-
Darling Beast
- Narrated by: Ashford McNab
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

pick 2 free titles with trial.
Buy for $16.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Wicked Intentions
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Ashford McNab
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Infamous for his wild, sensual needs, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is searching for a savage killer in St. Giles, London's most notorious slum. Widowed Temperance Dews knows St. Giles like the back of her hand-she's spent a lifetime caring for its inhabitants at the foundling home her family established. Now that home is at risk.....
-
-
I don't understand the bad reviews. I enjoyed it!
- By Katherine on 12-24-12
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
Not the Duke's Darling
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Ashford McNab
- Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Freya de Moray is many things: A member of the secret order of Wise Women, the daughter of disgraced nobility, and a chaperone living under an assumed name. What she is not is forgiving. So when the duke of Harlowe, the man who destroyed her brother and led to the downfall of her family, appears at the country house party she's attending, she does what any Wise Woman would do: She starts planning her revenge.
-
-
What????
- By Lady Di on 12-19-18
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
The Raven Prince: Booktrack Edition
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Widowed Anna Wren is having a wretched day. After an arrogant man on horseback nearly crushes her, she arrives home to learn she is in dire financial straits. The earl of Swartingham is in a quandary. Having frightened off two secretaries, Edward de Raaf needs someone who can withstand his bad temper and boorish behavior. When Anna becomes the earl's secretary, it would seem both their problems are solved. But when she discovers he plans to visit the most notorious brothel in London, she sees red - and decides to assuage her desires....
-
-
Spoiled by the music
- By Janette on 12-23-18
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
Once Upon a Maiden Lane
- A Maiden Lane Novella
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Ashford McNab
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Miss Mary Whitsun is far too intelligent to fall for the rakish charms of a handsome aristocrat. But when the gentleman in question approaches her in a bookshop, mistaking her for his fiancée, Lady Johanna Albright, the flirtatious encounter only raises more questions. Could Mary, a servant raised in a St Giles orphanage, actually be Lady Joanna's long-lost twin sister? If so, Mary has been betrothed since birth - to the rakishly handsome aristocrat himself....
-
-
Great book and awesome narration..
- By Trish R. on 11-15-17
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
To Taste Temptation
- Legend of the Four Soldiers, Book 1
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Britain’s high society—le bon ton—loves nothing more than a good scandal, and they’re giddy with the appearance of wealthy Samuel Hartley. Not only is he self-made, American, and in the habit of wearing moccasins, but he is also notorious for fleeing a battle in which several English gentlemen lost their lives. Lady Emeline Gordon is captivated by Samuel. Not only does he defy convention with his unusual dress, his sensual smile, and his forthright manner, but he survived the battle that killed her beloved brother.
-
-
Loved It
- By Cathie on 10-26-10
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
Once Upon a Christmas Eve
- A Maiden Lane Novella
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Ashford McNab
- Length: 3 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Adam Rutledge, Viscount d'Arque, really rather loathes Christmas. The banal cheerfulness. The asinine party games. And, worst of all, the obligatory trip to the countryside. His grandmother, however, loves the holiday - and Adam loves his grandmother, so he'll brave the fiercest snowstorm to please her. But when their carriage wheel snaps, they're forced to seek shelter at the home of the most maddening, infuriating, and utterly beguiling woman he's ever met.
-
-
Terrible novella but great narration..
- By Trish R. on 12-07-17
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
Wicked Intentions
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Ashford McNab
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Infamous for his wild, sensual needs, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is searching for a savage killer in St. Giles, London's most notorious slum. Widowed Temperance Dews knows St. Giles like the back of her hand-she's spent a lifetime caring for its inhabitants at the foundling home her family established. Now that home is at risk.....
-
-
I don't understand the bad reviews. I enjoyed it!
- By Katherine on 12-24-12
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
Not the Duke's Darling
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Ashford McNab
- Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Freya de Moray is many things: A member of the secret order of Wise Women, the daughter of disgraced nobility, and a chaperone living under an assumed name. What she is not is forgiving. So when the duke of Harlowe, the man who destroyed her brother and led to the downfall of her family, appears at the country house party she's attending, she does what any Wise Woman would do: She starts planning her revenge.
-
-
What????
