A Bachelor Establishment

By: Jodi Taylor

Narrated by: 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

Delightfull!

A fun story with lots of excitement, great dialog, and quite funny, with engaging characters. Anna Bentinck does a wonderful job of bringing the whole to life.

What Can I Say

Loved it! I usually do not like period romance but this one had just enough sass and mystery to keep me well entertained. I highly recommend it!

A very enjoyable Regency

Elinor Bascombe, widowed and living on the impoverished estate that now belongs to her long-absent brother-in-law, George, has worked hard to restore it and make it at least somewhat profitable. She's out riding her horse, Rufus, when she accidentally nearly rides down Lord Ryde--returned to his neighboring estate after twenty years following a scandal.

Lord Ryde is there to strip his estate of all possible resources, and then leave for a new life in America. In addition to their unfortunate first meeting, it's another point of conflict between Mrs. Bascombe and Lord Ryde that he believes George Bascombe, who had saved Elinor's life, also caused the elder Lord Ryde's death while robbing the safe in which much of the Ryde wealth was stored.

Their determination to coolly ignore each other is thwarted when Elinor Bascombe is shot, and due to distance needs to be brought to Lord Ryde's Rushford estate rather than the Bascombe estate.

It all becomes much more alarming when it becomes clear that Mrs. Bascombe wasn't an accidental victim. What happened the night Elinor was nearly killed and George Bascombe left, and stopped at Rushford when the elder Lord Ryde died, becomes a mystery that has to be solved.

Elinor Bascombe, John Ryde, and their friends, neighbors, and servants are great characters, likable and interesting. It's a pleasure to listen to their story. If you like Regencies and like mature characters, go for it.

Recommended.

I bought this audiobook.

Great Book

I really like the St. Mary's books, but I have to say, A Bachelor Establishment and The Nothing Girl are even better. I want her to write more of these. Funny, poignant, and imperfect characters...you will love it.

Very Satisfying

Written in the manner of Georgette Heyer and MC Beaton. The story had just the right lead characters and supporting cast — quirky and engaging. The reader is superb.

Great book / awesome performance

I can't separate how fantastic the narration is from the very witty, erudite, charming romance! So many dialects and interesting voices both male and female brings this wonderful story to life. One of my absolute favorite audiobooks! Really terrific! And very uplifting.

Amusing

The narrator brings the characters to life. The story was quite good but my favorite parts of this book is the witty banter.

First Jodi Taylor book and I am NOT impressed

Any additional comments?

I made the mistake of buying this as a Daily Deal, thinking a period mystery with a hint of romance might be a change from my mystery/thriller genre. While this was a period piece, I did not feel much history was included, other than the constant "keeping a woman in her place." The sex scene was almost laughable for the time period. I felt as though we had to plod through a longer-than-needed book to get to the meat of the story. I will say that I did enjoy the humor and sniping between characters - I did laugh aloud at times. Despite a few laughs, I doubt that I will read another Taylor book, even if she is using a pseudonym.

Delightful and Unusual Love Story

A lovely romance between two people who are both strong willed and past the first blush of youth set against the regency period's social mores. Told with Jodi Taylor's classic insight and humour. Enjoyable from start to finish.

Period romance with a twist of the modern – loved

What I loved most about this book was the considered and sensitive narration by a wonderfully skilled Anna Bentinck – I'm going to look for more books narrated by her.

This is a most charming period romance, with a hint of murder and intrigue (harmless). The characters are well drawn, even though there are many of them, and the male and female protagonists are fully human, charming but warts and all (in the style of a period romance).

A great story. I didn't want it to end, but the end was most fitting.

About the reviewer: My reviews may be critical but never unkind or malicious. I am a voracious reader who consumes books in print and audio -- fiction, non-fiction and professional reference -- in equal measure, and my reviews reflect this wide readership.

#HarmlessMurderIntrigue #FemaleProtagonist #PeriodRomance #Thrilling