A Bachelor Establishment

De: Jodi Taylor

Narrado por: Anna Bentinck

High adventure and dark mystery combine in a sparkling historical romance, by Jodi Taylor writing as Isabella Barclay from The Chronicles of St. Mary's.

Bascombe, widowed and tied to an impoverished estate, has learned to ask little of life. With no hope of leaving, the years have passed her by. Lord Ryde, exiled abroad after a scandal, has returned to strip his estate and make a new start in America. A chance encounter changes their plans, plunging Elinor and Lord Ryde into adventure and not a little peril until, finally, they are forced to confront the mystery of what happened on that night, all those years ago.

Are they both so entangled in the riddles of the past that they are about to miss this one last opportunity for future happiness?

©2015 Jodi Taylor (P)2015 Audible, Ltd

Bland

Typical period piece noting a strong female protagonist and a gruff male antagonist sedate English love story with little heart wrenching passion or drama. I was hoping for more.

Had potential, but a bit ho-hum

I liked the fact that the main characters were all 35-45ish. A combined mystery and romance, the book had some witty repartee between the two protagonists. I did NOT like the narrator’s male voices, any of them. She did a good job with Elinor, however. Also, the melee near the end of the book involving fireplace utensils was ridiculous and out of character for ladies of that day, since this is supposedly a historical romance. Wish the one sex scene had been omitted. Thankfully none of the vile language so prevalent in modern books was included. To sum, it was an OK way to pass the time while multitasking and driving. Have listened to better and much, much worse through Audible’s Deal of the Day.

So charming

I binged this in almost one sitting (finally had to go to sleep!) and so enjoyed the witty, moving, and well-plotted historical mystery romance that I’m tempted to listen to it all over again. Masterful voice acting is the icing on the cake!

Excellent Story

The character development is subtle and powerful. The dialogue is clever. One of my favorites

Romance, mystery, humor

And an older couple romantic romp--not old people, but older. Delightful personalities, intrigue, mystery, suspense, and a lot of Jodi's trademark humor. I didn't care so much for Anna Bentinck's reading style --it'd be nice to have Zara Ramm as narrator--but she did a pretty good job with the characters' voices.

more of a romance

than a mystery. engaging and nicely written but the mystery isn't interesting. it is basically a typical romance between a plucky resilient but feeling widow and a brooding burned out hero gentlemen. the story even calls that out itself!! still found myself engaged to the end anyway.

:-)

I really enjoyed this one partly because of the narration - but I definitely suggest you listen to the sample first. She might not be for everyone. I enjoyed the lightweight mystery, softening of a cold hearted character, and fiesty heroine. I like romance because of happy endings and not to tough on my brain when I'm tired but I don't often LOVE romance. I loved this one. Made me smile.

Outstanding!

This book was well written, well narrated, and one of the best I've heard in a very long time.
I love the characters because they are closer to my age, (55) and I just fell in love with them and the story. This is one that you can't put down and also one that you don't want to end.
Hopefully I will forget it soon, so I can listen to it again. Thanks.

Loved the story, even if it was "written" by I.B.

The story over all was wonderful. Made the commute to and from work so very nice. I like Anna Bentinck, but her men all sound "old." Her female voices all seemed to match what I would imagine, but even the brooding Lord sounded like he should be around 75 or so; not in his mid-40s. However, the story was pleasant and easy to follow - whilst I battled the traffic on I-95 during the weekdays.

very entertaining

this story was very entertaining . The reader made it even more so! I will look for another book by this author.