- By Lady Di on 12-19-18
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
The Raven Prince: Booktrack Edition
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Widowed Anna Wren is having a wretched day. After an arrogant man on horseback nearly crushes her, she arrives home to learn she is in dire financial straits. The earl of Swartingham is in a quandary. Having frightened off two secretaries, Edward de Raaf needs someone who can withstand his bad temper and boorish behavior. When Anna becomes the earl's secretary, it would seem both their problems are solved. But when she discovers he plans to visit the most notorious brothel in London, she sees red - and decides to assuage her desires....
-
-
Spoiled by the music
- By Janette on 12-23-18
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
Once Upon a Maiden Lane
- A Maiden Lane Novella
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Ashford McNab
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Miss Mary Whitsun is far too intelligent to fall for the rakish charms of a handsome aristocrat. But when the gentleman in question approaches her in a bookshop, mistaking her for his fiancée, Lady Johanna Albright, the flirtatious encounter only raises more questions. Could Mary, a servant raised in a St Giles orphanage, actually be Lady Joanna's long-lost twin sister? If so, Mary has been betrothed since birth - to the rakishly handsome aristocrat himself....
-
-
Great book and awesome narration..
- By Trish R. on 11-15-17
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
To Taste Temptation
- Legend of the Four Soldiers, Book 1
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Britain’s high society—le bon ton—loves nothing more than a good scandal, and they’re giddy with the appearance of wealthy Samuel Hartley. Not only is he self-made, American, and in the habit of wearing moccasins, but he is also notorious for fleeing a battle in which several English gentlemen lost their lives. Lady Emeline Gordon is captivated by Samuel. Not only does he defy convention with his unusual dress, his sensual smile, and his forthright manner, but he survived the battle that killed her beloved brother.
-
-
Loved It
- By Cathie on 10-26-10
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
Once Upon a Christmas Eve
- A Maiden Lane Novella
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Ashford McNab
- Length: 3 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Adam Rutledge, Viscount d'Arque, really rather loathes Christmas. The banal cheerfulness. The asinine party games. And, worst of all, the obligatory trip to the countryside. His grandmother, however, loves the holiday - and Adam loves his grandmother, so he'll brave the fiercest snowstorm to please her. But when their carriage wheel snaps, they're forced to seek shelter at the home of the most maddening, infuriating, and utterly beguiling woman he's ever met.
-
-
Terrible novella but great narration..
- By Trish R. on 12-07-17
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
Wicked and the Wallflower
- The Bareknuckle Bastards, Book 1
- By: Sarah MacLean
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Wicked Comes Calling... When a mysterious stranger finds his way into her bedchamber and offers his help in landing a duke, Lady Felicity Faircloth agrees - on one condition. She’s seen enough of the world to believe in passion, and won’t accept a marriage without it. The Wallflower Makes a Dangerous Bargain... Bastard son of a duke and king of London’s dark streets, Devil has spent a lifetime wielding power and seizing opportunity, and the spinster wallflower is everything he needs to exact a revenge years in the making.
-
-
Narration detracted a lot for me. Listen to sample.
- By Elaine C Grimes on 07-09-18
By: Sarah MacLean
-
The Counterfeit Scoundrel
- A Novel
- By: Lorraine Heath
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born into an aristocratic family, yearning for a life beyond Society’s strictures, Marguerite “Daisy” Townsend is an enterprising sleuth. Hired to obtain proof of a wife’s infidelity, she secures a position in the household of the woman’s lover, never expecting to be lured into the seductive blackguard’s arms herself. Devilishly handsome, David Blackwood, known widely as Bishop, quickly realizes the enticing maid is interested in far more than dusting. She aims to uncover his sins. Although tempted by the dangerous beauty, he can’t risk her learning the truth.
-
-
Couldn’t finish
- By Margaret Stock on 04-05-23
By: Lorraine Heath
-
Duke of My Heart
- By: Kelly Bowen
- Narrated by: Ashford McNab
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Captain Maximus Harcourt, the unconventional tenth Duke of Alderidge, can deal with tropical storms, raging seas, and the fiercest of pirates. But he's returned home from his latest voyage to find a naked earl - quite inconveniently deceased - tied to his missing sister's bed. And he has only one place to turn. Now he's at the mercy of the captivating Miss Ivory Moore of Chegarre & Associates, known throughout London for smoothing over the most dire of scandals.
-
-
Awesome read..
