The Countess

By: Lynsay Sands

Narrated by: Sarah Coomes

Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

The fairy tale courtship did not turn into a happily-ever-after....

Not until her husband dropped dead, that is. He had been horrible enough to Christiana during their short marriage, and she was not going to allow the traditional period of mourning to ruin her sisters' debuts as well. So she decides to put him on ice and go on as if nothing's happened....

Until the real earl appears. Richard Fairgrave had every intention of confronting his villainous twin who had robbed him of his name and title - only to discover that he had died. Quietly assuming his identity, Richard must now deal with a maddening desire for his ravishing inherited "wife" - certainly a gold digger and possibly a murderess. And Christiana must deal with an unwanted new "husband"... and they both must figure out what to do before the ice melts!

©2011 Lynsay Sands (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

Entertaining!

I'm with the majority on this book....I thought it was funny and entertaining. It was romantic with just enough silly humor to keep me smiling. It is a good escape when you need some silly in your life. I realize everyone has a different sense of humor but if you enjoy silly romantic fun then you will enjoy this! If you enjoy only serious romances all the time then you probably need a good laugh. Try laughing sometime its good for you!!

Loved it

I guess humor like many things is all relative. I thought this book was hilarious, verging on slapstick. I could just imagine the shenanigans in my mind. It is farfetched and silly, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you take everything literally, maybe this isn???t your cup of tea, but if you want escapism and some laughs this is it.

Screwball comedy will make you laugh out loud!

What other book might you compare The Countess to and why?

So far, The Countess has no comparison. I did not expect a historical romance to be so laugh-out-loud funny. I have never had that experience before. I hope to find other books like it.

What about Sarah Coomes’s performance did you like?

Sarah Coomes is like the William Shatner of historical romance narration. Her pacing tends to the over-dramatic, with oddly-timed, suspenseful pauses in her phrasing. She was perfect for this book! So much of the humor was in the delivery, and Sarah Coomes was spot on.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed so many times, which was wholly unexpected. Even laughed on a second listen. I snorted and guffawed enough that my husband couldn't believe I was actually listening to a historical romance. He thought I must have chosen a new genre. Now he wants to listen to this book too!

Any additional comments?

I never expected a screwball comedy in a historical romance novel. It was such a pleasant surprise! No matter how the characters were described, in my mind all I could see was Cary Grant and Claudette Colbert. This was a delightfully funny, farcical romp that was well worth the credit. Excellent work, Lynsay Sands!

DON'T DO IT - I COULDN'T LISTEN TO IT !!

I am only on chapter 4 and I'm already thinking of stopping it and writing it off as a bad buy. I know some reviews have loved this as a slapstick book but I thought it would have been a romance book as other Lyndsay Sands books have been and which I have loved, but this is just painful.

If you want a silly, stupid and farcical book then buy this but I'm off to listen to something else..

Laugh out Loud Funny Romance

Would you listen to The Countess again? Why?

Yes, I will almost certainly be listening to this one again. It is so funny and entertaining. When I sought out this book it was just the perfect comedic touch I needed on a rough day.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Get your daily dose of laughs.

Good but could have been better

This book was just an ok read for me. It was very intriguing at the beginning with a suspenseful crime, a disheartened heroine with good supporting characters and a plot that would seem promising. However as the reading progressed the plot became a bit farfetched. The story had some funny episodes to it, but then the comedy became a bit more ridiculous by the minute; parading a dead corpse wrapped in a rug and then hidden in a trunk to then almost having intimacies above said dead corpse is a bit disturbing and bit too low calloused for me. The hero seemed a bit "wishy-washy" when he didn't seem to make any obvious decisions on his own and relies a bit too heavily on his supporting characters. The secondary and plot villains were obvious and nothing was left to the imagination; just another "the servants blackmailing their masters and the butler did it story." Finally, the heroine found herself being married off due to her father's alleged gambling losses and towards the end of the book we have the heroine's father showing up to come to the rescue with an uncaring attitude to the consequences. Well, if only said father felt that way in the first place, then the daughter wouldn't have had to marry the evil twin and that would be the end of it. With all out fairness, I did not fathom why the author would bring about this sudden change and impact of courage onto the heroine's father so late into the book; it really was totally unnecessary to even bring him into the list of characters and should have left him in the background of the story. With this being said, the premise of the plot was completely shot resulting in a total demising ending to the story.

Although the hero and heroine didn't seem to match much, other than in the bedroom, their relationship came out as being a very respectful one that would lead you to conclude that it could succeed in the end. But the hero does come out as being too complacent in everything with his "wife" and the wife is caught comparing her hero too much to his evil twin brother. As usual, the "I Love You's" come out a bit late in the storyline and somehow authors use it as the basis for their prelude to a successful and winning romance.

Other than a catchy first couple of chapters and good romping, this book is just average. I hope that the sequel to this novel (The Heiress) redeems the first one and that its storyline can stand out on its own. The first positive that I can give the sequel is that its heroine is my namesake.
Sarah Coombs was good with the delivery of the story

Funny. Reminded me of "Weekend at Bernie's"

Silly but enjoyable just the same. Nasty husband dies. Heroine and her sisters try to cover it up so they won't have to go into mourning because the sisters need to marry rich husbands quickly to pay off father's gaming debts. Identical twin brother who is the real earl shows up although he's supposed to be dead. The dead body gets moved around. Fun listen.

The Countess most enjoyable

Would you listen to The Countess again? Why?

Probably. Very entertaining.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Countess?

When Richard showed up at the ball.

Which scene was your favorite?

Love scene with Dickie's body in the bed.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

At first, the narrator was a bit of a distraction with a strong accent, but I changed my mind and found her to be a delightful reader. I enjoyed her very much....she was especially great with her change of voice for each character.

Any additional comments?

Some parts I found quite "steamy". Loved it. Kept my mind off of my everyday worries.

Regency Weekend at Bernie's

Would you listen to The Countess again? Why?

Yes especially if i need a good laugh.

What other book might you compare The Countess to and why?

The Deed by Lynday Sands.

What about Sarah Coomes’s performance did you like?

I love Sarah Coomes. I know she always gets mixed reviews, but I have always enjoyed anything she narrates

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was laughing out loud at the scenes where certain characters are trying to move the dead body of an unkind Earl that nobody wants discovered (especially his wife, because if people know he is dead,, she would have to go into mourning, and could not be a sponsor for her sister who is looking for a husband)

Any additional comments?

Not your typical historical romance, but sometimes it's good not to be typical.

Soo Funny

I loved it. The premise doesn't indicate it will be a comedy but boy howdy it was. I laughed and enjoyed the story beginning to end. Definitely worth the time.

hilarious

one of the funniest tongue in cheek period romances I've listened to.
very enjoyable - loved it