The Flirt

The Regency Intrigue Series, Book 1

By: M. C. Beaton

Narrated by: Charlotte Anne Dore

Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's Summary

"If I could have foreseen the future, I would have married the first man who asked me!"

Tongues were set wagging when Elizabeth Markham's glamorous young parents were killed, sinking their only child to the unspeakable class of poor relation. Forced to live with her cruel, miserly uncle Julius, Elizabeth is forbidden to partake in the season's festivities. Marriage is her only escape, and she enacts a daring plan to trick her way into the Duke of Dunster's exclusive house party, to snare one of the eligible dandies sure to dance attendance on her.

Her plan proceeds swimmingly, as Elizabeth flirts with all but the arrogant Lord Charles Lufford, considered to be quite a catch. She ignores him thoroughly until her uncle discovers her deception and Charles saves her - by announcing their engagement!

But Elizabeth's troubles are far from over, for in her absence she had come into an inheritance. And her uncle, along with one other sinister party would rather see her perish than receive it.

©1985 Marion Chesney (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Enough Already

What disappointed you about The Flirt?

I may just be tired of this genre in general. The protagonist and her love interest keep making the same stupid mistake over and over. Instead of talking openly, they act passive-aggressively towards each other and behave like eight year olds. Then, when they do communicate, it's with flowery language, which even in 19th century England would not be realistic.

What could M. C. Beaton have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I think I'm just done with this genre for a while. It was great while I was sick for six months, but now that I'm better, I need something with a little more meat. Instead of continually making something happen that could easily be remedied with a quick talk, Beaton should have chosen another device to heighten tension. The on again - off again engagement was fit only for middle schoolers.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator seems to have lung problems. She has to take breaths several times per sentence, even when it's a short one. Her voice is quite raspy, which is usually interesting. Here, it just makes the possibility of an ill narrator more plausible. I can't keep my mind on the story.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I enjoyed, as usual, the little intricasies of Regency social mores and habits. I also enjoy the description of fashion.

Any additional comments?

The story held my attention until the third time he flew off the handle and left without asking questions and the engagement was off again.

A good diversion

I love MC beaten, but this is not my favorite of hers. It was fine, but not great. Also, I am not a fan of the narrator.

Very much like her other books on this genre.

The usual tropes appear in this light romance. Maiden in distress, aloof hero, wicked uncle, greedy suitor, and of course imminent danger which leads to a happy ending. Grand escapism.

Loved this one

I liked the twist and turns this novel took me on and of course a great ending.

Great story

Loved the plot, not thrilled with the narration. She was either too flat, or trying to hard to change her voice into sounding sinister and ended up just sneering. Took away from the lovely writing. Still, I listened to the very end.

More romance novel than historical fiction

This isn't that much of a surprise, but let's just say that this book isn't exactly literature. The reading is pretty good, but some of the sentences are spoken in such a halting way, with some pauses in very weird spots, and some of the more unusual words are rather hilariously mispronounced. But to be fair, how many of us have ever had to speak the word "punctiliously"? We might have to give the reader a pass on that one. Overall, it was enjoyable and kept me interested until the end. I probably won't read it again, but it was worth the time.

Short & Sweet

I can’t say that there was anything that especially stood out much about this reading. While Charlotte Anne Dore has a lovely voice, the male dialogue often felt very mechanical instead of organic but the female dialogue was spirited.

The story itself was quaint and short, perfect for anyone who’s looking for a touch of romance and an easily sussed out mystery without requiring too much time or attention. There is some wanting, I think, in terms of character development but given it is such a short novel it is to be expected.

Horrible reader

The story is a bit of a Cinderella story as best as I can tell. Ended the book after 40 mins because the reader was so poor.

Worst Narration Ever

I am a huge fan of MC Beaton. This narrator ruined the book. I can’t imagine why Audible would use her. Extremely disappointed. The worst I’ve ever heard.

Good Story, Awful Narrator

I enjoy all of MC Beaton's books, although most of the plot lines are similar, the creativity of each different story keep me interested. Even addicted!

My favorite series is The Poor Relations. I wish it had kept going. I grew to love the main characters.

Hearing them narrated by an English woman makes them feel alive & in the moment. And at the same time are soothing; perfect for relaxing at bedtime.

All previous narrators have been excellent, with each character sounding like their described personalities & gender.

Not in this case. She plodded along, trying too hard to sound gentle & lulling, sounding like she was saying each word to the beat of a metronome.

Her female voices were acceptable, though not varied enough. It was her male voices that almost made me end early more than once. But my curiosity as to the wonderful details woven into them, differentiating stories with the same basic plots , make them thoroughly enjoyable.

Her male voices were often nasal & similar to each other. But it was the streaming monotone that was seriously irritating.

Because the other narrators have been so good, I'm very surprised at the choise of this one. A relative of the producer?

I'm going to skip any other books read by this narrator. I highly suggest listening to the sample before getting this book, in case you don't find the narration as repellent as I.