The Daring Miss Darcy

Lost Ladies of London, Book 4

By: Adele Clee

Narrated by: Liisa Ivary

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

When a lady discovers that even the most unworthy deserve a second chance at love....

Miss Estelle Darcy is running from her past. Everyone believes she drowned in a shipwreck off the French coast, and many times she wished she had. The smugglers who rescued her are not the sort of men one crosses. Still, London is a vast city with plenty of unsuitable places where a lady might hide. 

Lord Trevane's pledge to find Miss Darcy has him in a quandary. The only woman ever to haunt his dreams is dead. The only woman Vane ever loved perished eight years ago on the Torrens. Moreover, how does one look for a ghost? And why would he want to when he's convinced the lady abandoned him and eloped with her lover? Besides, he has his own problems. Renowned for being the most dangerous lord of the ton, ladies are scheming to bed him. Jealous men are plotting to drive a blade through his cold heart. And he has plans to wreak vengeance on the scoundrel responsible for ruining his sister. 

But when Fate intervenes and throws them together again, Estelle and Vane must address the mistakes of the past. Neither can risk acknowledging the love they once shared. Damaged by their experiences, both believe it's too late for second chances. So, how will they fare when the wolves come knocking? How will they fare when passion burns and their need for each other proves too tempting to resist? 

Regency historical romance with elements of mystery and suspense
Contains some descriptive sex scenes
Approx. 70,000 words

©2018 Adele Clee (P)2018 Adele Clee

Too Contrived

The story was too long and full of mind babble. Every time I thought the entire past of the Heroine would come out, there would be some disruption, so the flo was disjointed.
I am not sure why the author gave so much unnecessary descriptions , as it was distracting. It seemed like filler for what is really a very short story.
If the heroine just told her story to the hero, then this could have been a 2 hour book. There were so many contrived plot points ( such as Mrs Erstwhile illness, that seemd to be poisin...I am just not sure why this was a required plot point).
The h/h love each other from the beginning, so not sure what the issue is for them to get together. Also , the hero promised to tell the heroine's brother (Fabian) when he found her. Weeks go by without the hero doing that. If A man has been looking for his sister for 8 years, you would think when she was found a message could be sent asap!!
Too much of this story is silly and not worth the time .

a great ending to an enjoyable series

Everyone believes Estelle Darcy drowned in a shipwreck off the coast of France eight years ago, but really she’s been running from her past all this time. She was rescued by smugglers, but now she knows to much about their operations and leaving hasn’t been so easy. Fortunately, she’s found plenty of places to hide, both from her enemies and from those she loves.

Ross Sandford, the Marquess of Trevane, promised his brother-in-law he’d search for the man’s missing sister. But Ross knows that the woman he loved must be dead. He has no idea how to begin searching for a ghost, especially when the woman left him to elope with another. Ross has been broken ever since and developed quite the reputation as one of the most dangerous lords in London. Ladies throw themselves at him and jealous men plot his demise while Vane himself plans revenge on the man who orchestrated his sister’s ruin.

When Vane and Estelle are thrown together again, a reckoning of the past is in order. Neither is prepared to open up about their feelings or risk their hearts again. They’re different people now, so surely a second chance is out of the question. When danger continues to hound them, the passion they both still feel may not be enough to ensure their future together.

I was so happy to have Ross’ story at last and he turned out to be just a lovely a character as I thought he’d be. At times, however, I was extremely frustrated with Estelle and her treatment of Ross. Her reasons for leaving and staying away seems a bit feeble to me and it took her too long to be honest with Ross, but she did redeem herself eventually. I enjoyed the mystery aspects in this one immensely, even if they did lead to me being rather frustrated by Estelle’s naivete. The narration was enjoyable, if a little dramatic in this case, but that mostly well-suited the story. This was a lovely second chance story and a great ending to a series I have thoroughly enjoyed.

Good story but

I thought this was a good story and great narrator but too much sex - unnecessary so

OUTSTANDING SERIES

Keep writing you are so very gifted!!!
Voices great too
Life’s roller coasters & LOVE can heal & help everyone 😘

A journey of two tortured souls

This book is so much more than a love story with a touch of mystery. This is the journey of two tortured souls kept apart by greed and treachery. I instantly fell in love with the hero and heroine. I cried for them and prayed for their happy ending. Ms Clee did an outstanding job portraying them. And, as always in books written by this excellent author, the mysteries surrounding our couple left me turning page after page in anticipation of what was going to happen next. This is another well-executed storyline and I hope there will be more. I highly recommend every book in this series. The Daring Miss Darcy can be read as a standalone but all four books in the series are wonderful. The narrator is also doing a wonderful job. The more I listen to her the more I enjoy her performance.

