All's Fair in Love & Seduction

The Elusive Lords, Book 2.5

By: Beverley Kendall

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

Length: 3 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's Summary

She hopes to gain his affections...

For Miss Elizabeth Smith, sharing her first kiss with the charming Lord Derek Creswell is nothing short of a dream come true... that is, until she is spotted by one of the most influential gossips of the ton. With scandal nipping at her heels, to avoid total social ruin, Elizabeth must present a fiancé by the end of the Season. But when the viscount proves reluctant, Elizabeth is forced to employ a seduction of a different sort...

He is determined to ruin her...

Viscount Derek Creswell believes Elizabeth set out to trap him into marriage. After all, her sister attempted the very same thing with his brother six years before. Now the delectable Miss Smith expects a betrothal and a ring, while Derek finds her ruination infinitely more appealing...

But as Derek sets out to seduce only her body, Elizabeth is intent on claiming his jaded heart.

©2011 Beverley Kendall (P)2014 Beverley Kendall

sweet sexy HEA w/tears & smiles

A whole lot of story for such a short one. Great characters, real emotion, intriguing plot lines, and some steamy sex too....

Okay novella

Setting: London, Victorian Era
Genre: Romance

This is a novella in Kendall’s Elusive Lords series. It is about Elizabeth Smith who foolishly follows Lord Derek Creswell into a darkened garden and let’s him kiss her. She remembers him from 6 years ago, when he came to her parents home, accusing her older sister of trying to trap his younger brother into marriage (seems to me, this should have been a sign for him to avoid him). Derek doesn’t recognize her as one of *those* Smiths, but when their kiss is witnessed by one of Society’s biggest gossips, he believes that she set out to trap him. She wants to remind him of the issue between their families, but she wants to wait until he calms down. For his part, he has no intention of marrying her, but is determined to leave her well and truly ruined.
This is not a fresh premise, nor is the plot unique. I didn’t find the characters really likable. Elizabeth is stupid and Derek is single-minded in his anger.
Unless you want to read some well-written, relatively graphic, gratuitous sex, there are better books with this premise. I, personally, can’t abide stupidity and dishonesty, even in fiction, so I spent a lot of time being pissed off at these characters. Did a lot of fast-forwarding through the second listen.
Rosalyn Landor gives a great performance, providing unique voices to each character, and differentiating well between genders.

ok

I liked it but found Derek to be a prat. Elizabeth was WAY too forgiving. Loved her mother though. She was great in her treatment of Derek. Elizabeth should have been a bit more reluctant than to just forgive him right off. After the way his brother had treated her sister...but most especially the cruel way Derek treated her. Resolution was too quick.

Rosalyn Landor was terrific as always.