The Harlow Hoyden

A Regency Romance (Love Takes Root, Book 1)

By: Lynn Messina

Narrated by: Lucy Rayner

Miss Emma Harlow hasn't earned the reputation as a hoyden for nothing, so when the duke of Trent discovers her in his conservatory stealing one of his orchids, he isn't surprised - charmed, delighted and puzzled, yes, but not surprised. It is Emma who is amazed. She has naturally concluded that the man reading in the conservatory must be the country cousin (who else in London would actually read?) and is quite vexed to discover that he is the duke of Trent himself - imagine, stealing the duke's prize Rhyncholaelia digbyana under his very nose!   

But her vexation doesn't last long. For Emma is a practical young lady with a mission: to end her dear sister Lavinia's engagement to the villainous (and dreadfully dull!) Sir Waldo Windbourne, and she thinks that the famous libertine is just the man for the job. If he would only seduce her sister away from Sir Waldo...well, not seduce exactly, but flirt mercilessly and engage her interest. Perhaps then Lavinia would jilt the baron. 

The duke of Trent is resistant, of course. Despite his reputation, he does not toy with the affections of innocents. And besides, it's not her sister he longs to seduce.

©2014 Lynn Messina (P)2019 Tantor

Fun story, cute romance

Looking forward to the rest of the series. This was such a promising start. Lovely narration as well; Rayner kept me immersed in the story.

Love these characters

Anyone who loves romance and mystery will like it. This is one of my favorite authors.

Happy Harlow Holden!

This was a cute story and easy to listen to. I loved the narrator’s voice for the characters and would recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for a witty, humorous story. If you want a story that’s not too heavy and can overlook the repetitive details, you should enjoy this story. That being said, you can pick up on the characters self reflections and how they want to be perceived. The duke, Alex, doesn’t want to be seen as a rake. I found it nice to actually listen to a story where the man wasn’t a rake or rogue.
The twins find themselves in the story and Roger has to share his secret as well. Overall, good listen about overcoming fears, not settling and knowing your self worth.

CL

Exceptional story worth listening to.

I really enjoyed the twists and turns. It was very well done. I loved it.

Nicely written story

Cute story, far fetched for the time period, but I did enjoy it. Story flow was spot on and nice read overall. This was a very short quick read.