Once Upon a Page

Shadowing London, Book 1

De: Jessie Clever

Narrado por: Diana Croft

The most dangerous thing a lady can possess is a profession.

Ten years ago, Penelope Paiget promised she’d wait for Samuel Black. But 10 years ago, she was only a genteel, impoverished paid companion, forced into service after her father’s death revealed his insurmountable debts. Now she’s a successful novelist, posing as secretary to the Earl of Wickshire to hide her identity.

The most dangerous thing a gentleman can possess is a past.

Ten years ago, Samuel Black chose to go his own path instead of upholding his family’s legacy as spies. But now having fought for the formation of the Metropolitan Police Force, echoes of his past and his true origins remind him just how unworthy he is to call himself detective inspector. Let alone Penelope Paiget’s husband.

But when a dead body appears in the Earl of Wickshire’s drawing room, they have no choice but to trust each other with their secrets if they are to find the killer before it’s too late.

Once Upon a Page is the first book in the fast-paced, thrilling historical romance Shadowing London Series. If you love sweet, heart-stopping romance, spellbinding intrigue, and unexpected danger, don’t miss this captivating series from bestselling author Jessie Clever. Discover adventure and romance when you download Once Upon a Page today.

©2017 Jessica McQuaid (P)2022 Jessica McQuaid

Much Ado About Nothing

Really - ten years? And the reason was so stupid. For him & for her. I cant believe I'm writing this, but a couple of distracting sex scenes would've been an asset. The entire story was nonsense. Even the so-called spy family was a big fat zero going nowhere, as was the missing professor and the supposed other suitor. This author spends so much time setting things up, but it never actually lands or goes anywhere. Everything is purely surface with no emotional connection (not between the characters nor with the reader); nor did any logical path in the plot lead to a realistic conclusion that made sense. Many hours of lukewarm plot leads that were all duds. I wanted so much to root for the characters, but root for what? Nothing happened of note in this 10-hour audiobook that moved the mystety forward or made the characters more feeling to each other or the reader. The so-called mystery ends with the idea that the malevolent person they're looking for will be in the next book of the series. I seriously doubt it. Even the HEA romance was completely lukewarm & passionless. My guess is you'll have to look forward to dozens of lukewarm plot hours full of characters you want desperately to like & root for (but can't) leading up to a mediocre reveal at the end of the series.

enjoyed this book very much

diana croft is such so great at narrations
she brings the story alive and this book was so good didn't want it to end
the main woman in the story had Firey red hair why does the book cover show a brunette...

"Her fingers twitched"

I'm very curious how that sentence ended up in this book so many times. Surely an editor or publisher read the book before it went to market. I listened to the entire story but was underwhelmed and overall not very happy with the purchase.

Boring

Not up to Jessie Clever’s work seems like someone else wrote the book . Very tedious and I felt like I was slogging through mud to read it , I didn’t finish the book . The narrator wasn’t very good either .

Boring

I really love well written HR, but this is not one of them. I am writing this at the 5hr/half way marke and it is so boring I have moved out of ear shot and when I came back ...I don't feel like I missed anything.
It is also at this point when they have a discussion about sex. Why I don't know, but there it is. I have been reading some very good post WW1 mysteries that have a romantic couple, but they don't focus on sex, as the stories are filled with action and interesting plot lines. I have come to realize ( a little too late) that authors that keep using sex as a substitute for good writing are lazy. they also don't think much of their readers to pawn off a poorly written book, but just throw in some sex and the "stupid reader" will lap it up. I feel that is what this book represents, and I don't like it.
This is my first book by this author and it will be my last. I may have grown out of this formula, that keeps readers "interested" with little love scenes. I am not sure if it gets better, but I am not willing to spend anymore time waiting for a plot worth reading to begin.