- By Trish R. on 01-28-16
By: Kelly Bowen
-
The Notorious Lord Knightly
- A Novel
- By: Lorraine Heath
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A scandalous book by an anonymous author takes London by storm, and everyone is convinced its villainous “Lord K” is the greatly admired Earl of Knightly. Heartbroken that he left her at the altar, Miss Regina Leyland impulsively sought revenge by revealing the true Knightly to the world but never expected the uproar to bring enemies to her door. To keep her identity hidden, she must trust the one man with the power to destroy her.
-
-
Very entertaining
- By Vallo on 09-10-23
By: Lorraine Heath
-
A Duke in the Night
- By: Kelly Bowen
- Narrated by: Ashford McNab
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The first novel in a new historical romance series from Kelly Bowen.
-
-
Struggled with this book. Good Narration
- By Tracy T on 03-29-18
By: Kelly Bowen
-
Knockout
- A Novel
- By: Sarah MacLean
- Narrated by: Mary Jane Wells
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With her headful of wild curls and wilder ideas and an unabashed love of experiments and explosives, society has labeled Lady Imogen Loveless peculiar…and doesn’t know she’s one of the Hell’s Belles—a group of vigilantes operating outside the notice of most of London.
-
-
Smart, witty, sexy and fun.
- By EP on 08-27-23
By: Sarah MacLean
-
Romancing the Duke
- Castles Ever After
- By: Tessa Dare
- Narrated by: Carmen Rose
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the daughter of a famed author, Isolde Ophelia Goodnight grew up on tales of brave knights and fair maidens. She never doubted romance would be in her future, too. The storybooks offered endless possibilities. And as she grew older, Izzy crossed them off. One by one by one....Now Izzy's given up yearning for romance. She'll settle for a roof over her head. What fairy tales are left over for an impoverished 26-year-old woman who's never even been kissed?
-
-
I LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS REGENCY ROMP
- By CAROLYN 🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹 on 01-30-14
By: Tessa Dare
-
My Darling Duke
- Sinful Wallflowers Series, Book 1
- By: Stacy Reid
- Narrated by: Mary Sarah
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Miss Katherine Danvers has always been a wallflower. But now with her family on the brink of financial ruin, she finds herself a desperate wallflower. To save her family, she'll do anything. Luckily, she has the perfect plan.... She'll impress the ton by simply announcing she is engaged to the reclusive and mysterious Duke of Thornton, Alexander Masters, and secure strong matches for her sisters. No one has heard from the duke in years. Surely he'll never find out before her sisters' weddings and she can go back to her own quiet life.
-
-
Horrible Narration
- By Amazon Customer on 01-24-20
By: Stacy Reid
-
Mine Till Midnight
- By: Lisa Kleypas
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Miss Amelia Hathaway, a beautiful and strong-willed spinster, has looked after her unruly younger siblings ever since the death of her parents. Romance is the last thing on her mind. But when reckless brother inherits a title, the Hathaways are flung into the unfamiliar world of the English peerage. And Amelia, who’s always refused to lean on anyone’s shoulder, finds herself turning to a sexy, dark-haired stranger for help.
-
-
It’s a No for me.
- By Kathleen H. on 06-25-20
By: Lisa Kleypas
-
A Matter of Temptation
- By: Stacy Reid
- Narrated by: Sasha Higgins
- Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Miss Wilhelmina "Mina" Crawford is desperate. Having been ruined in the eyes of society years ago for one foolish, starry-eyed mistake, she spends her days secreted away at her family's crumbling estate, helping her brother manage the land but not able to truly live life the way she's always dreamed. When her brother admits to just how dire their finances have gotten, she takes it upon herself to procure employment . . . but the only one who will even consider the scandalous idea of a female secretary is the brilliant, ruthless, and infuriating Earl of Creswick.
-
-
Flowery, sugary, and adverb-y
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 03-13-23
By: Stacy Reid
-
Bombshell
- A Hell's Belles Novel
- By: Sarah MacLean
- Narrated by: Mary Jane Wells
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After years of living as London’s brightest scandal, Lady Sesily Talbot has embraced the reputation and the freedom that comes with the title. No one looks twice when she lures a gentleman into the dark gardens beyond a Mayfair ballroom...and no one realizes those trysts are not what they seem. No one, that is, but Caleb Calhoun, who has spent years trying not to notice his best friend’s beautiful, brash, brilliant sister.
