An Inconvenient Ward

Publisher's Summary

Although this book is part of a trilogy, each book is a stand-alone story in its own right.

Lord Michael Dunham is bored of society, bored of fickle women, but above all that, he is afraid. His father suffered from madness, and Michael is terrified that he will inherit the same affliction. He scrutinizes his every mood swing, his every expression, to see if he can detect any signs that he is developing the symptoms. It blights his life. He has determined that he will never marry, putting a wife through the same that his mother suffered, and he certainly will never have children. The disease will die with him.

Miss Elizabeth Rufford is a young lady who is more comfortable managing an estate as far away from society as she can possibly be. She would rather be planting crops than dancing a quadrille, rather be building walls than playing cards. She did not seek a London season when she came out of the schoolroom and would be happy never to visit the capital.

A line in a will force the two together. Lord Dunham is Elizabeth's guardian, whether she likes it or not, and she really does not like it! Bounding into his life in the most outrageous way possible, Elizabeth makes an impact she never intended to. Michael is drawn to the feisty woman and suddenly finds that it is hard to fight one's demons when Elizabeth Rufford is a part of your life.

©2014 Audrey Harrison (P)2016 Audrey Harrison

A good story and even better listening experience

Any additional comments?

This is a well-told and believable regency story. Elizabeth is a good female character who is engaging and authentic at the same time. Michael can be a little annoying at times but also pretty real. The plot has some twists and a fiendish antagonist but is fast paced and mostly light and funny. The fact that Elizabeth stands out from society (mainly by not wanting to conform to her designated role in society but by doing something she really likes and is good at) is, uncharacteristically for light regency books, met with a strong rejection by society, so this is not a book about how the female character wins everybody with her odd ways and magically becomes the centre of a doting group who initially rejected her. It’s a believable story specifically because all the strictures and limitations of the regency period are in place and Elizabeth and Michael have to find their way and what they want (he is also a bit of an outsider from society) despite these strictures. Even so, it’s still an easy and light read with some genuine and funny characters, leaving a good felling about it.

I was given a copy of the audio book to review and I would recommend it to everyone who enjoys regency novels. The narration is outstanding with an excellent range of voice and tone, greatly improving the listener experience. Elizabeth Klett has a way to bring the regency period to life in her narrations, leaving the listener even more pleased with a book.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Narrator was great

Elizabeth Klett, the narrator, was superb as usual. Author put together an interesting if somewhat farfetched story.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Recommended for lovers of Regency romance

I enjoyed the story overall, and Elizabeth Klett's narration is always a joy to listen to. In An Inconvenient Ward there was some treachery involved and a secret that could have a profound impact on the main characters. It was nice to see how it all played out in the end. I was pleasantly entertained, and recommend it to lovers of Regency romance.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Good Old Fashioned Historical!

Would you listen to An Inconvenient Ward again? Why?

Yes

Any additional comments?

This book reminded me of the first Silhouette historical romances I used to read! I loved this book. And I thought Elizabeth Klett did a great job with the narration.
I look forward to reading the other books in this trilogy!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

I enjoyed this listen very much

Any additional comments?

What a great listen this was. First, the narrator was perfect! She voiced Michael and Elizabeth with some serious skill The story had enough fun, intrigue and bad guys to keep you listening and the ending was very satisfying.

This is the first in a trilogy so I'm looking forward to the next installment.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

A lighthearted timewarp

I actually liked this book a lot. I felt that the love story portion was a bit frustrating but then remind myself that the point of reading is to feel something. This book provided insight to the culture of that time. It is interesting to compare how people spoke to each other under the rules of propriety versus how we communicate now. If the rules of today were applied, all the turmoil from this story would have been resolved in 30 minutes. I thought the resolution to the story was good but after getting to know the characters so well, it would have been nice to see how their lives played out. Maybe an epilog talking about their lives in 5 or 10 years could provide that closure and glimpse into their 'happily ever after'.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Entertaining Regency Romance

Any additional comments?

Nice, easy ,enjoyable, entertaining regency romance.
Although this is a typical regency romance the story is very well written.
There is the titled gentleman Lord Michael Denham and his unexpected, unwanted and unconventional ward Miss Elizabeth Rufford. Of coarse there is an attraction between the two, but because of the propriety of the era they resist this temptation and continue to do as society expects of them. Of coarse they can only resist for so long. The romance develops slowly and believably between them. There is some fun, intrigue and danger along the way to a nice HEA.

This is the first time I have listened to a book narrated by Elizabeth Klett. She is the perfect narrator for this kind of story. She did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life.

This is the first book by Audrey Harrison that I have listened to, and I was not disappointed in the least.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator or publisher at no cost for an unbiased review.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Pleasant read

If we can have cozy mysteries, can we have cozy romances? (No explicit erotica) The plot is situationally funny most of the time (there are those money grubbing relatives), believable for the time period (Regency), and the characters are fully developed and relatable. All in all, I enjoyed it. Just my sort of escapist read.
E. Klett did fine work as narrator. Don't expect great voice range (for the men), but get caught up in her emo portrayals.
This audiobook was provided by the narrator, author or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudioBookBoom.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Enjoyed this Audible book.

