and little else. I felt like I was in the head of a 16 year old. The villain was so inconsequential and underdeveloped that he might have had 100 lines devoted to him. I kept asking "Why?" "Why would these characters be behaving in this manner?" The answers were not clear.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Never Kiss a Rake?

There is a violent murder in the house and no one hears it. The heroine cleans it up and never says a word, and everyone acts like it's life as usual. I found much of this story difficult to believe.

Any additional comments?

I had just read two intense, epic sy-fy books and thought I would read a quick, historical mystery, as I do periodically. I may never again.

Creepy Hero, bad narration.

Well I tried to finish this book. I got all the way to 50% and just couldn't listen any further.
The hero was just to creepy, and the narration made him even more creepy. The character development was lacking, the chemistry between the two was forced and just not good. The story line was blah. And the fact that he was married and she was the "pretend housekeeper" ridiculous and why did she have to have a pockmarked face? well only half her face was marked, hmmm....... do people only get the pox on once side of their face?? I think not. That was stupid.

I am glad I got this book free on my kindle unlimited along with the narration, and didn't waste my money, but it sure was a waste of my time.

The narrator was terrible, awful, and just grating on my last nerve.

I do not recommend this book with or without the narration, but especially with the narration. Sorry.

Tacky and Not Worth Finishing

"Innocent" Virgin Throws Herself at Lecherous Married Lord. But it's okay if he commits adultery because he isn't happily married. Also because he is a Lord.
The narrator's accents come and go.
This would be a mediocre Victorian age romance but the adultery ruins it for me.

Didn't realize it was a nasty romance

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Didn't get past page 24. F word twice, nipples, whatever. Wanted a good period romance, not a harlequin. Super sad cause it sounded like it would be a good story.

Not my cup of tea

What did you like best about Never Kiss a Rake? What did you like least?

I liked the whole who-done-it mystery feel of the book, it kept me intrigued and interested for the first few chapters. What ruined it for me was the whole steamy sex crap. I'm sorry but if half the conflict of the book is the main two character's desire to bang each other, I lose interest pretty quickly. I should have known better than to listen to an 'adult fiction' book. But the story seemed interesting so I totally fell for it. This is why I stick to YA books, because the author can't rely on sex scenes and ridiculous wanton desires to keep the book interesting. In YA books you need a good story and great, compelling characters.

What was most disappointing about Anne Stuart’s story?

I never felt invested in any of the characters, I couldn't care less what happened to them, and eventually I stopped listening.

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

I had no issues with the performance.

Do you think Never Kiss a Rake needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Well, since I didn't really get to the end of the book, I have no idea. But even if there was, I wouldn't read it. I am sure there are plenty of listeners out there who love this stuff, but it's not my cup of tea.

More erotica than historical romance

The author has a relatively good story-line but it gets lost in tedious seduction scenes. I tried to fast forward through these since after the first one or two they were just interminable but, well, they are interminable.

Sex sex sex

So much sex it ruins the story. The story line is so broken up. I didn’t finish this book and it is the second time I tried to listen.