-
-
I’d give the performance 6 stars if I could!
- By Lit_Goddess on 08-29-21
By: Sarah MacLean
-
A Daring Arrangement
- The Four Hundred Series
- By: Joanna Shupe
- Narrated by: Mary Jane Wells
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lady Honora Parker must get engaged as soon as possible, and only a particular type of man will do. Nora seeks a mate so abhorrent, so completely unacceptable, that her father will reject the match—leaving her free to marry the artist she loves. Who then is the most appalling man in Manhattan? The wealthy, devilishly handsome financier, Julius Hatcher, of course….
-
-
Gilded Age Story
- By K. M. on 01-26-23
By: Joanna Shupe
Publisher's summary
RT Book Reviews, Best Historical Romance nominee, 2012
A man condemned...
Falsely accused of murder and mute from a near-fatal beating, Apollo Greaves, Viscount Kilbourne has escaped from Bedlam. With the Crown's soldiers at his heels, he finds refuge in the ruins of a pleasure garden, toiling as a simple gardener. But when a vivacious young woman moves in, he's quickly driven to distraction...
A desperate woman...
London's premier actress, Lily Stump, is down on her luck when she's forced to move into a scorched theatre with her maid and small son. But she and her tiny family aren't the only inhabitants—a silent, hulking beast of a man also calls the charred ruins home. Yet when she catches him reading her plays, Lily realizes there's more to this man than meets the eye.
Out of ash, desire flares.
Though scorching passion draws them together, Apollo knows that Lily is keeping secrets. When his past catches up with him, he's forced to make a choice: his love for Lily...or the explosive truth that will set him free.
Critic reviews
"Hoyt's writing is imbued with great depth of emotion ...Heartbreaking ... an edgy tension-filled plot." (Publishers Weekly)
More from the same
What listeners say about Darling Beast
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kaye
- 11-03-14
I'm Done with This Series
What did you like best about Darling Beast? What did you like least?
While Hoyt's writing is usually engaging enough to keep me going even when I'm not enjoying the characters and/or story, I just can't anymore.There isn't a book in this series (of seven so far) that I can definitively say I loved. I liked Megs and Godric's story (Lord of Darkness) best of all seven, but still had some issues with that book.I'd been hoping that Hoyt was going to match up Apollo and Phoebe in this story---imagine the opportunity for conflict with a blind heroine and a hero who couldn't speak!---but, alas, she introduced a character from completely outside of the "Maiden Lane" world (even though we haven't been in Maiden Lane for ages); a character who was insipid at best, annoying at worst. And, in this book, she also reintroduced the device of the Plot Moppet in the overly precocious and overly annoying Indio and his Italian greyhound, Daff. (And for a precocious seven-year-old, at times he talks suspiciously like a three- or four-year-old)---a plot device that I have never liked in any book I've ever read.As with many of the other books in this series, I never felt/believed any existence of chemistry (other than sexual) between the main characters. Apollo never lived up to the potential of being a "wounded warrior" character with PTSD the way he was built up in the previous book, which was really disappointing. I almost quit reading early in the series, but then I got Megs and Godric's story and regained the hope that the rest of the books would improve from there. Unfortunately, this didn't happen. So it's time to cut my losses and give up on the series.
Did Ashford McNab do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?
I was really excited to see Ashford McNab back as the narrator of this book. She's one of my favorite audiobook performers, and I'd enjoyed her narration of the first four books. However, she (or the author or the director) made a couple of very disappointing decisions in two of the characters.The worst was with Lady Phoebe. It's bad enough that the character has gone complete blind over the course of the series. Did she now have to develop a severe speech impediment to rival Sylvester the Cat? I almost quit listening halfway through Phoebe's second scene, it was so bad. Phoebe has never had a speech impediment (this was more than just a simple lisp) in the other audiobooks, and it's not referred to in the book. So this was a poor, poor decision.The other, not quite as annoying (because she has little page time) is the way Artemis sounds like a bad send-up of a bass-voiced drag queen. the vocalizations of her dialogue were pitched lower even than Trevillion's or Apollo's, making it especially confusing when she was in a scene with a male character.While this doesn't put me off as a fan of McNab's talents, it didn't help any in a book I was already having trouble enjoying.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 10-14-14
I will be so sad if Phoebe has a lisp in book 8
Would you listen to Darling Beast again? Why?
