Never Kiss a Rake

Scandal at the House of Russell, Book 1

By: Anne Stuart

Narrated by: Xe Sands

Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Anguished by death. Driven by revenge. Bryony Russell and her two sisters are left destitute by the disgrace and unexpected death of their father, a wealthy shipping magnate. He left a cryptic note, and Bryony is determined to find the real villain and clear her father’s name. In disguise as a servant, Bryony infiltrates the home her of father’s business partner to find proof of his guilt...or innocence. It’s not just clues that Bryony finds, but temptation too.... Adrian Bruton, Earl of Kilmartyn, immediately suspects there is something not quite right about his new housekeeper. The brooding, irresistible rake plays along because he has his own guilty secrets, and his venal, scheming wife holds the key to them, trapping him in a hate-filled marriage. But against his will he’s fascinated by Bryony, seeing past the scars on her face to show her the beauty she never knew she had. Bryony must uncover the truth and attempt to preserve her father’s legacy before things go too far and she falls in love with a man who might very well be her worst enemy.

©2013 Anne Stuart (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Engaging Romantic Suspense and Under $10

Never Kiss a Rake, is an engaging romantic suspense novel set within a historical backdrop. It starts with finding Bryony Russell and her sisters right after they were left destitute by their father's demise. The sisters weren't convinced he was an embezzler and that his death was accidental. To find proof, Bryony has set herself up as housekeeper in the Earl of Kilmartyn's home. Convinced the Earl was involved, Bryony instead finds herself falling for his rakish dark charms. Adrian Bruton, Earl of Kilmartyn, knew that his housekeeper was a spy. Instead of firing her, he decided to let her stay.

The attraction was mutual and however much they fight it, they eventually give in to the forbidden. I loved this book. The tone was definitely dark, the writing deft and successfully kept the pace that built the tension so tight you didn't really know what to expect.

The characters were well developed. Both Adrian and Bryony were not perfect heroes which adds uniqueness to the novel. The dialogue between Bryony and Adrian were witty, rapier sharp and the sexual tension palpable within. Adrian was not your usual gentleman hero, in fact he lives up to the title of rake. He had no compunction about seducing Bryony and toying with her initially. He thinks himself not a good man, "a liar, a cheat, a shallow, conscienceless cad." Bryony's feelings were also a dichotomy, she hated him for his trifling and his seductive ways and his probable involvement in her father's death. And yet she also could not deny that she was so very much attracted to him.

The way the words were used puts emphasis on what feelings these two have for each other which is a testament to the author's talent. The ending, although somewhat happy for our couple , was still in a cliffhanger way with regards to the motives for the murder of Bryony's father. Overall this was still a great listen that fans of romantic suspense should not miss.

Xe Sands did a good job with the delivery of the story.

Liked story, didn't like American reading

The story was fine. Don't get me wrong, Xe Sands is a fine narrator. However, I much prefer to hear a British accent when listening to an English romance. The American accent sounded very annoying to me.

Compelling characters, refreshing plot & narration

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would, but it's a little edgy so I would keep that in mind. A young friend, I think.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The male lead was the best. The female lead was quite frustratingly naive. The male lead was a little disturbing!…but in a compelling way.

What does Xe Sands bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Voices are superb!…but I would like her slow down just a bit. Felt a little rushed.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The warehouse scene.

Any additional comments?

More XE please, just need her to slow down a bit. More from this author as well!

Not much of a rake but loved him regardless

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this book. The book is about three sisters who lose their father in a carriage accident after he supposedly runs away with money he had stolen from the investors in his company. His eldest is certain her father is framed and sets out to clear his name. Her first stop is at her father's partner house where she accepts a job as a housekeeper. He immediately shows interest in her and tries to pursue her. His marriage is based on hatred but she will not divorce him. She also feels the strong attraction but tries not to fall for his charm. However, she gets drunk one night and they have what I’d call the book’s hottest short intimacy scenes.

Not moving...

I absolutely hate the narrators imitation of the characters. The female voices are often shrilling high...the males voices just ruined it. I thought i could tolerate it but NO!!!!

Excellent performance!

4.5 Xe Sands is outstanding. This is my first listen to one of her performances, and her soft, seductive delivery is mesmerizing. She handles male voices as well as female and is simply impressive. I am eagerly looking forward to the next Anne Stuart / Xe Sands combo due to be released in early Dec.

This is also my first Anne Stuart romance, and I chose well in my opinion. She has a lyrical, softly humorous turn of phrase that appeals to me. No talking down to the reader. I loved the hero and the heroine equally. I read somewhere that there is no bad boy hero like an Anne Stuart bad boy...which is why I decided to give this a try. And this bad boy was quite appealing.

WOW, Really Good Story and Amazing Narration !!!

Enjoyable, well written Romance by Anne Stuart, but the narration of Xe Sands hit it out of the park. This is a real treat !! I hope Audible will continue this series, and especially with Xe Sands. I have already started looking for other works by the same narrator.

I listen to alot of Great Romance books on Audible.........but this production is why I LOVE Audiobooks.

Prefect Narrative, Perfect Narration!!

Another wonderful Anne Stuart novel and XE Sands Narration!

Intelligent plot, just enough sensuality, and always a happy ending.

Narration

Narration was good on this book. Story was good but for an audio book the narration is more important than the story, it seems. In this story women sounded like women, and men like men.

Better than I thought it would be

Any additional comments?

I got this one on sale and I figured it would fair at best (as most of the sale books are). But it was pretty good, especially the ending. Usually everything ends all wrapped up as neat as can be. I like that this seemed more realistic. Very hot sex scenes and the chemistry between the 2 main characters was excellent.
On the negative side--the narrator was little too sexy, she almost growled every line. I like her voice but she overdid it a bit.