Her Husband's Harlot

Mayhem in Mayfair, Book 1

By: Grace Callaway

Narrated by: Erin Mallon

Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Not quite a wife...

After a disastrous wedding night, proper Lady Helena Harteford fears for the fate of her new marriage. Disguised as a doxy, she tracks her husband down at a bawdy house to reason with him...and instead discovers the thrill of forbidden passion. An innocent ruse turns into a risky deception; how far will this once-wallflower go to win her husband's love?

Unfit to be a husband...

Orphaned at an early age, Nicholas Morgan escapes his violent beginnings to become a successful merchant - only to discover that he is the legitimate heir of the Marquess of Harteford. His transition to the ton is rocky and made rockier when he marries above him. Torn between guilt and lust, he tries to protect his sweet, innocent wife from the demons of his past. But can he safeguard her from his own raging desires?

Caught between past and present...

When a dangerous nemesis rises from Nicholas' past, husband and wife must work together in order to survive. From the drawing rooms to the stews of Regency London, they find themselves caught in a game of passion and seduction. Will true love prevail? Or is Helena destined to remain...Her Husband's Harlot?

Her Husband's Harlot was a 2010 Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Finalist.

©2011 Grace Callaway (P)2012 Grace Callaway

This had redeeming qualities but was a bit much

What did you like best about Her Husband's Harlot? What did you like least?

Some of the sex scenes especially in the beginning were almost pornographic and I actually stopped reading for a while but had to see what happened. I felt like a lot of sex was written in simply for the sake of sex and without a real point and it turned me off. Finally we got to the real story and I think the relationship that eventually developed between the characters was touching, I just wish there was more story and romance and less gratuitous sex. I don't mind steamy love scenes but it was just too much.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I thought this narrator was excellent and performed the accents well.

Did Her Husband's Harlot inspire you to do anything?

Seduce my husband ;)

Incorrect pronunciations abound

Readers who mispronounce commonly used words from the Romance genre should either be better edited or fired! The weird Mid-Atlantic accent doesn’t help. I could have enjoyed this somewhat silly & unbelievable story if it had a good reader. As it was, I just couldn’t finish it when there are so many better books out there.

Wow! This book is hot & steamy!

Fair warning, this is NOT your classic romance novel--which I somehow didn't realize when I purchased it :) As the title suggest, there is a lot of sex in this book, and it's not all flowers & champagne. This is a story about two people who are surprised to find that the person they married is not only a decent human being, but the man/woman of their fantasies. For Nicholas, this means a woman who is demure, witty, & intelligent in the drawing room, but both innocent & eager to learn in the bedroom. And, after accidentally witnessing some fairly scandalous behavior, Lady Helena finds that what she really wants is a man who can make no-holds-barred love to her. Callaway actually does a pretty good job of making this an integral part of their love story. It becomes a way for them to get to know each other in their marriage.

Erin Mallon did a great job as narrator.

Historical Romance-Mix of Modern & Period Language

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I'm very mixed on this book. It was set in a historical time, but most of the time I forgot that (except for the m' lords and m' ladies).

The premise/plot was a good mystery however there were a lot of graphic sex scenes as well.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

It was enjoyable, I just felt confused a lot of the time - as to what era I was in.

Did Erin Mallon do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes, there were not a lot of main characters-and each had their own voice.

Was Her Husband's Harlot worth the listening time?

I liked it - so for me, yes.

Summary

Not quite a wife...

After a disastrous wedding night, proper Lady Helena Harteford fears for the fate of her new marriage. Disguised as a doxy, she tracks her husband down at a bawdy house to reason with him...and instead discovers the thrill of forbidden passion. An innocent ruse turns into a risky deception; how far will this once-wallflower go to win her husband's love?

Unfit to be a husband...

Orphaned at an early age, Nicholas Morgan escapes his violent beginnings to become a successful merchant - only to discover that he is the legitimate heir of the Marquess of Harteford. His transition to the ton is rocky and made rockier when he marries above him. Torn between guilt and lust, he tries to protect his sweet, innocent wife from the demons of his past. But can he safeguard her from his own raging desires?

Caught between past and present...

When a dangerous nemesis rises from Nicholas' past, husband and wife must work together in order to survive. From the drawing rooms to the stews of Regency London, they find themselves caught in a game of passion and seduction. Will true love prevail? Or is Helena destined to remain...Her Husband's Harlot?

Any additional comments?

For the true historical romance fan they may have issues with the contemporary language and/or the lack of 'real' history.

I may pick up the next book in the series but not for a while.

NOTE: Strong language and graphic sexual content.

Really HOT

This sorry was good. I was a bit frustrated that the heroine kept doubting herself, but once she got her confidence together the story line picked up speed and whizzed by with exhilarating speed. I enjoyed this story and look forward to reading the rest in this series.

Yuck

No story line only sex! I like steamy scenes but this was just bad. More like erotica then HR. I wish I could get my money back.

mundane, stupid, sleep material

too many biring scattered chapters, inner thoughts, sex scenes way too much and dont work with storyline. storyline is flat, all over the place and a waste of credit. Wife is pathetic, it drags on . I'm not finishing it at 15 chapters I give up, I tried and tried.

Quite a book

The story line was good but the book was way way, way, too erotic. Whether they were thinking about it or doing it! It spoiled the subject of the book, unless it was sex for some people. Sorry, just did not like it.

Crass and crude language

What could Grace Callaway have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Take out the crude language from what was supposed to be love settings for main characters.

Have you listened to any of Erin Mallon’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Haven't listened to any of Erin Mallon's other performances before.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Revulsion. Language made me cringe.

Any additional comments?

Love scenes very detailed could have been erotic but crude language big turn- off.

Disappointing

This could have been better. The story, when it could be discerned, wasn't bad. The narration was quite good. The love scenes could have been romantic but they were vulgar and crude. I almost didn't finish this.