I don't think so. I have listened to the other stories more then once, but this book seems more like a standalone. It had very little of the other characters that I love to see appear again and again in the series. It brought in Phoebe and Artemis and Maximum, but only briefly. We also never visited the foundling home. I enjoyed the story, but it was not one of my favorites.
What aspect of Ashford McNab’s performance would you have changed?
When Phoebe was in the story, she had a lisp. I had to go back and listen to her when she spoke in Duke of Midnight and she did NOT have a lisp. I really did not like the lisp at all. I will not want to hear her read like that in the next book, especially since she is the heroine! Besides Phoebe's lisp, I like Ashford McNab's performance.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I did listen to it all in one setting. I had planned my day (which actually included re-arranging my whole week) around the release of this book.
Any additional comments?
I hope the next book has more scenes with the families all together. Silence, Hero, Megs, Temperance, etc. I also hope there are more scenes with the orphanage.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Moriah
- 10-21-14
Enjoyable Listen
I found this to be an enjoyable read and a nice addition to the Maiden Lane series. I was eager to see how Apollo got his happy ending after meeting him in Duke of Midnight and I thought Hoyt did a good job. Lily was up to the task of healing Apollo and helping him clear his name. I really enjoyed Indio and the antics of his dog Daff. If you are looking for an entertaining listen to helps time fly I highly recommend this book. I only gave the performance 4 stars because I did not like Phoebe's lisp. In no previous book was a mention of her having a lisp mentioned and I truly hope that the narrator does not give Phoebe a lisp in her book (the next book in the series).
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Michele K.
- 01-07-15
Great Story & Characters-with the exception of 1!
Where does Darling Beast rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I have listened to this entire series, and was waiting for this book for almost a year. I am not done listening yet, but I can tell you now that I really like the story, just as I've liked all the others.
Would you be willing to try another one of Ashford McNab’s performances?
I have listened to other books that this narrator has performed, and I think I remember liking them as well (though I don't remember, because it's been over a year ago that I read those books).
Any additional comments?
These great comments aside, I really don't like that the narrator, who narrated 4 other books in this series, gave Phoebe Batten, the Duke of Wakefield's sister, a lisp. I do not remember that in the other books, and I will have to go back and listen to her other readings, but I know in the last audiobook (the Duke of Wakefield's story) read by different narrator, that narrator did not give Phoebe a lisp, and it is the MOST annoying thing to hear it now! I really hope if Ms. Hoyt writes Phoebe's or Captain Travillian's story next, she doesn't have the lisp! Doesn't she have enough of an infirmity with being blind? I don't think she needs the drama of a lisp to add romance to her story!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ashley
- 10-27-14
Good story
What made the experience of listening to Darling Beast the most enjoyable?
I enjoyed the story but really disliked the narrator.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
The narrator was horrible and the fact that pheobe had a lisp was very frustrating as a listener
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Aida A Lorenzana
- 10-22-21
Best one so far for me
Darling Beast ( maiden Lanes )Book 7 by Elizabeth Hoyt. Apollo Greaves falsely accused for murder trying to fight for his freedom and Lily Stump, a desperate actress who with a son has lost everything and is living day by day in ruins. They both come together and create the love they didn't think they could ever have. I think this series is my favorite. One I love how the author made the male character an unattracted Beast but with a good heart and a beautiful heroine a who found him the most darling man in the world. This series has been one of the best I have ever read and the music at the beginning and the end of the story is a pointer! On Book 8
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Olive
- 11-01-18
Great plot
Great plot but did not like that she gave Phoene a lisp. Was it because she was blind?
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Elizabeth
- 11-28-14
How I LOVE the MAIDEN LANE series!
Fabulous book. So glad to see the return of Ashford McNab...she is the voice of Maiden Lane to me..(even though I was not a fan of her Phoebe lisp)
Elizabeth Hoyt is a masterful writer who knows how to draw in a reader / listener. I didn't want to put it down.
It is strange to say in a Romance book, but the little boy Indigo and his dog Daffodil stole the show in the first half of the book!
I laughed, teared up, had many strong emotions because of this book. If you haven't discovered MAIDEN LANE...you are missing out on one of the best series of all time!
