The Gentleman in the Ash Tree

Allen Abbey Romances, Book 1

By: Rosanne E. Lortz

Narrated by: Maria Johnson

Length: 4 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

When Eloise Blackburn finds a strange gentleman perched in the leafy branches of an ash tree, she has strong suspicions he is not who he says he is. After all, the neighboring Allen family has never mentioned a cousin named Crispin from the West Indies. And what's this he's saying about a missing inheritance and a secret passageway in Allen Abbey? 

Despite Eloise's misgivings, her family finds Crispin Allen's story entirely plausible, and she is soon thrust into an adventure with a cheeky stranger who seems intent on winning more from her than just her help in his quest....

This clean romance Regency novella is 35,000 words.

©2023 Rosanne E. Lortz (P)2024 Rosanne E. Lortz

Sweet old fashioned story

The story brings you to the days of wealth, status, and chivalry. i truley enjoyed the competition between the cousins as well as the mystery between them. I recommend it!

This Novel Came Alive!

I am a sucker for a good Regency romance and the Allen Abbey Romance series begins with Then Gentleman in the Ash Tree. I loved how this story started. Anytime I read a Regency romance where someone is acting outside of societal norms and gets caught in the act is always so entertaining to me. Too many characters during the Regency era are such stuff shirts that moments like these are a refreshing reminder that these people were human. This is also what first endeared me to Eloise. Her character was easy to love, and from the moment she meets fun-loving Crispin I knew this was going to be an instant favorite.

Honestly, this is one of the most entertaining Regency romances that I’ve had the pleasure of reading. Not only did I read the novel, but I also listened to the audiobook, which added so much to the narrative, in my opinion. I adored the narrator’s voice as it was so incredibly soothing to listen to and the fact that it is paired with such an entertaining story heightened the experience, truly making the novel come alive.

This is an incredible start to what I’m sure is going to be an amazing series.

Delightful Country Romance

I’ve read this satisfying romance twice, but truly enjoyed the talented narration of this audiobook even more (especially after realizing I could increase the speaker’s speed to 1.2). What a range of convincing voices! I love stories about inheritances, and the addition of a secret passageway- well, all the better. The only improvement I would make is to replace 4 or 5 mentions of the hero’s “nut brown hair” with a different adjective. Otherwise, a PERFECT tale! Can’t wait to enjoy the rest of this wonderful series on Audible.

So Cute

Sometimes when I get a book from Book Sirens I come across a gem of a book. That is the case for this one. I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I first started reading, but it captured me so quickly. I love the Era that this was written. The characters were just charming, especially Crispin. I loved his character and how he treated Eloise and her family.

This book was so romantic and so wholesome. I love the fact that Crispin knew he was falling for Eloise, while he stayed at her house, and willingly left to stay at a hotel for her virtue. I read different kinds of romance books, and some are more steamy than others, but it’s always nice to read about a male character who treats a woman with respect.

I have read all three of her books and I just finished Thomas’s book. I had forgotten what a pain he was in the first book, but I’m glad he got his redemption story. There are so many different aspects of this book that I found intriguing and there are some characters you will love and something that you would love to hate.

I’m really happy that this was in audiobook form. For the most part, the narrator did a good job, but I didn’t care for the voice she used for Eloise because she made her sound like an immature little girl. Regardless of that fact, I still recommend this audiobook. It’s not long and it just has a good feeling to it.

I hope the other books will be put in audiobook form.

A Must Listen Audiobook

This was a wonderful story to listen to! I fell in love with the main characters Eloise and Crispin. The story always had a "what's going to happen next" that made me eager to get back to listening to it anytime I had to pause it. I'm going to have to listen to it again. Maria Johnson narrated this story beautifully. The way she can change her voice to give each character their own unique voice is amazing. I love hearing her narrations, and I hope both author and narrator continue to team up for future stories.