Beguiled

Enlightenment, Volume 2

By: Joanna Chambers

Narrated by: Hamish Mckinlay

Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Two years after his last encounter with cynical nobleman Lord Murdo Balfour, David Lauriston accidentally meets him again in the heart of Edinburgh. King George IV is about to make his first visit to Edinburgh, and Murdo has been sent North by his politician father to represent his aristocratic family at the celebrations. David and Murdo’s last parting was painful - and on Murdo’s part, bitter - but Murdo’s feelings seem to have mellowed in the intervening years. So much so that he suggests to David that they enjoy each other’s company during Murdo’s stay in the capital. Despite his initial reservations, David cannot put Murdo’s proposal from his mind, and soon find himself at Murdo’s door - and in his arms.

But other figures from David’s past are converging on the city, and as the pomp and ceremony of the King’s visit unfolds around them, David is drawn into a chain of events that will threaten everything: his career, his well-being, and the fragile bond that, despite David’s best intentions, is growing between him and Murdo.

©2013, 2017 Joanna Chambers (P)2017 Joanna Chambers

Bewitched!!!

The title is Beguiled byt I think Chambers truly means bewitched- body and soul!

David and Murdo are fighting their feelings, the times, and their beliefs constantly. Readers/listeners will be invested in their ...friendship.
while they don't recognize their feelings, you absolutely will.

Bewitched, I say!

Love this series 💕💕

Beguiled is the second book In the enlightenment series. Provoked was the first historical romance, and I wish I didn't wait so long to read it!! Anyway back to beguiled... I couldn't wait to find out what happened between David and Murdo. They still had amazing chemistry, and to watch them reconnect was amazing. David seems more sure of himself in this book. Murdo was so caring towards David. The sexy times were soooo hot 🔥, and there story itself Kees you wanting to find out what happens. I can't wait for the next book. The narrator does a fantastic job!! Beguiled is extremely well written.

Fantastic Story, McKinlay's Accents are Wonderful!

So glad for the excuse to listen to Beguiled. I accidentally listened to the third book in the series, and I kept thinking I was missing something lol.

Great series, and excellent in audio. Haimish McKinlay does an amazing job with the nuances of the Scots accents. Making each voice distinct cannot be easy, that's for sure.

A fantastic story, and I definitely recommend reading it... in order.

Amazing narrator and story

Hamish Mckinlay is so expressive—one of my very favourite narrators I’ve listened to. I adore this series. It’s the perfect mix of compelling story, characters, and romance. The emotional slow burn between David and Murdo is a delight. The sex scenes are so evocative and full of feeling, which makes them all the more erotic. The scene in this book in front of the fireplace is gorgeous. Brilliant series!

Just amazing

This book is the second in this series. I love Joanna Chambers' style of writing. She evokes so many emotions in me but the tenderness and intimacy with which she writes is overwhelming.
The narrator is superb I especially adore Lord Murdo it doesn't get any better than this, it really doesn't.
Fantastic collaboration

I adore this series, I adore it in audio even more

OMG, all the melty, gooey, yumminess. Okay, there's way more to this book, but I just adore how they are starting to admit to themselves how much they mean to each other.
I love all the details about life in this time, this is why I always say I'd go back in time if time travel was possible, although I'd likely be horrified by the difficulty of life then, I'd love the chance to experience it.
Plus I love the way she wove all the inequalities that people faced into the story without it being a sledgehammer (this is seldom done well in any story, historical or not). I enjoy all the ways it makes me think about how much things have changed, but also realize how much they haven't.
So much love for this book and series!

Audio: Some of the best audio ever. I have a weakness for Scottish accents anyway, so the fact that I can listen to some of my favorite books with a narrator that speaks with the correct accent makes this a total win for me. Plus Hamish McKinlay makes every character distinct, acts out the emotions so well, and is just everything I could want in a narrator. All the stars for his work.

So, so good!

Shees! This was fantastic!

The story starts two years after the end of Provoked, and all characters are slowly coming back to Edinburgh: Munro, Euan, Elizabeth. And all of their lives will end deeply entangled, with unexpected consequences.

George IV’s visit to Edinburgh and Sir Walter Scott's pageantry serves as background to the story, and it is there also to portray the political unrest of the times.

In those circumstances, Euan's visit is a bit suspicious and, at first, I was a little wary of him, thinking he could be trying to entrap David in some way. But soon it was evident that his motives were different.

Munro and David's relationship evolve a bit, but it's all relegated to a second plane when it becomes evident that Elizabeth's marriage to Sir Alasdair Kinnell is not a happy one, and is, quite plainly, a hell on earth for her. Euan and David are determined to rescue her, and, with Elizabeth's father benediction they go ahead with a harebrained plan to get her away of her husband and help her to settle in London.

There is a lot about women's position in this book, about the way in which they become her husband's propriety once married, and how helpless they are even when they are subject to the most brutal of treatments.

The story is truly suspenseful, with legitimately heart-stopping moments, but there is also a place for romance. And, god! I love what we have here. I love how these two men seem so angry at themselves for being helpless when faced with their unrelenting attraction. I love how we are beginning to see under Munro's facade of a bored, cynical aristocrat. David is now stronger, more self-assured, but he is still faithful to his principles. And they are at a point in the story in which they are aware that they are more than a fling for the other, but they still can't imagine a future in which they are together.

This is a beautifully written story, with complex, flawed but very human characters and a gorgeously depicted historical setting, and I simply loved every single word on it.

A great listen!

Beguiled, the second audiobook in the Enlightenment trilogy by Joanna Chambers, was even better than the first book.

Set two years after Lord Murdo Balfour and David Lauriston last met, these two men meet once again as King George IV is about to make his first visit to Edinburgh, a visit being ‘choreographed’ by Sir Walter Scott.

As narrated by Hamish McKinlay, the continuing story of David Lauriston and Murdo Balfour comes vividly to life, capturing the excitement of a rescue being orchestrated by Lauiston.

Now on to the final audiobook in the series, Enlightened.

My latest Addiction is the Enlightenment Series

Once I began listening Hamish McKinley narrate Beguiled , it was nearly impossible to stop and do some adulting.

Therefore, I happily stayed in my pajamas , drinking tea and lounging on the sofa for the entire day while enjoying this poignant , relevant, hot AF, fascinating and spellbinding historical romance.

And thanks to über talented Hamish McKinley many distinguishable voices and acting talents , I was able to lose myself in this tale. He conjured the right mood , sense of place and brought the whole thing to life.

Beguiled is Book 2 of 3 in the Enlightenment series and it cannot be listen as a standalone.

#BooksILove #AudioCreditWellSpent #ListenedOn2020 #KindleFire #Audible

Fantastic series!

This is the second book in the trilogy, and it is even better than the first. David and Murdo are wonderful together - sensual, understanding, and loving. Keeping too many secrets might destroy their relationship, which causes angst for the reader (listener), but the overall story is so good, there is just no stopping.
Elizabeth's situation is heartbreaking, as is her father's. The glimpse of King George IV is humorous and enlightening. I am so invested in this series that I want to jump into the third and final book right away. However, the performance of the narrator is so engaging, I also want to wait for the audiobook version to come out.
The author and narrator have done an amazing job bringing this world to life, and I can't wait for the next installment!