Get it Get it Get it!!!!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kiesha
- 11-26-14
Maiden Lane Should Never End
What does Ashford McNab bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
I was very upset when Ashford stopped narrating this series. I was so excited to see that she was narrating this one. However, I was a little disappointed with the narration. It wasn't her best performance. As others mentioned I hated the lisp that Phoebe's character had. I'd say that she did better with the male voices. I almost felt like she wasn't into it. Perhaps a revisit to the old books in the series to get back into character is in order? I'll give her a 3.5--will rank as a 4 just because she's usually so stellar.
Any additional comments?
I've been on a romance hiatus for about 3-4 months now. I was weary of the same format and needed a break. I bought Darling Beast when it first came out but held on to it expecting the ‘same thing.’ Boy was I wrong and in retrospect Mrs. Hoyt has never let me down so why I lumped her into the general category is beyond me. If I had to sum it up in one word: AWESOME! I don’t know if I can wait until 2015 for the next book. It feels like torture already.
We pick up where we left off for the most part. I started falling in love with Apollo from his previous appearances. I was not sure how I would feel about Lily Stump initially. However within a few minutes of the audiobook I knew that she was special. I loved little Indigo and Maude—although she was a bossy bit of goods. Daffodil was a delight as well, I wonder if she is Miss Puppy Pie in fiction form. Artemis & The Duke of Wakefield also make small appearances but we do get a chance to catch up with them.
The guy who really stole the show for me was The Duke of Montgomery. Very unlikeable initially but he grew on me; I looked forward to his scenes by the end of the book. Although I still am not sure if he’s good or bad, I want to see more of him. There was a moment where he ‘thought’ about a woman more than he usually did… Maybe he’ll get his own book or at least have a reoccurring role. Asa Makepeace aka Mr. Hart and Edwin were great as well. I would not mind reading a book about Asa. We also get a healthy glimpse of Phoebe and Captain Trevillion. Overall a very likeable cast who kept me engaged and made me smile.
The plot was engaging, there were some things thrown at me that I did not expect. The dialogue between the characters was well done. We didn't see many of those misunderstandings as in most historical romance. Lily and Apollo had great chemistry. I love that she never doubted that he was a good guy. She stuck to her convictions and stood by her man. There’s so much to the story surrounding Apollo and ‘that night.’ I was pleasantly surprised when things finally came to a head (although I saw some of it coming, it was nice to see it play out). Of course we get our HEA and I’m smiling. I smile even more because I had an audio preview of Dearest Rogue.
Is it 2015 yet? I'm so looking forward to the next masterpiece.
One of the best in the series IMO. Please keep steaming ahead Miss Hoyt, you do this genre JUSTICE! I ♥ Maiden Lane!
Overall: Story: 5, Narration: 3.5
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- heather
- 11-03-14
Nice Addition to the Series
Where does Darling Beast rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I enjoyed this next book in the series although it was not about the Ghost of St. Giles, it was nice to continue where the last book left off.
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Ashford McNab?
The narrator should have listened to the previous books because her interpretation of the regular characters' voices was wretched. Giving Artemis such a smokey, slow voice was horrid and giving Phoebe a lisp! I almost had to skip through those parts. It was such a travesty and so out of character for Phoebe. Phoebe is a strong, smart, wonderful young women who is blind. She has nothing else wrong with her. The narrator's choice to give her a lisp makes her seem foolish and child-like, simple almost. Please do not let this voice carry over into any more Maiden Lane Books!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Wicked Intentions
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Ashford McNab
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Infamous for his wild, sensual needs, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is searching for a savage killer in St. Giles, London's most notorious slum. Widowed Temperance Dews knows St. Giles like the back of her hand-she's spent a lifetime caring for its inhabitants at the foundling home her family established. Now that home is at risk.....
-
-
I don't understand the bad reviews. I enjoyed it!
- By Katherine on 12-24-12
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
Once Upon a Maiden Lane
- A Maiden Lane Novella
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Ashford McNab
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Miss Mary Whitsun is far too intelligent to fall for the rakish charms of a handsome aristocrat. But when the gentleman in question approaches her in a bookshop, mistaking her for his fiancée, Lady Johanna Albright, the flirtatious encounter only raises more questions. Could Mary, a servant raised in a St Giles orphanage, actually be Lady Joanna's long-lost twin sister? If so, Mary has been betrothed since birth - to the rakishly handsome aristocrat himself....
-
-
Great book and awesome narration..