The characters were wonderful. Intrigue, and romance. Fun read. Worth the listen. Can't wait for the next book.

Much lengthier than it needed to be

Not a very well developed storyline as not much happened throughout the book except a 45 min piece two hours before the end. Took me days to finish when I take only a day to finish books double this length when engaging. Good performance. I’m sorry that the story holds her stars back as well.

Another favourite!

I loved this book, it was perfect and I have acquired a good opinion of the author and also the narrator. I particularly liked the charming yet, realistically flawed characters. With the exception of the villains, that is, for obvious reasons. This audio book managed to have me laugh, scoff and all that in between. The dry humour, the witty sarcasm, and the eccentric, vivacious ward- Elizabeth- were a well crafted recipe for a good story.

This book had me amused for hours. I do admit that initially, I had been put off by the cover. I had misjudged this book to centre on history. And whilst I do appreciate history, I had been looking for an entertaining read. And pleasantly, I quickly found that this audiobook was just that. I don't think I like the cover much, at all. It portrays Elizabeth as a dull creature, when she is anything but.

The story follows a young unmarried man, Michael who has recently acquired the title of Lord. And with the title he also acquires a young ward. He immediately takes a shine to her, but is knowledgeable of his duty. And he endeavours to protect this young woman, under her care, and introduce her to London society so that she may find a husband. There are a number of books that follow this same storyline, but this one takes a more comedic turn. Of course, there is the scandal, and harboured secrets, but there is just as much silliness and jovial dialogue.

And, unlike the other stories, Elizabeth discovers true love- far from the shallow and rigid constitution of London's high society. You see, she begins to realise that she must stay true to who she is- and not venture to depths unknown. The dandys who surround her at the season are not enough to pique her interests, she never even wanted to get married.
This is, yet, another, reason why I liked her- she's an independent woman, with no cares for scandalous gossip. Her only wish is to secure an estate of her own.

Many readers may have found that the story was slow, but I preferred this- it was more realistic, the two protagonists establish an easy going, platonic friendship built on honesty right from the start. It was the perfect basis for their later relationship.

The ending was fit for the story. And, there were parts which were utterly ridiculous, especially how Michael deliberately decided not to enquire about the nature of his father's madness. You will not believe how this plays such a role on his life! But this aptly accentuates his care for his sister and his wish to protect her.

Speaking of his sister, we are told that she has children, and that Michael has a solid relationship with them. I feel this was added as an afterthought, to contribute to Michael's secret, because we are never introduced to the children nor is Elizabeth, when she is housed under Michael's sister's roof.

Despite this, it really was brilliantly written and performed. Klett's voice enlivened the story, it was professional, patient and I don't believe I grew weary of it at all. An ideal and fitting choice.

I can vouch that you will not regret purchasing this audio book.

I received this audio book through Audio book Blast.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

A lovely story

What about Elizabeth Klett’s performance did you like?

I love everything about Elizabeth Klett's performance. Her tone of voice, her accent and her ability to inflect emotion into her speech as well as perform various male and female characters all easily distinguished from the other. The listener only has to sit back, relax and enjoy the story unfold.

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

I enjoyed this book immensely. I loved that the story developed around the pair falling in love with each other but were unable to voice it.
I loved how the Duke was protective of his ward and came to her rescue on more than one occasion during her societal debut and other social events. He chases away suitors and defends her against her hideous and greedy relations.
I liked the suspense towards the end but felt that the storyline of the pair being prevented in being together was a little dragged out and could have come to a conclusion sooner. This being said, I knew the pair would work it out in the end and I just had to be a patient reader.

Any additional comments?

I received a copy via audio book blast dot com in exchange for an honest review

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great book

One lovely book and well narrative it was a joy to listen to many thanks

Amusing and light hearted listen

I enjoyed this book because I was looking for something light hearted and amusing - it fit the bill. I have now listened to all 3 books in the trilogy and this one, for me, is the best. It did feel like the 'does he doesn't he' and 'does she, doesn't she' element dragged out a bit too much for my taste, but that's only my personal opinion and not a reflection on the whole book. I would listen to this book again in the future if I want a bit of escape again.

Not impressed

I am a fan of Georgette Heyer. This book is full of anachronisms, much of what the characters say & do is straight from the 21st century. The reasons Lord Dunham wouldn't marry were too foolish and protracted to keep the couple apart. Having read the reviews I was expecting a great deal more. I didn't feel the narration was up to much either

Entertaining Regency Romance

Regency romances are almost never unique. That said, Audrey Harrison has given this story incredible sparkle to make it interesting and entertaining. The story includes a strong yet vulnerable and faintly naïve female protagonist who pushes the limits of acceptability in the ton. There is an equally strong yet vulnerable man who is man enough not to stifle the woman or feel threatened by her. Throw in the bad guys, ballroom drama, a little medical misinformation, a plethora of interesting side characters and you have regency entertainment at its best. Elizabeth Klett has a beautiful narrative voice and has remarkably reflected the little nuances in the story.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com.