House of Cads

Ladies of Scandal Series, Book 2

By: Elizabeth Kingston

Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton

Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Laura Kinsale presents... Vivez la vie pleinement...Live life to the fullest. 

That's always been Marie-Anne de Vauteuil's motto. As a Frenchwoman of highly questionable upbringing, she was shunned by genteel society. But then, an invitation to London on a mission of mercy from the very family who cast her aside lands Marie-Anne back in society - and into the arms of a man who can be nothing but trouble.  

When life gives you lemons...Make petit fours.  

Wealthy American businessman Mason is a) accidentally engaged, b) desperate to get out of it, and c) neither wealthy nor a businessman. Marriage is the last thing on his mind. Money, however, is always of utmost importance. But when he meets the irresistible Marie-Anne, she makes him rethink his life as a fraud, and hoping for something he never believed possible: A proper life with a not-so-proper wife.

©2018 Elizabeth Kingston (P)2018 Hedgehog Inc Productions

Delightful historical romance!

Nicholas Boulton does this story proud with his talent at narrating different accents (assorted English men and women, the American hero Mason and Frenchwoman Marie-Anne), providing a smooth listening experience. The story itself is perfectly delightful - a previously shunned woman now respectable due to her best friend Helen marrying Lord Summerdale (that romance being told in A Fallen Lady) helps three young woman navigate their love lives while falling in love with a man who has his own secrets. There are some interesting twists and turns, some steamy sex scenes and lots of laughs as all works out for the best in the end. Highly recommended!

Hall of fame author & narrator combo

This story was the perfect mix of sexiness, wry humor, character haughtiness, ridiculousness, romantic chemistry, and critique of classism among the peerage. If you've read other stories by this author, as I have, you may find this story considerably more sexual. I loved it, but some may not.
Mary Ann was a great character. She had progressive views, and it's rare to find a historical romance female character who was sexually open but also not a mistress or courtesan but, instead, just a woman who pursued a romantic enjoyment. She pursued sexual pleasure for the sake of her own pleasure. Wonderfully she also eschewed acceptance from the compliant peerage for her views, which were also open at a time when that was especially rare. The only negative--though a small one--was the overuse of "cad."
The Boulton narration was the huge, delicious cherry on top.

Really enjoyed the narration- but!

I am a long-time fan of Nicholas Bolton. He breed life into this book, however after reading the first book in this series "A Fallen Woman," which I enjoyed and have re-read a number of times, however I was turned off by the lewd and highly discriptive sexual content of this book. I felt that these encounters were used as fillers but did not add or enhance the story, but cheapened the main characters' supposed love story .
I will be returning this book.

this story was hilarious and I loved the narrator

Since the death of her beloved fiance years ago, before they could actually marry, Frenchwoman Marie-Anne de Vauteuil has been left in a strange limbo. She's not quite a respectable widow but instead a scandalous fallen woman. She has retreated to a small village where no one knows of her colorful past and drowned her sorrows in cake and bread, until a random letter from the almost in-laws who have shunned her up until this point sees her invited back into London society for a season.

Mason is pretending to be a wealthy American businessman but is really only in England to gather fodder for the gossip column he illustrates for his cousin. His primary goal is to make as much money as possible before his ruse is discovered and he is forced to leave town. When he meets Marie-Anne, however, Mason is immediately taken with her and desperate to end the faux engagement he has fallen into. For the sake of her friends and almost sisters-in-law, the Shipleys, Marie-Anne agrees to help Mason escape a trip to the alter.

Mason finds that Marie-Anne challenges him to rethink everything about his life and encourages him to explore his true talent as an artist. Soon he begins to think he could have a real life and marriage with her, but Marie-Anne is not so sure; she loves Mason, but she can't abide lying to her friends about how he makes his money and she's not sure he'll change the only life he's ever known, even for her.

This book was hysterically funny. The secondary characters were charming as well, but I especially enjoyed Marie-Anne. Along with the hilarity, there was also a good deal of spot on observation about love and relationships. This was a first for me from this author and a delightful surprise. I'll definitely be checking out more of her work as well as that of narrator Nicholas Boulton. He was fabulous.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My favorite Kingston Book Yet

What a delightful, engaging and fantastically steamy story! As always, perfectly narrated by Nicholas Boulton.

Great story line excellent narration!!!

Loved the main characters in this book as well as all the supporting characters. The narrator made Masons voice uniquely his and oh, so sexy!

Loved it

I truly loved this book. Nicholas Boulton was awesome as usual. This book made me laugh but still had just enough angst to satisfy my favorite type of story.

Great story and excellent narration

I really loved this book. It was a delight to listen to, both because of the excellent writing and the narration. I really felt like I got more out of the story through Nicholas Boulton's compelling narration.

Delightful

A delicious novel, a little outrageous both in wit and romance. Charming characters and beautifully written and as always wonderfully narrated by Nicholas Boulton.

Thought it was a Lucinda Brant book

This storyline seemed like one written by Lucinda Brant and her French outspoken heroine, except we have NB as the narrator instead of Alex Wyndham ( another extraordinary narrator). Storyline seems like a book in her series Nobel Satyr, so it sounded a bit redundant to me.

A bit more passion also than I am used to for Elizabeth Kingston, however, a cute storyline. Nicholas Boulton is my favorite narrator and he truly adds so much to the storyline ❤️

Nicholas Boulton is wonderful

He is simply the best narrator out there. His voice is like honey: frankly he could read the telephone directory and I would be hooked. He turns a good book into a great one. He probably reads this stuff and grimaces; but for me it is escapist heaven. Some people turn to drink or drugs when life is s**t, I turn to Regency romances. If they are read by Nicholas Boulton ... heaven! Please do more.

House of cr*p would be more apt

The plot is just too implausible. Not even the superb Nicholas Boulton can rescue it.

Everything, plus the "Babies Bath"

There are so many Hero's and Heroine's. The number one Hero is a wimp, the Heroine, being French is allowed tantrums, plenty of sex throw in. The story jumps all over the place, with lots of drama and "should I shouldn't I".
The story isn't repulsive, just crowed, with lots of characters and incidents that fly everywhere, not at all sensible.