• Passions of a Wicked Earl

  • By: Lorraine Heath
  • Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
  • Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (341 ratings)

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Passions of a Wicked Earl  By  cover art

Passions of a Wicked Earl

By: Lorraine Heath
Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
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Publisher's summary

Known throughout for his prowess in the bedroom, Morgan Lyons, the eighth Earl of Westcliffe, cannot forgive an unpardonable affront to his honor. Discovering his young bride in the arms of his brother was a staggering blow - so he banished the beautiful deceiver to the country and devoted himself to the pursuit of carnal pleasure.

Claire Lyons was an innocent, frightened girl on her wedding day, seeking chaste comfort from a childhood friend. Now, years later, she has blossomed magnificently and has returned to London with one goal in mind: the seduction of her notorious husband. Unskilled in the sensual arts, she burns nonetheless for the kisses too long denied her. And she has but one Season to win back the heart of the rogue she betrayed.

They are masters of seduction, London's greatest lovers. Living for pleasure, they will give their hearts to no one... until love takes them by surprise.

©2010, 2011 Jan Nowasky (P)2012 HarperCollinsPublishers

Critic reviews

"Plenty of... twists and turns appear en route to the passionate conclusion. Complex, emotional romance and a hint of mystery complete this tale, which will have readers eagerly anticipating the next installment." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Passions of a Wicked Earl

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    164
  • 4 Stars
    117
  • 3 Stars
    43
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    4
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
    87
  • 3 Stars
    41
  • 2 Stars
    13
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    5
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    145
  • 4 Stars
    100
  • 3 Stars
    38
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    6

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great writing, story line bothered me some.

Would you listen to Passions of a Wicked Earl again? Why?

I would go straight to books 2 and 3. Although the book is well written, I hate stories where the hero is turning to other women, I have a hard time finding any redeeming qualities in them.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Passions of a Wicked Earl?

When the hero was sitting at his desk and realizes that he has been missing the sound of happiness in his home. His wife and her sister are outside laughing and the sound carries in to the house.

What about Anne Flosnik’s performance did you like?

She reminds me of a Fran Drescher with a British accent.

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

Over 2 days.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Ho Hum

Lorraine Heath is like that little girl in the rhyme: when she is good she is very, very good but when she is bad, she is awful. Unfortunately, this book is of the second type! After about 2 hours I kept looking to see if it was over yet! It features a "heroine" with a weak back bone and a brain the size of a walnut. But just when you think it can't get any worse, along comes her pea-brained sister! She sounds like an opera singer warming up: me me me me me!! Unfortunately, the hero doesn't offer much more either. Forcing myself to get to the end of this recording was torture. Anne Flosnick does a good job with the reading as she usually does, but she sure doesn't have much to work with here. I definitely recommend that you not waste your money on this one.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Probably should read not listen to this one

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Although the story was good, the narrator's voice almost made me stop listening within the first 5 minutes. I won't be listening to the second book in the series just because of her narration.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The male and female lead were good characters but the sister was as irritating as the narrator.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Anne Flosnik?

Susan Erickson is the best!!!

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

A little light for a movie.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Can't Get Enough

The fantastic combination of Lorraine Heath writing and Anne Flosnik narrating is guaranteed to be good.

This story is a perfect example. My only complaint is that the antagonist might have been developed a little more to build suspense.


That aside, great love story. Great listen!!

As a narrator, Anne Flosnik grows on you - at least she has grown on me. I recall sometime ago complaining about her narration, but after a number of excellent performances, I'm sold on her.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

So much better than the Audible reviews

It was such a surprise to read the book and find it so wonderfully entertaining. I always look at amazon reviewer’s feedback prior to purchasing because they are not influenced by the narrator’s performance. As we all know a narrator can really make a book or ruin it for all. When I saw the high ratings, I decided to give the book a shot. I very much enjoyed the story and liked the push and pull between the hero and heroine. The story was completely believable and although I am not a huge fan of Ann Flosnik, I though her performance was okay. The book does not contain complicated characters or a clever plot, especially since I guessed who was behind all the mystery prior to the unveiling, but overall I still enjoyed the story very much, enough to finish it all in one day.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

loved this book

Would you listen to Passions of a Wicked Earl again? Why?