- By Trish R. on 11-15-17
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
Not the Duke's Darling
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Ashford McNab
- Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Freya de Moray is many things: A member of the secret order of Wise Women, the daughter of disgraced nobility, and a chaperone living under an assumed name. What she is not is forgiving. So when the duke of Harlowe, the man who destroyed her brother and led to the downfall of her family, appears at the country house party she's attending, she does what any Wise Woman would do: She starts planning her revenge.
-
-
What????
- By Lady Di on 12-19-18
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
To Taste Temptation
- Legend of the Four Soldiers, Book 1
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Britain’s high society—le bon ton—loves nothing more than a good scandal, and they’re giddy with the appearance of wealthy Samuel Hartley. Not only is he self-made, American, and in the habit of wearing moccasins, but he is also notorious for fleeing a battle in which several English gentlemen lost their lives. Lady Emeline Gordon is captivated by Samuel. Not only does he defy convention with his unusual dress, his sensual smile, and his forthright manner, but he survived the battle that killed her beloved brother.
-
-
Loved It
- By Cathie on 10-26-10
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
The Raven Prince: Booktrack Edition
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Widowed Anna Wren is having a wretched day. After an arrogant man on horseback nearly crushes her, she arrives home to learn she is in dire financial straits. The earl of Swartingham is in a quandary. Having frightened off two secretaries, Edward de Raaf needs someone who can withstand his bad temper and boorish behavior. When Anna becomes the earl's secretary, it would seem both their problems are solved. But when she discovers he plans to visit the most notorious brothel in London, she sees red - and decides to assuage her desires....
-
-
Spoiled by the music
- By Janette on 12-23-18
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
Up All Night with a Good Duke
- The Byronic Book Club, Book 1
- By: Amy Rose Bennett
- Narrated by: Sasha Higgins
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Artemis Jones—respectable finishing-school teacher by day and Gothic-romance writer by night—has never lost sight of her real dream: to open her own academic ladies' college. When she’s unexpectedly called upon by a dear friend, a fellow Byronic Book Club member, to navigate her first London Season, she comes at once—who knows, perhaps she can court the interest of a wealthy patron for her school. It’ll all be fine as long as she can avoid her high-handed aunt's schemes to marry her off.
-
-
Pretty Good
- By Kindle Customer on 01-12-23
By: Amy Rose Bennett
-
Wicked Intentions
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Ashford McNab
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Infamous for his wild, sensual needs, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is searching for a savage killer in St. Giles, London's most notorious slum. Widowed Temperance Dews knows St. Giles like the back of her hand-she's spent a lifetime caring for its inhabitants at the foundling home her family established. Now that home is at risk.....
-
-
I don't understand the bad reviews. I enjoyed it!
- By Katherine on 12-24-12
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
Once Upon a Maiden Lane
- A Maiden Lane Novella
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Ashford McNab
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Miss Mary Whitsun is far too intelligent to fall for the rakish charms of a handsome aristocrat. But when the gentleman in question approaches her in a bookshop, mistaking her for his fiancée, Lady Johanna Albright, the flirtatious encounter only raises more questions. Could Mary, a servant raised in a St Giles orphanage, actually be Lady Joanna's long-lost twin sister? If so, Mary has been betrothed since birth - to the rakishly handsome aristocrat himself....
-
-
Great book and awesome narration..
- By Trish R. on 11-15-17
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
Not the Duke's Darling
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Ashford McNab
- Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Freya de Moray is many things: A member of the secret order of Wise Women, the daughter of disgraced nobility, and a chaperone living under an assumed name. What she is not is forgiving. So when the duke of Harlowe, the man who destroyed her brother and led to the downfall of her family, appears at the country house party she's attending, she does what any Wise Woman would do: She starts planning her revenge.
-
-
What????
- By Lady Di on 12-19-18
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
To Taste Temptation
- Legend of the Four Soldiers, Book 1
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Britain’s high society—le bon ton—loves nothing more than a good scandal, and they’re giddy with the appearance of wealthy Samuel Hartley. Not only is he self-made, American, and in the habit of wearing moccasins, but he is also notorious for fleeing a battle in which several English gentlemen lost their lives. Lady Emeline Gordon is captivated by Samuel. Not only does he defy convention with his unusual dress, his sensual smile, and his forthright manner, but he survived the battle that killed her beloved brother.
