Finding Lady Enderly

By: Joanna Davidson Politano

Narrated by: Sarah Nichols

Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Raina Bretton is a rag woman in London's East End when a handsome stranger appears in a dank alley and offers her a glittering smile and a chance for adventure. Rothburne Abbey has a unique position for her, one that will take her away from her hardscrabble life and give her a chance to be a lady. Things she could only dream of might be coming true. But some dreams turn out to be nightmares.

Though Raina has traded squalor for silk and satin, something about the abbey is deeply unsettling. As she wrestles with her true identity, the ruin, decay, and secrets she finds at the heart of the old mansion tear at her confidence and threaten to reveal her for who she really is. Only one man stands between her and the danger that lurks within - and only if he decides to keep her biggest secret hidden.

©2019 Joanna Davidson Politano (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

A Christian story

it was an okay story, witha complicated mystery
What bothered me was that became a Christian story for the last quarter of the book. It became primary motivator of the main heroine. I would have preferred to have known that.

A positive love story

It was refreshing. Didnt have to wade around sex scenes or bad language or anything unsavory. Yes she spoke of God, but it was reference that goes with the tale. It was a very positive theme. And no one need be forwarned about its content. Good clean 👌

Complex Romantic Christian Fiction

If you have been disappointed by Christian fiction that is trite and overly symplistic, you will be delighted by this complex, romantic story and the mystery involved. This book is made intricately more valuable by the spiritual insights of the characters involved.

Unpredictable!

I really enjoyed this book. I thought I had it all figured out, as I often can with these kinds of books but this one had a unique story that kept me guessing. It did take me a little while to get into it, but once I did I finished it in one day. I will be looking for other books by this author in future.

Heartbreakingly wonderful!

This is truly a remarkable work of art. Not once could I guess the next piece of the plot.
Masterful narration to top it off.

I think I could have loved the story

I think this is a good read… But it’s hard for me to say because the narration is absolutely ruining it for me. I slowed it down tremendously and that helped but the narrator is speaking the voices of an old lady and an old grumpy smoker instead of two young lovers and a beautiful rich evil man. It completely ruined the story

Needs a better narrator

The story was fairly interesting, but the narrator didn't do a good job. There was little difference between the characters' voices. The male voices were scratchy and irritating to listen to.

Pygmalion With Twists

Take a poor young woman and offer her a life of luxury because she bears a striking resemblance to a portrait of a Countess that has been traveling abroad for years. The plot thickens as she begins to ask questions. Where is the Countess? When was the last time she spent time on the family estate? At times it becomes so Pygmalion-like I began thinking of the “rag woman” as Eliza Doolittle and her creepy mentor as Henry Higgins. Like the classic story her “creator” begins to desire her—unlike the classic—this is neither love nor appreciation but patriarchal entitlement and classism. As a poor woman, with no family or protection she must unravel this multilayered mystery in order to gain her freedom. (At least that is oft repeated story she seems to keep telling herself) There are a lot of twists, characters introduced including a long lost love who happens to work on the estate.

I like stories where a person’s faith influences their life decisions. What I really don’t appreciate is having it become part of the plot twist 3/4 of the way through a novel. This should have been classified as “Christian Romance” Historical Fiction Mystery. It’s all well and good when it’s your faith being represented but now imagine she suddenly begins reading the Koran or becomes a Buddhist and you may see how her new found religious values feels disconcerting. IF it had been stated in the genres I would have most likely still read it. It would have been more authentic and felt less like a hidden agenda. TBH—Her deceptive impersonation of another woman and ongoing lies completely undermines this faith story. It really bothered me.
Overall it’s an interesting mystery, there are some good themes concerning women no matter what their station, the societal gender rules of Victorian England and what freedom can look like.
I didn’t like the lost loves accent changed throughout the audiobook. For some reason the narrator made 20 years old sounds at least twice their age.

“Secret messages” were being exchanged from literature throughout the book. One glaring mistake was they were supposedly quoting Liz daddc Bennet when it was actually a line from Persuasion.

Hoping it will get better

I’m hoping this book gets better and that I can hang in until then. There is a mystery element, which, quite frankly, is the only reason I’m still listening. I want to know the answer to the mystery. But the plot to set everything up is implausible and a bit over the top, and the main character is wishy washy, annoying, and unbelievable. I want to give her a good shake! And if part of your premise is that the characters are well read in literature and use it to leave messages to each other, get your book and character correct. She quotes a line saying it is spoken by Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. It’s actually spoken by Captain Wentworth in Persuasion. The narration would be okay except that it makes all the characters sound about 40 years older than they really are.

Beautiful love story

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book but I absolutely loved the ending!

Ok, if you don’t mind biblical references

I got this from the plus catalogue. I didn’t realise it was classed as Christian fiction, so my dislike of the biblical references is my problem not the authors. The story starts well, a little far fetched but intriguing. But I struggled to keep interested as the tale progressed, I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was wrong. The narrator is ok but there were some suspect accents. I gave up around chapter 15. So, ok as a freebie.

Amazing clever clean romantic adventure .

This book is more than Amazing. I can not enough English to tell all this book gave me. It is more clever than Agatha Cristie it is romantic without a lot of nonsens. And on top of all it is, it tells the story about God's love to a human rag of person. I love it.

Disappointed

At the beginning I thought the story was good with a twist that made it differ from most. I enjoyed the way the two main characters communicated with each other. However the whole book was spoilt for me with the constant pushing of religion towards the end.

Good enjoyable story

very good moving story most intriguing story lines with a twist of drama and my story.

Unexpected

A different story line indeed, creative in so many ways.
I never read the summary before and just started listening and couldn't not have imagined what the story was all about.
Best of all, Sarah Nicholas' voice.
I can listen to that voice over and over again

I enjoyed this book

I liked the references to other books, especially Jane Austen and Dickens, and the journaling at the start of each chapter. The hero and heroine were very likeable too.

great

this book was gripping the oratory was fantastic, I only wish there was a second book thank you to the author and the orator

Enjoyable

I enjoyed this book and it’s story kept me interested. Only negative was all the religious stuff which got on my nerves.

Really enjoyed this book

This is the second book I’ve listened to from this author and it did not disappoint. So nice to have a quirky storyline rather than an utterly predictable one, it kept me guessing and wanting more all the way through. I really appreciate the lack of foul language or silly live scenes. Will buy another by the same author.

Nice little story

Easy to listen to with the exception of the trowel thick religious virtue signalling that it lays on in the second half.