This is the first book I have read by this author and would deffinitely read more. Great regency romance.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

LOVELY LITTLE STORY

Would you listen to Passions of a Wicked Earl again? Why?

Yes, because I love stories like this. Always get caught up with them.

What other book might you compare Passions of a Wicked Earl to and why?

Did not hear much yet so can't compare it.

Have you listened to any of Anne Flosnik’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, I love her way of reading.

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

Yes when she lost the child.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Angst...

Couldn't finish this one. I readily admit many historical romance stories have somewhat implausible story lines, but authors like Lisa Kleypass and Gaalen Foley built enough mystery and intrigue, along with the usually slowly escalating sensuality between the characters, that if the story line is somewhat hoakey, the overall story is good. This one is not of that caliber.

Anne Flosnik is as usual flawless in her narration, and the only reason I was able to make it at least 1/2 way through the book.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

No

Setting: London 1853
Genre: Romance
2.5 stars
The night of her wedding, 17 year old Claire thought to put off the marital act by faking a liaison with her groom’s brother, so he walked into what appeared to be an assignation. In a rage, Morgan Lyons, the 8th earl of Westcliffe, beat his brother senseless and he sent his wife away. For 3 years she has been running his estate (and avoiding him whenever he visited) while he has been in London screwing any unmarried woman who would have him. For the past 6 months he has been in an exclusive relationship with a young widow, Lady Ann. Now Claire has come to town because her father had given her 18 year old sister one season to find a husband or he’ll marry her off to an old lecherous man. She requires Westcliffe’s assistance in presenting the younger woman to society.
The premise of this novel of a couple getting back together after an estrangement is not unique. The plot hanging on that premise leaves much to be desired. The character of Claire did not impress me. She is weak and stupid, as evidenced by her deciding to fake-f**k her brother-in-law (who was also a childhood friend) instead of just talking to her husband about her trepidation. Westcliffe is a despicable, faithless bounder who married Claire for her dowry and spends it buying baubles for his lovers. Even the secondary characters are unpleasant. Yeah, there is just so much stupid here. I usually enjoy second chance love stories, but this one just didn’t do it for me. There is too much meanness, too much immorality, followed by too much drama.
The audio translation is just.... no. Anne Flosnick is inconsistent. In this, she talks like her mouth is full, she’s laconic, and she’s whiny. I generally have to be desperate for an audiobook to buy it if she is the narrator, but sometimes she turns up good. Not so with this, but she couldn’t have made it better even if she’d been perfect.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Meh - Could be better

Would you try another book from Lorraine Heath and/or Anne Flosnik?

I'll continue listening to books by Lorraine Heath, though hopefully not with Anne Flosnik as narrator. I am not at all a fan of Ms. Flosnik's reading style, finding it overly-dramatic and rather staccato.

Would you recommend Passions of a Wicked Earl to your friends? Why or why not?

This was neither the best nor the worst of Lorraine Heath's works. I did not find the hero very likable until near the end, the 'misunderstanding' at the beginning of the relationship seemed very far-fetched and highly contrived, and the heroine was very girlish and dramatic. I also found the blatant adultery of the 'hero' hard to overlook. He did redeem himself somewhat near the end though, acting selflessly in an effort to ensure her happiness, which salvaged the story a bit for me.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Anne Flosnik has several bad narrating habits that detracted from my enjoyment of the book. For instance, she tends to draaaaaw out the last word in a sentence if she's trying to make it seem dramatic - which lends itself more to melodrama than drama. She also needs to relax some. Her diction is so PAINFULLY precise and staccato that it's more like being bludgeoned with words than being read to. Her female characters tend to sound either uptight or feather-headed and her males come across as very gruff.

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