-
-
Loved It
- By Cathie on 10-26-10
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
The Raven Prince: Booktrack Edition
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Widowed Anna Wren is having a wretched day. After an arrogant man on horseback nearly crushes her, she arrives home to learn she is in dire financial straits. The earl of Swartingham is in a quandary. Having frightened off two secretaries, Edward de Raaf needs someone who can withstand his bad temper and boorish behavior. When Anna becomes the earl's secretary, it would seem both their problems are solved. But when she discovers he plans to visit the most notorious brothel in London, she sees red - and decides to assuage her desires....
-
-
Spoiled by the music
- By Janette on 12-23-18
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
Up All Night with a Good Duke
- The Byronic Book Club, Book 1
- By: Amy Rose Bennett
- Narrated by: Sasha Higgins
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Artemis Jones—respectable finishing-school teacher by day and Gothic-romance writer by night—has never lost sight of her real dream: to open her own academic ladies' college. When she’s unexpectedly called upon by a dear friend, a fellow Byronic Book Club member, to navigate her first London Season, she comes at once—who knows, perhaps she can court the interest of a wealthy patron for her school. It’ll all be fine as long as she can avoid her high-handed aunt's schemes to marry her off.
-
-
Pretty Good
- By Kindle Customer on 01-12-23
By: Amy Rose Bennett
-
No Ordinary Duchess
- By: Elizabeth Hoyt
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Julian Greycourt, the new Duke of Windermere, is called the Duke of Ice because of his complete, artic control. One glance from the duke's icy blue eyes has been known to make men faint. Windemere is correct, dispassionate, and completely ruthless. There are rumors, though, about the scandalous demands he makes of his paramours in the bedroom.
By: Elizabeth Hoyt
-
The Wolf and the Wildflower
- By: Stacy Reid
- Narrated by: Sasha Higgins
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London is buzzing with the news that James Winters, the Duke of Wulverton—thought lost at sea a decade ago—survived in the harsh wilderness of the Yukon. Now he's been returned to his family, his responsibilities, and a nightmarish world of artifice and noise. He has three weeks to become a refined, elegant duke for the Queen . . . or doom the entire family to ruin and scandal.
-
-
Mid
- By kayla on 08-22-23
By: Stacy Reid
-
A Good Rogue Is Hard to Find
- By: Kelly Bowen
- Narrated by: Ashford McNab
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The rogue's life has been good to William Somerhall: He has his fortune, his racehorses, and his freedom. Then he moves in with his mother. It seems the eccentric Dowager Duchess of Worth has been barely skirting social disaster—assisted by one Miss Jenna Hughes, who is far too bright and beautiful to be wasting her youth as a paid companion. Now home to keep his mother from ruin, William intends to learn what's afoot by keeping his friends close—and the tempting Miss Hughes closer still.
-
-
Story and Characters were great
- By Madz on 09-17-23
By: Kelly Bowen
-
In Bed with the Devil
- By: Lorraine Heath
- Narrated by: Susan Ericksen, Antony Ferguson
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They call him the Devil Earl - a scoundrel and accused murderer who grew up on the violent London streets. A proper young lady risks more than her reputation when consorting with the roguishly handsome Lucian Langdon, but Lady Catherine Mabry believes she has no choice. To protect those she loves, she would do anything-even strike a bargain with the devil himself. Lucian desires respectability and a wife above all else, but the woman of his choosing lacks the social graces to be accepted by the aristocracy.
-
-
5+ stars! So far beyond my expectations!!
- By BVerité on 08-24-12
By: Lorraine Heath
-
The Duke Starts a Scandal
- A Novel (Duke Hunt, Book 4)
- By: Sophie Jordan
- Narrated by: Karen Cass
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lucian, the newly minted Duke of Penning, has much to prove—to himself, his family and the ton. Craving spotless respectability, he must find an aristocratic wife. Unfortunately, he can’t keep his eyes—and thoughts—off his deliciously distracting housekeeper. Such a dalliance can only mar the facade he's constructed to protect his sisters' future from the demons of his past...but this fiery passion is a temptation he cannot resist. While Susanna may not the bride he needs, she is everything he desires.
By: Sophie Jordan
-
His Secret Mistress
- A Logical Man's Guide to Dangerous Women Novel, Book 1
- By: Cathy Maxwell
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story