Discovering Love Never Dies

I really loved this story. I was captured from the beginning and got caught up in the sizzles between Estelle and Vane/Ross. The story was engrossing as we find out what kept Estelle from Ross for eight long years. Both were hurt, yet still loved one another. The mystery and ghosts of the past kept the couple thrown together. The narrator did an excellent job of keeping me in suspense at the right moments. She kept the excitement of the story going. I highly recommend to those that love romance and steamy sex scenes.

Mysteries uncovered and romance.

This was an entertaining story full of action. I was waiting for Vane’s story and wasn’t disappointed. I liked the main characters, Vane and Estelle. They had both been through so much during the eight years they had been apart. The obviously still had strong feelings for each other but both had changed during the years apart. The secrets were slowly revealed as to why Estelle left suddenly and what happened to her. However there is also another problem to be solved concerning another peer. I loved the secondary character of Mr, Erstwhile and his insightful observations. I thought the final scene with him was very touchingly. The narrator certainly brought the characters to life, using different voices for the various characters.

Great Conclusion to the Series!

Lord Trevane thought he'd lost the love of his life when Estelle Darcy was lost in a shipwreck off the coast of France. Her loss was even more painful to Vane as all signs pointed to her running away with a lover. For eight years, Vane tried to dispel the ghost of Estelle's memory. When her brother insisted that she was alive and that Vane join in the search for her, Vane refused. But Fate intervened when Vane came face to face with Estelle in a dark alley.

This was a wonderful ending to the series. It was nice to catch up with two of the other couples and especially to see so much of Christian, he was my favorite hero from the series, with Vane a close second. This was a steamy read with explicit scenes tastefully done. It can be read as a standalone but I do recommend reading the rest of the series!

I really liked both Vane and Estelle as the main characters, but I fell in love with Estelle's protector and friend, Mr. Erstwhile. What a sweet kind man! Vane had some great qualities, his determination, his loyalty, his obvious love for his sister. Estelle was passionate and loving, and I thought they were great together. The mystery of where Estelle had been, and what her new admirer had in mind, kept me hooked and listening.

The narration was done well, with different voices for each character and a lot of spirit. It kept me captivated! I requested a copy of the audiobook, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

A romantic, swoon-worthy experience!

For a romantic, swoon-worthy experience, listen to The Daring Miss Darcy!

I LOVED The Daring Miss Darcy! Not only are a well-written mystery and a delicious romance intertwined throughout the plot, but it is a VERY touching book. Adele Clee brings her characters to life so believably that you feel as if you know them personally.

The narrator, Liisa Ivary, did a VERY good job with differentiating all the character voices and adding feeling to the scenes.

Lord Ross Sandford, Marquis of Trevane, is a bitter, angry, shell of a man compared to the man he was eight years ago. That was before the love of his life, Lady Estelle Darcy, ran away after promising to marry him and then perished in a shipwreck off the coast of France.

Having been told Estelle has been seen alive, he goes on a quest to find her, even though he knows it is a useless endeavor. Not only useless, it brings his heartache and pain to the forefront and he suffers all the more for it.

Then he and Estelle do find each other! Ross cannot believe she ran from him and wants to know WHY. For reasons of her own, Estelle does not want to tell him. Eventually, she tells him everything which only deepens the mystery and increases the danger surrounding them.

You will NOT be disappointed with this GREAT book. At the end, Ross acts in a SELFLESS and HEROIC manner, giving us a truly romantic, swoon-worthy ending! I highly recommend it!

I received an advanced copy, which I listened to. I have voluntarily reviewed it and given my honest opinion.

Perfection

This is Vane and Estelle's story and what a story it is!
She is the lost sister of Fabian, the pirate from book 3 and she really believes that her history of the past 8 years makes her unworthy to be part of her original society level and status, so she keeps away from the man who has always loved her as well as from her brother.
Vane has been tricked into finding her so does all he can to do this.
In this story you will meet up with an evil, conniving temptress, some of the characters from the last book and some very endearing new characters too.
I loved the way this tale was like a web of exciting or delightful scenes passing easily, one to the other and making it into a very readable and enjoyable book.
Adele Clee and Liisa Ivary have shown once again how great teamwork can entertain a reader and make one feel as if they are participating in a story and so I am very happy to recommend it.
I requested and received a free copy of the audiobook and this is my voluntary and unbiased review.

A brilliant series

Adele Clee is one of my top favourite historical romance writers and 'The Daring Miss Darcy' was an excellent addition to the Lost Ladies of London series.

This second chance love story is lovely. The two characters fall back in love very naturally and without resentment and anger getting in the way of them being together again. There is also an element of suspense to the story to do with a couple of very nasty characters. This I love as the suspense always keeps me hooked and turning the pages.

The narration is excellent and faultless. A very good production.

I really loved this story and I recommend all of the books in the series.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy provided by the author at my own request.